The LuLac Edition #4, 923, February 28th, 2023

THE TREASON AND TRAGEDY OF SCOTT PERRY

(Photo: CNN)

Representative Scott Perry served his country as a veteran of the Iraq war. Perry commanded 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment during its pre-deployment training and service in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  As Task Force Diablo, 2-104th Aviation was credited with flying 1,400 missions, accruing over 13,000 combat flight hours, and transporting over 3 million pounds of cargo and 43,000 soldiers and civilians. Perry flew 44 combat missions and accrued nearly 200 combat flight hours.

After returning from Iraq, Perry was promoted to Colonel and assigned to command the Pennsylvania National Guard's 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute). From 2012 to 2014, he commanded the garrison at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Training Center. In May 2014, Perry was assigned as Assistant Division Commander of the 28th Infantry Division and promoted to Brigadier General in November 2015.

In 2007 Perry became a State Representative and then got elected to Congress in 2012. His Congressional career has been marked as a series of votes against the people he represents. Here are a few examples:

In October 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Perry accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo of exaggerating the crisis in Puerto Rico.

In January 2018, Perry suggested that ISIS might have been involved in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities have maintained that gunman Stephen Paddock acted alone.

In December 2019, Perry was one of 195 Republicans to vote against both articles of impeachment against President Trump.

In October 2020, Perry was one of 17 Republicans to vote against a House resolution to formally condemn the QAnon conspiracy theory. He said he voted against the resolution because he was concerned about infringements on free speech, saying, "it's very dangerous for the government ... to determine what is okay to like and what is not okay to like."

In March 2021, Perry voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. He said only 9% of the act's spending was allotted to defeat the COVID-19 virus, while the rest would advance Democratic policies.

In April 2021, at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee meeting on immigration, days after Fox News host Tucker Carlson promoted the Great Replacement theory, Perry said, "For many Americans, what seems to be happening or what they believe right now is happening is, what appears to them is we're replacing national-born American—native-born Americans to permanently transform the political landscape of this very nation."

In June 2021, Perry was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

At the June 2021 Republican Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, Perry said Democrats "are not the loyal opposition. They are the opposition to everything you love and believe in" and "want to destroy the country you grew up in", invoking comparisons to Nazis.

In July 2022, Perry was among 47 House Republicans to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and protect the right to same-sex marriage at a federal level. Perry said, "Agree or disagree with same-sex marriage, my vote affirmed my long-held belief that Americans who enter into legal agreements deserve to live their lives without the threat that our federal government will dissolve what they've built." Four months later, in an interview with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Perry said he was tricked because he did not want to appear racist by voting against the bill, which also protects interracial marriage.

Perry’s biggest claim to infamy is that he wanted to dethrone democracy and nullify the election of 2020. Here’s what was reported by the January 6^th committee.

The Jan. 6 committee highlighted a Dec. 21, 2020, White House meeting focused on the Republican scheme to overturn the presidential election. Among the participants was Scott Perry.

A month earlier, we learned at a different Jan. 6 hearing about GOP lawmakers who allegedly sought pardons from Trump before he left office. Among them was Scott Perry.

Around the same time, we saw testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who said under oath that Trump discussed ideas with allies about going to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Among those the then-president talked to about this was Scott Perry.

A month before that, we learned of allegations that then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows literally set fire to papers in his office after a meeting with a congressional Republican. The lawmaker was Scott Perry.

The text messages Meadows shared with the Jan. 6 committee showed that one member of Congress sent some truly nutty messages to the Trump White House after the 2020 election, pushing the ideas that secret Italian satellites rigged American voting machines and that the Trump-appointed CIA director was in cahoots with the British. The member was Scott Perry.

In fact, just weeks after the Jan. 6 attack, we learned how Trump came to be in contact with anti-election lawyers such as Jeffrey Clark, who was a relatively obscure Justice Department official at the time. It turns out, one House Republican helped put Clark on the then-president’s radar. The Republican was Scott Perry.

Scott Perry is a curious case. He grew up poor with virtually no plumbing or heat in his home.  Yet he embraces a multi rich man like Trump.

