The LuLac Edition #2625, March 27th, 2014

MAKING HISTORY AGAIN?

Attorney General Kathleen Kane. (Photo: lehigh valley rumblingsblogspot)

When Scranton Attorney Kathleen Kane won her election in 2012 as not only the first elected female Attorney General in the state as well as the only Democrat to obtain that office in its 32 year history, there was no doubt Kane was making history. Her victory made the barrister an instant political comer on the Pennsylvania scene. Speculation of a run for Governor ran rampant and Kane supporters did little to put out the fire. Despite cries of political opportunism and scant experience by her detractors, Kane was being mentioned as the presumed front runner to oppose incumbent Pat Toomey in the 2016 Senate election.
But in the last year the rising star of Ms. Kane has started to fall.
There was criticism of her handling of the Samdusky/Penn State investigation and the politicizing of the lawsuit regarding the Affordable Health Care Act. But that could be chalked up to political ideology.
What has people buzzing about Kane's latest action could spell danger for her tenure as the State's top prosecutor. Kane stopped a three year investigation into political corruption in the city of Philadelphia. The investigation had corrupt officials on the run but inexplicably Kane stopped it. Then she hired a Philadelphia attorney to speak on her behalf regarding these actions.
This just doesn't look good. A prosecutor does not drop a case unless there is a serious miscarriage of Justice or lack of evidence which didn't appear to be the case in Philadelphia. Plus when you make a decision like that you don't hire a lawyer to speak for you no matter how innocent you think your actions are. When you don't speak for yourself, you open invitations for all types of unwelcome speculation.
And speaking of speaking...I find it extremely interesting that Kane's spokesman Joe Peters reigned as her Public Relations person. Peters, a one time candidate for Statewide office has always been a stand up guy. Plus Peters is the third Press Secretary to resign in under a year. There is a reason for this. Kane a law school graduate must realize Harrisburg isn't Scranton where you could get things
fixed by snapping your fingers and telling people you are a lawyer. The Peters resignation tells me that maybe the seasoned politico sees something I see.
Kathleen Kane just might make more history like being the last elected female Attorney General and last Democrat in Pennsylvania to hold that office in a generation if she keeps this up.

SHOOTING THE GIFT HORSE
(Cartoon: Harper's Bazaar).

There are certain people and communities that look a gift horse in the mouth. That’s pretty bad. But how about a community that tries to shoot the gift horse in the mouth.
I thought of that this week when some local business owners were whining about how Mohegan Sun Casino and Entertainment Complex is taking customers away from their local concerns. Okay, a few things here.
1. Mohegan Sun has been a community partner. They have been involved in many charitable efforts. They saved the Race Track and brought a big boost to the economy. I don’t gamble. I think it is just as bad as fishing. Boring and really what’s the point? I ate there twice. Not impressed. But people go there and enjoy themselves. People make choices and in this tight economy, there is only so much money to go around.
2. The local businesses say their money is taken by Mohegan Sun and they can’t compete. No,  the money they are not making is because of this economy and income stagnation that is the norm rather the exception in LuLac land. It is about choices. I’m not a Casino guy and it is easier for me to eat at a local eatery with a big parking lot.
3. That said, maybe said local businesses can do something to attract customers like maybe partnering with the Casino, promoting it and themselves, making an egg the way a consumer requests it (it is possible to make a scrambled egg and sunny side up one side by side,) improve customer service by instructing your wait staff that when the Rigatoni sauce is burnt and the consumer tells you about, don’t have them shrug their shoulders and walk away. Maybe firm up the pizza dough so that it can support your sauce. And to the business “entrepenuer” who got a cool 6 million dollars in tax money for  the broken down train station from the County, let me say this, “Are you kidding me?”
I swear to God, if Jesus walked into this area and knocked on everyone’s door giving each household a million dollars someone would complain that the guy was wearing sandals and had funny looking toes. We not only look a gift horse in the mouth, we kick it in the ass.

MUSTO MADNESS

A contrary view on the Ray Musto situation if you please. I'm most likely going to get a world of hurt from everyone on this including Mrs. LuLac but here goes.
1. Ray Musto has been charged but not tried. I agree with the observation time period he is undergoing ordered by Judge Caputo. But that time should not be extended. If they don't know what's what with Musto yet,  they will never know.
2. To keep Musto in that facility without a conviction borders on criminal misconduct on the part of his accusers. You can't confine anyone without a trial.
3. They say Musto is very ill. Some say let's show mercy. Others say he was corrupt and stole from the public trust. Musto lives in house he grew up in. From all the reports I heard none of the Musto kin are living large.
I say before you make a judgement and condemn this man to die...show me the money.

