The LuLac Edition #2437, June 2nd, 2013

OF SAINTS AND SCUMBAGS 

Two news stories this past week hit me right between the eyes. The first was so sad that I thought what is the point in trying to be an optimist in this life? 
I’m sure you all read about 26 year old Jennifer Sidari from West Pittston who was one of the very first graduates of the Commonwealth Medical College. She died at Geisinger, Danville from an undisclosed and as far as I know an undiagnosed ailment. Sidari was due to start her residency at the very hospital she died in. After years of study, sacrifice, hard work and dedication to a cause higher than herself, providence or fate never gave her the opportunity to fulfill her dream. More importantly it robbed the community of a physician that could help children in this community. It was sad bordering on tragic. 
Then, Thursday evening, as I’m in semi sleep, I hear on WBRE TV that an employee of Lord and Taylor’s “Work At Home” program decided to help herself to her client’s credit card numbers. The employee, Sabrina Rivera is on the run but authorities caught up to her husband (it was undetermined if he had a job or not) Farouk Rivera. Farouk says he got his inspiration from a movie “Catch Me If You Can”. 
So I imagine the wife is toiling away at her job and the old man is popping in DVDs looking for a quick way to score. It is alleged the couple bought pizza, paid off their bills and those of their neighbors as well as making other purchases. 
A couple of things going on here, the first is, Lord and Taylor trusted this employee to not be a crook. It put their credibility with customers in jeopardy. It also might cause the company to eliminate the Work at Home program that has been a boon to many working (Uh Farouk, the key word here is “working”, not “stealing”) parents who need to be close to the home front. The old adage that you heard as a kid, “It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch” has never been more true. 
So Thursday began with a sad news story of unfilled promise cut short by what can only be described as God’s idea of a practical joke. And it ended with a tale about two conniving grafters who wanted to take the easy way out at other people’s expense. 
I thought about this all weekend and an old girlfriend came to mind. In every confrontation we had, she always accused me of wanting to “play God” because of what she felt were my judgements of situations we faced in our relationship. 
Playing God. Oh, if only I had that opportunity on Thursday. 
Jennifer Sidari would be enjoying dinner with her family this afternoon instead of lying in wake at St. Anthony’s/St. Barbara’s in Exeter and the other two......well you could only imagine what the “Yonk God” would have in store for them.