From the email inbox:
Hello:
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to think positively about restoring integrity to our community? I’m one of many people who have been working on an Ethics Awareness Initiative for Luzerne County. The Initiative, cosponsored by the Ethics Institute of NEPA and Leadership Wilkes-Barre, aims to raise awareness of the value of ethics and integrity in public life here in Luzerne County.
As our local public corruption scandal deepens, those of us working on this Initiative recognize that people in positions of power and influence, not ordinary citizens, have committed these crimes. However, ordinary citizens have accepted or tolerated dishonesty and corruption as part of our local culture. Isn’t it time for ordinary citizens to change the cultural norms and accepted behaviors of our community, by recognizing and rewarding honest and ethical behavior and by refusing to tolerate dishonesty and abuse of power in public life?
The Initiative begins with a kick-off event next Tuesday, May 4th at the Kirby Center from noon to 1 pm. Our goal, by the end of 2010, is to have hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals sign an Ethics Pledge (attached). I hope you are among the signers. Beginning May 4th, the Ethics Pledge can be downloaded or signed at http://www.ethicsawarenessluzerne.com/. This Website will include discussion guides for all ages to jumpstart discussions in workplaces, schools, community meeting rooms, places of worship, clubs, social organizations and living rooms across Luzerne County. The Website will also list everyone who signs the Ethics Pledge. (Public officials and candidates, please take note!)
You’ll be seeing more about the Ethics Awareness Initiative in the local media. Please help spread the word, use the Website, and let us know your thoughts or suggestions about next steps.
Many thanks.
Rita
I was all settled in at 7 p.m. and ready to watch the WILK talkers on WVIA TV.
Nancy looked like a young, pre-Ziggy Stardust David Bowie. Webster looked like a nine-year-old Little League rookie anxiously awaiting his turn to play his league-mandated two innings in right field. Sue seemed to have been overdone by the makeup people. And Corbett looked like he needed a bath.
But not long after they got into a few issues, the usual parade started.
Duke from Dallas: "Haliburton" did it.
Kurt Shotko: Critical thinking, drum circles, hashish for everyone... I have no idea what idiocy he was selling tonight, because my eyes glaze over and my ears close the bulkheads when he gets to babbling.
Frank Scavo: God Bless America! Land that...
Urgh!
Off went the television.
After a bit of the baseball box scores, the still radiating radio caught my ear...
"I'm such and such and I write the ____ blog..."
Off went the radio.
With the exception of the committed newcomer and his informative new blog, it was the usual parade of shameless self-promoters.
But if he was not in attendance, someone else would have sauntered up to the microphone and said, "I'm such and such and I write the _____ blog at W W W dot..."
Jeez oh Pete!
Talking with the Talkers?
Been there, done that. And done with it.
Later
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Bikeabout revisited
According to a forthcoming report from WNEP, nationwide, all state legislator’s per diems are exempted from taxation as per a bill passed in Congress way back in 1980.
I caught most of this segment on Sue Henry’s WILK show today (most… because I was up to my eyebrows in termites), and according to the guest (who’s name I missed) from WNEP, nobody knows who was behind the original bill. And he surmised that it was quietly bundled with another piece of legislation.
Free cars. Free houses. Free Interns (take that any way you want). Free from taxation.
Yep, those legislators are fighting for you.
NOT!!!
Stay tuned.
I’ll call him a kid because, compared to me, he looks like a kid. Then again, compared to me, damn near everybody looks like kid.
Anywho, today’s version of the Times Leader has this story about how this kid from Wilkes-Barre is petitioning The City of Wilkes-Barre to install bicycle lanes throughout the downtown.
The link: Cyclist starts drive for city bike lanes
The excerpt: WILKES-BARRE – Bikers want a safe path through the downtown.
Albert Martino has started a petition campaign to get bike lanes in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Albert Martino, a 25-year-old city resident, rides his bike daily to and from work and he is circulating petitions to have bike/pedestrian lanes throughout the downtown.
“Motorists are extremely impatient with bikers,” Martino said. “They honk their horns and that could create a dangerous situation.”
Martino said establishing bike lanes would be “proactive” and would prevent incidents.
“It’s time to give everyone their space,” Martino said. “I hope people embrace this idea by signing the petitions.”
Martino has posted the petition on his website – bikewb.org – and people can go there and sign.
The petition states: “In addition to curbing environmental pollution and traffic congestion, the implementation of bicycle/pedestrian lanes throughout downtown Wilkes-Barre would help ensure the safety of both motorists and pedestrians alike. Increased foot traffic would help deter crime on city streets, and most importantly, help local businesses generate revenue. We believe this is truly the next step in establishing Wilkes-Barre as a cutting edge city to both live and work. The purpose of this petition is to allow your voice to be heard. Now’s your chance to be counted, and most importantly, help make a difference in our city.”
I went to his site and signed the petition at near about 6 a.m. this morning and I was the 32nd signer. And by 3:30 p.m., the count was up to 83.
The point being, there are more avid cyclists, or more people interested in commuting by bicycle than our elected leaders might want to believe.
Trust me, I’ve had conversations with numerous members of the current administration about adding bicycling amenities over the years. And to this date, all that was added was the bike racks positioned on, or very near Public Square.
I’ve made the pitch about the bike lanes, as well as traffic signals that can control the bicycle traffic as well as the vehicular traffic simultaneously.
I pointed out that both federal and state grant monies were available to add such amenities.
I stressed that more progressive cities not only have such things, they have bicycling coordinators who promote bicycling as a way of reducing pollution as well as congestion.
I pushed the physical fitness angle.
And I also pushed for a bicycle lane to be added to Wilkes-Barre Boulevard’s western edge, a bike lane that would just about run the entire north-south length of the city. Why not? The grant monies are available. And to this date, so is the narrow stretch of land needed for such a project.
With the mention of this idea, I was told by a city official, “Priorities, Mark. Priorities."
Back during the 80s, I had a letter to the editor published by which I extolled the many benefits of bicycling, and I also urged the-then administration of the city to promote bicycling at every available opportunity.
And after reading the published letter, one of my newer coworkers of the mildly obese variety asked, "Bicycles? What, are you gay?"
Uh, yeah. I guess you got me. Broccoli pizza. No red meat. No pork. No fowl. No seafood. And bicycling? Obviously, I'm light in the pedal-mounted cleats.
(???)
Still, you can count on my full support whereas this petition is concerned.
Every freaking day I read about and hear about how the government at every level is working to fight obesity, childhood and otherwise. And the simple, yet inexpensive solution to obesity is sitting just down the road a ways at the local bike shop.
Get your ass pedaling on a very consistent basis, and your ass will be smaller than you would have ever believed it could be.
And of our elected leaders I would ask, can't we do something progressive-minded just this once?
BikeWB.org: For a cleaner, healthier city.
Besides, with Obama in charge, it might not be very long before the bicycle is the chief mode of transportation in Amerika.
See you on the mean streets, kiddies.
