The LuLac Edition #2145, August 2nd, 2012

Me, Mr. Popular!!!! 

I’M A POPULAR GUY!!!! 

This week I was treated to a slew of e mails from my Democratic friends in Washington, D.C. Do they want my advice on health care? On foreign policy? Nope they want my money. Here’s a recap of those who “reached out” to little old me this week. I repeat….I’m a popular guy!” 
From Donna Brazile David — If you're hoping that Democrats win the Senate, I've got to talk straight with you: Hope isn't enough anymore. 
From Dick Durbin: David — If you have been waiting in the hopes that your help would not be needed to re-elect President Obama and a Democratic Senate -- THE WAIT MUST END. With 98 days to go, Mitt Romney holds a closed-door fundraiser in Jerusalem with Las Vegas casino magnate and super PAC sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson. The take for Romney from his "fact-finding" fundraiser? One million dollars. 
From Joe Biden: David -- This isn't hyperbole or exaggeration: If we don't win this election, it will be because we didn't close the spending gap when we could. Because right now we're seeing that voters have a choice between two very different men. 
From the First Lady; David -- I'm always amazed by how Barack balances his responsibilities as president, a husband, and a dad. But sometimes even he needs a little help. And this campaign is going to take all of us pitching in. All of the things we've poured our hearts into -- from passing health care reform to fighting for an economy that works for everyone -- are on the line. 
And finally, the big guy. No not Clinton!!! Obama! David -- Sometimes politics can seem very small. But the choice voters face in this election couldn't be bigger. Over the past two months, we have been outraised by our opponents. They've used that advantage to distort the truth and mislead people, over and over, on TV and the radio in battleground states. Tonight is one of the most critical fundraising deadlines we'll face. 
The Democratic team is gearing up for this election by flooding the e mail machines of past donors to Democratic campaigns. (For the record the only two campaigns I donated to were the Rendell efforts in 2002 and 2006. As a blogger, I always paid for my tickets to any local event). What this does demonstrate is that the Obama campaign is ramping it up to try and keep pace with Mitt Romney. The base of the adoring young which catapulted Obama to the Presidency have moved onto other things. (There are still remnants of the young but they are few and far between.) As far as campaign donations, they are scraping with the bottom of the barrel with me because I don’t have much disposable income. I’m not in the poorhouse but I’m not writing checks either like Rob Mericle or Mike Pasonick was Able to do. Oh wait a minute, that’s a good thing. Anyway, I might scrounge up a few bucks to keep my good friends, Donna, Dick, Joe, Michele and the big guy, (Obama not Hillary!!!!!!!) happy.

"Health Care Not Scare Care" loogo. 

ANOTHER MILESTONE-ANOTHER LIE 

August first was the day that the Affordable Health Care kicked in for services to women. Good stuff like free mammograms. But like every milestone, comes the panic and the lies. CBS News reports that these are the following services that will be available to women without a copay:
1. Well-woman visits, including an annual check-up for adult women to get recommended preventive services, and additional visits if women and their doctors determine them necessary.  2. Gestational diabetes screening for women 24 to 28 weeks pregnant, and those at high risk of developing gestational diabetes. Women who have gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future and the children of women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of being overweight and insulin-resistant during childhood. 
3. HPV DNA testing every three years for women who are 30 or older, regardless of Pap smear results. HPV screening has been shown to help reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer. 4. 
4. Annual sexually transmitted infections (STI) counseling for sexually-active women. Such sessions have been shown to reduce risky behavior in patients; only 28 percent of women aged 18-44 years reported that they had discussed STIs with a doctor or nurse, according to HHS.  HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women. From 1999 to 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 15 percent increase in AIDS cases among women, and a 1 percent increase among men, suggesting an increased risk for women. 
5. Breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling for pregnant and postpartum women, including access to comprehensive lactation support and counseling from trained providers, as well as breastfeeding equipment. 
6. Interpersonal and domestic violence screening and counseling for all adolescent and adult women. An estimated 25 percent of U.S. women report being targets of intimate partner violence during their lifetimes and screening will lead to interventions to increase their safety.
 7.Already covered under the law are other free preventive services for women recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of doctors that advise the government on treatment guidelines. These include mammograms every 1-2 years for women over 40, cervical cancer screenings and prenatal care. 
All of that stuff seems pretty good right? Pretty reasonable? But we are being told that religious beliefs of Catholics are being violated because of the contraception issue. By the way that’;s the one item out of the eight that the Health Care fear merchants are trotting out to defame this law. Here’s what the contraception part of it says:
Contraception and contraceptive counseling: Women will have free access to all FDA-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures and patient education and counseling without a co-pay. Most workers in employer-sponsored plans are currently covered for contraceptives.
If that last sentence is the case, then why are people screaming that their religious beliefs are being violated? Are you going to tell me in 2012 that Catholic working women are not using contraception? Either they are or no one is having sex anymore?  Tell me what religious beliefs are being violated by these services to women. And aren’t beliefs supposed to be private. Are not beliefs supposed to be just that, beliefs? It seems to me that Catholic Church is again playing “big daddy” to its women folk (yeah used that term again, comment your ass off!!) “mandating” that Catholic women be appalled at the items in the Affordable Health Care Act as repugnant to their religious beliefs! See, I thought they were against a mandate but seem to be imposing one of their own. 

