The LuLac Edition #5, 577, February 17th, 2026

JESSIE JACKSON GONE @ 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, was known not just as a tireless advocate for the Civil Rights Movement but as one of its most dynamic orators. He spoke tirelessly for the poor and marginalized on issues from voting rights to housing. Jackson also gave numerous speeches as the leader of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and as a presidential candidate in the 1980s. Later, he did the same for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Here are some notable and defining words from Jackson.

‘I Am — Somebody’

Though not written by Jackson, this poem became synonymous with him. He turned a verse into a rallying cry at rallies in the 1960s and even on a 1972 episode of “Sesame Street.” The poem goes:

“I may be poor, / But I am Somebody. / I may be young, / But I am Somebody.  I may be on welfare, / But I am Somebody.”

Diploma in one hand, voter registration in the other

With his PUSH Excel education initiative, Jackson gave a speech in Chicago in the 1970s on equity in education and voting rights.

“Senior high school graduation must be seen as a passage of rites into adulthood. On that graduation day or night, we must put a diploma in one hand symbolizing knowledge and wisdom, and put a voter registration card in that other hand symbolizing power and responsibility.”

Here’s what Jackson had to say at that 1984 cconvention. (AP, LuLac) 

 

SAVE ACT SCREWS THE VOTER

The SAVE Act is a proposed federal law aimed at ensuring that only U.S. citizens can register and vote in federal elections. Introduced as H.R. 22 in the 119th Congress, the bill requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote. The act also mandates photo ID requirements for voting and aims to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls. The bill has faced significant opposition, with Democrats and some experts warning it could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. It remains stalled in the Senate as of early February 2026, with Senate leaders calling it "dead on arrival" despite House Republican support.

Who has the wherewith all and time to spend $165.00 to get a birth certificate and other forms of ID? You have to show two forms of ID proof. It smacks of the movie “The Great Escape”. Where are your papers sir?” More on that Thursday. 

 

SHUBILLA 

IN 

FOR 

DEMOCRATIC 

STATE 

COMMITTEE

      Thom Shubilla who resigned as Luzerne County Democratic Chair wants to get back in the fray. Apparently other Democrats are not happy with the new left leaning leader ship of the party and the influence of Action Together.

 

SPEAKING OF ACTION TOGETHER

HERE’S WALTER

 

Walter Griffith in retirement can be more of a  force than when he was in office. Walter recently released info on an organization active in Luzerne Democratic politics. The man has time on his hands and digs deep.  

 

       

     

 

The LuLac Edition #5, 576, February 16th, 2026

 MONDAY MEMES 

Pam Bondi Edition 

(so much to work with!) 

The LuLac Edition 5, 575, Febnruary 16th, 2026

 

 

PRESIDENT’S 

DAY RANKING

LULAC  

THE TOP TEN

 

1.   GEORGE WASHINGTON             He set the standard for honesty and tradition. Elected unanimously he was totallagainst political parties and had rust that the founders would do the right thing. With this he was dead wrong.

2.   ABRAHAM LINCOLN                             His was the most difficult of all Presidencies. We were fighting against one another and killing each other. He was a dal maker and get this, he included rivals (some who were willing to cut his throat if they had the chance) and listened to them.

3.   Franklin Roosevelt                          FDR assumed the presidency during the worst of the Great Depression but assured the American people: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He also led the U.S. through the perilous years of World War II.

4.   Thomas Jefferson     He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, writing that "all men are created equal," even as he continued to own slaves. During his presidency, he acquired the Louisiana Territory, vastly expanding the size of the country, and slashed the national debt by a third. He was a leader that utilized pragmatism to get things done.

5.   Lyndon Johnson                 Taking office after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Johnson secured enactment of the landmark Civil Rights Act. He urged the country "to build a Great Society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor," which became his agenda, resulting in Medicare for the elderly, increased aid for education and anti-poverty programs. Wildly unpopular after leaving office, LBJ like his mentor FDR used government to make life better for the citizens. With many of his programs being jettisoned by the MAGAs, the stain of the failed Vietnam War has faded somewhat increasing his standing.

6.   Harry Truman              Though unpopular when he left office, he has grown more highly regarded by historians over the years.After V-E Day, when Japan refused to surrender, he ordered that atomic bombs be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, finally ending World War II in the Pacific. Shortly thereafter, Truman watched the signing of the charter of the United Nations, established to preserve peace. Like LBJ, Harry Truman fulfilled the legacy of his predecessor along with carving out his own agenda. Truman is one of two Presidents that had a chart record in the top 10.

