The LuLac Edition #923, Aug. 28th, 2009

SNAPPLE "REAL FACT" #691, the archer fish can spit water up to seven feet to shoot down bugs from overhanging trees.

PHOTO INDEX: THE WILKES BARRE POLICE DEPARTMENT, FRANK THOMAS, CIRCA 1982 AT A SHEA STADIUM OLD TIMER'S GAME IN A PHOTO TAKEN BY THIS EDITOR, MY SIGNED PHOTO FROM SENATOR TED KENNEDY AND OUR 1964 LOGO.

WILKES BARRE POLICE

Just a few thoughts on the Wilkes Barre Police Department and the current controversy. As a resident of this city since 1982 I have had occasion to deal with the police a few times regarding complaints in my neighborhood. Every single interaction I had with the police was positive and professional. Of course I wasn’t hopped up on drugs, belligerent or had “a little bit” of mental health difficulties. There seems to be a rush to judgement in this case against the poiice. True there were 6 of them and only one, the suspect. True he did receive a beat down. But the suspect resisted arrest, ran away from the police, made threats, previously assaulted an officer in Edwardsville and was acting in a confrontational manner. The police had information the suspect had a gun. See, guns kill people. A few of my friends said that maybe the police should learn how to use handcuffs. They do but when someone is resisting, it’s hard to get cuffs on a suspect. The police were called, they responded to a disturbance. They had seen this guy a few times before. There was a history. The State Police will investigate but my bet is that they’ll find the police acted within bounds. The City of Wilkes Barre has changed in many ways the last two decades. We have become more diverse. And that’s a good thing. But when one diverse citizen threatens another, you act, not react. I find it interesting that the family and friends who “witnessed” the assault when they were just hanging out at 10am tried to tell the police how to do their job. I find it even more interesting that not 24 hours passed before an attorney was called. I wonder if those who care for the suspect were that fast to call a drug counselor or social services that quick. People are moving out of the city left and right because of this violent behavior of citizens who seem to have no visible means of contributing to the city they live in through taxes or community spirit. This is a pretty tolerant area. People tend to mind their own business. But even that can be dangerous. Can anyone say Henry Stubbs? City residents need to know they will be safe and the police will not be second guessed. No one has said it so I will. We won’t be happy until one of our local police officers is killed in one of these incidents. Then we’ll talk about what a wonderful guy the policeman was and after we bury him there will be walks, dances and hoagie sales to support his family. Everyone will go….except the dozen or so people hanging out in another neighborhood on another lazy day at 10AM doing whatever it is they do.

STIMULUS ENVY

So I’m listening to Sue Henry’s show Thursday and I hear a JIL call. A Jil is a jealous, ignorant loudmouth. This guy starts complaining about the extra $25.00 in stimulus money people who are on unemployment are getting. He said that unemployment benefits were extended too long and said that people getting the extra $25.00 were using it for stuff like crack cocaine and other wasteful nefarious things. In some cases, that extra $25.00 could make the difference in paying a bill on time or not. Does this JIL think that when you get unemployment your bills stop? Does he think your health insurance is paid for by the tooth fairy? It’s loudmouths like this guy that made me wish I got the hell out of this town 30 years ago. I've never seen so many people so ignorant and proud out it all at the same time. It's comical. My father used to say that people in this area would rather see a hearse in your driveway rather than a Cadillac. This chump is so petty that he’d be jealous if someone had a Yugo in their driveway. Hey big mouth, your life must really suck if you think people on unemployment compensation have it easy.

PROGRAM NOTE

This Weekend on Sunday Magazine; Brian Hughes interviews WBRE I Team investigative reporter Andy Mehalchick about the latest developments in the ongoing Luzerne County Courthouse scandal, and what could happen next. Highlights from Congressman Chris Carney’s town hall meeting on health care reform held earlier this week in Dickson City, with viewpoints for and against the efforts to reform Americas health care system.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 6:30am on Magic 93
Also, Sunday at 5:30am on JR 93.7, 6am on 97BHT 7am 97.9X and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

DO IT FOR TED

Since the right wing has said liberals are going to rally the memory of Senator for true health care reform and seemed surprised at that tactic, I figured I wouldn't disappoint them. At the 2008 Democratic Convention, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Sen. Ted Kennedy said: "This is the cause of my life - new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American - north, south, east, west, young, old - will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege."
Kennedy chaired the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). On July 15, Kennedy's committee passed the Affordable Health Choices Act, which "will reduce health costs, protect individuals' choice in doctors and plans, and assure quality and affordable heath care for Americans."
It also includes a "strong public option that responds to the wishes of the American people to have a clear alternative to for-profit insurance companies." Tell your Representatives to honor Sen. Kennedy by passing real health reform: http://www.democrats.com/honor-ted-kennedy. Senator Kennedy was too ill to vote for this bill, but he praised its passage.

A FRIEND’S TRIBUTE

Sen. Orrin Hatch posted on his YOU TUBE page a song he co-wrote as a tribute to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Hatch, a Republican from Utah, worked closely with his liberal colleague from Massachusetts on a number of pieces of legislation. He notes on his YouTube page that the song is called "Headed Home" and that he wrote it with songwriter Phil Springer.

WE LOVE OUR EATS!!

I'm quoting my dad a lot in this edition. He used to say "You only fight over two things, money and maybe once in a great while a woman". Only in LuLac land would a baseball fan go berserk and smash to smithereens a Championship trophy of the team he was rooting for. Mad over an umpire's call, angry because someone took your seat? Nope, he had a problem with the food concessions at PNC Field. WBRE reported he spent the night in jail where the food was presumabely better.

1964

Robert Kennedy resigns his position as Attorney General in the Johnson administration and files papers in New York State to run for the United States Denate. He will face GOP incumbent Kenneth Keating.....Walt Disney'sMary Poppins has its world premiere in Los Angeles. It will go on to become Disney's biggest moneymaker, and winner of 5 Academy Awards, including a Best Actress award for Julie Andrews, who accepted the part after she was passed over by Jack L. Warner for the leading role of Eliza Dolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady. Mary Poppins is the first Disney film to be nominated for Best Picture.......Bob Dylan turns The Beatles on to cannabis for the first time..... Statewide in Philadelphia as the summer of 1964 came to a close, there was a race riot. Tensions between African American residents and police lead to 341 injuries and 774 arrests........The 1964 Phillies ride out the summer on the coattails of Frank Thomas brought in to play first base on August 15th. Thomas was on a tear hitting .294 hitting 7 home runs and driving in 26 runs in only 39 games...In Luzerne County, President Judge Alfred “Fred” Valentine passes away. He was in his 70s..... And the number 1 song in America and in LuLac land was Stan Getz & João Gilberto. Music video is from the 1964 film "Get Yourself a College Girl".