Sam Bennett Makes Me Take the Pledge

Yesterday's post, Should Senator Boscola's Office Enroll in 12-Step Program?, sparked a bit of controversy. There were those who objected to my unfair use of a photograph of a beet-red Senator Boscola, standing next to Congressional wannabe John Callahan. I expected that. But what really surprised me was a complaint by Charlie Dent's last opponent, none other than Sam Bennett. She let me have it.

"Bernie, I am deeply disappointed that you would repost this highly sexist, misogynistic quote - AGAIN - on your blog. And to use it to damage a woman State Senator is even more disappointing. Bernie, this type of posts demeans ALL women, and should be taken down immediately. When I ran for U.S. Congress in PA-15 against Charlie Dent in 2008, the sexism that came my way was absolutely breath taking. And it motivated me to make sure no woman running for public office in this country would ever have to go through what I did. The national campaign created to achieve this goal www.NameItChangeIt.org, in my role as CEO/President of WCF, the oldest organization financially supporting women running for office, has had a powerful effect on women's races across the country in the mid-terms -- with partners Women's Media Center and Political Parity. Sadly, my race is now infamous as one of the most sexist this nation has ever seen - Bernie you owe me and State Senator Lisa Boscola an apology for re-posting this unforgivably awful quote. Take down this post, apologize and sign our Equality Pledge at www.nameitchangeit.org. You'll be a better man for it. You are better than this."

Actually, I'm not. But I had an unlikely defender. Capri Roth is one of the female bloggers who was tarnished by Boscola aide Kieklak. She and I have had major disagreements over ... just about everything. She explained my motivation to Sam, far better than I.

"Sam, I appreciate your points, but as neither Senator Boscola or Bernie Kieklak ever offered an apology to you or to me for his comments, I don't think its offensive to remind the readers of this blog that his behavior was not only tolerated, but ultimately rewarded by an elected official.

"Obviously Bernie O. can post or not post whatever he likes and that doesn't always reflect the wishes of his readers, but I personally don't prefer that those comments be forgotten or put in the past. If I were still a political blogger, I'd be posting those comments 7 days a week until Senator Boscola's next election."

Sam, if it is any consolation I did take the equality pledge.

"I vow to adhere to fair journalistic standards that promote truthfulness, accuracy, and objectivity. I will pro-actively work to treat all subjects with respect, regardless of gender, and to create an overall media culture in which sexism and misogyny have no place. I recognize that sexist and misogynistic language and representation do not uphold journalistic integrity and media outlet credibility. I pledge to do my part to prevent all instances of sexist and misogynistic coverage of women candidates, women leaders, and women of all walks of life, and to hold fellow journalists and media outlets accountable to this same standard of conduct."

I do want to make one exception. In the first sentence, the pledge calls for "objectivity." I reject that and believe no journalist or blogger is ever truly objective. I think it's more important to be up front than pretend to have a neutral point of view. But I agree with everything else and I can assure you my readers will tear me to shreds if I break my word.

OK, honey?

Just kidding.

Would You Treat 10 Year Old Boys to Lunch at Hooters?

Maybe you can help me out here. My ten year-old grandson is in a baseball tournament near Wyomissing. After getting creamed in their first game on Saturday morning, they've won three straight. Coaches, pleased with the team's progress, decided everyone - boys, coaches, parents and fans - should treat themselves. But instead of Rita's ice cream or a slushy, they decided their reward was Sunday lunch at Hooters.

I consider this an inappropriate atmosphere for these young boys and refused to join in the fun. True, they're too young to get any prurient ideas, but are plenty old enough to learn how to objectify and degrade women. Just the name "Hooters", a euphemism for Tits, obviously does that, before these kids even walk in the door.

I am the only person who thought this was wrong.

What do you think? The picture of the scantily clad serving wench with an old geezer is from the Hooters these boys visited.

Bless Me Peg Ferraro, For I Have Sinned

"You've really gone too far this time, O'Hare."

