Green Party’s Greta Browne Endorses Sam Bennett

Green Party member Greta Browne, who has occasionally run for Congress, has endorsed Democratic candidate Sam Bennett. In 2004, as a declared candidate, Browne dropped out on election eve, throwing her support to Democrat Joe Driscoll.

“I am so honored to have Greta’s support. Our district can’t afford another two years of Congressman Dent,” said Bennett. “With Greta’s help, we can bring change to the Lehigh Valley – an economic policy that helps middle and working class families, an energy policy that focuses on renewable energy, and an environmental policy that reverses the impact of global climate change."

Charlie Dent's campaign manager, Shawn Millan, notes this endorsement demonstrates that Bennett will embrace the "extreme side of every issue," even the need for a rational energy policy.

"Bennett’s energy policy in brief is this: no oil, no natural gas, no clean coal, no nuclear – no nothing. At least nothing that is currently practical."

No word yet from Ralp Nader.

Norco Elections Commission Chair: Report "Pure Partisan Politics"

A citizens' advisory panel report of Northampton County's election woes was released to the public on Tuesday. It makes fifteen recommendations, and contains an entire page of notes devoted to the erratic behavior of Registrar, Debbie DePaul.

Express Times reporter Sarah Cassi tells us this task force report has come under attack.

Northampton County Elections Commission Chair Walter R. Garvin - "pure partisan politics."

Northampton County Councilman and Democratic committeeman Charles Dertinger - "flies in the face of an independent elections office."

HRH DePaul - ""I'm sure there are Republicans that want me to leave."

The author of this report, Russ Shade, is a Democrat. So is Dick Benner, a former voting registrar who also served on this committee. Greta Browne? She ran for Congress, twice, as a Green party candidate. Republican Peg Ferarro resigned from the task force long before it got down to the dirty work of preparing a summary.

That leaves panel member L. Jack Bradt. He's so Republican he has elephants on his pajamas, but he was also the task force member kindest to DePaul.

So let's do the math. Two Democrats, one Republican and one Green are accused of producing a highly partisan report designed to drive HRH DePaul from office.

Partisan politics? I'll tell you about that next time.

Norco Registrar DePaul to Critics: "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"

I've told you what happened before last night's citizen's panel review of Northampton County elections. Now let me tell you about the meeting itself. Task force members Peg Ferraro, Greta Browne, Jack Bradt and Dick Benner agreed to send a letter to the Department of State, seeking answers to certification questions about touchscreen voting machines supplied by Advanced Voting Solutions. They also formalized a survey for candidates, elections workers and voters. The fireworks display came from the peanut gallery.

H.R.H. DePaul's Hired Gun

First and foremost was Larry Otter, an attorney retained by voting registrar Deborah DePaul. He ingratiated himself with both the peanut gallery and the task force by insulting everyone. Otter's claim to fame is that he represented Carl Romanelli, who sold his soul to the devil in an attempt to get on the ballot for U.S. Senate. We all know how that turned out. Otter refused to sit in the peanut gallery with the rest of us. He's too important. According to H.R.H. DePaul, Otter was hired as a "buffer" to protect her "from the falsehoods and basic lies."

The panel was warned it must stop making "outlandish" statements about poor H.R.H. DePaul. When asked what he meant, he said the panel had called DePaul "incompetent." When asked to say when the panel had called her that, he could not give an answer. This dude even managed to offend panel member Jack Bradt, who previously had nice things to say about H.R.H. DePaul. Strike One.

After alienating the committee studying problems in the elections office, Otter turned his wrath on The Express Times and Morning Call, claiming that both papers had lied about his client. Once again, he was asked to provide an example. "The local media need to get their facts straight." The one "lie" identified, is an Express Times allegation that eight people have recently left the office. And that statement happens to be true. Eight people have left the office over the past three years. This turnover is one reason DePaul has given for office problems. Steeerike Two.

Otter couldn't stop with the committee and newspapers. He also blasted local Republican chair Roy Shuman, who has complained that H.R.H. DePaul's office is too partisan. Shuman's charges are "unfounded" and "outrageous." And he minimized complaints about our misleading straight party ballot, complaints expressed by both parties. "Got a problem? Take it up with the state legislature." Strike Three. You're outta' here.

Republican Complaints

Roy Shuman, the dude making these "unfounded" and "outrageous" allegations, was next. He thinks we all "should be treated equally," and it's not happening. It was hard for Shuman to make his points. Whenever he offered a criticism, either H.R.H. DePaul or hired gun Otter would interrupt, something they attempted all evening. Shuman nevertheless insisted there is "preferential treatment," and brought committeewoman Mary Barket to prove his point.

Barket explained what happened recently when a county council candidate was only given five copies of a nomination petition.Barket called about making copies, and H.R.H. DePaul blew up. She accused Barket of "setting her up." Amidst H.R.H. DePaul's repeated interruptions last night, Barket finally turned and flatly said, "It became personal and there was no reason for that. You went from 0 to 60 very quickly."

