From the HuffPo ...

"Coal mining was not well regulated in Pennsylvania," said Hoeffel, "and it is the same with gas-drilling."

Hoeffel has already met with landowners in southwest Pennsylvania's Greene County where gas and coal companies are blaming each other for pollution that killed all fish, mussels and other aquatic life along the 35-mile stretch of Dunkard Creek, which crosses the PA-West Virginia border.

sdf

h/t Slag Heap 

Pittsburgh's Newest Independent Political Club.

What I consider a very important component to remaining truly independent.

IV. Voting Eligibility

A. Current members (i.e., those who have paid dues within the past two calendar years) may pay their annual dues in full and vote at the Endorsement Meeting.

B. All current members may vote at the Annual Meeting and for bylaws changes.

C. New members must have paid their dues at least 60 days prior to the Endorsement Meeting in order to vote.

It is nice to see some news that doesn't involve political families wailing on one another. 

GLENDA has added a unique twist to the Dining for Diversity event/fundraiser....

Buy tickets here

I'm intrigued, I must admit. I think GLENDA is wonderful and puts such a positive, everyday face on our community through their volunteer projects.  I've had them staff several events I've coordinated and always had compliments from our guests about how nice it is to have people give up their personal time to volunteer, even for small events.  This was especially true when we did appreciation dinners for foster parents.  The foster parents always appreciated someone taking a moment to say thank you and I'm sure it made an impact that it was a group led by LGBT adults.  You never know when you have a chance to make a positive message. 

Go GLENDA!

This is a refreshing take on why the Boy Scouts discrimination against gay scouts and scout leaders and gay people is problematic for all young men.

The Boy Scouts' policy is contributing to the problem of prejudice against gays. Although the organization officially denies making efforts to discover anyone's sexual orientation - much as the military maintains a "don't ask, don't tell" policy - it also doesn't hesitate to expel outed members. It's ironic that the conservatives running the Boy Scouts, who are typically proponents of limited, unobtrusive government, concern themselves with the innermost lives of their members.

If the Boy Scouts is a private organization, as the Supreme Court has held repeatedly, it has every right to enforce its code of ethics and morality. But if it aspires to be a distinctly American institution embracing a democratic, multicultural society, then it should approach sexual orientation not as a church would, but as an accountable public entity that doesn't allow discrimination. Public schools, after all, play host to the Boy Scouts more than any other type of facility; Mormon and Catholic churches come in second and third.

Part of the Boy Scouts' mission has been to protect and project traditional notions of masculine identity. That may be why many local Scout leaders, as well as the central leadership in Texas, resist even acknowledging the possible presence of homosexuals.

But as the Boy Scouts of America enters its second century, it should recognize that, despite all it has done for the youth of this country, it has more to do. Like the U.S. military, it should understand that embracing a broader definition of masculinity can reinforce a public culture in which misogyny and homophobia are no longer welcome. Discrimination is not a value that we should be teaching our youth.

Written by an Eagle Scout in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is about far more than publicly subsidized rent.  It is about leadership for young men across the nation.

Good resource. 

http://thehill.com/resources/lawmaker-ratings

The Hill has tabulated scores that Washington advocacy organizations give members of Congress, so you can check them at thehill.com rather than roaming the Internet from site to site. We cite 31 organizations, which is a fair cross section rather than a comprehensive list. Click on a lawmaker's name to see his or her page.

Pleased to see the HRC Scorecard included among the 31 ratings. 

Here's what you need to know

Senator Bob Casey - D

Senator Arlen Specter - D

Rep Mike Doyle - D

Rep Jason Altmire - D

Rep Tim Murphy - R

Rep Kathy Dahlkemper - D

And here's a glimpse of the 31 ratings/topics

SOCIAL ISSUES RATINGS

Issue	Organization	Rating
Abortion	NARAL Pro-Choice America	100
	National Right to Life Center	0
Civil Rights	ACLU	100
	Human Rights Campaign	100
Ideology	American Conservative Union	0
	Americans for Democratic Action	95
	Drum Major Institute	A
	Family Research Council	5
Children	Children's Defense Fund	80
Environment	League of Conservation Voters	92
Immigration	Immigrant's List	NR
	Numbers USA	D-
	U.S. Border Control	NR
Public Health	American Public Health Association	100
Senior Citizens	Alliance for Retired Americans	100

FISCAL ISSUES RATINGS

Issue	Organization	Rating
Business and Labor	AFL-CIO	97
	National Education Association	A
	AFSCME	100
	BIPAC	20
	Chamber of Commerce	56
	Club for Growth	0
	National Federation of Independent Business	64
Taxes & Spending	Americans for Tax Reform	0
	Citizens Against Government Waste	2
	National Taxpayers Union	5

SECURITY ISSUES RATINGS

Issue	Organization	Rating
Defense and Peace	Council for a Livable World	37
	Center for Security Policy	0
	Friends Committee on National Legislation	100
	Peace Action	91
Guns	Gunowners of America	F
	Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence	88

Can you guess whose record I pulled? :-)

Nice to get some multi-issue perspective on our elected officials.  The resource would be strengthened by a little bit of detail on where these organizations are coming from.