Nittany Lions Roar

Penn State beat run-first Minnesota at its own game. Whether going off-tackle, around the end or just straight up the middle, the Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) ran roughshod over the No. 18 Gophers' porous defense.
In the process, they shut down the vaunted running attack of Minnesota (4-1, 1-1) and gave a big hit to Laurence Maroney's Heisman Trophy campaign, holding him to a season-low 48 yards.

We Are Back!

539 yards of total offense with 364 on the ground. The defense was great, holding the Gophers to 287 total yards. Their Heisman candidate was bottled up all day. Penn State beat run-first Minnesota at its own game.

Tom Delay and Don Sherwood

Thanks to T-Blog for the image:

"Dennis Hastert decides against his first choice to replace Tom DeLay because he feels that people won't notice the difference. Later, ham sandwiches were served."

From the Washington Post:

A Texas grand jury indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) yesterday on a charge of criminally conspiring with two political associates to inject illegal corporate contributions into 2002 state elections that helped the Republican Party reorder the congressional map in Texas and cement its control of the House in Washington.

Delay's ties to Don Sherwood are documented at Chris Carney for Congress:

Don Sherwood has accepted over $14,800 dollars from Tom DeLay's PAC and during the past year has voted over 95% of the time with the majority leader. Earlier this year, Sherwood voted to weaken House Ethics rules in an effort to protect DeLay’s position as majority leader. (H Res 5, Roll Call #6, 1/4/05)

So Delay raises money illegally then funnels it to rubber stamps like Sherwood who does what he is told. No wonder many times when you are talking about politicians some one will chime in "their all crooks." Add this to the ongoing "stroke'em n' choke'em" lawsuit. The latest is Sherwood wants all records sealed:

Lawyers representing U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood in a $5.5 million assault and battery lawsuit filed by his former mistress are seeking to keep collected evidence and testimony confidential before the suit goes to court, according to documents filed in a Washington, D.C., federal court Friday.

Lawyers for the Tunkhannock Republican argue that the nature of Cynthia Ore's allegations center on "intimate details of the parties' personal lives," information that is generally protected by courts with a confidentiality order.

I interested what "intimate details" Sherwood wants to keep secret. Does he wear womens underwear or dress up as a biker? This might get as juicy as an episode of Desperate Housewives.

Fight nice boys

Things are getting a little hot under the dome of what Party Animals refers to as the people zoo. Skrep and Vondy are irritated that Steve Urban has the gall to question their decisions. Even after they pay a consultant lots of money to tell them what to think . They can't even make personnel decisions without shelling out $200,000 to some so called expert who then hires some local cronies to help with the work.

From the TL:

The Philadelphia consultant handling Luzerne County's employee buyout has hired two familiar faces in county government to work on the project. Wilkes-Barre attorney Peter Moses will be paid $10,000, and CaseCon Capital Inc. will receive $40,000.

Moses, the son of prominent Wilkes-Barre attorney John Moses, works as solicitor of the county prothonotary's office for $9,012 annually.

The one recent decision they made on their own is to give a real estate developer a 10 year tax break on a $100 million project and agree to maintain the business parks roads, boy that's a great deal for the rest of us taxpayers who will pick up the tab. Steve Urban gets mad when they make decissions without his input. I don't believe it's as bad as when Crossin would give him the agenda 10 minutes before he had to vote on something but he is an elected commissioner and should be informed.

Here are few choice quotes from the Times- Leader:

Skrep: You get tired of getting punched in the face over and over again, and I'm going to punch back. If he wants to play the game this way, we'll play.

I pay mine. He doesn't pay his. In my book that's a hypocrite. Do as I say, not as I do.

Vondy: We've endured 20 months of criticism from him. Not proposing, solving or leading - just criticizing. There should always be opposition, dialogue and debate on issues, but that's not what's happening here. It's I hate everything you guys propose and it's not good enough.

He is consistently cowardly, consistently devoid of leadership and consistently on the side of yesterday. He is regressive and more concerned about hate. To just criticize is the easiest thing to do and the least responsible thing to do.

We would all love the luxury to be Monday morning quarterbacks, getting to sit back and take shots and not have to lead and make decisions, He's Steve 'no-fault' Urban.

I love Urbans response:

He recommends that Skrepenak and Vonderheid grow thicker skins, saying he wasn't elected to go with the flow. Urban says majority commissioners are frustrated because they don't want to "take any heat."

Sen. Charles Lemmond retires

From the TL:

When state Sen. Charles Lemmond retires a little more than a year from now, he will have left his mark on Pennsylvania's political landscape: from helping his party gain seats in Congress to helping newborn children with hearing impairments.
The 76-year-old Dallas Republican recently announced he would not run for a sixth term in office, vacating the 20th Senatorial District seat he took in 1985 when his term ends in December 2006.


State Sen. Charles Lemmond, R-Dallas, will retire at the end of his term in December 2006. He will have been in office for 21 years, serving five full terms and one year of his predecessor's unexpired term. Here are some of his legislative highlights:

1985 Won a special election to fill the vacancy left by outgoing Sen. FrankO'Connell Jr.

1986 Won his first general election against Democrat Joseph Bilbow

1989 Only Luzerne County lawmaker to vote against a law that imposed new restrictions on abortions in Pennsylvania

1991 Led Pennsylvania's redistricting effort after the 1990 census

1992 Helped write Pennsylvania's living-will law, called the Advance Directive for Health Care Act of 1992.

1995 Sponsored law to allow judges to consider an adult defendant's juvenile record in determining bail.

2001 Again helped redraw Pennsylvania's congressional districts after the 2000 census.

2004 Voted against Act 71, which expanded gambling in Pennsylvania by legalizing slot machines at 14 locations around the state.

I guess the best description of him is that he is a Rockefeller Republican. An endangered species these days. Now the race is on to replace him. One candidate has already thrown his hat into the ring. Dallas chiropractor David Madeira has declared his candidacy and has a web site up:

http://www.madeiraforsenate.com/

Two other Republicans are considering a run, Lisa Baker of Lehman Township and Kingston Mayor James Haggerty. My friend Bill Fitz of My take has a thing for her but I don't know enough to make a a judgement. Baker has worked for Lemmond and Govs. Mark Schweiker and Tom Ridge. Haggerty seems to be a competent Mayor, the town pays it's bills on time and it hasn't burnt down on his watch. No serious Democrat has emerged yet, maybe Skrep will take a look at it.

More progress in Iraq

From the Citizens Voice:

Five Northeastern Pennsylvania soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing west of Baghdad on Wednesday, driving the state's death toll in Iraq to more than 100, Pennsylvania Army National Guard officials said Friday. The deaths of the soldiers, all members of the Scranton-based 1st Battalion, 109th Mechanized Infantry, represent the largest loss of life from a single attack on Pennsylvania soldiers in Iraq. Nineteen Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers have been killed in Iraq.

Killed were: Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Arnold, 27, of Montrose. Staff Sgt. George A. Pugliese, 39, of Carbondale. Spc. Oliver J. Brown, 19, Athens, Bradford County. Spc. Lee A. Wiegand, 20, of Hallstead. Spc. Eric W. Slebodnik, 21, of Greenfield Township.

The soldiers were providing security for engineers building a railroad bridge when an improvised explosive device struck their M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Guard officials said. The vehicle was then hit by rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire, setting it ablaze.

This was co-ordinated attack by a force that the Secretary of Defense described as a bunch of dead enders. Is there an answer to this madness? A Mom and Dad has one:

Sporting a T-shirt with a picture of his dead son, the father of a local soldier killed in Iraq was one of the hundreds of people arrested in an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

Al Zappala's son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, 30, of Plymouth, was killed in a explosion in Baghdad in April 2004. Baker was a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 109th Field Artillery and was serving with the 103rd Armor Regiment.

