The LuLac Edition #2416, May 9th, 2013

The number 7. (Holmes Marketing Wordpress.)

 LULAC @ 7 

We were preoccupied with a few things of personal import this week so we missed our LuLac anniversary. LuLac began 7 years ago on May the 6th, 2006 when I was on my lunch break at the on line pagan travel company I worked for at the time. I was surfing the web at lunch and saw some pretty demeaning stuff on the net locally regarding politics. So I decided that even on my worst day I might be able to do better. And I have attempted to do so. 
Throughout the 7 years I have been doing this, I’ve faced a few health challenges which required three hospital stays. Those were the only times LuLac was dark for a particular extended time period. Mrs. LuLac and I have taken a few trips but thanks to the Internet, LuLac came from faraway places. 
I’ve also worked full time jobs while doing LuLac. The interesting part about this is that in my 36 years of full time jobs since I left college, I have written LuLac longer in duration than each individual job I’ve held. Due to layoffs, I only made the 6 year mark once in my previous employments. To those people like my wife and my good friend John Webster, I have not had the luxury of being in one place for more than a few decades like those two. 
Speaking of Webster, on our anniversary date I always put up Webster’s photo because he gave me a ton of technical advice as far as photos and videos went. I always acknowledge my blog buddies Gort 42 as well as Mark Cour who lent encouraging words when I first started. And of course to Mrs. LuLac who advised I write a blog to primarily promote my books. I took her germ of an idea and turned it into what some people say is a plague. Oh well. 
I will edit comments and continue to do so. I will not print anything that will cause anyone any pain in terms of the way they look, what they went through personally and what their beliefs are. I will try to be tasteful but there are challenges in that. I almost printed the autopsy picture of Boston Bomber #1 but thought better of it. Maybe my Christianity was encroaching in on my Roman Catholicism that day. 
We will comment on news stories. Any blogger gets their news and thoughts from other news organs. Some will share a link, some will add a credit and others will change the print font. When I comment on a story and I use part of that story from the newspaper, I will credit the paper or the reporter. 
Our breakdown of content is on the chart provided. 85% original. What we mean by that is that even though the sun rises in the morning and we did not create that happening, we still can comment on it on an original basis. 
We try to reinvent features that can be entertaining. When some work, we keep them, when they don’t, we get rid of them. 
We do print news releases from candidates and politicians. We do that because any candidate who is interested, can submit. And we’ll print. But I won’t chase a candidate down breathlessly if they or their staff are too lazy to send us anything.  
LuLac also uses “other sources” as content. That comes under the heading of videos, stories submitted to us (and again, if a Wil Toole or Joe Leonardi submit it, I’ll use it because it is quality writing.) But I won’t go chasing after someone who won’t submit anything. 
We do have a few haters but that comes with the territory. The easy thing to do is have an anonymous blog. Not put your name to it. Thankfully, many of the local bloggers like Joe Valenti, Gort, Betty Roccograndi, Tom Borthwick and Mark Cour do not hide behind the monitors. In my 7 years writing LuLac, I have been called a few bad names, been accused of plagiarism, been reported to the blog police (whatever the hell that was) and been told I would be going to hell for all eternity. I always thought that would be a hoot because what if there is no hell or eternity? But I digress. 
Do we have favorites? You bet. But that comes from mutual understanding and respect. Do we get frustrated and go off the rails when the things we believe in get attacked without facts? Sure. But then I think of people like L.A. Tarone, Jimmy O’Meara, Frank Scavo and Tiffany Cloud who I almost never agree with on national politics. In the end, they believe in their causes and passions as much as I do. And the fact we can disagree and still go home without someone following us for our beliefs is a testament to this country.  
LuLac will also continue to celebrate our political past. This takes a lot of research and digging but I can’t tell you how much it means to family members of deceased public servants who were in office years ago and have their efforts remembered. That is why LuLac has always been big on historical perspective.
LuLac does not take any advertising dollars. We’ve tried a few experiments but they didn’t produce the results for the advertiser who tried it. Plus, on a local basis that complicates your objectivity. 
We begin our 8th year with a few innovative ideas in our vest pocket. But that will come in due time. For now, we thank our readers, our posters, contributors and even our critics. And we thank all the politicians who make this possible. Without their antics, I fear I’d be writing about the Kardashians. And that would be painful. On to year eight.

LuLac content chart.

