Santorum and U2

Senator Rick Santorum is holding a $1000 a head fundraiser during the upcoming U2 concert in Philadelphia. It was originally reported in a way to suggest that Bono supported him. Carl at Simply Left Behind has a good play by play:

Yesterday, Rick Santorum's office issued a press release disguised as a story in Newsmax.com.

On Sunday, October 16, a unique political event will take place. At a concert of the legendary rock group U2, Senator Rick Santorum will hold a fund-raising event for one night only. (emphasis added).

U2 front man Bono is no stranger to Washington, D.C. He has come often to the nation's capital to network with politicians on behalf of his many causes. Santorum met Bono earlier this year, having been introduced by John Kasich, the former congressman from Ohio and host of Fox News Channel's "Heartland."

Naturally, Bono and the organization this tour is supporting, DATA, were quick to issue an embarrassing response...
"It is not uncommon for politicians, from both parties, to organize events at all kinds of music concerts and other entertainment events. If any political fundraising events take place at a U2 concert, it is without the involvement or knowledge of Data, U2 or Bono. U2 concerts are categorically not fundraisers for any politician - they are rock concerts for U2 fans."

CapitolBuzz sums it up:

NewsMax's misleading story that U2's Bono is raising money for Santorum is particularly interesting since in his book, It Takes A Family, Santorum describes Bono as satanic and ties U2 to the liberal view of society that Senator Rick hates so much. It's also noteworthy that Santorum is more than willing to stomach U2 when he's raising money for his campaign. His hypocrisy knows no bounds.

This behavior is not new for the Senator from Virginia. When he put himself in the middle of the tragic Terri Schiavo situation in Florida he cancelled a town hall meeting about Social Security out of "respect for the family." However he was able to make it to three fundraisers in the state and came away with over $200,000 in campaign cash.

Local links

I asked for local links and you have responded. This picture is of the USS Wilkes-Barre, a Cleveland class cruiser built during WWII. If you want the details of the ship it's here. The ship was damaged by a Kamikaze off Okinowa in 1945.

Retention of Judges

State Supreme Court Justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman (pictured at left) , both of Philadelphia, are up for a 10 year retention vote on November 8. They were both elected in pointless statewide elections were the candidates can't answer any questions about the issues of the day so we usually get bio ads that tell us how tough on criminals they have been and end by saying they will lock up all the drug dealers. That has been a succesful policy as we all know since all the drug dealers have been taken off the street since they were elected. So now we must decide if they deserve to continue on the bench.

A new twist has been added this year as they have become the lightening rods for everyone who is mad about the pay raise recently enacted by the legislature in Harrisburg. From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Citizen groups angry about state legislators' big pay raise want to vote incumbent lawmakers out of office on Nov. 8. There's only one problem -- there aren't any legislators up for re-election next month. So the pay-raise protesters are doing what they consider to be the next best thing. They're urging Pennsylvanians to take out their frustrations on two state Supreme Court justices who are up for a 10-year retention election on Nov. 8 -- Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman. Ousting them, the protesters say, would send a strong statewide message that political incumbents aren't safe, no matter who they are, and it might even lead legislators to rethink the raise.

Thanks to Republicans and Conservatives for pointing out this article. DJB makes a very good case on why we should vote no on these people. As the article points out these people are get along/go along with everything that is wrong with Harrisburg.

More reasons to vote against these two was detailed by John Baer in the Daily News. Mr. Nigro has a taste for expensive restaurants:

He charges for lunches of more than $100 at Capital Grille and the Four Seasons; dinners of more than $200 at Bliss and Pompeii; dinners of more than $300 at Mio Sogno and Prime Rib: dinners of more than $400 at Prime Rib and Morton's.

Newman has more modest tastes:

She charges for her AOL and Comcast hookups, for her On Star service and for $10 tips to hotel bellhops and doormen (nothing against bellhops and doormen; just wish her generosity came out of her own pocket). She charged $165 for a private driver to take her to a conference. And she charged $5.05 for a soft drink and a quart of Half & Half from the Acme "for a meeting."

All this on their expense accounts! You and me pay for this.

I have always voted no on these retention questions, now I have a good reason.

Ed Wade is fired

One World championship in 120 years. 5 appearances in the World Series 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983 and 1993. And people obsess about the Cubs and Red sox futility.

Somebody had to take the fall and take responsibility. The team this year was exciting. They didn't fold down the stretch. I remember all the so called experts saying they would need 90 wins to make the playoffs. But they won 88 and missed the playoffs by a game. They were right.