Later
I caught most of this segment on Sue Henry’s WILK show today (most… because I was up to my eyebrows in termites), and according to the guest (who’s name I missed) from WNEP, nobody knows who was behind the original bill. And he surmised that it was quietly bundled with another piece of legislation.
Free cars. Free houses. Free Interns (take that any way you want). Free from taxation.
Yep, those legislators are fighting for you.
NOT!!!
Stay tuned.
I’ll call him a kid because, compared to me, he looks like a kid. Then again, compared to me, damn near everybody looks like kid.
Anywho, today’s version of the Times Leader has this story about how this kid from Wilkes-Barre is petitioning The City of Wilkes-Barre to install bicycle lanes throughout the downtown.
The link: Cyclist starts drive for city bike lanes
The excerpt: WILKES-BARRE – Bikers want a safe path through the downtown.
Albert Martino has started a petition campaign to get bike lanes in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Albert Martino, a 25-year-old city resident, rides his bike daily to and from work and he is circulating petitions to have bike/pedestrian lanes throughout the downtown.
“Motorists are extremely impatient with bikers,” Martino said. “They honk their horns and that could create a dangerous situation.”
Martino said establishing bike lanes would be “proactive” and would prevent incidents.
“It’s time to give everyone their space,” Martino said. “I hope people embrace this idea by signing the petitions.”
Martino has posted the petition on his website – bikewb.org – and people can go there and sign.
The petition states: “In addition to curbing environmental pollution and traffic congestion, the implementation of bicycle/pedestrian lanes throughout downtown Wilkes-Barre would help ensure the safety of both motorists and pedestrians alike. Increased foot traffic would help deter crime on city streets, and most importantly, help local businesses generate revenue. We believe this is truly the next step in establishing Wilkes-Barre as a cutting edge city to both live and work. The purpose of this petition is to allow your voice to be heard. Now’s your chance to be counted, and most importantly, help make a difference in our city.”
I went to his site and signed the petition at near about 6 a.m. this morning and I was the 32nd signer. And by 3:30 p.m., the count was up to 83.
The point being, there are more avid cyclists, or more people interested in commuting by bicycle than our elected leaders might want to believe.
Trust me, I’ve had conversations with numerous members of the current administration about adding bicycling amenities over the years. And to this date, all that was added was the bike racks positioned on, or very near Public Square.
I’ve made the pitch about the bike lanes, as well as traffic signals that can control the bicycle traffic as well as the vehicular traffic simultaneously.
I pointed out that both federal and state grant monies were available to add such amenities.
I stressed that more progressive cities not only have such things, they have bicycling coordinators who promote bicycling as a way of reducing pollution as well as congestion.
I pushed the physical fitness angle.
And I also pushed for a bicycle lane to be added to Wilkes-Barre Boulevard’s western edge, a bike lane that would just about run the entire north-south length of the city. Why not? The grant monies are available. And to this date, so is the narrow stretch of land needed for such a project.
With the mention of this idea, I was told by a city official, “Priorities, Mark. Priorities."
Back during the 80s, I had a letter to the editor published by which I extolled the many benefits of bicycling, and I also urged the-then administration of the city to promote bicycling at every available opportunity.
And after reading the published letter, one of my newer coworkers of the mildly obese variety asked, "Bicycles? What, are you gay?"
Uh, yeah. I guess you got me. Broccoli pizza. No red meat. No pork. No fowl. No seafood. And bicycling? Obviously, I'm light in the pedal-mounted cleats.
(???)
Still, you can count on my full support whereas this petition is concerned.
Every freaking day I read about and hear about how the government at every level is working to fight obesity, childhood and otherwise. And the simple, yet inexpensive solution to obesity is sitting just down the road a ways at the local bike shop.
Get your ass pedaling on a very consistent basis, and your ass will be smaller than you would have ever believed it could be.
And of our elected leaders I would ask, can't we do something progressive-minded just this once?
BikeWB.org: For a cleaner, healthier city.
Besides, with Obama in charge, it might not be very long before the bicycle is the chief mode of transportation in Amerika.
See you on the mean streets, kiddies.
Later
Monday, April 26, 2010
GOP news
From the email inbox:
SCHOLARSHIP: Do you know of a young woman who is graduating high school this year? If so, please let her know that the Luzerne County Council of Republican Women is offering a $500 scholarship through an essay contest.
Details are on the GOP GROUPS page of the Web site, http://www.luzernegop.org/
DONATIONS of $10 and up to support the scholarship fund may be sent to: LCCRW Scholarship Fund, c/o Luzerne County Headquarters, 41 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18701
SIGN BLITZ: Friday, April 30, at GOP Headquarters. Meet at 6 p.m. We’ll set out throughout the county distributing candidates’ signs.
ABSENTEE BALLOT: Do you need one? Know someone who does? Call headquarters at 208-4671 and leave a message. We’ll get an application to you.
CANDIDATE EVENTS:
Jim O’Meara – Campaign Kickoff, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, GOP Headquarters following the 6th District Meeting. Jim is running for State Representative, 121st District
Rick Arnold – 4th District Get-Together, 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28, at GOP Headquarters, Wilkes-Barre. Committee people, elected officials & supporters in the district. Rick is running for State Representative, 119th District.
COMING EVENTS:
Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m., Irem Temple Country Club. Districts 2 & 5 are sponsoring a breakfast in honor of the late Tom Reese. Tickets $25. Call 239-9404 or 208-4671 to make reservations.
Saturday, May 22, 1st Freedom Shoot in support of Karen Boback and Rick Arnold, candidates for state representative. Begins at noon, American Legion Mountain Post 781, Church Road, Mountain Top. Bluegrass band, refreshments, snacks. Download application form on the Web site.
Friday, May 28, 9 a.m., Luzerne County GOP Golf Tournament, Wilkes-Barre Municipal Golf Course, $100 per golfer; $35 for dinner only. We need golfers, sponsors and prizes. Go to the Web site, http://www.luzernegop.org/ and download sponsor/golfer forms and a letter asking for prizes, sponsors and golfers. Info: 208-4671
Check our Web site for updates
http://www.luzernegop.org/
Renita Fennick
Executive Director
Luzerne County Republican Party
570-208-4671
Hey Gort!
Five years, eh? Five freaking years. Hell, I remember when...when, ah, never mind.
Five freaking years, and all that you got, much like me, was some crummy t-shirt.
If we're both still doing this five years from now, you can pick me up on the way to the sanitarium.
"The present day composer refuses to die."--Edgar Varese
Later
SCHOLARSHIP: Do you know of a young woman who is graduating high school this year? If so, please let her know that the Luzerne County Council of Republican Women is offering a $500 scholarship through an essay contest.
Details are on the GOP GROUPS page of the Web site, http://www.luzernegop.org/
DONATIONS of $10 and up to support the scholarship fund may be sent to: LCCRW Scholarship Fund, c/o Luzerne County Headquarters, 41 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18701
SIGN BLITZ: Friday, April 30, at GOP Headquarters. Meet at 6 p.m. We’ll set out throughout the county distributing candidates’ signs.
