The LuLac Edition #4,383, August 20th, 2020

BANNON ARRESTED

(Photo: Amazon Books)

Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to President Donald Trump, was arrested in New York Thursday on charges of using the viral “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign to enrich himself. Hundreds of thousands of donors who gave a total of $25 million to the crowd sourced campaign were defrauded by Bannon and three associates, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said. Some of the money instead funded luxury cars, home renovations, cosmetic surgery, and a 2019 Jupiter Marine boat named Warfighter.
Wow!~ This is the guy who chanted, wait for it, “Lock Her Up””. How many Obama campaign aides and staff were hauled off a yacht and arrested? Uh NONE!
Then the Republicans hve the nerve to say the Democrats are corrupt. (Yahoo News, LuLac)

TRUMP VISITS OLD FORGE

SCORES SOME PIZZA 

(Photo: Inquirer.com)

President Donald Trump came to Moosic, a community that voted for him last time and never addressed the pandemic, the post office or how people were doing. He spoke a lot about why people shouldn't vote for his Democratic challenger. Gave a new nickname to Biden and spouted his usual nonsense. He got some Old Forge Pizza from Arcaro & Gennell's. Perhaps though the Fab Four can editorialize better on the trip and what he said.

FACTS ABOUT MAIL IN BALLOTS

First off, if YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED, you won’t receive a ballot. You have to be registered. Millions of ballots won’t be sent without a request.
If you are not registered, the final day to do that is October 17th.
The ballots are postage paid. That was written into the legislation. What was not written into the legislation was early counting. The ballots will be counted on Election Day and thereafter. If we get early counting, that would have to come from the Legislators who will have to amend the law.
You can request a ballot now. However, the ballots are still being developed at this point at the state level because the credential for third party candidates are still under review.
After requesting a ballot, and you get that ballot, you’ll get a notification that it was received. You can request a ballot online or by mail. When you mail in the ballot, you can track it’s whereabouts by going to www.VotesPa.com or your local election bureau.
Once the ballots are designed and ready, which might be by September, and you get yours, fill it out and send it back asap.
The deadline to do this is by October 27th. But my advice is if you get to that date and haven’t mailed it in, walk it to the Election Bureau and let them have it to make sure it is counted.
Two sites I’d recommend are www.Votes.pa.com or www.Vote411.org
 Vote 411 was developed by the League of Women Voters nationwide. I’m a member of the Wilkes Barre League and I’d urge anyone interested in this process to join that organization.

7 GOOD REASONS TO CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS

(Photo: Matt Engel)

1. CDC recommends that people wear masks in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

2. You can murmur under your breath and mask when displeased with something or someone and when they ask you what you said, reply “nuthin’!”
3. Masks may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others.
4. You can eat all the raw garlic you please and not offend with bad breath.
5. Masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.
6. You can color coordinate with a tie, shirt or for the women dresses. (I’ve actually seen some matching dresses with masks. Stylish and stunning.
7. You can eat all the fried, boiled, broiled sautéed garlic you want and not offend.
There! You’re welcome.

SENATE REPUBLICAN REPORT POINTS TO COUNTERINTELLIGENCE RISK FROM TIES BETWEEN TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA

Less than three months before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the Senate Intelligence Committee published its fifth and final volume comprising over three and a half years of investigation, offering a rare bipartisan look at the sitting president’s exposure and vulnerability to compromise by foreign intelligence agencies through his campaign and connections.
The nearly 1,000-page report, based on hundreds of interviews and more than a million documents, is titled “Russian efforts to influence the Trump Campaign and the 2016 election.”
The Senate report, a subject of contention between the lawmakers and the White House, does not necessarily extend as far as the FBI investigation — and senators were not always able to get access to all the information they asked for, according to its authors. “The result is that the American people still do not, and may never, have all the facts necessary to determine the full extent of cooperation between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016,” they write.
However, the Senate report does include several new and illuminating takeaways.
Perhaps most damaging is the conclusion by the Senate Intelligence Committee that Paul Manafort himself, President Trump’s former campaign chair, may have been directly connected to the hack-and-leak operations conducted by Russian hackers, which ultimately exposed large tranches of emails belonging to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). While the report is heavily redacted and doesn’t explain the “two pieces of information” that led to that conclusion, the authors went into further detail on Manafort’s longtime business associate Konstantin Kilimnik. The Intelligence Committee identifies Kilimnik as a Russian intelligence officer and concludes he may also have ties to the GRU operation to expose the DNC’s emails. Kilimnik, according to the committee, also “almost certainly helped arrange some of the first public messaging that Ukraine had interfered in the U.S. election” to distract from Russia’s involvement.
The Senate’s report also includes details about WikiLeaks, an online publisher founded by Julian Assange that first gained prominence after it published thousands of leaked documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010. The summer before the 2016 election, WikiLeaks published a large trove of emails tied to the DNC, purporting not to know any details about the source that provided them — an assertion the committee has now contradicted.
The senators also reviewed the infamous Trump Tower meeting in June 2016, in which members of the Trump campaign sat down with several Russians, including lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin. The committee said the campaign was seeking negative information about then Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton “that would be of benefit to the [Trump] campaign.” However, the committee “found no reliable evidence that information of benefit to the campaign was transmitted at the meeting, or that then-candidate Trump had foreknowledge of the meeting.”
Additionally, the committee dismissed the conclusion that the Trump campaign had significant contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during an April foreign policy Trump speech held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington.
All that said, the bottom line though is that Russia DID try to interfere in the election and that Trump and his acolytes are denying that and blaming the Democrats.
The bottom line here is that the investigation describes several episodes in which Trump and members of his campaign were keen to accept Russia’s help -- and in some instances goes further than even former special counsel Robert Mueller in detailing ties between the campaign and Russian individuals.(AOL News, ABC News, LuLac)

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $83,750 USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES IN HAZLETON

Representative Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that CAN DO, Inc. will receive a $83,750 grant awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Program. The Rural Business Development Grant program provides technical assistance and training for small rural businesses in Pennsylvania.
Located in a Federally Qualified Opportunity Zone, CAN DO, Inc. will use the funds to purchase equipment for their business incubator to assist 13 businesses in the Greater Hazleton Area. CAN DO has been a leading economic development agency in Greater Hazleton Area for over 60 years.
“We must not falter in our efforts to help start-ups and entrepreneurs overcome basic hurdles as they stabilize and grow,” said Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “That’s why I will continue to fight for additional stimulus funding for our local small businesses in Congress. I applaud CAN DO for their work in support of our recovery as well as for their decades long commitment to creating healthy conditions where new businesses can thrive.”
CAN DO President and CEO Kevin O’Donnell said, “CAN DO is dedicated to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs and to our continued efforts to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Greater Hazleton. This grant from the USDA will help make it possible for us to complete our renovations at the CAN BE Innovation Center which will modernize its look and efficiency to the benefit the 13 small, start-up businesses currently in our business incubator as well as those yet to come.”
“It is truly an honor to give back to the communities and help those seeking family sustaining jobs throughout this remarkable region,” said Curt Coccodrilli, USDA Rural Development PA State Director.
The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development works to improve the economy and quality of life in rural communities across America through grants, programs, and initiatives. The Rural Business Development Grant Program is currently accepting applications for projects that help eligible rural areas and towns reach their full potential.

