LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE
"I took my troubles down to Madame Rue
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number Nine

I told her that I was a flop with chics
I've been this way since 1956
She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign
She said "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine"

....I didn't know if it was day or night
I started kissin' everything in sight
But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine"

Well, Wall Street is undoubtedly popping champagne over this news. The irony is inescapable, of course:

Sacred Monkeys: Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York, Linked to Prostitution Ring as Client 9 ...Resignation Cannot be Far Away

What was that sound? That was the sound of the thud of Eliot Spitzer’s career falling off the Empire State Building.

And for the political bomb shell of the day..the Governor of New York, Democrat Eliot Spitzer, has been linked to a prostitution ring, this is going to leave a political mark. Eliot Spitzer has been identified as “Client 9” in “Hooker-gate”. Not just any “hookergate, but a $5500 per hour hookergate

Oh Ken Davis hates blogs does he? We're like sooooooooooo shocked. We all woke up this morning to the news that Ken Davis was stepping down as Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party. (and honestly, we were shocked not to read it first on CRN)

Can we say, it has been a bad week for Ken? First, Ed Lipkin resigns as the Ardmore Developer, and now this news?

So anyway, Writemarsh and Tony Phyrillas broke the news that we saw first, and well, we are so amused. And we almost couldn't contain ourselves when Mr. Davis announced in his letter that he still hates blog and bloggers. We are shocked! Shocked we tell you! But then again, can it be said what do we know that small group of mean spirited individuals that also thought eminent domain was a bad, bad thing?

LOL, We are sure he was thinking of us along with whomever else he hates in the blogosphere, right? Look, Former Commissioner Ken Davis did do some great things for Lower Merion no doubt, but unfortunately, can it be said part of his legacy is this and eminent domain? In a way, that's sad...

Here is an excerpt of the burning letter courtesy of Writemarh Blog Posting

Dear Republican Leader,
When speaking of those who serve the public in elective or appointive office, President Theodore Roosevelt had this to say, almost one hundred years ago:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly..."

...After serving as your Chairman for the last four years, I have decided to leave the "arena", and will not seek another term.....I will also not miss, especially, the anonymous, ignorant cowards who hide from behind the internet to spew their hate and venom, without having to reveal their identities or to speak for attribution, on the record; and the so-called "bloggers" self-important "know nothings" to a fault, thinking that anybody really cares what they have to say. These people, as Theodore Roosevelt noted, "know neither victory or defeat" themselves, yet never hesitate to criticize those of us who do.

For us, this is breaking news. The citizens of Ardmore and Lower Merion have been at this seemingly forever....that being said:

The Save Ardmore Coaltion is shocked at the following press release just discovered on the Lower Merion Township Website! What is even more interesting? We are wondering as a group who sends representatives to the Ardmore Ad Hoc Meetings, why it is we weren't notified (a)prior to the press release going up on the township website www.lowermerion.org (b) at the same time the press release was posted and sent out.

What is going on in Ardmore? What does this mean for our town? What developer will we get now? First ArcWheeler pulls out of that Daylesford/Paoli project a couple few weeks back, now EBL&S pulls out of Ardmore? We will note the press release cites downturn in credit markets, which is a no brainer, as our economy is in the toilet...but is there something more to this story?

Sign us waiting and watching very closely. And very curious. Also note this developer has bailed during the negotiate the contract phase.

Lower Merion Township: EBL & S Withdraws from Negotiations for Ardmore Transit Center and Business District Revitalization
Next Steps to be Discussed at March 5th Committee Meeting
Posted Date: 3/4/2008 8:38 AM

The EBL & S development team, which had been chosen in January by the Board of Commissioners to enter into negotiations with the Township for the Ardmore Transit Center and Business District Revitalization Project, has withdrawn from the negotiation process. The recent downturn in the credit markets was cited by EBL&S as the reason to discontinue talks with the Township.

Honestly, what is up with the Historic Landmark that is the Philadelphia Inquirer Building?