ABSENTEE BALLOT: Do you need one? Know someone who does? Call headquarters at 208-4671 and leave a message. We’ll get an application to you.
CANDIDATE EVENTS:
Jim O’Meara – Campaign Kickoff, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, GOP Headquarters following the 6th District Meeting. Jim is running for State Representative, 121st District
Rick Arnold – 4th District Get-Together, 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28, at GOP Headquarters, Wilkes-Barre. Committee people, elected officials & supporters in the district. Rick is running for State Representative, 119th District.
COMING EVENTS:
Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m., Irem Temple Country Club. Districts 2 & 5 are sponsoring a breakfast in honor of the late Tom Reese. Tickets $25. Call 239-9404 or 208-4671 to make reservations.
Saturday, May 22, 1st Freedom Shoot in support of Karen Boback and Rick Arnold, candidates for state representative. Begins at noon, American Legion Mountain Post 781, Church Road, Mountain Top. Bluegrass band, refreshments, snacks. Download application form on the Web site.
Friday, May 28, 9 a.m., Luzerne County GOP Golf Tournament, Wilkes-Barre Municipal Golf Course, $100 per golfer; $35 for dinner only. We need golfers, sponsors and prizes. Go to the Web site, http://www.luzernegop.org/ and download sponsor/golfer forms and a letter asking for prizes, sponsors and golfers. Info: 208-4671
Check our Web site for updates
http://www.luzernegop.org/
Renita Fennick
Executive Director
Luzerne County Republican Party
570-208-4671
Hey Gort!
Five years, eh? Five freaking years. Hell, I remember when...when, ah, never mind.
Five freaking years, and all that you got, much like me, was some crummy t-shirt.
If we're both still doing this five years from now, you can pick me up on the way to the sanitarium.
"The present day composer refuses to die."--Edgar Varese
Later
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Whatever, man
It’s fast getting to the point in this neighborhood that every day is like Cinco de Mayo. To say that this neighborhood has taken on a noticeably Latin flavor would be a gross understatement of the current situation.
Not that I have a problem with it, per se, other than the fact that these people do not assimilate at all. They basically want nothing to do with us born-and-raised indigenous types, so they have in essence created a sub-neighborhood within a neighborhood. Sorry, but it’s just not neighborly.
I will admit to hating the music they blare out of their cars and houses on a daily basis. It’s boring. It’s banal. It’s the same not-so-secret Carlos Santana chord progressions with very little variances from the basic, stripped-down theme.
But there are those days when I get the distinct impression that it’s not that they don’t like the indigenous types, they simply don’t like white people. And if that’s truly the case to any great extent, I’m still good with that.
I’m a dreaded white male. And thanks to the relentlessly misguided rhetoric coming from the left-leaning, I’ve been painted as a villain since I drew my first breath. I never even had a chance. I was born, I was white, I was deemed to be hateful.
To be blunt, I feel that my mission in life is too work longer and harder than I otherwise would have so as to provide for the growing hordes of others who cannot or will not provide for themselves. Having had been on welfare as a teenager, I know a little bit about the “cannot” part. But as for the “will not” part of the equation, I know I’m being had.
Still though, I’m the bad guy. Practically everywhere I look, there are purposely placed reminders to me as well as everyone else that I am a sexist, a homophobe, a bigot and a racist. As I have aged, I have grown more tolerant of others simply because it’s better to be tolerant than being consumed by hate and rage and all of that good stuff that usually brings on ulcers, as well as male pattern baldness.
All of which could be concisely encapsulated as follows: Whatever, man.
It’s just that, as I’ve grown to be more tolerant, nobody seems to be reciprocating. Every demographic group out there still views me--the white guy--as the sexist, the homophobe, the bigot and the racist that I was made out to be in the name of political chicanery.
Getting back to the massive infusion of Latinos into this neighborhood, my son had an interesting insight.
Over the years, there has been a ton of friction between the white and black kids that have played basketball on the court at the nearby playground. And sometimes, that racial strife would result in fisticuffs. And of late, that court has been home to far more Latinos than whites or blacks. And yes, every once in a while, there is an eruption of fisticuffs between whites and Latinos.
As for my son’s observation about the rapidly changing demographics and it’s direct impact on throwing a few punches at the basketball court, he said, “At least they’re (Latinos) small.”
I hear that.
In my day, quite a few punches were thrown at the basketball court, but we played at the court at Dan Flood Elementary, which no longer exists because of two or three cranky neighbors who objected to the F-bomb being launched into the stratosphere at an estimated rate of 10 per nanosecond. But in my day, the fists were always thrown by and at white kids, because that’s all that we had here in the Nord End--white kids.
I once popped my own first-cousin and he proceeded to practically bleed to death through his fattened lips. And if you knew my grandmother at all, you just knew I was a dead man just as soon as I crossed the familial threshold.
By the way, he deserved it. I got a little tired of hearing "goaltending" charges coming from someone who couldn't even touch the damn rim. You either hang, or you don't hang. And if you can't hang, you ought not shoot off your mouth.
Sorry about that one, Will.
So when white kids flip out on each other, that’s just boys being boys. But when some white kid beats on some kid designated to be in the “minority,” that’s a hate crime?
That’s flat-out bunk, and the ulcer-riddled left-leaning should be embarrassed and temporarily banished for having incrementally criminalized one group’s behavior that seems to come so naturally to all of the groups involved.
And as you can see, I am presently circumlocuting, so I’ll get to the point.
With the Latino population noticeably on the rise in this area, I’ve gotten to wondering about something. I’ve heard all of the so-called experts waxing poetic about why the Latinos are drawn to this area…the low cost of living, the affordable housing and the like.
But if we remember our local history, the generation before ours--our moms and dads--broke their backs in the mines and in textile sweatshops so that we would be better educated than they were. And with our enhanced resumes in hand, the mass exodus, the out-migration out of this area began for our best and brightest.
And now that the parents are dying off and the children have no interest in returning to the family homestead, there lies the underlying cause of our affordable housing to a huge degree.
And we all know why this has come about over the years, because of the lack of employment opportunities in these here demented parts. It’s been the same story for decades. You get that degree, and beat it out of here if you want a well-paying job…a career.
So, with that said, where are all of these recent arrivers working? Let’s be honest, there’s only so many under-the-table landscaping and roofing jobs to be had. So, where are all of these Latinos working at?
Or, as has been cited numerous times by Sue Henry as well as myself, there sure seems to be a lot of people idly milling about all day long in the Nord End of my once fair city. And the great preponderance of them are not of the pigmentation-challenged variety.
Which leads me to my next question. With record numbers of people flocking to an area traditionally known for lacking quality employment opportunities, where are these people working at? Or, you could ask, are these people, these recent arrivals, working at all?
