District Round-up 08.23.26
Dear Neighbor, Thank you for reading my District Round-up. As your candidate for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, it is my honor and pleasure to deliver to you where I’ve been and what issues I’ve tackled in the past week. Criss-crossing the counties of Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Cumberland, and Somerset gives me great opportunities to meet with voters, hear what is on your hearts and minds, and the chance to voice my fight for Everyday Americans. If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/beth-farnham-for-congress-1
Johnstown Pride
Many thanks to Johnstown Pride and Keystone Alliance Gay life Newsletter for hosting the Johnstown Pride festival and inviting me to speak on Saturday at 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, Cambria County.
I enjoyed speaking with many voters who worry about their rights to vote, to create the family they choose, to continue to be married to the love of their life.
I let them know that I run this race to defend our agency over our own bodies, to create the families we choose, to love whom we love, and have the state fully recognize marriage of consenting adults.
They listened to me in the booth and on the stage and agreed to vote for me on November 3rd.
Many thanks to Campaign Manager Jack Stansbury for accompanying me to set up, tear down, and engage voters.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy and equality!
Flock Flak
“Mom, Mom, it’s a Flock camera!”
As I entered the parking lot of a popular big box store, I looked over and noticed a thin pole whiz by. After parking, much to the embarrassment of my children, I approached the camera, trying to understand a little more about it.
Clearly, it was positioned on the store property. Moreover, it was aimed at the parking lot of the store.
Was this the government surveillance my children were trying to warn me about?
I took a picture and approached the store where plenty of other store cameras were aimed at me from the store perspective. Then, I entered the store, and asked for the manager.
After a little bit of time, and what seemed like some low-toned conversations over the phone, a manager approached and kindly answered my questions.
No, neither the police, nor the government owned it or any of the others on the property. These Flock cameras belonged to the store. After listening to their explanation, I understood that the cameras were really used to guard against theft and had been in place for a few years already.
I thanked the manager, bought what we needed, then headed home to do more research.
While I accept that store owners will film me on their property, the problem with Flock cameras in several areas is that the police departments and municipalities include budget lines, and therefore access, to them.
I don’t believe this was the case at the big box store or the municipality where I was, but I balk at the idea that the government would pay for them, even for the public areas, as they currently are.
For the uninitiated, Flock cameras, or scanners known as “automated license plate reader” or ALPRs, use exceptional technology to capture, retain, and filter/sort license plate numbers which can be shared across their vast network of 120,000 cameras and their servers.
If you’re a criminal, then ALPRs are some of your worst enemies, but if you’re an innocent person, ALPRs aren’t your friends either because that retention of information can be used by unscrupulous people to track down: ex-lovers, or people trying to obtain an abortion in a different state, or just cataloguing people’s patterns in everyday life.
For Americans who value privacy, this is an egregious overreach by The State, especially as no third party is involved in the oversight of ALPRs to prevent abuse of the information.
To resolve the first issue, Flock agreed to retain the information of innocent people for only 7 days, but they have various exceptions they can deploy to override that for longer, and since people have abused the data, I believe the ACLU’s recommendations of 48 hours and assigning a third party enforcer of standards of privacy, are far better.
In addition, I agree with Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY)’s proposal to block grants from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to the local municipalities and police departments for their purchase of ALPR’s.
However, I support private businesses/corporations that want to invest their own money in such devices. It has (almost) always been our choice to step onto private/corporate-owned property or not.
The public lands are a different matter and should be held to standards that are in keeping with our 4th Amendment Right which reads,”The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy and our Constitutional Rights!
(First photo – Flock camera, Second photo – regular store camera. Both are aimed at the parking lot from different directions.)
Sourc: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/thomas-massie-moves-defund-flock-144200514.html
Our National Security at Risk
Our own U.S. Representative, multimillionaire John Joyce, is absolutely fine with Trump threatening to bomb a US ally.
Vote him out by voting for me, Beth Farnham, on November 3rd, 2026.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy
Endorsement Alert!
Many thanks to IAM Union District 98 for endorsing my campaign in 2026!
IAM Union District 98 has a proud history of fighting for the rights of American workers and I am honored to be endorsed by them.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy!
Common Ground
Do Democrats and Republicans have some common ground?