Perry risked his life in the military to preserve and even impose democracy in that country.  

Yet he has been involved in trying to overthrow his own government. His cell phone has been seized by the FBI and is the subject of an investigation.

Scott Perry will be indicted for various crimes related to the Insurrection.  When those phone records are released, he’ll be toast. And rightly so. (Wikipedia, MSNBC, LuLac)

The :uLac Edition #4, 922, February 27th, 2023

 MONDAY MEMES 

The LuLac Edition #4, 921, February 23rd, 2023

 

TRUMP SUPPORTERS TURN TO 'PLAN C' TO REINSTATE HIM AFTER SUPREME COURT LOSS

Newsweek reports that Three Trump-supporting brothers are preparing to roll out their "plan C" to reinstate him as president after the United States Supreme Court once again declined to hear their case.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Raland Brunson—one of the plaintiffs in the case seeking to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election and reinstall former President Donald Trump in the White House—said the Supreme Court had once again rejected an effort to hear the case, all but ending the already slim chance current President Joe Biden would be removed from the White House.

"[Second] Petition denied," Brunson wrote in the Facebook post. "Moving on to plan C. I will say more about that within the next few days. We have been working long and hard on these strategies and there are more to come."

"We understand this to be a possible long but worthy goal," he added. "The result is that everyone in this nation will have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the candidate of their choice will be bound by their oath to protect the rights and freedomfter the case was initially denied by the court on January 9, the Brunson brothers appealed the Court's decision on the case, only for it to be denied yet again on Tuesday.

It is currently unclear what they hope to accomplish. While Trump has not abandoned his unsubstantiated claims of an election rigged against him, he has all but begun to look to the future, officially running as a candidate on the Republican ballot in 2024.

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies still face potential prosecution for attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 election in the swing state of Georgia following a special grand jury's recommendation to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to issue indictments as a result of its findings.

Brunson, however, is not giving up.

"I'm baffled with [the] fact that the opponents of this case are against the Oath of Office, which is the only instrument that protects the Constitution," he wrote in another Facebook post prior to the Supreme Court's decision. "It's obvious that those who fiercely object to this case would like to see the Constitution dismantled, torn apart, or altogether eliminated." of the people they represent."

This is insanity in its purist form. The sad thing is these guys just might have standing  to keep this crap up. They will not reinstate Trump but cause lingering doubt about an election that was won fair and square. (AOL News, LuLac)

 

 JUROR SPEAKS OUT…REALLY???

Emily Kohrs (Photo: Fox News)

One of the jurors from the Georgia investigation into former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election said she was particularly surprised by one key witness's willingness to testify as part of the probe.

In an interview published Tuesday by the Associated Press, Emily Kohrs, who participated in Fulton County's special grand jury, described being surprised by Senator Lindsey Graham's testimony, given how hard the South Carolina Republican fought to escape his subpoena.

"After Graham tried so hard to avoid testifying—taking his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—Kohrs was surprised when he politely answered questions and even joked with jurors," AP's Kate Brumback wrote.

While Kohrs declined to comment on the jury deliberations and final report, parts of which were released last week, she did describe the high-profile witnesses who took the stand.

She characterized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who Trump asked to "find" more than 11,000 votes so that he could win the election, as "really geeky kind of funny," and the late State House Speaker David Ralston as hilarious, while recalling that Governor Brian Kemp seemed unhappy to be there.

The special grand jury also heard from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who Kohrs said declined most answers, although she believed he "genuinely seemed to consider" whether it was merited for him to answer. In those cases, the juror said that prosecutors would instead play clips of those witnesses in television interviews or testifying before the House committee investigating the Capitol attack.

Although the special grand jury made recommendations on charges against Trump and his allies, they do not have the power to issue indictments, much like a traditional grand jury. Instead, their report will be considered by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who could then make the decision to impanel a regular grand jury.