Those are the words that greeted me when I walked inside the Star Chamber for last night's Council meeting. I had no idea what I could have done wrong ... lately. I was quickly told it was the post I had published earlier that day, telling everyone that last night's festivities would be webcast. My facts were wrong, I was told. There would be no live broadcast.

To make matters worse, my post itself was highly offensive. In my teaser, I had asked, "Will Peg Ferraro take off her shirt and start flexing?"

Once the meeting got underway, I spotted Al Jordan. He runs the County's IT services. When he saw me, he shook his head and started shaking his fist at me.

Uh oh.

Then I got a text message from a friend, telling me he could see me on his computer. So they were broadcasting after all.

After the meeting, I went up to Peg and apologized, explaining I thought it fit in nicely with my comment about Rev. Dowd. She laughed, forgave me, and told me that Ron Angle had once told his radio audience she came to a meeting in a yellow, polka dot, bikini.

"What a sexist pig!" Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm the person who said that, when I once guest hosted Ron's now dormant radio show.

No wonder he was fired.

While I was running my mouth with Peg, Al Jordan snuck up behind me and put me in a headlock, and I was soon thereafter thrown off the courthouse roof. That hasn't happened since the Jim Hickey era. Fortunately, some deputy sheriffs caught me. I wonder if that's on the webcast.

Everyone wanted to know who blabbed last night's meeting would be publicly broadcast. Al, you told me yourself a week ago. Dude, I had no idea a public webcast was supposed to be top secret. Silly me.

So I have no apology for telling you this meeting would be livestreamed on the web. But my remarks about Peg, although intended as a joke, were in bad taste, even for me. I'll try to do better.

Blogger's Note: Blogger comments enabled.

How the Hell Did Kieklak Get a Raise?

Bernie Kieklak works for state senator Lisa Boscola. Female blogger LOLV, aka Capri Roth, is a little surprised to see that Bernie recently got a raise. She writes about it here.

Unmarried Women Earning $12,000 Less Than Unmarried Men

According to a report released by Women’s Voices Women Vote on Friday, unmarried women suffer a huge income gap when compared to unmarried men, married men or married women. Their average household income is almost $12,000 less than that of unmarried men.

Unmarried women live on only $37,264 per year, nearly $6,000 less than unmarried men ($42,843) and nearly $30,000 less than married men ($66,646) earn. Despite these lower earnings, unmarried women spend 37 percent of their household income on basic household costs, more than the other groups.

Morning Call: We Know What Boys Want!

From time to time, The Morning Call Editorial Board will tell us it believes in diversity, equality, tolerance, yada, yada, yada. All the usual crap. It reminds me of people who make bigoted remarks and quickly add, "Some of my best friends are black!"

Actions speak louder than words, and the Morning Call gods have been busy boys. And boy oh boy are they boys!

Newspaper gods started its purge of women with a lightning bolt to Pam Varkony's Perspectives. Zap! But that wasn't enough. The gods are fickle, and decided to kill Margie Peterson's column, too. They've kept her on, as a copy girl, were she belongs. Remember Mary Youtz? She was an opinion writer on the editorial board. What the hell happened to her? Maybe she retired. I don't know.

Morning Call gods only want members of the penis club writing commentary on their team, whether on the editorial board or as a regular columnist. So much for diversity. All opinions will be the product of middle-aged white guys with facial hair. That should give us lots of room for differences, eh? It also explains why that bastard, Chris Casey, has started growing a beard. Micek had better start working on that hormone deficiency or his entertaining and informative blog will be toast.

BernieGate - Day 17: Boscola Ripped by Former "Executive Director"?

Yesterday, I told you about the email campaign launched by Aphrodite's Daughter. It's directed at Bernie Kieklak, aka BTNP, chief of staff to state senator Lisa Boscola. Kieklak has offered no apology to the private citizen he most viciously attacked, and we'd like him to remedy that insensitive oversight. A sample email, including all relevant email addresses, is right here.

