When Hugh started talking about Joe Biden’s latest foot in mouth incident, (Biden insulted Indian-Americans suggesting they all worked in donut shops and 7-11’s); I had to call him and get him to talk to Raj Bhakta the Irish/Indian-American who is running for congress in Pennsylvania’s 13th district.

Biden said on video: “You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

“These are ridiculous, callous and insensitive comments which would simply be laughable if they weren’t coming from a Democratic presidential candidate” said Raj. “You’d never know from listening to Biden that Indian Americans have contributed to this country other than making a mean cup of coffee.”

Raj pointed out on the nationally syndicated Hugh Hewitt radio show Thursday night that Indian Americans are leading doctors, surgeons, attorneys, CEO’s, and small business owners in America.

“And pretty soon Sen. Biden will be really shocked that there will be another Indian-American in Congress,” said Raj. “I’ll be sure to stop by his office when I get there. I won’t be bringing coffee.”

Raj said this incident points to a clear double standard in the mainstream media. “Can you imagine if a Republican had made a comment like this? They’d be drummed out of their leadership position, if not the Senate altogether by the roar from the New York Times.”

Raj pointed out that in 2004, Senator John Kerry referred to Sikhs as terrorists and Senator Hillary Clinton jokingly referred to Mahatma Gandhi as a gas station owner.

I would like to see an energetic effort to pursue those in the intelligence community that leaked the program from the Bush Administration.

We have rules on what’s classified and what’s not. Shady government leakers and New York Times writers shouldn’t make those decisions. The leakers in this case belong in jail and the writers must reveal who those people are.

The Terrorist Finance Tracking Program has been shown to have successfully identified some notorious al Qaeda members. The New York Times story means the terrorists can redirect their funding. That means more IED’s, more funs, and more bombs directed at our troops and innocent civilians.

I would have supported a resolution condemning the disclosure and printing of secret details of this program that passed the House of Representatives last Thursday. I was disappointed that my opponent Allyson Schwartz voted against that bill.

The leakers committed a criminal act that should keep them behind bars for a long time. The New York Times supplied our enemies with crucial information. I hope that people will remember this irresponsible action.

Anthony Lewis, 25, of the 5900 block of Charles St., Anthony Sample, 18, of the 2100 block of Scattergood St., and a 14-year-old from Germantown whose name has not been released were approached by an unidentified gunman at about 3:30 p.m., said Capt. Jack McGinnis of the Northeast Detectives division.

"(They said) the guy walked up, didn’t say anything," McGinnis said.
The gunman then opened fire on the victims, wounding Sample in the upper right chest and Lewis in the right forearm and grazing the 14-year-old in the thigh. Eleven spent 9mm shell casings were found at the scene, McGinnis said.

The gunman reportedly jumped into a blue Crown Victoria and fled east on Scattergood Street. Detectives currently have no leads on the gunman and do not know if he knew the victims. Police are describing the suspect as a black male who is 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 inches tall with a heavy build.

Lewis and the juvenile were taken to Frankford Hospital’s Frankford Division and Sample was taken to the facility’s Torresdale Campus.  Sample and Lewis were treated and released, hospital officials said.

From the Northeast Times Times:

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Northeast Detectives Division has released its latest monthly Five Most Wanted list.  The suspects named on the wanted list include:

Derrick Conway, 39, address unknown.

Clarence Conyers, a.k.a. Mike Sherman, 37, address unknown.

Joseph Hughes, 31, of the 5900 block of Elsinore St.

Jose Jackson, 29, of the 6300 block of Marsden St.

Jennifer Robertson, 28, address unknown.

You did it!

Thanks to you, we have surpassed our goal of people signing up for e-mail alerts.  Because of your rapid response, we exceeded our goal with days remaining.

This accomplishment is a victory for our campaign.  It also highlights the ability of this medium to attract voters.  This is truly People Powered Politics.

On Monday, we attended a press conference organized by the State Department which included leaders of local veterans organizations and members of the international press. 

As Raj circulated among the veterans, he listened to their concerns. Raj talked about maintaining a strong defense, protecting our flag, and ensuring they receive the health care they deserve.  The veterans were very receptive.  Their reasons included Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz’s votes against the flag burning amendment and their feeling that she has not been very supportive of their health care needs.

Many veterans signed our petition and posed for photos with Raj.  It was a memorable afternoon.

Erik C.

The Abington 4th of July Fireworks show was astounding. My wife brought the kids there and I was able to meet up with them. This was their first fireworks show and they sat on the blanket in the parking lot. The noise, the fireworks, the patriotic music –great. They really do a phenomenal job over there. It was just a slice of Americana at its best.

Matt A.

The campaign has been enjoying a sensational Fourth of July.  We began our morning by participating in the Lawncrest parade.  Raj received a great reaction with many remembering him from his stint on the Apprentice.  In the spirit of our grassroots campaign, Raj crisscrossed the street and distributed more than two thousand “Save the Northeast” palm cards.  This message is really catching on.

After receiving another positive reaction at the Whitemarsh parade, we closed our morning at the North Wales picnic.  We arrived at the beginning of Allyson Schwartz’s speech.  Respectfully, we stood and listened.  We then walked throughout the crowd with Raj, distributing hundreds of pieces of literature.  What a great beginning!

Prashant R.

Happy Fourth of July. Today we celebrate the 230th anniversary of America's independence. It was here in Philadelphia that the self evident truth was first declared for all the world to hear –all men are created equal.

It seems today to be a simple sentiment but we must remember it is an ideal that stood against the tide of time and tyranny; and still today it is sadly not without its detractors and enemies.

It is the highest ideal of America and one we should cherish and celebrate.

Across our great land, families will gather around the flag and watch fireworks today. And I hope every American takes a moment to count their blessings. Let us be grateful for our liberty and thankful to the men and women in uniform who preserve it.

Raj Peter Bhakta

Today, I had the pleasure of attending a barbeque for Republican Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann. The event was a break from my usual routine of working in the office all morning.  Although the weather was in the nineties, I enjoyed being outdoors.

On the way to my friend Chris' house (which hosted the event), I got lost and had to call him for directions several times. He handed the phone over to his father who luckily got me back on track (later, he also gave me a helpful shortcut). I was grateful for his dad’s help.

The barbeque itself was wonderful, Chris' house is gorgeous, and the food was excellent.  Besides getting to shake hands with Lynn Swann, I ran into several acquaintances who I had not seen for some time, including my former boss from Senator Santorum's office. In spite of my short stay (I had to go to a veteran’s press conference with Raj), the barbeque was delightful and I'm delighted I had the opportunity to attend.

Alice P.

Kicking the week off in great fashion, Prashant, Tsvetana, and I gathered our street lists and clip boards and headed into a nearby neighborhood.  Tsvetana headed in one direction, while Prashant and I received a warm welcome by the residents of a quaint street.

While we were surprised by the amount of people home on a Monday morning, we took advantage of the opportunity nonetheless.  We covered two main streets on our lists in about an hour and a half, walking away with about thirty favorable voters.

We also met a couple people who were unfamiliar with Raj.  However, each seemed anxious to visit the website and learn more about him.  From my perspective, today was a more effective door to door endeavor than I had previously experienced.  I felt confident that we had definitely made an impression on the residents.

Stef S.