"Nothing I can do can ever bring my son back, but his brothers and sisters are still there in an illegal and unjust war based on lies," Zappala said.

Baker's mother, Celeste Zappala said her message to the government is to "bring the troops home now and take care of them when they get here. Every day there's another family like us and that's what we're trying to stop."

Phillies are still alive

What an end to the baseball season. The Red Sox and Yankees are tied after the Sox won 5-3 last night with the Indians a game behind. The Phight'ins took care of business with the Nats and the Cubs beat the Astros to put Philadelphia 1 game behind in the wild card race. We could end up with a couple ties that would have to be settled in one game playoffs Monday.

This is a picture of the Tugger I found at The Tug McGraw Foundation website. As Pope George Ringo keeps reminding us, You gotta believe!

The builder

My wife’s father passed away on Sunday and of course we are dealing with the grief and hurt. With all the emotions at a time like this I think the most fitting thing to do is celebrate his life. He was a man that would take whatever was in front of him and make it better. He was in the construction trade his entire life and even after he supposedly retired he was still working. He never turned down a request for help, be it a remodeling project or just running an errand. Sometimes he would help out whether you wanted him to or not. He was particularly proud of the house he built for his daughter. He took a wreck of a building and shaped it into a lovely home. The first time I met him he sat me down to look at the before and after pictures of the construction, it was truly extraordinary. Whenever we would go around town he would point out the houses he did the masonry work, there were several on every block. As he grew older and his health declined he still ran circles around me. He always had a project going, a reason to get up in the morning and no time to be sick. He is a man I truly admire. I love you Dad and will miss you.

Cynthia Ore and Don Sherwood

This was in the Times-Leader a while back, unfortunately the link has expired:

While the Tunkhannock Republican has hardly led the conservative charge on social issues, GOP leaders in the House have come to rely upon his vote when bills pertaining to "traditional family values" come to the floor.The Christian Coalition of America, which touts itself as "the largest and most active conservative grassroots political organization in America," gives Sherwood an 84 percent rating for voting with the coalition's positions on legislative issues. The American Conservative Union rates him at 88 percent. The American Family Association gives Sherwood a perfect 100-percent rating.

As the WNEP poll showed his negatives are high. There is an old rule to politics that says an incumbant is in trouble when his disapproval number goes above 40%. In this latest sampling it's 38% with a sampling error of 4.3% so he is there. As the breakdown shows Democrats predictably disaprove of his job performance but a big worry for him is 27% of Republicans and 42% of Independents give him a thumbs down. A previous WNEP poll details his trouble:

Has this incident caused you to have a higher opinion of Congressman Sherwood? A lower opinion? Or has it not changed your opinion of him?

5%
Higher Opinion
60%
Lower Opinion
35%
No Change
1%
Not Sure

The scandal is probably driving these numbers as most people do not like hypocrites but I think it important to point out what an awful job he is doing for his district and our country. as Steve Peacock at Sherwood Watch points out he is bought and paid for by special interests:

U.S. Senate members negotiating a compromise Energy Bill (HR-6) with their House counterparts rejected a House proposal to protect the oil industry from pollution-related lawsuits and to provide that sector with billions in clean-up subsidies, the Associated Press reported Sunday evening. The House-Senate conference committee was formed this month when the House, in contrast to the Senate, insisted on pursuing the contentious subsidies and litigation relief. Rep. Don Sherwood (R-Pa.-Tunkhannock) had voted in favor of the original bill, which practically would have absolved petroleum manufacturers from legal damages related to MTBE, an gasoline additive once touted as a means of reducing pollution. The chemical has been found to have polluted drinking water in 36 states, where more than 150 lawsuits have been filed seeking to force MTBE producers to pay for clean-up costs that could total billions of dollars. Sherwood was one of dozens of House and Senate members this year who received a piece of a nearly $100,000 pie from the Petroleum Marketers Association's American/Small Business Committee. The group made a single payment of $1,000 to Friends of Sherwood on March 18.

He even supports the interest of big business over our men and women that he voted to send to war.

1. H.R. 1588, Roll Call 616, Nov 6, 2003: Sherwood voted against a motion that would have given all U.S. veterans immediate access to simultaneous disability and retirement benefits.

2. On H.R. 1815, Roll Call 221, May 25, 2005: Sherwood voted against the Taylor Amendment, which would have given military reservists access to TRICARE, the healthcare of active-duty military members.

3. H.R. 3289, Roll Call 554, Oct 17, 2003: Sherwood voted against an amendment which would have increased the pay for all U.S. service personnel by $1500 without raising taxes. The cost of the amendment was $256 million which would have been paid for by a reduction in funding for oil importation into Iraq.

4. H.R. 3289, Roll Call 547, Oct 16, 2003: Sherwood voted against an amendment by Congressman Obey of Wisconsin which would have put $3.6 billion into quality of life enhancements for U.S. military personnel. Obey’s amendment was aimed at fixing many service issues, such as only 20% of personnel having access to clean drinking water. A large number of U.S. soldiers contracted dysentery as a result of poor drinking water.

5. S 1920, House Roll Call 9, Jan 28, 2004: Sherwood voted against increased bankruptcy protections for active and former military personnel and their families.

Sherwood approval

From WNEP:

Sherwood approve/disapprove:


54%
Approve
38%
Disapprove
7% Not Sure

Progress in Iraq

From WNEP :

Family and friends gathered Wednesday to remember Specialist William Evans, 22, of Hallstead. The National Guard soldier was killed while on patrol in Iraq Monday.

"He was a driver for a Bradley fighting vehicle. They are trained to do combat operations, conduct patrols and ensure the insurgents know this is where we are and we are here to make our presence known," said Major Steven Zarnowski of the 2nd Brigade.

This is not a picture of what happened to this young man but it makes the point. Thanks to Carl at Simply Left Behind for the image.

Wi-Fi in W-B

From the Times-Leader:

Wireless Internet access allows computer users to access the Internet without connecting to a provider service through cables or telephone cords, essentially providing roaming access to the World Wide Web through the use of radio technologies over the airwaves.

Mayor Tom Leighton's city administrator, J.J. Murphy, unveiled plans at TuesdayÂ’s city council meeting to pursue both a citywide Wireless Internet plan and expanded telecommunications services in much of the city's downtown district.

"The intent of our plan . . . is to be able to offer our residents, and most importantly our emergency services, the opportunity to work in a wireless Wilkes-Barre," Murphy told council members.

He presented council with a 10-page business plan, detailing the administration's proposal to provide wireless Internet access, otherwise known as Wi-Fi, throughout the entire city limits.

This would be great if you have a laptop and carry it around all the time. I'm sure many businesses and college students would utilize this service. I've noticed that hotels that cater to business traffic promote Wi-Fi access and many airports are offering the service. But there are some hurdles to overcome before this becomes a reality.

Councilman Jim McCarthy was concerned about one portion of the proposal, which would allow the mayor to form a nonprofit corporation, called Wireless Wilkes-Barre. That corporation would own the wireless network and contract for its design, implementation, operation and maintenance.

Murphy said the nonprofit proposal is just one possibility for how the city might operate a wireless network and noted that it was modeled after a similar plan under way in Philadelphia.

"This is a draft. It's not a final proposal. ... One of the scenarios is to follow the Philadelphia model," he said.

I'm note sure that it's a good idea for a municipal government to be forming a corporation to persue what is essentially a private business. Plus there are problems with the Philadelphia model as I found out from Community Wireless:

Pennsylvania is one of the dozen or so states that has enacted a law banning such networks, unless certain requirements are met, such as the permission of the incumbent telco provider. Interestingly, Mayor Tom Leighton is gung-ho on the idea of a city-wide Wi-Fi network, and perhaps righly so, though he may be fighting an uphill battle due to the State Law.

