Page 4 The Lion’s Eye February 2, 2011 Eve on World & Local Meet Your New Governor By Dave Serpentine Lion's Eye World & Local Editor dms5419@psu.edu On Tuesday, January 18, Tom Corbett (R.), 61, became the 46th Pennsylvania Governor that afternoon in Harrisburg when State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille administered the oath to Corbett as he placed his hand on a Bible that once belonged to William Penn. Ear- lier that day, Jim Cawley became the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Weather-wise it was a difficult day; snow covered the ground and seats, which needed to be removed quickly, and the winter chill certainly made its presence for the outdoor ceremony at the east entrance to the Capitol. Nevertheless, thousands of supporters came with warm smiles to usher in a new era in Pa. by witnessing now former Attorney General Corbett take his place at the helm of the Pa. Government. Notables in attendance were former Governors Ed Rendell, Mark Schweiker, Tom Ridge, and Dick Thornburgh. Prior to Corbett’s inauguration, Schweiker was the last Republican Pa. Governor when he took office in 2001. Also in attendance was Corbett’s fam- ily, his wife, Susan, his two children, and a son-in-law. : Corbett’s speech addressed fellow Pennsylvanians in a bi-partisan manner by not revealing any in-depth plans or prom- ises, but he gave Pa. a promising future in government reform. In his speech, he said, “And I will dedicate each and every day over the next four years to fiscal discipline and a responsible, limited government.” Then he later said, “We must act to renew the people’s trust in government. We must restore transparency, accountability and fiscal discipline.” : In addition, Corbett also mentioned in his speech the importance of education and he stated, “We must embrace innovation, competition and choice in our education system.” : Corbett concluded his speech by honor- ing America’s military specially naming a recently deceased Pa. hero of World War II, Major Richard Winters. Corbett noted he will help balance the state budget by July 1 and his first budget plan address is slated for March 8. For some, Corbett’s inauguration was a joyous occasion, as for others it was a Tom Corbett was sworn in as the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 18. Corbett is from the Philadelphia area. (photo courtesy of mcall.com) day of protest. During Corbett’s inaugural address, nearly a hundred of protesters surrounded the area voicing their opinion against Corbett’s opinion of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Drilling in the Marcellus Shale, an underground reserve, would affect drinking water for thousands of people. It is still too soon what the new governor has in store for the state. It should also be noted that Republi- cans have a majority in both the executive and legislative branches, which could help Corbett’s agenda. Before Corbett took oath, former Bucks County commissioner Jim Cawley was sworn in inside the chambers of the state Senate. Later that Tuesday evening, the new governor and his supporters had their inaugural ball at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. At the ball, there were live bands, open bars, and a myriad of food of various types. Prior to becoming the new governor, the Philadelphia-born Corbett served in the army and in Pa.’s National Guard. Then in 2005, he became Pa.’s Attorney General a position he held on to until this year. This past Nov., Corbett defeated Democrat Dan Onorato 54.5% to 45.5% in the Pa. guber- natorial election to replace Gov. Rendell. If you are Glenn Beck, your an- swer would be an emphatic “Yes!” On January 18th, during his radio show, Zhe Glenn Beck Radio Pro- gram, Beck made some rather bold and potentially offensive statements about Philadelphia. These statements seem to have come about for two dif- ferent reasons. First, the comments oc- the police layoffs in Camden, New Jersey. Rather than discussing crime concerns in Camden, Beck turned his hostile statements towards Philadel- phia instead. He described that the streets surrounding Independence Hall as “the killing streets.” He then challenged his executive producer, Steve Burguiere to walk around Inde- pendence Hall with a hidden camera between the hours of 6-7 pm to get a clear idea of the imminent danger. According to NBC Philadelphia, Steve Burguiere did not agree with Beck and stated “that he’d never felt like he was in danger around Inde- pendence Hall or ‘downtown’ Phila- delphia.” However, Beck remained firm with his opinions and accusations about the city and went on to say that “Philadelphia sucks.” An interesting fact to keep in mind is that Beck’s show had been canceled in Phila- delphia and New York City the day before. Would Beck’s statements have been as harsh about our great city