7.   Theordore Roosevelt         …..Just 42 when he became the youngest president in the nation's history, he had the enthusiasm and energy to convince Congress to pass progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy — exemplified by his motto, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." An avid outdoorsman, he oversaw the expansion of America's national parks.

8.   James Polk                           Much to the continued chagrin of the MAGAs, Polk made the west coast possible. Under Polk's leadership, the U.S. acquired more than 800,000 square miles of western land, extending its boundary to the Pacific Ocean. After his four-year term, he did not seek another one.

9.   9. Dwight Eisenhower        Eisenhower, a celebrated commander in WWII, saw his energies as president largely devoted to the onset of the Cold War. He obtained a truce after years of war in Korea, continued the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces, and sent federal troops to enforce a court order desegregating public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

10.               John F.  Kennedy                          When the men and women who Ike commanded found their way home to civilian life, one of their own became President., A decorated Navy vet, Kennedy had great  public speaking skills and  a vision for the future. His crisis management skills and his handling of international relations came I handy. He stood up to the Soviets and successfully defused the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also inspired Americans by vowing to put a man on the moon, and he supported progress on civil rights. Barely in office for a thousand days in office he was assassinated. JFK like Truman had a top ten song written about him but for his war exploits.

10a. Barack Obama                               Like Kennedy was a trailer blazer by being the first Catholic President, Obama was the first person of color to attain that office. Obama's signature domestic policy accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was unpopular with Republicans but extended health insurance coverage to 20 million Americans. His administration helped guide the country through the Great Recession and rescued the U.S. auto industry. Also, Obama left Donald Trump a recovered economy which the thug President took credit for while demonizing Barack and his family. 

Obama announced on NBC NBA coverage last night with Reggie Miller that his Presidential Library will be dedicated in June. It will include a full sized basketball court.  

                            

THE BOTTOM 3

#45-47                

 

Donald Trump                      Has treated the office like his personal playground and piggy bank. Has done more suing than governing, made us the joke of the world, has decimated our relationship with allies and has demonstrated a lack of knowledge and unwillingness to learn.

#44

James Buchanon                         One of Pennsylvania’s own, as a former Secretary of State, he couldn't seem to grasp the enormity of America's divisions over slavery, ignoring the strife and letting the issue fester in the years leading up to the Civil War.

#39

John Tyler                                                Tyler, the first vice president ever elevated to the presidency after his predecessor died, was a strong advocate of states' rights. He did forcefully  set the precedent that a Veep would take that office in the case of a vacancy even though politicos at the tie were scheming to deny him that job. He later joined the Southern Confederacy.

Tyler also had the most children, 15 from two marriages.

The LuLac Edition #5, 574, February 14th, 2026

 

 

YES BEN FRANKLIN HAD A WIFE

THE DEBORAH READ STORY

Deborah Read Franklin was the common-law wife of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, until her death in 1774.

Little is known about Read's early life. She was born around 1708, most likely in Birmingham, England (some sources state she was born in Philadelphia) to John and Sarah Read, a well-respected Quaker couple. John Read was a moderately prosperous building contractor and carpenter who died in 1724. Read had three siblings: two brothers, John and James, and a sister, Frances. The Read family immigrated to British America in 1711, settling in Philadelphia.

In October 1723, the about 15-year-old Read met then 17-year-old Benjamin Franklin when he walked past the Read home on Market Street one morning. Franklin had just moved to Philadelphia from Boston to find employment as a printer. In his autobiography, Franklin recalled that at the time of their meeting, he was walking while carrying "three great puffy rolls". As he had no pockets, Franklin carried one roll under each arm and was eating the third. Read (whom Franklin called "Debby") was standing in the doorway of her home and was amused by the sight of Franklin's "most awkward ridiculous appearance."

A romance between Read and Franklin soon developed. When Franklin was unable to find appropriate living accommodations near his job, Read's father allowed him to rent a room in the family home. Read and Franklin's courtship continued, and in 1724, Franklin proposed marriage. However, Read's mother, Sarah, would not consent to the marriage, citing Franklin's pending trip to London and financial instability.

