The LuLac Edition #4, 771, June 23rd, 2022

BOZINSKI GETS NEW TERM 

 

The Luzerne County Democratic committee people re-elected Kathy Bozinski to another term as party Chair. In a near unanimous vote, Bozinski was resoundingly  approved for another four years. 

She named Tom Bindfus, 5th District Chair as her Vice Chair, with as Secretary Lauren McCurdy ,  and Tony Thomas as Treasurer. With the GOP lie machine in full swing, the party will have its work cut out in 2022.  My personal feeling is there needs to be a team that will call out te outright lies of the Trumpanzees. 

 

DID YOU EVER NOTICE THAT WHEN TRUMP WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT, NARY A DEMOCRAT USED AN OBSCENE LADEN FLAG TO ATTACK HIM? BUT GOP "SNOWFLAKES" NEED TO PUT THEIR FULL HATRED AND IGNORANCE ON DISPLAY ABOUT JOE BIDEN. 

,MAYBE IT'S A PENIS SIZE ISSUER, MAYBE THEY THINK THE TRUMP FLAG IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE STARS AND STRIPES, BUT IT MIGHT SIGNIFY THE BARS OF A JAIL CELL! 

EITHER WAY, WHEN THEY ACCUSE DEMOCRATS OF DIVIDING THE COUNTRY OR SPOUTING HATRED, REMEMBER "ACCUSATION IS CONFESSION" 

SALUTE THIS FLAG? 

 

 NO ****ING WAY! 

 

AGNES @ 50 

Today is the day, fifty years ago that the Susquehanna River flooded Wilkes-Barre and surrounding areas. Here's film footage of that horrific day.

 

A hero of the flood that day was Congressman Dan Flood. In this 45 year retrospective from WNEP, his memory is honoed for the work he did in the flood.

  

And as WVIA TV will tell you, it just wasn't Wilkes-Barre.

 

THE LATE BILL BRACE'S ODE TO THE SUSQUEHANNA 

 

Bill Brace, the long time Wilkes-Barre City Clerk who passed away in 2020 wrote a song about the dark days of Agnes the Susquehanna. It was played at a memorial brunch after his funeral Mass. Here are the lyrics. Those in attendance all got a copy that I will now share with you. 

MUIR SHUTS DOWN CHRISTIE

ABC News anchor David Muir shut down Chris Christie’s attempt to compare the 2000 and 2016 presidential election results with the GOP-backed attempt to overturn the electoral vote count on Jan. 6, 2021.

Muir, during the network’s coverage of the Jan. 6 committee hearings on Tuesday, pointed out that Republicans across the country are running campaigns based on claims of a “faulty” 2020 presidential election.

Christie, a former New Jersey governor who headed Donald Trump’s presidential transition team, claimed former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in 2016 and supporters of then-Vice President Al Gore in 2000 refused to accept the “legitimate” results of their presidential defeats long before Jan. 6.

Clinton conceded following the 2016 election and Gore acknowledged his 2000 loss after a Florida recount battle.

“This is a very dangerous thing in this country, which was brought to a new level in 2020 by Donald Trump and his campaign,” Christie said.

Muir interrupted.

“I just don’t want our audience to think I’m not aware that there isn’t a real equivalency here when you have a former president who is sowing seeds of doubt,” Muir said. (ABC News)

 

RON JOHNSON, TRUMP THUG……. "MUST RESIGN": WISCONSIN SENATOR IMPLICATED IN FAKE ELECTOR SCHEME

Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday led calls for Sen. Ron Johnson's resignation after the House Jan. 6 committee revealed texts indicating that the Republican's office wanted to hand-deliver certificates of fake electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence in service of Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The bipartisan congressional panel probing the deadly 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol showed an exchange of text messages initiated by Johnson's chief of staff Sean Riley to Pence legislative director Chris Hodgson, indicating that the Republican senator wanted to advance an "alternate slate of electors" for Wisconsin and Michigan, both of which Biden won.  (CNN)

 

REP. CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $200,000 TO SUPPORT LOCAL HOMELESS VETERANS RE-ENTERING THE WORKFORCE

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced that the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) will receive $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to support its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project (HVRP). CEO’s HVRP works in collaboration with PA CareerLink offices to serve veterans in Luzerne, Lackawanna and Monroe Counties.

“Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for their country and saying ‘thank you for your service’ isn’t enough. They deserve support in the transition from military to civilian life so they can lead fulfilling lives and provide for themselves and their families. This is why I am proud to support CEO in their mission to assist veterans and help them reintegrate into the community after their military service,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I appreciate Gene Brady, Executive Director of CEO, and the work being done every day to help veterans reach their full potential.

“We greatly appreciate the assistance of Representative Cartwright, the Department of Labor team and others we work with daily in providing this important employment assistance resource,” said Gene Brady, Executive Director of the Commission on Economic Opportunity. “We will be able to aid over 100 homeless Veterans in our community. This will enable the CEO to continue to assist in locating quality, life sustaining employment for homeless veterans.”