if his show continued to air in our area? It’s hard to know for sure, but after a quick poll of some students and Pro- fessors, it doesn’t seem that we should be too worried about his aggressive statements. Caroline Dean, majoring in Human Development and Family Studies, was not fazed by Beck’s comments. After reading the reading article posted on NBC Philadelphia’s website, she stated her impression about Beck, “From the article, he seems very hypocritical and quick to assume something that he does not curred while Beck was speaking about Beck Argues That Philly “Sucks” By Katie Koelewyn - Lion § Eye Staff Writer-kej132@psu.edu have a hands on experience.” In addi- tion, his comments about Philadelphia did not change her opinion of the city, “I don’t live in the city, but especially in the area of City Hall. I’ve always been impressed with it and the area and would love to have an opportunity to live there.” In a quick interview with Stuart Hunt, a communications major, he stated that Glenn Beck is “way over - the top. He sometimes takes things way out of proportion to sway people toward his cause, his party and his opinion.” When he was asked specifi- cally about his opinion of Glenn Beck, Hunt stated that Beck was “Lost.” Statements such as these seemed to be the consensus around campus. When I asked Kathy Meehan, an HDFS Instructor and Field Coordi- nator, if Beck’s statements changed her opinion about Philadelphia her response was “Definitely not. Because I’m familiar with Philadelphia and know his comments were not accu- rate.” Not only did students on cam- pus disagree with Beck’s comments, some felt that they were offensive. Brittany Malone, an HDFS student explained “I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but the way he came off was rude and ignorant.” She elaborated, “I was born and raised in Philadelphia. It is very stereotypical, everywhere has killings.” Additionally, Karol Wojcik, a new student on campus from Poland summed up his opinions of Beck quite well, “I think that he’s just a hater.” Regardless of Beck’s true senti- ments about Philadelphia, his com- ments were shocking and received many comments from high officials employed by the city of Philadelphia. It seems fair to say that it will not be -a loss around campus for students knowing that they will no longer be able to listen to Glenn Beck on WPHT-AM in Philadelphia. Heartbreak and Triumph for Gabrielle Giffords By Dave Serpentine - Lions Eye World & Local News Editor- dms5419@psu.edu For Democrat Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, 40, the state of Arizona, and for the rest of the nation, it has been a month of heartbreak and triumph. The tragedy began on a Saturday morning of January 8, 2011, where Gif- fords planed to host “Congress on Your Corner,” an event where she would meet citizens and discuss their political matters outside of a Safeway supermar- ket in Tucson. Moments after the event started, a lone gunman killed six people and injured thirteen others, including Giffords, as he approached her and shot her in the head at close range with a 9mm Glock pistol. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, of Tucson is the prime suspect and he is currently in custody. Notables who were murdered was Christina Taylor, 9, the granddaughter of Dallas Green, a former baseball player and manger; he was the manager of the 1980 Phillies who won the World Series in that year. And John Roll, 63, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for Arizona. After the shooting, bystanders and retired Army Colonel Bill Badger, 74, assisted in the apprehension of the gunman. And Daniel Hernandez Jr., 20, an intern for Giffords, aided her and applied pressure to her wound while waiting for help to arrive. Many have deemed Hernandez a hero for being the one that helped her and kept her a life. Soon, medical personal arrived on the scene and Giffords was rushed to the Univer- sity Medical Center in Tucson; there Giffords condition was diagnosed as critical and remained in a medically induced coma for days. As Giffords remained in the hospi- tal, her status greatly improved. Soon she was able to get up, walk around, and move her arms and legs. Follow- ing brief physical therapy, the doctors performed a tracheotomy, a procedure where doctors made an incision in her neck to allow for independent breath- ing. After this improvement, her status went from serious to good condition. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Az) was seriously injured in an assassination attempt at a Safeway supermarket in Tuscon on January 8. (photo courtesy mcall.com) Currently, Giffords has been transferred to the Memorial Hermann Medi- cal Center in Houston, Texas where she will continue her physical therapy and rehabilitation.
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