They make videos

YouTube is an internet junkie's gift from the gods. If it's on video chances are you can find it there until it gets pulled because it's copywrited. That's the one drawback. I read the other day that Mark Cuban said it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. I'm going to continue to enjoy the music videos, political ads and homemade stuff until the moneybarons try to shut it down. A bigger issue is the telcos want the internet to become a pay to play system. Bernie has the rundown on that. Anyway, our very own local internet madman has been uploading all sorts of stuff. Check out Wilkes-Barre Online today before he mysteriously disapears. This is his latest effort.

Carl Romanelli

Wilkes-Barre's own Carl Romanelli is keeping his chin up.


Romanelli hopeful run not over yet

BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
STAFF WRITER

"Rick is one of my longtime conservative friends," said Carl Romanelli Jr., the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, indicating his dining companion Rick Berry. "I wasn't created by Karl Rove last month. Honest." Romanelli laughs and launches into a description of a Saturday Night Live sketch he'd like to do, with actors portraying Rove as Dr. Frankenstein and himself as the monster. Berry shakes his head and smiles.

Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley ruled Monday that Romanelli was 8,931 signatures shy of the 67,070 he needed to get his name on the ballot. Romanelli is appealing the ruling that ejected him from the race, hoping to get a response before Oct. 4, the "drop-dead date" for counties with electronic machines to ready their ballots....

Romanelli got home and started making phone calls, eventually finding three volunteers to raise money for his campaign. All three were Republicans. "Because of that, I knew the 'spoiler' issue would come up," Romanelli said....

"It would be one thing if there was an organic effort by Green Party supporters... but it was a firm paid for by Rick Santorum's supporters," Casey campaign spokesman Larry Smar said.

Spoiler is one way of putting it. The perception is that Carl sold his soul for a ballot spot and that doesn't help his credibilty. The good thing about this saga is that people realize that the signature requirements for third party candidates are so unfair that maybe they will be changed. Not that I'm optimistic that the legislature will alter the rules. I personnaly like having the option to vote for a Green, Libertairian or Constitution Party candidate. Russ Diamond got over 30,000 signatures and it wasn't enough. That's just wrong. Even everybody's favorite political expert, Dr. G. Terry Madonna, agrees:

"That's just a flat-out unfair number," Madonna said. "The legislature needs to reduce it... so third-party candidates can get on the ballot."

Are Madonna and Tom Baldino the only "experts" on PA politics?

The fund-raiser will be closed to the press and public

That's the word about the upcoming visit of Dubya to support the The Tunkhannock Strangler.

John Micek has the details

Serious Republican Big-Shot Alert:

The POTUS heads for NePa next month to shake the trees for the suddenly vulnerable U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood. Details are scarce, what with the White House being tight as a drum about security. But we're told that the Oct. 19 fund-raiser will be held at a private residence in the Lackawanna County portion of Sherwood's district. The fund-raiser will be closed to the press. However, we're also told that there could be an event open to the press earlier in the day featuring a certain U.S. senator who has also found himself in a competitive race.

Another super secret fundraiser in a secure undisclosed location. I'm sure the local TV stations will go ga-ga over the whole thing. We can expect pics of Air Force One landing and glimpses of the motorcade that will tie up traffic for miles around. I just hope he doesn't speak to the cameras as everytime I hear the guy's voice it makes my teeth hurt.

My friend Randy

Randy Potter is the founder of PennPatriot Online who is moving on from blogging everyday.

I think of him as friend even though I’ve never met the man. We have had vigorous discussions about many issues but never let our differences degenerate into name calling or ridicule. On most national issues we agree to disagree but on the need to reform the state government we are on the same page. Just goes to show if you take the time to listen to your opponents you can find some common ground.

I want to congratulate Randy for putting together a great site with an all-star lineup in a short time. .

Sometimes nepotism doesn't pay

Kanjo nephews’ business bankrupt

A research and development company headed by the nephews of U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski and the recipient of millions of dollars in federal funding has filed for bankruptcy....The company, whose address is listed as a South Franklin Street building co-owned by the congressman, filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

A call to the congressman was not returned.

The 11th term Democrat from Nanticoke has said he helped insert in the federal budget some of the more than $9 million in funding that went to Cornerstone and a sister company, Pennsylvania Micronics.
In August 2003 Cornerstone moved out of a building it leased in Plains Township and transferred equipment and materials to the basement parking garage of a Nanticoke bowling alley.

I feel cheated

CV: Because of prior commitments, state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, and her challenger John Cordora in the 120th District, and Karen Boback, R and Fred Nichols, D, contenders for the open state representative seat in the 117th district, could not be available.

No debate between Mundy and Cordora. What entertainment that promised to be. When Cordora announced he was running he said his top priority, if elected, would be banning gay marriage. Like that's a problem. Other press reports quote him as saying the problems in our country and state are caused by liberals and leftists. I've never met the man and was looking forward to seeing him in action. How did this guy ever get nominated when voters of the 120th had 2 sensible candidates in Joe Chacke and Paul Stebbins?

