The LuLac Edition #2793, December 13th, 2014

13 QUESTIONS

Our “13 Questions” logo.

1. There is a lot of news popping up about race in this country. Living in “The Valley” what was your first experience with a person of color?

Had I grown up in “The Big City” (Wilkes Barre or Scranton) I might have come across a person of color. But being from Pittston I did not have a relationship with a person of color until I moved to Washington, D.C. to go to Career Academy. When I was a younger I went to Atlantic City but most of the people I saw were service workers.
My friend Ollie was a Vietnam War Veteran and knew Washington, D.C. like the back of his hand. We met in broadcast class and lived in the same building. We lived on a floor with a communal dormitory bathroom and we stood guard for each other when we, well had to go. Ollie said he had enough of that stuff in the Army. He was from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, loved baseball, never talked about ‘Nam as he called it and took me to places in D.C. that I’m sure would have given my parents instant heart attacks. In retrospect, I felt at the start he’d test me to see if I was a limousine liberal. I’m mean really, white kid from Pennsylvania with Humphrey and McGovern bumper stickers on his trunk, what was he going to think? He’d do stuff like pick up my tooth brush and ask me where I got it. When we’d have a group in the room, he’d seize the most comfortable chair and see how the other guys reacted. Part of the sleazy places we went to was I’m sure a ruse to see how we’d react but I was having way too much fun to notice. We’d talk about Civil Rights and if he was thinking he was going to trip me up, he was wrong. Ollie was sure one of Martin Luther King’s children would be President but I told him that the children who are in the shadow of great men usually have a tough climb. On baseball he could tell you the pitch that was coming while at the same time giving you direction to a young woman in a halter top one section away without missing a beat.
The defining moment for us came one night when a bunch of us were speaking of our ethnic origin. Slovak guy from NEPA, Italian from Dayton, a Dutch fellow from York and a guy from Virginia who I’m sure meant well. After we went through our League of Nations routine, the guy from Virginia asked Ollie where his people came from? We were all incredulous. Ollie answered, “We didn’t really come…………..we were kind of invited”.
Afterwards walking back to our complex he said, “Did you believe that shit?” I replied, “Indeed I did.
We walked on and all of a sudden he stopped and said, “Before ‘Nam I would have clocked him good. But after what went on there, this is chickenshit”. We walked in silence until I asked when he thought things would get better. He shrugged and said, “I don’t know, maybe 90, 95…………”
Ollie was right about a lot of things but unfortunately he is still off the mark on that prediction.

Me and Ollie in the fall of '72. 

2. Impressed with your boy Wolf so for?

Yes. Love the fact that he is going to hire his own security and can do so. Also think the donation of money to a food banks instead of having a ritzy Pa. Society fundraiser is the kind of guy he really is.

3.When do you start planning for your year end editions of LuLac?

I generally start after the November elections. The two biggest challenges are the “Moving On” segment and the “Women We Love” compilations.

4. Do you have any knowledge that any of the local sportscasters had any work done on themselves?

I do not. Having worked at Blue Cross I know all about Privacy considerations.

5. Do you think Hillary Clinton will have a challenger in the primaries and will it be Elizabeth Warren?

Yes and no. I think Bernie Sanders will be her liberal conscience but I hope that Warren’s people are smart enough to keep her out of it.

6. I see you are reactivated on Twitter. How come?

People kept asking me if I was on Twitter. So I just reactivated it. I’m on Face book on a regular basis, I think LinkedIn is pretty useless. Every time I try to post something it kicks me off. But I try to do stuff on there. But they are in need of an upgrade.

7. There was a woman who died this week named Joan Yonki Baiera. Was she any relation?

Not to my knowledge but I wish she was after getting inundated with e mails and Face book messages. I understand she was very well liked and respected. I had never met her or to be honest even was aware of her before I heard about her death. That said, my condolences to her family and obviously devoted friends.

8. At a Blog fest I heard you say that you stopped going Halloweening after the third grade. When did you stop believing in Santa?

Still do. What the hell is the matter with you?

9. What are your thoughts on the 28 year old woman who shot up in McDonald’s bathroom with her kids in tow?

Drugs are a plaque. Always have been. I have always believed in treatment but I’ve also believed that there has to be a cut off. When one is addicted they have to hit bottom and then work their way up. I always said that if I had a child and the Supreme being said “I’ll give the child an addiction problem or cancer”, I’d go with the cancer because it can be cured in some cases. I wish her well.....and her children better.

10. Are you excited about the Penn State Pinstripe Bowl?

To a point. But if I catch a quarter I’ll be lucky.

11. Candy cane or candy kisses?

C’mon. Kisses.

12.What will be the most interesting race in the 2015 elections?

County Council in Luzerne County and the Commissioners race in Lackawanna. DA's race in Luzerne too.

13. Did you have a Christmas stocking as a kid and what did Santa put in it?

Always a book. A pen. A candy cane which usually was the last thing to go (like the first Sunday in Lent) and pop corn balls and baseball cards. Socks too.