Two points, her take is refreshing given the fact that she did not vote in the '16 or '20 Presidential election. She had no knowledge of the phone call Trump made to Georgia officials. That makes her unbiased. But her release might be problematic to any case against any individual in the hot seat.  More to come on this one. (CNN, Fox News, LuLac)

CARTWRIGHT’S THOUGHTS ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S RECENT STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

"President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address was a needed message of unity and progress that really hit home. Investments in infrastructure and advanced manufacturing and the reduction of prescription drug prices now coming online are going to make a difference for many Northeastern Pennsylvanians, especially seniors and working families.

Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve experienced an incredible two years of bipartisan successes for our country and for our district. Continuing to grow the economy and tackling inflation are the right focuses for the President and the Congress. The fact that we’ve created a record number of jobs is a great sign, but President Biden made it clear last night that there’s still more work to be done, and I agree with that view and approach.

Moving forward, I’m committed to building on the monumental achievements of the last Congress by making connections with my colleagues across the aisle and rolling up my sleeves to uplift Northeastern Pennsylvania and move our country forward.

 

SENS. CASEY AND FETTERMAN PRESS EPA, NTSB FOLLOWING EAST PALESTINE TRAIN DERAILMENT

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and J.D. Vance (R-OH) sent joint letters to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) pressing the agencies over the train derailment in East Palestine, OH.

In the letter to the EPA, the Senators pressed the EPA on its plan to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for releasing hazardous materials into the air and water. In addition, the Senators highlighted the need to ensure the proper resources are reaching East Palestine and Darlington Township to continue to aid the residents in and around the region.

In the letter to the NTSB, the Senators highlighted rail safety concerns they have heard from constituents, rail experts, and railroad workers as the NTSB conducts its investigation into the derailment.

“We appreciate the extensive air and water monitoring operations that have begun, but the impacted communities need further monitoring and assurance of safety of their homes, their water, and their soil. Our offices are aware of reports of lingering odors and animal deaths. Additionally, there are reports that chemicals from the derailment have been found in the Sulphur Run stream and other downstream waterways. Given the rural nature of this community, many residents rely on private drinking water wells that are not connected to a public water supply system, and therefore may need additional testing from EPA to ensure the safety of their drinking water sources. We are deeply concerned for the safety of the community in the impacted area,” wrote the senators in the letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

“While we are grateful no injuries or fatalities resulted directly from the derailment, we are deeply concerned about the release of hazardous materials into the air and groundwater in East Palestine and surrounding communities. Hundreds of families were forced to flee their homes, and they are now rightfully concerned about long-term health risks due to the Norfolk Southern train derailment. No American family should be forced to face the horror of fleeing their homes because hazardous materials have spilled or caught fire in their community,” wrote the senators in the letter to NTSB Chair Jennifer L. Homendy.

“The NTSB’s independent investigation to determine probable causes of the East Palestine derailment is critical to preventing future derailments involving hazardous materials in Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as across the nation. We will use NTSB’s findings and any pertinent safety recommendations to advance measures that Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation can implement to prevent derailments involving hazardous materials,” the senators continued.

 

GOVERNOR SHAPIRO VISITS EAST PALESTINE AND BEAVER COUNTY TO GIVE UPDATE AND HEAR MORE FROM RESIDENTS AFTER NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN DERAILMENT

Governor Shapiro (Photo: LuLac archives)

Governor Josh Shapiro visited East Palestine, Ohio to provide an update on the Norfolk Southern train derailment alongside United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Governor Mike DeWine. Gov. Shapiro detailed all of the work his Administration is doing to protect the people of Pennsylvania and the environment, and pledged to work with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Incident Management Teams as they assess and test for environmental and health impacts as part of a sweeping enforcement action to compel Norfolk Southern to conduct and pay for any cleanup actions caused by the derailment.

Gov. Shapiro also visited Darlington Township in Beaver County to meet with residents who received water testing this morning from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Southwest Regional office. The Governor’s top priority is to ensure the health and safety of Pennsylvanians who have been affected by this incident.

