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Faxes Sent to Michael P. McGeehan

Letters

From:	MS
To:	Representative McGeehan, Senator Stack, Governor Rendell
Date:	Friday, 04/11/08
Subject:	Actions of Mayor Nutter

RE: Mayor Nutter's actions on gun control.

What the Mayor did, with the signing of these "new laws",
was morally correct but politically incorrect. The one purchase
a month on guns is a great thing. I think it will a stop the
straw purchases of 2, 3, 4, or more handguns just to give them
to the lost souls that commit these malicious acts against
humanity, i.e. Murder.

Now the way that the Mayor went about it, with just
signing into law what ever it is he wants is a complete
disregard of rules, laws, and the central government itself. If
I or any other citizen, or otherwise, of this United States of
America wants to do something there is a way to legally go
about it and there is an illegal way to do it also. If we
common citizens go about it illegally then there are
repercussions and disciplinary measures that can and will, for
the most part, be dealt out by the governing authority, i.e.
police, District Attorney, Judges, employers, etc., etc., etc.,
you get the point.

Rules are in place for just that reason, they are the
rules. You don't like it then we have a wonderful thing called
The United States Constitution and all its wonderful Amendments
which addresses the ways in which to change the "rules". Then
we have state and federal rules that govern the way those
entrusted with leaderships, i.e., Mayor, can lead and the
limits of their authority. The moves of the Mayor takes us back
hunderds of years when those who governed a certain area could
add, change, or erase any law or ordinances as he wished, as is
the case here with the mayor's defiance of state and federal
laws. If you break a law is there punishment? Are any people
exempt from these laws?

Again I'm all for the new laws except for the one that
says the governing power can disarm a legal citizen who owns a
firearm “legally” if they deem them a hazard. By who’s
standards??? But this is not the way to do it. He broke laws
here and he should have to answer to that as would we common
folk. And mayor yes we have freedom of speech like you were
quoted on saying, "The wonderful thing about this country is
that people can say whatever they want wherever they want,"
Nutter said. “That doesn't mean they're right or that it makes
sense”, so remember that! What makes you so absolute that your
moves are the best and most correct. Mr. Mayor, I entrusted
you, I the people entrusted you with this leadership and this
is not how I imagined you would take my trust and do what you
please. Your actions are not those of a working democracy. You
spoke of not being afraid of al-Qaeda but being afraid of al-
gangsta, well Mr. Mayor, need I be afraid of you?



Please note this will be sent to other offices, emails, and
local news stations.

Dear Representative,


We are writing this letter in hopes that it will advocate your
support of House Bill No. 163, which was amended in the House
Transportation Committee to include amendment A00702 which
renamed the bill “Lacey’s Law.” This law will undoubtedly help
save the lives of Pennsylvania’s young drivers and passengers.
House Bill No. 163 would require that 16 and 17 year olds who
have a junior license would not be able to travel with others
under the age of 18 to minimize the distractions to the young
driver. In addition, House Bill No. 163 would require the young
drivers to not only be aware of difficult driving situation but
would call for them to practice in those situations with an
experienced driver.

You may be asking why House Bill No.163 was amended to “Lacey’s
Law.” Lacey was an 18 year old high school senior who attended
Little Flower High School in Philadelphia. Lacey was killed in a
single car collision on her way to a post prom weekend with her
friends when the car she was riding in with 6 other teens hit a
median rolling several times, ejecting Lacey and killing her
instantly. This night was supposed to be a celebration of the
prom and the fact they would soon be graduating and heading off
to college. We wish you could have known Lacey. She was by all
means a sweet, kind, considerate, teenage girl full of life’s
hopes and dreams. She truly touched all those who knew her.

There were many contributing factors the night Lacey died.
Those factors include: Inexperience of the young driver,
weather conditions, lack of seatbelt use, distractions of others
in the car, and most notably the lack of laws and knowledge that
could have prevented this tragedy.

Studies have shown that 16 year old drivers have a crash rate 3
times higher than a 17 year old driver and 5 times higher than
an 18 year old. This statistic in part is due to the area of the
brain affecting risk taking behavior and judgment which is not
fully developed until we are closer to our twenties. We all
know teenagers and the excitement they exude when it’s time to
obtain their drivers license.












