The LuLac Edition #565, Sept. 6th, 2008

PHOTO INDEX: THE WYOU INTERACTIVE NEWS TEAM WITH THIS BLOG EDITOR. ERIC SHEINER, DAVE KUHARCHIK, (STANDING) AND SEATED, YOUR BLOG SITE GUY NEXT TO CO-ANCHOR LYNDALL STOUT, OUR 1968 LOGO, FROM 1968 ETTORE LIPPI, ARCHITECT, SUPERINDENDENT MARTIN MATTEI AND FORMER STATE SENATOR ROBERT P. CASEY AT THE GRAND OPENING OF THE PITTSTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL, OUR NEXT PHOTO SHOWS CITY CONTROLLER MERCEDES LEIGHTON, THE LATE FIRST LADY OF WILKES BARRE CHRISTINE McLAUGHLIN, THEN CITY SOLICITOR CARL FRANK AND VICE PRESIDENT MONDALE ON A RE-ELECTION STOP FOR THE CARTER-MONDALE TEAM IN 1980, AND OUR LAST PHOTO IS OF A FIRE ENGINE THAT ACCOMPANIED A GREAT FAMILY FRIEND TO HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE LAST MONTH.

THE BACK BURNER

Here are a few stories that we had to put on the back burner due to the back to back convention coverage. Things have been so busy I even forgot about the NFL season’s opening day. Thank God for the NFL network where only there the breathless announcers can make a 9 hour old game seem like breaking news.

WYOU APPEARNCE

Had the pleasure again of being on WYOU TV Interactive News the first night of the Democratic Convention. I met a new member of the team for that station anyway but someone very familiar to viewers of LuLac land, Lyndall Stout. (Eric Deabill worked with Eric Sheiner before Ms. Stout’s arrival and did a bang up job working with the other Eric and sometimes going solo in both the news and interview segments.) During the show Eric Sheiner and I gabbed about the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden and speculated who John McCain might pick. I said a woman but had Sarah Palin under my radar because I thought no candidate would ask a mother of 5, especially one with a newborn child to run. McCain surprised me by asking her but judging from the reaction his pick so far, good thing he had more stones than I would have had in this situation. My pick was Carly Fiorini by the way. Not because I am a guest there, but the WYOU TV Interactive News is a unique opportunity for the public to be educated, to contribute and to learn more about a given issues on a given day. Coming up now on their 2 year anniversary, (and I hope I’m not giving them the kiss of death here because broadcast management higher ups panic when you have a consistent successful product for more than 6 months, then slap their forwards saying, we gotta change it, we gotta change it!) the Interactive Newscast has been an intricate part of people live’s. So many residents of both Luzerne and Lackawanna County have commented to me on the types of shows produced, autism, fire safety, Medicare for seniors, the law and you segment and even the most recent political show that had Congressional candidate Chris Hackett and Obama regional chair Rita Boyle debated the merits of each of their party’s candidacies. Bottom line, they do great work and I wish them many more years of success.

THE BIDEN VISIT

Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden came to town on Labor Day and visited his old homestead. It is tempting to satirize the Biden connection to Scranton because it’s been mentioned so many times. (I did so myself in Edition #559 from Sept. 1). But the emotions came pouring out in an interview when he choked up talking about his roots. No matter what you think of this man’s policies or long, extensive, experienced record, the guy is about the most real politico on the scene since the late Hubert Humphrey. Biden attended an invitation only backyard cookout (do you think you inviters out there can see you way to extending a welcome to one of these lowly bloggers out there? We’ll even eat before we come so as to not scarf up the food!!) on Labor Day and from all intents and purposes was a hit. Many of the national pundits are saying that when Biden debates GOP nominee Sarah Palin, he’s going to have to dial it back because she’s a woman. First off, that’s sexist and an insult to Palin. I say let Joe be Joe (which I’m sure he will) and let Sarah be Sarah (which I’m sure she will be) and you are going to see one Vice Presidential debate with huge ratings. I envision it as a younger Roseanne Connor (Barr) vs. a younger Alan Shore (James Spader). The Roseanne Show vs. Boston Legal.

PHOTO INDEX:

In our photo index, you’ll see another Vice Presidential Candidate Walter Mondale (who was in office at the time) attending a rally on Public Square in Wilkes Barre. Mondale impressed if memory serves me well but was met with protestors not happy with the Three Mile Island situation. The dissidents were against the Salem Township Plant in Berwick, now in its third decade of operation.

SARAH SPEAKS?

Much is being made today of the fact that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has not accepted invitations to the Sunday Morning talk shows tomorrow. The Dems are saying she’s not prepared, I think the GOP in its diabolical strategies are building suspense. Once upon a time when I was running a major project for the community, the CEO of the gig said to me, “Just because the press asks for a comment, that doesn’t mean automatically you need to respond like Pavlov’s dog. They have the freedom of speech to ask and you have the freedom of speech to decline”. Wise words, maybe he’s advising McCain.

AND FROM CAMP KANJO

It seems like they’ve been working on something at that Airport in our town forever. When researching my 1968 segment, there were grants for this and that coming from the feds all the time. So it is no surprise that Congressman Kanjorski has landed some bucks for our port which is smack dab in the middle of his district. If you look at the announcement, the money will be used for some equipment to upgrade airport services and that in my view is not a bad thing. Here’s their announcement:
Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a total of $1.15 million in discretionary grants to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. One grant of $648,899 will be used to acquire improved snow removal equipment. The second grant of $500,000 will help enhance the runway safety area of the airport. On the off-chance that an airplane has trouble landing or goes past the runway, the safety area will stop the plane.
“The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is a vital part of economic development in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Congressman Kanjorski. “I am pleased that this grant will allow the airport to comply with FAA safety measures so that it can continue to become the world-class facility that we envision. With such funding, the airport can continue to improve its facility and ensure that flights remain safe. I commend the Bi-County Board of Commissioners for recognizing the need for funding and applying for this competitive grant.”
Congressman Kanjorski has been a driving force in obtaining federal money for the airport reconstruction projects, which totals more than $72 million.
As I said many times on this site, the underlying reason why there is lethargic support for the Kanjorski candidacy this time around is because of the Cornerstone issue. For heaven’s sake, put up a graph that shows 10 million sent to a failed operation and another one that shows the millions of dollars brought in to this district since he took office. Look at this airport situation as an example, 10 million for an unsuccessful project vs. 72 million. Which would you as an informed voter take?

