The LuLac Edition #2855, March 13th, 2015

13 QUESTIONS

Our 13 Questions logo.

1. Any thoughts on this past winter?

I hate winter. I think it was relentless again. I have nothing good to say about it. If I never saw another snow flake in my life, or if never ever saw one, I’d be fine. I’m not prone to violence but when I hear people wax poetic about the serenity and peaceful calm of a snow storm, I come to the conclusion they have no aging parents to take care of, no children to educate, no property to maintain, no vehicle to maintain, no loved one to bury in zero degree weather, and no pressing events that can be derailed by this crap. Winter in the east and elsewhere robs you of your freedom in a sense. If you are a runner, your schedule is shot. If your children have extracurricular activities, your life is upside down. It is most likely the only time of the year that I fear and loathe to the highest degree.

2. What do you think of the study that men are more narcissistic than women?

Really, I hadn’t noticed. But hey, how do I look?

3. What is the last thing politically that just made you gasp and laugh out loud?

Last Saturday on MSNBC, Professor Charles Olgletree a faculty member of Harvard was being interview about the Selma anniversary. At one point he called Attorney General Eric Holder “The greatest Attorney General in the history of the United States”. Holder isn’t bad but what made it funny was that I can imagine my friend L.A. Tarone’s reaction if he ever heard that…live.

4. How much of Governor Wolf’s budget will get through the House and Senate?

Hard to say. The Senate might be the place for either compromise or a stall. The House essentially will pass anything it wants but watch the Senate and especially watch the three Senators from our area, Yudichak and Blake, Democrats and Baker on the GOP side. To start, all three are reasonable people and would rather achieve something concrete then go down in flames for dogmatic reasons.

5. Voter turnout is always very low around here. What do you think of this idea, have a roving registration where you can vote in a race that interests you most. If there is no race in your town, you can go to another area and vote. Don’t like the Lu, go to the Lac. What d’ya think?

It’s fraught with all kind of opportunities for illegality and mischief. But it would make a hell of a movie script.

6. Are you an App guy or not?

I’m not a fanatic buy I have a few.

7. You did a great job outlining the 50th anniversary of Selma as you do many political and social historical events in this country. Is it me but there doesn’t seem to be many great leaders in the Civil Rights leadership as before. Your take?

Well it is a different time and I believe that sometimes leadership rises to the occasion of the event. Dr. King, Reverend Abernathy, Medgar Evers and John Lewis were fighting for the very survival of the movement. It is now a given that a person of color does not have to fight (the 2013 Supreme Court decision notwithstanding) for the right to vote. The challenge today is economic opportunity as well as addressing the way a minority suspect is treated. So the challenges are more complex. Everything, every issue has a gray tinge. Back in the 60s, the issues were more concrete. It was a yes or no. It was survival. People back then wanted the right to vote, now I bet the voting frequency of blacks in Selma is not that impressive.
With a lot of gray areas in our time now, there may not be many people equipped for the challenge. What I mean by “being equipped” has nothing to do with ability but whether to make the choice to be a leader or pursue other avenues of opportunity engendered by the original movement.

8. What are you reading right now?

Still trying to get through George W. Bush’s book about his father, George Herbert Walker Bush. On deck, Michael Smerconish’s novel “Talk” .

9. You have told us you don’t smoke. But if you did smoke dope, (by the way have you ever) what song would you smoke a joint to?

I never smoked because it was too much work. I mean you have to hold it, light it, watch it, then put it out. Nope, never smoked. I did smoke marijuana once in 1973 in a car with some guys from high school. Took a few hits and fawned over it but really I had no reaction. I think I got more of a buzz from the restrooms at Shea Stadium during the 1980 season.
I think the song I’d smoke dope to would be “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan or “She Say” by The Diamonds.



10. Have you always been so Pro Israel?

Yes. Growing up I studied the founding of Israel for a school project. I saw firsthand as a young person the 1967 war with Egypt and then the 1973 war. The common denominator in my support for Israel is that this nation has never been an aggressor. They have always had to defend itself from entities that are trying to annihilate them. Kill them. The supposed deal with Iran is insane. Anyone who has seen the movie Argo has to wonder why we would even consider soft pedaling on this issue.
The U.S. has had its adversaries over the years. Nikita Khrushchev saying he will bury our system of government is quite a bit different than countries and terrorist states saying, “We will destroy you”. Big difference in my opinion.
Israel is the closest thing we have to normalcy of our values in the Mideast. That said, I think we should not impose our vision of government on people who are allies in the fight against ISIS.
I think Egypt and Jordan are seeing the folly of trying to destroy a country (Israel) that has looked better and better compared to the terrorists in that region. And you will never, ever convince me that Iran is not one of them.

11. Dunkin’ or Panera?

Dunkin’. There’s more locations and I love my app.

12. Why haven’t you been profiling any of the local races yet?

Well I wanted to see if the petitions were approved. Then we’ll get into it. C’mon, have I ever let ya down?

EDITOR’S NOTE: To those who had questions about Benghazi, the St. Patrick’s Day after parties of Rock 107, and WYLN TV 35, we will get to them next month. You were bumped by a question I received this afternoon from an old boss of mine and a person I have always had a high regard for.
After not seeing each other for a while, we sat down for lunch and covered a lot of topics. He asked this question on the 13th day of the month (on a Friday the 13th no less) and it took me by surprise. Like many things that happen in life, I did not have the wits to say “I don’t know” or even the proverbial Pittston Junction standby of my youth, “search me”. But after we went our separate ways I began to think of his question and came up with what I believe is the answer.

13. What defines you?

For most of my working life, I thought a job defined me. Not necessarily a career but a job. But when a job defines you, you lose yourself as a person. You become “The Counseling guy” or the “Insurance lady”. And what happens if you have the dream job and you lose it? Brian Williams is a perfect example. He was the anchor of NBC Nightly News. He was one of 6 people who sat behind that desk. But when the bump in the road, (okay, let’s call it a crater) came, (who is Brian Williams?), the anchor or the guy who stretched the truth become pretty muddled.
Are we defined by our marriages or children? Some people are and get lost in the shuffle in the shadow of their spouse or kids.
I think what defines anyone is how they react to what happens to them. My late mother in law was widowed at the age of 52. But yet in the next 35 to 40 years of her life that did not define her. Those people maimed in the Boston Bombing did not stay victims, they became survivors. So it dawned on me as I drove home that the answer is how you swing at that high hard pitch aimed at your head. Do you duck? Do you cower? Do you lead in and get your head bashed in thinking you should just get it over with?
I’ve had jobs since I was 15. I’m a cancer survivor. I’m the LuLac guy. I’m the guy with the cane that matches his clothes. I’m a radio guy. I’m a husband. I’m a best friend. I’m a friend. I’m downright annoying when it comes to small matters and very calm when it comes to a crisis. I’m a Godfather. I’ve had more second and third chances than one person on this earth deserves. So what defines me?
A horrible woman I knew in a momentary flash of kindness said that one word to sum me up was “undefeated”. I was flattered but did not like the term. “Undefeated” means you’ve never had the taste of losing.
It is a hard question and took me a while to come to terms with what defines me. I came to the conclusion after getting the question this afternoon and not answering it well, that what defines us can be summed up in one word. A word that covers all the bases and can be interpreted in many ways. So my friend, to answer your question, a few hours late, I define myself as “Resilient”. The definition of that for me is that there is no problem too big to solve, no gap that can’t be bridged, very few sins that can’t be forgiven, and when your feet hit the floor in the morning, there is no reason that the day you start can’t be the best one of your life…………..despite the crap you’ve dealt with in the past. Resilient.