It appears (surprise) that Verizon and Comcast lobbied the state legislature to restrict competition. I think this may be one of those projects that gets lost in the shuffle. I hope it doesn't but the Mayor is in danger of coming down with McGroarity disease. He has done a good job of stabilizing the finances of the city and has taken heat for closing a fire house because W-B doesn't have the money to operate it. The theater project and the new state office building on S Washington St. are progressing. But now he is embarking on a new transportation hub next to Public Square and has announced other projects such as building a new firehouse. A Mayor is a manager and he has to juggle many issues but an old rule to juggling is it doesn't matter how many balls you have in the air, the one that hits the ground will get all the attention.

BUSH: SADDAM MUST SHARE THE BLAME FOR KATRINA

From Andy Borowitz:

Just two days after taking responsibility for failures of the Federal government's response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush modified that position somewhat, telling reporters that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein "should share at least some of the blame" for those failures.

"When the Federal government fails to live up to its responsibilities to the American people, the finger of blame should be pointed at one person,," Mr.Bush told reporters in the White House Rose Garden. "And that person is Saddam Hussein."

Adding that "his evil knows no bounds," Mr. Bush told reporters, "Now that Saddam Hussein is in the custody of the Iraqi government, he will never threaten the United States of America with his hurricanes again."

The president also said that he was prepared to take further actions to protect the United States from hurricanes, such as invading Syria.

Elsewhere, returning to Washington after his trip to the Gulf region, Vice President Dick Cheney said that Hurricane Katrina did little or no damage to the nation's tax cuts.

Note: I don't think this is entirely accurate as Rush and Hannity have pointed out it's all Bill Clinton's fault.

The West Wing is back starting with a rerun of the last episode where Congressman Santos wins the Democratic nomination and he picks Leo to be the VP. They have moved it to Sunday nights which stinks since that conflicts with the NFL and baseball game on ESPN. I know the show has departed from reality as of late but it's still entertaining to political junkies that read sites like this. The first few seasons were great because they rarely got wrong the details of how government and politics work. The last 2 seasons they have gone into some sort of alternate universe but I'm hooked. I'm rooting for Arnie Vinnick to win the election.

Pay raise round up

A new poll shows this issue just won't go away. You can find the details in the Philadelphia Daily News:

Seventy-nine percent said legislators didn't deserve the pay hike they dealt themselves in July, and 46 percent said they're less likely to vote for a state representative who approved it.
The good news for incumbents is that nearly two-thirds don't know whether their state lawmakers voted for the raise or not. But if a challenger manages to reach voters with that message, he has an issue.

There is a web site that wants to defeat every incumbent called Operation Clean Sweep. It's mission statement:

Operation Clean Sweep is not a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Constitution or Green Party movement. It's us vs. them. The governed vs. the government. The taxpayers vs. the tax spenders.Are you outraged at the recent legislative pay raise? Are you fed up? Are you genuinely ready to make a real change in Pennsylvania? If so, this is your chance to set things straight.In 2006, all 203 members of the House of Representatives and 25 of our 50 Senators must face re-election. With your help, we can give them all a run for their money by seeking out qualified candidates - in non-partisan fashion - to challenge the incumbents in both the Primary and General elections.

It is operated by a gentleman named Russ Diamond and claims to have 23 candidates ready to challenge incumbents but has not listed their names yet. It's an ambitious but probably unrealistic goal.

A group that is really getting under the skin of the powers that be is InformedPA. They have been buying billboards and airing radio ads in the districts of the leadership of both parties attacking the pay grab. It is the brainchild of the Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania headed by Chris Lilik who operates the best website devoted to PA politics, Grassroots.com. This effort seems to have started something of a civil war in the Republican Party detailed by Madonna and Young at PoliticsPA:

These are young, conservative Republicans, among them many Internet bloggers who have gone well beyond Internet chatter to lead a full scale rebellion against those who voted for the pay hike, including the leaders of their own party. Many of these bloggers express anger and hostility at the Republican establishment, safely ensconced in the seat of power in the state capital.

The outrage is not limited to conservatives and Republicans; Kevin Shaw of PAforDemocracy has a petition on his home page to repeal the pay raise. And Keystone Politics has been covering it extensively.

I know the 2006 election is a long way from now but judging by the reaction of people I talk too and the continued coverage in the media it's not going away.

Phillies on phire

After getting swept by the Houston Astros the Phillies have won 6 of the last 8 including taking 3 of the last 4 meetings against the Braves and Marlins. They have been led by Jimmy Rollins 22 game hit streak and a couple of great starts by rookie pitchers Eude Brito and Ryan Madson. They haven't been leaving the bases loaded and the bullpen has been solid.

There is still 2 weeks to go but if they make the playoffs I like their chances. They would get the Cardinals in the first round and have beaten them in 4 of 6 games. If they survive the St. Louis series they would get the winner of Atlanta-San Diego. They have proved they can beat the Braves and swept the season series with the Padres. I know I'm getting ahead of myself and like most fans I will be happy if they just avoid a collapse and make the playoffs.

Perzel

This guy is good: From the Daily News

House Speaker John Perzel, defending the Legislature's grotesque pay grab, says he and his ilk deserve more because migrant cow milkers in Lancaster County earn up to $55,000 a year.

What state (Planet) is he living in/on?

Here is official website: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=172

Drop him a line, I'm sure he would appreciate a few people letting him know what a great job he is doing.

John Roberts

I caught a few minutes of the hearings today. He sounded reasonable. Judge's have a way of surprising you. President Eisenhower was once asked if he had ever made a mistake, he answered yes and two of them are on the Supreme Court.

Kevin Blaum

I got a mailer from Kevin Blaum a few days ago. It was full of information on how to protect yourself from idenity theft. Most of it I already knew about but one thing caught my interest was a web site to remove yourself from pre-approved offers from credit card companies. I went to the site and it was full of ads for everything but I was looking for.

The best consumer information I could get is how to protect my self from legislators who vote themselves an outrageous pay raise in the middle of the night.

Corrections to the Leonardi and Carney coverage

A couple of sharp readers pointed out some omissions from my post yesterday.

As far as Chris Carney a reader noted that The Times Trib did have a piece in the paper on Wednesday about Chris and did have a reporter at the event.

I only checked the web site and should have checked the the hard copy.

I missed a whole lot of coverage of Joe Leonardi. Casey Jones from the Times-Leader did cover the event and interviewed Mr. Leonardi extensively. He was interviewed for the Scranton Times--CitizensVoice (they also sent a photographer to his office to take photos to accompany the story) and the BerwickPress Enterprise. He sat with a reporter from the Times News (carbon county) for about 30 minutes, the event was reported in each 1/2 hour report the entire day and was invited to appear, and did appear, on SueHenry's show the following morning.

Keep me honest people and thanks to the readers who pointed out my mistakes.

Chris Carney announces for Congress-Times Shamrock and local TV ignore him

Chris Carney(D) announced he is running for the 10th congressional District seat currently held by Don Sherwood(R) and most of the local media ignored him. The Times-Leader covered the event held at the courthouse green in Montrose but there was nothing in the Citizens Voice or the Scranton Times-Tribune. I sat through the endless blather of what passes for local news on WNEP and WYOU yesterday and they didn't mention him either. You think they could fit in a few minutes between the nonstop weather updates. To be fair the Scranton Times did have a nice write up on him yesterday that I can't link to today because they don't make their archives available. And I guess to show balance the TL had an article on what a great guy Sherwood is for driving a truck load of water to Louisiana.

Maybe it's just because I'm a political junkie that I think this is big news and should a least get a mention in the local media. At least Carney got some coverage as all outlets ignored Joe Leonardi when he announced he was running against Kanjorski.