While it may be anecdotal to the freaking hilt, a walk around, or a bike about throughout my neighborhood clearly suggests that they are not.
But who cares what I might think.
I’m just one of those hated white boys who has to hump, hump and hump some more.
Whatever, man.
Bye
Not that I have a problem with it, per se, other than the fact that these people do not assimilate at all. They basically want nothing to do with us born-and-raised indigenous types, so they have in essence created a sub-neighborhood within a neighborhood. Sorry, but it’s just not neighborly.
I will admit to hating the music they blare out of their cars and houses on a daily basis. It’s boring. It’s banal. It’s the same not-so-secret Carlos Santana chord progressions with very little variances from the basic, stripped-down theme.
But there are those days when I get the distinct impression that it’s not that they don’t like the indigenous types, they simply don’t like white people. And if that’s truly the case to any great extent, I’m still good with that.
I’m a dreaded white male. And thanks to the relentlessly misguided rhetoric coming from the left-leaning, I’ve been painted as a villain since I drew my first breath. I never even had a chance. I was born, I was white, I was deemed to be hateful.
To be blunt, I feel that my mission in life is too work longer and harder than I otherwise would have so as to provide for the growing hordes of others who cannot or will not provide for themselves. Having had been on welfare as a teenager, I know a little bit about the “cannot” part. But as for the “will not” part of the equation, I know I’m being had.
Still though, I’m the bad guy. Practically everywhere I look, there are purposely placed reminders to me as well as everyone else that I am a sexist, a homophobe, a bigot and a racist. As I have aged, I have grown more tolerant of others simply because it’s better to be tolerant than being consumed by hate and rage and all of that good stuff that usually brings on ulcers, as well as male pattern baldness.
All of which could be concisely encapsulated as follows: Whatever, man.
It’s just that, as I’ve grown to be more tolerant, nobody seems to be reciprocating. Every demographic group out there still views me--the white guy--as the sexist, the homophobe, the bigot and the racist that I was made out to be in the name of political chicanery.
Getting back to the massive infusion of Latinos into this neighborhood, my son had an interesting insight.
Over the years, there has been a ton of friction between the white and black kids that have played basketball on the court at the nearby playground. And sometimes, that racial strife would result in fisticuffs. And of late, that court has been home to far more Latinos than whites or blacks. And yes, every once in a while, there is an eruption of fisticuffs between whites and Latinos.
As for my son’s observation about the rapidly changing demographics and it’s direct impact on throwing a few punches at the basketball court, he said, “At least they’re (Latinos) small.”
I hear that.
In my day, quite a few punches were thrown at the basketball court, but we played at the court at Dan Flood Elementary, which no longer exists because of two or three cranky neighbors who objected to the F-bomb being launched into the stratosphere at an estimated rate of 10 per nanosecond. But in my day, the fists were always thrown by and at white kids, because that’s all that we had here in the Nord End--white kids.
I once popped my own first-cousin and he proceeded to practically bleed to death through his fattened lips. And if you knew my grandmother at all, you just knew I was a dead man just as soon as I crossed the familial threshold.
By the way, he deserved it. I got a little tired of hearing "goaltending" charges coming from someone who couldn't even touch the damn rim. You either hang, or you don't hang. And if you can't hang, you ought not shoot off your mouth.
Sorry about that one, Will.
So when white kids flip out on each other, that’s just boys being boys. But when some white kid beats on some kid designated to be in the “minority,” that’s a hate crime?
That’s flat-out bunk, and the ulcer-riddled left-leaning should be embarrassed and temporarily banished for having incrementally criminalized one group’s behavior that seems to come so naturally to all of the groups involved.
And as you can see, I am presently circumlocuting, so I’ll get to the point.
With the Latino population noticeably on the rise in this area, I’ve gotten to wondering about something. I’ve heard all of the so-called experts waxing poetic about why the Latinos are drawn to this area…the low cost of living, the affordable housing and the like.
But if we remember our local history, the generation before ours--our moms and dads--broke their backs in the mines and in textile sweatshops so that we would be better educated than they were. And with our enhanced resumes in hand, the mass exodus, the out-migration out of this area began for our best and brightest.
And now that the parents are dying off and the children have no interest in returning to the family homestead, there lies the underlying cause of our affordable housing to a huge degree.
And we all know why this has come about over the years, because of the lack of employment opportunities in these here demented parts. It’s been the same story for decades. You get that degree, and beat it out of here if you want a well-paying job…a career.
So, with that said, where are all of these recent arrivers working? Let’s be honest, there’s only so many under-the-table landscaping and roofing jobs to be had. So, where are all of these Latinos working at?
Or, as has been cited numerous times by Sue Henry as well as myself, there sure seems to be a lot of people idly milling about all day long in the Nord End of my once fair city. And the great preponderance of them are not of the pigmentation-challenged variety.
Which leads me to my next question. With record numbers of people flocking to an area traditionally known for lacking quality employment opportunities, where are these people working at? Or, you could ask, are these people, these recent arrivals, working at all?
While it may be anecdotal to the freaking hilt, a walk around, or a bike about throughout my neighborhood clearly suggests that they are not.
But who cares what I might think.
I’m just one of those hated white boys who has to hump, hump and hump some more.
Whatever, man.
Bye
Saturday, April 24, 2010
One step forward, three missteps back
After a dozen years or so of hanging onto a hammer drill all day long, my right elbow is really starting to ache on a continual basis.
It was suggested that I see my doctor about it, but what’s he going to tell me…That’s it’s not a particularly great idea to hang onto a hammer drill all day long much longer than a decade?
Perhaps I should change my party affiliation, join the Democrats, and put in a requisition for some, ahem, medicinal marijuana.
Oh wait. I misspoke. Er, mistyped. That would be the Green Party--the Dems on dope and in disguise.
Did any body hear about the new Obama- inspired Happy Meal at McDonald’s?
It’s awesome. You go through the drive-thru, collect your goodies at the second window, and the people in the vehicle behind you pay for it.
What do you think of the big mass-gathering at the airport yesterday?
You had the Senator from Scranton, as well as the vice president of the entire U.S of A shebang on hand and stumping for the self-enamored turncoat turned turncoat again, Mr. Single Bullet Theory himself, and nobody showed. Well, save for the volunteers, the paid underlings and the locally elected from the same party, that is.
Nobody showed.
And WILK’s Sue Henry, who covered the event for her station, called it “sedate…very uninspired,” and “very flat.”
Politically speaking, I’m thinking that Mr. Single Bullet should have saved one for himself.
When did Earth Day become Earth Week? I must have missed that.
Guess what I did on Earth Day. Why, I injected termiticide into Mother Earth. Yes, yes, I’m destroying the planet. I know, I know. Please stop crying. But it’s either that, or one of Mother Earth’s creations destroys your home. You make the call.
And why is the official Earth Day celebrated during the work week more often than on the weekend, when easily-led people would rush to prove they care?