Some critics say it’s up to the parents to control, limit, and
enforce the laws of driving and make sure their teens are doing
what they are supposed to. This is true, it should come from
the parents but you have to stop and think we must provide the
tools and knowledge to the parents to assist them in keeping
their teens safe. By enacting this law we will be joining
forces with the law, giving parents additional tools to limit
the distractions to ensure their teens are practicing in all
types of weather conditions and increasing the number of hours
teens need to drive to obtain a graduated license. Parents will
have the power to say “It’s the Law.” We must be united and do
this together to make a difference.

Since Lacey’s death her friends and family have started the
Lacey Fund (www.thelaceyfund.org) to provide tuition assistance
to teens entering Catholic High School. This foundation has
evolved with help from hundreds of people who care and want to
see a change. Our Promise to Lacey was created as our way to
raise awareness to parents and teens on the heartbreaking
statistics and consequences of inexperience teen driving and how
car accidents are the leading cause of teenage deaths. We want
to spread the word to all parents before their teen starts
driving they should know.
• How many passengers will be in the car?
• What time of night is your teen driving?
• What road/weather conditions is your teen driver able to
handle?
• Is your teen aware of the rules for cell ph one use
while driving?


Finally, we want to say Thank You for taking the time to read
this letter and for your support in helping us pass House Bill
No. 163.

Sincerely,


Team Lacey
1617 East Eyre Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125
E-Mail: laceysteam@yahoo.com










www.thelaceyfund.org

Dear Representative,


We are writing this letter in hopes that it will advocate your
support of House Bill No. 163, which was amended in the House
Transportation Committee to include amendment A00702 which
renamed the bill “Lacey’s Law.” This law will undoubtedly help
save the lives of Pennsylvania’s young drivers and passengers.
House Bill No. 163 would require that 16 and 17 year olds who
have a junior license would not be able to travel with others
under the age of 18 to minimize the distractions to the young
driver. In addition, House Bill No. 163 would require the young
drivers to not only be aware of difficult driving situation but
would call for them to practice in those situations with an
experienced driver.

You may be asking why House Bill No.163 was amended to “Lacey’s
Law.” Lacey was an 18 year old high school senior who attended
Little Flower High School in Philadelphia. Lacey was killed in a
single car collision on her way to a post prom weekend with her
friends when the car she was riding in with 6 other teens hit a
median rolling several times, ejecting Lacey and killing her
instantly. This night was supposed to be a celebration of the
prom and the fact they would soon be graduating and heading off
to college. We wish you could have known Lacey. She was by all
means a sweet, kind, considerate, teenage girl full of life’s
hopes and dreams. She truly touched all those who knew her.

There were many contributing factors the night Lacey died.
Those factors include: Inexperience of the young driver,
weather conditions, lack of seatbelt use, distractions of others
in the car, and most notably the lack of laws and knowledge that
could have prevented this tragedy.

Studies have shown that 16 year old drivers have a crash rate 3
times higher than a 17 year old driver and 5 times higher than
an 18 year old. This statistic in part is due to the area of the
brain affecting risk taking behavior and judgment which is not
fully developed until we are closer to our twenties. We all
know teenagers and the excitement they exude when it’s time to
obtain their drivers license.












Some critics say it’s up to the parents to control, limit, and
enforce the laws of driving and make sure their teens are doing
what they are supposed to. This is true, it should come from
the parents but you have to stop and think we must provide the
tools and knowledge to the parents to assist them in keeping
their teens safe. By enacting this law we will be joining
forces with the law, giving parents additional tools to limit
the distractions to ensure their teens are practicing in all
types of weather conditions and increasing the number of hours
teens need to drive to obtain a graduated license. Parents will
have the power to say “It’s the Law.” We must be united and do
this together to make a difference.

Since Lacey’s death her friends and family have started the
Lacey Fund (www.thelaceyfund.org) to provide tuition assistance
to teens entering Catholic High School. This foundation has
evolved with help from hundreds of people who care and want to
see a change. Our Promise to Lacey was created as our way to
raise awareness to parents and teens on the heartbreaking
statistics and consequences of inexperience teen driving and how
car accidents are the leading cause of teenage deaths. We want
to spread the word to all parents before their teen starts
driving they should know.
• How many passengers will be in the car?
• What time of night is your teen driving?
• What road/weather conditions is your teen driver able to
handle?
• Is your teen aware of the rules for cell ph one use
while driving?


