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1. Suburban Star Chambers

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.

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2. The murder of a South Philly barber

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.
 

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3. Lightning Round

• Christine Flowers: Megyn Kelly’s platform is powerful — but her silence speaks louder

• Beth Ann Rosica: Philadelphia high school students struggle on Keystone Exams while the District prioritizes social justice events

• Christian Matozzo: Gauthier’s unconstitutional power-grab

• Ada Nestor: The catastrophic end of militant youth

• Stephen Gambescia: Electrical silence from college leaders on Kirk’s assassination

• Thom Nickels: Marines grapple with history and judgment in new play

• John Rossi: Old-time baseball in ‘the dump on the hump’

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, 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 — a part of the Fideri News Network.