Seems to me if you tree-huggers want damn near everybody out hugging trees, singing to flowers, thinking (FU>KING!) reverent thoughts alongside the local, leech-filled marsh, or weeping at the site of an illegally dumped tire, you ought to pin this event to a Saturday.
I’m just saying. Don’t shoot me, I’m only the guitar-playing blogger.
It’s been obvious of late that both Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith and Luzerne County Budget Director Tom Pribula have been doing everything within their limited powers to cut costs and protect the best interests of the taxpayers.
It matters not if you’re still fuming about the last election, and you’re still hesitant to give Griffith any credit at all. If that’s where you’re still stuck at, by all means, leave a comment disparaging him. Go for it. Oh, and make sure to post your usual swill anonymously.
Anyway, while the Dynamic Duo of Griffith and Pribula have been pointing out the waste of or abuse of taxpayer-supplied dollars practically here, there and frickin’ everywhere, the commissioners have again been handing out raises, plus extra paid time off to unionized county employees.
Someone tell me how you can be a half billion dollars in debt and then justify raises as well as more paid leave.
Luzerne County: One step forward, three missteps back.
I see that Gort was allowed to approach Senator Arlen Spector at the big stump event at the airport for the purposes of asking him a few questions.
I am assuming that this impromptu interview was conducted while the vice president and his phalanx of heavily-armed federal bodyguards were still on the scene.
And if that was the case, and if I was also in attendance, at that exact moment when Gort was very up close and personal with the elected members of the ruling class, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist the flaring temptation to yell GUN!!!
Sure, I’d replace what was lost as a result. I mean, what’s a three-pack of jockey shorts going to set me back?
Ill-advised? Sophomoric? Immature? Stupid as all hell?
I plead insanity.
Besides, I was the first juvenile in the history of the country to have received shock treatments for my auto-hostility issues. Right?
Later
It was suggested that I see my doctor about it, but what’s he going to tell me…That’s it’s not a particularly great idea to hang onto a hammer drill all day long much longer than a decade?
Perhaps I should change my party affiliation, join the Democrats, and put in a requisition for some, ahem, medicinal marijuana.
Oh wait. I misspoke. Er, mistyped. That would be the Green Party--the Dems on dope and in disguise.
Did any body hear about the new Obama- inspired Happy Meal at McDonald’s?
It’s awesome. You go through the drive-thru, collect your goodies at the second window, and the people in the vehicle behind you pay for it.
What do you think of the big mass-gathering at the airport yesterday?
You had the Senator from Scranton, as well as the vice president of the entire U.S of A shebang on hand and stumping for the self-enamored turncoat turned turncoat again, Mr. Single Bullet Theory himself, and nobody showed. Well, save for the volunteers, the paid underlings and the locally elected from the same party, that is.
Nobody showed.
And WILK’s Sue Henry, who covered the event for her station, called it “sedate…very uninspired,” and “very flat.”
Politically speaking, I’m thinking that Mr. Single Bullet should have saved one for himself.
When did Earth Day become Earth Week? I must have missed that.
Guess what I did on Earth Day. Why, I injected termiticide into Mother Earth. Yes, yes, I’m destroying the planet. I know, I know. Please stop crying. But it’s either that, or one of Mother Earth’s creations destroys your home. You make the call.
And why is the official Earth Day celebrated during the work week more often than on the weekend, when easily-led people would rush to prove they care?
Seems to me if you tree-huggers want damn near everybody out hugging trees, singing to flowers, thinking (FU>KING!) reverent thoughts alongside the local, leech-filled marsh, or weeping at the site of an illegally dumped tire, you ought to pin this event to a Saturday.
I’m just saying. Don’t shoot me, I’m only the guitar-playing blogger.
It’s been obvious of late that both Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith and Luzerne County Budget Director Tom Pribula have been doing everything within their limited powers to cut costs and protect the best interests of the taxpayers.
It matters not if you’re still fuming about the last election, and you’re still hesitant to give Griffith any credit at all. If that’s where you’re still stuck at, by all means, leave a comment disparaging him. Go for it. Oh, and make sure to post your usual swill anonymously.
Anyway, while the Dynamic Duo of Griffith and Pribula have been pointing out the waste of or abuse of taxpayer-supplied dollars practically here, there and frickin’ everywhere, the commissioners have again been handing out raises, plus extra paid time off to unionized county employees.
Someone tell me how you can be a half billion dollars in debt and then justify raises as well as more paid leave.
Luzerne County: One step forward, three missteps back.
I see that Gort was allowed to approach Senator Arlen Spector at the big stump event at the airport for the purposes of asking him a few questions.
I am assuming that this impromptu interview was conducted while the vice president and his phalanx of heavily-armed federal bodyguards were still on the scene.
And if that was the case, and if I was also in attendance, at that exact moment when Gort was very up close and personal with the elected members of the ruling class, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist the flaring temptation to yell GUN!!!
Sure, I’d replace what was lost as a result. I mean, what’s a three-pack of jockey shorts going to set me back?
Ill-advised? Sophomoric? Immature? Stupid as all hell?
I plead insanity.
Besides, I was the first juvenile in the history of the country to have received shock treatments for my auto-hostility issues. Right?
Later
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Dad's fiddle
Check this pap from WILK's Steve Corbett:
An A for effort, I'd say. We're all entrusted with a vote, and we're ll entitled to our opinions.
Mayor Tom Leighton Should Tell Voters The Truth
Tell them what? That he may or may not have a penned a letter on his own time in support of a friend in need? Is there something ignoble about that?
Where does this stop, Steve? Should Leighton have to provide copies of every letter he's ever written to you? And all because he thinks very little of you, as well as that shout-fest you call conversing?
The fact of the matter is, now matter how that premeditated encounter worked out, Corbett would have twisted the results (yes, no, maybe) which ever way he needed to to slam his favorite target.
Personally, I'm happy my mayor turned his back on this self-aggrandizing buffoon. I and also hope that mayor did not turn his back on a friend, no matter his name, his elected or appointed position, or what his legal problems may be.
Hey, Corbett? Did you ever have a friend get themselves in trouble? If you did, did you turn up your nose and turn your back on them in their hour of need? Sure sounds like it.
WILK: News, talk and now thuggery.There's less than a month remaining before next we vote, so you in the local blogging community know what that typically means.
Out of the cove base they come, new poliblogs looking to swing local elections:
Pennsylvania's Political Clouds
Although, while still in it's infancy, it seems to be fairly well done. Further posts will tell the tale, though.
Check it out.
And look at what I ran across on Meade Street...
An A for effort, I'd say. We're all entrusted with a vote, and we're ll entitled to our opinions.But staying abreast of current events, don't let the A.T.F. (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Foodstuffs) catch you with a container of salt. The Fedrule Govmint has begun it's War on Salt.
(???)
I was at the courthouse earlier today as ATF agents were executing a federal search warrant on the offices of all three of our commissioners. And from what I could see, all of the snack crackers, pretzels and potato chips were confiscated from the vending machines.
