The LuLac Edition #5, 300, April 15th, 2025

 

LULAC @ 5300

Today we acknowledge the 5,300th edition of LuLac. As always to our readers and posters we thank you for your support, criticism and interest in the blood sport of politics and vagaries of pop culture.

 Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognized as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law.

Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or print, in the form of art, or through any other media of choice.

I’m sending this as a reminder in these times where press organizations are blocked from news events, a network like CBS is being threatened with jail and elimination, public radio and TV are under fire with funding loss and reporters are insulted and humiliated just because of leaders who feel emboldened by a somewhat bitter and uninformed public.

Everyone has a right to an opinion. Plato wrote  “Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.” – On to year 19, we hope to be that bridge,

 

TRUMP’S WAR ON EDUCATION

Hundreds of foreign students at dozens of colleges across the country have had their higher education experience turned upside down as the Trump administration has expanded its immigration crackdown beyond those involved in the pro-Palestinian protests. 

International students are seeing their visas revoked for infractions as minor as traffic violations, while colleges are having to check immigration databases to find out whether their students are still allowed to be in the country.  

Exactly how many visas have been revoked is unknown because the State Department has declined requests to share numbers and some schools are too afraid to speak up.

An Inside Higher Ed tracker has the number of colleges and universities affected by the visa revocations at more than 80, including public and private institutions in a wide range of locations and sizes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that more than 300 student visas have been revoked under the Trump administration, with more coming every day.

With the exit of doctoral candidates, the general dumbing down of America, the lack of critical thinking, the retirement of baby boomer medical professionals and the exit of skilled labor by craftsmen and women, just what type of quality of made in America goods will we see in the future?

Should people be vetted and booted out if they commit a crime against this country? Absolutely. But targeting people who just want to get educated and might want to contribute to this country is insane.(The Hill, LuLac)

 

REPUBLICAN LUZERNE COUNTY CANDIDATES FOR COUCIL AND OTHER MAGAs HOLD FORUM

 

Republican candidates for Luzerne County Council. From left: Lying crying Brian Thornton, (MAGA) Rob Viars, (MAGA)  Stephen Urban, (bat wielding MAGA) Kevin Lescavage, (Thornoton bobblehead MAGA) Jackie Scarcella, Thomas Dombroski, Greg Wolovich, Ronald Knapp, and John Lombardo last week. 

(Photo: (Jason Jardan / staff photographer)

The Hazleton Standard Speaer reported that U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser joined a crowd of around 50 to hear nine Republican candidates for Luzerne County Council discuss a variety of issues at a forum.

County Republican Chairman Gene Ziemba moderated the forum on the Luzerne County Community College campus and invited Meuser, R-9, Jackson Twp., to address the crowd.

“He just got out of the car coming straight from D.C.,” Ziemba said. “Him being here is just another illustration of how important our county council election is in getting Republicans in.”

This was the first time Meuser was seen a  public meeting. Of course he came to support the fellow MAGAs who gave you the second Trump administration of Chaos, cruelty and craziness.

Meuser said “a lot of people look to Luzerne County truly as an example of what’s happening” in the nation. The congressman referred to Thursday’s 216-214 vote in the House to advance the Republican budget plan forward.

Yes, he is correct. The Luzerne County MAGA candidates are all for taking away Medicaid, screwing with Social Security, deserting Ukraine and supporting higher prices for the deluded working people who bought the MAGA line.

“We voted on it as I pictured it, a bridge bill to get us to the golden era, to get us to reconciliation, because that’s all that bill that we voted on today is really doing, putting us one step closer to enacting the president’s ‘America First’ plan, which I believe in entirely, in spite of what seems like a little bit of a rough start initially,” Meuser said. “But as I tend to say lately, there’s an old saying — it takes a few eggs to build an omelet, and I think the president is breaking a few eggs.”

Wow! This is the guy who voted against infrastructure. This is the guy who voted against veterans and the CHIP act. This is the guy who wants to vote for the biggest tax break for billionaires.

An America First plan?  THERE IS NO PLAN. Every time one of Trump’s Cabinet goes on TV, he undercuts them. A rough start? That’s the understatement of this new century. It could have been smooth with any other Republican as President (including Meuser) but it wasn’t because of the vindictive baby man child in the office.

