The LuLac Edition #5, 341, May 31st, 2025

 

HISTORY UNDER THE DOME

On Friday May 30^th history was made in Luzerne County. For the first time The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth heard cases in Courtroom #1 on the third floor of the Courthouse. The last time the high court heard cases outside of their regular venue was 1981. The appearance coincided with the 175^th anniversary of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association.

It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made official in 1722 upon its reorganization as an entity separate from the control of the colonial governor. It claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States,

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania maintains a discretionary docket, meaning that the Court may choose which cases it accepts, with the exception of mandatory death penalty appeals, and certain appeals from the original jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court. This discretion allows the Court to wield powerful influence on the formation and interpretation of Pennsylvania law.

The original Pennsylvania constitutions, drafted by William Penn, established a Provincial Court under the control of his British governors. Between 1780 and 1808, a Pennsylvania High Court of Errors and Appeals existed, which was the court of last resort in Pennsylvania. After that court's dissolution in 1808, the Commonwealth's Supreme Court became, and remains, the court of last resort in the Pennsylvania judiciary.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania predates the United States Supreme Court by more than 100 years. Interpreting the Pennsylvania Constitution.

The Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association is the official name of the bar association of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  The Bar Association is one of the oldest county bar associations in the United States.

Founded on June 18, 1850 as the “Wilkes-Barre Law Association”, the name of the association was altered in 1855 to the “Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association” to reflect the important role of the operation of a community law library for its member attorneys.

In addition to maintaining the Hon. Max Rosenn Memorial Law Library, the Association also operates The Luzerne Legal Register, the official law journal o luzerne County.  A modern-day Lawyer Referral Service is also hosted by the Association for people who need a lawyer but do not know whom to call.

The proceedings were covered by Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) and we here at LuLac were happy to attend.  (wikipedia, LuLac, PCN) 

The LuLac Edition #5, 340, May, 30th, 2025

 

THE BRESNEHAN

PROTEST

Meghan Kocher with Joe Padavan. 

 

Denise Parashac with sign and protestor. 

 

Local members of Action Together as well as other community activists staged a protest on Tuesday afternoon outside the office of Congressman Rob Bresnehan in Forty Fort. The Citizens’ Voice reported that hey chanted the congressman’s name and called his office, asking him or his staff to defend his record on Medicaid and other social safety net programs.

One demonstrator brought a giant inflatable clown holding an ax, with a photo of U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan covering the face.

“We’re mad you lied to us,” political activist and former state representative candidate Megan Kocher shouted from a bullhorn near Bresnahan’s office in the 900 Rutter building in Forty Fort.

Bresnahan’s critics say the freshman Republican congressman failed to keep his promise to protect Medicaid when voting for a reconciliation budget bill they say slashes the program.

What sealed it for me was the comment by Hannah Pope, the chief spokesperson in D.C. for the Congressman. “Congressman Bresnahan works every day to do all he can to improve the lives of Northeastern Pennsylvanians.

If he works so hard, why did he not show up for a Memorial Day Parade in Ashley? Why hasn’t he met his voters face to face? 

That means voting for legislation that secures our borders,

Yeah, there was an “invasion” of thousands of illegals in Jeddo Borough (NOT!)

maintains tax cuts for working-class families,

the only families he’s worried about are the 1%

provides tax relief to service industry and overtime workers,

I never knew a Republican that was a good tipper and business owners will keep workers hours at 30 a week so they don’t need to pay for health care, let alone overtime

 takes care of seniors and protects social safety net programs for those who rely on them most.

Then why didn’t he scream when Musk instituted a hiring freeze at the local Social Security office. Does he realize that this facility badly needed new employees to cover a nationwide workload emanating out of Baltimore Drive?

Bresnahan’s spokeswoman Hannah Pope said after the demonstration. “Rep. Bresnahan said from the beginning he would not support something that ‘guts the benefits my neighbors rely on,’ and he stayed true to that promise. No American citizen who legally receives Medicaid will lose their benefits.”