The mission of CEO is to promote self-sufficiency among low-income and vulnerable populations by confronting the causes and reducing the effects of poverty. CEO’s HVRP program offers job counseling, skills assessments, job readiness, life skills and money management training, transportation incentives and more. To qualify for the program, applicants must have verifiable veteran status; have at least one day of active-duty service; have a discharge other than Dishonorable Discharge status; and experiencing homeless, living in transitional housing, facing eviction, recently housed (within the last 60 days) and/or actively enrolled with SSVF program. For additional information, contact CEO at 570-826-0510.

The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, administered by the Department of Labor’s eterans’ Employment and Training Service, provided $57 million dollars to help veterans nationwide overcome and avoid homelessness and re-enter the workforce.

 

CASEY APPLAUDS SENATE PASSAGE OF HISTORIC BILL TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO VETERANS EXPOSED TO TOXIC BURN PITS

Senator Bon Casey (Photo: LuLac archives) 

U.S. Senator Bob Casey recently  announced the  Senate passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, legislation to expand health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances while serving their country. The Honoring our PACT Act is the largest veterans’ health care bill in decades and would expand VA health care to more than 3.5 million veterans. The bill is named after SFC Heath Robinson, who died in 2020 because of toxic exposure during his time in military service . 

“We will never be able to fully repay our servicemembers and their families for their sacrifice, but we can, and we must, take care of them now. The Honoring Our PACT Act would help our veterans exposed to toxins in the line of duty access the benefits they rightfully earned and make it much easier for future veterans to get those benefits without facing many of the hurdles that exist now. This bill is an historic win for our veterans and our country. When President Biden signs this bill into law, it will save veterans’ lives,” said Senator Casey.

American veterans have long suffered from exposure to toxic substances, but the VA has not recognized the effects of toxic exposure on veterans or provided care to those suffering from such exposure. This legislation would add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA’s presumption list so that veterans can easily access health care to cover treatment of these conditions. Conditions will be phased in annually until 2025.

The Honoring Our PACT Act would also:

Improve the VA’s presumption process and the ability of veterans to receive care for new toxic exposures by creating a framework for the establishment of future toxic exposure-related presumptions of service connection

Bolster the VA’s toxic exposure resources by providing every veteran a toxic exposure screening at VA medical appointments and increasing toxic exposure-related education and training for VA health care and benefits personnel

Strengthen toxic exposure research by conducting studies on the mortality of veterans who served in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War, Post-9/11 veterans’ health trends and veterans’ cancer rates

Set up the VA to successfully support the increased needs of veterans by boosting the VA’s claims processing capacity, strengthening the VA’s workforce and investing in 31 new VA health care facilities, including one $31.8 million outpatient clinic near Allentown, PA. This clinic would expand primary care, mental health, specialty care and ancillary services currently offered at the existing Allentown Satellite Outpatient Clinic, in support of the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military disposed of excess materials and waste by incinerating them in large “burn pits,” often located near bases. These burn pits contained hazardous materials and as a result, burn pits emitted toxic fumes. According to a survey by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 86 percent of veterans of these wars were exposed to burn pits during their time in the service. Researchers have linked burn pit exposure to dozens of medical conditions, including chronic bronchitis, constrictive bronchiolitis, asthma and lung cancer.

Senator Casey previously cosponsored the Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011 (S.1798), the Burn Pits Accountability Act of 2019 (S. 191) and the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act (S. 3451). In 2019, Senator Casey cosponsored the Blue Water Navy Veterans Act (S. 1195) to ensure that veterans exposed to Agent Orange while stationed on ships during the Vietnam War would receive presumptive coverage for related health effects. The Burn Pits Accountability Act was included in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to examine the health effects of servicemembers’ and veterans’ exposure to open burn pits and other toxic airborne chemicals, integrating evaluations into routine health exams. The Honoring Our PACT Act is a culmination of these previous efforts.

 

LGBTQ AFFAIRS COMMISSION, STAKEHOLDERS DENOUNCE LEGISLATION TO BRING DISCRIMINATORY “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL TO PA

Governor Tom Wolf (Photo: LuLac archives)

The Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and education and youth advocates denounced Senate Bill 1278, a copy-paste version of Florida’s discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would harm students and set back human rights in Pennsylvania.

The LGBTQ Affairs Commission firmly opposes Senate Bill 1278, which was introduced on Friday, June 10, ​was approved yesterday along party lines by the Senate Education Committee and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

“Pennsylvania was founded on the basis of inclusion, and the Wolf Administration has fought to ensure that Pennsylvania will continue to be a state that welcomes and protects all of its residents,” said Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director of the LGBTQ Affairs Commission. “This bill, which was introduced in the middle of Pride Month, is a cruel attempt to politicize LGBTQ people and deny their humanity in order to score cheap political points.

“We at the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs know that the guise of calling LGBTQ people and topics ‘age inappropriate’ is really just fearmongering. Bills like these will cause LGBTQ teachers to have to conceal their identities and strip any resources available for LGBTQ youth out of schools. Even more alarming, these bills have emboldened far right hate groups to mobilize to commit violence against LGBTQ people.

“While Pennsylvanians are struggling with very real issues such as gun violence, soaring prices and underfunded schools, the General Assembly has chosen to pick on LGBTQ children and teachers to score political points. This is deeply wrong and would have long-reaching consequences for our schools and human rights in Pennsylvania.”

Advocates for schools and children in Pennsylvania joined the commission to decry the discriminatory, politically-motivated legislation:

“I have serious concerns about any effort aimed at censoring educators and preventing them from valuing, affirming, and supporting students and their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said ​Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA​) President Rich Askey. “Lawmakers should focus on the very real challenges facing our public schools right now, including reducing substitute and teacher shortages, hiring more mental health professionals in our schools, keeping our schools safe, and passing a state budget that properly funds public education. Educators spend their lives teaching and supporting their students. We don’t need politicians telling us how to do our jobs.”

“When we don’t talk about these normal aspects of human diversity, it sends the message that being different is wrong; this puts children who are already aware of their difference at risk and teaches all children to marginalize their classmates,” said Katharine Dalke, MD, a psychiatrist who works with adolescents and young adults. “Psychologists and educators have developed age-appropriate tools for talking about different kinds of families, relationships, and identities without talking about sex. If we want to raise the next generation of Pennsylvanians to be happy and healthy, we must teach acceptance — not discrimination.”

“I was 11 years old when I first came out. I was scared when I realized that I was gay, since my home environment wasn’t the most affirming place,” said Freddy Pernell, commissioner for the LGBTQ Affairs Commission. “I was lucky that my school had a variety of experts and out teachers who I could go to for advice. These LGBTQ teachers became mentors that were crucial to my development into the person I am today. Efforts to keep conversations about identity out of schools will only hurt kids who are trying to come to discover who they really are.”

 

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM  

 

You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SATURDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

 

1975

Our 1975 logo.

The first drive-through restaurant service was inaugurated, as the McDonald's in Sierra Vista, Arizona began allowing customers to place their orders at a microphone, then drive up to a window from which their food would be handed to them, without need for anyone to leave the vehicle….Uganda's dictator, Idi Amin, postponed the execution of British citizen Denis Hills, a day before Hills was set to go before a firing squad for statements made in the unpublished manuscript of The White Pumpkin. Amin's decision came after he hosted two British envoys at his hometown of Arua. The envoys, bearing a written appeal from Queen Elizabeth II, had been Amin's commanding officers when Amin had been a sergeant in the King's African Rifles in the colonial British Army. Hills would be released by Amin on July 10….The United States Supreme Court voted, 8–0, to accept the resignation of former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon from practice before the court…..The events of George Perec's 1978 novel Life: A User's Manual (La Vie mode d'emploi), as Peret describes each character's fate on that date at an apartment building at 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier in Paris, shortly before 8:00 pm….ne 24, 1975 (Tuesday) Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 from New Orleans crashed while attempting to land at the JFK Airport in New York during a thunderstorm, killing 113 of the 124 people on board.[64] The Boeing 727 was running 25 minutes late as it made its approach at 4:08 pm into a thunderstorm,[65] then crashed a half-mile short of the runway, near Rockaway Boulevard and Brookville Boulevard in the Rosedale neighborhood of Queens. To the horror of rescuers, scores of residents of Rosedale descended on the scene to loot jewelry, money and other valuables from the scattered luggage, and even from the victims' bodies. Meteorologist Ted Fujita's research of the disaster led to his discovery of microbursts, sudden downdrafts of wind at high speed. A week after the crash, tape recordings from air traffic control showed that a few minutes before the tower cleared Flight 66 to land on Runway 22L, the pilot of an air freighter, that had just landed on the same runway, radioed that "I just highly recommend that you change runways and land northwest. You have such a tremendous wind shear near the ground on the final….India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was allowed to keep her office pending a review of her corruption conviction by that nation's Supreme Court ….. The claim of Don Juan de Borbón, the Count of Barcelona, to become King of Spain upon the death of President Francisco Franco, was formally rejected by Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro, who told Parliament that Don Juan's son, Juan Carlos de Borbón, would be Franco's successor. Don Juan, the former Crown Prince of Spain, had been pretender to the throne since the 1941 death of his father, former King Alfonso XII, had declared from exile in Portugal that he would be more qualified to guide Spain to democracy. and  in 1975 the number one song in LuLac land America was “Love Will Keep Us Together” by The Captain & Tennille.