And the flurry of emails that followed this exchange troubled Roy Shuman because no emails were sent to him. He complained Dem chair Joe Long was getting emails about a problem with republicans, but nothing was being sent to Shuman. H.R.H. DePaul, who has said repeatedly she always notifies both parties whenever she interacts with either party, interrupted Shuman to say, "I don't have your email." Huh? But I thought she said .... never mind.

Judges of Elections

Three judges of elections addressed the panel last night. Two out of three like the new machines. But a Moore Township judge complained that, at the end of the evening, it was impossible to transfer data into the master. This is exactly what happened when AVS demonstrated the touchscreens to the state.

Office Staff

About four members of DePaul's staff were on hand to defend their boss. They claim they're very happy. They approach problems as a team, and had a few disparaging remarks about DePaul's predecessor. I have no criticism of DePaul's staff. I think they're hard workers. I think DePaul's a hard worker, too. But they seemed scared to death when I visited the office last week. Maybe it's my nose. They said last night they resented my previous depiction of H.R.H. DePaul as a witch. Hey, it was a queen! She has referred to her "reign" as registrar, so I'm trying to show the appropriate respect. Maybe I should bow when I see her.

Shawn Millan

Millan, Congressman Dent's evil campaign manager, voices two concerns. First, he notes that the Morning Call, which collects data from each precinct, had very accurate results the day after the election. But unofficial results from the elections office were completely different. Thirteen days later, when official results were released, it appeared that the "lying" Morning Call had it right all along. "How do you blame the machines when the results reported in the papers were accurate?" The variation between unofficial and official results in the congressional race was an unacceptable six percent, compared to one percent or less in other counties. And in State Senator Browne's race, it was a whopping twenty-two percent! Shawn, it's unfair of you to use facts to support arguments. That could start a dangerous trend.

Millan's second criticism, a little less factual, was directed at a ballot designed to encourage straight party voting. He called it a "partisan design that doesn't benefit our democracy." Although we nearly all agree that the ballot was badly designed, I don't think there's any evidence it was intentional. But Millan promised, "It's something we'll be looking out for in the future. It won't happen again." I believe him.

Joe Long

Joe Long, when he addressed the panel, first complained no one has sent him invitations. Gee, Joe, I never got an invitation, either. Then he complained couny exec John Stoffa never returns his calls. I thought he'd start singing, "You don't send me flowers anymore," but he stopped himself.

Right after Republicans complained about DePaul's partisanship, Long commended her and droned on about how much Dems love working for her. He should. His daughter worked there until last year. That's a great way to prove she's nonpartisan, Joe.

Now Long tried denying this. "That's not true. She left before I became county chair." Courthouse records reveal Long's daughter was a part-time elections office worker between April 2002 and July 26, 2006, and Long claimed last night he's been the Dem chair for the past six years. Little things like that make republicans suspicious.

But Joe didn't stop there. He called the elections panel a "witch hunt and public whipping post" for H.R.H. DePaul. "We want people to vote." He's concerned this task force might discourage people from voting. Stoffa has asked them, "How can we do better?" That really should deter voters.

Both The Morning Call and Express Times have excellent, and far more objective, accounts of last night's meeting. The citizens' panel will meet again at the courthouse on March 14 at 7 P.M. You can email any concerns to voter.info@northamptoncounty.org. Minutes are posted on the left sidebar.

Norco Voter Registrar DePaul Discusses Her Kingdom

"The people who left under my reign are people I am still close with."

Those are the exact words Northampton County Voter Registrar Deborah DePaul used at last night's meeting of a citizens' advisory committee studying our elections problems. Her Highness revealed the source of our election troubles. It's her.

Retired Registrar Benner expressed dismay over DePaul's numerous letters to state and federal officials concerning HAVA. In one, she actually urged county executive Stoffa to ignore the new federal law. "While it might be criminal, criminals are pardoned." Benner flatly told DePaul those remarks are out of line.

Benner wondered why newspapers still call him with elections questions. The press has told him they can't get the information they need from DePaul's office. He's concerned the office may now be playing favorites, echoing some concerns he heard from Congressman Dent's office. And he noted that eight people have recently jumped ship. He questioned why the office no longer had a notary for affidavits brought in at the last minute. Greta Browne also wanted to know why DePaul couldn't send someone from her office to Nazareth's recent, and very successful, nonpartisan "resident to candidate" forum.

This is when H.R.H. DePaul launched one of her long, rambling defenses. Rarely have I seen someone use so many words to say so little. Maybe she should be a blogger. She blamed everyone but herself.

"Prior to coming here, that office was in major disruption. ... The atmosphere in my staff is wonderful. ... It's very professional and very pleasant."