So here’s the BIG QUESTION no one seems to be asking. How do you cull the members who receive Medicaid who are illegals vs. the ones who are citizens? Have the Congressman asked the powers that be in the Trump administration, given HIPPA guidelines and other personal protections, what is your plan to eliminate what they perceive as fraud and abuse?

The burden of proof is on THEM!

Pope further added: “While Rep. Bresnahan thanks these constituents for making their voices heard, he encourages them to stop listening to left-wing lies. Any constituents with questions on how the legislation impacts them can contact our office.”

Left wing voices? Define that, are Scranton times, Times Leader and other local entities LEFT WING? Does the Veteran who waits for hours at the VA, is he a left wing devotee? Do the brown skinned U.S. citizens have to look after her shoulder because Right Wing media tells her white neighbors want to report her? ANYTHING THAT STRAYS FROM THE MAGA WORLD OF GENUFLECTED BELIEF IS CHARACTERIZED AS “LEFT WING”! 

IS THIS SIMPLE STATEMENT LEFT WING PROPAGANDA?  

That comment, that these protestors were swayed by left wing media is garbage and an insult to those intelligent, peaceful protestors who will remember one important factor.

THEY SHOWED UP,

THE CONGRESSMAN DIDN’T!  (Citizens” Voice, LuLac, WVIA FM)

 

NPR, PBS, CPB

SUE TRUMP

NPR on May 27 filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, calling President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at pulling federal funding from the news organization unconstitutional. 

Trump’s May 1 order directed his administration to stop supporting both NPR and PBS with federal funding, claiming that “neither entity presents a te or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.” 

NPR defended its editorial standards in a May 27 statement and said Trump’s order was unconstitutional.

“NPR has a First Amendment right to be free from government attempts to control private speech as well as from retaliation aimed at punishing and chilling protected speech,” the statement said. “By basing its directives on the substance of NPR’s programming, the Executive Order seeks to force NPR to adapt its journalistic standards and editorial choices to the preferences of the government if it is to continue to receive federal funding.”

Three local public radio organizations – Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio and KSUT Public Radio – joined NPR as plaintiffs in the case. The listed defendants include Trump, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit entity that distributes federal funding to NPR and PBS and local stations, also is listed as a defendant.

In LuLac land, WVIA TV and Radio have been mainstay since 1966 and 1973 respectively. The stations are part of the fabric of NEPA and has grown in stature and content. Plus, the reporting on Public TV and NPR is NOT BIASED.

As I was working on this, NPR’s Morning Edition interviewed Trump bootlicker Matt Schalapp This was the guy who accused of sexual assault last year had to pay a significant financial settlement in exchange for dropping  the  lawsuit against him.

The $480,000 settlement was paid to Carlton Huffman through an insurance policy, according to a source familiar with the details. Schlapp’s legal team did not respond for comment when asked about the financial settlement, but on Tuesday said that Huffman dropped the lawsuit and Schlapp claimed he had been exonerated. (CNN)

But getting back to Schlapp and the NPR interview, Schlapp made the following claims.  Schlapp also says more international leaders are looking to the U.S., and President Trump, for direction. And he's planning to expand his organization's foothold across other cities around the world.

"The one thing that's undeniable is that everybody wants to know where Donald Trump is on the issues that matter to their country," Schlapp told Morning Edition. "They're really rooting for Donald Trump to succeed." He referred to Biden as a President who was weak in addition to praising dictator Victor Orban.

NPR's Leila Fadel met Schlapp in his hotel lobby in Budapest on the eve of the conference to talk about the deepening alliances between Trump's MAGA movement, Orbán's Fidesz party in Hungary and other right-wing movements in Europe.

This report gave this formerly very sketchy individual an opportunity to state his piece as he believes it. It is an example of the fair reporting done by NPR even though some listeners like me are stunned when the Trump liars try to cut funding for what is fair and balanced information.

RFK JUNIOR TO

MOMS AND KIDS

NO SHOTS

FOR YOU!

