BillLawrenceOnline

Swarthmore Won’t Say Why Manager, Library Workers Are Gone

By Bob Small

The sleepy borough of Swarthmore made the internet pages of The Inquirer and MSN with the firing of borough manager Sean Halbom after just six months.

He was placed on administrative leave, Feb. 17.

Meanwhile, and probably unrelated, Scott Schumacher left his decades-long stint as Swarthmore Public Library children’s librarian.

And also terminated in February was long-term Swarthmore Library associate, Marnie Berkowitz.

No reasons were given for any of the actions.

Regarding Halbom, we reported on a possible violation of “the sunshine act.”

This is likely not intentional but it was the only miscue we know about regarding the position.

“Swarthmore Borough Council has had four managers in four years,” said Rob Jordan who chairs the Swarthmore Republican Committee. “It’s a crisis of leadership and a lack of competence in our council. They need to focus on things that truly matter to borough residents instead of distractions like gas-powered leaf blowers and forced composting.”

David Unkovic has been appointed interim borough manager.

Sudden staff shifts shake Swarthmore – The Swarthmorean (2026-

Resolution No. 19-2025 – swarthmorepa.org

Controversies At the 2026 Winter Olympics

By Bob Small

The 2026 Winter Olympics have been at the center of more contentious issues than the usual Figure Skating judging controversy.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskeyvech had a “helmet of remembrance” depicting athletes killed since Russia invaded his home country.” His accreditation was removed shortly before he was due to compete. His response was  “This is the price of our dignity.”

The IOC (International OlympicCommittee) rule 50 from 1975 says, in part that prohibited protests include  “gestures of a political nature, like a hand gesture or kneeling”. Heraskeyvich cited previous protests by Israeli skeleton racer Jared Firestone and US skater Maxim Naumov who did similar actions without repercussions. Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha had these words on her glove “Remembrance is not a violation”.

Meanwhile, the IOC chose to remember a very dark part of their past. The Berlin Games of 1936 are remembered for many events. On the American side, two racers who ran and won gold medals were Afro Americans Jessie Owens and Ralph Metcalfe. Meanwhile Jewish racers Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were replaced by the US and did not compete. Of course, there would not be another Olympics until the Olympics resumed in 1948. In 1998, almost 60 years after these games, the Olympics acknowledged that both these men were victims of antisemitism. Since the Olympics saw fit to issue a 1936 T-shirt, could they not have also seen fit to honor all four of the above athletes on these T-shirts? Just asking.

Shakhtar Dometsk Soccer Club donated the value of a gold medal to Heraskeyvech’s foundation as a show of support.

Wait, there’s more. Russian athletes were awarded six slots to compete under their own flag, along with four Belarusian athletes. This led to an Ukrainian boycott Paralympics after Russian . “The European commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport, Glenn Micallef, “ also joined in the boycott.

There was also the usual figure skating judging controversy, but that is one of the lesser headlines on this year’s festivities.

See also.

OC Faces Criticism Over 1936 Berlin Games T-Shirt After …

Are People Leaving MAGA?

By Bob Small

If Breitbart says it is so, it must be a movement worth consideration and billboards have spouted in Pennsylvania urging the citizens to leave MAGA.

They can be seen in Hanover, Mechanicsburg, and York, with more to follow, possibly in Delco hotspots. such as Aston or Springfield.

Rich Logis, the founder of “Leaving MAGA” said is group will “provide an “exit ramp” for those in the MAGA community, offering them a “safe landing in a new community.” This almost sounds as though they’re ex-prisoners re-entering society.

Charlie Gerow, a GOP strategist, responded to the billboards by saying, “the good news is it simply isn’t working because Trump voters have swelled Republican ranks in recent days.”

For a personal statement from a Pennsylvanian Leaving MAGA – Leaving MAGA see the “Meet the people leaving MAGA” section of their website. Patty Ann Giles, from Pittsburgh, said she went through a period of Reaganism, seeing the Democratic Party as “amoral, too secular”, and she wanted that old-time religion. This nine-page reminisce traces her recovery from MAGA, which she left in 2021. The whole remembrance is worth the reading to understand someone who feels they need to be “deprogrammed” from the whole MAGA world.

Next, we come to a section titled “Solutions and Serenity: A Support Group for those affected by a loved one’s MAGA Affiliation, though the word affliction seemed to be waiting to be said. I’m surprised it isn’t MAGA Anonymous. Among what is taught is “how to disengage from outrage cycles without surrendering values”, among other activities. Nonviolence is also stressed as a necessity, possibly because we are, after all, dealing with MAGA and we know how they are.

The online facilitator for the above is Julianna Forlano, currently with WBAI Radio 99.5FM NYC, which is a member of Pacifica radio. You couldn’t get any lefter.

A GOP program similar WalkAway Campaign was censored by Facebook. Walk Away Campaign Was Censored By Facebook, Never Forget

Within the GOP, Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be one of a growing number leaving MAGA, but that’s a whole other discussion

See also Why Is Leaving MAGA So Difficult?

What is happening to our weather?

By Bob Small

What is happening to our weather? Is it global warming, which many believe? Is Thor angry, as the Vikings believed? Or is it something else we really don’t want to know about?

Could it possibly be the theory by one Dane Wigington that traces the root cause to government interference in our weather. See their global alert news for full details and accusations. This is another resource discovered under the aegis of the Bill of Rights Banquet.

Science Daily on the other hand, feels that the science supports climate change. They issue their articles a few times per month. They were discussing microplastics in January, for instance, which is a reality, though whether microplastics is the only culprit is up for discussion.

For a rather lengthy discussion of Dane Wigington and geoengineering, see Factually and search

“Who is Dane Wigington and his background in geoengineering advocacy?”. They do mention that “Wingington was once a skeptic who changed his views after independent investigation”. A Documentary is discussed below.

Further on, one Tucker Carlson enters into the conversation. This article enters into the belief system of “conspiracy theories” without acknowledging that, if you grew up in “assassination times” such as the 1960’s for instance, you might truly believe that there were conspiracies, albeit unproveable. Many of us have grown up in what may justly be called “conspiracy times”, with less, currently, in the way of outright assassinations.

Dane Wigington created the full length Climate Engineering Documentary The Dimming, Full Length Climate Engineering . which can be viewed on You Tube

.