Only $2 million

The 10th District race is seen as one of the key contests in battle to control Congress.

The Republican and Democratic congressional campaign committees have already committed to spend $1.6 million in the bitter Congressional race between Don Sherwood and Chris Carney.
And the committees’ total spending could top $2 million by Election Day, according to a published report......The Democratic committee has already spent $220,587 on pro-Carney or anti-Sherwood television ads, a Times Leader review of local TV stations’ records shows, and has reserved another $450,955 in air time through Election Day on Nov. 7.
The Republicans have spent slightly more than $500,000 and reserved another $450,000 in air time through Nov. 7.

I say let the Republicans spend all this money on TV. Don Sherwood is a walking negative ad. The more you see his face, the more you are reminded of Cynthia Ore.

Like this:

121st District Debate

Because of my work schedule I wasn't able to attend last nights debate between Democrat Eddie Day Pashinski and Republican Christine Katsock. The TL has a clever lead:

Two musicians vying to fill a vacated state House seat seemed to be singing the same tunes during a public forum on Thursday night when discussing the importance of reducing crime in Wilkes-Barre, the need to conserve open space and increase the minimum wage and their opposition to legislative pay raises.

David Yonki has a first person account of the event and has some of the same thoughts about the candidates that I have:

Republican Christine Katsock and Democrat Ed Pashinski squared off for a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters at Wilkes Barre’s King’s College McGowan Center. About 75 people attended the event and the debate was civil, informative, congenial and in effect a draw.

Both candidates acquitted themselves well and if either one wins election to the seat vacated by Kevin Blaum, the district would be a big winner.

Here are some observations: Katsock is the best kept political secret in Luzerne County. She has a command of the issues, is a compelling speaker and in any other area of the state, she’d already be in public office. Pashinski’s performance was steady, less fact filled but relied on his vast experience in music education, business and as a popular teacher. Pashinski was easy going but passionate while making his points.

Note to Christine, fix your website.

Welcome home

Members of 828th Quartermaster Company return home on Saturday

Preparations are under way for the homecoming and parade for the 828th Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit that completed transportation and logistics duty. They’ve been gone since July 2005.The parade will be held Saturday on state Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre Township to the Reserve center on Route 315.

BRING THEM ALL HOME

Some pals of Bill Fitz?

WILKES-BARRE — The city’s Community Action Team shut down an off-campus King’s College apartment on Thursday and evicted three college students after finding piles of garbage and clam shells strewn about the property....Community revitalization coordinator Greg Barrouk said the students did not purchase the city’s blue garbage bags, but just threw garbage on the floor.“If I was a parent, I wouldn’t want my kid living in there,” Barrouk said. “Eggs were broken on the floor and they must have had some kind of clam bake, because there were clam shells all over the house. They haven’t used a blue garbage bag in ages.”

Clam shells?

I must confess that when I was a young man my first apartment wasn't exactly neat. If I actually convinced one of my dates to come back to my place she would run screaming from what she had seen upon entering my lair. My roommates where such pigs.

Sorry Bill. I couldn't resist.

Bush stumping for Sherwood

Normally even a rumor of a visit by GWB would be all over the local news but not in this case. But Rick Santorum's favorite reporter, Bret Lieberman, assures me it's true. He even gets confirmation from the Don himself.

From Pennsyltucky Politics:

Many candidates want the cash that President Bush can help raise for them, but are cool to being seen with the president, whose popularity remains low. And then there is U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood.

"I think that's a mistake," Sherwood said of Republican candidates who don't want to be seen with Bush.

"Of course" Sherwood says he will be seen publicly with the president when Bush comes to Clark Summit to raise money for Sherwood's tough re-election challenge from Democrat Chris Carney on Oct. 19.

Now Don Sherwood is being forced to raise millions of dollars because because the nasty press keeps saying things like this about him:

Pennsylvania congressman's affair leads to tough election

Sex could be the undoing of a family values Republican....Then last year Sherwood admitted to a five-year extramarital affair with a woman 35 years his junior. He settled a lawsuit claiming he had choked her....The first sign of trouble for Sherwood came in May 2005, when media outlets began reporting that police had investigated an alleged altercation between Sherwood and his mistress, Cynthia Ore, in September 2004. Although criminal charges were never filed, Ore filed a lawsuit against Sherwood, claiming he had choked her while giving her a back rub at his Capitol Hill apartment.....Sherwood denied abusing Ore, but he admitted to an affair with her, apologizing for the "pain and embarrassment" he caused his family and supporters. The married father of three reached a confidential settlement with Ore last November, hoping to put the affair behind him.

I'm not the only one who is wondering about gas prices

HARRISBURG, Sept. 27 – Is the sliding price of gasoline just before the November election a coincidence or spawned by politics? State Rep. Mike McGeehan, D-Phila., wants a House committee to give Pennsylvania citizens an answer.

According to USA Today, 42 percent of respondents nationwide believe the Bush administration “deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fall’s election,” which is less than six weeks away.

McGeehan said he hears these same sentiments daily from many constituents and that mystery was especially well defined in an e-mail about the gas price drop by Daniel R. Harkness of Farrell, which is outside his legislative district.