He signed Jim Thome and Billy Wagner but locked up payroll on Lieberthall, Abreu and Bell.

We need a Billy Bean type guy. There a few experienced GMs out there, I hope the Phillies will grab one.

There is an election in Luzerne County?

No yard signs, radio or TV ads, nothing in the papers and I haven't received anything in the mail. The Times-Leader pointed out something I've noticed or not noticed. Three row offices are up for grabs this November and the candidates are almost invisible.

The most important position is Controller. Our present Controller Steve Flood was a pain in the neck to the powers that be and he was targeted by his own party for defeat. He was willing to put up his hand and was willing to say stop and think about this. So now the Democratic nominee is Maryanne Petrilla the business manager for Butler Twp. I don't know much about her but I hope she will put her loyalty to the taxpayers ahead of her debt to the party. Speaking of debt, her last filing shows she has a $70,000 campaign debt. Her opponent is Eric Knappman who I know nothing about. Even my friends in the local GOP don't know much about him. If anyone can enlighten me, please do.

We have a rematch in the Prothonatry race. Jill Moran, the incumbent Democratic prothonotary candidate is up again against the previous occupant Republican Carolee Medico Olenginski. I'm not sure how to measure performance in this job as the duties are record keeping and administration. It probably should not even be an elected position. I don't think most people even know what a Prothonatary does. A long time ago when I had less gray hair someone was pitching a candidate for this office to me. My reaction was "what the hell is a prothonatary." I miss Carolee, her act with Fred Williams on WILK was always entertaning. Moran is another one who owes allot of people money, she has $139,000 in campaign debt.

I'm not sure about the Register of Wills race. Dottie Stankovic was renominated and don't even know if there is a Republican in the race. The county party chairman gave her ringing endorsement after the primary:

"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."

She has my vote.

Isaac Barre

There is some great info on local history at the Wilkes University website.
The naming of Wilkes-Barre was meant as an insult to King George III although other towns in the area were named in his honor.

A little background:

The Stamp Act was introduced in the House of Commons in February 1765. Barre was the single most vocal opponent of the tax in the House; he predicted rebellion in the Colonies. In a famous speech in opposition to the Stamp which stunned the House, Barre called the British Colonists in America the "Sons of Liberty," a catch-word which ignited passion in the New England settlements, but did not stay passage of the Stamp Act by Parliament.

When the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, the town of Boston had a portrait of Barre hung in Faneuil Hall. The portrait was later destroyed by British troops during the Boston siege of 1775.

John Wilkes was a vocal opponent of the King's ministers. Whether he was a dedicated reformer, or an opportunist with unusual wit, can be debated. Nevertheless, Wilkes became a symbol of British and Colonial national rights and liberties which an oppressive government sought to suppress. His confrontations (or antics) were closely followed in Massachusetts and Connecticut newspapers, and Colonial assemblies would periodically meet in local taverns to cheer Wilkes' legal victories over Parliament.

Major John Durkee, President of the Settlers, began to use the name "Wilkesbarre" for the region near the Connecticut fort in his official correspondence. Durkee's designation of the critical center of the settlement as Wilkesbarre, of course, honored John Wilkes and Isaac Barre. The name Wilkesbarre assuaged Durkee's patriotic ardor, and was a shot across the Atlantic in the direction of the King's ministers.

OK, maybe I'm getting carried away with the history lesson. What set me off was I was listening to the Kings College radio station yesterday and the person doing the station ID said Wilkes-Bahhrrrr. Get the name of the town right. What do they teach in college? I grew up here and its always been Wilkes-Berry. That's berry, not bear or bahrr. Our town was named after a great man at least pronounce his name right.

The Blogfather

I want to thank Mark for his generous comments about my site. I have been reading him for a few years and noticed he is the only one that covers local issues. He was my inspiration to start a blog about local politics. He pointed out just how bad things had gotten under the previous mayor and wasn't afraid to point it out. He knows his stuff and his sarcastic take on the state of affairs would crack me up. I made the mistake one morning of drinking my coffee when reading him and ended up choking on it and spitting it all over my monitor because I was laughing so hard. I try to stick to local issues and poke fun at our self absorbed local leaders, sometimes the stuff writes itself.

I'm happy he likes my description of him:

The "blogfather?" That's a freakin' new one. Somebody once called me the "Rush Limbaugh of Wilkes-Barre," which really isn't the case. Yet another called me the "Matt Drudge of Wilkes-Barre," which, while Tom McGroarty was the mayor, was probably completely accurate. But, the "blogfather?" I like that.
Anyways, y'all should check out Gort 42. Add it to your faves and get a free Sony Playstation III for a limited time only.