It turns out…we do!
Most of us feel that our charming small towns should not host massive A.I. Data Centers that are being proposed.
We definitely don’t need Elon Musk to further enrich himself, nor can Everyday Americans afford to lose vast amounts of water and energy that AI Data Centers consume.
Mifflin County residents should take note and attend –
“GRANVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) — A Mifflin County community will consider another amendment to its zoning ordinance pertaining to data centers this week.
Granville Township’s board of supervisors will meet Wednesday, August 19 at 6 p.m. at the Granville Fire Co. Event Center, 105 Malta Drive, Granville, for a special meeting.”
Unfortunately, our own US Representative, multimillionaire John Joyce, is so enamored of AI Data centers that he encouraged the FBI to open an investigation into Americans who oppose AI Data centers.
He doesn’t believe in the freedom of Americans to decide what’s best for our communities.
Please vote for me, Beth Farnham, so I can properly represent us and vote for a 3 year moratorium on building them.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy and Community!
Sources: https://www.eenews.net/articles/republicans-probe-chinas-influence-in-data-center-opposition/
Propaganda 101
Above were images of nonsense – note lack of detail, inaccurate sizes, and Caucasian flesh.
Below are images of actual human embryos and fetuses. Note the incredible detail and differences for an embryo in its first month. A fetus in its second month is only the size of a kidney bean. And real fetuses are not caucasion, but fairly transparent up to 6 months.
What does propaganda look like?
The anatomical models of fetuses at the prolife organization’s table.
These organizations aren’t prolife, they’re pro- forced birth.
They use these models that are highly inaccurate to try to convince unsuspecting people that women and girls should suffer unwanted pregnancies.
As if a fetus is simply a baby, but a smaller size .
Since over 90% of abortions take place during the first 13 weeks, let’s compare and contrast their models to actual fetal pictures.
Oh, look at that – COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!
And if these prolife organizations are lying about what a fetus looks like at a particular age…WHAT ELSE ARE THEY LYING ABOUT?
We already know that crisis pregnancy centers are not licensed healthcare centers, that the equipment is not inspected by the state government, that the workers are usually just church ladies in scrubs with a very fixed agenda.
You don’t believe me?
Feel free to consult the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology about those facilities, or read the startling article about the Kentucky nurse who discovered expired disinfectant for the vaginal probes of the ultrasound.
Don’t fall for the prolife claptrap.
People aren’t going to adopt other people’s unwanted children.
Take a look at the hundreds of children available at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Health services.
Meanwhile, millions of other children go hungry in America alone which is why No Kid Hungry charity and others like it exist.
It helps then to understand that 60% of people who seek abortion identify as MOTHERS. They know what it is to sustain a pregnancy, give birth, then raise a child. They’re saying, “I can’t do this.” And if they can’t, you won’t. You won’t provide prenatal visits for them to go to, prenatal vitamins for them to take, childcare and/or time off of work as needed.
So don’t fool yourself.
But do agree with the right of a person to make their own decisions about their own bodies.
And please vote for me, Beth Farnham, on November 3rd.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy and good sex ed!
Sources: https://www.nokidhungry.org/
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/adopt-pa-kids/waiting-kids
Charity of the Week!
Even though charitable donations will not meet the overwhelming need of food assistance and healthcare for lower income Americans, these charities are a stopgap until I am elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and can legislate helpful federal programs as well as prevent a rapacious president from illegally impounding the congressionally-approved funds for those programs.
Please donate to Pride Franklin County, if you can.
Their donation link is here: https://www.pridefranklincounty.org/donate
Comparing and Contrasting Votes on Legislation
Check out how Joyce recently voted, how I would have voted in comparison, and why!
FYI – if you’re having trouble seeing this comparison in your email, please click the option for “Read on Blog” and it will load properly for you.
If you’re like me, you love this country as much as I do and work to make a positive difference. In the midst of this Constitutional Crisis, please consider reaching out to your local Democratic committees or Democratic candidates so that we can strengthen our Democracy instead of letting it slide into fascism. We don’t just #ChooseDemocracy, we choose Pennsylvania, we choose The United States of America, we choose Humanity and I am deeply glad to work along side you. Sincerely, Beth