As professional as her staff may be, she could not trust any of them to go to Nazareth. "That would be a bad situation. You're not going to send a tech to do a surgery." This is not brain surgery. As one of at least forty people attending that forum, I know her employees could easily have handled all questions. Blogger Ross Nunamaker was able to do so rather nicely. DePaul missed a major opportunity to recast her office in a favorable light. Her attitude betrays a distrust, both of her own staff and the public. She just doesn't understand something Benner said at the committee's first meeting. "People must be made to understand you're there to help them."

At last night's meeting, panel members Russ Shade, Peg Ferarro, Dick Benner, Greta Browne and Jack Bradt agreed to ask the Department of State for proof that the AVS WinVote machines are really certified. They also want assurances that the hardware shipped by Advanced Voting Solutions is, in fact, what was approved. Local state legislators will receive copies of this request. They are also working on a survey about problems in the elections office, which will be distributed to candidates, poll workers and voters.

As Benner expressed his displeasure with DePaul, committee members Russ Shade and Peg Ferraro are frustrated by state officials who ignore them. Russ Shade mentioned repeated requests for information concerning state certification. "I'm ready to go to the governor. ... We're not asking for a miracle." And Peg Ferraro complained, "They're not answering the public and they're supposed to be public servants."

Voter activist Alan Brau, a local physician, warned the committee this would happen. He has had to sue the state Department of State over its refusal, without explanation, to re-examine voting machines.

Elections commissioner Joan Rosenthal also recommended that the Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that the elections commission become nonpartisan.

The citizens' advisory panel will meet again on February 28 and March 14, at 7 PM, in council chambers on the 3rd floor of the Northampton County courthouse. You can contact them with your views at voter.info@northamptoncounty.org. Minutes for these meetings are on the left side bar of this blog.

Norco Elections Committee Wants Answers From AVS

The coming storm, our first serious winter weather, posed no obstacle to Northampton County's citizens' election committee yesterday. Russ Shade, Jack Bradt and Greta Browne conducted their fourth meeting in as many weeks. This determined group appears to be coming to a consensus that our electronic touchscreen voting system is inferior. But embattled voter registrar Deborah DePaul has at least one defender - committee member Jack Bradt. During yesterday's meeting, Bradt told DePaul, "Your office should be commended, not condemned, for the work you did."

Problems with Advanced Voting Solutions

Did you know Northampton County is one of only three counties in Pennsylvania that use touchscreen machines supplied by Advanced Voting Solutions? Or that Pennsylvania is one of only three states that have contracts with AVS? Or that AVS' WINVote system was never certified by the National Association of State Elections Directors (NASED)?

These are just a few of the things Dr. Alan Brau told the committee yesterday. Dr. Brau, a local physician, insists these touchscreen machines are unreliable and advocates a voter-verified paper trail. Nearly a year ago, he was spurned by the Department of State when he asked for re-examination of the WINVote system. He is part of a nonpartisan group that has challenged the state's certification in Commonwealth Court.

When asked about his motivation, Dr. Brau simply responded. "I'm a citizen. I'm a voter."

In addition to general concerns about the lack of a paper trail, Dr. Brau is concerned about the specific WINVote system. He reiterated BlackBox voting's allegation that AVS pulled a bait and switch. After getting its hardware certified, AVS is accused of shipping a cheaper internal hardware system, manufactured in China.

Amazingly, AVS has yet to answer these very serious charges. If these accusations are baseless, AVS should say so, and publicly. But it has sent no representative to answer these charges.

Committee co-chair Russ Shade believes these allegations "need to be explored. We need confidence that these machines are properly certified." Committee member Jack Bradt agreed, and went one step farther. He believes the entire system is inadequate, most significantly because there is no paper trail. An optical scanning system, which combines modern technology with a paper trail, might be our future. "If we have to go to another system because the state misled us, someone's going to have to pay for that."

Bradt Defends Embattled Elections Office

Director of Administration John Conklin explained the steps he's taking to make sure our next election goes off better than the previous two. His goal is to ensure that unofficial results are available by midnight. He plans to have a manual backup ready.

At this point, Jack Bradt came to the voting registrar's defense. He's run a successful business that underwent automation. And last night, he blamed that automation for elections office problems. "I do not see a need for changes in the office. They've done a very good job."

I respect Bradt. Perhaps he's right. But I don't believe the automation has a damn thing to do with the problems in that office. It's a mess. And its leadership is inadequate.

For example, look at an email that Dr. Brau sent to Elections Chair Walt Garvin on December 3.

"I have tried to go through official channels, but Deb DePaul has been an effective stone wall in her role as registrar. ... I could not notify Deb DePaul since she blocks emails from me."

Does this sound like a responsive registrar to you? I forwarded this email to DePaul for a response. Nada. (Oops. I'm speaking Spanish.)