“From the beginning of the response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment, my Administration has been coordinating with first responders and emergency management personnel, our partners in Ohio, and the federal government,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “I’ve heard two messages from folks in Beaver County: we need testing and we need accountability. Our Administration is providing independent water testing to all those who want it in close proximity to the derailment site, and we’ll hold Norfolk Southern accountable for any and all impacts to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Last week, Governor Josh Shapiro sent a letter to Norfolk Southern Corporation CEO Alan Shaw expressing serious concerns regarding the company’s management of the February 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio after meeting with Beaver County Commissioners and local elected officials.

Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air or water quality readings following the train derailment. The Pennsylvania DEP will continue to monitor the safety of Pennsylvania’s air, water, and environment – and ensure Pennsylvanians have the information they need to stay safe in the weeks and months ahead. For more information on DEP’s sampling efforts and other details about the derailment, click here.

 

MEDIA MATTERS 

 

WALN TV 

WILK HOST HAS RIGHT WING COLONEL VETERAN WHO TRASHES THE MILITARY 

On Wednesday afternoon, WILK's afternoon host, Bob "OO Wa OO Wa talkin' about the boy from New York City" O'Donnell, had on a loudmouth right wing vet who said he would no longer ask young people to enlist because of the fact NOW he didn't trust the military. He yammered on and OO Wa, OO Wa just let him go. Then I cracked the code. Both are going to C-PAC. 

Jesus, just what we need a talk show host who goes to that clown show. Oh well may the ghosts of Rush Limbaugh and Roger Ailes stop by your hotel room while you're both there. In the meantime,  our military stands at the ready to defend these self appointed experts.

 

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 SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

1954

Our 1954 logo

William K. Howard was a film director, writer, and producer. Considered one of Hollywood's leading directors, he directed over 50 films from 1921 to 1946, including The Thundering Herd (1925), The Power and the Glory (1933), Fire Over England (1937), and Johnny Come Lately (1943) He passed away on the 21^st of February…..The first mass vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, United States.  A group of children rolled up their sleeves for their place in history on Feb. 23, 1954, at mass inoculation effort at the Arsenal Schooll in Pittsburgh. The new polio vaccine they received was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk at the Virus Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh…..Poliomyelitis was a highly contagious disease that terrorized towns with sudden outbreaks   that would leave paralysis and death in its wake. It affected children most of all, leaving scores with lifelong disabilities…….The 137 students from Arsenal Elementary were the first of about 5,000 public school students in Pittsburgh to be inoculated in the first doses of the new vaccine, which would consist of three doses in total.  

Dr. Salk performed every shot personally in the school’s gymnasium, a process that took two hours. The boys and girls, all under the age of 9, were in the first through third grades at the school. The children largely took their vaccines without drama, partly due the variety of distractions presented before them. Television and still cameras joined reporters, school officials and medical staff to document the makeshift clinic. Salk was smiling and frequently joking with the students to keep them at ease…

Meanwhile across the globe, Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes premier of Egypt. He was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-reaching land reforms the following year. Following a 1954 attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib under house arrest and assumed executive office. He was formally elected president in June 1956. Nasser's popularity in Egypt and the Arab world skyrocketed after his nationalization of the Suez Canal Company and his political victory in the subsequent Suez Crisis, known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression. He began his second presidential term in March 1965 after his political opponents were banned from running. Following Egypt's defeat by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967, Nasser resigned, but he returned to office after popular demonstrations called for his reinstatement. By 1968, Nasser had appointed himself Prime Minister, launched the War of Attrition to regain the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, began a process of depoliticizing the military, and issued a set of political liberalization reforms. After the conclusion of the 1970 Arab League summit, Nasser suffered a heart attack and died. His funeral in Cairo drew five to six million mourners, and prompted an outpouring of grief across the Arab world……and this week in 21954 the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Heart of Stone” by The Charms.

The LuLac Edition #4, 920, February 22nd, 2023

 

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY 

REPRISE 

 

Our “Write On Wednesday” logo

This week we once more feature an interesting opinion from former County Manager Randy Robertson. Much credit has to go to Robinson for shedding light on the ineptness of the County Council (led by the GOP) he once tried to govern with.