AL

Alexander Kubik died in late August. The name most likely is not familiar in political circles because if Al had a political opinion, you’d never know it because he never said what it was. I had no idea Al was in the Army until his funeral because like that WWII Greatest Generation, he never chest thumped about it. The full honor guard and military funeral was all we needed to know about how he served his country. We knew Al served his home town Fire Company in Dupont because he’d go over every detail of how a fire engine worked for hours if you let him. I met Al as a little kid along with my cousins. Al was injured in an accident that blew his leg off and he met my aunt in a hospital sometime in the mid 1950s. The accident did not stop him from doing what he did in life. (When I had my accident, Al was an inspiration to me. Using a cane was a piece of cake compared to what he went through in his life). He then became part of our family. Every Christmas, after having dining with his family, Al would make his way down to Cliff Street in the Junction. Now we had already opened up our Christmas Eve gifts but we knew there would be one coming from Al. Always toting a dozen red roses for my aunt, (who always said you shouldn’t have but was glad he did) Al then dispensed gifts to the kids. My cousins Debbie got the “girlie” stuff while my cousin Robert and I got the “manly stuff”. In my book “26 Rules of Life” I recounted one of Al’s Christmas gifts as one of my most memorable in my lifetime.
A battery operated shoe shiner. I can still see it now. A fire engine red and chrome silver squared off box of metal with a yellow sponge like rotating head operated by 8, count them, 8 C size batteries. At the age of 10, I was excited by the machinery but not necessarily the prospect of shining my shoes. But this was a gift of thought. It was given to me as well as the other male nephews by a long time male friend of my aunt. The very fact this man chose to include us in his gift giving was something that made this present so memorable. The shoe shiner is long gone along with those 8 “C” batteries but the memory of this man’s generosity stays with me. In many ways that generous spirit is still with our family to this day.
Al was a part of our family until the day he died. My Aunt Mary stated “I said hello to him in a hospital and said goodbye to him in a hospital”) We all regarded him as a type of defacto Uncle. He was there for every Christmas, every holiday, every birthday, every wedding, birth, death, funeral, or anniversary in the family. His last appearance was at Mrs. LuLac’s and my 25th Anniversary part. This man who scaled fences and ladders with a wooden leg was now having difficulty fixing his tie. But I understood he fooled around with that knot for at least two hours until it was perfect. He was an immaculate dresser with a Windsor knot any GQ editor would die for. At his wake my nephew Troy, viewing the body said, “The tie, it’s not perfect the way Al would tie it”. Everything about Al was understated perfection. His cars, (which in the 60s always had fins) were shined beyond an inch of their lives. He’d load us up in this big sedan, me, Debbie, Paula, Sandee Robert and Margie Haddock (who I in hindsight have regarded as one of our defacto cousins) would go for Ice Cream on Sunday afternoons. Someone would say to Al, “Great car” and he was off to the races explaining the model, the paint, type, the engine, the pistons, everything you ever wanted to know, or didn’t about his beloved Olds. His passing was just another reminder to the cousins that still another part of our youth is passing from us. I know it is the cycle of life and blah, blah, blah. But when it hits home, it hurts. Al had a great love and affinity for his fire department, his town, his country, his church and his families, related in blood or not. On the day of his funeral, all the cousins showed up perhaps stirred by those memories of Al’s generosity or the fact that he was always there for each and every one of us. At the funeral breakfast, a niece came up and thanked us for coming. All of us simultaneously blurted out, “There’s nowhere else we would be today than right here” It was the very least we could do for one who shared our triumphs and tragedies and our very lives.
Godspeed Alexander,
From your defacto nieces and nephews.

1968

Swaziland becomes independent..on September 7th- 150 women protest against the Miss America Pageant, as exploitative of women. It is one of the first large demonstrations of Second Wave Feminism…..in the Presidential race, the Nixon Agnew ticket began running a series of half hour infomercials highlighting Nixon in a town council type setting, looking reasoned, cool and “Presidential”. In the same week, Vice President Hubert Humphrey was heckled in every event he went to. Anti war protestors yelled “Dump the Hump” protesting HHH’s acquiescence to the pro war Democratic platform. At one point in Buffalo, Humphrey, in response to a mob screaming at him, interrupting his speech, yelled, “I have two words for you……………..and they aren’t “Happy Motoring" ……..Statewide, the Shafer political machine got into gear for the Nixon ticket while union organizers with the ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Workers Union) The Teamsters and the United Auto Workers began renting campaign headquarter space for the Humphrey campaign because it lacked any money to pour into the Commonwealth. If not for the intervention of the unions, HHH would not have carried Pennsylvania….in Pittston, a new 16 million dollar school is dedicated and an Open House is held. Former State Senator and Auditor General candidate Robert Casey is on hand for the festivities in the heavily Democratic third district and the number one song in LuLac land and America 40 years ago was, “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf. From You Tube: my first month in high school, at St. John the Evangelist, (located right across from my grade school, St. John the Evangelist) bubble gum music gave way to this genre: