Hippity Hoppity

EASTER IS FOR JESUS, NOT THE STIMULUS BUNNY!!!

An Easter Message from Mean Old Man

I'm fit to be tied over the fact that the glorious Holy Day of Easter Sunday has been used over the years by the liberal establishment as a brainwashing technique to swerve our children into Communism!!
Every year the children of my great country go to bed in hopes of waking up to baskets full of Easter joy---for which they are asked to give nothing in return! Hey, at least the secular invention Santa Claus demands that kids be good all year in order to get their presents. But the Easter Bunny promises everything and for nothing in return, and we all know where promises of that kind are rooted---right out of the playbook of Chairman Mao, and President Obama's stimulus plan, that's where!!
Damn!!!!!

In my day Easter was a sacred day, not a day for kids to have fun. On Sunday morning you got your butt out of bed, went out to the railroad yard to fetch some coal (the colliery guard wouldn't catch you, if it was a good year) and bring it home for Mom to stoke up the trusty stove so that we could fill our guts with nauseating oatmeal. Then us kids would have to keep the furnace fired up, while keeping the noise down so as not to wake Pops up (he was usually sleeping off the previous night's poker game). Of course, Pops always did end up dragging himself down the stairs and he would wallop each of us with his shaving strap. One time he got me right in the jaw, God, I can still feel the sting and then the swelling that followed. My mouth was so swollen that I couldn't eat or sleep for days, it was brutal, painful, wrong, and degrading for me to experience that, but I LOVED IT!!! Because he wacked me to show how much he loved me!!!! Boy, that's a lesson a lot of snot nosed kids could learn today, but of course, their prissy fathers don't have the guts to give it to them. Thanks Dr. Spock (your show Star Trek was as Commie as you are!).

And what's the deal with all of these pagans who don't follow Jesus showing up at church every Easter, taking the seat I've had for myself all year long?!!!! The missus and I always have to stand for the whole mass while the fair weather Judas's sit in comfort showing off their 600 dollar suits and dresses. Maybe instead of closing the churches up, the Bishop can pass out tickets for Easter mass during the regular services throughout the year, then only the true Christians can come to praise our beloved Lord.

And while I'm at it, what is it with the candy industry selling out our Judeo Christian values? I was sitting in my living room the other day watching Lawrence Welk when I noticed my stupid granddaughter Danielle fiddling with a cellophane wrapper that to my horror contained a chocolate cross---that's right, you didn't read it wrong, a chocolate crucifix, the symbol of our Lord's sacrifice, which she proceeded to devour like a human garbage disposal. Talk about teaching kids to disrespect our values and our Savior. Maybe the Bishop should get on this too!!! Needless to say, I threw the little twerp out of the house and told her to go back home to her parents and that hippy commune they call a gated community.

I bet if you asked any kid today what Easter is all about, they would tell you some gibberish like it is the "day I get a basket of candy and an 8 track tape player…" or something to that effect. Kids today don't know a damned thing about the holiday or what it is about. And they have it too damned easy, too!!! We didn't get an Easter basket when I was a kid; we were lucky to get new cardboard to fill in the holes in our shoes and even luckier if Mom found the time to mend the holes in our gloves!!

But what's the point of my even trying anymore. I've had it with today's prissy parents and their kids. And I could tell you a thing or two about the stupid relatives coming to my house this weekend, but all you need do is to view my past columns to know that story. To be honest, if I go through the trouble of printing the whole sorry scene once again, I'll throw up!!

So, all you dimwit, robotic liberals, enjoy your Easter. Hell, maybe you'll even get a stimulus check in your baskets. As for me, I'll feast on a dinner of fresh smoked ham, retire to my upstairs attic which I've turned into a den, light up a lucky, pour down a bottle of Steg, and fire up the ol' victrola to listen to the soothing sounds of Bing Crosby singing Easter Parade.

Happy Easter, I hate you all!!!!!!!

YouTube weekend

With Luzerne County Home Rule on the horizon maybe the Government Study Commission should consider establishing a permanent Office of Special Prosecutor for Luzerne County.


By request from the Rain Man


Metallica - ...And Justice For All (live)

Not in Plains

My little burgh of Plains Twp. (home of the Mohegan Sun casino) has a potential minor scandal brewing. There is an allegation that some Department of Public Works employees and equipment might have been used to do some work at a private property. District Attorney Jackie Mo (of the Pittston Musto's- State Sen Ray and Judge Joe) has called in the PA State Police to check it out. Commissioner Brigid Murray (Marty's daughter) O’Connor said “There has been a complaint filed and we need to investigate it further. I will not tolerate any of that behavior in Plains Township." Commissioner Ron Fillipini also wants an independent investigation.

Plains Township Solicitor and candidate for Luzerne County Judge Stephen Menn had a careful statement “As I understand it the board is going to do an internal investigation to find out what is going on. That information has to be looked into, and who’s making that complaint and what actual allegations are, I don't believe we have all the information of those involved or who is making the complaint."


A shovel of dirt into the backhoe to McGruff for pointing this out.

Some other things are being kicked around like why did the Commissioners apply for a grant the last 2 years to help Mohegan Sun pave a parking lot but we can't get a new Fire Truck?

Carney in Pakistan

I haven't read anything about this in the US press but according to the Daily Times of Lahore Congressman Chris Carney is in Pakistan with Senator Jeff Sessions, Congresswoman Jane Harman and Congressmen John Kline. They are discussing terrorism, trade and energy with the Pakistani government. Some links from the local press:

Private sector urges US to provide market access

US delegation calls on governor

Alternative Energy: ‘US should provide coal-fired tech to Pakistan’

I've asked his office to give us the details on the trip.


When he gets back he will continue his Listening Tour Town Hall Meetings.

Eagle Hose Company, 1 Eagle Lane , Dickson City , PA
Wednesday April 15, 2009 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Kelly Township Building , 551 Zeigler Road , Lewisburg , PA
Thursday April 16, 2009 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

American Legion Post 644, 259 Shoemaker Street , Swoyersville , PA
Monday April 20, 2009 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Kanjo on the job

Congressman Paul Kanjorski has been in the news a lot lately. He's looking good without the eyeglasses and has been a regular on CNBCs Squawk Box discussing the financial crises. You can watch the videos on his website. He was joined by Sallie Mae CEO Albert L. Lord and Senator Bob Casey on Monday to announce that 600 jobs will be added to the Hanover Twp. facility. And he's still bringing home the bacon securing $2.8 million in stimulus money to used for housing renovations and a water distribution system upgrade at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Plus Northampton Community College will get $400,000 for the school's Electrotechnology Application Center.

He also got a standing ovation when he told a large crowd that he opposed the closing of the postal processing center in Wilkes-Barre saying the USPS didn’t take into account the impact consolidation would have on the region, which is on its way back after a quarter-century of economic depression.

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Photo credit: PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Gort in the Washington Post

WaPo blogger and TV star Chris Cillizza who writes The Fix asked his readers to suggest the best political blogs in each of the 50 states and Gort42 made the cut. I'm joined by some other excellent Pennsylvania bloggers:


Harrisburg Politics (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Above Average Jane

2 Political Junkies

Gort 42


Thanks to whoever nominated me.

Drop a dime on your local School Director

A day after Wilkes-Barre Area School District Superintendent Jeffrey Namey testified before a federal grand jury probing the district the FBI is asking the public for help.


The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the public's assistance in an on-going criminal investigation in northeastern Pennsylvania. If you are a teacher, prospective teacher, employee or prospective employee of any kind who has been required to provide money, or anything else of value, to any individual in connection with being hired at any public school in northeastern Pennsylvania, or if you were denied employment because you refused to provide money or anything else of value for your prospective job, you may have been the victim of a crime and you are requested to immediately contact either Special Agent Richard Southerton or Special Agent Joseph Noone in the FBI's Scranton office at telephone number 570-344-2404.

Home Rule news

The third of the weekly Home Rule forums will be held tonight, April 8th, at 7:00 PM in the Kingston Municipal Building.
This event is free and open to the public. If you have any questions about Home Rule or would like to meet the Government Study Commission (GSC) candidates this is your chance.


There is now an online voters guide with information about most of the GSC candidates.

Candidates who have submitted information for the Voter’s Guide:


Ray Gustave, Swoyersville

Frank Sindaco, Wilkes-Barre

Edward Transue, Dallas

Darlene Duggins, Wilkes-Barre

Rick Morelli, Sugarloaf Township

Walter Griffith Jr., Wilkes-Barre

Charmaine H. Maynard, Sugarloaf Township

James Thomas Gaughan, Courtdale

Paul P. Krombel, Conyngham Township

Christopher C.J. Kersey, Kingston

Phillip Struzzeri, Jenkins Township

Veronica Ciaruffoli, Larksville

Frank E.P. Conyngham, Kingston Township

Jeffrey Niemiec, Wilkes-Barre


Candidates who have NOT submitted information the our Voter’s Guide:


Jim Haggerty, Kingston John Adonizio, Hughestown Richard “Kick” Heffron, Dallas Jack Schumacher, Kingston Robert Whammer Wanyo, Forty Fort Joe Wizda, Freeland

Luzerne County Judicial candidates websites

Pittston Politics has a poll asking who will be our next local lawyers to be elevated to the bench. So far Joe Terrana and Jennifer Rogers are in the lead.

As a public service I have wasted some time looking for campaign websites for all of the 17 hopefuls. Please let me know if I missed anyone.


Bill Amesbury

C.J. Bufalino

Gene Sperazza

Jennifer Rogers

Joe Sklarosky

Mike Blazick

Molly Hanlon Mirabito

Dick Hughes

Joe Terrana

Tina Polachek Gartley

Joe Musto

Daniel Zola

Tom Marsilio


Some of them are also on Facebook. The all say they are shocked and saddened by the conduct of the Juvie Brothers and few are pledging not to take campaign contributions from attorneys or their families. It seems like that that is the only issue in the race for the 2 open seats. I think events have shown that the problem is not taking money from lawyers before the election but when Judges take money from lawyers (and others) after the election.

Joe Terrana started running this ad a few days ago.


Terrana for Judge - "Stand"





If the other camps want to send me their TV spots I will be happy to post them.

Browser

I usually use Internet Explorer 7 for most of my surfing but some sites work better using Firefox. Some of us have been getting this new error message,
Internet Explorer script error: Line 53, Character 3 when trying to close some blogs.

Now Microsoft is offering an upgrade to Internet Explorer. I'm always leery to install an upgrade to anything because I've had some bad experiences in the past.

So has anyone installed IE8 and how is it working?

I paid my property taxes today

I even paid them early to get the 2% discount. Some people don't have to bother with such things.

Restaurateur owes about $140,000 in back property taxes


Robert S. Jabers, owner of the Saber Room Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre, and his company, Excalibur Development Corp., owe about $140,000 in unpaid property taxes, interest and delinquency fees to the county, city and the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, tax claim records reveal.The Saber Room on Butler Street — the site of many fundraisers, political gatherings and election parties over the years — has a delinquent tax bill of more than $16,500, and the bill for Jabers’ home on Marjorie Avenue in Wilkes-Barre is almost $36,000. Unpaid taxes on Jabers’ properties date back to 2004, and the county could have listed them for tax claim sales in 2006 and 2007.

This guy can't pay his taxes on time but was able to drop $3,250 on various local political campaigns and some campaigns spent $21,772 on 17 Saber Room events since 2000. His donations include $500 to the Commissioner campaign of Maryanne Petrilla and Greg Skrepenak two years ago.

Various officials were asked by Michael Buffer why his properties weren't put up for Sheriff's sale and he got the usual non-answers.

"That I have no idea. … Sometimes things were crossed out of sales by a higher authority"-Mary Dysleski

“I shiver to think how many there were.”- Maryanne Petrilla

“I couldn’t answer the question”- Sam Diaz

I know we all have to pay our taxes but I would feel better if I thought that my money was being spent prudently and everybody was paying their fair share.

Alice Coffman has a website

Alice B. Coffman, CPA for Luzerne County Controller

A CPA for controller. What a novel idea.


I am announcing my intention to seek the Republican nomination for the vacant seat of county controller in the May primary. I feel my experience in public accounting for the past sixteen years will serve as a valuable asset to the citizens of Luzerne County.
I am very disheartened by the inappropriate behavior recently uncovered within our local government. The citizens of Luzerne County have the right to expect the highest level of professional conduct from their elected officials. Holding one another accountable comes partly from a system with checks and balances. The weaknesses in the current accounting and internal control systems are quite evident.
If elected, my immediate intentions are to perform audits of various county programs seeking inefficiencies and discrepancies and to implement and enforce internal control procedures to deter future misconduct and wasteful spending.

Opening Day

Or night.

Tonight the Phillies play the Braves in the first regular season game of the 2009 season. A few years back the first pitch was always in Cincinnati and the rest of the games got started 15 minutes later. I love baseball and college football in part because of the history and traditions of the games and every year they do something to take away from that.

Toole out

A lot of conflicting information has been coming out of the Courthouse about Judge Michael Toole. I'm hearing that he has resigned his position and we can expect another US Attorney press confrence on Monday complete with an idictment and plea agreement.

Norton says I'm wrong. But if doesn't happen this week it's only a matter of time.

Lou Barletta for Lt. Governor

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta Paid for a poll to test his name ID in a possible run for Pennsylvania Lt. Governor next year. It's not surprising that he is best known of all the possible contenders in the GOP primary and has a high favorable rating among likely Republican primary voters.


I sat down with Mayor Lou a few months ago but never actually posted about it because of some technical issues like my recorder batteries went dead and I accidentaly deleted the word document that I wrote up afterward. Looking over my notes from that meeting I can say that the guy loves being the Mayor of Hazleton. He hit me with charts and graphs detailing some of the improvement projects that in the works for the mountain city such as a new transportation center and an amphlitheater to be built on an abandoned strip mine. He defended the use of Delaware River sludge that is filling the old coal pitts saying every load is tested for safety. He contends that Immigration ordinance would be appealed to the US Supreme Court if the 3rd circuit rules against the the city and will fight the attorney fees awarded by Judge Munley. He rejected the charge that he is a racist pointing out that he performed several hundred weddings since the ordinance was passed and 80% of them were of Hispanic couples and 55 new businesses have opened since then with many of them having hispanic owners. Lou is expecting his first grandchild soon and the father is hispanic. Barletta said there is no great divide in Hazleton and took some shots at "self appointed" hispanic leaders.

His answer to Mark's question was interesting.

Why would you agree to be interviewed by a blogger who did everything he could to keep you from winning a congressional seat?

His Answer: Why not? You won't know what I'm about unless you get to know me.

So much for the contention that blogs are anathema to the great majority of the elected, as well as almost all of the hopefuls?

I will be interviewing various candidates for the county row offices in the next few weeks.

Barletta said the only person possibly more surprised that he didn't win the US House race was Paul Kanjorski. His internal polling had him leading the whole way.

As far a race for Lt. Governor goes I think it is a natural fit because he would win the primary easily. He has ambitions to be Governor but I don't think he can beat Attorney General Tom Corbitt for the nomination this time out.

Teacher jobs for sale?

I'm shocked, shocked that the Feds are investigating the way teachers are hired in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.

CV: The FBI has subpoenaed school board meeting minutes and other documents from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District... FBI agents have visited district offices several times...


TL: The FBI on Thursday requested a list of the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical Joint Operating Committee board members since 2005...


While the rest of the country is screaming for qualified teachers around here you can't even get an interview unless you have a relative on the School Board. It's not just Wilkes-Barre but every school district in NEPA. I hope they look at them all. Nepotism Queen Barbara Youngblood landed jobs for around 20+ members of her family before the voters finally caught on and booted her out a few years back. How many stories have you read over the years that relative xxx of school board member yyy was hired. Usually the uncle/aunt, etc. would not vote on the hiring to make it look good but you know the rest of the board was involved in back scratching so when their nephew/cousin came up for a vote they would get hired.

Sometimes there is shortage of relatives to fill the open positions so the squeeze is put on the long time substitute teachers to cough up a few bucks to land a permanent position. I have no direct evidence of bribes being demanded or paid but like you I have heard the stories for years.

Take the money and run

Juvie Brother former Judge Mark Ciavarella wants to cash out his contributions to the state pension plan to the tune of $234,000. That would drop his monthly benefit from $6800 to "only" $5,150 until he is sentenced for selling his office to the 2 highest bidders. I wish I could pull in 5 grand a month. His co-conspirator Michael Conahan got that sweet deal last year collecting a $300K lump sum and $8073 a month since January 2008. I'm in the wrong line of work.

The chutzpah of this guy doesn't seem to have any limits. Yesterday he said he can't be sued because he is protected from the civil action by the “doctrine of judicial immunity.” McGruff has an explanation of the legal mumbo jumbo of judicial immunity. He wrote the motion himself and said "Judges of courts of superior or general jurisdiction are not liable to civil actions for their judicial acts, even when such acts are in excess of their jurisdiction, and are alleged to have been done maliciously or corruptly.”
In short he is saying even if I sold kids up the river you can't touch my money. I hope the State Employees’ Retirement System sits on his application for as long as they can.

In addition to the 3 class action lawsuits already filed the Luzerne County Commissioners are looking at joining in the litigation fun to recover some of the cost of the county paid to PA Child Care. “Why not get in line also?” -Steve Urban

Is it just me or does Ciavarella have a uncanny resemblance to Woody Allen?

He is acting like a Cello player in a marching band.

Internet nonsense

Some sort of virus has infected everybody that uses Internet Explorer and Windows that will bring about the end of the world as we know it. I may have to shut down for a few days to get my machine scrubbed.

The next computer will be a MAC.

Republicans to endorse today

The Luzerne County Republican Party make its endorsements based on the results of a county-wide poll of all committee people. Chairman Terry Casey said.“We want to conduct this endorsement process in an honest, open, fair and transparent way, just as we promise to govern in Luzerne County. Ours is a simple message: we want to restore honesty and integrity to the county courthouse and we’re starting by conducting an honest and open primary in our own party.”

I'm going to make some predictions. First the easy ones. There are only 2 Republicans running for the Court of Common Pleas, Dick Hughes and Michael Pendolphi, so that is a no brainer and Gina Nevenglosky is the only candidate for Register of Wills in the primary.


Carolee Medico Olenginski and Walter Mitchell are in the running for Prothonotary and I think that former Prothonotary Carolee will get the nod.


The hottest race shaping up seems to be for Controller. To get the nod a candidate has had to be a registered Republican since Feb. 16, 2008 so that rules out Edd Brominski. The contenders are Alice Coffman, Walter Griffith, Nanda Palissery and Bob Sypniewski. My reading of the tea leaves tells me that Nanda Palissery will be the anointed one.


You can read the POLIICIES & PROCEDURES FOR ENDORSEMENT if you are interested.


UPDATE: I got them all right.

As predicted Hughes and Pendolphi were backed for a seat on Court of the Common Pleas and Nevenglosky was backed in her uphill battle to be the next Register of Wills.

Former Prothonotary Carolee Medico-O got the nod over President for Life of the breakaway Republic of Bear Creek Village Walter Michell with a vote of 75 to 55. I still think that Carolee will sail through the primary and be returned to the Prothonotary's office in the fall.


The battle for the endorsement for County Controller was closer than I expected with Nanda Palissery edging out Walter Griffith 51-39.

I was stuck by how many Do Not Endorse votes were cast in each race.

Overall only 132 of the 272 Republican Committee people returned a ballot and they still don't have a full compliment in the county. Maybe I should run for Republican Committeeman in my little burgh because we don't have one.

What did I miss?

I took a few days off from blogging and will play catch-up for a bit. The long awaited 20/20 piece about the Juvie Brothers aired on ABC on Friday and we made the New York Times on Saturday. Another claim to fame for the area. It was just a matter of time before Luzerne County was named as a defendant in one of the lawsuits and new President Judge Chet Muroski wants former judge Mark Ciavarella’s seat placed on the May 19 primary election ballot.



Acting Controller A. J. Martinelli made some news when he was accepted into the ARD program after his spectacular performance when he got popped for DUI in January. No word on if he will required to wear a belt. And in the latest misuse of county funds to come to light Martinelli was the benefits coordinator when 2 unpaid members of the prison board were given health coverage. He claims he can't remember the details of the applications.


And the price of smokes is going up.