Read what Inga Saffron has to say on February 25th

Patriot Equities may not have fully sewn up the deal to buy the Inquirer Building, as Publisher Brian Tierney says in today's Daily News, but I'd wager a year's subscription to the Inquirer (what can I say, I'm partisan) that the building's two newsrooms aren't going to be packing up and leaving anytime soon. Philadelphia Media Holdings, which bought the Inquirer and Daily News in 2006, put the landmark white tower on the block last August. While no official price was disclosed, developers said the original number was upwards of $60 million.

It's not clear how much Patriot, a Wayne company that was assembled by alumni from Mike O'Neill's Preferred Real Estate, is offering now, but many suspect the sale price will be much less. The big question now is what will Patriot do for PMH. We know that Patriot specializes in lease-back deals. For all Tierney's broad hints about being courted by New Jersey Gov. Corzine for a a high-profile spot on the Camden waterfront, one suspects the talks are nothing more than a strategic flirtation. Why else would architects from H2L2 be prowling the newsroom here all last week, with clipboards and blueprints in hand? They're getting ready to renovate.

Now see this thing from the Daily News:

Deal or no deal? Tierney disputes report of newspaper building's sale
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

A Delaware County real-estate investment and development firm has emerged as the leading suitor for the venerable Daily News and Inquirer building, at Broad and Callowhill streets.

Two officers of Patriot Equities LP, of Wayne, said yesterday that a deal had been reached, under which both newspapers would remain in the building and share it with other tenants.

But Philadelphia Media Holdings chief executive Brian Tierney cautioned that negotiations were just beginning.

"We're negotiating, but until a deal's a deal, it's not a deal," Tierney said. "We're not negotiating with anyone else, and we're not soliciting any other offers, but there's no definitive agreement."

Patriot Equities, which specializes in underutilized corporate real estate, was among 300 developers nationwide that had expressed interest after the building was put on the market last year, Tierney said.

And we'll throw this out there: what's up with what we saw on the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia website?

One of our members decided to self publish a book of photographs she took of old houses that she likes...no, she's not Albert, he is a master photographer....but if you are an old house junkie, check it out:
these old houses By carla joy zambelli Book Preview

A SAC friend sent us this link to a blog from the other side of Montgomery County. Now, this is a blog that is much more conservative in nature, but good for this blogger for putting questions out there (whether or not they are your cup of tea as representative of your individual political perspectives), as it is part of the process of ordinary citizens trying to make an educated decision for themselves based upon their personal beliefs. These questions are courtesy of Writemarsh - and again whether or not you agree with the positions of this blog is not the point of posting, the point is here is another case of citizens getting involved in their community and putting it out there. Candidates should always try to answer questions posed by citizens. And they should do so honestly and forthrightly, leaving fluff and spin at the door. Tick, tock candidates, this blogger says he is giving you a week to answer. We will follow this to see what happens...the residency question in particular is interesting, but should a candidate be declared undeserving if they aren't a "lifer"?

We will also note an eminent domain question, and to that we would add "what would you do to close the eminent domain loophole in the updated legislation Ed Rendell signed within the recent past?"

And...."Should Ardmore remain legally blighted when eminent domain has been defeated, is not being used, and the area in question is not blighted?"

And we would also ask "Do you support PA HB 904 and why, or if you do NOT support it, why?"

We would also ask "How do you feel about the First Amendment of The Constitution?"

We would also ask "Where are you specifically on affordable and moderate housing in inner ring suburbs struggling to survive?".

We would also ask "What can you specifically do to improve our transist system and antiquated infrastructure?"

We would also ask "What you do specifically to help small and independent business owners?"

We would also ask "What specific solutions do you have to the issues that plague us with regard to affordable healthcare?"

And we have more questions than that, but we will wait a while...this is this blogger's parade....

Candidate Questionnaire

I've been pretty hard on one of our local senatorial candidates, but I think it's time to level the playing field.

Listen up Philadelphia, this post is for you. One of our members received this notice from the Society Hill Civic Association. And Philadelphia? How do you like having our former eminent domain loving commish Joe Manko as a Zoning Board addition? This oughta be interesting, huh? So, can it be said this project is even MORE reason to support PA H.B. 904 ?

Greetings,

I’d like to encourage you to attend the Wednesday, February 20, 2008 meeting of the Society Hill Civic Association at which the Board will decide whether to support or object to a 185-foot tall building (about 17 stories) at the NewMarket property. It is important that you attend and voice your opinion.