In one of many comments posted to yesterday's blog, someone suggests Kieklak is "insanely jealous of his access to [Boscola] (witness his behavior in getting [Lisa]'s top aide -- a woman -- fired)."

It's true that in 2001, Kieklak was employed with another state senator. He wanted to reunite with Lisa afyer being yanked from her by senate leaders. He wormed his way back into Lisa's office by slamming her then female "executive director," Jennifer Boger, with demeaning emails very similar to the slings and arrows he unleashed here.

Boger soon left Boscola for another state senator, and Bernie was back!

I was about to correct the person who claimed Boscola had fired her only female top aide. But before that happened, it appears Boger did it herself!

Holy schneike!

Although I can't be positive we were talking to Boger, here are some of the exchanges.

Boger?: BTNP didnt get me fired I left on my own free will.

Anon: She would have been better off trying to convince you to stay.

Boger?: I would never have agreed to stay and work for someone of my gender who condones BTNP's behavior because by keeping him on her staff is exactly what she is doing - condoning his behavior.

Me: Actually, I blogged about this. As I recall, you returned to Senator Fumo's office. Did you suffer a paycut?

Anon: If there is even a remote chance that you are who I think you are, let me say this: Boscola lost her last opportunity to be taken seriously when you left her office.

Boger?: I am not sure I am the person you think I am but I think I was her only female executive director. COS title was reserved for BTNP only. I have been lurking and reading since this whole thing came about I suffered nothing when I left her office. As a matter of fact I gained more by leaving than had I stayed.

Me: Holy shit! You're Jennifer Boger! Good for you. I blogged about your situation, and it doesn't seem to me that there is any difference between the way BTNP acted towars you and the way he dealt with other women. I'm truly sorry for what you had to endure. What bothers me most is the failure to recognize this bad behavior toeards woman. Did he ever apologize to you?

Boger?: No I wish to stay as I posted.. Anonymous

This commenter loses any claim to anonymity when she tells us she was Boscola's only female executive director. Although I can't be sure it is Boger or someone posing as Boger, I do know one thing. Whoever posted that comment, Boger or not, did so from the senate of Pennsylvania. I've saved the results from my sitemeter.

Women's Perspectives About Boscola - Disgust

I was appropriately put in my place a few days ago by a female blogger at LVPoliblog. "[I]t seems to me a lot of men are writing about what is important to women on blogs, but they don't really have a clue. I don't like when someone says they are speaking for me, when they don't know a thing about me." So this post is devoted entirely to female perspectives on Senator Lisa Boscola's decision to retain a sexist and misogynist chief of staff.

Look Out Lehigh Valley is one of two female bloggers that Boscola chief of staff Kieklak viciously attacked with sexual accusations. Here's part of what she wrote at LVPoliblog.

I guess I'm feeling slightly, well.... slighted that the story has been that he mouthed off about Charlie and Sam, but seemingly its no big deal that he shot extremely nasty insults my way. In the same breath, Boscola called both Sam and Charlie to apologize, but makes no mention at all anywhere that she's sorry that her chief of staff verbally attacked a 23 year old private citizen. I guess maybe as far as they are concerned it's no big deal that I was spoken to this way since neither of them will ever have to convince me to give them funding or support for a bill. I'm not saying I want a phone call from Boscola apologizing to me - I just want Lisa or Bernie K to stand up and say "Its inappropriate for him/me to speak to anyone the way I did, not just other elected officials or candidates." One of my coworkers said to me yesterday "well, they're all just missing the point."

Pamela Varkony, an Allentown writer and former member of Allentown city council, is the founder of Power of Women. She's also the Perspectives blogger at The Morning Call. Reading her blog is like sitting in some one's living room, having a nice conversation. Here's Pam's perspective.

What I want to say is directed to Lisa Boscola, woman to woman: Lisa, what you have done by leaving Bernie Kieklak in a position of authority on your staff and in your life, has set women's leadership back ten years. I am beyond disappointed, I am disgusted.

