Bear trapped near downtown Pittsburgh, exiled to Somerset County

benfell

Pandemic

At hospitals, “people are tired. We have been at this for nearly two years,” [Nancy] Gin said. And “the emergence of Omicron has renewed concerns about surges and a difficult winter.”[1]

Rong-Gong Lin, II, and Emily Alpert Reyes, “California braces for Omicron wave amid grim forecasts, concerns for hospitals,” Los Angeles Times, September 20, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-20/how-are-southern-california-hospitals-faring-with-covid-now

Bill Peduto

Charlie Wolfson, “After eight years, Peduto’s record is a mix of bold plans and frustrating endings,” Public Source, December 22, 2021, https://www.publicsource.org/peduto-pittsburgh-outgoing-mayor-equity-policing-gainey/

White supremacist gangs

There are numerous rationalizations—actually—for the brutal Pittsburgh white supremacist gang[2] conduct[3] in the murder of Jim Rogers in Paula Reed Ward’s latest. These “experts” talk about the effects of being in these gangs for so long, but what they never get to[4] is that the very idea of policing is intrinsically about bullying. Police are the very expression of a sovereign’s monopoly on the allegedly “legitimate” use of force.[5] It is their role to be bullies on behalf of the state—more precisely, the rich[6]— and you cannot expect them to be otherwise.

Julia Felton, “Pittsburgh council to vote on whether police can make minor traffic stops,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 20, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-council-to-vote-on-whether-police-can-make-minor-traffic-stops/

Ryan Deto, “Pittsburgh Police officers disciplined in death of Jim Rogers; report says his calls for medical help were ignored,” Pittsburgh City Paper, December 21, 2021, https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-police-officers-disciplined-in-death-of-jim-rogers-report-says-his-calls-for-medical-help-were-ignored/Content?oid=20785257

Paula Reed Ward, “Man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police pleaded for medical help but got none, report says,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 21, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/man-who-died-after-being-tased-by-pittsburgh-police-pleaded-for-medical-help-but-got-none-report-says/

Paula Reed Ward, “Experts say more must be done by Pittsburgh in response to Jim Rogers’ death,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/experts-say-more-must-be-done-by-pittsburgh-in-response-to-jim-rogers-death/

Militia groups, White supremacist gangs

Jason Dearen, “He attended cross burnings, wore a wire, risked his life to expose who was in KKK,” Times of Israel, December 23, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/he-wore-a-wire-risked-his-life-to-expose-who-was-in-the-kkk/

Donald Trump

Allegedly, the sentences judges are handing down to the participants in the January 6 coup attempt are “severe.” They are measured in the scores of months, not years, but months.[7] When, as I now expect, Donald Trump resumes office in 2025, my guess is he’ll turn them all loose. In the meantime, those judges are frequently allowing those awaiting sentencing to go home for the holidays.[8] I’m counting the judiciary as complicit.

Josh Gohlke, “Wishing the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters – and their ringleaders – a miserable little Christmas,” Sacramento Bee, December 23, 2021, https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article256774487.html

Maya Yang, “Capitol rioters hit with severe sentences and sharp reprimands from judges,” Guardian, December 23, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/23/capitol-rioters-severe-sentences-reprimands-judges

Student loans

I’m still waiting for them to figure out how much they’re never going to recover, thanks to folks like me who are on income-based repayment and will accordingly basically never pay a dime. It’s been nearly six years since I graduated with my Ph.D. and I still can’t find a real job.[9]

Nick Anderson and Jeff Stein, “Biden administration extends federal student loan payment pause until May,” Washington Post, December 22, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/12/22/student-loans-white-house/

Pittsburgh

Will Ed Gainey have any comment?

A bear was trapped near the Energy Innovation Center on Bedford Avenue.[10] It’s literally just across I-579 from downtown; the bear could have used Bill Peduto’s cap project—a new city park that spans the highway—to get downtown and, you know, get a real job.

The Energy Innovation Center is housed in an old trade school in the lower Hill District. I’m thinking the bear wanted to learn a trade to get out of dumpster diving.

Instead, he’s been exiled to rural Somerset County.[11] Pittsburgh should treat Pittsburghers better than this.

Mary Ann Thomas, “260-pound black bear trapped near Downtown Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/200-pound-black-bear-trapped-in-downtown-pittsburgh-wednesday-morning/

Pennsylvania roads


KDKA Television, “Pennsylvania Ranks Among The Worst Roads In The United States,” December 23, 2021, https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/12/23/pennsylvania-among-worst-roads-in-us/

  1. [1]Rong-Gong Lin, II, and Emily Alpert Reyes, “California braces for Omicron wave amid grim forecasts, concerns for hospitals,” Los Angeles Times, September 20, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-20/how-are-southern-california-hospitals-faring-with-covid-now↩
  2. [2]David Benfell, “Stephen Zappala’s resignation would be nowhere near enough,” Not Housebroken, November 6, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/06/03/stephen-zappalas-resignation-would-be-nowhere-near-enough/↩
  3. [3]Ryan Deto, “Pittsburgh Police officers disciplined in death of Jim Rogers; report says his calls for medical help were ignored,” Pittsburgh City Paper, December 21, 2021, https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-police-officers-disciplined-in-death-of-jim-rogers-report-says-his-calls-for-medical-help-were-ignored/Content?oid=20785257; Julia Felton and Paula Reed Ward, “Family of man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police calls for charges against officers,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 17, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/family-of-man-who-died-after-being-tased-by-pittsburgh-police-call-for-charges-against-officers/; Patrick Varine, “Protesters block Grant Street, demand prosecution in Jim Rogers’ death,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 12, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/protestors-block-grant-street-demand-prosecution-in-jim-rogers-death/; Paula Reed Ward, “Man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police pleaded for medical help but got none, report says,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 21, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/man-who-died-after-being-tased-by-pittsburgh-police-pleaded-for-medical-help-but-got-none-report-says/; Paula Reed Ward, “Experts say more must be done by Pittsburgh in response to Jim Rogers’ death,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/experts-say-more-must-be-done-by-pittsburgh-in-response-to-jim-rogers-death/↩
  4. [4]Paula Reed Ward, “Experts say more must be done by Pittsburgh in response to Jim Rogers’ death,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/experts-say-more-must-be-done-by-pittsburgh-in-response-to-jim-rogers-death/↩
  5. [5]Max Weber, “What is Politics?” in Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings, ed. Charles Lemert, 4th ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview, 2010), 114-116.↩
  6. [6]David Benfell, “On police,” Not Housebroken, April 25, 2021, https://disunitedstates.org/2020/08/10/on-police/↩
  7. [7]Maya Yang, “Capitol rioters hit with severe sentences and sharp reprimands from judges,” Guardian, December 23, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/23/capitol-rioters-severe-sentences-reprimands-judges↩
  8. [8]Josh Gohlke, “Wishing the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters – and their ringleaders – a miserable little Christmas,” Sacramento Bee, December 23, 2021, https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article256774487.html↩
  9. [9]David Benfell, “About my job hunt,” Not Housebroken, n.d., https://disunitedstates.org/about-my-job-hunt/↩
  10. [10]Mary Ann Thomas, “260-pound black bear trapped near Downtown Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/200-pound-black-bear-trapped-in-downtown-pittsburgh-wednesday-morning/↩
  11. [11]Mary Ann Thomas, “260-pound black bear trapped near Downtown Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 22, 2021, https://triblive.com/local/200-pound-black-bear-trapped-in-downtown-pittsburgh-wednesday-morning/↩

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