PA H.B. 904 would allow a temporary development moratorium in YOUR Community. Call YOUR elected representatives in PA today! We feel that this is an election issue for Pennsylvanians and Pennsylvania communities that should not be buried. This thing has been languishing in Appropriations since early December, 2007!

As previously mentioned on several occasions, including here, there is a piece of legislation languishing in Harrisburg that is as crucially important as the eminent domain legislation was. If this legislation is NOT an election issue, it should be. This is legislation that would be beneficial to any community in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that feels it needs to hit a pause button on development.

Contrary to what certain lobbying factions in Pennsylvania like the Pennsylvania Builders Association want citizens to believe, PA HB 904 is bi-partisan legislation that allows communities under the gun to take a breath, and take a second look at development issues that plague them. It also allows developers to take a second look and can it be said it could perhaps give them the time they need to go back into the community and get a better project together that all can live with?

We are ready to retch over an AP story we just read - as you know out of curiousity we follow real estate and mortgage stories out there so we stay current.

Even more disturbing? This AP article is about people who abandon their pets when they abandon their homes one step ahead of the foreclosure man. This article is profoundly disturbing, and people who do this should get their asses thrown in jail. Our pets depend on us, they are part of our families. They aren't furry accessories to be discarded...

Foreclosures Lead to Abandoned Animals
By EVELYN NIEVES – 4 days ago

The house was ravaged — its floors ripped, walls busted and lights smashed by owners who trashed their home before a bank foreclosed on it. Hidden in the wreckage was an abandoned member of the family: a starving pit bull.

The dog found by workers was too far gone to save — another example of how pets are becoming the newest victims of the nation's mortgage crisis as homeowners leave animals behind when they can no longer afford their property.

Pets "are getting dumped all over," said Traci Jennings, president of the Humane Society of Stanislaus County in northern California. "Farmers are finding dogs dumped on their grazing grounds, while house cats are showing up in wild cat colonies."

....The abandoned pets are overwhelming animal shelters and drawing fury from bloggers, especially as photos of emaciated animals circulate on the Internet.

The first people to enter an abandoned house, such as property inspectors and real estate brokers, have discovered dogs tied to trees in backyards, cats in garages, and turtles, rabbits and lizards in children's bedrooms.

No one keeps track of the numbers of abandoned pets, but anecdotal evidence suggests that forsaken animals are becoming a problem wherever foreclosures are climbing...

and

Hidden victims of mortgage crisis: Pets/Owners abandoning their dogs and cats after foreclosure

related video

Please support animal rescue and no kill shelters. We suggest Main Line Animal Rescue. Support them, support your SPCA, support breed specific rescue...

Another story all shoud read is A mortgage crisis that didn't have to be
By Gail MarksJarvis Chicago Tribune:

"It's not a pretty picture, and it didn't have to come to this.
The worst housing slump since World War II is showing no sign of abating. Manufacturing activity is hinting at recession. Employment is weakening. The stock market has fallen dramatically. The mistakes banks and brokers made with mortgage-related bonds have left a lingering credit crunch, or a reluctance by lenders to make affordable loans to consumers and businesses.

Investors have gone into the new year with a dreary attitude, and Wall Street analysts are warning investors to be careful.

"Batten down the hatches," Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. economist Michelle Meyer said in a recent report.

Meyer estimates that the housing mess, which set off the economy's problems, is only half over, and that home prices will be down at least 15 percent when they hit bottom in 2009.....As early as 1999 to 2000, consumer advocates were tracking what Keest calls a "foreclosure crisis," in which one in four homeowners were unable to handle payments.

"The industry wouldn't listen," she said."

Hey there, PhillyFuture community - Happy 2008! We have recently discovered a new blog out there in the blogosphere called Original Observations - it is in the fledgling stages, but what we see so far is pretty interesting. This one post in particular had us at "hello":

Tuesday, January 1, 2008:On Free Speech

Free speech does not really exist in America.

Or at least, it might, but woe to one who offends the political or social sensibility of another group.