Ziemba and county Controller Walter Griffith organized Thursday’ forum, which lasted roughly 150 minutes, and all nine Republican candidates for county council attended. The primary election on May 20 will determine five Republican and five Democratic nominations for county council.

True believers both but Ziemba will prove wrong on immigration and Griffith should give it up on tinkering with the election process in Luzerne County and let the Election bureau do their own job.

Four Republican incumbents are running — John Lombardo, Brian Thornton, Kevin Lescavage and Gregory Wolovich Jr. The five other Republican candidates are: former Councilman Stephen J. Urban, Ronald Knapp, Rob Viars, Jackie Scarcella and Thomas Dombroski.

Scarcella said Romilda Crocamo “is doing an excellent job” as county manager and added she “would try to persuade her maybe to change her mind” if Crocamo made a decision she didn’t like.

Okay, so now the ENTIRE county government grinds to a halt since Scarcella might not like something. What can Crocamo do that is worse than the leader of her party who wants to end the Education Department. As an employee of Penn State that has to bother her. 

Lombardo said council did “a pretty darn good job” allocating $112 million in federal relief funds for the COVID-19 pandemic to various groups, businesses and agencies.

The money came late John compared to other cities and counties because once you guys won a mandate, YOU COULDN’T GOVERN. Plus, that money came from the Biden administration who your ilk repeatedly slandered and misrepresented.

It was a challenging task because Randy Robertson, the county manager for five months in 2022, “became a huge problem,” Lombardo said.

The problem began with lying crying Thornton. On the morning of that vote, it was 9-2 in favor of Crocamo. Done deal! Until lying crying Brian Thornton wanted a second look.

“So we were trying to coral him as we were trying to allocate this sum of money,” Lombardo said.

Coral him? Is he Mr. Ed or Francis the mule? BTW, after all your efforts to get him, he confided to people just what a bunch of lackluster your sainted majority at the time were. When he went away, he even wrote articles in the newspaper regarding Republican incompetence.

Thornton said “we helped a lot of these agencies” by distributing pandemic relief funds and it “opened my eyes” to a lot of problems that needed to be addressed.

The guy never disappoints. Nonspecific gibberish.

Lescavage noted he voted to appoint Robertson as county manager.

“And I regret it every minute of my life,” Lescavage said. “The best thing he did was leave this county because the county would be in really bad shape. And thank God for Ms. Crocamo. We have a great working relationship with the county manager.”

You were the one who followed Lying, crying Thornton on this one. You might have regretted it every minute of your life and I respect you for admitting that. However, the people who regret it more are the taxpayers and agencies  who saw money go for an unneeded search for someone better when you had the best there was at your fingertips.  

Urban said he will be “looking out for your best interest being a watchdog, making sure your taxes aren’t being raised.”

But you wasted taxpayer money on an unneeded search which is something I can assure you Steve Urban senior never would do. You voted no on projects that help people, some members of your party leadership can’t stand you and you tried to hijack the Election board.

Wolovich said of the annual salary of $8,000 for council members: “I’m not in this for the money. I’m here for the people in this room.”

True. You’ve shown this by example. I’m glad that the GOP incumbents are not trying to keep you off their ticket. I hope this doesn’t get you in trouble with the others but you’re a stand up guy.

Dombroski said council members are “entitled to a raise.” The county home rule charter approved by voters set the salary at $8,000.

So Wolovich is it for the community and this guy wants a raise without even doing a day’s work on Council?

Really? But my saving grace with Dombroski is that he is wise enough to admit  he’s not wild about Trump. He repeatedly gets shit from the MAGAs for this mortal sin.

Knapp said “you got to have somebody who thinks outside the box” to help eliminate “the rain tax” collected by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority.

This is the guy who went to the Insurrection on Scavo’s bus. He took a picture near a window of the Capitol and famously blamed Antifa for the insurrection HE SUPPORTED. Now THAT’S THINKING OUT OF THE BOX.

Viars said he wants to reduce taxes because “we’re at a point where we’re taxing people out of their homes.”

This is the same old playbook. Taxes haven’t been raised because of good leadership. But again a platitude from a wanna be. But the guy has a relative who’s a big shot with the state GOP so he has to be tolerated.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are your REPUBLICAN candidates.