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Tony Auth archives | tauth@phillynews.com

Editorial: Fix the city, 'stat'!: Having once described PhillyStat as "part of the centerpiece of what we're trying to get done," Mayor Nutter would hand the city quite a setback if he were to consign the data-management tool to a quiet burial without benefit of a formal funeral.
Editorial: Secret Santas playing politics: Senate Republicans have cast a vote for secrecy in elections, but Democrats must keep trying to shed more light on who pays for political advertisements.
Letters: Philadelphia has made deep cuts in spending: I hope Paul Davies had a nice vacation. Sadly, while away he forgot a lot about city government ("Enter Mayor Nutter, wielding a dull knife," Monday).
Letters to the Editor: Finally, I understand the race card. It is the bottom card in the deck. The one that is up the sleeve. The one suit that will trump all other cards, regardless of how well you played your game.
Group has ties to terrorists: The congressman should have been more wary given its history.

Does it matter if a candidate for U.S. Senate served as a keynote speaker for an extremist group? Does it matter if he hired one of the group's staff to serve on his staff? These are some of the questions being asked about Rep. Joe Sestak as voters learn about his ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Attacks are no more than right-wing fear-mongering: Whether by opposing mosque construction, encouraging racial profiling, or fomenting anti-immigration sentiment, right-wing politicians are lining up to bash Muslims and prove their supposed patriotism before November. Here in Pennsylvania, the extreme right has decided to attack Rep. Joe Sestak as anti-Israel just because he spoke to the Muslim American community.
A tale of two Atlantic Cities: Gov. Christie has proposed creating a protected, high-class, high-roller ghetto for the casino industry in Atlantic City. This would perpetuate the problem that brought the city to its present low estate.
Clearing the Record: Trudy Rubin's July 22 column misstated the estimated number of Internet users in China. It should have said 400 million.
Editorial: Who said what?: A federal appeals court panel in Philadelphia has struck a welcome blow for openness in state and local government in Pennsylvania.
Editorial: Protect chemical plants: Four years after industry officials persuaded Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to accept watered-down regulations on securing chemical plants from terrorists, they're urging federal officials to once again kick the can down the road.
Letters: Inconvenience is not an excuse for waste: I fully appreciate Emily Mendell's problem with forgetting to bring environmentally friendly bags to the store ("If green is to be ingrained, we need better role models," Sunday). In Taiwan, you simply pay for the plastic bag if you want one. Are Americans ready for even such a mild solution?
Letters to the Editor: It's steaming hot outside, but the "Energy bill loses steam in Senate," to quote a headline Friday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid put off any moves on an energy bill this summer. "The decision could doom the measure's long-term chances as well," the article said.
The persistence of Hillary: As secretary of state, Clinton has made an impression across the globe and spectrum.

By Frida Ghitis If you want to find a harsh crowd for an American official, send him - or her - to Pakistan. That's why reviews of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's stop in Islamabad during her latest dizzying tour of international trouble spots should make us take notice.
Scouring the city for Black Panther victims: Meet the neighbors of America's most famous crank.

By Daniel Denvir The fourth precinct of the city's 14th ward encompasses about eight square blocks north of Chinatown, made up of small, suburban-style houses, a few abandoned lots, and the Guild House West, a retirement home. The home is where people of the fourth precinct vote and, on Nov. 4, 2008, where two members of the New Black Panther Party briefly stood, one armed with a nightstick.
Party of One: Touched by an 'angel lady': News item: State Sen. Jane Orie (R., Allegheny) and one of her sisters, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, consulted a psychic "Angel Lady" in Philadelphia to foretell the outcome of a criminal probe of their campaign activities.