Read and Franklin postponed their marriage plans and Franklin traveled to England. Upon arrival in London, Franklin decided to end the relationship. In a terse letter, he informed Read that he had no intention of returning to Philadelphia. Franklin subsequently became stranded in London after Sir William Keith failed to follow through on promises of financial support

In Franklin's absence, Read was persuaded by her mother to marry John Rogers, a British man who has been identified variously as a carpenter or a potter. Read eventually agreed and married Rogers on August 5, 1725 at Christ Church. The marriage quickly fell apart as the "sweet-talking" Rogers could not hold a job and had incurred a large amount of debt before their marriage. Four months after they were married, Read left Rogers after a friend of Rogers’ visiting from England informed her that Rogers had a wife in his native England. Read refused to live with or recognize Rogers as her husband. While the couple were separated, Rogers spent Read's dowry, incurred more debt, and used the marriage to further his own schemes. In December 1727, Rogers stole a slave and disappeared. Soon afterward, unconfirmed reports circulated that Rogers had made his way to the British West Indies, where he was killed in a fight. In his autobiography, Franklin also claimed that Rogers died in the British West Indies, but John Rogers' fate has never been verified.

Despite his intention to remain in London, Franklin returned to Philadelphia in October 1727. He and Read eventually resumed their relationship and decided to marry. While Read considered her marriage to her first husband to be over, she could not legally remarry. At that time, the law in the Province of Pennsylvania would not grant a divorce on the grounds of desertion; nor could Read claim to be a widow, as there was no proof that Rogers was dead. If Rogers returned after Read legally married Franklin, she faced a charge of bigamy which carried the penalty of thirty-nine lashes on the bare back and life imprisonment with hard labor.

To avoid any legal issues, Read and Franklin decided upon a common-law marriage. On September 1, 1730, the couple held a ceremony for friends and family in which they announced they would live as husband and wife. They had two children together: Francis Folger "Franky" (born 1732), who died of smallpox in 1736 at the age of four, and Sarah "Sally" (born 1743). Read also helped to raise Franklin's illegitimate son William, whose mother's identity remains unknown.

In the play 1776, Franklin was told that William, then the Royal Governor of New Jersey until he was arrested, and exiled to Connecticut. Franklin referred to William as “the little bastard”.

By the late 1750s, Benjamin Franklin had established himself as a successful printer, publisher, and writer. He was appointed the first postmaster of Philadelphia and was heavily involved in social and political affairs that would eventually lead to the establishment of the United States. In 1757, Franklin embarked on the first of numerous trips to Europe. Read refused to accompany him due to a fear of ocean travel. While Franklin stayed overseas for the next five years, Read remained in Philadelphia where, despite her limited education, she successfully ran her husband's businesses, maintained their home, cared for the couple's children and regularly attended Quaker Meeting.

Franklin returned to Philadelphia in November 1762. He tried to persuade Read to accompany him to Europe, but she again refused. Franklin returned to Europe in November 1764 where he would remain for the next ten years. Read would never see Franklin again.

In 1768, Read suffered the first of a series of strokes that severely impaired her speech and memory. For the remainder of her life, she suffered from poor health and depression. Despite his wife's condition, Franklin did not return to Philadelphia even though he had completed his diplomatic duties. In November 1769, Read wrote Franklin saying that her stroke, declining health and depressed mental state were a result of her "dissatisfied distress" due to his prolonged absence. ranklin still did not return but continued to write to Read. Read's final surviving letter to Franklin is dated October 29, 1773. Thereafter, she stopped corresponding with her husband. Franklin continued to write to Read, inquiring as to why her letters had ceased, but still did not return home.

On December 14, 1774, Read suffered a final stroke and died five days later on December 19, 1774. She was 66 years old. She was buried at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Franklin was buried next to her upon his death in 1790.

Does Read qualify as a great American? Well in terms of contributions to the revolution, I might give her props for letting Franklin be Franklin. I think her marital situations at the time of the Revolution gives us an insight into how women were stuck in roles (not the ones Ben was carrying when he met her) during that turbulent time. She is a footnote in history and her story might never have been told if she had married a better man in the first place. By extension her marriage to Franklin has made her an answer to a question about Franklin’s personal life. These nuggets of history tell us that these figures frozen in time as icons, had the same human issues as all of us. (Wikipedia, Harvard Graduate School of Education, LuLac).