The LuLac Edition #4,181, December 5th, 2019

BIDEN AND PELOSI RETORT

Former Vice President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Photo: NBC News)

It was refreshing to see former Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fight back when questioned by characters. First Biden in Iowa.
Some yam head hurled Fox News talking pints at him saying Biden got his son the job in the Ukraine, yada, yada, yada, and then was surprised when Biden called him on it. The slob is most likely going to play the “poor me” card and the national media will start Tutt Tutting about Biden sanding up under pressure. But good for Biden for calling out the fool who was spewing out what he said he heard on MSNBC. The dumb son of a bitch should at least credit the source he heard it from but ignorant ones like that pretty much talk out of their asses. And don’t get me started on Iowa where 89,000 voters decide the fate of the Presidency in their silly caucus meetings.
Then Nancy Pelosi was asked by a reporter if she hated the President. She returned to the podium and brought up her Roman Catholic background and said she didn’t hate anyone. Then launched into Trump’s hateful policies against immigrant children, feeding our own here at home as well as his hatred f The Dreamers. Great job.
Ignorant voters and reporters who want to gain a little notoriety they hardly deserve should be called out. Biden and Pelosi did that today and should be commended.

STANFORD LAW PROFESSOR LIGHTS UP HOUSE IMPEACHMENT HEARING

Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan delivered powerful testimony Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining in simple terms her view that President Trump’s conduct warranted his impeachment.
"Put simply, a candidate for president should resist foreign interference in our elections, not demand it. If we are to keep faith with the Constitution and our republic, President Trump must be held to account,” Karlan testified.
As she began her testimony, Karlan, who was called by Democrats to testify with Harvard law professor Noah Feldman and University of North Carolina law professor Michael Gerhardt, rebuked Republican ranking member Rep. Doug Collins, who asserted that those who had not reviewed the testimony of prior witnesses had no business testify about it.
“Everything I know about our Constitution and its values and my review of the evidentiary record — and here, Mr. Collins, I would like to say to you, sir, that I read transcripts of every one of the witnesses who appeared in the live hearing because I would not speak about these things without reviewing the facts, so I’m insulted by the suggestion that as law professor I don’t care about those facts,” Karlan said. “But everything I read about those occasions tells me that when President Trump invited, indeed demanded foreign involvement in our upcoming election, he struck at the very heart of what makes this a republic to which we pledge allegiance.” (aolnews)

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON CARTWRIGHT BILL TO CLEAN UP ABANDONED COAL MINES PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON PA

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

On November 14, the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on Representative Matt Cartwright’s (PA-08) Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019 (H.R. 4248). This legislation would reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Trust Fund and enable states to continue restoring polluted and dangerous mining sites and spur economic development in depressed former coal communities.
Given that millions of Pennsylvanians live less than a mile from a dangerous abandoned mine, Rep. Cartwright invited two Pennsylvania residents who work on this issue to Washington, D.C., to testify at the hearing.
One of the witnesses was Robert Hughes, Executive Director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) and an Eighth District resident. Hughes explained that water pollution and other hazards posed by abandoned mines in the eastern part of the state harm nearby families and businesses as well as the surrounding environment. He also explained how cleaning up these hazardous sites improves health and safety while creating new jobs and business opportunities.
Mr. John Stefanko, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, also testified. Stefanko highlighted that extending funding for the AML Trust Fund is critical to Pennsylvania’s ongoing clean-up efforts and, as a representative of the National Association of Abandoned Mine Programs, noted that all 34 States are unified in support of this legislation.
A video of the hearing can be viewed here.
A law passed by Congress in 1977 established the AML Trust Fund. Since that time, the program has eliminated over 46,000 open mine portals, and restored water supplies to countless residents of coalfield communities, all while creating jobs and economic opportunities. However, with its expiration fast approaching, estimates show it will cost at least $10 billion to reclaim the remaining high priority abandoned mines across the country. Rep. Cartwright’s legislation addresses this issue by reauthorizing the AML Trust Fund and extending fee collection authority at current levels for 15 years.
“Northeastern Pennsylvania residents live with the harmful impact of abandoned mines every day,” Rep. Cartwright said. “These hazardous sites pose risks to our health, our safety, our environment, and our economy. By making sure the urgent work of cleaning up these sites can continue for years to come, this bipartisan, common-sense proposal will create jobs, protect the environment, and save lives.