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on May 27 that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, in a move that breaks with previous expert guidance.

He announced the change in a video clip on X, arguing that it’s “common sense and it’s good science.” The clip also featured Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

The change comes after the Food and Drug Administration said on May 20 it plans to require new clinical trials for approval of the annual COVID-19 boosters for healthy individuals under the age of 65

For years, Kennedy has questioned the effectiveness of vaccines and promoted debunked claims that certain vaccines are linked to autism.

 

KING CHARLES

VISITS CANADA,

SUPPORTS NATION

King Charles formally opened Parliament last week by reading the speech from the throne in the Senate, which sets out the government’s priorities for the current session. Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously said his Liberal government’s immediate focus would be on affordability measures – including passing the tax cut that he promised during the recent federal election campaign.

Carney has also said that his government was elected to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation

King Charles’ speech confirmed that Canada will join the ReArm Europe plan – a major defence procurement project to ramp up arms production in Europe – a move that could reduce Canada’s reliance on the U.S. as a source of military equipment.

The King said Canada faces “unprecedented challenges” as the world changes and as relationships with key allies come under pressure, noting that the world is now “a more dangerous and uncertain place” than at any point since the Second World War.

The speech referred to Canadian sovereignty several times and the King finished his address by saying, “As the anthem reminds us, the true North is indeed strong and free.”

This was the first time that a sitting British monarch has delivered a throne speech in Canada in nearly 50 years.(Jeremy Logan, Zoomer.ca  LuLac ) 

 

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN

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.

 

THE LAURIE CADDEN SHOW

Tune in every Saturday morning at 9am for The Laurie Cadden Show on WILK FM 103.1 and AM 980 and 910. Laurie’s program has been a northeastern Pennsylvania mainstay every Saturday. Tune in to hear her insights and take on local issues as well as entertaining and informative interviews.

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

BEATLE EDD’S FAB FOUR MUSIC HOUR

Tune in every week to the Home of Rock and Roll for a jam packed, unpredictable hour starting at 9am Sundays. Host Edd Raineri gives you facts and great music from the immortal Fab Four on ROCK 107.

 

THE LULAC TIME MACHINE

ACTIVITIES OF PRESIDENT FORD

MAY 1976

The Medical Device Regulation Act was signed into law by U.S. President Ford, granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate medical devices that had been prescribed by physicians, with a different standard applied to devices depending on whether an FDA panel classified them as Class I, II or III with Class III being deemed a high risk to the user. Congress had enacted the legislation, which amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, after the first reports of injuries to over 900,000 women who had used the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device for contraception.

The Medical Device Regulation Act or Medical Device Amendments of 1976 was introduced by the 94th Congress of the United States. Congressman Paul G. Rogers and Senator Edward M. Kennedy were the chairperson sponsors of the medical device amendments.

During the 1960s, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) commissioned the Cooper Committee to study the adverse effects of medical devices for human use. In 1970, the study committee recommended a classification for medical devices based on comparative risk. In 1976, the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device injured at least 900,000 women in the United States, which aided the emphasis for regulatory oversight and therapeutic requirements provided by the U.S. legislation P.L. 94-295.

The U.S. legislation enacted in 1976 amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 signed by the 32nd President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In a speech made after signing the bill, President Ford said "Until today, the American consumer could not be sure that a medical device used by his physician, his hospital, or himself was as safe and effective as it could or should be," and described the law as fixing "the deficiencies that accorded FDA 'horse and buggy' authority to deal with 'laser age' problems".

In International News, President Ford at the White House and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev at the Kremlin held simultaneous ceremonies signing the treaty to limit the size of underground nuclear tests during peacetime and providing the first on-site inspection of compliance and this week in LuLac land the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney.

 

Also in the top ten that week were “two TV theme songs of ABC TV Shows. The “Happy Days” theme from Pratt and McClain and the “Welcome Back Cotter” theme by John Sebastian for “Welcome Back  Kotter”.