The degree by which people are trying to coerce and limit what one can say and believe is becoming tantamount to infringing on free speech. It is becoming a de facto limitation on the First Amendment right.

The traditional teaching we give kids in school is the First Amendment was written in the Bill of Rights by the Founding Fathers to protect the press, religious groups, the public in their desire to say what they held dear without fear of persecution, and so forth.

Supreme Court findings since set limits only so far as a person may not jump up in a crowded theater and shout "Fire!" when there is none, causing fear and panic. Nor may one willfully slander or knowingly make untrue or malicious statements.

But what we are finding today is that because of the ideological diversity in this country, groups and individuals are developing sensibilities so exclusive, that they judge other groups utterly offensive and intolerable.

I speak of so-called political correctness.

The term describes people with either an overt, or inadvertent social sensibility and essentially, an agenda to attempt to legislate morality. It is a sensibility that in recent decades – if not merely recent years – has developed outside the traditional Judeo-Christian heritage, or at least beyond traditional long-held American values.

Without getting into specific case examples here, let me just make reference to the fact that people cannot say certain things they may believe without fear of repercussions.

Even if their intent is unmalicious, and they mean no harm, they may be forced to keep silent.

Thank goodness for PhillyBurbs and The Philadelphia Inquirer's Mari A. Schaefer in particular - they have not forgotten Jamie Cockayne anymore than we have. The wheels of justice need a little grease down in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and we wish that state side some U.S. Congressmen, The Attorney General, AND our U.S. Senators would pay more attention. We would have thought Bucks Congressman Patrick Murphy would have been all over this, and well, where's he been? Where has the U.S. Attorney General (whichever one it happens to be at the time) been? Where has Arlen Specter been other than apparently Pakistan? There are more than enough irregularities in this case that it should be more than blogs following it - not that we aren't glad to do out part to show support for the extended Cockayne family, some of whom hail from the Main Line - it is just time for the U.S. Government to really look into this U.S. Territory from top to bottom. Unless of course, we should all just stop going there? Do the U.S. Virgin Islands want a real boycott?

We all read recently that the Natalee Holloway case has been sort of "Cold Case" closed, and even if we still do feel Jamie Cockayne deserves equal time in coverage, we feel badly that we might never know in our lifetimes what happened to that teenaged girl.

But back to Jamie. We DO know what happened to Jamie. He was brutally murdered. Since then, it's been kinda haphazard, hasn't it? Here are the suspects in his murder in case you have never seen them:

Anselmo Boston
Kamal "Six Pack" Thomas

We think that 2008 should bring more justice then 2007 did for Jamie. Here are excerpts from the aforementioned articles:

Anguished by loss, angry over rulings
By Mari A. Schaefer
Inquirer Staff Writer

Members of a New Hope family whose son was stabbed to death in the U.S. Virgin Islands six months ago say they remain unhappy with how the case is being handled, despite the arrests of two suspects.

The death of 21-year-old Jamie Cockayne, knifed after he left a bar on the resort island of St. John, got national attention in the weeks before the August arrests.

But with the men - charged with first-degree murder - released after posting bail, the Cockaynes are angry, complaining that the police and prosecution initially failed to appear at a bail hearing for one defendant.

"One hand does not know what the other is doing, that is for sure," said Jean Gilligan Cockayne, mother of the slain man.

The island residents charged with murder are Kamal "Six Pack" Thomas and Anselmo Ricardo Boston.

"This case has been given the attention it deserves," Virgin Islands Attorney General Vincent Frazer said in a recent interview.

It was at Boston's bail hearing that the prosecutor and detective on the case did not appear.

"It is hard to have any confidence in the local government there when it bungles everything every step of the way," said Sean Summers, attorney for the Cockayne family.

Especially upsetting to the family was the relatively low bail. The Virgin Islands Daily News reported that Boston was able to post $100,000, with family property as collateral, and that Thomas had posted 10 percent of $75,000.

In Pennsylvania, there is no bail for first-degree-murder defendants.

