The LuLac Edition #5, 395, July 24th, 2025

 

THE  5 Cs

CHOAS, CALMINITY, CRUELTY, CRAZINESS, CAPITULATION

Recently we hit the 6-month mark of the Trump Presidency part 2. After a hope that maybe, just maybe the fact that he was given an opportunity to govern again, it should come as no surprise that has squandered a chance to be a real leader. There is no doubt that Trump is a consequential President that has changed America. I mean there have been consequential leaders throughout history but that doesn’t mean the consequences were positive. Rather than grown, Trump has diminished America, our role in the world and himself.

Here's the why and how.

CHAOS

There has been an onslaught of action but not well thought out. The tariffs have been a roller coaster ride that plunged the stock market, brought it back up and provided uncertainty.

He promised 90 deals, he has less than half a dozen and they are outlines. He has not thought out the deal with Japan auto makers that essentially screwed the American auto industry.

Our closest neighbors have been taken to task for stupid reasons. He wants to make Canada the 51^st state but has no clue about the ramifications, There is positively no symmetry. The day starts in Washington with a slip shod approach that has made people nervous.

CALAMITY

This is real. Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine in one day. He still cozies up to Putin then months later came to the realization that Putin was bombing the shit out of Ukraine. Putin has made an ass out of this guy who thinks he can “do a deal”.

Do a deal?

With an untrustworthy thug like Putin you can’t do deals.

With his attacks on Iran, he has now given that country who hated us for 40 years a free pass to hate us into the next century.

His efforts to “do a deal” with Israel and Gaza have stalled and he apparently doesn’t realize that this is a conflict that is biblical.  In all three instances he has undercut his own staff members. Trump has refused to believe his “experts” and undercuts them all the time. This administration is just one step away from calamity.

CRUELTY

All one has to see is the way Trump’s administration has executed the deportation process. There is no rhyme or reason to it. More than 60% of the people who were thrown out of the country were citizens. ICE agents wore masks because they were afraid of being recognized even though the “tough guys” beat and threatened people with impunity behind that mask.

Then there was the very series of grievances from Trump himself calling people names, claiming everything negative directed at him was a “witch hunt” and making this country the laughingstock of the world.  Bottom line, Trump is a prick but devolves into a blubbering baby when even remotely called out. He is a cruel, ungracious slob of man and if there are redeeming qualities, they have yet to come to the surface.

CRAZINESS

Where do I start? Gulf of America? Naming the Kennedy Center after his wife? There are too many to name. But a few. Disinfectant for COVID, McCain not a hero, Ukraine being the aggressor in the war, calling out Zelinsky’s wardrobe, wondering why the United States can’t use atomic weapons, insulting women and their body shapes, and saying he, a non-Catholic, womanizing felon would make great Pope.

CAPITULATION

Finally, this is the worse part. America seems to have fallen in line and said yes to this felon who has no regard for the truth or the country itself. In many cases we have accepted this as NORMAL.

It is not. This half a year has been only the start of how he makes America not great but scary. I do not want to hear that “this is not what I was expecting when I voted for him”. Why not?

Like an out-of-control freight train, he told you. You were just too dumb to listen. We are on the road to a police state, a bad economy, higher inflation, sicker people and the crushing of a great nation that has become second rate because of a first rate gangster. 

And the beat will go on. Sadly.  

 

BRESNAHAN INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO STUDY THE BENEFITS OF FEMA MITIGATION EFFORTS

Congressman Rob Bresnehan (Photo: LuLac archives)

 

On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, U.S. Representatives Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) and John Garamendi (CA-08) formally introduced H.R. 4426, the Studying Mitigation and Reporting Transparently (SMART) Act. This bipartisan legislation would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to study and report on the cost-benefit of their mitigation activities.

“Investing in disaster mitigation saves lives and taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “By studying the cost-benefit of FEMA’s mitigation programs, we are bringing greater transparency and accountability to FEMA and ensuring we see a real return on these investments. A comprehensive analysis will help us make smarter, more resilient decisions as we prepare for future disasters.”