Or how about this? Ross Nunamaker at NewsOverCoffee puts together a nonpartisan "resident to candidate" forum, asks the registrar to drop by, and gets this.

"You did not state a date and I have numerous business and personal commitment but if somehow I am available I would try to attend. Within my office I have a fairly new staff and do not have any one else here within the office that would be beneficial."

Ross provided the date but heard nothing. Nada. (Oops, there I go again). And when Ross stopped in to pick up materials, here's what he noticed.

"It was clear to me that the office is on pins and needles when the request for a petition to a non-candidate requires the head of the office to be excused from a meeting with a representative of the company with the voting machines in light of those issues."

And so the battle rages.

Update:The Morning Call has a more objective account of yesterday's meeting.

Stoffa's Citizen Committee Deals With NorCo Election Mess

"Our elections have been like giving birth to an elephant."

That's how Northampton County Executive John Stoffa described our last two elections. And he's right. In the primary, Democrats and Republicans were reversed and there was no write-in tally for six weeks. In the general election, voters were confused by a ballot designed to encourage straight party voting. And it took hours to tabulate results that turned out to be off by over 3,000 votes.

A few weeks ago, Stoffa named a five person "blue ribbon citizens advisory committee" to untangle the Gordian knot in the elections office. Its members? Russ Shade (Stoffa's reform-minded former campaign manager); Richard Benner (former registrar who oversaw 45 elections); Peg Ferraro (former county councilperson); Jack Bradt (former CEO at SI Handling); and Greta Browne (former congressional candidate). Today, this unusual nonpartisan committee met for the first time. It chose Peg Ferraro to serve as chair and Russ Shade as co-chair. It will be meeting weekly, with its next two meetings scheduled for Wednesday evenings at 7 PM, when working voters can attend.

Not a single member of county council attended today's meeting. Although the five member elections commission was expressly invited to participate, only Joan Rosenthal was able to attend today's 3 PM meeting.

Problems in the Elections Office

Stoffa originally told this committee it had just four months to come up with solutions. But today, his charge was a little more open-ended. He stressed they were not on a "witch hunt," but he wanted to know "how we can do better." He wants the public's input, improvements in our voting tabulation, and wondered whether an ethics code might be necessary. From all the accounts I've received, I believe it's pretty apparent why there are problems. Some of these problems, like the lack of paper trails and possible hacking, can only be solved at the state or federal level. But the county must deal with the following:

a) A registrar who refers to herself like this: "You seem to have failed to notice and appreciate that the person in charge of the Election Office is intelligent, dedicated, fair and non-bias and holds her office to the same standards. With every positive effort to hold a good and fair election I seem to be fighting a very negative, nasty wave from a group that seem to wish bad upon the office or the election." She rambled on for at least a half hour during today's meeting, assuring everyone things are wonderful. They aren't.

b) Elections workers are improperly trained and don't even know enough to offer provisional ballots, something that Pennsylvania law requires.

c) Voting machines are not evenly distributed so that precincts that have heavy votes get more machines.

d) There is insufficient manpower on hand in the elections office during an actual election.

e) Advanced Voting Machines must solve the problem of vote tallies following the election.

f) One party chair is too close to the elections office.

g) The Home Rule Charter needs to be strengthened to remove politics from the elections commission.

h) The ballot must be altered so that it is at least neutral on the subject of straight party ballots.

i) The district boundaries are screwed up (just call Voter Reg and ask for updated district maps and listen to the runaround you get)

j) There are mis-registered voters - assigned to vote outside the precincts where they reside.

A Good Start

Dick Benner very quickly got to the heart of the problem, He told Voter Registrar Deborah DePaul that "people must be made to understand you're there to help them." He suggested asking local high schools to provide 17 year olds to help monitor elections. "That exposes them to civic life and also eases the burden on elections workers." DePaul mentioned several colleges she's contacted, and claimed they only want to help when they're something in it for them. She completely missed Benner's point about contacting high schools, not colleges.

This committee is advisory only, a paper tiger. But they mean business. Their next meeting will be in council chambers on January 31 at 7 PM. Their email address is voterinfo@northamptoncounty.org.

Correction: The correct email addy for the citizen advisory committee is voter.info@northamptoncounty.org.

Why Did Republican Charlie Dent Win? He Can Thank the Greens

Greta Browne, "pyschotherapist" and queen of the Lehigh Valley Greens, pulled in 17.3% of the votes in the race for the 15th U.S. Congressional District, enough to insure a Dertinger loss. When she ran for Congress two years ago, she abandoned her quest on election eve, betraying those who had supported her. FEC records reveal her campaign was financed in part by big money Republicans, and her explanation was both late and unsatisfactory. She never answered questions about her supposed private psychotherapy practice, which is not listed in any phone book. But because she was treated with benign neglect by her opponents, most voters were simply unaware of these criticisms. Net result? Charlie Dent wins this race with only 46.3% of the vote.

