Philadelphia’s Iraq War Vets Deserve a Parade Down Broad Street

We can flood the streets to celebrate the Phillies. Why not honor those who fought for our country?

More than one million American men and women fought in Iraq. Many of them will never be the same—32,200 were wounded. Most knew one of the 4,484 who died. Every one of them sacrificed in service to country. Every one of them put their lives on the line. After eight years, eight months and 29 days, the long bloody war finally came to an end on December 15, 2011. And when all of those brave men and women came home, a grateful nation did nothing.

Cardinal Bevilacqua Did Not Get Off Easy

The former head of Philadelphia’s Catholic Church spent his final years in a self-made prison.

I first met Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua when he walked into the NBC 10 studios as a guest on Live @ Issue, the Sunday morning news interview show I started. He was alone, no PR person, no entourage. The Cardinal was both physically and mentally fit. For a half hour he defended Catholicism, attacked then Mayor Rendell for his refusal to support school vouchers, and ended the show with a blessing for Philadelphia. He was charismatic, combative and impressive. I liked him.

Is Chris Christie Running for Vice President?

His recent moderate moves in Jersey indicate he’s on his way to the Romney ticket.

If he had been standing up, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have sheepishly looked down, and said “Aw shucks.” Instead New Jersey Governor Chris Christie answered Meet the Press moderator David Gregory’s question about the possibility of running on a ticket with Mitt Romney with a humble, “If you were a betting guy, I would bet on Chris Christie still being the governor of New Jersey in 2012.” Then Christie did something he has never done before after being asked the questions hundreds of times: He opened the door a little. “The fact of the matter is, if Governor Romney called me up to talk to me about being vice president, I love my country enough and I love my party enough to listen.” He opened the door a little more on Fox News, “If offered, my wife and would have a conversation and make a decision.”

Bonner and Prendie Can Pull Off a “Million Dollar Miracle”

What could be more Catholic than saving these schools?

There is nothing Catholics like better than a good, old-fashioned miracle, and there is a million-dollar miracle in the making right now in Delaware County. In an attempt to save Archbishop Prendergast and Monsignor Bonner high schools in Drexel Hill from closing, the alumni associations and the surrounding community have come together in an inspirational and frantic fundraising drive.

The Archdiocese’s Blue Ribbon Commission is the Bain Capital of Catholicism

Closing Bonner and Prendie proves the Commission’s members care more about money than families.

Miracles come at a cost these days—one million dollars to be exact—and that's just a down payment. Rev. James Olson, the president of Archbishop Prendergast and Monsignor Bonner High Schools is hoping to have at least that much in his pocket when he tries to convince the Archdiocese to reverse its decision to close the schools. Right now he is substantially short of his wishes with $300,000 in donations. He is meeting with Philadelphia Archdiocese Archbishop Charles Chaput today to discuss if it is even worth going through with an appeal.

Make That Two Harmful Cover-Ups by the Catholic Church in Philly

The "blue-ribbon" commission’s decision to close schools has left the faithful more in doubt than ever.

The Philadelphia Archdiocese took part of my childhood this year. It had already closed St. Philomena’s in Lansdowne. And now Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools in Drexel Hill will close. I graduated from the all-boys Bonner in 1974 and worked as a custodial assistant at the all-girls Archbishop Prendergast my senior year. I have been a weatherman in San Diego—arguably the easiest job in the country—and I was host of Access Hollywood where I rubbed elbows with movie stars, but spending quality time in the hallways of an all-girls' school at 17 years old is still the best job I ever had.

Michele Bachmann Is Not Done

This is one politician who won’t go away quietly

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s announcement that she was running for president in June of last year was met with a wide array of human responses, from anger to elation, from ridicule to praise. But most of all there was fear that a wave of Tea Party angst could actually carry this woman to the White House. After all, just a year earlier the Tea Party showed its power by sending an army of Congressional freshman to Washington armed with signed tax pledges, demands and a united no-compromise front. So it was possible.

What If Jon Gruden Coached the Eagles?

The mob is calling for Andy Reid’s head, but the numbers say he’s just as good as Gruden (or most other coaches out there)

Football is a game of passion. Nowhere is that more evident than in Philadelphia, where passion can turn into a steroid-induced rage in a second. We are witnessing that rage right now as talk radio has helped form an angry mob calling for Eagles' coach Andy Reid’s head. The problem with passion, anger and rage is that they all cloud common sense. The mob wants a Super Bowl and nothing short of that will quiet it. The irony is that Andy Reid is their best chance of getting there, and so the mob is railing against its own self-interest.

I Won’t Lie to My Kids About Santa Claus

Think that’s wrong? Wait till you read what I told them about the Easter Bunny.

We were driving to see the new Arthur Christmas (which is wonderful) when I heard it from the back seat: “Daddy, is Santa Claus real?” Yikes! It is an inevitable question from a seven-year-old and one I have dealt with before. You see I am a Déjà Vu Dad, meaning I have two sets of children separated by two decades. There are a lot of us these days. Stacia is 28, and Jonathan is 27. David is five and Michael, the one asking the question, is seven.