“FEMA’s critical natural disaster mitigation work helps protect communities from disasters before they happen and saves taxpayers' dollars. It remains one of the most cost-effective tools in our toolkit,” said Rep. Garamendi. “I'm honored to join Congressman Bresnahan in introducing the SMART Act to authorize studies that will help us better understand how FEMA’s work continues to save lives, homes, and taxpayer dollars.”

Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District is not immune to natural emergencies and natural disasters. Northeastern Pennsylvania has seen several floods over the past several decades, most notably in 1972 from Hurricane Agnes, when tens of thousands of homes and businesses suffered damage. More recently, in 2011, Tropical Storm Lee flooded the district with more than 10 inches of rain in two days, evacuating people from their homes and small businesses from their storefronts. Two years ago, on September 9, 2023, severe flooding in Lackawanna County caused more than $10 million in damages and claimed at least one life. The extensive damage seen during these incidents took years to fix and restore.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rep. Bresnahan serves on the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

The SMART Act will ensure FEMA is adequately studying and reporting the effects of their pre-disaster mitigation efforts. 

 

 

SHAPIRO ADMINISTRATION HIGHLIGHTS SUN BUCKS SUMMER FOOD PROGRAM TO HELP FEED KIDS WHILE SCHOOL IS OUT, ENCOURAGES ELIGIBLE FAMILIES TO APPLY

Governor Josh Shapiro (LuLac archives)

Shapiro Administration officials emphasized the importance of ensuring kids have enough to eat year round, and touted Pennsylvania's participation once again this year in the SUN Bucks program, a federally funded summer benefit that helps eligible families purchase fresh food and groceries at retailers around Pennsylvania.

Department of Human Services (DHS) Special Assistant to the Secretary Catherine Stetler and Department of Education (PDE) Acting Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe, stood alongside partners from Feeding Pennsylvania and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank together to promote the SUN Bucks program, a federally funded summer serving lunch to kids at a SUN Meals Summer Food Service location. This is the SUN Bucks program's second year and the second time participating in Pennsylvania.

 

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

JULY 2000

PARIS, FRANCE

 Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde aircraft, crashes into a hotel in Gonesse just after takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 aboard and 4 in the hotel. d. It was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history.

Whilst taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Air France Flight 4590 ran over debris on the runway dropped by an aircraft during the preceding departure, causing a tyre to explode and disintegrate. Tyre fragments, launched upwards at great speed by the rapidly spinning wheel, violently struck the underside of the wing, damaging parts of the landing gear – thus preventing its retraction – and causing the integral fuel tank to rupture. Large amounts of fuel leaking from the rupture ignited, causing a loss of thrust in the left-hand-side engines 1 and 2. The aircraft lifted off, but the loss of thrust, high drag from the extended landing gear, and fire damage to the flight controls made it impossible to maintain control. The jet crashed into a hotel in nearby Gonesse two minutes after takeoff. All nine crew and 100 passengers on board were killed, as well as four people in the hotel. Four other people sustained slight injuries.

In the wake of the disaster, the entire Concorde fleet was grounded. Following the implementation of various modifications to the airframe, it returned to service on 7 November 2001. However, due to limited commercial success, especially in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Concorde aircraft were retired by Air France in May 2003 and by British Airways in November of the same year.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved was a 25-year-old Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde (registration F-BTSC, serial number 203). It was powered by four Rolls-Royce Olympus 593/610 turbojet engines, each of which was equipped with reheat. The aircraft's last scheduled repair had taken place on 21 July 2000, four days before the accident; no problems were reported during the repair. At the time of the crash, the aircraft had flown for 11,989 hours and had made 4,873 take-off and landing cycles. 

The cockpit crew consisted of the following:

Captain Christian Marty (age 54), who had been with Air France since 1967. He had 13,477 flight hours, including 317 hours on the Concorde. Marty had also flown the Boeing 727, 737, Airbus A300, A320, and A340 aircraft.

First officer Jean Marcot (50), who had been with Air France since 1971 and had 10,035 flight hours, with 2,698 of them on the Concorde. He had also flown the Aérospatiale N 262, Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris, Sud Aviation and this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Smooth” by Santana.