If Instant Runoff Voting was used, as suggested by Morning Call columnist Bill White, Dertinger would probably have won this race. Under this system, voters list their candidates by order of preference. Most Browne voters would list Dertinger as second choice. Under this system, Browne would be eliminated as the candidate with the fewest votes, and results would be recalculated using voters' second choices. The Browne votes would go to Dertinger, and he would win with 53% of the vote.

Update and Correction: I have to thank an anonymous commenter who was kind enough to tell me I'm full of shit. The state election returns show Browne has only 3 percent of the total vote. That's consistent with what I saw on TV last night. This morning, the state returns did show her at 17.3% for some reason. I would be fully prepared to say I misread the numbers except for one thing. LVDem, who's younger and smarter than me, noted this morning that Browne did did "very well in Lehigh County... well enough that Dent didn't even clear 50%." But when you look at the returns now, they show Dent with 55.4% of the Lehigh County vote. According to the results as now reported, Dent has 52.8% of the total vote, and Instant Runoff Voting would not come into play under those circumstances.

So somehow 17.3% is only 3%. It's only an election.

Congressional Green Greta Browne a Psychotherapist?

On her campaign web site for U.S. Congress, green party candidate Greta Browne tells us she's a psychotherapist in private practice. Well, it must be a pretty damn exclusive practice because it's listed nowhere in the phone book. Even the state's bureau of professional and occupational affairs has no listing for her. According to their records, she has no license as a psychologist, social worker, professional counselor or family and marriage therapist. Most psychotherapists are licensed in one of these areas, but not Greta Browne.

Since the green party claims their candidates are "fully accountable," I asked Browne's campaign to verify her credentials. Did she go to psychotherapy school or something? I was told my question is "an abomination to progressive work." They've been saying stuff like that to me lately. And Browne refuses to lower herself to answer this question.

Last Wednesday, Browne did debase herself long enough to appear on Ron Angle's WGPA AM radio talk show. But she became quite indignant when Angle dared take a long call from Bernie Kieklak, Lisa Boscola's top aide. This gave Browne less time, but that's the way talk radio works. Although Angle offered a return engagement, Browne refused because he could not guarantee she would be the constant center of attention. Geez, she's only running for Congress. You think she'd jump at any opportunity for some free radio time.

Is it me, or are these folks just a little too full of themselves? Maybe Greta should run for Northampton County judge. She'd fit right in.

By the way, Browne has yet to answer concerns about GOP funding of state greens running for Congress. In a comment posted on this blog on October 19, she said, "In the next few days I will post my comments on my website." She still hasn't done so, and the election is only eight days away.

That's accountability, Greta Browne style!

November 2 Update - Browne Continues to Mislead: On her webpage, Browne today denies that she or any of her fellow Congressional greens benefited in any way from the blood money that Romanelli reports spending on their behalf. I've got two problems with Browne's explanation. First, she backdated it. She claims to have released this statement back in October, but it was in fact just released today. Second, her explanation is bogus. She herself admits some of this money went to volunteers for gathering signatures in a pay per signature scheme.

Dent & Dertinger: The Battle for the Bucks

The last time I told you about the battle for the bucks between Congressional contenders Dent and Dertinger, the ratio was 100 to 1. Dertinger has since made some strides, but Dent still has 21 times more money. Dent raised about $1.2 million by the end of September compared to Dertinger's $56 thousand.

The main source of Dent's income? Individuals living in his district. Dertinger's biggest contributors are nonlocal trade unions. Dent has raked in $620 thousand in individual contributions while Dertinger has pulled in only $11 thousand.

Previously, I questioned Dertinger's heavy reliance on union funds. But Dertinger explained that he is not only a trade union employee himself, but a third generation union electrician proud of his union connections. Can't argue with that.

But how about Dent and all that money he takes from the oil and gas industry? I had asked him to pledge against that sort of money, and complained when he failed to respond to my emails. But Dent did respond. He actually called and even met me. What I did not realize, and what Congressman Dent explained, was that he receives over five hundred emails every day. That's almost as much email as I get, although most of mine comes from admiring females and bill collectors.

And as Dertinger had a good explanation for his union connections, Dent was equally convincing about his "oil and gas" connection. His grandfather was a longtime UGI employee. Air Products, his biggest contributor, is actually headquartered in his district, and so is PPL. Is he supposed to reject contributions from major employers within his own district?

What Dertinger and Dent said about their major contributors is entirely consistent with what they said during their debate before the Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens. There were no surprises. I wish I could say the same for Green party candidate Greta Browne. She convincingly misled voters into thinking her campaign was funded on a whisper and a prayer. We have since learned that greens were actually funded with over $150 thousand in money from the likes of war profiteers like Halliburton and Blackwater.