In a subsequent comment, Pam offers a possible explanation why there is no hue and outcry from women's groups. "I believe that if a male politician had retained a member of his staff who had said such things, there would be a much louder outcry from women in general and women's organizations in particular. But because 'the boss' is a woman and she's giving him a pass, so is everyone else."

Dottie, at LVPoliblog, chimes in with this. "[W]e should write letters to the editor, and question why the other elected women like Jennifer Mann are not speaking out on this. I saw two letters to the editor in the paper today but I believe they were written by men."

Finally, Aphrodite's Daughter, also at LVPoliblog, has this. "Today I wrote a letter to the Morning Call asking that the women who hold elected office in our community state publicly how they feel about the creep Bernie Kieklak's remarks. I would like a public C-O-N-D-M-N-A-T-I-O-N of Senator Boscola's overly lenient and inadequate punishment of her Chief of staff, by someone in government, mostly a powerful woman. I'd write a letter to Lt. Governor Knoll, but I'm not sure she's all there to begin with."

Embattled Boscola Aide Sheds a Few Crocodile Tears

Bernie Kieklak's sexist and misogynist verbal acrobatics have led to a media feeding frenzy, including a front page news story and a record 2,762 hits on this blog. Yet he rages against the dying of the light. ''Do you think I care?'' That's his response when asked whether his remarks might offend others. Yesterday, he offered his resignation , not as an act of contrition, but because he's a "political liability." "I do not regret a single thing I have ever done in my entire life."

His trips to the confessional must be brief.

Last night, Kieklak, known in Blogistan as BTNP, sent me a few crocodile tears that increasingly became less apologetic.

Apology Version 1

I want to apologize to Sam Bennett for what I said.

I want to apologize to Joe Long for what I said.

I want to apologize to Charlie Dent for what I said.

I want Shawn Mullin to know that I meant every word that I said (because it was all good)!

I want to apologize to any Blogospherian who was even mildly offended by what I posted on your site.

Apology Version 2, a little later that night

The blogosphere was meant to push the limits and do what the mainstream press was afraid to do.

Most blog surfers know when someone's exaggerating for effect and putting on a persona (like with LV Housewife).

But, obviously you really are beholden to what the Morning Call says about your blog. And sensitive to "their standards" of what is acceptable for you to post.

You are a good sheep.

Go for vanilla. That's just what they want you to do.

Be bland, be safe, and be irrelevant for the rest of your life.

Apology Version 3, a lot later that night

Both posts to the women were pure Archie Bunker and everyone knew it but you. And it WAS priceless when she replied (in an innocent voice): "I don't even own any pumps!"

Lisa has personally received far worse e-mails/posts purporting to be "real accounts" of what she allegedly did in public, but neither her nor I ran to press to cry about them. And, if we had, they would not have considered them "news." You ignore idiots and what they say.

You keep writing about Lower Macungie and open records. Pat yourself on the back. What a difference you make.

Beginning to get the impression Kieklak feels this hulabaloo is little more than a nuisance from his inferiors?

He needs to go.

Kieklak's blog persona no different than what he has demonstrated in Harrisburg.

What's even more disturbing, is that Kieklak's most recent tirade is part of a pattern demonstrated long ago, and with Lisa Boscola's complete approval. He had been forced to work for another state senator, but wanted to return badly. So he ran Lisa's chief of staff out of office. His modus operandi? According to a 2001 Morning Call article, a series of stinging and profanity-laced emails.

"You've worked here three goddam weeks and think people should kiss your [expletive]?" ...

"I refuse to be treated like [expletive] by a glorified [expletive] secretary who thinks she can tell me what to do because she has no clue what she, herself, should do as Miss Chiefy."

"I work for the [expletive] Leader. I don't need to talk to you about a [expletive] single thing EVER ..."

Beginning to get the impression that BTNP's blog personality is pretty much the same as the person writing those goofy emails in Boscola's office?

He needs to go.

Update: Notice the haughty disdain a state senate staffer has for a good government measure like open records? It's nice to know that Lisa Boscola is trying to keep a guy who resists reform.