Both these candidates have a mountain to climb to get their names known.

The Cynthia Ore saga continues

From the Times-Leader:

Cynthia Ore's attorney says he now has the green light to ask police why U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood wasn't arrested after Ore called 911 last September to report she had been choked by the congressman.
"It's clear that he received preferential treatment that would not be given to a regular U.S. citizen,' said Patrick Regan, Ore's Washington attorney. "We intend, through depositions, to find out how that happened."

A coverup is alleged:

- Police say the 911 tape that includes Ore's call is indecipherable and won't release it

- A dispute over the time of the incident. The 911 call was made at 3:15 p.m., but police
listed the incident time at 1 p.m.

- Smudges on a police report that suggest the incident number has been changed.


But if there is nothing to hide why this?

Regan said he will fight hard against a motion made by (Sherwood's attorney) Burchfield that would keep documents and disclosures that are viewed by attorneys out of public view during the discovery phase.

"I don't know what he wants to hide, but we're certainly not agreeing to it,' Regan said. "It shouldn't be cloaked in secrecy.

"I'm sure the public would say, "He wants us to trust him and vote for him, but he wants this information to be sealed?"

Sherwood also wants the trial to be delayed until after the 2006 election. Why would he want it to hang around for the election? Are there salacious details that might come out? I think he is getting some very bad advice. I think he should settle the suit and get it behind him and try to limit the damage.

Compassionate conservative

Rick Santorum said this today:

I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.

Thanks to vmsnews for the video and The Raw Story for pointing me there.

What are you going to do to them Rick? Fill their houses with water?

This guy keeps shooting off his mouth and makes Casey's job easier. I remember when he was first elected and voted against flood relief when the Mississippi jumped it's banks. I lived through the Agnes flood and have never forgiven him for that.

Spiro Agnew

In the interest of giving people of opposing viewpoints a forum I welcome a post from Spiro and I hope anyone with an opposing view will contact me.

Katrina, Katrina, Katrina. Let's get back to what is important. The Death tax has not been repealed. It will kill our family farms and most family businesses will go bankrupt. I don't care what these Liberals say:

And though the ad focuses on family farms and businesses, the truth is that very few actually pay the estate tax. The Tax Policy Center projects that roughly 440 taxable estates were primarily made up of farm and business assets in 2004.

There are many needs in this country but tax relief has to be at the top of the list. The threat to our country by taxing inherited wealth is a threat to the American dream. Why should you have to work if your dad made it in life? Do you know that someone who makes a few hundred dollars from the stock market in dividends and capitol gains pays the same rate as a patriotic investor who risks his capitol and reaps millions from his endeavors? It's outrageous!

We need more tax Cuts!

Hurricane

Mike at the Barkingmoose said it better than I can.

Earlier this week, I sat in my air-conditioned office and objected to anyone trying to politicize this tragedy. I didn't think any distinction should be made between fundraising efforts from conservative or liberal blogs. This is a national tragedy, after all, and there is no room for political ideology at a time like this.
I was wrong. You can't stop a hurricane, but you can plan for it. You can spend the money on building up the levees instead of spending it on tax cuts for the wealthy. You can have the National Guard troops ready to help their neighbors instead of fighting a bogus war in Iraq. You can make sure that the directors of agencies like FEMA and Homeland Security are competent and prepared instead of political hacks who are more interested in ass-covering than saving lives.
This is what politics is for. This is what government is for. This is why we choose leaders. And anyone who has defended Bush and his administration, his lies to send us to war, his gutting of domestic budgets, his disinterest in the plight of working-class people in this country even before a disaster like this hit, anyone who apologizes for his inability to act and his cavalier attitude even in the middle of this catastrophe, this is one more failure you share responsibility for. After all of this, is there really anyone who can still defend this man?

Read the rest here.

Katrina

What in the world is going on? The federal government has been planning for a major disaster since 9/11 and we got hit with one. Unlike a terrorist attack there was a few days warning of the hurricane hitting. Maybe it was just complacency "Yeah here comes another one, we will get through it like all the others." This is the worst situation in our country in my memory. If nothing else we expect the government to respond to a crisis in a competent and efficient manor in a chaotic situation. Mr. Bush's reaction has not been encouraging. From the NYT:

Mr. Bush's arrival coincided with long-awaited deliveries of aid to the flood zone. But the president did not interact much with storm victims, and at one site, a Salvation Army truck in Mississippi, those he did see had first been screened by Secret Service agents with metal detectors.
Mr. Bush flew back to Washington from New Orleans without paying a visit to the chaotic makeshift trauma center set up in one terminal at the airport, where many patients evacuated from the city's hospitals were dying before they could be airlifted to other cities.

It's not like no one had seen this coming. In an interview with the former Commander of the Army Corps of Engineers today on MSNTV and he said the flood protection plan for New Orleans was drawn up in 1965 and was supposed to be completed by 1975. As of today it was still not completed. He blamed every administration and congress for not funding the project and he is right.

What happens when we get hit with a terrorist attack with no warning?

I got this Kevin Blaum the other day. For the most part it told me things I already knew. The one thing that interested me was a web site that the mailer said would get you off the pre-approved list that would stop all the credit card offers. When I went on it it was full of Ads for all sort other stuff. It was usual politcal garbage as usual. The best consumer info I can use is how to keep legislators from voting themselves a pay raise in the middle of the night.

Sherwood to settle

So Don "Stroke'em and Choke'em" Sherwood wants to settle the lawsuit brought by his plaything Cynthia Ore. She alleges she was U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood's lover and is seeking $5.5 million in damages for what she alleges were repeated beatings that seriously injured her physically and emotionally during their five-year "close romantic and intimate personal relationship."

You can read more at the Times-Tribune special coverage including the details of the lawsuit.

Another great resource is Sherwood Watch published by Steve Peacock.

He obviously wants to get this behind him. In his defense this does sound like extortion. He's a rich prominent man who made a mistake. However he is a public figure and lines up with the family values crowd who wants to tell the rest of us how to live our lives. It is always entertaining to see a hypocrite twisting in the wind.

Skrep is out

From the CV:

Greg Skrepenak has opted not to tackle a run for Congress, but hasn't ruled it out as a possible goal down the road.The Luzerne County commissioner chairman, who previously considered going after the seat of U.S. Rep Don Sherwood in the 10th Congressional District, wrote to the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Tuesday that he changed his mind.

It seems my friend Bill Fitz efforts at Stop Skrep paid off. I' sure the Chris Carney campaign looks on this as good news. I'm not so sure. A contested primary would help increase the name recognition of the eventual winner. As long as they did not tear each other apart and focused on bashing Sherwood it would have been a plus. I know the down side is they would have to spend money that they would rather use in the general election. A primary would show that people think Sherwood is vulnerable and want to take him on. I haven't seen any polling on Sherwood lately but his negatives have to be up there.

Local blogger Dr. Rick over at The American Check-Up talks about Skrep's Blind Ambition. Sure he is ambitious and should be. Most people I know that are interested in politics would love to be President. I always worry about the politician that wants to be a councilman forever and not move up. If you aspire to higher office you need to keep your nose clean and do a good job in the one you have. Unfortunately Skrep and Vondy have not done a good job.

I like this guy

He comes across as a Barry Goldwater conservative. Hold up your hand and say stop. I probably would not vote for him but I respect his views. He is not trying to shove religion down your throat as many Republicans are set on doing. A long time ago I voted for Peg Luisik for Governor. She did well, if I remember she got abou13 % against Singel and Ridge. Her issue was abortion but she had a good grasp of everything else that was going on in the state government. The thing that sold me was she was on with Fred Williams one day and she made more sense than any politician I have ever heard. We missed our chance; she would have been a great Governor.