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright. (Photo: dems.org)

CARTWRIGHT ON THE JOB

Cartwright Offers Amendment to Support Environmental Protections
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright introduced an amendment to the Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America act (H.R. 2824). Cartwright’s amendment failed by a vote of 225-196. Cartwright is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.
H.R. 2824, the underlying legislation, seeks to accomplish several things: to write into statute a stream buffer rule promulgated in December of 2008 by the Bush Administration and to prohibit the Obama Administration from working on writing a new stream buffer rule for at least 5 years while also precluding States from issuing stronger rules.
“Mountain-top removal coal mining is a destructive process which reshapes landscapes, rivers and communities. It has buried over 2,000 miles of streams throughout Appalachia, contaminating surface and drinking water, and destroying wildlife in Appalachia communities,” said Cartwright. “States need to be free to enact environmental protection and should be able to maintain the ability to adequately protect their natural resources and the health and safety of their local coal mining communities.”
Just last month, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia handed down a decision vacating the 2008 rule because the Bush Administration refused to consider the impacts of coal mining on threatened or endangered species in writing the rule. As a result, the rule that H.R. 2824 would write into statute no longer exists.
“Safe drinking water should be a right for everyone, and should not be subject to the federal loopholes and preemptions this bill would insert,” said Cartwright.

MEDIA MATTERS

BOLD GOLD’S “COMMUNITY FORUM”

Sunday on Community Forum Mike Remish visits with Dr. Brain Conniff from the University of Scranton and Marie Hastings from LIFE Geisinger. They'll discuss an upcoming seniors event at the U.
CF airs at the following schedule:
6:00 am on 94.3 FM The Talker
6:30 am on The Game 1340/1400/1440 am
7:30 am on 105 The River

ECTV

ECTV Live hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will be discussing a Major Health Care Conference that's scheduled to be held at the University of Scranton on their program during the week of March 31st.
Their guest will be Maria Hastie, outreach and enrollment coordinator for Life Geisinger. She is coordinating the (FREE) portion of the conference that is for the general public area senior citizens and their care providers. ECTV Live is seen on Comcast Ch19 each day at Noon and Midnight.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning interviews Tom & Noreen Clark from WNEP-TV about "Bowl For Kids Sake", coming up next Saturday at Stanton Lanes in Wilkes Barre, to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeast Pa.
Frankie also speaks with representatives from Family Service Association, who discuss their "Spring Gala", coming up on April 12th.
And Frankie speaks with members of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute about "C.A.S.U.A.L. Day", coming up on Thursday March 27th to raise awareness for colo-rectal cancer screenings.
And Brian Hughes speaks with David Chen, the CEO of Strikingly.com about the 4 ways workers may be harming their careers online.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on NASH-FM, 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:25am on Magic 93 and 7am on True Oldies 590, WARM.

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. Special Edition is heard Saturdays and Sunday on these Entercom stations, WILK FM Saturday at 2pm Sunday at 6 am on Froggy 101 Sunday at 7 am on The Sports Hub 102.3 Sunday at 7 am on K R Z 98.5 Sunday at noon on WILK FM 103.1.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

KAREL ON THE STREET

Tune in Wednesdays on WILK Radio for Karel on the Street. Hear some of the funniest and heartwarming comments on the issues of the day on Webster and Nancy with Karel Zubris.

Our 1974 logo.

1974

The world population reaches 4 billion people estimated by the United States Census Bureau…..French president President Georges Pompidou, dies of cancer at 63. Alain Poher succeeds him immediately and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing wins the presidential contest in May …The 46 Annual Academy Awards took place in L.A. and While David Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor to present the award for Best Picture, a streaker named Robert Opel ran out from backstage, a moment which showed David Niven's natural aplomb as he quickly quipped about the man's "shortcomings"….Best picture was “The Sting”, Best Actor was Jack Lemmon for “Save The Tiger” and Glenda Jackson won Best Actress for “A Touch of Class”. Best song was “The Sting” by Marvin Hamlisch….in Pennsylvania incumbents Milton Shapp and Ernest Klein start a 6 week campaign blitz even though they have no opposition by getting out their record to the Commonwealth…..in Luzerne County Representative Ray Musto gears up to defend his seat after serving his first two years term as the State Representative from the Greater Pittston Area……and forty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Dark Lady” by Cher.