The LuLac Edtion #708, Jan. 28th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: YOUR BLOG EDITOR BY THE SEA, JUDGE PETER PAUL OLSZEWSKI, CONSIDERED A FRONT RUNNER FOR THE POST OF PRESIDENT JUDGE, AND PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

THERE GO THE JUDGES!

Pointing to the pending criminal charges against two county judges, the state Supreme Court relieved Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of all the state Supreme Court relieved Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of all judicial duties. The order forbids Ciavarella from taking any action in any case or proceeding and relieves him of judicial and administrative responsibilities. It also revokes Conahan's status as a senior judge and rescinds all assignments currently before him. The action comes three days after federal authorities charged the jurists with accepting more than $2.6 million in kickbacks in exchange for favorable judicial rulings. It seems to me that the higher Court wanted to prevent Ciaverella from voting for his replacement. Conahan is the odd man out financially because as a Senior Judge, he only got a per diem payment.

SAILING, SAILING

If you love boating and the sea like I do, a big part of life is sailing the open seas. It is exhilerating to say the least but when someone else pays for it, well then that's even better. I'm telling you this because at least $370,000 of the $2.6 million in kickback money that allegedly went to Luzerne County judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella was concealed by labeling it as dock expenses, marine rent, slip rental fees and other nautical-related transactions, according to the federal complaint filed against them. This condominium in a Jupiter, Fla., (Perry Como's hometown,) complex figured into the elaborate scheme uncovered by federal prosecutors into the investigation of the two judges. These particular transactions in the first five months of 2004 were made to Pinnacle Group of Jupiter LLC, a Florida business entity controlled by Conahan and Ciavarella, investigators say. Conahan’s wife, Barbara, is listed as “managing member” of Pinnacle Group. The checks were written by a Luzerne County lawyer identified in the complaint as “participant 1.” Investigators wouldn’t name him, but details in the complaint indirectly identify him as Robert Powell according to a story in the Times Leader.

HOME RULE KICKOFF

A Home Rule Campaign Kick Off Event will be held on Thurs., January 29th at 7:00 p.m. The event will be open to the public, and anyone interested in joining the movement is urged to attend. The meeting will be at 198 S Main St. Wilkes-Barre. Home Rule made it onto the May 19 primary election ballot. Also on the ballot will be the candidates for the 11 spots on the study commission. Watch who the candidates will be, reformers or political hacks trying to jump on the new train leaving the station.

OBAMA GETS A MESSAGE

The Democratic Stimlus package was passed today with a straight party line vote. The GOP, the party that got us into this mess voted against it. The Republicans claimed that they were oh so worried about government spending under this plan. That to me is hysterical. This was the party that ran up deficits fighting a war in Iraq where our troops were assassinated. This was the same crowd that funded Haliburton. This was the same group that let big business run amok that started this economic decline.
This was the same party that released billions to banks saying they’d stimulate the economy when the banking bastards kept it all. Bipartisanship? The GOP has proven they aren’t worthy of that consideration and President Obama should act accordingly.

BONUS BABIES?

How about this. The financial institutions that paid out bonuses to the bank execs say they had to do it in order to keep and recruit new talent. Are you kidding me? We reward these wiz kids who nearly wiped us out? Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll gather a bunch of Business Analysts from this area and you can pay them $200,000 grand a piece with no bonuses and you’ll see how effective your sorry ass business will be. Where’s Kanjorski’s Northeast corrider when we need it?