Good morning and welcome to Broad + Liberty's Weekly Reads.

Stay up to date on all of this and more when yousubscribe to our daily email list ([link removed]) and get the best of Broad + Liberty delivered straight to your inbox.


** 1. Suburban Star Chambers ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


By Guy Ciarrocchi

The Star Chamber has been brought to Chester County — and, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. The unstoppable, government-growing, power-seeking Democratic majority ignored questions and concerns to create an Orwellian-named “Human Relations Commission.” To stop “hate.”

If you run a daycare or pre-school, a local sports program, or health club, you should really pay attention. You could be subpoenaed to appear before the “Commission.” If your children attend a daycare or pre-school, play in a local sports program, or you’re a member of a health club, pay attention, too.

And if you work at a daycare, pre-school or health club, or if you volunteer as a coach in a local sports program, you ought to really pay attention — because one slip of the tongue and you could be subpoenaed, too.

The “Commission” could declare you a certified “hater” — and fine you.

Why It Matters. There are no professional or life experiences required to be appointed. There’s no training on how to officiate a judicial proceeding; or, how to conduct investigations. No set duration for an investigation or hearing. There’s no clear standard of proof required. (Yikes!)

No experience required. No judicial training. No investigative training. Just “stop hate!”

Get appointed by progressive commissioners to enforce a progressive vision of utopia, using progressive-created terms and standards to impose progressive group-think across the County.

Actual, genuine concerns about bona fide rights are already protected by Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission (appointed by Governor Shapiro) — with professional staff, rules of proceeding to protect accusers and the accused, and years of legal precedent. In addition, the state attorney general and local district attorneys are empowered to prosecute actual acts of hate — for which we all have zero tolerance. In addition, the US Justice Department and the US Commission on Civil Rights are there to protect everyone.

This star chamber isn’t about protecting actual rights. It’s about virtue-signaling and misusing government to rally anti-Trump, anti-Republican votes.

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 2. The murder of a South Philly barber ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By Paul Davis

Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a person screaming on 10th and Oregon Avenue on December 2nd, and they discovered Procopio in his kitchen bleeding from his massive injuries. Procopio was rushed to the Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition, according to the police.

Piselli was identified quickly as the suspect and he was taken into custody by the police. The Philadelphia Police said that their investigation revealed that Piselli had been acting irrationally in Procopio’s backyard. A witness to Piselli’s behavior called the police after Piselli entered Procopio’s home and locked the witness out of the home. Police said Piselli entered the home and assaulted Procopio repeatedly.

The witness told police that he saw the attack through the kitchen window. He saw Piselli hitting Procopio while he was lying on the kitchen floor. Piselli left the house and ran down the street. Police searched the area, found Piselli, and arrested him. He was charged with a variety of assault offences.

I’ve covered many murder cases over the years while working as a reporter and crime columnist, but this case is of special interest to me as Santo Procopio was not only my barber for many years, he was also a good friend. I thought of Santo, and his late brother Vince, as my uncles. I have been Santo’s customer and friend since I was a teenager in the 1960s.

Santo retired a few years ago, but he continued to help others. I recently spoke to a mutual friend who told me that Michael Piselli had drug and mental issues, and Santo Procopio had been helping him.
Piselli, it appears, rewarded Santo for his good efforts by brutally beating him to death.

No good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes. Santo Procopio did not deserve to die this way.

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 3. Lightning Round
------------------------------------------------------------
* Christine Flowers: Megyn Kelly’s platform is powerful — but her silence speaks louder ([link removed])
* Beth Ann Rosica: Philadelphia high school students struggle on Keystone Exams while the District prioritizes social justice events ([link removed])
* Christian Matozzo: Gauthier’s unconstitutional power-grab ([link removed])
* Ada Nestor: The catastrophic end of militant youth ([link removed])
* Stephen Gambescia: Electrical silence from college leaders on Kirk’s assassination ([link removed])
* Thom Nickels: Marines grapple with history and judgment in new play ([link removed])
* John Rossi: Old-time baseball in ‘the dump on the hump’ ([link removed])


** 4. What we're reading
------------------------------------------------------------

This week, we’re reading about reading. Or, rather, about the steep decline in reading among that younger generation that grew up in the age of the smartphone. On his Substack, James Marriott writes about the decline in long-form reading ([link removed]) , which is effectively a decline in functional literacy.

Since Broad + Liberty is print media, this naturally concerns us, but the implications are far greater than the fate of one publication. As Marriott notes, “certain kinds of complex and logical thinking simply cannot be achieved without reading and writing. It is virtually impossible to develop a detailed and logical argument in spontaneous speech — you would get lost, lose your thread, contradict yourself, and confuse your audience trying to re-phrase ineptly expressed points.” Modern society is built on the written word and we are rapidly losing our ability to parse it.


** 5. Bring on the Dodgers!
------------------------------------------------------------

The Phillies are rested and ready to face their frequent postseason foe, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Fighting Phils took two out of three last time the teams met — in Los Angeles, no less. Will they repeat that success against Ohtani and company next week? By the time you read this, Game 1 will be in the books, but at least two more will remain. Anthony SanFilippo breaks down the three keys to the NLDS. Read more about it at On Pattison ([link removed]) — a part of the Fideri News Network.
[link removed]

Broad + Liberty is funded by readers like you.

Your generous support ensures that Broad + Liberty can bring you stories and opinions that Pennsylvania’s mainstream media would rather leave unheard. Please consider making a contribution today. If you would like your gift to be used to help us cover a specific story or subject, please let us know in the contribution form or at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

As always, gifts made to Broad + Liberty are 100% tax deductible!

Thank you, dear reader, for your steadfast support of our independent, broad-minded brand of local journalism. We could not do this without you.

With gratitude,

— The Editors at Broad + Liberty
Support Broad + Liberty ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

============================================================
Copyright © 2025 Broad + Liberty, All rights reserved.
You're getting Broad + Liberty updates due to your interest in our site – and local stories for free thinkers in the Philly region and beyond.

Our mailing address is:
Broad + Liberty
323 West Front Street
Suite 200
Media, PA 19063
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.

Broad and Liberty, Inc. is a Pennsylvania Domestic Nonprofit Corporation classifed as a public charity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (3).
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]