BOGNET BUYS COMMERCIAL TIME IN OREGON URGING RESIDENTS TO MOVE TO NEPA

Boy does this have me scratching my head. Borys Krawczeniuk writes that Congressman Cartwright’s foe in the general bought a TV ad in Oregon. The campaign of Bognet’s Democratic opponent in the 8th Congressional District race, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, ripped the ad for exploiting “a bad situation” for political purposes.
“Good evening, Portland! I’ve heard you’ve been having a few issues,” Bognet says in the ad that was scheduled to air last night on KOIN-TV.
As video of Portland unrest appears, Bognet, of Hazle Twp., said he’s heard “something about peaceful gatherings, interruptions to business, and local citizens dissatisfied with your leadership.”
Bognet introduces himself as a candidate for Congress here and says any Portland resident considering “leaving for whatever reason” should think about moving here.
“We’re all about made in America. We’re known for our mid-sized paper industry, and around here we love the police,” he said, alluding to the fictional paper company on the TV sit-com, “The Office.” “Well, maybe not our current Congressman. But, I’ll be taking care of him real soon. ... We won’t tolerate any of that (expletive deleted) around here. Give us a look Portland. Good-bye ... And good luck!”
The ad shows a picture of Cartwright with a graphic that claims he wants to “defund the police.” Cartwright has said repeatedly he does not want to defund police.
Bognet tweeted the commercial, along with a link to a fundraising website, GoodLuckPortland.com that says “Come to NEPA (and please don’t bring your crime problem).” The commercial is not airing in Northeast Pennsylvania, Bognet campaign spokeswoman Lauren Claffey said.
Cartwright campaign spokesman Matt Slavoski called the commercial “regrettable” and “tasteless.” He accused Bognet of “making light of a very bad situation out there.”
“It shows that Jim Bognet really just doesn’t get what people in Northeastern Pennsylvania are going through right now,” Slavoski said in an email. “They’re worried about attacks on their hard-earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare, staying financially stable during this public health and economic crisis, and whether the Postal Service will be able to deliver their medications on time. It also exposes what Jim Bognet would do in Congress: lie, stoke violence, and fan the flames of division instead of working towards solutions to the challenges we face as a nation.”
Slavoski said Cartwright has supported increasing police funding to implement reforms, supported local, peaceful protests and “disavowed violence.”
In an interview, Bognet accused Cartwright of refusing to denounce violent protests. He acknowledged the ad’s fundraising nature.
“We certainly want support from all over the country and we’re trying to make the point” that Cartwright and other prominent Democrats “side with protesters over law-abiding citizens,” Bognet said.
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, a native of Beaverton, Oregon, a Portland suburb, and a Democrat-turned-independent, said she would welcome more Oregonians to Scranton, but touted Cartwright for his “great representation.”
“So anyone moving here can look forward to being well-served in Congress through his continued leadership,” she said in a text.
A few take aways. One spot? This was a stunt, not a tourism or economic boost. It’s the same old Republican shit, saying Democrats want to defund police and are on the side of protestors. Sad, pathetic, impotent! (Borys Krawczeniuk, Times Tribune, LuLac).

SENATOR CASEY REPRESENTS PENNSYLVANIA AT CONVENTION

Senator Bob Casey made Scranton and Pennsylvania proud with his announcement of the delegates garnered by Joe Biden for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Although Biden was over the top when Casey made his announcement, it was nonetheless history making.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

,
Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on The Mothership 1340/1400 am, 100.7 and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on The River 105 and 103.5.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:20 and 8:20 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1980

Our 1980 logo.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians on June 30, the representatives of nine Sioux tribes on the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council met in Eagle Butte, South Dakota and voted to reject the $106 million settlement offered by the U.S. government for the 7,300,000 acres (11,400 sq mi) Black Hills (Ȟe Sápa) in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana.[87] The decision of the entire Sioux nation (with 51,000 residents in was scheduled for a meeting of representatives of the nine United Sioux Tribes on September 28 at Pierre, South Dakota…. A team of archaeologists in Israel announced that they had unearthed a large "palace fortress" near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem that they believed was the palace of King David or King Solomon.[83] Excavation leader of Yigal Shiloh of Hebrew University told reporters "Until this day, no monumental construction such as this has been uncovered in Israel in any other Biblical city," and estimated that the five-story tall structure had been constructed sometime between the 13th century BCE and the 10th century BCE. At least 75 people drowned in the sinking of the Mexican ferry boat Campeche as a load of people, several cars and trucks, and a bus went down in the Laguna de Términos between Carmen Island and the mainland of the state of Campeche. With more than 100 people on board, only 26 survived.[84][85]
The United States and the African nation of Somalia reached an agreement for Somalia to receive $20 million in military support in return for allowing American military forces to use Somalia's seaports and airfields….. For the first time since 1973, the Soviet Union began the jamming of the radio frequencies of most western news broadcasts beamed at the Soviets, particularly the Voice of America and the BBC News. The decision was made to prevent Soviet citizens from learning news of the labor unrest in Poland.[79] Although English language and Georgian language programs continued without deliberate interference, broadcasts in Russian and six other languages in the U.S.S.R. were blocked by "static-like noise or buzz created by high-powered transmitters built for that purpose" or by "loud music".....The existence of the "Stealth Bomber" (officially, the B-2 Spirit), an experimental American aircraft that was "virtually invisible to Soviet radar", was publicly revealed for the first time by the U.S. Department of Defense.The B-2 bomber would be unveiled to the public in 1989 and forty years ago the number one song in Lulac land and America was .”One In a Million You” by Larry Graham.