The Cockaynes' criticism is only the latest controversy involving the professionalism of the Virgin Islands police and the decision-making of the local Superior Court judge, Leon A. Kendall, who set Thomas' bail......Controversial for bail decisions in other cases, Kendall said that a detective had called the case against Thomas "circumstantial," and that the detective had not interviewed alibi witnesses who placed Thomas elsewhere at the time of the slaying. The opinion noted that Cockayne's body had been found one hour after he left the bar - which is near a St. John police station....Frazer said his staff's failure to appear at the hearing had resulted from "a mix-up in communication with the prosecutor and the court." The case is "on track to where it should be at this time," he said.

Kendall, meanwhile, faces a hearing on earlier complaints that he released defendants accused of violent crimes on little or no bail.

The judge has also filed a libel suit against two reporters from the Virgin Islands Daily News over articles about his bail decisions....Gilligan Cockayne has given out her phone number on blogs and in newspapers in an attempt to find witnesses, and has traveled to the Virgin Islands to meet with the governor and attorney general....The Virgin Islands Police Department has been criticized before.

This year, the Virgin Islands Daily News won a top Associated Press Managing Editors award for its accounts of corruption and incompetence in the police Major Crimes Unit.

In 1995, the paper won a Pulitzer Prize for a series that described wide failings in police, local prosecutors and the judiciary.

And from PhillyBurbs:

No. 4: Deaths shook region

By RILEY YATES
The Intelligencer

They were two young men just striking out on their own.

Away from home and pursuing a new step in their lives, they were killed in violence that shook their families, their friends and their communities.

Kyle Quinn, 19, of Warminster, was beaten to death Sept. 7 at Kutztown University, where he had just started classes.

Jamie Cockayne, 21, of New Hope, bled to death June 19 after being stabbed after a bar fight in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Two random, senseless murders that stunned the area and left people searching for answers.

In neither case has a motive been fully established, though both have resulted in multiple arrests.

In Cockayne’s case, the 2005 New Hope-Solebury High School graduate was in the Virgin Islands awaiting paperwork that would allow him to take a job as a boating instructor.

Ok so the news is out (or should we more aptly say "official"?): Connie Williams is to retire at the end of her term in 2008 from the Pennsylvania State Senate in 17th district.

We have been hearing this was a possibility since we first heard who was interested in running against her in 2008: Penn Wynne Commissioner Lance Rogers - an Independent, who would run as a Republican....well, now the other rumors we heard are apparently true: not only is Connie retiring, but State Representative Daylin Leach (D-149th District, PA) will be running for Connie's seat...so is Connie going to just retire, or will she seek some other sort of office, perhaps appointed?

Connie Williams on the whole has been good to her district, has been a champion of women's rights, the rights of senior citizens, fought for better healthcare and many other things. At SAC we butted heads with her over eminent domain, but she had her opinion and a job to do and we had ours.

Connie also ran fairly positive political campaigns, something we always like...but the person who runs the cleanest campaign of all, is Daylin Leach. Daylin has taken pledges to campaign positively and stuck with it.

Now for the tough part: Daylin Leach and Lance Rogers are both special to SAC members. So gentlemen, if it is to be the two of you, shake hands and respect the fact that we may comment from the sidelines as we choose, but we will not allow co-opting. We hope that everyone's political party and political strategists and campaign teams understand that as well...just thought we'd get that out of the way now, so we don't have to repeat ourselves later: NO ENDORSEMENTS. We still don't do endorsements, okay? So drop on by Ardmore and say "hello", just don't put our members in awkward situations, okay? You are both good guys so we don't see this as a problem :) :-) :smile:

We also hope that BOTH political parties will run clean campaigns and not trot out tired old garbage to turn off the electorate....so here are the news stories and let the games begin (and since this state senate territory crosses over into Delaware County - i.e. Haverford/Radnor Townships it oughtta be real interesting, since we all know those elections can get real interesting) :

Montco's Sen. Williams: I won't run again
By WILLIAM BENDER
Philadelphia Daily News
benderw@phillynews.com 215-854-5255

State Sen. Connie Williams, D-Montgomery, announced yesterday that she will not seek re-election next year, and state Rep. Daylin Leach wants to replace her.

"I will be running for the Senate next year," Leach, D-Montgomery, said yesterday, as he unveiled an all-star cast of Democrats to lead his 2008 campaign in the 17th District.

