The LuLac Edition #64, Sept. 25th, 2006

YOU GO BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


In a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday," former President Clinton defended his handling of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden, saying he tried to have bin Laden killed and was attacked for his efforts by the same people who now criticize him for not doing enough.
Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?"'
He was referring to the USS Cole, attacked by terrorists in Yemen in 2000, and former White House anti-terrorism chief Richard A. Clarke.
Wallace said Sunday he was surprised by Clinton's "conspiratorial view" of "a very non-confrontational question, 'Did you do enough to connect the dots and go after Al Qaida?"'
"All I did was ask him a question, and I think it was a legitimate news question. I was surprised that he would conjure up that this was a hit job," Wallace said in a telephone interview.
Clinton said he "worked hard" to try to kill bin Laden.
We contracted with people to kill him. I got closer to killing him than anybody's gotten since," he said.
He told Wallace, "And you got that little smirk on your face and you think you're so clever, but I had responsibility for trying to protect this country. I tried and I failed to get bin Laden. I regret it, but I did try and I did everything I thought I responsibly could."
The interview was taped Friday during Clinton's three-day Global Initiative conference.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," also taped Friday and aired Sunday, Clinton told interviewer Tim Russert that the biggest problem confronting the world today is "the illusion that our differences matter more than our common humanity."
"That's what's driving the terrorism," he said. "It's not just that there's an unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict. Osama Bin Laden and Dr. al-Zawahiri can convince young Sunni Arab men, who have - and some women - who have despairing conditions in their lives, that they get a one-way ticket to heaven in a hurry if they kill a lot of innocent people who don't share their reality."
In case you missed this interview, it was Clinton at his finest in terms of taking on the press. As you read this, he (Clinton) is getting blasted by the right wing press but you know he had to be having fun. Clinton accused Chris Wallace of ambushing the interview, but it appeared Clinton did the same to Wallace and Fox. Clinton's performance points to bothy the greatest strength of the Democratic party as well as its greatest weakness. No one can command as much attention as he does. And he can't run again. Other would be Democrats are measured against the Clinton aura. And whatever you think about the interview Sunday, that's not a good thing for the prospective candidates in '08 for the Democrats.

911 MEMORIAL CONTROVERSY


There is a big buzz about a 911 Memorial at Kirby Park in the City of Wilkes Barre. Mayor Tom Leighton and City Council want to establish an elaborate memorial to commemorate the tragedy of Sept. 11th, 2001. The proposed sight would be Kirby Park. Unlike the Dan Flood memorial on the Square or the Veteran’s memorials at the courthouse, this proposal has not received universal support. And the reaction to that opposition from City Council is very disturbing.
City Council President Tony Thomas says that that the citizens of Wilkes Barre should never forget the terrible circumstances of 911 and remember it forever. He feels the monument should be a constant reminder. My feeling is that we don’t need a constant reminder in Kirby Park to remind us of the barbarism of 911. And if Thomas is worried about future generations not knowing about the event, then if they don’t, I place full blame on our educators and the parents of those children for not telling them the 911 story. A huge monument is not going to instill any sense of history.
Councilman Jim McCarthy’s comments that those who oppose the monument are unpatriotic speak for themselves. McCarthy, who will tell you verbally and in print that he has been present at every historical event since the birth of the Baby Jesus, really outdid himself this time with his attack on David Saxton. Saxton, who made a lucid presentation to City Council regarding the environmental and structural concerns of the huge monument at Kirby Park was disregarded by McCarthy. This is unfortunate because Saxton at no time disparaged the 911 event. City resident Peter Gagliardi opined that the Council might be looking at the Memorial as a tourist destination and questioned the political ramifications of erecting the monument. The only sane action and comment came from Councilman Bill Barrett who said there is plenty of time to discuss and look over the matter.
Here’s our take on this issue. First and foremost, I believe that 911 will be remembered forever by our nation, very much like Pearl Harbor. It was an attack on our very existence and the people who did so must be hunted down and eliminated from the human landscape. No expense should be spared in doing that specific thing. The people who have given their lives in New York, Washington, D.C. and in that tiny Pennsylvania town that day should be forever honored and remembered. The people who have their lives in Iraq (however misguided that mission has become) should also be honored and remembered. There is no question about that either. But the placement of a 911 monument in Wilkes Barre of all places is out of sync. The memory of the fallen truly belong in the hearts and minds of the citizens of this town, the monument on the grounds of our city does not. Here’s why:
1. The tragedy did not take place here. While some area residents were lost in 911, and that loss is huge, the main event did not take place here. A few men from our area died in Pearl Harbor and on D Day, they are remembered with singular memorials but you don’t see an entire Pearl Harbor memorial or D Day memorial anywhere here.
2. Kirby Park’s landscape would be changed forever. That pristine area now would be reduced in size and structure for more limited activities at the expense of citizens who use the park now.
3. Cost of upkeep on memorial. Sad to say, there would have to be a full time detail to watch and secure the monument. Many of our residents are clean, law abiding, and solid citizens that take pride in their homes and communities. But many are pigs, slobs and thugs. Look at our roadsides near the city. Our litter does not consist of cigarette butts and Coke cans, we have people throwing mattresses and couches out on the side of the road. Any open space in the downtown is spray painted with gang symbols. In Pittston, the monument to the firefighters was up a hot 2 months and vandals went after it. Our citizens have yet to demonstrate that they are responsible and worthy enough to have a monument of this cost and this size in a public park. Sorry, we have slobs and pigs living among us, both young and old.
4. Aspects of tourism. If the city wants to promote itself, you do so with upbeat and positive things. Tony Thomas made the comment that some citizens wanted to promote a museum to a cartoon character Mr. Peanut and wondered how that could compare to a memorial to the 911 fallen. It can’t. But one is an upbeat recognition of an industry that began and prospered here while the other is a memorial to a historical event that took place miles away from us. Mr. Peanut is an advertising icon, quite bluntly, his market share and recognition factor is way bigger than the unfortunate, brave, patriotic area residents who lost their lives in 911 and the war.
5. If it is a memorial you want for the 911 victims and war dead of the Iraq conflict, then build one in a more public place like the Square or on the lawn of the courthouse. Make it simple, classy and understated. Its simplicity would be tribute enough to the dead you wish to remember.
6. Finally, the rebirth of the city will not be built on the backs of the people who have died in 911 or the Iraq war. Their patriotism should not be an entrée into a rebuilt Wilkes Barre. Before we wrap ourselves in the flag we should tell city officials that it is not unpatriotic to make sure the potholes in the streets are fixed first, that it is not unpatriotic to fill up those empty downtown storefronts, that it is not unpatriotic to clean our neighborhoods of out of town hoodlums who live in our public housing and use our social services while preying on our weak and elderly, that it is not unpatriotic to consider lowering the salaries and benefits of do nothing council members who are only stirred to action when their personal livelihood is threatened, (I do not include the Mayor in this, he earns his money) and that it is not unpatriotic to attempt to bring high paying jobs with good benefits to city residents who are trying to make ends meet with less. You, City Council, as a governing body address those patriotic issues. When you are through with them and successful, then we’ll talk about your million dollar memorial.

THE DEVIL AND MR. BUSH

Years ago there was a teleplay on 1950s television called The Devil And Daniel Webster. It was an adaptation of a work by Stephen Vincent Benet. In future editions we'll tell you about it.
But last week, America had inflicted upon it the rant of Cesar Chavez from the scenic country of Venezuela. Chavez did something that no amount of right wing talk radio could do in 6 years of the Bush administration and that is making the President a sympathetic figure. His little act at the United Nations gives you an indication that Chavez wants to be on the “A” team at the UN. The best way to do that is to attack George Bush who is not universally regarded well in the world because of his misadventure in Iraq. Chavez hopes to gain enough leverage to become a member of the Security Council. His outrageous comments regarding Bush have even elicited sympathy from liberal New York Congressman Charles Rangel. It is after all, an attack on our President. Perhaps the United States should invite the UN out of this country, stop paying support for this stepchild of democracy and employ other means to get our oil in other countries than Ceasar Chavez’. Again, let me reiterate, I never voted for George Bush, I think he is and has been wrong for this country and he will go down in history as the worst President we’ve ever had. All that said, as an American, I am appalled at the attack on the office of the Presidency and on the man he holds it. To use the description “devil” in these charged times, when Chavez has not used this term in describing the terrorists of 911 tells us pretty much where the little man stands. There are some who say that Bush brought the world condemnation on himself and this country with his foreign policy actions. I say if that’s the case, then perhaps the President might want to respond more vigorously than with ground troops in finishing up this war on terror. Hey, in for a penny, in for a pound. And while we’re at it, let’s cut off financial aid to countries like Chavez’, we did it to the Liberians in the mid 80s with economic sanctions and a few well placed bombs and that pretty much shut them up.

BUSH RISES IN POLLS

The argument can be made that the President has no other place to go but up in the polls but the last few weeks some amazing things are happening on the national level. The more the President talks about Iraq, the war, the terrorists and his foreign policy plans, the more people seem to listen to him. Bush is at his best when he is out front defining his positions and even though many feel they are wrong and failed, standing by his guns. You can sum up the 2004 election with two statements. BUSH: “You may not like what I say or agree with it, but I stand up for what I believe in, right or wrong”. KERRY: “I was against the war when I first voted for support of the war”. Given the fact that there is no true Democratic voice on the war on terror, or Iraq, the Bush team might pull off another electoral win by putting their guy out there as the lonely cowboy who stands by what he says. Watch as the future polling bears this out. For all the negatives George Bush has with the American people, at this stage of the game, nothing in the House or Senate will change.

BASEBALL FALLOUT

The fallout from the baseball announcement that the New York Yankees farm team will be coming to Moosic continues. As reported here, Bob Cordaro is looking like a real hero here and if things go well in the first year, he and partner A.J. Munchak will be re-elected to another term as Commissioners. Cordaro has always wanted to be a Congressman, he ran as a Democrat in 1988 against Joe McDade and lost. I can foresee a scenario where in two years Cordaro would challenge either Don Sherwood should he win re-election or Chris Carney should he defeat Sherwood. The Yankee deal is not without its minor blips on the political radar screen. First off there is the relationship with the Luzerne County Commissioners who own half of the team. That deal was brokered in the mid 80s by County Commissioner Frank Trinicewski, Junior, a huge Phillie and baseball fan. The current commissioners are unhappy with the lack of communications with their Lackawanna County brethren. There is the issue of higher ticket prices. Can’t wait to hear the hue and cry from the older voting bloc that says, “but I’m on a fixed income!!!” Hey, we’re all on fixed incomes! And then there’s the new stadium talk. Do Lackawanna taxpayers want to foot the bill for a new stadium replacing one that’s under twenty years old? The possibility that Mandalay Entertainment will pay for a new stadium does not ring true. Just look at the parent club’s efforts in New York to build a new Yankee Stadium, not all of that money is private financing. So while I’m looking forward to the Yankees triple A team here, I am realistic to know that the bloom might come off this rose very quickly if things are not run right. This is after all Northeastern Pennsylvania where people historically would rather see a hearse in your driveway rather than a Cadillac!!


SEE YOU ON THE L.A. TARONE SHOW.....
I'm honored to be a guest this week on the L.A. Tarone show on my favorite TV station, WLYN TV 35. The show will be broadcast on Service Electric, Channel 21 on Thursday, September 28th at 5:30PM.