Jesse White – Goose in the Gallows

Why I Stand Up To COVID-19 Deniers… and Why You Should Too

August 19, 2020 2 Comments

Many people have asked me why I am adamant about wearing masks and taking safety precautions with COVID-19, and why I have been so critical of those who think the virus is a hoax. The debate over COVID-19 is one time where my views come from more than my political beliefs. Nearly three years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Through hard work and daily medication, I have lowered my A1C to a manageable level, but the struggle, as they say, is real. I currently give myself six injections a day, including both fast-acting and slow-release insulin. There are still some days where I feel like I’m in a fog, but luckily those are few and far between these days. I’m just thankful I was diagnosed early enough…

Want to get to the bottom of the Washington County cancer cluster? Then someone needs to run for office.

January 15, 2020 No Comments

Perhaps the only thing more heartbreaking than the string of child cancer cases in Washington County in recent years is the total lack of accountability by the region’s elected officials. A quick look at the political landscape makes it easy to understand why. State Senator Camera Bartolotta and State Representatives Jason Ortitay and Tim O’Neal all owe their political existence to campaign money from the oil and gas industry, with O’Neal even working in the industry before being elected. Not surprisingly, they collectively assumed the mantle as ardent defenders of the companies operating in and around their districts. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in response to the public outcry over the cancer cluster in Washington County. Bartolotta, Ortitay, and O’Neal: The Oil and Gas Industry’s Three Stooges The…

Why Aren’t Democrats Trolling Trump to Testify on Impeachment?

December 18, 2019 No Comments

The chief frustration among Democrats regarding the impeachment of President Donald Trump, aside from his brazen disregard for the law, is his unprecedented stonewalling. By ignoring lawfully issued subpoenas and refusing to allow members of his administration to testify before Congress, Trump has effectively forced Democrats into a political corner. Waiting for the battle to play out in the courts will take longer than the limited timeline of 2020 will allow. Moving forward without the “smoking gun” that undoubtedly lies somewhere within Trump’s Fortress of Criminal Solitude leaves room for Trump sycophants to defend him and muddy the political waters. Both paths seem to lead to a place that allows Trump to proclaim victory not based on the substance of the allegations, but on his continuous and unprecedented disregard for…

Southwest PA State Legislators Invest in Miniature Caskets as Region Faces Child Cancer Crisis

November 17, 2019 No Comments

NOTE: THIS POST IS SATIRICAL IN NATURE. THE INTENT IS TO SHOW THE FAILURE OF LOCAL LEGISLATORS TO PRIORITIZE HEALTH AND SAFETY OVER EVERYTHING ELSE, ESPECIALLY MONEY. With tens of thousands of residents from southwestern Pennsylvania reaping the consequences of the region’s booming oil and gas industry, local state legislators and senators are joining the rush to make sure they don’t miss out on the financial benefits. Recently, Senators Camera Bartolotta and Elder Vogel joined forces with their colleagues State Representatives Jason Ortitay, Josh Kail, and Tim O’Neal to form a new company to address the needs of the region. Their new venture, Kiddie Koffins, is aimed squarely at the rising rates of child cancer from a cancer cluster primarily located in Washington County. Representative Kail recalls the initial brainstorming session that led to the formation of Kiddie Koffins. “We…

Did Darlene Barni try to use Cecil taxpayer funds to pay for Range Resources road needs? It sure looks that way.

November 4, 2019 No Comments

Anyone who knows Darlene Barni knows that she’s always complaining about something in an attempt to make it look as though there is some grand conspiracy going on within Cecil Township that only she can fix. Back in 2015, there was a huge focus on the need for repairs to Coleman Road. Darlene and her crowd of followers, who have made it very clear that they strongly oppose new residential developments and young families moving into “their” township, were suddenly very concerned about this one particular road. Their rationale? “Somebody think of the children!!!!” Here is just one of the posts from the Cecil Township Watchdogs page (one of Darlene’s anonymous pages): https://www.facebook.com/ceciltownshipwatchdogs/posts/513367478817776 Some of the township supervisors at the time looked at some solutions that would solidify the problem…

The West Wing Turns 20: For a Generation of Political Idealists, where did it all go wrong:?

September 23, 2019 No Comments

Ask any Democratic political junkie what their favorite television show is, and the response will almost unanimously be “The West Wing.” For me, Aaron Sorkin’s political masterpiece came along at a pivotal point in my life. As a young college graduate and then law school student, I was looking for a way to make my mark on the world but wasn’t entirely sure of the best way to do it. It’s no exaggeration to say The West Wing was the thing that drove me to embrace public service, and I know I’m not the only one. I bring this up because yesterday marked the twentieth anniversary of the premiere of the West Wing on NBC. Honestly, it’s hard to look at the show and not feel depressed about how it…

Local Congressman/Racist Honored by Thumb Sniffing Exchange with President Trump

September 12, 2019 No Comments

Congressman Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District despite a history of supporting radical racists and homophobes, was honored by President Donald J. Trump during a visit to the White House earlier this week. After a moment of silence for the entire population of Alabama for surviving Hurricane Dorian, the pair spent several hours in the Oval Office making fun of citizens of the Bahamas who are now homeless refugees. Clearly moved by the Congressman’s disdain for people with brown skin, the President then invited Reschenthaler to participate in a thumb-sniffing contest underneath the famed Resolute Desk. “Obviously, it was a tremendous honor to sniff the President’s thumb,” gushed Reschenthaler, who said that as a teenager used to lie in bed and dream about such an encounter.…

What is Congressman Scott Perry Afraid Of? Maybe More Than We Realize.

August 5, 2019 No Comments

This photo of Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10) talking to young African-American children while WEARING A GODDAMN BULLETPROOF VEST may be the: WORST. PHOTO-OP. EVER. While it would be easy to assume the picture was photoshopped or otherwise altered, it appears on Perry’s official website. The level of political tone-deafness needed to think posting a photo of a United States Congressman standing next to two young African-American children was a good idea is almost unfathomable. The look on the kid standing at the far left pretty much sums it up: This kid is not buying whatever brand bullshit Scott Perry is selling. With the entire nation on edge in the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio (or as President Trump calls it, “Toledo”) fueled by…

How About We Make Racism Unacceptable Again?

July 18, 2019 1 Comment

So Donald Trump’s tweeted that four progressive women of color serving in the House of Representatives should go back to the countries they came from, with the clear implication being that they are somehow less than American because of the color of their skin. The fact that Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib were all born in the United States and Ilhan Omar is a naturalized U.S. citizen is meaningless to Trump’s supporters because their definition of “American” begins and ends with the color of their skin. So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……— Donald…

An Open Letter to Cecil Township and Everyone on the Front Lines of the Fracking War

June 27, 2019 1 Comment

$fracking jesse white cecil township$

A new front in the seemingly never-ending war over fracking in the Marcellus Shale region of southwestern Pennsylvania is rearing its ugly head in Cecil Township, Washington County. Drilling company Range Resources recently sent out letters to nearby homeowners notifying them that drilling will begin next week on the Augustine well site off of North DePaoli Road, which also happens to be approximately 1,000 feet from Windsor Woods, a large residential development. The battle between residents concerned about their health and safety versus those seeking to lease their mineral rights for drilling and the money that comes along with it is nothing new, but the stakes are undeniably higher than they were the last time drilling took place in Cecil Township nearly a decade ago. The Shell Cracker Plant in…