Gov. Rendell, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Williams herself will co-chair Leach's campaign. U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak will chair the Delaware County effort and Commissioner Joe Hoeffel will run the show in Montgomery County.

Democrats hope for a smooth transition from Williams to Leach in the Senate, where Republicans hold an eight-seat majority. At least one Republican candidate, Lower Merion Commissioner Lance Rogers, plans to run for Williams' seat.

State Sen. Connie Williams decides not to run again
12/27/2007, 10:31 a.m. EST
The Associated Press

Montco's Sen. Williams Will Not Seek Relection
by KYW’s Tony Romeo

...Williams, whose seat was held by a Republican prior to her election, admits that her district is a competitive one. It is likely to be a battleground in the fall.

Democratic House member Daylin Leach and Republican Lower Merion Township Commissioner Lance Rogers are two likely candidates to replace her.

So, here, we are going to stir the pot just a teensy bit more: we always thought that Lower Merion Township Commissioner Scott Zelov would run for this seat, so would he be considering a run for Daylin's State House Seat? Will 2008 be hopscotch for all sorts of political players? And just think, soon it will be time for someone to run against Jim Gerlach again, won't it? Will Lois get ressurected from the dead again? So many questions, so many political campaigns to watch...who will be bringing the popcorn because we think local and state politics are going to be much more interesting then presidential politics this time around...but hey, you know what they say: when it comes to politics, it's all local....

Scrooge in Ardmore?

PUD = Planned Unit Development (wasn't Ardmore Crossing one?) - ergo shouldn't some board vote as to what to do with comon areas? Planned Unit Developments, which this is we assume the case, should have some kind of board that discusses common areas, as in areas not contained within the four walls purchased as townhomes? So some kind of owners association should have rights with deciding on things like lawn and garden maintenance, common areas, and ohhh....a Community Room? Longstanding developments all across the Main Line - Old Forge Crossing, Chesterbrook, etcetera. And senior assisted living facilities - what ones DON'T have community gathering rooms? And shouldn't buildings that contain affordable housing untis have this as well?

Is Canus Corp, apparently the new building owner, under Susan Rabinovitch playing Scrooge this holiday season in Ardmore at Ardmore Crossing, now with it's new name change to "Greenfield Commons"? That is what the article in Main Line Life and Main Line Times infers, right?

(Copyright SaveArdmoreCoalition 2007)

The Save Ardmore Coalition has a new, yet familiar mantra we want citizens to follow: “BE VOCAL, SHOP LOCAL...Discover MORE in ArdMORE”

Make Ardmore your Main Street for the holidays. Shop and dine!

The Save Ardmore Coalition ( SAC) announces its new "BE VOCAL - SHOP LOCAL" campaign. SAC urges all Main Line residents to be vocal in their support for local businesses and to shop in our towns' stores.

To promote community awareness of the need to support our local businesses, SAC will shortly be distributing BE VOCAL - SHOP LOCAL buttons and urging residents to wear them this holiday season and into the months ahead. Without local residents' support, our independently owned stores and businesses can not prosper.

BE VOCAL - SHOP LOCAL buttons will be available at numerous stores in Ardmore for free. Contact comments@saveardmorecoalition.org for more information.

( Copyright SaveArdmoreCoalition2007 in case anyone wants to steal our tag line, we expect properly attributed credit and a donation would be nice too)

So...Natalee Holloway is back in the news again, eh? What about Jamie Cockayne? Why not equal time for him as well? Is his death so unimportant?

Cockayne Family Photo previously released to friends, family, media, etc.

Jamie Cockayne was brutally murdered in June, 2007. It took until August, 2007 for the U.S. Virgin islands Government to finally act, and at that time, they put first degree murder suspects, Kamal Thomas and Anselmo Boston back on the street with bail that was utterly laughable. We have to wonder if those two are really under house arrest and wearing monitoring bracelets as the U.S. Virgin Islands limps into another tourist season.

The news of the updates in the Natalee Holloway case undoubtedly made for a more hopeful or joyful Thanksgiving for the Holloway family, but are the Cockaynes not to receive such a gift ever? How is it justice still appears so fleeting on a United States of America territory? Are the laws different?