The only candidate whose finances are questionable is the green. Strange world.

Pennsylvania's Mean Green Party

Last week, I had a rare opportunity to do some original reporting. While researching a post about spending in the Lehigh Valley congressional race, I accidentally stumbled on a land mine. Luzerne County's Green party had collected over $150 thousand from conservative republicans, and had used over $40 thousand of this money to promote the campaigns of the four Pennsylvania greens running for U.S. Congress: Dave Baker (Philly), Titus North (Pittsburgh), Derf Maitland (York) and Greta Browne (Lehigh Valley).

Local greens' initial reaction was to ignore me. One anonymous commenter popped on my blog and huffed, "Lay off Greta Browne. ... You know what $200 buys you in a Congressional race? A mention in a blog." And local Green activist Peter Crownfield condescendingly snorted, "sometimes responding to charges like this emphasizes their importance relative to other issues."

This was a mistake. Local greens underestimated the power of the blogosphere, a democratic and authentic media where anyone with an interesting message will be heard. It's a meritocracy of ideas.

Fortunately, my original post spread quickly through cyberspace, but not because of me. Will Bunch, a Philadelphia Daily News columnist, improved on my sketchy essay and reported that $10,000 of this GOP money came from the founders of Blackwater USA, a company that regularly supplies the CIA with mercenaries. From there, the story quickly traveled to Phawker, Nam Guardian Angel, Another Monkey, MLM Liberal, No Capital, Michigan Liberal , MParent7777, TPMMuckraker and even the DailyKos. On Friday, The Morning Call reported this GOP bankroll had tainted Green Party hopefuls.

As gratified as I was to see these stories, what I appreciated most was Bill White's Saturday column. He compared these odd Green-Republican bedfellows to Martha Stewart shacking up with Mongo. But what I liked most were his encouraging words to bloggers, which came at a time when encouragement was definitely apprciated. When a brilliant and wickedly funny columnist like Bill White notices a simple blog by a "nitwit ranting in his underwear," he gives citizen bloggers some credibility.

Either that, or he has no taste. Maybe he had me mixed up with LVDem.

Reacting to these numerous reports in the print media and blogosphere, Congressional candidate Greta Browne has now reversed her original reluctance to comment publicly. She promises a full explanation on her site. This is as it should be. Greens whine that major parties "have increasingly become parties driven by big money, not by the grassroots." So they better explain what the hell they were doing. While they're at it, they'd better justify their decision to pay people by the signature in petition drives, which has a big potential for abuse. The Green's ten key values include a pledge "to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them." So it's time to account.

Despite these promises, I doubt there will be any real explanation. Greens are just too damn intolerant. Sure, they pay lip service to the principle of respecting diverse viewpoints, but really resent criticism directed at them. I've already been accused of "right wing attack tactics" and acting like Rush Limbaugh. Congressional candidate Derf Maitland: told me [campaign finance] "is none of your business." That ought to get him elected.

But the prize for intolerance goes to local green blogger Pat Rogers, who unloaded on me. Get a load of these messages from the party of peace:

"You are a typical fascist predator Bernie. You offer nothing of substance. Just wild accusations." * * * "You are a typically arrogant and proud fascist." * * * "I would not read your right wing fascist sludge if it were the only blog on the Internet." * * * "Authoritarian thug." * * * "Bernie O'Hare, Bill White and the other Democrat and Republican party hack propagandists are murdering American democracy for their right wing hegemony over America."

Pat Rogers'comments come from The Morning Call community forum, a truly scary place.

I just asked Pat to add me to his blogroll. Now excuse me while I shine my boots and see where I left my swastika.

Green Congressional Candidates: Blackwater Money "None of Your Business"

Greta Browne and Derf Maitland, congressional candidates from the Green Party, want to set the record straight. Greta, Green candidate for Congress here in the Lehigh Valley, tells us this:

"Here's the truth: During the petition drive, Carl Romanelli offered to pay any volunteer collecting signatures for Green Party candidates. A couple of our volunteers accepted and received around the figure Bernie O'Hare quoted. $200 represents 100 signatures @ $2 each. We collected a total of over 4600 signatures. We needed 3417 sigs to get on the ballot. Guy and I personally collected over 600 each and accepted no payment.

At the time the money was offered and paid we had no idea that some of Romanelli's donations came from Republicans. I'm certain no one would have accepted it if we had known.

My campaign received no money from Carl Romanelli. We are proud to be grassroots and firm on our principles.

Sincerely, Greta"

I have serious problems with Greta's explanation.

First, contrary to what Browne claims, it was widely known Romanelli was funded exclusively by Santorum supporters.

Second, the explanation is inaccurate. In addition to the $200 noted yesterday, an additional $855 independent expenditure was paid on her behalf. Moreover, "coordinated expenditures" on behalf of all four congressional greens are reported by FEC records at $40,735. The money came from the Luzerne County Green Party, which in turn was funded with $156,000 from the likes of the founder of Blackwater USA. It was blood money.