Jim Panyard says he is clear-eyed about the state of affairs in Pennsylvania and the country, and he doesn't like what he sees."The answer to each and every problem is more money and more programs," said Panyard, who retired yesterday as president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association."And never are the programs eliminated. You got to have somebody put the brakes on. I think government's role is to preserve and protect, not to control and confiscate."

Thanks to Grassroots for the info.

Everything is free

Everything is free. We don’t need more taxes to pay for the cost of the war. We don’t need more young people to sign up for the army. We don’t have to cut down on our gas consumption. Everything can go on as at it has always.

Earpiece

Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

Read the whole story here. I have to get me some of those. Every time the guy speaks he makes my teeth hurt. Thanks to Liz over at Blondesense for pointing this out.

Spam

The site has been getting allot of spam the last week or so. The host program Blogger suggested adding word verification for comments as way to block the automated junk. I added it to the comments section and we will see if it makes a difference. It's a little clumsy and adds a step but it will hopefully stop the spam. Let me know what you think.

Update on Chris Carney for Congress

I received an email from Chris Carney while I was away stating he will announce his candidacy for U.S. Congress on September 7, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. on the courthouse green in Montrose, Pa. His website, Carney for Congress, has been updated with his bio, pictures of his family and positions on the issues. He has a national security background, is a Naval Reserve officer and college professor. His web site has a professional look and hopefully he can raise the money to get his name out. I checked the DCCC website but a search for info on him came up empty. All candidates have to file quarterly financial reports with the FEC and the next one is due September 30. That will give an indication if he is attracting the financial support he will need. I can't make it to Montrose on Wednesday but I hope the local media cover the event. Unlike ignoring Joe Leonardi's announcement. I talked with Joe after his announcement and he told me his next event was in Carbon County, but I didn't see anything in the papers about it. Hopefully he will get a website up to keep us informed of his activities.

I just want to say good luck to both these gentlemen. It takes courage to run for office especially against longtime incumbents. But it is great to have serious candidates in both these races, no one should be unopposed for reelection.

Pay raise

For six Pennsylvania senators, the Legislature's decision to circumvent the state constitution and allow members to cash in early on a big pay raise will mean an extra $100,000 or more in their pockets.

How does it feel to be raped? Fortunately I have not had that experience. What is going on is the financial equivalent. These people (I'm really trying to avoid bad language, but it is hard.) raised their salaries by 20 to 50 thousand dollars. I think every member from Luzerne County voted for the increase. They cut Medicaid and borrowed millions more for the Growing Greener ballot question. I usaully vote for challengers and this will make it easier.

Emergency room

The health care crisis continues in America .We are the richest country on earth and we can’t figure out how to take care of our people when they get sick? Why on earth would the law provide that your house be seized because you have to go in a nursing home? Why are people forced to go to the emergency room when a family doctor could take of the problem? Our health care system needs to change; it can’t happen in one or two years.
But we have to get to a system where we take care of everyone.

Phillies tie Houston in Wild Card race

Who are these guys and what have they done with the Phillies. Here is a recap by Marcus Hayes:

WHEN THE Phillies designed this team, this is how they envisioned wins coming against National League East foes: Veteran starter pitches well enough, top of the order gets on base, the 3-4-5 hitters drive them in once or twice, then the back of the bullpen shuts things down.
That's pretty much what happened in last night's 4-3 win over the Nationals, the game that, for the moment, has the Phillies tied atop the National League wild-card race.

Things are looking good but I have been following this team long enough not to get too excited. Two years ago I bought tickets for a playoff game when it looked like they would make it and got burned. Everyone talks about the Red Sox and Cubs not winning it all for so many years but remember the Phillies have only one World Series win in 120 years. They are playing well now but there is plenty of time for a collapse leaving the fans out in the cold once again.

Gold star mothers

Sherwood Baker's mom takes part in Texas anti-war protest

Celeste Zappala always believed her son Sherwood Baker was headed for great things.But he never made it past age 30. On April 26, 2004, the sergeant with the 109th Field Artillery was killed by an explosion in Baghdad, leaving a wife and then-9-year-old son behind in Plymouth Borough.

In the aftermath of her son's death, Zappala became friends with another "Gold Star" mother, Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., whose 24-year-old son Casey was killed in action in Iraq just 22 days before Baker.

The Bush administration never clearly articulated its reasons for the war, which is costing $1 billion a week, Zappala said."I think they have absolutely no idea what they're going," she said. "I think we're getting to the point where normal, reasonable people are starting to see that. "The war has to stop. We don't want anyone else killed. We're here to support the troops, to bring them home now, alive. ... My little piece in all this was to say, "We've got to tell the truth."

These moms are making a powerful statement and whatever your view of the war you have to admire their tenacity. On the local front there will be a Vigil for Cindy Sheehan on Public Square tonight at 7:30PM sponsored by a group called Bring Them Home.

Good food

This is the first time I have figured out how to put an image on the blog. It took about an hour before I got it to work. It's great having a new computer with a lot of bells and whistles, I just need a kid to show me how it all works.

I remember a few years back when people got excited about an Olive Garden opening at the Wyoming Valley Mall. My reaction was so what. There are many great Italian restaurants in the area. If you live in Pittston or Old Forge you can drown in tomato sauce. I try to avoid chains but they are convenient. Every town in America looks the same with it's burger row and Holiday Inn and Seven-Eleven, etc.

That what makes Dan's Keystone Grill so great. The owners Dan and Mary greet you by name and ask about your life, your a customer and a friend. And the food will knock your socks off. My favorite is the prime rib. I like it mooing and bleeding and it always comes out perfect just as I ordered, hot and red. Mrs. Gort is very fond of the veal because it has the wine flavor and the alcohol is burned off. He is a great chef.

My point is shop local, we have many family owned businesses that blow the chains out of the water

Spam

I do not like spam on my net
I do not like spam with a pet
I do not like spam on my blog
I do not like spam on a log
I do not like spam in my house
I do not like spam near my mouse
I do not like spam on my web
I do not like spam I have said
I do not like spam in my mail
I'd like to stick your head in a pail
I do not like spam that I know
Your spam just really really blows
You spamers really get me mad
You must be very very sad
You really waste my daily time
I'd rather sit and watch a mime
I'd like to choke you nice and slow
Because your spam just really blows
Keep your spam away from me
Or very unhappy I will be
You do not want to get me mad
Or you'll be very very sad
Please just keep me off your site
And we can both have a good night!

Auntie Spam

As the Eagles turn

The soap opera that is the Philadelphia Eagles continues at Lehigh University. A summery:

TO is in the time out chair

Westbrook ended his hold out and wants a long term deal

Jerome McDougal is recovering from a gunshot wound

Corey Simon's picture is appearing on milk cartons

And Andy Reid is on the Atkins Diet

"I will not be a sacrificial lamb"

So declared Joe Leonardi as he announced his intention to challenge Paul Kanjorski for the 11th Congressional District. He spoke to a crowd of about 70 friends, family and supporters at the Convention Hall in Pittston Wednesday night. The event was attended by a few high profile local Republicans such as Prothonatary candidate Carolee Medico-Olenginski, W-B Area school board nominee Lynn Evans and activist Christine Katsock. Also attending were state committeeman Bill Lewis and county Young Republican chairman Ben Tilly. Plymouth council candidate Shelley Davis also said hello. It was disappointing none of the local media attended. But the alternative media was there. Myself and Bill Fitzpatrick of My Take covered the event.

He started by lamenting the fact that too many young people leave the area because of a lack of good opportunities. And later outlined a plan to contact 100 businesses in his first hundred days in office to show them the attractions of the area and try to convince them to set up shop here.

He then recounted the fact that he is a son of an immigrant and feels illegal immigration is a serious threat to the country. He touched on a few subjects that are not a direct responsibility of a Congressman such as setting up regional police forces and finding a better way to fund education.

