The LuLac Edition #396, Jan. 15th, 2008

PHOTO INDEX: JUDGE ANNE LOKUTA, BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS, THE LATE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JUNIOR AND LYNDON JOHNSON, 36TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.

TUDOR TO CLOSE

A landmark and institution for more than thirty years is closing at the end of this month. The Tudor Book Store located on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston is closing its doors due to rent complications and economic realities of being an independent book seller. The news came in an e mail sent by owner Lynn Gonchar tonight. The Tudor was the local neighborhood book store that combined big city sophistication with a small town welcoming attitude. I had a few of my book signings there and was warmly welcomed. Plus the owner was instrumental in bringing in national authors for local folks to meet and greet. The closing of the Tudor will be a major loss for our community.

KING & LBJ

The recent debate going on between the Clinton and Obama forces over race is amusing. The Democratic party's two biggest and loyal constituentcies, women and blacks are deciding who did the most for civil rights. Senator Clinton compared herself to Lyndon Johnson who engineered the Civil Rights legislation while Dr. Martin King inspired the dream of civil rights. That is simplifying the issue. Civil Rights was something championed going back all the way to Eleanor Roosevelt. Hubert Humphrey at the 1948 Democratic convention in Philadelphia led a Civil Rights plank while Harry Truman integrated the Armed Forces. It is true that LBJ got the legislation through with his legislative expertise and it is also true that KIng galvanized people around the world with his message. But the true soldiers in the Civil Rights fight of the 50s and 60s were the marchers, white and black, Christian and Jew who were killed for standing up for equal rights for all men of every race. For Clinton and Obama to battle over who did more is an insult to those Civil Rights icons, one who celebrates a birthday today, Martin Luther King, Junior.

CARVILLE ON THE MARCH

He's back and he's defending the Clinton's. Here's James Carville who made his bones electing Robert Casey, Senior Governor of this state on Larry King talking about the Obama-Clinton battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGztdWkTk4.

LOKUTA

DAY 2

Court records show Judge Ann Lokuta didn't handle a single criminal case in the years 2004, 2005, and 2006.
But Lokuta said the numbers for 2004 are wrong because she handled summary cases that year. Those are criminal matters, she said. And she also noted that she's been assigned to miscellaneous court, not criminal court.
The state's Judicial Conduct Board used the records during Lokuta's testimony to show she was a slacker.
The conduct board's deputy chief counsel, Francis J. Puskas II, also noted that judges assigned to other courts, like civil court, still handle criminal cases. And other Luzerne County judges handled far more criminal cases than Lokuta, Puskas argued.

Well you have to get the cases assigned and it is apparent that the President Judge was in no mood to bolster Anne Lokuta's career in any way shape or form.

Judge Ann Lokuta testified she can't exactly recall when she spoke with a federal prosecutor about Luzerne County's judiciary, but she knows it was before she was hit with misconduct charges.
Lokuta on Monday admitted she spoke with a federal prosecutor and the FBI about Judge Michael Conahan's docketing practices after she became upset with cases being taken away from her.
On Tuesday in her cross-examination, she briefly touched on the issue again. She said she contacted the prosecutor to speak with about "docketing," not specifically Conahan.
Puskas asked her when that took place. She couldn't recall exactly when, but knew it was before the state's Judicial Conduct Board filed charges against her in November 2006.
She has said Conahan spearheaded a conspiracy to file the charges against her.
Lokuta's attorney, Louis Sinatra, has said the federal probe into the judiciary was the motive behind the charges.

If Sinatra can prove that, it will only vindicate the Judge but put a big bee in the bonnet of the Legal Beagles under the dome.

MICHIGAN

Mitt Romney gets a primary win tonight. The state his father governed in the mid 1960s has given Mr. Rombey his first primary win. Senator John McCain finishes second. This puts the entire GOP race in a state of flux and you can bet this fight will go to the convention floor. Senator Clinton the only Democrat on the ballot cruised to victory. The other night I sat and watched a national report where students tried to articulate the issues of Presidential politics. It was absolutely horrifying. These kids were unwilling to make the move to get involved in the process and whined about how Michigan didn't embrace young voters with its primary set up. The scary part is that these kids were not from East Jesus Junior College but the University of Michigan! God, raise the voting age to 30!