“Don’t we have all of the same conditions that pushed gas prices up over the last couple of years?” asked Harkness, who listed them as:

Limited production in Iraq
The Alaskan pipeline down
Limited world reserves
Continued high demand
Oil companies in control of government policies.

Harkness asked if there are any real market factors pushing the crude oil price down and why the factors weren’t in place when oil companies were reaping record profits recently.

“The guy isn’t even a resident of my district, but his argument was compelling. The questions it poses deserve serious consideration,” McGeehan said.

McGeehan has sent a letter to Rep. William Adolph, R-Delaware, chairman of the House Environment Resources and Energy Committee, requesting a hearing within three weeks to find out what is behind the dramatic price drop.

“A hearing could determine if it is market trends that are driving down the price of gas, or if politics is motivating it,” McGeehan said. “Either way, the voters of Pennsylvania would have a better idea of whether they are being manipulated, or just dealing with a growing rumor.”

The latest in the 11th CD

Republican Joe Leonardi blasted Paul Kanjorski over Cornerstone Technologies and immigration.

TL: Leonardi, who visited sites in and around Wilkes-Barre Wednesday, said in a recent interview he’ll work for more federal money for local highways and crime prevention and a shift in farm subsidies to promote ethanol production. His main criticism of Kanjorski centers on Cornerstone Technologies, a now-defunct local firm run by Kanjorski’s nephews that received $9 million in federal contracts secured by the congressman beginning in 1999.

Reacting to criticism about Cornerstone, Kanjorski said he would stop seeking contracts for the firm in 2002 and it soon stopped operations.

“I don’t know if steering the money from the Department of Defense through (Pennsylvania Democratic) Congressman (John) Murtha’s committee for Kanjorski’s nephews was illegal or unethical,” Leonardi said. “I know it wasn’t right. It didn’t create a single sustainable job for our area.”

Leonardi said he has an open invitation to Kanjorski to debate. Kanjorski declined to attend a debate proposed by the Lackawanna League of Women Voters earlier this month because of a scheduling conflict, he said.

Asked if he would debate Leonardi, Kanjorski replied: “If we have the time available.”

We?

Lots of slots

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Gets Slots License


Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is on its way to hosting the first slot machine parlor in the state. Gambling regulators okayed conditional licenses today for five racetracks in Pennsylvania to add slot machines. Mohegan Sun is on track to become the first to open.

The casino isn't open yet, but Michael Bean said it should be before the end of the year, complete with more than 1,000 slot machines....."If the revenue does what it's supposed to then I think it's a good thing. For me working in Plains Township... we can all benefit from it," said James Armento of Hanover Township.

Big if.

This just in

PoliticsPA has learned that President George W Bush will be headlining and event for Congressman Don Sherwood on Oct 19th in Clarks Summit, PA.

I'm working to confirm it and get the details.

I've been thinking this for a while

"Oil has fallen to $60 a barrel. Experts predict it will continue to fall until exactly one minute after the polls close on November 7th." --Jay Leno

More negative ads coming

In other news the sun will rise in the east.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 — Republicans and Democrats began showing at least 30 new campaign advertisements in contested House and Senate districts across the country on Tuesday. Of those, three were positive.

For Republicans, it was the leading edge of a wave of negative advertisements against Democratic candidates, the product of more than a year of research into the personal and professional backgrounds of Democratic challengers.

The result of the dueling accusations has been what both sides described on Tuesday as the most toxic midterm campaign environment in memory. It is a jarring blend of shadowy images, breathless announcers, jagged music and a dizzying array of statistics, counter statistics and vote citations — all intended to present the members of Congress and their challengers in the worst possible light. Democratic and Republican strategists said they expected over 90 percent of the advertisements to be broadcast by Nov. 7 to be negative.

This time the Democrats are not just taking it, they're hitting back. President Clinton showed how on Sunday.

Some blog news

One of my daily reads has a new look. John has rearranged the furniture, painted the walls and has given The Pennsylvania Progressive a brighter appearance without losing his bite.

A Big Fat Slob shows us how one citizen can make a difference. Bernie is sending a hoagie and the rest of us are chipping in for wings and a six pack.

2 good ads

One is from Jim Webb, the Democratic nominee for Senator in Virginia, who is running against George "did I say that" Allen. The second features Iraq vet Patrick Murphy running in the PA 6th. They both say get out of Iraq. Every Democratic candidate in the country should have a simillar message.

Real Estate is a chancy business

I'm not sure if this is legal but it sure is creative.


House for chance

BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
Staff Writer

There’s a spacious two-story house on 27 acres of land in the Back Mountain available for only $100, no mortgage.

The catch is — your odds of getting it are one in 5,000. About a month ago, George Bostan decided the best way to put his Lake Township home on the market was raffling it off at $100 a ticket.

Bostan set up a Web site, www.bostan235.com, and advertised in local and regional publications. He said he’s keeping up the raffle until all 5,000 chances are sold, which he hopes will be by Christmas. He has already sold 1,089.