The theme for this week's edition of What Have We Learned is "moving right along." Whenever one of the team veers into the inappropriate, we say, "moving right along." We say it a lot. Mostly, it was Tom's fault.

Of course, the team talks about Michael Jackson, the governor of South Carolina and, the gift the keeps giving, Sarah Palin.

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Bob Bogle, one of the founders of The ventures, the seminal surf band, has died. He was 75.

He was a great musician and he and Nokie Edward formed one of the best teams in rock music. Surf's up, my brother.

Here is his New York Times obit.

And here is one of his greatest tunes, Walk, Don't Run.

Yep. Those are some fun things to do in York, Pa.

Koko Taylor, queen on the blues, has died. She was 80.

Here she is, doing "Wang Dang Doodle" with Little Walter.

Twenty years ago.

Hard to believe. The man in the photo is believed to be dead, killed by the government whose tyranny he valiantly stood up to.

He was a symbol of one person standing up for what's right, for freedom, against terrible odds. Seeing that photo filled us with hope, that the people of China would arise and win their freedom. That wave never had a chance of cresting. The revolution was crushed.

And what's changed since then?

Not much. The same thugs rule China. Human rights in that country are merely a rumor. School children do not even learn of the Tiananmen Square uprising and the subsequent massacre of hundreds or maybe thousands of people whose only affront to the public peace was standing up for their rights.

Well, one thing has changed. China is now rich, one of the most powerful economic engines on the face of the Earth.

A wealth built on people who will never see freedom.

Update: An indication of how little has changed, the New York Time reported this:

"BEIJING -- China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police officers Thursday, determined to prevent any commemoration of the 20th anniversary of a military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left hundreds dead.

"Visitors to the sprawling plaza in central Beijing were stopped at checkpoints and searched, and foreign television crews and photographers firmly turned away. Uniformed and plainclothes officers, easily identifiable by their similar shirts, seemingly outnumbered tourists.

"A few pursued television cameramen with opened umbrellas trying to block their shots -- a comical dance that was broadcast on CNN and BBC. There was no flicker of protest. Other than the intense police presence and the government's blockage of some popular Internet services, the scorchingly hot day passed like any other in the capital."

District Attorney Stan Rebert has just conceded to Tom Kearney.

It's the end of an era. Stan's been D.A. for 24 years.

Maybe voters thought it was time for him to go. Maybe they thought it was time for a change. Maybe they considered Stan's health problems.

Earlier today, I was talking to a local elected official who thought Stan was in trouble in this primary. The reason? The Bill Graff thing pushed people over the edge. If you'll recall, Graff, Stan's right-hand-man, retired suddenly not long ago. The official said he believed Graff was pushed out.

The official said it bothered people that one day Stan was putting his arm around Graff and calling him the best prosecutor in the land, and the next he was booting him to the curb.

The final irony, if that analysis holds any water, is that when Stan announced his re-election bid, he was introduced by Bill Graff.

As Kim Bracey glided to victory in the Democratic primary, the historic nature of her victory wasn't lost on former York City Councilman and community elder statesman Ray Crenshaw.

If she wins in November, Bracey would be the city's first African-American mayor.

"I'm elated," Crenshaw, who ran for mayor in 2001 and lost in the primary to Charlie Robertson, said. "Obama was a wake-up call for black people, that we can do it."

When Bracey entered the upstairs room at Cobblestones, her supporters gave her a rock-star welcome.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a woman announced, "let's have a big cheer for the next mayor of the city of York, Kim Bracey."

As I talked to Crenshaw, it occurred to me that there was another parallel with Obama. I told Crenshaw that, like the country, the city has a lot of problems. So it was like, "Congratulations. Now here's this big pile of crap to clean up."

"You got that right," Crenshaw said.

Most of the political gatherings were fairly low key.

D.A. candidate Tom Kearney's supporters gathered at Spataro's restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue, where they ate pasta ad awaited results. Early in the evening, Kearney was feeling confident. Early results from suburban precincts were showing him with comfortable leads.

