http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish RSS Feed for Inq Col Michael Smerconish en-us Sun, 27 May 2012 10:27:27 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120527_Disco_nights_at_the_Jersey_Shore.html Don­na Summer died too soon at age 63. The mo­ment I heard of the dis­co diva’s pass­ing, I im­me­di­ate­ly thought of a recurring scene at the An­chor­age in Som­ers Point, N.J., at the height of her pop­u­lar­i­ty. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120520_Third-party_movement_fizzles.html So Americans Elect wasn’t a subterfuge for Michael Bloomberg, Colin Powell, or Jon Huntsman after all. Too bad. Americans have demonstrated their desire for an alternative to the status quo. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120513_Value_of_a_summer_job.html School is out in one month, which means many parents and students are making plans for the summer. Unfortunately, if recent trends continue, fewer agendas will include trying to land a job, partly because of efforts more directed at resumé enhancement. Lost in that process will be the lessons that come from entry-level experiences. Last week, Erika Christakis, a Harvard College administrator, addressed this subject for Time’s website, where she wrote that in July 2010, fewer than half of American young people between the ages of 16 and 24 were employed. While perhaps some of those jobs had been claimed by older workers in a bad economy, she lamented that “it was once common to see teenagers mowing lawns, waiting tables, digging ditches, and bagging groceries for modest wages in the long summer months.” http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120506_Obama_rsquo_s_gutsy_call.html Thank you, Navy SEALs, for killing Osama bin Laden. And thank you, President Obama, for turning them loose to do their job, just as you said you would. This past week, an Obama campaign Web commercial featuring Bill Clinton quotes Mitt Romney, in 2007, downplaying the significance of getting bin Laden: “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars, just trying to catch one person.” http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120429_Pa___open_those_primaries.html That only 20 percent of registered voters braved the sunny weather to cast ballots in Pennsylvania on Tuesday is pitiful. Less than 15 percent of the commonwealth’s voting-age populace is making decisions for the rest of us. Yes, with the Republican presidential nomination process essentially over, there was no action at the top of the ticket. Still, each party had significant contests. Five Republicans were vying for the nomination to face Sen. Bob Casey in November. And Democrats had two serious candidates in Patrick Murphy and Kathleen Kane seeking to become the first of their party elected attorney general. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120422_Is_case_against_Zimmerman_doomed_.html Florida has a rich tradition of “sunshine” when it comes to public access to court proceedings, and it seems likely that, sooner than later, the public will see what evidence special prosecutor Angela Corey has that warranted the filing of second-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120415_Chris_Christie_in_2016.html I can easily see Chris Christie as the 2016 Republican nominee. Here’s how I get there: Rick Santorum. Marco Rubio. Paul Ryan. John Thune. Maybe Sarah Palin. They’re the “usual suspects” for 2016 should Mitt Romney lose to President Obama, which current polls suggest will be the case. There’s lots of time on the clock, and anything can happen, but assuming that’s the way the current presidential race ends, the seeds are already being sown for yet another battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120408_Baseball_great_Jim_Abbott.html In the summer of 1985, Don Welke, a baseball scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, drove to Flint, Mich., to check out a high school pitching prospect. After silently observing the player for a few hours, he summarized his thoughts in his notebook as follows: "Abbott, Jim http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120401_Kicker__Romneys_not_only_family_with_embarrassing_stories.html Despite my love for our miniature dachshund, Mr. Lucy, I refuse to pile-on the story concerning Mitt Romney's treatment of his Irish setter, Seamus. By now the facts have been widely circulated. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20120325_Analyzing_911_calls_in_Fla__shooting_death.html Pending the outcome of some voice analysis, there is arguably enough evidence in the 911 tapes to warrant the arrest of George Zimmerman in connection with the Feb. 26 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The voice testing is needed to determine if Zimmerman uttered a racial slur while in pursuit of Martin, and which of the two can be heard crying out for help during their altercation in Sanford, Fla. Here are seven observations about Zimmerman's 911 call to police, and one point about the neighbors' calls: