Rick Santorum for President

My favorite Republican Presidential candidate had a disappointing fundraising second quarter pulling in just $582,347 with only $ 229,114 cash on hand. He is in single digits in most national polls and even trails Michelle Bachman and Mitt Romney in the latest Pennsylvania poll.

To top up his coffers he has decided to pick a fight with gay sex columnist Dan Savage sending out a fundraising email about his now famous google bomb that will lead you to this site. If you do a search for Santorum it's still the top result. This reminds me of when some magazine did a story on the 10 dumbest members of Congress and one of them called a news conference the next day to deny it.

If you don't want to follow the links I will provide a summary. In an interview in 2003 Rick Santorum said


he didn't believe in a right to privacy regarding sexual acts between adults. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."

When the Associated Press asked, "So if somebody is homosexual, you would argue that they should not have sex?" Santorum replied, "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

Savage responded by adding his definition of Santorum

Function: noun
1. The frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex.

2. Former Senator Rick Santorum

Savage is now threatening to redifine Rick

A question for Big Dan and the rest of you. Shall I use the ice cream cone pic instead of the powder blue suit for future posts?

Patrick Murphy for Attorney General

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy is running for Pennsylvania Attorney General. I'm a bit disappointed that he is not trying to regain the PA 8th District seat that he exchanged with Mike Fitzpatrick but I think he would be a good AG.


He went to King's College here in Wilkes-Barre and if I remember right he was the President of his class who had the honor of introducing President Bill Clinton in the gym after the Prez inspected the latest flood damage. Kanjo got Clinton to visit the area and I still remember seeing Air Force One on the tarmac at Avoca.




Murphy was a Captain in the 82nd Airborne and a JAG in Iraq. After he was elected to Congress he led the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the discriminatory policy that prevented gay men and women from serving openly in the military. I was in the military in the 1970's and we knew who was gay but didn't give a shit. All that mattered was if you could do your job.

He will be a tough but fair prosecutor unlike the last guy who had the job who only prosecuted Democrats for campaign violations but not Republicans for doing the same thing. .

Murphy has a lot of local support

Patrick Murphy has picked up the support of some big names in Luzerne County Democratic politics.

At a fundraiser tonight in Wilkes-Barre, Murphy will be joined by Congressman Paul Kanjorski, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, and State Representatives Michael Carroll, Phyllis Mundy and Eddie Day Pashinski.


His Website is

Patrick Murphy Attorney General

Kanjo is such a tease

Former Congressman Paul Kanjorski's interview with the TL last week has the local chattering classes all a twitter. When asked if he would run again he kept the door open.


He gave answers such as, “I can’t say yes or no;” “I can honestly say I haven’t given it any thought,” and “I’m enjoying the fresh air.”

PittstonPolitics jumped all over it even before the TL story was published. Joe also threw out a few other names of people who may or may not be contimplating a run against Lou Barletta depending on what the district will look like after redistricing. I think Luzerne County DA Jackie Mo is a long shot and Wilkes-Barre legal guy Bill Vinsko is already in.

The most intriging name in the mix is former 10th District Congressman Chris Carney depending if our salons in Harisburg try to make the district more Republican friendly by including Susquehanna County in the 11th. Technically Carney can run in the 11th even if he doesn't live in the district as the Constitution only requires that a member of Congress shall live in the same state modled after the British Parliment. It's rarely done but anything is possible. My first choice for this seat would be former state rep Kevin Blaum but that's just me. Eddie Day Pashinski and Phyllis Mundy would also be good candidates.


Back to Kanjo. Mrs G just told me she would always vote for him but I think he should write his book. He had many accomplishments that he can proudly point to but it's time to move on. But then again, anything is possible.

Barletta sent out a fundraising email yesterday about this news. It said:

Querido amigo -

Ayer por la tarde, Pennsylvania medios de comunicación comenzaron a informar que el ex congresista Paul Kanjorski - que usted me ayudó a vencer en 2010 - "está considerando lanzar su sombrero en el anillo para el asiento que estaba perdido" (PoliticsPA.com).

Todos recordamos Kanjorski de "grandes éxitos", ya sea llamando a dólares de los contribuyentes "dinero gratis" o votar por un paquete de un billón de dólares de estímulo que no produjo los empleos que necesitamos o empujar Obamacare. Lo importante es que no podemos volver a los mismos políticos que nos metieron en este lío.

El informe señala los medios de comunicación, "el dinero será un elemento clave en esta carrera y estoy seguro de Kanjo todavía tiene un poco guardados." Es cierto, si se decide a un reto para mí en 2012, Kanjorski se gastan millones para cubrir por encima de su registro y inducir a error a los electores sobre la mía.

Tenga la seguridad, voy a luchar fuerte contra Kanjorski, pero necesito tu ayuda para hacerlo. Una primera contribución a mi campaña ahora pagará grandes dividendos en el largo plazo.

Gracias por su continuo apoyo.

Atentamente,

Lou Barletta

Front Row

We just spent a couple of days in Philadelphia and had a good time as usual. We had dinner at Donnelly's on South St. near Penn's landing as we always do but skipped running around town because it was just too damn hot. I like it hot but even I have my limits.

The highlight of our stay was the Phillies game on Friday night that the fightin's won 3-1 with Cole Hamels going 8 innings striking out 10. We were not in the front row but pretty darn close. The down side was the heat. The last time I remembering sweating so much while doing nothing was when I was in basic training in Texas many moons ago. It was so hot I couldn't even drink any beer and the vendors were selling bottles of water for the low, low price of $4.25 a bottle. According to the Phillie's website there are 20 water fountains in the park but I couldn't locate any of them. 20 fountains for 45,000 people? To top it off one of the elevators in the Holiday Inn next to the stadium where we always stay was out of action just like every other time we have been there and our room was on the 10th floor.

Anyway, these were the best seats I have ever had for a Phillie's game and despite the heat we still had a great time. I'm a lot like Elwood P Dowd.

Bill Vinsko for Congress

From the inbox:


BILL VINSKO TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARDS CONGRESSIONAL RUN
Vinsko, Lifelong Resident of the 11th Congressional District,
Vows a Common-Sense Campaign in 2012


Wilkes-Barre, PA- July 21- Bill Vinsko has taken the first step necessary to be the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress by forwarding the required paperwork to the Federal Election Commission. Vinsko would face Republican Congressman Lou Barletta in the 11th Congressional District.

“People in our communities have told me that common sense and practical values of Northeast Pennsylvania are absent in Washington” said Vinsko. “I remember fighting hard as a student at King’s College for what is now the Arena at Casey Plaza. The entire community worked hard to voice their opinions, make sure they were heard and found a way to get it done. We can do that again, and I am ready and committed to lead the fight against the right-wing extremists we currently have in Congress, who are supporting radical cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Education. It is time to renew our passion and band together to create jobs for our future, to give paychecks to our people, and preserve our word to our seniors and veterans by keeping Medicare and Social Security strong.”

Bill has a history of helping create jobs in Northeast Pennsylvania. As an attorney, Bill and his brother, Brian, formed Vinsko and Associates, a full-service law firm handling real estate, estate planning, business and municipal law. Additionally, Bill is the President and Chairman of the Board of VPharm, Inc., a local pharmacy serving nursing homes and assisted living facilities, designed to help fill the needs of local senior citizens, who are able to obtain prescription drug medication a reasonable costs, without foregoing good service. During a down economy, Bill and his family have managed to expand their businesses to now employ over 30 local residents.

Vinsko has hired nationally prominent political strategists Snyder Pickerill Media Group as media consultant and The Strategy Group as campaign advisors. Snyder Pickerill has worked on competitive campaigns throughout the country from State House and State Senate races through contests for the U.S. House and Senate. The Strategy Group has advised multiple Presidential Candidates, as well as various other high profile campaigns across the country. Kyle Donahue has been named campaign manager.

Vinsko intends to formally announce his campaign in the next few weeks. Please join Bill and help achieve these goals for Northeast Pennsylvania. Visit the campaign website at http://www.billvinsko.com/ to join the cause.

Bill Vinsko was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre PA. †He worked during his years at Bishop Hoban High School as a janitor and concessions clerk at the FM†Kirby Center. † Also at that time, Bill met his future wife, Paula VanFossen, as the two worked together as on-air personalities for†Froggy 101 - a local radio station, under the names "I.B. Green" and "Cricket" respectively. Bill continued working full time while†attending Kings College, Wilkes-Barre. Their children Mercedes, Will, and Margaret Marie are the fourth generation of Vinskos to be raised in Northeast Pennsylvania. His parents, Bill and Joan, currently live in Wilkes-Barre.

Bill Vinsko became one of the first students at Penn State University history to earn a Masters Degree in Public Administration and his Law Degree from and Dickinson School of Law at the†same time. Upon returning to Wilkes-Barre he became the youngest person to ever serve as Assistant City Attorney for his hometown. Several years later he founded Vinsko and Associates to represent area residents in their real estate transactions, estate planning other legal needs. †His wife, Paula, has been the business manager of the firm since its inception.

Vinsko is deeply active in his community, having volunteered for the local United Way, the Luzerne County Mental Health/Mental†Retardation Program, and St. Nicholas Church Parish Council. †He has†won local leadership awards and recognition for his volunteer work on behalf of his community from the Rotary Club International and the Volunteer Action Center of the Wyoming Valley. Law and Politics Magazine has named Vinsko a “Super Lawyer Rising Star,”†every year since 2005, including this year, 2011.

Steve Flood RIP

1. 
   
   
   My very first post about local politics was my disapointment that Steve Flood wasn't reelected. Before that I was writing about baseball so we will keep up the mix.
   
   I wrote this at the time:
   
   
   Watchdog Goes Down
   The powers that be in Luzerne county win again. Steve Flood Lost the Controllers race to the party favorite. The reasons they did not like him are the reasons I did. We need rabble rousers and bomb throwers. I even miss Fred Williams radio show on WILK. I did not agree with him on many things, but I like the way he stirred the pot. Steve was good at asking questions and just saying no. The way this county has been run during my lifetime I found him to be way overdue. When I lived in other areas I described m y hometown as a place that never got over the great depression, the best redevelopment project was the Agnes flood and the political reforms of the 1890's have yet to hit. Sadly, not much has changed.
   

Well, because of Steve Flood many things have changed. Just after he was elected as Contoller I met him at a wedding of some Mrs. G reletive. He got me to support Ed Rendell over Bob Casey for Governor although I was going there anyway. We had a great fundraiser in Plains.

30 people have been inticted or convicted in Luzerne County because he went to the FBI over the 20 year Juvie Center lease. After he was defeated for reelection the new controller dropped the whole thing

My fence needs to be painted

Maybe I should hire this guy who is down on his luck


WILKES-BARRE – Former Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella is painting for a living these days. On Thursday, Ciavarella was painting a porch at 313 McLean St. owned by Bob Kadluboski, owner of City Wide Towing.

Cupcake, as Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton affectionately calls him, has been in the news lately for engaging in his favorite pastime of disrupting city council meetings complaining about his competitor LAG Towing suggesting some sort of corrupt bargain. Kadluboski is a civic minded person who has taken time out of his busy crime fighting schedule to be a such thorn in the side of W-B city council that they are considering changing the rules about public comments at their meetings.

I have to commend Mr. Kadluboski for giving a convicted criminal a way to make a living while he awaits sentencing.

For some reason this reminds me of a book I recently read


"I Heard You Paint Houses"

It's not about the deficit

The Democrats have offered a deal that Bob Dole and Howard Baker could never have dreamed of. John Boehner seemed to want to go for it but his caucus won't go for it because it involves some tax increases. So it now looks like the Republicans are going to blow up the government and possibly the world economy because they can't accept a deal that favors them. The GOP doesn't want to balance the budget they want to destroy the government. How stupid are these people?

Baseball

One of the great joys of our national pastime is every once in while you see something that you have never seen before. The home plate umpire just tossed the Florida Marlins catcher for aurging balls and strikes. The rookie Phillies pitcher just won a game 1-0.

Independent's Day

I've always had a soft spot for people who decide to run for office as minor party candidate or an independent. It's a big hill to climb and they almost always fail but I'm always heartened by their dedication to the democratic process despite the history.

Local Libertarian chairman Lou Jasikoff sent me a couple of emails this last week about petition drives for Libertarians, Greens, obscure 3rd parties and true independents trying to get enough signatures to get on the ballot for various offices. Pennsylvania has one of the worst laws in the country regarding 3rd party access, just ask Carl Romanelli who is still dealing with the fallout over his doomed effort to be a US Senator. Taking all that money from the head of Blackwater didn't help.

I'm glad to see that our local Lib's and Green's are trying to get people on the ballot for local offices and are working together. But they are still shooting for the Moon trying to get Marakay Rogers and Mark Kaisoglus on the ballot for the appellate Judge's spots.



Locally I think that Libertarian Tim Mullen has good shot as being an alternative to the Dem's and Rep's for Luzerne County Council. He gathered a bunch of signatures for his run in his run for state rep against Mundy and Goldsworthy but that didn't translate into votes. Still he got 15% which just may work that into a winning campaign this time.


Shane Novak wants to be the Green Party candidate Luzerne County Council. There should be more.

We all know Charlie Hatchko who is running as an American Independence Party candidate. Bible Buck is quick to quote the scriptures but I have to ask is he a member of Popular Front or the People's Front. Splitter.

For those of you that have beating me up in the comments I have a request. Send me links to the candidates websites and Facebook fan pages

Of course, I always welcome guest posts.

My Yahoo email was hacked

Sorry about that folks. Yesterday I took a quick glance at the spam filter and saw that there were bunch of Mail Daemon messages which I thought was odd because I hadn't sent any emails over the weekend.

As far as I can tell the worm didn't get a hold of my entire address book but enough of it to annoy many of my friends. Again my apologies. So if you see a subject line from gort42@yahoo.com titled Re:, Re:7, Re:8, etc or Re:Hi! It’s only for you! The most interesting site, Re:I suppose you’ll be delighted after you try it! You know it wasn't sent by me.

I'm sure most of you figured that out and deleted it immediately but if you didn't and clicked on the link there is a possibility that your computer has been infected by a virus. I'm running all the protection software to combat this but it may not be enough so I think I will take the computer to the shop to get a thorough cleaning. Although what I have been reading they may have got a hold of my address book on other computers.

I don't favor the the death penalty for the most part but the bastards who did this deserve a slow, painful death.

Jim O'Meara for Plains Township Commissioner

I had a nice chat with James O'Meara Sr tonight who is running for a place on the Plains Township Board of Commissioners. He doesn't have much of a chance as a Republican running in an overwhelmingly Democratic town but you never know. He had previously run for State Representative against Eddie Day Pashinski because no one else would and wanted to give the voters a choice and got clobbered. You have to admire that commitment to the democratic process.

In the Plains Township race he said much of the same thing. I asked who was the last Plains Republican Township Commissioner and neither one of us could up with an answer. Help me out trivia people.

The big issue in our little burgh is how to spend the windfall for being the host of the Mohegan Sun Casino. For the most part that has been put to good use paving streets and adding police patrols to deal with the problems that the place has produced.


In addition to the host municipality fee Plains Township gets for putting up with the place there is another pot of money for the health, safety and economic development projects in those counties where the casinos are located. In the last 3 years the Plains Twp Board of Commissioners have kicked backed a million dollars a year to the Casino to pave the parking lot that is located on top of the old East Side Landfill neglecting other needs such as purchasing a new ladder truck for the fire department. My friend Kevin Blaum documented that a few years ago. Such nonsense, we are supposed to make money off the place not subsidise it. Jim will oppose that and question why it happened in the first place.

We need a watchdog in Plains Township instead of 5 yes votes for everything.

Another contract not approved

How many times have we seen headlines similar to these over the last few years

Controller won't pay bill without contract

Pact signed by official disputed

The 3rd class county code is clear that only the county commissioners have the authority to approve a contract but some people still haven't got the word. Recorder of Deeds Red O'Brien hired a NY company to do some scanning work for $31,000 with the possibility of more work but never got the Luzerne County Commissioners to approve it. So Controller Walter Griffith is refusing to pay the latest invoice unless the Commissioners approve the arrangement. Solicitor Vito Deluca has been hot about this illegal pratice for the past few years. It looks like the money to pay this company comes from the records fund that LRW Solutions was so good at getting. See Betty for more on that.

I think the biggest reason I voted for the home rule charter is that eliminates the row offices. Too many power centers and lack of accountability. Do we really need to elect 11 people to what are essentially administrative jobs without responsibility for policy? However I don't like taking away the Controller's responsibility for paying bills or the unelected county executive but those problems can be fixed in the near future without going through the whole charter writing exercise again.

Still ln Phirst

The Phillies dropped 2 out of 3 in Seattle but are still on top of the NL East. So coming into St Louis we have the big 3 on the mound. Halladay and Lee should be good but Oswalt has not good been light's out lately. Hammels starts Friday. There a lot Philies blogs out there, this is one of my favorites Phillies Nation

Phyllis on the job

Mundy calls for improved gas drilling oversight


HARRISBURG, June 21 – State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, today joined House Democrats, environmental advocates and residents who had their water supplies contaminated by natural gas drilling to demand better oversight of the industry.

Speaking at a rally in the Capitol, Mundy said the state has issued more than 6,600 Marcellus Shale drilling permits, and more than 2,800 wells have been drilled.


"I agree that the drilling industry is bringing economic benefits to our state and to some of our citizens," she said. "However, anyone who travels to Dimock in Susquehanna County as I have, or reads about countless drilling accidents that have occurred across the state, knows that we are not properly regulating drilling operations in the Commonwealth."

Several residents of Bradford County, where a large spill recently took place during Marcellus Shale fracking operations, attended the rally.


Mundy has introduced five pieces of Marcellus Shale-related legislation this year.

H.B. 233 would put a one-year moratorium on new Marcellus Shale drilling permits to give the legislature time to enact necessary protections in law and regulations. H.B. 230 would create a 2,500-foot drilling buffer around drinking water supplies. H.B. 234 would create an online tracking and reporting system for Marcellus Shale waste, such as drilling mud and chemically treated water used to fracture shale to release gas. H.B. 232 would restrict drilling and site preparation in floodplains, improve the disposal of waste water and better control erosion and sedimentation where gas is drilled.


In addition, Mundy attempted to amend a bill so Marcellus Shale wastewater would be designated as hazardous waste under the state's Vehicle Code. The amendment, which was blocked by Republican procedural maneuvers, would have ensured drivers transporting frac water for treatment are held to the highest standards.

Mundy said new state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer has recommended more than 20 amendments to the state's Oil and Gas Act that mirrors legislation she and others have repeatedly introduced. She said she hopes the amendments become law soon.

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it," she said. "If we as Pennsylvanians learned nothing from the legacy of the coal industry, shame on us."

If you think that this gas drilling is some jobs panancea take a look at this report from the Keystone Policy Center.

My blog buddies were out on the river this weekend and had the nerve to object to the gas drilling companies sponsoring Riverfest.

Kayack Dude documented the lies and The Blogfather wrote it all up.

Speaking of Mark, he took a shot at me the other day and I think he was trying to get me to start posting again. Well if if you wanted to get a rise out of me pal you have succeeded!


I talked to him recently, and I was stopped dead in my tracks when he said he thought Barack Obama was doing a “good” job. And even though his comment resulted in tiny bubbles coming out of my nose, I sought out no point/counterpoint exchange.

I know that the rest of you will be surprised that Mark and I disagree on national politics although we are almost on the same page on what is going on locally. Yes, I have been disapointed with this President. I voted for him to end the wars not to start a new one in Libya or Yemen. On the domestic front I think he inherited an enourmous mess that is going to take time to fix. It doesn't help that he is dealing with a Republican Party that is hell bent on economic sabotage. You don't take money out of the economy when growth is slow. The people who are bitching about deficits now didn't care about them the last decade.

We need another stimulus. Instead of a payroll tax cut of $120 billion spend that on fixing our roads, bridges and isolate the storm water runoff from sewage systems that pollute the Susquehanna River and many more accross the country. I think that would please Kayack Dude.


And please find another color for your exceperts of the local papers. It's hard to read.

You Tube weekend

He used to cut the grass.
just a couple of quarts of beer

Phustrating Phillies still in Phirst

They can't score runs like they used to but the starting pitching has been outstanding.

Endeavour lands

One more shuttle mission to go.


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

Memorial Day

RIP Jonathan Balester

I had run into Jonathan at various Luzerne County Republican events over the last few years and thought he was a good guy. So the news that he has been apparently murdered really hit me hard. I didn't know him that well but he struck me as a gentle soul who would help anyone he could. I'm sure we learn more over the next few days.


Suspicious death is investigated

Police seek information on homicide victim's activities


Also Rusty Flack has died. Another good guy.