At Democratic headquarters, few party stalwarts gathered to have cake, a wedding cake supposed to symbolize "A Marriage of Passion and Leadership." Just a little advice: Next time have an open bar and have a marriage of passion and free liquor. You'll get a bigger crowd.

Judicial candidate Harry Ness and his family and friends occupied a corner table in the bar at the Yorktowne Hotel, where they sipped wine and awaited results. "Pretty depressing, right?" Ness said.

It was a different story at Cobblestones, where mayoral candidate Kim Bracey's supporters gathered. More on that later.

Patrick Dugan is running for judge in Philadelphia. Sure, we can't vote for him here -- even under the flexible Philly election laws -- but I think we can get behind his candidacy.

The man knows how to appeal to his constituency.

Tip of the hat to the Philadelphia Metro, where the ad first appeared, and Attytood, Will Bunch's blog for the Philly Daily News.

Last fall, the polling place at the Grantley Fire Co. in Spring Garden Township was a circus. The line stretched down the block, a two-hour wait for voters. A musician set up a portable rig outside the fire hall and played guitar and sang old favorites. York College students patrolled the line, selling Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and soft drinks.

The atmosphere was festive.

This year, though, was a lot different. There was no line. Voters had time to stop and talk to neighbors. One woman brought her dog with her when she voted.

"It's boring," said judge elections Anne Hoover.

Well, boring is good if you're the person who had to wait in line two hours to vote last fall.

Rose Johnston was one of those people.

"I left and came back," she said of last fall. "I think I lined up for about an hour. Today, it's just a trickle."

York County Coroner Barry Bloss Sr. was at the Springettsbury Township polling place at the Eastside Church on Eastern Boulevard, handing out literature for his son, Barry Jr., a city cop running for district justice.

Barry Jr.'s opponent, Mike Sciangula, a retired township cop, was there too, handing out literature and chatting up voters.

"What's worse," Sciangula said, pointing to Bloss, "is I voted for him."

Bloss said he'd return the favor, but couldn't. "I don't live in the district."

Bloss, a veteran campaigner, said he wasn't sure whether handing out materials at the polls works. He thinks, maybe, people already have their minds made up when they go to vote. On the other hand, he asked one voter today whether handing them a notepad at the door made any difference and she said it had.

"So I don't know what to make of that," he said. "If I knew what worked, I'd do that full-time, run campaigns."

Talked to one old guy at the polls. He talked about the economy and how bad it was and how much he hopes President Obama can turn it around.

He grew up during the tail end of the Great Depression. He remembers his mother would make blind pot pie for dinner. Blind pot pie was boiled noodles, no meat. He remembers her mother saying if his father could work two days a week, they'd be all right.

Stopped by my own polling place -- The Praise Center in Windsor Township -- and spent some time talking to the people handing out literature. They were all very nice and were just enjoying the day. No huge crowds. Nice weather. Sunny. Not too warm.

Four of the judicial candidates were handing out literature. A couple were handing out notepads. Five-year-old Ashton Buras, who accompanied his mother, Dawn, to the polls, got two notepads and a pencil.

He thought it was pretty cool, getting free stuff. But he was kind of shy about expressing it.

His mother said, "I'm just trying to show him that voting is fun."

On a beautiful May afternoon, not having to wait in line, yes, it is fun.

I will be living blogging today's excellent primary election starting sometime today.

Watch this space for updates on the district attorney's race. Will Stan the Man stay in office or will Tom the (something that rhymes with "Tom") unseat the veteran prosecutor? Who will be elected judge? I don't know. Who will be the new mayor and win the honor of leading a city that's broke, beset by violence and facing horrible problems? Who would want to be mayor.

Stayed tuned.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter on leaving the Republican party:

"I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation.

"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Arlen hasn't left the Republican party; the Republican party left him.

This photo, from last year's campaign might have offered a hint:

Look at the expression on Arlen's face. Says all that needs to be said.

Arlen was going to face a tough challenge from wingnut Pat Toomey. He probably would have lost a GOP primary, seeing as GOP primary's are dominated by right-wingers. Toomey can't win a general election. Voters in Pennsylvania, working people, have had enough of the conservative economic policies that leave them behind.

Arlen didn't want to be left behind.

All he did was jump a sinking ship.