Of course he took a few swipes. He was very adamant that the proposed inflatable dam is a bad idea and to make things happen you have to do more than believe.

He closed with a pledge on ethics. He promised never to hire a relative or steer a federal contract to a family member. He also vowed transparency, pledging to be open to the media and having regular town hall meetings.

He is just getting started and needs to add some detail to his positions. It was interesting what he didn't talk about. He never mentioned abortion, gay marriage or any other hot button social issue.

But we all know it all comes down to money. Kanjorski can raise $2 million dollars if needed. I talked with him after the speech and he said he had only talked with the NRCC once. If he can raise a decent amount of money such as $100,000 in the next quarter they may take notice of him.

Good luck Joe.

Block Party

16TH ANNUAL THOMPSON STREET BLOCK PARTY SATURDAY, AUGUST 13--4 PM

I know many of you who read this site also visit Mark Cour's site Wilkes-Barre Online.

Mark and his neighbors are having their annual shindig this Saturday and I am planning to attend and hope to see a few friendly faces. Thompson Street is off Penn Ave near Butler Street in the north end of W-B. If you need directions please email me or Mark at zorcong@aol.com. Or you can use Google Maps.

Also tonight at 6PM Joseph Leonardi will be announce his candidacy for the 11 th district tonight at the Convention Hall in Pittston. I think I will go and listen to what he has to say.

Cindy

Starting today, Gold Star families from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arkansas and other states whose loved ones have died as a result of the war in Iraq will be joining one of their members, Cindy Sheehan, at the protest. Ms. Sheehan, whose son Army Specialist Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004, has been in Crawford since August 5th, demanding a meeting with the President. These families will be joined by military families with loved ones currently serving in Iraq or about to deploy or redeploy to Iraq. All of these families are coming to Crawford, Texas to share their stories about the personal costs of the war in Iraq and add their voices to the call for a meeting with President Bush.


In the early afternoon, we got word that if we were still there by Thursday, we were going to be deemed a "security threat" to the president. Condi and Rummy are coming in on Thursday for a "policy" meeting. I just don't understand why we will be a security threat on Thursday when we aren't now? If we don't leave on Thursday, we will be arrested. Well, I am not leaving. There are only three things that would make me leave: if George comes out and talks to me; if August comes to an end, or if I am arrested."

Go talk to her George.

GOP candidate to run against Kanjorski

From the Times-Tribune:

An area chiropractor hopes to challenge U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, in next year's election. Joseph Leonardi, 40, a Republican who lives in Dupont and has an office in Kingston, will officially announce his candidacy for Congress on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Convention Hall in Pittston Township.

I don't know what his financial situation is like or if he has national backing. I checked the
NRCC web site and they have nothing on him. He is going to need a ton of money to be competitive. He stated one reason for running:

I decided to run because I looked at the decline in the area in the last 10 to 20 years, and I don't think the job is being done. I want to change it," Mr. Leonardi said. Mr. Leonardi pledged to be a "representative for our area" in encouraging investment here. He does not support the inflatable dam project on the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre that Mr. Kanjorski proposed."The way a river cleans itself is by moving. Damming up a polluted river at the source makes no sense whatsoever to me," Mr. Leonardi said. "We don't have a clean portion of the river."

I'm sure he will outline more tonight.

Rumors

I have been hearing all sorts of stuff about different subjects. Her are a few. If anyone can enlighten me I would appreciate it.

About the Pocono Downs area:

I got it from a pretty good source that East main St. is going to be re-vamped into a multi lane hwy. And that eminent domain is going to be enforced resulting in the razing of the Chicken coupe, Eddies diner, etc.

Local politics:

Expect an announcement by Wed at the latest of a GOP challenger to Kanjorski
Not Mayor Lou, Some Doctor Guy but not Madera who is running for Lemond's seat.

If anyone has heard any other good ones, please email me or leave them in the comments.

Jury duty

I recently received a notice that I may be called for jury duty. I hope if I have to serve I get a case as interesting as some of these.

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.


ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.


ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?


ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh....

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Carney for Congress

Chris Carney,of Susquehanna County, has been considering a run for the 10th district seat held by Don Sherwood. He is a political science professor at Penn State-Worthington and does some work for the Department of Defense. It looks like he has taken a step closer to entering the race by establishing a website. Check out Chris Carney for Congress. So far it is just an email registration but I hope he adds some content in the near future.

Phils do nothing

The title of this post sums up the season so far. The trade deadline came and went and Ed Wade was unwilling to pull the trigger for a starting pitcher. The good news is they didn't do anything stupid like trading Billy Wagner. Not that he gets allot of work. I think he has closed only 4 games in the last 2 weeks.

Rich Hofmann in the Daily News sums it up best:

There is nothing that Ed Wade could have done before the expiration of yesterday's trade deadline that would have been applauded back home. Such are the current realities. Of all his available options, though, Wade has chosen the gutsiest for him personally. For now, he has chosen to do nothing.

They wanted a starter, and Wade acknowledged as much. Part of the problem is figuring out whom the new guy might replace, because most of the current starters have taken turns going through horrendous stretches - Cory Lidle in his last four starts, Vicente Padilla before that, and on and on. That leaves the tricky question of whether you would remove Robinson Tejeda and his 2.95 ERA from the rotation, just because he is inexperienced, and replace him with somebody else's problem - a middling veteran having a middling season. Because that was the marketplace. Do you really want to add a so-so starter, and how much are you willing to subtract from your bullpen to get him?

Of course they can still make a trade like the one for Corey Lidle last year. Very few teams block a waiver trade. The only teams that do it regularly are the Yankees and the Red sox. But that is just another part of their never ending war.

Slots

The more I hear about the new slots at Pocono Downs the less I like it. From today's Times-Leader:

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has plans to transform an oversized parking lot at Pocono Downs into a gleaming new casino with thousands of slot machines.
And while they have said they'd like the "Racino" to be a regional draw pulling from as far north as Binghamton, N.Y., and as far south as Allentown, they're focusing on the facility as a primarily local casino.

That translates into millions of dollars being siphoned from the local economy each year, according to William Thompson, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas professor who prepared a report on potential state revenue from slots for Gov. Ed Rendell in 2003.

I have talked to many people who go to Atlantic City on a regular basis to play the machines. Only one has told me they plan to go to Pocono Downs when the slots are installed. Most people enjoy the trip to New Jersey. If you take the bus the casino gives you your money back. Plus there allot of other things to do such as the boardwalk and big name entertainment.

Even considering the property tax relief funded by statewide casino revenues and the casino-sponsored subsidies to the counties and municipalities that host the facilities, the endeavor could still be a loss to the Wyoming Valley's economy, Thompson said.
"It's a loser for you economically," he said.

Thompson, who expects gamblers to be 95 percent local at the Plains Township casino, contends there is no way the casino can be a winner for the local population.

If the facility doesn't attract people from out of the area the expected development along Rte. 315 and Fox Hill road will not amount to much more than another gas station and a fast food joint. There is rumor a hotel is going to be built at the intersection next to the bank but I haven't seen anything in the papers or talked to anyone with first hand knowledge of the project.

And there may be a daily drain on the economy as well.

Mohegan officials have said they expect thousands of gamblers to lose as much as $300,000 at the slots every day.

And most of that money will be coming out of local gambler's pockets.

So local property and some school taxes will be voluntary if enough people go there. BIG IF. Right from the start I doubted slot machines would generate as much money as hoped for. I hope I'm wrong and the Racino generates significant out of town traffic and the expected revenue. But the more I read and hear about it discourages me. On the plus side if all the seniors are playing slots I won't have to stand in line behind some geezer buying $100 worth of Daily Numbers when I want a lottery ticket.

Serious challenge to Kanjo?

From the TL:

As Democrats scout U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood's district to determine whether they have a legitimate shot at toppling the Tunkhannock Republican, the GOP says it may target Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski next year.

I hope they find a serious challenger to take him on. It is not healthy for the country to have all these "safe seats." The founding fathers intention was for the House of Representativess reflect the will of people every 2 years.

Of course there is an element of payback here.

The interest comes at the same time Democrats have been talking about trying to defeat Sherwood, a married family-values congressman who has become embroiled in an extra-marital affair and lawsuit involving a 29-year-old woman.
Kanjorski has not had a Republican opponent since 2002, when Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta ran unsuccessfully for the seat, losing 56 percent to 42 percent. Despite the loss, political insiders said Barletta made a valiant effort and came closer to knocking off Kanjorski than anyone else.

Mayor Lou is an attractive candidate that has good name recognition in the district. He seems to have done a good job running Hazleton. I'm sure he has some local detractors but who doesn't? But it will all come down to money.

The 2002 showdown between Barletta and Kanjorski became the most expensive congressional race in the district's history. Kanjorski spent $1.1 million to hold onto his seat, while Barletta spent about $500,000, and special interest groups poured in an additional $900,000 running issue ads.

If Barletta doesn't want to run I hope they find another strong candidate to give it a shot. The same in the 10th District. I hope Skrep or Chris Carney takes on Sherwood. I know it is very difficult to beat a long time incumbent but it's worth a try. You never know when something that will affect the race will come out of the blue. Just ask Don Sherwood.

Joke roundup

I decided to devote one day a week to political jokes. If you have any, leave them in the comments or email me and I will post it. They can be original or borrowed.

Heaven's New Policy!

It was getting a little crowded in Heaven, so God decided to change the admittance policy. The new law was that in order to get into Heaven, you had to have a really bummer day on the day that you died. The policy would go into effect at noon the next day. So, the next day at 12:01 the first person came to the gates of Heaven. The Angel at the gate, remembering the new policy, promptly asked the man, "Before I let you in, I need you to tell me how your day was going when you died." "No problem," the man said. I came home to my 25th-floor apartment on my lunch hour and caught my wife having an affair. But her lover was nowhere in sight. I immediately began searching for him. My wife was half naked and yelling at me as I searched the entire apartment. Just as I was about to give up, I happened to glance out onto the balcony and noticed that there was a man hanging off the edge by his fingertips! The nerve of that guy! Well, I ran out onto the balcony and stomped on his fingers until he fell to the ground. But wouldn't you know it, he landed in some trees and bushes that broke his fall and he didn't die. This ticked me off even more. In a rage, I went back inside to get the first thing I could get my hands on to throw at him. Oddly enough, the first thing I thought of was the refrigerator. I unplugged it, pushed it out onto the balcony, and tipped it over the side. It plummeted 25 stories and crushed him! The excitement of the moment was so great that I had a heart attack and died almost instantly." The Angel sat back and thought a moment. Technically, the guy did have a bad day. It was a crime of passion. So, the Angel announced, "OK sir. Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven," and let him in.

A few seconds later the next guy came up. To the Angel's surprise, it was Donald Trump. "Mr. .. Trump, before I can let you in, I need to hear about what your day was like when you died." Trump said, "No problem. But you're not going to believe this. I was on the balcony of my 26th floor apartment doing my daily exercises. I had been under a lot of pressure so I was really pushing hard to relieve my stress. I guess I got a little carried away, slipped, and accidentally fell over the side! Luckily, I as able to catch myself by the fingertips on the balcony below mine. But all of a sudden this crazy man comes running out of his apartment, starts cussing, and stomps on my fingers. Well, of course I fell. I hit some trees and bushes at the bottom, which broke my fall, so I didn't die right away. As I'm laying there face up on the ground, unable to move and in excruciating pain, I see this guy push his refrigerator of all things off the balcony. It falls the 25 floors and lands on top of me, killing me instantly." The Angel is quietly laughing to himself as Trump finishes his story. "I could get used to this new policy," he thinks to himself. "Very well," the Angel announces. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven," and he lets Trump enter.

A few seconds later, Bill Clinton comes up to the gate. The Angel is almost too shocked to speak. Thoughts of assassination and war pour through the Angel's head. Finally he says "Mr. ... President, please tell me what it was like the day you died." Clinton says, "OK, picture this. I'm naked inside a refrigerator.

The ghost of Gorby

Once in a while my old dog Gorby speaks to me in a dream. He was my best friend for 12 years and I miss his insight on current events.


Well Gort I'm up here in dog heaven having a good time with my harem of Chelsea, Sandy and Sable. I kept an eye on the neighborhood while you were away and noticed a few things. Why did they change the shape of the dental floss containers? I know this has to bug you since we were both raised on a floss farm. I miss the days when we would raise the floss, wax it down and put it in a little white box that was sold uptown. That drunken monkey is running around the neighborhood again. Make sure you lock up the rum so we don't have repeat of what happened last time. Please keep him away from a typewriter. The last time a bunch of drunken monkeys got a hold of one they wrote a script for a Ben Afleck movie. The world suffered for that. How about that guy that wants dogs to wear seatbelts? Some village is missing a perfectly good idiot. All the pets are up in paws about this. Our neighbor Fritz made a good point. He is a retired Seeing Eye dog living on a small pension from the Lions Club. He didn't know where he would get the money to pay for it. He can't cut expenses anymore since he is already eating dog food. Tell Mrs. Gort that Lucky is his troublemaking self and let Social Butterfly know that Tyler ate my remote. I have to go now. I'm off to Spike's Chomp and Drool Tiki Bar. Sable is bartending tonight. She is truly a real bitch but she makes a great Alpo Daiquiri. And Chelsea looks hot in her new collar. She is such a fashion plate. I don't know where she gets the Milkbones to pay for it all. And some of the things she does when wearing her new rain coat is perverted.

Committee meeting

Blogging will be suspended while I'm on vacation for the next 10 days. Pope George Ringo has offered all who can attend an invitation to the meeting of the Saturday Overtime Committee and Operatic Society. We gather on Saturday around 4:30PM at Dougherty's Pub, 1287 N Washington St, Wilkes-Barre. It has just changed ownership and will be known as Mark's Place. All are welcome to attend and a have refreshment or six. Drop by and help solve all the world's problems.

My Dog opposes this legislation.

It is bad enough that Rover has to have shots, a license and be on a leash in public.

Now this:

Proposal could put seat belts on dogs

The bill, submitted to the Transportation Committee in June, would make it illegal for drivers to let their pets stick their heads or other body parts out the window. It also would require pets to be restrained by methods that could include a pet seat-belt system, or a crate or carrier box.

Are these guys drinking water right out the Susquehanna? Do they live to close to 3 Mile Island and feel the effects of the radiation?

I conducted a poll of the local dog population to get their reaction. Spot said it would cause him a financial hardship and he may have to choose between a seat belt and Alpo. Rusty was very upset. He said "How many snausages is this going to cost me? Tell me where he lives and I will leave a present in his yard." My own dog was very cynical and pointed out that they worry about stuff like this but do nothing to establish a National Vet Care Program. He also wants some politician to guarantee a Milkbone in every supper dish. The ankle biter across the street had a typical comment, yap yap yap yap, etc. I also consulted the cat. He told me to buzz off because he was taking a nap.

Babe-Elvis Day

Why don't we have more summer holidays? Memorial Day starts the summer and Labor Day ends it. The only mid summer holiday is Independence Day. We have 6 holidays between November and February. Why couldn't Washington, Lincoln and MLK Jr been born in the summer? And they certainly could have called off World War I a few months earlier. We need a holiday in August. I propose August 16. That is the day both Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley died.
They are two of the biggest American cultural icons and it would be fitting to honor them.