Finally, we want to say Thank You for taking the time to read
this letter and for your support in helping us pass House Bill
No. 163.

Sincerely,


Team Lacey
1617 East Eyre Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125
E-Mail: laceysteam@yahoo.com










www.thelaceyfund.org

Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:

Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands. SugarHouse
has invoked a hundred year old state law in the hopes of
obtaining from the City that which it has thus been thus far
been unable to obtain from the Commonwealth.

State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have
provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not
have the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its
real value. Please take their advice and say no to the
SugarHouse land grab.

Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:

Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands. SugarHouse
has invoked a hundred year old state law in the hopes of
obtaining from the City that which it has thus been thus far
been unable to obtain from the Commonwealth.

State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have
provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not
have the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its
real value. Please take their advice and say no to the
SugarHouse land grab.

Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:

Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands. SugarHouse
has invoked a hundred year old state law in the hopes of
obtaining from the City that which it has thus been thus far
been unable to obtain from the Commonwealth.

State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have
provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not
have the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its
real value. Please take their advice and say no to the
SugarHouse land grab.

Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:

Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands. SugarHouse
has invoked a hundred year old state law in the hopes of
obtaining from the City that which it has thus been thus far
been unable to obtain from the Commonwealth.

State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have
provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not
have the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its
real value. Please take their advice and say no to the
SugarHouse land grab.
Sincerely,
Brian Dugan

Dear Mayor Street:

I am concerned about the Commerce Dept.'s decision to hold a
public hearing Nov. 15 on SugarHouse Casino's application to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands. SugarHouse
has invoked an obscure state law in the hopes of obtaining from
the City that which it has thus been thus far been unable to
obtain from the Commonwealth.

I'd appreciate it if you could get back to me with answers to
the following questions before the hearing:


Why not postpone the hearing until after Mayor Nutter takes
office in January since he is the one who will have to deal with
the casino issue for the next 4 years, at least?
What are the terms under which members of the public may address
the hearing?
Which officials will make the decision about whether to grant
SugarHouse permission to build on state riparian lands?
When do you expect a decision on the license to be made?
Is SugarHouse Casino expected to testify at the hearing?
Does the Commerce Dept. consider impacted residents to be
interested parties for the purposes of this hearing?
Will the hearing be videotaped and, if so, when will such
videotape be available to the public?
Does the Sunshine Act apply to this hearing?
Do the procedures found at 2 Pa.C.S.A. Section 551, et seq.,
apply to this hearing?
Thank you for considering this request that you clarify certain
aspects of your hearing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Governor Rendell:

You promised neighborhood leaders you would try to persuade the
casinos to relocate if somebody came to you with suitable sites.
Councilman DiCicco provided you with such a list on August 9,
but to date neither the Councilman nor the 150,000 people he
represents have heard back from you.

I ask you to do the following by October 12, 2007 at the latest:


1.Provide me and Councilman DiCicco with a detailed report
describing your efforts to persuade the casinos to move and your
progress to date.
2.Convene a blue ribbon panel of experts to study and recommend
alternative locations using Councilman DiCicco's list as a
starting point.
3.Ask the Supreme Court not to rule on any casino's request for
zoning permits until January 15, 2008 so that you and the
casinos have enough time to thoroughly explore moving their
facilities elsewhere.
Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods
and for the families and children who live in them. Please let
me know if you can accommodate my request for action on your
part.

Brian Dugan

Dear Gaming Oversight Committee Member:
I firmly believe that a 1500 ft. buffer between schools,
churches, and other neighborhood institutions would be in the
best interest of this city. I can not imagine what these
casinos could expose upon our neighborhoods, let alone the more
impressionable people of the city, our youth. Please take this
letter into account.
Thank you,
Joe

Dear Gaming Oversight Committee Member:

I urge you to vote House Bill 1477 out of committee at the next
scheduled meeting of the Committee.

