Cumberland County PA Chatter

Recently diagnosed with "early stage" Parkinson's I, like so many other baby boomers, am still struggling with accepting the diagnosis. And the temptation to allow the disease to "define me" is ever present. Do you know others struggling with Parkinson's? If so have them contact me so that I can share their story and hopefully, by helping them, help myself.

Carlisle PA's 3rd No Kings Rally took place on March 28, 2026. About 1,500 people attended, up over 500 since NKR last October. Karen Dalton, lifelong Republican and lawyer with over 20 years experience working in the PA House of Representatives, is seeking to unseat Scott Perry for the 10th US Congressional District post. Watch this 5-minute clip to see how even long time Republicans are fed up with the present administration.

Folk singer Tom Paxton performed his iconic Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation protest song about the troop escalation during the Vietnam War in 1965. The nation didn't know why we fought that war - and the same goes for the Iran War. Listen to this 39-second clip!

Today's episode is about Food Not Bombs -- which I'm betting you don't know a lot about. Well I didn't either until I interviewed two FNB volunteers (Ken and Owen) at Cumberland Valley Rising's recent Freedom Friday (weekly) protest on the square in downtown Carlisle PA. I was blown away by the mission and history of the organization -- you will be too.

I bet you've wondered if there were any Republicans willing to speak truth to power. I found one right here in Cumberland County Pennsylvania who is seeking to unseat US Congressman Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District primary this May. Karen Dalton, at 5'1" is one tough, smart, experienced woman who spent 20 years as a lawyer working in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Republican Caucus. But maybe most of all she has compassion for the residents of the 10th District. Listen to this 49-minute interview and, if you're a registered Democrat or Independent voter, you just might want to change your registration briefly for this May's primary.

Prineville Oregon's "Prepper Up" store opened in 2014. Situated in the high desert of Central Oregon, Prineville is known for rugged individualism, outdoor recreation and conservative politics - a logical spot for the owners. What is a "Prepper?" It's a synonym for "survivalist" that came into common usage during the late 1990s. It's used interchangeably with survivalist much as retreater was in the 1970s. It refers to one who is prepared or making preparations. In popular culture, survivalism has been associated with paramilitary activities. Some survivalists do take active defensive preparations that have military roots and that involve firearms, and this aspect is sometimes emphasized by the mass media. 
The potential for societal collapse is often cited as motivation for being well-armed. Thus, some non-militaristic survivalists have developed an unintended militaristic image, and the term survivalism has been used to signify unrelated right-wing reactionary paramilitary activities.

Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for emergencies, including possible disruptions in social or political order, on scales from local to international. Survivalists often acquire emergency medical and self-defense training, stockpile food and water, prepare to become self-sufficient, and build structures (e.g., a survival retreat or an underground shelter) that may help them survive a catastrophe. Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending crisis and global grain shortages prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to prepare.

I produced this 10-minute radio show for Bend Oregon's community radio station, KPOV, in the spring of 2014. It's now November 2025 and, upon learning that the store closed earlier this year , and watching recent political turmoil in the US, I decided it's a good time to revisit this show.

Carlisle PA's No King's Protest on Saturday October 18th, 2025 was a massive demonstration orchestrated by Cumberland Valley Rising (an affiliate of Indivisible). Over 1,400 people (double the amount of the town's first rally in June 2025) peacefully packed the town square and showed their resistance to the Trump administration's authoritarian slide into fascism. Listen to the short interviews with protesters who answered the simple question Why are you here today? Total running time: 16:40

Carlisle PA's No King's Protest on Saturday October 18th, 2025 was a massive demonstration orchestrated by Cumberland Valley Rising (an affiliate of Indivisible). Over 1,400 people (double the amount of the town's first rally in June 2025) peacefully packed the town square and showed their resistance to the Trump administration's authoritarian slide into fascism. Listen to the short interviews with protesters who answered the simple question Why are you here today? Total running time: 17:30