Third, Titus North, Pittsburgh's green congressional candidate from Pittsburgh, acknowledges he was aware this sort of money might be coming as part of an informal arrangement with Romanelli. This is inconsistent with what Browne now says, although I have no reason to doubt her honesty and I don't think Titus North expected that such a large sum would be reported.

Fourth, Browne indicates "a couple" of the "volunteers" agreed to accept payment but the $200 check was made out to only one person. And there is no explanation for the $855 payment or the subsequent "coordinated expenditures."

Fifth, during a debate last week in Pen Argyl, Browne said her largest contributor gave her $500, and this was in response to a specific question about her campaign contributors. She did not note that she had actually allowed someone to pay a volunteer $2 for every signature. She did not mention either the $200 or $855 expenditure. She did not mention Blackwater USA. Perhaps she did not know. Perhaps she and her fellow Greens have been set up.

Browne's response now is that people with concerns should contact her privately. That's open and accountable government, Green Party style.

Derf Maitland, the Green candidate for Congress in York, threatened a libel prosecution, and provided an even better demonstration of how Greens really view open and accountable government:

"Whose side are you on? If you are a Green (or a former Green), then bring this matter up to the State Green Party--address it the right way and stop throwing darts. If you are a Dem or Rep, then you are just blowing smoke up my ass. If you are another party or independent, then it's none of your business ... ."

I get it. If I'm a Green or former Green, I should note this little $40,000 problem privately. If I belong to a major party, my motivation is necessarily political. And if I'm independent, it's none of my business! In other words, I have no right to air this dirty laundry publicly.

This betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of my rights, not as a member of some political party, but as an American citizen. As a democrat and citizen who cares about my government, I have every right to question the pernicious influence of money in politics. Greens do it all the time. That right is so important the FEC makes finance records available online for all of us.

The Green Party is supposed to be driven by grassroots, not big money, and certainly not Blackwater or Haliburton. Congressional Greens have either benefited from this money or are victims of a charade being perpetuated by Luzerne County's Greens. I don't deny the need to reform draconian ballot access laws. But that does not excuse either the blood money or the deceptive nature of the green party's financial disclosure. And it does not excuse green candidates who tell the public their campaign finances are none of our business.

Thirty Pieces of Silver for Pennsylvania's Greens

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Yesterday, I told you Greta Browne, Queen of the Lehigh Valley Greens and candidate for Congress, was the recipient of $200 funneled her way by Republicans. Three other Pennsylvania Greens running for Congress received much larger sums.

Well, I was right and I was wrong. In addition to the $200, an $855 independent expenditure was made on her behalf. Browne and three other Greens running for U.S. Congress also benefited from at least some of $42,000 in "coordinated expenditures."

Big Money Republicans with links to mercenary outfits like Blackwater USA channeled the money to Green congressional candidates with a whopping $156,899 in contributions to Luzerne County's Green Party. Attytood tells us how the money was spent.

"What did the conservatives buy with their money? A lot of it -- tens of thousands of dollars -- went to JSM, the Republican-oriented ballot access firm with a highly controversial history, and another large chunk went for lawyers. According to the records, the funds also supported four Green Party candidates running for U.S. Congress -- the 2nd District's Dave Baker, the 14th District's Titus North, the 15th District's Greta Browne, and the 19th District's Derf Maitland. In other words, the Republicans -- desperate not to lose control of the U.S. House, and with Pennsylvania the key swing state -- may be using the Green Party again to rob votes from the Democrats."

I don't blame Republicans. They don't know any better. But I can't help wondering if the Greens' money is still dripping with blood.

Yesterday's report about the "appalling sell-out of the Pennsylvania Green Party" was picked up by Attytood, LiveJournal, Phawker, and even The Michigan Liberal under the "weird news" category. Those bastards don't even know me!

Pennsylvania's Green Congressional Candidates Were Funded by Republicans

Remember Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli? He's the chucklehead who let big money Republicans pour $66,000 into his ultimately unsuccessful quest for ballot access in Pennylvania's November 7 race for the U.S. Senate. Our draconian election laws are clearly designed to keep minor party candidates off the ballot. But two wrongs don't make a right. Romanelli thumbed his nose at a Green Party ideal that politics should be driven by grassroots, not big money. He sacrificed principle for expediency, and still failed. Served him right. But it may interest you to know that four Congressional Green candidates did the same thing. And guess what? They're the only Greens on the ballot. One of them is our very own "Queen" Greta Browne, who's running for Congress against Charlie Dent and Charles Dertinger.

The Johns

How did Republicans do this? Not directly. They funneled money through the Green Party of Luzerne County. Some of the johns who prostituted Green party candidates include Lehigh Valley bigwigs. Let's list them.