Coffeepot Ghost Photo

So back to "America's Paradise". Why is it that local business owners write mean letters to local papers? in one the writer, a local business person, says Mrs. Cockayne must be drunk while writing them? Seriously? Nice empathy and sympathy. Way to go, care about those tourism dollars - but hey, maybe it's just us, but reading this letter we wondered WHY anyone would want to visit a place so cruel. Yes, Mrs. Cockayne is drunk...drunk with grief...and who can blame her? Her son was brutally murdered! And it does not matter if his son was being mouthy, had too much to drink, flirted inappropriately or whatever - murdering him and leaving him to just die on the street only a short distance from a police station was NOT the appropriate response to any of that!

And what about Chicago native Don Calloway, brutally beaten to a pulp for no reason in 2006? Did he deserve THAT?

Don Calloway personal photo from www.caribbeannetnews.com

Here is an excerpt from a CBS2 news report in Chicago from 2006:

(CBS) You go on vacation to escape from the troubles of everyday life.

Now, there's a disturbing trend of violent crime in tropical paradises considered to be very safe.

The latest involves a Chicago man who suffered a vicious attack on the U.S Virgin Island of St. John.

As CBS 2's Suzanne LeMignot reports, his mission now is to spread the word.

A blood-stained face, an open wound on his knee; this is how Don Calloway said he looked after he fell to the ground following a beating with a shovel.

"This kid started swinging. The first couple shots, I took in the arms, I caught one. Then, after three or four shots, he landed one on my head," Calloway said.

Calloway said he was attacked while vacationing on St. John. He had left a local bar on the island and was trying to hail a cab. That's when he said two teens approached him from behind.

"I took off my watch, threw it to them, asked them what they wanted, do you want my money. They never said anything," Calloway said.

Calloway said he was able to get away from his two teenaged attackers. He ran to a nearby police station.

Police found his battered watch on the road. The attackers never took it.

Weeks later, Calloway's wounds may have healed, but now, he wants justice.

So...Don Calloway left a local bar...and see? he gets beaten to a pulp for contributing to the island economy? That is why we scratch our heads when we read letters from local merchants in the St. John Tradewinds lamenting the unwelcome attention - they say the letters from the Cockaynes are "tedious" and infer they are bad for business. Well, if these fine merchants think the letters are bad for business and toursim, what about the crimes occuring that go unsolved? According to Mrs. Cockayne there are significant number of unsolved crimes and crimes like rape, burglary and assault go unreported more times than not. Explain to us all again why we should vacation in "America's Paradise"? Why is a boycott such a bad idea? Didn't boycotting Aruba get instant attention to the Natalee Holloway case?

What are all those folks on St. john in the U.S. Virgin Islands afraid of? Why is the United States Government not doing more here? If this is a United States Territory, then as taxpayers, don't we have a say in where some of our tax dollars go? So, if we can't control the spending of the tax dollars, why not control the spending of the tourist dollars? Why NOT just vacation someplace else? Why would we want to go to a place that also has things reported like horrible animal abuse? Do you want to vacation in a place that allows ears to be cut off dogs and little cats are drowned for fun? Is St. John USVI paradise or a little island slice of hell?

And so what if we hear more from Mrs. Cockayne. She has a mission: Justice for Jamie Cockayne and other crimie victims in "America's Paradise", the United States Virgin Islands. No, the residents of St. John USVI might not like it, but she is entitled to say what is on her mind. Recent thoughts can be found here and here.

Do you know something that could help Jeanie Cockayne get justice? Are you a Government official in the United States of America who could help? Are you a member of the media that thinks equal time for Jamie is in order?

Then here, contact Mrs. Cockayne - she asks time and again in published letters to the editor:

215-862-1142 or email jeancockayne@mac.com

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We understand that the Cockayne family still has real concerns about law enforcement entities not communicating with each other. We really wish the Cockayne family would set up a website and make all these documents, articles, and letters available. We really wish the Cockayne family would set up a website and make all these documents, articles, and letters available. We really wish that elected officials would get off their keysters and get busy demanding justice and enact change.

Give the Cockayne family peace and closure for Christmas - Advocate Justice for Jamie Cockayne.