(???)
I received this rather large package by way of the USPS yesterday afternoon. And my first thought was of Kayak Dude. Holy moley, what has he got up his sleeve now, I thought.
But then I glanced at the large return address label, which had also made the trip direct from Colorado. And instantly, I knew what the carton contained. Well, at least, somewhat.
Contained within that carton was my father's violin and case, which I have a photo of him circa 1949 fiddling away on. As well as photos of him playing a guitar, the drums, a piano and a trumpet.
While this may sound stupid and overly sentimental, my heart raced. Never since 1962 have I laid eyes on anything that was my father's. And especially something that was so personal--his violin.
Cousin Anne ( previously unbeknownst to me but a few short months ago) also sent along a slick video loaded with previously unseen photos of the Cour clan that I had missed out on growing up with. Or even knowing about.
And lost in the paper packing materials, but found some time later, was this little wooden box presumed to have been constructed by my dad while in wood shop or some such thing. Again, while this too may sound dumb, I found this little box to be quite fascinating.
And I sat here studying it's every scratch, dent and the numbers and such scribbled on it. I figured that, when my dad was a kid, this box was probably important to him. Perhaps within this box he kept the little nothings, the do-dads and the like that were important to him. Amazing. One of those, 'if I could cry, I would have' moments.
Can you imagine him showing up here one day soon only to find that long-forgotten 70-year-old, smallish wooden box of his sitting here? He be floored. Or accuse me of burglary.
Cousin Anne, you have no idea, nor will you ever understand what an equally thrilling and unique experience you have provided me with. One that I've never experienced before. One that I never thought I would have.
Anne, a heartfelt thank you.
It's kind of surreal to have family heirlooms without ever having met the family.
P.S.--could you email me that photo of my dad when he was five? I want to flash-drive that one and head down to CVS.
Later
Monday, April 19, 2010
Frick the freaking fracking!
“You have finally evolved into a progressive, liberal environmentalist.”--Kayak “Tree-hugger” Dude.
There are those times when I hate that guy.
Did you ever write and then publish an ersatz essay of sorts while under the influence of a semi-synthetic opioid, plenty of cheap domestic beers and two other prohibitively expensive pharmaceuticals designed to keep your bruised lung from filling with fluids?
I did.
Death of an S-10
Which leads me to this new law in Wilkes-Barre, the one by which police officers can pull you over and fine you for talking on your phone, texting on your asinine Internet-ready gizmo and, generally, being an inattentive ass while hurtling forward a 4,000-pound hunk of steel, graphite and plastic.
If you’re prepared to be honest, you will readily admit that you, yours and practically everyone else is driving while making love to their shiny, new hand-held device. And it really needs to stop. It really does.
Anyway, what I like most about this new piece of legislation is what it will mean for the interdiction of illegal narcotics.
There is no faster way of tamping down on the transport of illegal narcotics than giving police officers yet another reason to stop (and hopefully search) damn near every vehicle they happen across.
So, if you’re a doper, or a former vo-techer, you ought not use that cell phone of yours while navigating the length of my city.
Now let's make sure those new tazers of ours are fully-charged.
Love it, I do.
I’ve read the newspaper stories, I’ve listened to the callers on talk radio, and I’m really not grasping how the DER’s decision to bitch-slam Cabot Oil is somehow a great victory for the residents of NEPA.
You know, you people were warned. Some of us tried to warn y’all as far back as two years ago?
Frickin’ fracking? (7-26-2008)
Still though, the lands were leased, the wells were contaminated, and now, now…now, the powers that be are being reactive when they should have been thinking proactively more than two years ago. And for some, it’s too late. It’s too late for those who are now rightfully fearful of their water supplies. And fearful of what will become of the value of their biggest investments…their properties.
As far as I’m concerned, there was plenty of documented evidence from other states that proved without a doubt that the hydro-fracturing of bedrock with millions upon millions of gallons of carcinogen-laced water probably could and probably would lead to a disastrous end.
But still, the state allowed this well-documented threat to our water supplies to go forward. And now, it’s not going as was previously advertised. Actually, it’s gone quite badly to this point.
I really hate coming-off sounding like one of those “Tree-hugging NIMBY liberal obstructionist PINKO and EnviroNazis,” but with the enduring legacy of this area being what it is--trying to undo the unbelievable environmental damage of the now-defunct Anthracite Coal industry--you’d think both the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as their glad-handing, self-serving politicians would have seen this one coming from a mile away.
Look, I like simplicity. I like to strip things down to their basic components.
And when someone from some out-of-state energy company says they are going to inject a billion gallons of carcinogen-laced chemicals into the ground under my home, within a thousand yards or so of my well-head, I’m thinking the dollar signs fluttering before my four eyes pale in comparison to the nightmare that would be having a seriously compromised water supply.
I can do without a helluva lot of things. But I can’t do without a safe water supply.
What were you people thinking?
Frickin’ fracking?
Yep, we really tried to warn y’all. It’s become all the rage of late for those hopelessly addicted to talk radio. But for some, for a select few, it’s become a continuing nightmare with no end in sight.
So, going forward, heed the words of those who have learned the hard way: Frick the freaking fracking already!
And with that, I’m off to sit with, gently stroke and read poetry to my favorite tree.
Later
There are those times when I hate that guy.
Did you ever write and then publish an ersatz essay of sorts while under the influence of a semi-synthetic opioid, plenty of cheap domestic beers and two other prohibitively expensive pharmaceuticals designed to keep your bruised lung from filling with fluids?
I did.
Death of an S-10
Which leads me to this new law in Wilkes-Barre, the one by which police officers can pull you over and fine you for talking on your phone, texting on your asinine Internet-ready gizmo and, generally, being an inattentive ass while hurtling forward a 4,000-pound hunk of steel, graphite and plastic.
If you’re prepared to be honest, you will readily admit that you, yours and practically everyone else is driving while making love to their shiny, new hand-held device. And it really needs to stop. It really does.
Anyway, what I like most about this new piece of legislation is what it will mean for the interdiction of illegal narcotics.
There is no faster way of tamping down on the transport of illegal narcotics than giving police officers yet another reason to stop (and hopefully search) damn near every vehicle they happen across.
So, if you’re a doper, or a former vo-techer, you ought not use that cell phone of yours while navigating the length of my city.
Now let's make sure those new tazers of ours are fully-charged.
Love it, I do.
I’ve read the newspaper stories, I’ve listened to the callers on talk radio, and I’m really not grasping how the DER’s decision to bitch-slam Cabot Oil is somehow a great victory for the residents of NEPA.
You know, you people were warned. Some of us tried to warn y’all as far back as two years ago?
Frickin’ fracking? (7-26-2008)
Still though, the lands were leased, the wells were contaminated, and now, now…now, the powers that be are being reactive when they should have been thinking proactively more than two years ago. And for some, it’s too late. It’s too late for those who are now rightfully fearful of their water supplies. And fearful of what will become of the value of their biggest investments…their properties.
