What am I missing?

Citing the problem of youth violence, Arlen Specter is bringing the Senate Judiciary Committee for a rare "field hearing" in Philadelphia on Monday. Whazzup with that? I just spent a swath of time listening to activists list issues of concern to them, and while guns, drugs, and poverty all came up, not a single group mentioned "youth violence" as a current priority. It's not really a Santorum-booster either; while he'll be there, so will Democratic Committee members Feinstein and Biden. Perhaps Specter is working his visibility lately? Or maybe he's really concerned about this issue personally, and just using his current high profile to bring it some clout. Mystifying.

Juvenile violence has been identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a "health problem." In his capacity as head of the Senate Appropriations health subcommittee, Specter said he would explore the possibility of "earmarking," or designating CDC funding for programs in Philadelphia and other parts of the state.

All efforts to help keep local schoolkids from getting gunned down in their own neighborhoods is certainly welcome...

Anyway, you can go check out the hearing, if you're free Monday morning, June 13, at 9am. It will be at the National Constitution Center at 6th and Market.