House Bill 1477 would protect neighborhoods by requiring
casinos to locate at least 1500 feet away from any residence,
church or school.

I expect my elected officials to look out for the best
interests of me and my family. Most especially, the General
Assembly must take steps to protect the children of
Pennsylvania and the neighborhoods in which they live from
casinos.

HB 1477 is common sense legislation that deserves your
wholehearted support. I urge you to vote House Bill 1477 out of
committee at your next committee meeting.

Gentlemen:
I strongly suggest that you oppose House Bill 1130 and any
other legislation which attempts to limit ethics reform in the
city of Philadelphia. I also suggest you allign yourselves
behind ALL ethic reform measures which ignore the peoples right
to transparant political oversight. You've been elected by the
people . . . lets start serving the electorate.

J.H.

Dear Senator Fumo:
I support the buffer zone of 1500' from the neighborhoods for
casino building. I am proud of the rich history here in
Philadelphia and I feel the casinos too close to these areas
also would taint that historical value. Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Brian Dugan

Dear Governor Rendell:

Slot Parlors will will have a massive impact on our city for a
very long time. Rushing the process has blocked citizens from
their basic right to control their own neighborhoods. Do the
right thing. Let the communities have a say, let the city
official be prepared.

Citizens require a one year delay, an improved process of public
comment and a chance to educate themselves enough to make an
informed choice about whether they want a slot parlor a block
from their homes.

Gravely Concerned,

Dear Governor Rendell:

No public input means no deal.

For months the PA Gaming Control Board excluded us from "public"
hearings and limited us in how long we could talk or submit our
written comments. We had more to say, but they were done
listening to us. Based on a recent study 98% of our written
comments to the board said "no to casinos."

Yet the PA Gaming Control Board stayed the course, ignoring
public concern and Philadelphia City Council's resolution asking
for more public input. We asked for them to make public the
updated casino's traffic plans, architectural renderings, and
other documents about the impact in our neighborhoods.

They kept the documents secret, claiming confidentiality, then
security concerns, and then finally that they did not have the
time. The documents they have begun releasing, only at the 11th
hour, are over two months old.

Today, December 11th, citizens from around the state have moved
from asking the PA Gaming Control Board to do the right thing, to
helping them do the right thing. Through a Citizen's Document
Search they are attempting to liberate the secret documents. We
are writing to show our support for them.

This direct action is just the beginning. Licensing is just Round
1 of a long struggle if this botched process moves forward. We
are committed to protect our city and our neighborhoods and stand
with those in Harrisburg who are right now standing up for
democracy and true transparency.

The time of talk is over.

We urgently call on you to move to stop the December 20th
licensing of the Philadelphia casinos. The process has been
illegitimate from the beginning. Please halt all licensing until
there is meaningful public input where we -- the public, not some
unelected officials in Harrisburg -- decide how we want our
neighborhoods to look and if we want casinos as part of them.

Urgently yours,

To my elected officials:

This will be my second letter on this issue. Please VOTE NO on SB 862. This is a
huge slap in the face to the city these casinos will deface. The very least people
expected was that zoning issues would remain under the control of the citizens
most affected by them. Harrisburg should not be allowed full control over casinos
in Philadelphia. Those Philadelphians who have suggested otherwise while in
Harrisburg are the very people who can't be trusted here. We the people suffer the
consequences. Yet again. Is anyone with a conscience paying any attention at all? Or
is that just a silly question?

To my elected officials:
Pease, vote NO on SB 862. In my opinion, the building of
casinos in Philadelphia will cause more problems than it will
solve. I can not imagine the burden of living in the proposed
neighborhoods, especially after so many have sacrificed such a
great deal to stay and support our city.
Thank you,
Joe Gillespie

To my elected officials:
NO

Dear Sen. Fumo:

Say NO to Senate Bill 862.
As a resident of a riverfront neighborhood in northeast
Philadelphia, I am very concerned about the impact that recent
and all future casino legislation will have in the well being of
my community and city. I don't understand how any good can come
from restricting our participation.

Loretta Kelly

Dear Sen. Fumo:

Philadelphia will not forgive you for pursuing this agenda.

Charles Cieri

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