Ex-MANAGER: PARTISANSHIP HARMING COUNTY GOVERNMENT

I write regarding the recent story pertaining to my pension as the former Luzerne County manager (“Board OKs pension for ex-manager,” Jan. 20). Specifically, I wish to address some of the statements made by county council member Brian Thornton during the meeting.

Last June, several dozen citizens and about half of the county council attended a reception for me as the new county manager on the steps of the courthouse. During my remarks I reiterated several times to the council, the staff, the citizens and the media of the absolute need to be nonpartisan in this position. I also reinforced that concept in one-on-one meetings or conversations with every council member.

It was obvious throughout my tenure that some council members, especially Brian Thornton, either did not understand what the term nonpartisan meant or chose to ignore my commitment to it. The political rancor regarding Luzerne County’s ideological void between Republicans and Democrats was best summed up by Thornton when several months later he told me that “there were too many Ds and not enough Rs on staff.” I wonder if Brian and a few others on council can spell “nonpartisan”?

Several months ago, Sam Sanguedolce, Luzerne County’s District Attorney, briefed council in an executive session about an investigation he and his team did pertaining to challenges arising in the 2021 primary. Sanguedolce was briefing the council as a matter of protocol before his report was made public in the following days. With close to a dozen findings, the DA teams’ summary was that there was absolutely no evidence of intentional misdoings or fraudulent activity during the election. His bottom line was that contrary to the “conspiracy” that had been proffered by a few on council and in the community that there was nothing wrong more than unintentional human error.

Contrary to what he had just been told, about 30 minutes later in the public session, Brian Thornton held up the same document and once again spouted possible transgressions by calculated conspirators. It’s all on video.

Brian’s never been one to let facts get in the way of a good story. So, when he spoke at the pension board about failed strategies and intentional conspiracies, it reminds me of what Ronald Reagan said when speaking about Walter Mondale: “There he goes again.”

So let me now personally address Brian in a few concluding comments. Brian, council sets the budget. Therefore, it’s your, your colleagues and their predecessors’ fingerprints that are all over one of the prime reasons Luzerne County has had multiple election directors and deputies in a handful of years. It’s almost identical to the reasons the county can’t keep staff at Child and Youth Services, the Public Defenders Office, the District Attorney’s Office and 911. You and a few of your colleagues were the ones who spent countless hours trying to create a subterfuge to drop boxes when there was far more important work to do. And Brian, you were at the forefront of that enormous boondoggle trying to turn back over $1 million in state grants for the elections, money that was partially used for an automated ballot sorter that was one of the highlights of the 2022 election. But those are just a few facts and we certainly don’t want them to color your personal story.

So now Thornton opines the DA’s investigation is still ongoing and I may be part of it. I hope so, but so far no one has called me because we all know the county manager does not and did not run the elections. Maybe the greater story should be why Luzerne County continues to be unable to attract and retain the best and brightest. Hopefully the DA will investigate the total meltdown of an election board member that resulted in her removal during the election count and a subsequent Department of Law investigation. Brian, I understand you and others continue to support her. How many failures will it take? I can only hope for the sake of the citizens of Luzerne County the DA will include that in his investigative purview.

Finally, there’s no mention in the story by Thornton or others that the entire council well knew I had advised them long before the election that I would soon be leaving the county to attend to family medical matters. There’s also no mention that I was the one that asked the DA on the day of and for several days following the election for him and his team to take a look at how some of the polling machines were short of paper. No, the facts just don’t ever seem to find a way into Brian Thornton’s narratives.

Christianity says we should turn the other cheek. I believe in that. I also believe that people can have philosophical differences but they can only be solved when the actors are ethical and their dialogue is based on veracity. With this in mind, I pray, Brian, that somehow you’ll come to discern fact from fiction. I also thank God every day that I now enjoy the opportunity to spend time with my family. Finally, I pray for the citizens of Luzerne County. Several key personnel have left in the last couple months. I’m sure there’s a host of reasons why but from what I understand, it’s Brian and a few of his colleagues on council that are driving that ship. This is why it’s critical to know who you are voting for, what their qualifications are and what they stand for. As former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said, “all politics are local.”

RANDY ROBERTSON served as Luzerne County manager from June 2022 until November 2022.