The annual John Webster anniversary LuLac photo .

Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty. (Photo: Citizen's Voice) 

WHERE’S THE KING? 

I saw Kingsrton Mayor Jim Haggerty on TV the other night and my mind wandered back to the heated election battle that got the Home Rule form of government approved for Luzerne county. And my most striking thought was that Jim Haggerty was still Mayor of Kingston. When Haggerty was the mover of the reform movements, we were told that he was angling to be the County Executive, that he coveted the post of Legal Division Head for the County, that he was in it for his own gain and that he essentially was power hungry and wanting to call all the shots. That’s what was said about him by the proponents of the people who did not want Home Rule. 
Well, Haggerty stepped back, handed over the Charter to a new elected Council and has been pretty much out of the picture. It is well to remember that people will do something on a civic basis because they think it is a good idea. They think it might improve the area in which we live. But that’s not sexy. That’s not something that people believe. The cynical view of LuLac land is that politicians are in it for something.  
Watching Jim Haggerty on TV the other night in the same office where he met with me and passionately discussed Home Rule, I saw the same guy I did a few years ago. Doing his job and not waiting for something with his hand out. People should point to him as an example when they deride public servants as politicians.

Congressman Matt Cartwright. (Photo: LuLac archives) 

CARTWRIGHT ON BENGHAZI HEARINGS 

Congressman Matt Cartwright issued a statement on the Benghazi hearings yesterday.. Here's a statement from his office:  “As we say on our committee’s website, we are charged with two primary tasks: First, Americans have a right to know that the money Washington takes from them is well spent. And second, Americans deserve an efficient, effective government that works for them. Our duty on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is to protect these rights. 
To get to the heart of these truths, this committee relies on information that might be of a sensitive nature. We rely on whistleblowers; people who are willing to stand up to powerful people, or even the government itself, to do what is right for the citizens of this country. People who have the courage to do this should be celebrated. If any of the witnesses here came forward despite facing adversity, even if it was strictly personal, they are to be commended as an example for others. 
However, this committee has failed to live up to the values and goals that we have laid forth in our actions leading up to this hearing investigating the attacks on our embassy. There are a number of ways that this committee could have sought to find a more complete picture of the truth. The majority could have encouraged all of the witnesses here today to be interviewed by the minority. That did not happen. They could have provided copies of the testimony that the witnesses would offer, yet they did not. They could have shared all the pertinent documents, and they did not. 
There is no need to speculate as to why these basic actions were not taken. What we should do instead is work together to ensure that Americans are being best served by their government, and we should work together when we approach the critical oversight role that this committee provides. Truth is the daughter of time. Sharing information and working together will only hasten the process of finding the truth. It will increase the confidence the American people have in the outcome of out investigations if we can demonstrate bipartisanship in the process. Instead the political bickering the process we have thus far seen will only polarize the country and lead to more questions than answers. 
The mission of this committee is to hold accountable those responsible for shortcomings in our government. As we search for the truth on this matter, it’s important to recognize this: it would be disingenuous for the position of this committee to be that no person has been held accountable for the actions of the terrible night in Benghazi. As we have seen, a number of State Department officials have been held accountable, are on forced leave, and might lose their employment. These actions are the direct result of the Accountability Review Board findings that will be criticized in this hearing. 
Since we will find no new person accountable today, and since we will not make an honest attempt at finding the truth; let me state that it would be incredibly disheartening if the only reason that this hearing is being held is to level a partisan attack and try to grab headlines. The fact that four Americans died in this tragedy should preclude this line of action. I hope that, in the future, we can work together to serve the best interests of the American people.”  

MEDIA MATTERS 

ECTV

ECTV Live hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will welcome veteran's rights activist Joseph Sylvester to their program during the week of May 13th. The program will deal with events scheduled for Armed Forces Week. ECTV Live is broadcast on Comcast Ch19 and is presented each day at Noon and Midnight with additional showings at 6pm on selected days during the week. 

SUNDAY MAGAZINE 

This Week on Sunday Magazine Brian Hughes speaks with longtime Scranton educator and political activist Charlie Spano about the Lackawanna County government study question. Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning speaks with Cindy Garrett and Carol Crane from the Red Cross about honoring "everyday heroes". 
Brian speaks with executive chef Art Smith on living with Type 2 Diabetes. And This Week in Harrisburg features a ceremony honoring law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania who have died in the past year, and State Senator John Yudichak discusses his legislation to promote school safety in Pennsylvania. Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on Great Country 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:25am on Magic 93 and 7am on True Oldies 590, WARM.