I think someone also descibed him as the Jonathan Swift of Wilkes-Barre. I agree he is not the Rush of W-B. Unlike Rush he does his research. Sometimes when I listen to these talk radio clowns I'm reminded of the old saying "why let the facts get in the way of a good opinion."

Unfortunately I have run out of free Playstations. If you want one I suggest you contact the Blogfather at:

Wilkes-Barre Online

I'm sure he will make you an offer you can't refuse.

More about Wi-Fi in Wilkes-Barre

By the way it's pronounced 'berry" not bar.

From the TL:

Philadelphia’s getting all of the attention, but Mayor Tom Leighton wants to beat it to the wireless punch. The city might create a nonprofit corporation, Wire Free Wilkes-Barre, to guide the project much as Philadelphia has done, according to the plan.

The aggressive timeline is in part due to a state law signed by Gov. Ed Rendell in November, Murphy said. After Street announced Philadelphia’s plans in 2004, local Internet providers objected to what they called unfair municipal competition.
The state responded with a law requiring governments to offer local providers the chance to build their own Wi-Fi networks before municipal plans are developed.
That requirement is avoided if a network is in place before the end of the year, Murphy said.

Unfair competition? The companies that want to provide this service are telco's and internet providers. For the most part they have monopolies.

West Wing live

Oliver turned me on to this news:

September 6, 2005 -- In a first for NBC's "The West Wing" (Sundays, 8-9 p.m. ET), the Emmy Award-winning series will broadcast a live episode featuring a debate between presidential candidates Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) on Sunday, Nov. 6 (8-9 p.m. ET).

Live TV is risky and I hope they pull it off. The show has left political reality but it’s still good. Arnie Vinnick is a Republican I could vote for so he could never actually get nominated. It should be fun.

Last week's episode was good. From Television without pity:

In his office, Toby takes Josh's call. Josh is asking that they do something to quiet down the leak story, but Toby breaks it to him that the White House is ending its investigation of the leak. Josh recognizes that this will throw the focus onto security issues for a while, giving Vinick a chance to dominate the discussion and contrast himself with the Democrats. Josh starts yelling at Toby, who just hangs up on him.

Then the Bombshell:

Josh tells Santos that the AP has a photograph of something that happened in his hotel bed in Cleveland: "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Unspoken but implied are the words "before I tear your eyes you, you cheating hussy." Santos: "His name is Bruce. He's a flight attendant on Aer Lingus." I think I know that guy. Santos leans back against the wall of the elevator, and sighs. "At first, it was long walks..." And that's when Josh loses it. Santos maintains the joke for a second, looking horribly offended that Josh would laugh at him just as he's sharing this difficult story. Josh apologizes for doubting Santos, pointing out that it's his job to ask these questions. And then Santos says, "Wait a minute. Cleveland?"

Joke roundup

From Blondesense :

If...President Bush were to tell me that it's sunny outside, while a lowly mule was telling me that the sky was falling, I would without hesitation go down to the basement and stay there until the mule told me that the sky had stopped falling.And although the mule could stay in the basement with me, I would not permit the President the accommodation.The Dark Wraith would not have enough extra food for both a wise mule and a dumb ass. -- The Dark Wraith

Welcome to the Late Show, ladies and gentlemen. It's like the Supreme Court, anyone can get in here.--David Letterman

We're learning more and more about Tom Delay. ... He was nicknamed, 'Hot Tub Tom,' got kicked out of Baylor for drinking and ... became a wild party animal who drank 10 martinis a night, or as they call it in Washington, a Kennedy. --Jay Leno

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is retiring. President Bush has already launched a search for the most inexperienced, incompetent candidate he can find. No, they'll find a replacement for Greenspan as soon as they figure out what the hell it is he does --David Letterman

President Bush has pledged to grant millions of dollars in tax breaks to national casino companies rushing to rebuild casinos along the Gulf Coast, giving residents who haven't already lost their house a chance to do so.--Daily Show commentator Lewis Black

Pension fund blues

The Luzerne County pension fund will have another big hole to fill this year. From the TL:

It's looking like taxpayers will again be forced to pay about $7 million to shore up Luzerne County's employee pension fund next year. Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood announced the estimate during Wednesday's budget hearings.

Luzerne County's fund did not require subsidies from 1991 through 2000 when healthy investment returns more than covered payouts to present and future retirees. But the fund dipped from a high of $203 million in 2000 to around $142 million in 2002.
The fund required $313,600 from the county in 2002, $5.3 million in 2003, $6.6 million in 2004 and $7.8 million in 2005.

Commissioners Chairman Greg Skrepenak blames a bad stock market but others point the finger at the previous Commissioners for paying too much in fees to money managers who made poor investment decisions. He also took a shot at the lawsuit against past commissioners and money managers that is trying to recoup some of the losses. I may actually be with Skrep on this one as the county has already spent $3 million from the pension fund on legal fees. Plus they are using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to persue recovery of the losses. The purpose of RICO was to eliminate the ill-affects of organized crime on the nation's economy. RICO was intended to destroy the Mafia not to settle political scores. Because of it's wide misuse the courts have been trying to restrict it's scope so now RICO has become one of the most complicated and unpredictable areas of the law.

I like Steve Flood and think he has been a very good controller but this lawsuit may drag on for years with very little benefit after all the lawyers are paid. I will miss him, Steve was good at asking questions and just saying no. The way this county has been run I found him to be one of the few willing to rock the boat. There are some that can't wait until he is out their hair.

Skrepenak asked county Budget/Finance Chief Sam Diaz to keep the controller's office budget flexible in case the newly elected controller wants to make any changes. Flood said during the hearing that his replacement will be Republican Erik Knappman. He still harbors resentment against Democrat Maryanne Petrilla, who beat him in the 2005 Primary.

Local Blogs

We have some local bloggers who are doing some good work. I make a point of linking to all local bloggers no matter what their point of view.

Danny is back and he is all over the Tom Delay situation. Go visit him at:

hints, allegations and things left unsaid

My favorite self declared conservative who declares his mission is to defend America from Liberals is Dr. Rick. Some times I wonder if he gets his talking points from the White House or the RNC. At times his site reads like a transcripe of the Rush Windbag show. But he has some original ideas and it it is fun to argue with him:

The American Check-Up

Bill Fitz was probably the first local blogger to concentrate on local politics and is a sharp guy, even if he can't spell:

My Take

The blogfather of us all is Mark Cour who writes Wilkes-Barre Online. I don't always agree with him but for the most part I think he knows more about what is going on in W-B than any one else:

Wilkes-Barre Online

I know of a few sites in the area that deal with politics but they don't cover Luzerne County. Send me links people.

There a few local sites that are not political that I read.

Michele in Hanover is always amusing:

Michelle's weblog

And Tim in South W-B gives you his take:

Tracks and tapes and thoughts and things

As I said before send me links to all local blogs

Baseball playoffs

The Red Sox go to Chicago in the first round. The White Sox had the best record in the AL this year with 99 wins. The Red Sox can pound the ball and they have Matt Clement on the mound. The White Sox almost blew a big lead of 15 games in early August. The Red Sox are hot, the White Sox are not.

The New York Mercanaries have to go to California. The Angels always play the Yankees tough.

The Astros are hot but they have Braves in the first round. Fourteen straight division titles and I'm pulling for them.

The Padres with 82 wins don't even belong in the playoffs but they are in and will get clobbered by the Cards.

It should be fun.

Republicans spend to much money

Even the Republicans have had enough

From Alex at Pstupidonymous :

Here are the depressing facts. Domestic discretionary nondefense spending is up 70% since 1994. Spending growth slowed in 1995 and 1996 as the Republican-controlled House pushed for a balanced budget. But spending began to rise rapidly again in the later 1990s, as Republicans and Bill Clinton "compromised" by spending more on both of their priorities. And the gusher has continued under President Bush, as Republicans have failed to trim domestic pork to pay for the necessary increases in defense.

Except for the 2003 tax cuts, we can't think of a single recent major policy accomplishment. There have been smaller victories--trade bills, some modest tort reform, and now some judges approved. But the drive for major reform has stalled. Mr. Bush was a co-conspirator in passing the 2003 Medicare drug bill that is the largest expansion of the entitlement state since LBJ's Great Society. But even when Mr. Bush has pressed for reform, as he did this year on Social Security, Republicans on Capitol Hill have whined and resisted. If Mr. Bush failed to mobilize the country, it was in part because Congressional Republicans were so vocal in their caterwauling.

He linked to Opinion Journal for this analysis.

I have said this over and over again. What ever happened to the Republican party I grew up with? You remember them, balanced budgets and keeping the government out of your life.

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.