SEN. CASEY, REP. TITUS LEAD BICAMERAL DELEGATION IN A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

RESOLUTION REAFFIRMS U.S. COMMITMENT TO DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Senator Bob Cassy (Photo: LuLac archives)

As individuals with disabilities continue to face unique struggles around the world, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-NV-1) led a bicameral delegation in the introduction of a resolution recognizing International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on December 3. The legislation highlights the unique struggles faced by individuals with disabilities and reiterates Congressional support for efforts to promote inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities around the world.
“Persons with disabilities are often excluded from the labor market, political participation and meaningful involvement in public life and are more likely to experience poverty, discrimination, social stigmatization, and lack of access to vital and inclusive resources… the inclusion of people with disabilities is a fundamental part of democracy, and essential to the full realization of human rights,” the Members of Congress noted in the resolution.
The resolution affirms the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) stated goals surrounding disability-inclusive development, which include:
Improving the quality and accessibility of education for students with disabilities.
Increasing participation of people with disabilities in political processes.
Strengthening organizations run by and for people with disabilities to advocate on their own behalf.
Supporting the economic independence of women with disabilities.
Integrating youth and adults with disabilities into the competitive workforce.
Ensuring community health care providers and disaster response experts include people with disabilities in their programs.
The United Nations General Assembly established December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 1992 (Resolution 47/3). Observing IDPD will promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. IDPD also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
Senators supporting the resolution include: Chris Coons (D-DE), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Dick Durbin (D-IL). Other Representatives supporting the resolution include David Cicilline (D-RI-1), Jim Costa (D-CA-16), Don Young (R-AK), Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Deb Haaland (D-NM-1), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).
This resolution has been endorsed by Humanity & Inclusion, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and Disability Rights International.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guest will be Geologist Brian Oram. discussing results of a study into area water quality.
Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

ECTV LIVE

It's one of the most popular traditions of the holiday season and there's a big change this year. ECTV Live welcomes Joann Ardunio from the Scranton Ballet Company to discuss this year's presentation of The Nutcracker which is offered to the community as a gift each year.

ECTV Live during the week of August 19th. ECTV Live is seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some locations( and on the electric city television YouTube page.

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!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1969

Our 1969 logo

Air France Flight 212 crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after takeoff from the Caracas airport in Venezuela toward Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Guadeloupe, killing all 62 people on board  A later investigation would conclude that a dynamite bomb had been placed within one of the wheel wells prior to the Boeing 707's takeoff.[8] Almost two years earlier, on March 5, 1968, another Flight 212 for Air France crashed during its scheduled flight from Caracas to Pointe-à-Pitre, killing all 63 people on board……The Black Panther Party's Illinois chairman, Fred Hampton and his associate, Mark Clark were killed in a gun battle with the Chicago Police, who were raiding the Panther location at 2337 Monroe Street after the signing of a search warrant for illegal weapon….The initial plan for the first network of computer systems in different U.S. states, ARPANET, was realized as the University of Utah in Salt Lake City became the fourth of the four nodes for the data sharing of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Utah node joined the three in California at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park, and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) n a rare matchup in college football between the top two ranked teams in the nation, the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns rallied from a 14-0 deficit with two fourth quarter touchdowns, to edge the #2 Arkansas Razorbacks, 15-14, at Fayetteville. The game was attended by the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, and several high-ranking government dignitaries, including future President George H.W. Bush. The victory clinched the national championship for the Longhorns of the coaches poll conducted by United Press International. Texas would win the postseason Associated Press poll of sportswriters and the national championship by defeating Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day.....The Altamont Free Concert was held at the Altamont Speedway near Tracy, California and drew 300,000 people. Hosted by The Rolling Stones, it was an attempt at a "Woodstock West" and was better known for the four deaths that happened during the day, including the beating and stabbing to death of one of the spectators, Meredith Hunter, by the Hells Angels motorcycle group hired as security guards. Mark Seiger and Richard Salov died when a car ran off the highway and plowed into them while they sat around a campfire. Another man, identified almost two weeks later as Leonard Kryszak of New York, climbed over a fence and drowned in one of the canals of the California Aqueduct.The animated Rankin Bass Christmas special “Frosty the Snowman”, adapted from the song of the same name, was shown on television for the first time, shown at 7:30 in the evening on CBS.

The Boston Globe commented that the show was "a delightful charade that deserves to become a yuletide fixture and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam.
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