Charles Snelling, venture capitalist, Fogelsville ($1,000);
Anthony Salvaggio, Computer Aid, Allentown ($1,000);
Walter & Marjorie Buckley, hedge funds, Bethlehem ($2,000) ;and
William Grube, nightvision, Fogelsville ($5,000).

Green party contributors? Sure. I see them at LEPOCO all the time. Snelling wanted to be one of the Dent Nine.

The Hookers?

Four Congressional Greens sold their souls. Luzerne County's Green Party made payments on their behalf for "polling" and "ballot access" in its FEC Report. Let's list them, too.

Dave Baker, progressive activist and chess instructor in Philly's 2d District ($4,234);
Titus North, college professor in Pittsburgh's 14th District ($3,811);
Derf Maitland, bookstore owner in Adams County's 19th District ($32,390); and
Greta Browne, Queen of the Lehigh Valley Greens in the 15th District ($200).

Just $200 for Greta? I'd insist on a dinner, too.

I spoke with one of these "progressives," Titus North. He spoke vaguely of an informal arrangement in which Romanelli had promised Green congressionals $2 per signature over the July 4 holiday. North admits depositing two checks from the Luzerne County Green Party in his personal account, and one of his petition workers was also compensated. He knew this money was coming from Republicans, although he didn't know specifically that donors included the likes of a military contractor and a Haliburton subsidiary. It was blood money.

It is often said that prostitution is a victimless crime. But we're all victims in this Green party charade in which Congressional candidates pocket money from the special interests they pretend to hate. Among his final words to me, Titus North said, "We didn't do anything illegal."

Spoken just like any Republican or Democrat.

Afternoon Update: Will Bunch's blog at The Philadelphia Daily News, Attytood, has more on the "appalling sell-out of the Pennsylvania Green Party." Big money Republicans have now funneled over $150 thousand to Pennsylvania Greens through the Luzerne County Green Party. Part of this dough comes from the founder of Blackwater USA, "the shadowy, Virginia-based soldier-for-hire company with roots in the U.S. military intelligence community."

Bunch also notes this blood money was used to support all four Greens running for U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania. "Republicans -- desperate not to lose control of the U.S. House, and with Pennsylvania the key swing state -- may be using the Green Party again to rob votes from the Democrats."

I liked Greens much better when they had ethics.

Greta Browne Does Some Church Electioneering

Greta Browne, Queen of the Lehigh Valley Greens, is running for Congress ... again. And she's scheduled a vegetarian dinner fundraiser at prices between $30 and $50 a pop. I sure hope she's not serving spinach!

There's one tiny problem. Her shindig is at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, where she is entrenched as an associated minister. Under the Internal Revenue Code, a church is absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. The prohibition applies to all campaigns including campaigns at the federal, state and local level.

Oopsie!

Is this the face of "new politics"? Church electioneering? I thought only conservatives did that.

Greta Browne for Congress: She's the Queen of Lehigh Valley Greens!

As one or two of you may have heard, there's a third party candidate in the Congressional race for Charlie Dent's seat in the 15th District. She's Greta Browne, Queen of the local Greens. Remember her? She's the same person who betrayed Greens in her last run at Congress by throwing her support to Democrat Joe Driscoll on election eve.

This time she's means it. Really!

Her supposed focus is getting our troops out of Iraq and ending our reliance on foreign oil. Yet I didn't see her at an oil independence rally this summer in South Bethlehem, only blocks from her house. I did see Charles Dertinger, the Democratic nominee.

No matter. She has the support of our local King of the Greens, Joe DeRaymond. He's issued a royal proclamation to the Express Times, ordering us to vote for Browne. In his edict, DeRaymond disingenuously maintains Dertinger "has brought the manic Ron Angle into the campaign." That should be news to Dertinger, Dent and Angle.

King Joe, you may recall, is one of the bullies who barged into Congressman Dent's Bethlehem office without an appointment and refused to leave at quitting time. He was convicted of trespass, and LEPOCO just threw him a party.

Whoopee!

When Queen Greta first favored us with her candidacy, King Joe was highly critical. "[Browne] at the last minute, on her own, decided to throw our support to Charles Driscoll, Democrat for Congress. Mr. Driscoll did not even publicly oppose the War in Iraq." And in a letter sent directly to Her Highness, King Joe scoffed at Browne's assertion that She supports alternative energy and was somehow "betrayed" by the press. "Bush supports alternative fuels and 'environmental protections'. You say you were betrayed by the press, yet it is not the press who made the decision to support Driscoll, it was you. Where is Driscoll today in the battle for the environment? On the war in Iraq? On the paving over of the Lehigh Valley?"

Now that Queen Greta is on the ballot, King Joe is whistling a different tune. He talks about "new politics," but offers the standard fare of hypocrisy you'll find on the menu of both major parties.