CAPUTO’S PENPAL 

When I was 11 years old I had a Penpal that I got from the back of an Archie and Jughead comic book. His name was Nick Cuchio and he lived in Dallas, Texas. We exchanged a few letters but then that was it. It seems Judge Richard Caputo has encountered a new penpal in the form of former Lackawanna County Commissioner Bob Cordaro. Cordaro has asked to be released from jail so he could help prepare his appeal. Makes sense, at least to Cordaro because he thinks he’s the smartest lawyer in the room. But Caputo said no and Cordaro won’t be in any room except his prison cell. In the meantime, I don’t think Caputo will be waiting at the mailbox with baited breath for the next missive from Mr. Bob. 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT  

MEDIA MATTERS 

JOE GANS 

Cable TV pioneer Joseph Gans died the other day. Gans was instrumental in putting Cable TV on the map in Eastern Pennsylvania. The Gans Family, under his leadership also pioneered Service Electric TV as well as WYLN TV 35. Mr. Gans also helped found the Helping ands Telethon which raised millions of dollars for local charities. 

TONY MARTIN 

Radio crooner and big band singer, not to mention movie star died earlier this week at the age of 98. Martin who was married for 60 years to Cyd Charise was doing nightclub acts well into his 90s. I saw him in a few movies but it wasn’t until I bought one of the 12 packs from McGrory’s Department Store in Wyoming in the late 60s that I became familiar with him. Amidst the mediocre rock and roll singles was a Tony Martin gem on Motown called “The Bigger Your Heart Is,  the Harder You Fall”. After that, I was hooked. Tony Martin was the last of a breed of singers of that era. The only one still standing is Tony Bennett. 

ECTV 

With Judge Tom Munley and DeCosmo on vacation Paula Deignan of WILK Radio will take over the hosting duties on ECTV Live during the week of August 6th. Paula's subject will be the annual Christy Mathewston Days celebration in Factoryville! ECTVLive is presented as a Public Affairs Feature of Electric City Television each weekday at Noon and Midnight with select showings at 6pm on Comcast Ch19. 

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine An encore of Brian Hughes' interview with disaster preparedness expert Art Aiello on what you need to know to protect your family and home during severe weather events. Also, an encore of Brian's interview with Karla Porter from ARC of Luzerne County about the agency’s TRACE program, which helps & prepares developmentally disabled persons for the workplace. And Brian speaks with Joanne Buzaglo, who discusses the importance of pain management for cancer patients. Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on Great Country 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93 and 7am on True Oldies 590, WARM.  

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 

Tune in this Saturday from 7pm to midnight as Shadoe Steele plays the best in gold on WILK AM and FM. ABC News is on the top of the hour with some of the best music and interviews.

Our 1967 logo. 

1967 

Pink Floyd releases their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in the United Kingdom………The People's Republic of China agrees to give North Vietnam an undisclosed amount of aid in the form of a grant. o A general strike in the old quarter of Jerusalem protests Israel's unification of the city……….in Pennsylvania, Governor Raymond Shafer told a news conference that he is behind the beautification initiative of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Shafer says that there should be a law proposed in the Commonwealth that would levy big fines on people who dump trash or litter on the Pennsylvania turnpike or the Interstate highways…..in Luzerne County, Blythe Evans, the GOP nominee for District Attorney continues to mend fences from the bitter and close primary fight with Wilkes Barre Attorney Joseph Kasper. Evans faces off against Democrat Stephen Teller in the 1967 general race to succeed Tom Mack who is aspiring for a Judgeship on the Court of Common Pleas…..and 45 years ago the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was “Society’s Child”, a ground breaking social commentary on race and class by Janis Ian. (Corrected content).