The LuLac Edition #877, July 15th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: RUTH BIELSKI EHHRICH, STAN MUSIAL, AND SENATOR VINCE FUMO IN HAPPIER (LOVE THE COAT, BUT I'D LOSE THE HAT!) TIMES.

FUMO GETS A BREAK

Dawn Timminey, former WBRE TV co-anchor and now working for KYQ in Philadelphia reported Vince Fumo’s sentence with the words “gets a break”. And did he ever!!! The former State Senate powerhouse received only 55 months in jail after being found guilty of more than 130 counts of corruption. Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan says Vince Fumo's 55-month prison sentence sends a "disparate message" across the Commonwealth to those in public service who break the law. Meehan vowed to crack down on government corruption while he was chief federal prosecutor; Fumo was one of his targets. Fumo was sentenced yesterday in Philadelphia. The Judge told Fumo “that he was unlike other politicians charged with a crime”. The Judge said he was taking Fumo’s “good works” into consideration giving him less time than his co conspirators who testified against him. To be sure, Fumo had a wonderful career. He was eloquent and very persuasive. His defense of same sex marriage on the Senate floor before he left office was a spell binding, inspirational speech worthy of a modern day Daniel Webster. But Fumo was also known as a person who kept score on even the slightest criticism. His legacy is a bit dubious if you are not a fan of Casino gambling either. The sentencing of the powerful State Senator was closely watched in LuLac land mainly because of the expected rulings on hold against disgraced Judges Ciavarella and Conahan. Patrick Meehan, the chief prosecutor in the Fumo case, as indicated at the top of this story was disappointed.

WHY I LOVE BASEBALL!

Baseball put on a great show last night with the All Star Game. The opening ceremonies focused on the fans of St. Louis as well as the great history there. Until 1958, St. Louis was the western most city in the Majors. President Obama threw out the first pitch, resplendent in his White Sox jacket. His toss did reach the plate. Hall of Famer Stan Musial handed the ball to the Chief Executive.

Other Hall of Fame Cardinals attending were Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson and Red Schoendienst. Both “Red” and “Stan the Man” were my dad’s favorite players so I grew up knowing all about them. Watching the All Star game this year in a vertical position was a real treat. One year ago today, I had my cancer surgery. The morphine wore off about 830PM and my hospital room mate (who was in for the same type surgery) woke up at 9:30PM. We both wound up watching the extra inning game until after 2AM. When one of the nurses came in to turn Tony’s TV off, he growled, “Leave it alone, it’s the (expletive deleted) All Star Game.” When she made a move for my part of the room, he said, “Leave his TV be too!”. She did and I dare say that at least in the 50 plus demographic that morning between 12:30AM and 2AM, Fox had a very good cume.
Definition: Cume Rating: The estimated number of different persons who watch at least once during a specified period. Cume rating is expressed as a percentage of the entire metro population.

DEFINING “DEFIANCE”

The Jewish Community Center of Wilkes Barre had an outstanding program on Tuesday night. Ruth Bielski Ehhrich of Florida gave a lecture regarding her family’s role in fighting back the Nazis in World War II. Their struggle was made into a film called “Defiance”. Ehhrich is the daughter of Tuvia Bielski, one of three brothers who formed a type of resistance/shelter for oppressed and attacked Jews more than a half century ago. Bielski-Ehhrich pointed out that she and her family go anywhere they are asked to tell the story of her family and their exploits. On the run and hiding in the deep forests of the then German occupied Poland and Belorussia (World War II), the three Bielski brothers find the impossible task of foraging for food and weapons for their survival. They live, not only with the fear of discovery, contending with neighboring Soviet partisans and knowing whom to trust but also take the responsibility of looking after a large mass of fleeing Polish Jews from the German war machine. Women, men, children, the elderly and the young alike are all hiding in makeshift homes in the dark, cold and unforgiving forests in the darkest times of German occupied Eastern Europe.
Film makers and critics have praised the film as one of the few in motion picture history that view Jewish people as fighting back with a vengeance against the Nazi atrocities instead of being portrayed as victims. The speaker was part of “The Summer Experience” program at the JCC. Here’s a trailer on the film.