PCN

PCN TEAMS UP WITH AARP TO PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID IN PA 

The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) and AARP are partnering together for a special series entitled, “Focus on Aging Adults.” The first program in this series of monthly panel discussions will be devoted to the expansion of Medicaid in Pennsylvania. The program is scheduled to air statewide on PCN at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. During the upcoming May 15 program, Corinna Vecsey Wilson, vice president of programming at PCN, will moderate a panel including Ray Landis, PA advocacy manager for AARP; Rep. Gene Digirolamo, chair of the Pennsylvania House Services Committee and Martin Ciccocioppo, vice president of research for the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA. Throughout the rest of this year, “Focus on Aging Adults” will offer a panel discussion concerning current issues facing aging adults. Each program will air on PCN the third Wednesday of each month. For more details, visit www.pcntv.com. For those without access to cable or those unable to get to a TV, streaming of this program will also be made available online during the network airing by subscribing to PCN Select at pcntv.com. For more information about the streaming service, visit http://pcntv.com/pcn-plus/subscribe-to-premium-content/  

THE PARTY ZONE

Catch the new extended 70s, 80s, 90s oldies show "The Party Zone" with Shadoe Steele beginning this Saturday from 6 - midnight on 50,000 watt powerhouse WAVT-FM - T-102. ... and on line at www.t102radio.com

WNEP TV Investigative Reporter Dave Bohman. (Photo: WNEP.com)

BOHMAN SNAGS AWARD 

WNEP TV’s Dave Bohman and his video man Steve Smallwood received a Pennsylvania Association on Broadcasters Award this past week for investigative reporting. That award can be added to Dave’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences recognized Dave’s work with a prestigious 2011 Emmy Award for his report on the dangers of the once popular drink Four Loko. Bowman has been with WNEP TV since 2010, has an Emmy for his work and now adds this award to his impressive credentials as tone of the area’s best investigative reporters.

WILK’S Nancy Kman with the grand award. (Photo: WILK Facebook page). 

BEER BUZZ A WINNER 

WILK’s weekly Beer Buzz program won another award from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters on Monday. “The Friday Bee Buzz” has become one of the most popular programs in area radio. Even those not being fans of beer enjoy the give and take as well as the growth of the small brewers industry. Can we expect a three peat?

WILK’S Cathy Donnelly.  (Photo: 102 The Mountain.com) 

DONNELLY IN FOR CORBETT 

 Steve Corbett is off this week and Cathy Donnelly is doing his program through Wednesday. Donnelly who is an incredible vocal performer in the area also does work on the WILK sister station “The Mountain”. And listening to Cathy D. the other day, I found something pretty fascinating. This hard rocking woman with the Janis Joplin pipes loves Seale and his music. FYI, Heidi Klum dumped him. Just saying. Donnelly occupies the 3 to 7pm slot usually occupied by Corbett. 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT  

 Our 1976 logo. 

1976 

Former California Governor Ronald Reagan wins the Texas primary against Gerald Ford. After a string of losses, Reagan uses the primary to start a May sweep of southern and western states that put him in striking distance of the President. A viable Presidential preference primary didn’t exist until 1975 when Senator Lloyd Bensten who wanted to run for the Democratic nomination had Texas pols organize for him, but when his bid fell short, he ran as a favorite son. Conservative Democrats who were wary of Jimmy Carter crossed over in the primary and gave Reagan a decisive win. In Texas Reagan won 66% to 33%, then followed up with victories in Georgia, Indiana and Nebraska. If not for Bensten’s earlier efforts, perhaps there would be no Reagan comeback…..In Pennsylvania, Senator Hugh Scott says he would be pleased to have Congressman John Heinz run for his seat in the fall but said that he predicted a great future statewide for the man Heinz defeated, Arlen Specter…..in Luzerne County, the Democratic organization’s Chairman Bob Loftus confirms that Democrats will now fall in line with the Presidential candidacy of Jimmy Carter. Loftus said that Carter’s convincing win was enough for him and that delegates from Luzerne Coiunty pledged to Carter would be with Carter in New York City…and thirty seven years ago the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was John Sebastian’s “Welcome Back, Kotter” from the popular TV show of the same name.