Monday, January 30, 2012

The LuLac Edition #1923, January 30th, 2012


In a happier time, former Lackawanna County Commissioners A.J. Munchak and Bob Cordaro.


A photo of one of the ethnic churches the Diocese destroyed to break even. While other churches were merged, St. John the Baptist Slovak Roman Catholic Church, got the wrecking ball.

TIME TO GO

Today most likely will be Judgement Day for former Lackawanna County Commissioners Bob Cordaro and A.J. Munchak. I worked briefly as a board operator for one of Bob Cordaro’s stations in the mid 90s. Saw him only once, got my check and learned a lot about NASCAR at that sports station. Years before, I attended a fundraiser for him when he ran for Congress in 1988 with a lawyer friend of mine. He gambled and lost to Joe McDade that year. I thought about that this morning and came to the realization that Bob Cordaro’s public life has been one big gamble. When he ran against an entrenched incumbent like oe Corcoran in 2003, it was a gamble. He and A.J. Munchak won by a mere 200 votes. I wondered after that win if Cordaro thought that he had this run of luck that would never run out. Cordaro and Munchak moved fast saying they were fixing things in Lackawanna County that had grown stagnant with 24 years of Democratic rule. Cordaro forged business relationships with dubious business characters like Al Hughes a Scranton funeral director and some engineer types from a Clarks Summit engineering firm. I think both men gambled that what they were doing was the way things got done in the County, or the way they needed to get things done or damn the torpedoes full speed ahead the way they wanted things to get done. Cordaro and Munchak said they never took money, the dubious business people who were never charged said they did. The people who counted, the jury overwhelming said Bob and A.J. were crooks. No one believed Cordaro was a cash only guy especially when they saw checks cashed with his name on them. And no one believed that A.J. Munchak gambled at the casino with his life savings. The roll of the dice was not kind to Cordaro and Munchak.
Over the weekend the newspaper released letters of support for the two from an NFL head coach, various friends and relatives, nieces and nephews, friends, co workers and even lovers. Judge Caputo most likely read them all. This morning in Federal Court the Judge will pronounce sentencing. This morning, the wild ride is really over. This morning, their luck, manufactured or providential according to whose story you believe, runs out.

GOOD ENEMIES-HORRIBLE AMERICANS

During the Bill Clinton Impeachment hearings, people marveled at Clinton’s luck in having good enemies in the Congress and right wing America. It appears Barack Obama has the same good fortune.
Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal is under fire after asking Republican House members to pray for President Barack Obama’s death. This “Christian” legislator, a person elected by American citizens has wished the President’s children to be fatherless. I’m not a fan of Obama, never have been. And last night, ironically as I was sitting in church, I wondered if there was a viable alternative in the GOP that if push came to shove, I could vote for in the general election. And just when I was thinking of the idea of finding an alternative, up pops this news story the next day. These religious right wingers are down right dangerous. And THEY ARE BAD FOR AMERICA. THESE ARE CHRISTIAN TREASONISTS. THESE ARE PEOPLE JESUS WOULD BE ASHAMED OF. Yet they live and worse yet, they breed. O’Neal made the request via an email he forwarded to GOP colleagues in the House. In an email sent in December, O’Neal asked his fellow Republicans to pray Psalm 109, which contains the following lines:
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
The email has become the subject of a mini-media frenzy. Numerous major news outlets began reporting the details surrounding the disturbing prayer request on Friday.
The relevant verse from Psalm 109 is considered a prayer for vengeance, a prayer for the death of a leader. The most damning part of the prayer is lines 7-12:
'When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor.
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.'O’Neal forwarded the prayer with his own message:
“At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”
Please keep in mind this is not your run of the mill wacko that every little town has. This is not some drunk guy in a bar mouthing off. This man is an elected official of the Republican party in Kansas. He is an elected official of the Kansas Legislature. He is not some back bencher no one takes seriously. He is a member with power sanctioned by his political party, the Republicans. Just when you even think about voting for a Republican, shit like this washes ashore.
And my response to this waste of sperm and egg is simply this: If you are a Christian………….bring me the atheists!

DIOCESE FLUSH

The Times Leader reports that the Diocese of Scranton rebounded pretty well financially by taking drastic measures like closing schools and churches. A friend of mine told me that the Diocese systematically closed ethnic churches. I wasn’t sure that was entirely true but here it is in black and white. From the Times Leader: Martino determined that Church Law allowed the diocese to take about 42 percent of the assets from a closed “ethnic” parish built to serve immigrants of a specific ethnicity when that parish merged with a “territorial” parish built to serve a specific area.
I called the aforementioned friend and related the article to him. A fellow former parishioner at St. John the Baptist and class mate at the school, he said, “If they were going to merge ethnic parishes, then why did they tear some of them down for parking lots”? Good question. I hope they sleep well at night with their financial security.

10 Comments:

At 6:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The picture of Bob and AJ in happier times strikes a chord. Today will be a Bad Day at Black Rock for both. Although their crimes dont come close to the crimes of the Luzerne County judges, they will get more time according to law. Murderers are sometimes out in 8-10 years. Petty thieves get life in the 3 strikes program. Bob was always a fast and loose player, but I cant believe Munchak threw his life away for $60,000. Some of the people who testified against both men should themselves be in jail. I will always believe the Feds went over the top on this one and the fact is they can be as brutal and above the law as Al Capone! This whole affair is a sad case of corrupted power all around. AJ gets the max because he didnt cooperate. Bob is a victim of extreme arrogance, his own. Both were intelligent men with fine families. One set his own course. The other jumped in the passenger seat and rode way too far! I wouldnt want to be Bob or AJ today, but I wouldnt want to be Judge Caputo either!

 
At 9:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Christian right is so far from what Christ taught. They are modern day pharisees.

 
At 10:21 AM, Anonymous Professor Milburn Cleaver, OPA said...

Students,
Mr. Yonki's paper on Speaker O'Neal of Kansas was excellent! Once again, he garners an A + (not to be confused with the mini mart where you buy your cigarettes amongst other things---you may laugh). Still, we must see both sides of the story.
First, what the Speaker stated in his e mail was vulgar, distasteful, lacking of class and on and on. But, we must remember that behavior such as this is prominent on both sides of the political spectrum.
You and I recall the statement being made not too long ago that "President Bush is Adolf Hitler" or "Dick Cheney masterminded 911". So, the left has been equally bad.
NOw, as we embark on the eve of the Florida primary contest, I must remind you of my prediction of last week. Speaker Gingrich will falter, and the race will not even be a close one. This result in Gov. Romney's favor will finally, I believe cement him as the frontrunner. The upcoming contests may be somewhat competitive for Newt (and he may even win a few), but alas it will be too little, too late.
As of Wednesday morning, the mass of the Republican party will have come together and begin to form a comprehensive strategy to defeat MR. Obama.
This task will not be a difficult one to undertake. As I have stated in earlier lectures, any of the present group of Republican candidates could wipe the floor in the General election.
As this is Monday, and I am certain that you are all still nursing your weekend hangovers and/or hiding from your respective bookies as a result of your football bets of last week, I shall close this session.
But I leave you with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
"Black care rarely rides behind a man whose pace is fast enough."
Something to think about this morning.
Class Dismissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
At 5:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Professor, I withdrew from your class a few months ago because you refused to answer any of the questions I asked you, something a true educator would have done! I'm back and hopefully you will reply to this question. In your above lesson you state that some people in the political left called Pres. Bush a Hitler and referred to V.P. Cheney as a mastermind of 9/11. This is certainly true. The extreme right is not the only group that has a few idiots in its membership. Alas, that is the price our society pays for Freedom of Speech. My problem with your post is that you compare the Hitler comments made by a few UNELECTED people on the left with comments made by an ELECTED state legislator. This is not a valid analogy. You compare an apple( the elected state legislator) to an orange(the unelected citizen). For your lesson to be correct apples must be compared with apples. So I ask you to validate your lesson to your students. Cite one example where an elected Democratic member of the U S Congress or any state legislative body has done this. You also are comparing calling Pres. Bush a Hitler with a biblical passage that condemns Pres. Obama and his family with misfortune. This analogy or comparison is not only invalid but foolish! So again I will ask you prove your lesson, find us an example? Until you do you will be laughed at and ridiculed as you do to your students. With respect, your student.

 
At 6:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Enough of the Professor. As it has been said before, the Lulac sheet has been hijacked and worse yet by a pompous ass who when called to task shrinks from answering the simplest question. Let 5:11s remarks which are spot on conclude the reign of a despot who only wishes to monopolize by demonstrating his own megalomania.
I criticized the Prof once before and he remarked that I couldnt write! Strange, but I've made a living with my pen for over 25 years! I grade the Prof a D-minus. As I said Enough is Enough!

 
At 7:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A rather disturbing event occurred in a Minnesota library last Sunday: Freshman Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler, while implying that the White House was involved in the World Trade Center attacks ....

Took all of 35 secs to get this via google.

Really, 5:11 you couldn't have made the effort? It's responses like yours that strengthens the prof's profile.

Read, listen, watch a wider range of media outlets and make an effort to be responsible for your own education.

Keep the change.

 
At 8:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yonki ... Yonki ... Yonki ...

 
At 10:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

7:11, please enlighten us on how a Democratic Minnesota Congressman named Keith Ellison comparing Pres. Obama to Hitler is the same as a Republican Kansas State Congressman named O'Neal reciting a passage from the Bible that wishes the President and his family ill will. As 5:11 said no political party has a lock on idiots.

 
At 6:38 AM, Anonymous Pope George Ringo said...

As far as the Kansas House Speaker goes, although I can't stomach his program anymore, I am willing to bet that Bill Oreilly didn't even brign it up.
O'reilly is always quick to paint himself as fair but usually on spotlights looney remarks by the left as a staple of his program.
I am upping my prediction for the Fall.
Not only will Obama get re-elected but I am now also leaning toward a Dem takeover of the HOuse.
God Willing.
God Bless.

 
At 8:13 AM, Anonymous Professor Milburn Cleaver, OPA said...

Anon 7:11 p.m. Students, regarding the Minnesota Congressman and the vile comments concerning President Bush, one of your brethren has finally proven himself worthy of my lectures.

Congratulations, young man! You, as I have urged other somewhat reluctant members of the class to do---you have DONE YOUR RESEARCH!

It is the easiest task in the world class, to throw insults and accusations when one does not know what he/she is talking about.

Anon, 7:11 has proven that a little hard work can completely eradicate long winded statements of tripe.

Please, the rest of you, follow this young man's example. Son, you get an A!!

Class Dismissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home