As far as I’m concerned, there was plenty of documented evidence from other states that proved without a doubt that the hydro-fracturing of bedrock with millions upon millions of gallons of carcinogen-laced water probably could and probably would lead to a disastrous end.
But still, the state allowed this well-documented threat to our water supplies to go forward. And now, it’s not going as was previously advertised. Actually, it’s gone quite badly to this point.
I really hate coming-off sounding like one of those “Tree-hugging NIMBY liberal obstructionist PINKO and EnviroNazis,” but with the enduring legacy of this area being what it is--trying to undo the unbelievable environmental damage of the now-defunct Anthracite Coal industry--you’d think both the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as their glad-handing, self-serving politicians would have seen this one coming from a mile away.
Look, I like simplicity. I like to strip things down to their basic components.
And when someone from some out-of-state energy company says they are going to inject a billion gallons of carcinogen-laced chemicals into the ground under my home, within a thousand yards or so of my well-head, I’m thinking the dollar signs fluttering before my four eyes pale in comparison to the nightmare that would be having a seriously compromised water supply.
I can do without a helluva lot of things. But I can’t do without a safe water supply.
What were you people thinking?
Frickin’ fracking?
Yep, we really tried to warn y’all. It’s become all the rage of late for those hopelessly addicted to talk radio. But for some, for a select few, it’s become a continuing nightmare with no end in sight.
So, going forward, heed the words of those who have learned the hard way: Frick the freaking fracking already!
And with that, I’m off to sit with, gently stroke and read poetry to my favorite tree.
Later
Sunday, April 18, 2010
"Hose Dudes" mug recall
Mess with Godzilla, tempt Gorgo, defy Gort, run from the Triffods, but do not mess with public unions.
From the reader’s comments:
Rocket said...
In your ramblings about the police you fail to inform the public that the Wyoming Valley FOP, which includes Wilkes-Barre City Police, has also endorsed Yudichak on February 18th of this year. Why do you think they would do that? Maybe they want to keep Leighton in the City for them!!I also cannot believe the 180 degree turn you have made on the WBFD after all the free t-shirts and mugs you took from them. Just remember not to blame Delaney, the installer of your smoke detectors, but Leighton if you or your family have a medical emergency or fire and there is a delay in the response due to the Mayor's new manning procedure.
April 18, 2010 2:15 AM
Rocket?
Whoa! Def Leppard at the arena! That was freaking awesome, man.
Rocket! Yeah!! Satellite of love!!!
Rocket.
Yeah.
I did not take issue with that endorsement, something you probably should have thought through before launching (rocket) into your ill-advised and easily-dismissed diatribe.
Nothing against John Yudichak, but the acquisition of grant monies by those who are ultimately measured by the acquisition of grant monies does not excite, nor does it impress me.
Answer me this…State legislators are most revered for their legislative accomplishments (yeah, right!), or for the huge cardboard checks they deliver at hastily-arranged press conferences?
I really don’t have a problem with Yudichak as much as I have a problem with public sector unions being willing to bankrupt the entire shebang, and to be ready and willing on a moments notice to sully the reputations of those that are actually charged with weighing the cost/benefit ratio of services on a local level. Something that Yudichak has never had to deal with.
John Yudichak works in Harrisburg, hence, he has next to no idea what the hot-button issues are here in Wilkes-Barre. And if the WBPD, by extension, quietly endorsed him, so be it. But, by way of that “endorsement,” they did not go out of their way to attack anyone. Note the distinction.
What the WBFD wanted, it got…a stinging union rebuke of yet another mayor down Wilkes-Barre way. So, what else is new?
But what I do have a serious problem with is public sector unions making political hay so as to benefit themselves. So, what else is new?
Even though you fail to understand, this is not about Tom Leighton. If Tom Leighton disappears from the landscape, and ultimately, from the lexicon, the overly-politicized fire department will still be here and eager to disparage the next mayor, the mayor after that and the one after that. So, what else is new?
Whatever. You people are starting to bore me to no uncertain end.
Free t-shirts and mugs?
You’re under the influence, right?
Free? Um, allow me to explain this to those who were not a part of Wilkes-Barre’s many travails just a few years ago.
What I got from the WBFD was a few freebies, while what it got from me was the unmitigated audacity and unchecked temerity to publicly chastise and embarrass a city administration that cared not at all for public safety.
I was the volunteer lightning rod by which the WBFD struck at the core issues of the administration’s lack of attention to public safety issues, while it also lacked any wherewithal regarding finances and how a financial death spiral could and would impact all things public safety.
Make no mistake about any of this recent history, I was the man. I huffed, I puffed, I typed, the administration blinked, and the adoring Wilkes-Barre fire department cheered me on the entire time.
So what’s your point? Now that I’ve dared to defy the union, now that I’ve clearly fallen out of favor with the union brothers, I have no right to those “Hose Dude” mugs I, myself inspired the very creation of?
And the shirts? I accepted and proudly wore those shirts when most of the residents of this city were clueless as to how rusted fire trucks that had to be pushed out of the “Rain Forest” to get going could quickly and negatively impact upon their lives.
Don’t forget history, champ! Don’t forget who you’re talking at, champ!
As for Chief Delaney, remember, he was an unprecedented and uninvited interloper when my federally-supplied smoke detectors were installed.
This was fairly easy to follow at the time. You called fire headquarters, you requested the “free” smoke detectors, and then you would be placed on a months-long waiting list. So I called. And I figured that some day, not anytime soon, a fire engine would arrive and two firefighters donning a cordless drill would attach the state-of-the-art hardware to this modest adobe. I had seen this done at the homes of my neighbors.
Oh, but when Markie called, that very same Markie that was challenging his mayor in a very new electronic forum, well, then the accepted protocol went out the window in favor of some political intimidation. And shock of shocks, my "free" smoke detectors were installed inside of 36 hours
For the first time in recorded history, the fire chief felt it was necessary to accompany the two firemen who installed our two smoke detectors, and he was also compelled to quiz Wifey about where my computer was situated. Nice.
In retrospect (and at that time), it was easy to understand what was afoot. The mayor’s biggest and loudest and most bombastic critic requested the smoke detectors, and the mayor, as well as the fire chief, felt compelled to intimidate rather than accentuate what would normally be called a positive.
Mugs? Shirts?
Dude, I earned them all. I earned them. Each and every one of them. I was the fearless one when practically everyone around me was telling me I should be fearful of the elected and their many useless minions.
Somehow, I saw my duty and I did it. You didn't, I did. I did it. And now I'm not even worthy of a freaking beer mug?
Man, that's cold. That's just wrong.
But not one to lose perspective, I’ll say this.
I reside in Wilkes-Barre, which employs a paid fire department. And despite all of this heated Internet back-and-forth, I know damn well that if the "cleaning house" call goes out, the WBFD will be here inside of four minutes.
Cut-backs, union demands, economic realities and all of the political upheaval put aside, the emergency services in Wilkes-Barre are second to none in these here parts.
Why I feel free to take issue with a union’s lack of professionalism and acceptance of reality, I will never take issue with the professionalism of those who are paid to be the first responders in Wilkes-Barre.
I have seen these guys and girls in action way too many times to ever dare to take issue with their obvious professionalism, their knowledge, their unflappable courage under fire and their overall commitment to the public‘s good.
What we have here is a matter of cost, and how best to manage it. Or, as was done in the past, how best to mismanage it.
G’nite
From the reader’s comments:
Rocket said...
In your ramblings about the police you fail to inform the public that the Wyoming Valley FOP, which includes Wilkes-Barre City Police, has also endorsed Yudichak on February 18th of this year. Why do you think they would do that? Maybe they want to keep Leighton in the City for them!!I also cannot believe the 180 degree turn you have made on the WBFD after all the free t-shirts and mugs you took from them. Just remember not to blame Delaney, the installer of your smoke detectors, but Leighton if you or your family have a medical emergency or fire and there is a delay in the response due to the Mayor's new manning procedure.
April 18, 2010 2:15 AM
Rocket?
Whoa! Def Leppard at the arena! That was freaking awesome, man.
Rocket! Yeah!! Satellite of love!!!
Rocket.
Yeah.
I did not take issue with that endorsement, something you probably should have thought through before launching (rocket) into your ill-advised and easily-dismissed diatribe.
Nothing against John Yudichak, but the acquisition of grant monies by those who are ultimately measured by the acquisition of grant monies does not excite, nor does it impress me.
Answer me this…State legislators are most revered for their legislative accomplishments (yeah, right!), or for the huge cardboard checks they deliver at hastily-arranged press conferences?
I really don’t have a problem with Yudichak as much as I have a problem with public sector unions being willing to bankrupt the entire shebang, and to be ready and willing on a moments notice to sully the reputations of those that are actually charged with weighing the cost/benefit ratio of services on a local level. Something that Yudichak has never had to deal with.
John Yudichak works in Harrisburg, hence, he has next to no idea what the hot-button issues are here in Wilkes-Barre. And if the WBPD, by extension, quietly endorsed him, so be it. But, by way of that “endorsement,” they did not go out of their way to attack anyone. Note the distinction.
What the WBFD wanted, it got…a stinging union rebuke of yet another mayor down Wilkes-Barre way. So, what else is new?
But what I do have a serious problem with is public sector unions making political hay so as to benefit themselves. So, what else is new?
Even though you fail to understand, this is not about Tom Leighton. If Tom Leighton disappears from the landscape, and ultimately, from the lexicon, the overly-politicized fire department will still be here and eager to disparage the next mayor, the mayor after that and the one after that. So, what else is new?
Whatever. You people are starting to bore me to no uncertain end.
Free t-shirts and mugs?
You’re under the influence, right?
Free? Um, allow me to explain this to those who were not a part of Wilkes-Barre’s many travails just a few years ago.
What I got from the WBFD was a few freebies, while what it got from me was the unmitigated audacity and unchecked temerity to publicly chastise and embarrass a city administration that cared not at all for public safety.
I was the volunteer lightning rod by which the WBFD struck at the core issues of the administration’s lack of attention to public safety issues, while it also lacked any wherewithal regarding finances and how a financial death spiral could and would impact all things public safety.
Make no mistake about any of this recent history, I was the man. I huffed, I puffed, I typed, the administration blinked, and the adoring Wilkes-Barre fire department cheered me on the entire time.
So what’s your point? Now that I’ve dared to defy the union, now that I’ve clearly fallen out of favor with the union brothers, I have no right to those “Hose Dude” mugs I, myself inspired the very creation of?
And the shirts? I accepted and proudly wore those shirts when most of the residents of this city were clueless as to how rusted fire trucks that had to be pushed out of the “Rain Forest” to get going could quickly and negatively impact upon their lives.
Don’t forget history, champ! Don’t forget who you’re talking at, champ!
As for Chief Delaney, remember, he was an unprecedented and uninvited interloper when my federally-supplied smoke detectors were installed.
This was fairly easy to follow at the time. You called fire headquarters, you requested the “free” smoke detectors, and then you would be placed on a months-long waiting list. So I called. And I figured that some day, not anytime soon, a fire engine would arrive and two firefighters donning a cordless drill would attach the state-of-the-art hardware to this modest adobe. I had seen this done at the homes of my neighbors.
Oh, but when Markie called, that very same Markie that was challenging his mayor in a very new electronic forum, well, then the accepted protocol went out the window in favor of some political intimidation. And shock of shocks, my "free" smoke detectors were installed inside of 36 hours
For the first time in recorded history, the fire chief felt it was necessary to accompany the two firemen who installed our two smoke detectors, and he was also compelled to quiz Wifey about where my computer was situated. Nice.
In retrospect (and at that time), it was easy to understand what was afoot. The mayor’s biggest and loudest and most bombastic critic requested the smoke detectors, and the mayor, as well as the fire chief, felt compelled to intimidate rather than accentuate what would normally be called a positive.
Mugs? Shirts?
Dude, I earned them all. I earned them. Each and every one of them. I was the fearless one when practically everyone around me was telling me I should be fearful of the elected and their many useless minions.
Somehow, I saw my duty and I did it. You didn't, I did. I did it. And now I'm not even worthy of a freaking beer mug?
Man, that's cold. That's just wrong.
But not one to lose perspective, I’ll say this.
I reside in Wilkes-Barre, which employs a paid fire department. And despite all of this heated Internet back-and-forth, I know damn well that if the "cleaning house" call goes out, the WBFD will be here inside of four minutes.
Cut-backs, union demands, economic realities and all of the political upheaval put aside, the emergency services in Wilkes-Barre are second to none in these here parts.
Why I feel free to take issue with a union’s lack of professionalism and acceptance of reality, I will never take issue with the professionalism of those who are paid to be the first responders in Wilkes-Barre.
I have seen these guys and girls in action way too many times to ever dare to take issue with their obvious professionalism, their knowledge, their unflappable courage under fire and their overall commitment to the public‘s good.
What we have here is a matter of cost, and how best to manage it. Or, as was done in the past, how best to mismanage it.
G’nite
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie, Mick Ronson and, ahem, me.
While I fully recognize David Bowie's creative genious, you would have never even heard his name without the production skills of, the orchestral arrangements of, the legendary guitar work of and the piano stylings of one Mick Ronson.
Ziggy played guitar.
There you go, Sue Henry. There's my vote for the best piece of vinyl ever pressed. For what it's worth, there it is.
Later
While I fully recognize David Bowie's creative genious, you would have never even heard his name without the production skills of, the orchestral arrangements of, the legendary guitar work of and the piano stylings of one Mick Ronson.
Ziggy played guitar.
There you go, Sue Henry. There's my vote for the best piece of vinyl ever pressed. For what it's worth, there it is.
Later
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