Heartbreaking

HARRISBURG-- Senate Democratic leader Robert Mellow isn't shy about pushing for a $10,000 raise for state legislators -- to take their pay up to $80,000 a year.
"A pay raise is warranted," he said yesterday. "People work very hard in this job. I work a full day Saturdays and a half day many Sundays. It's a seven-day-a-week job at this point. And we haven't had an actual pay raise since 1995."
Legislators currently earn $69,700 a year, up from $66,000 last year. They got a two-year cost of living adjustment in December, based on the rate of inflation in Philadelphia.

My first reaction when I read this was I thought he sounds like Terrel Owens when he was crying he didn't make enough to feed his family. I work on weekends too and I don't make what they make. I'm going to ask my boss if we can have a vote of the employees to give ourselves a raise.

But then someone pointing some things that melted my heart. The story of these people living in such appalling conditions right in my own back yard brought a tear to my eye. I will never look at Harrisburg the same way again.

The Halls of the Harrisburg Capitol Building. It is the worst alley in the worst slum in the poorest corner of this depressed state. Street-urchin style interns and staffers line the sides of the hall. Too undernourished and weak to move, they can only look on. No one is smiling. A fat, jovial man who resembles Santa Claus in khaki shorts walks through the crippling poverty, holding a middle-aged man in a $900 suit.

Read the rest at Don't Panic.

There is no crying in baseball

Is nothing sacred? Does politics have to get in the way of everything?


Major League Baseball hasn't narrowed the list of the eight bidders seeking to buy the Washington Nationals and some Republicans on Capitol Hill already are hinting at revoking the league's antitrust exemption if billionaire financier George Soros , an ardent critic of President Bush and supporter of liberal causes, buys the team.
"It's not necessarily smart business sense to have anybody who is so polarizing in the political world," Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-N.Y.) said. "That goes for anybody, but especially as it relates to Major League Baseball because it's one of the few businesses that get incredibly special treatment from Congress and the federal government."

Rep. Tom M. Davis III (R-Va.), who was a strong supporter of bringing a baseball team to Virginia, told Roll Call yesterday that "Major League Baseball understands the stakes" if Soros buys the team. "I don't think they want to get involved in a political fight.

Tom Davis is the same clown who called the hearings on steroids. Do these guys have too much time on their hands? They are worried about steroids, who owns a baseball team and flag burning. Mr. Davis, how many people died in Iraq today? What have you done to reduce the national debt?

I don't agree with allot of George Soros agenda, but he is a good businessman. If he buys the team I'm sure he will do everything he can to make it a success. This really pisses me off. Get the government off my back, out of my bedroom, my library books and my favorite game.

Sharks are circling

It seems all the pols smell Don Sherwood's blood in the water. I think he probably could survive this thing if he settles the lawsuit. He would take some heat if he did, but by the election it would be old news. Of course it is entertaining to have someone who talks family values exposed as a hypocrite. If this does drag on and his poll numbers start going south I'm sure the powers that be will twist his arm to retire. At least one Republican is saying he will run if Sherwood steps down.

From the Times-Leader:

Jerry Birmelin, an 11-term state representative from Wayne County, said Wednesday he'll run if Sherwood does not seek a fifth term.
"I'd run only if Congressman Sherwood decides to resign or does not run'" said Birmelin. The 56-year-old chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee and a leader of the Pro-Life Caucus in the General Assembly, Birmelin proposed unsuccessful amendments last year that would have barred homosexuals from adopting children and prohibited the state from offering same-sex benefits to its employees.

I know Jerry from when I lived in Honesdale. He was very good at constituent service but he was mostly a one issue candidate.

The Democrats have two people testing the waters. Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepnak and Susquehanna county political science professor Christopher Carney are both interested. According to the TL:

He has never before run for political office, but Carney said he believes he can win against Sherwood now that the four-term congressman is embroiled in a $5.5 million lawsuit brought by 29-year-old Cynthia Ore, who alleges Sherwood repeatedly beat her during a five-year relationship.
"There seem to be some cracks in Mr. Sherwood's armor now,” Carney said, adding that he would not make Ore's allegations a central theme in his campaign. "This is about judgment. What kind of judgment does this man really have?
"But that is not the focus of this campaign. This campaign is about issues."


I love the quote about issues. I think the only issue is the proper technique of giving a neck massage. Being unknown he would have a hard time raising the money to challenge Sherwood. Any serious Democrat is going to have to spend $2 million or more to win.

Then there is Skrep. I think he has the star power and name recognition to mount a serious challenge. Too bad he hasn't done a very good job as commissioner. And I'm sure the GOP will make an issue of his wife's drug use. As a friend pointed out:

The district is gerrymandered conservative--only a Skrepenak could break the party hold because voters in this area don't read too many papers and are apt to be star struck. The only chance that the democrats have of taking the seat is to front a personality--some liberal think tank guy won't win that district.

Act 72

The idea of using slot machine proceeds to fund education is full of holes. They are giving school districts a new taxing authority with promise that the gambling revenue may reduce property taxes a few years from now.

From the Times-Leader:

Northwest Area finance committee Chairman Randy Tomasacci said he has concerns whether the program could generate the expected $1 billion in tax relief, but he voted yes anyway because he thinks there will be at least some form of property tax relief.

However, the district will have to raise the earned income tax by 0.1 percent to opt in to the program once the gambling money is made available.


The law also provides for a voter referendum to raise taxes in the future But:

The law limits how much a school district can raise taxes without voter approval, but there are multiple exceptions that could allow a school district to avoid a referendum. The amount of debt comes into play in the complicated formulas.

And I love this quote:

Wilkes-Barre Area Board member Charles Luce said he agreed with Corcoran, and pointed out the law is "of no benefit to education" because it provides no extra money. He said it would have been better if the state used the money to pay for numerous "unfunded mandates"that are draining school budgets and pushing property taxes up. Still, he said, he voted for it to give tax relief to area residents.

If you don't think it's a good law, why vote for it?

Clueless

What a way to lose a ballgame. Bret Myers is pitching a shutout and actually warms up in the 8th inning. Then Cholly takes him out! Unless he's hurt or something leave him in and go for the shutout. Of course the bullpen then blows the lead with Wagner one out away from ending the game giving up a dinger. On Monday night he sits Thome because Dontrell Willis has struck him out 10 times. But in the 7th he sends in Thome to pinch hit against Willis who of course struck him out. These are only latest of the bonehead moves this guy has made. Maybe Bowa hurt the feelings of all these sensitive millionaires, but he could manage a game.

Democratic Leader

“There's obviously bad blood out there. There’s no mandate for Dotty with the number of votes she got. She and certain other people have been a cancer within the organization,” Mazur said.

What a way for the county chairman to support the party nominee.


Despite his disappointment over Stankovic’s win, Mazur was gleeful over Flood’s loss. “Those 20,000 people didn’t come out because of Joe Mazur or the Democratic Party. A lot of them came out because they were against Steve Flood. If he thinks everything he was doing people agreed with, well they didn’t.”

Boy this is fun. Flood rocked the boat so he had to go. The whole party establishment was behind Petrilla. She spent over $130,000, Flood next to nothing. This is classic example of negative advertising that works. Of course Flood could have spent more. In fact his campaign was almost invisible. Except for a few yard signs I didn't see much of anything. If you want to win an election never take your opponent for granted. And if someone makes a negative accusation and you don't respond, the perception is that it is true.

Around the Neighborhood

Marc has a great post about the great Public Square bicycle debate.

Bill Fitz explains the challenges of opening a business in Wilkes-Barre.

Steve is keeping an eye on Don Sherwood.

Alex, Chris and everybody in the blogosphere is commenting on the Santorum Nazi remark.

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.