We're really just a few days out of Primary Election 2013 – an election that shapes the things to come.
You might not realize just how important this election is. I do, and want you to understand the importance as well. The quality of life in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties depends on the outcome.
With good reason, most of us still do not trust public officials – particularly county judges.
That's why the judicial race in Lackawanna County is crucial.
So far, Patti Grande Rieder and Jim Gibbons have distinguished themselves – not as good candidates, but as people who do not rise to the level of judgment we need o the bench.
Rieder babbled her way through a recent on-air interview with me, refusing to tell us what happened when she got fired and then re-hired as a county judicial clerk. She also defended and downplayed the role of a suspended lawyer who works on her election campaign. She al;so seems to have flat-out lied about an audible "whisperer" who tried to provide answers to my questions.
Gibbons left me a voice message in which he defended a well-known lawyer member of his finance committee who acted as moderator for the only debate of the season – a clear conflict of interest and an obvious appearance of impropriety – which seems to be a clear violation of the state judicial code of conduct. Frankly, because Gibbons is a magistrate, I believe an ethics violation might very well have already occurred – before he even becomes a county judge – something voters must make sure does not happen.
Another big race is the Scranton mayoral contest.
No matter how many candidates aspire to the job, only two have a chance – Democrats Bill Courtright and Liz Randol.
Neither will get my vote.
Courtright has botched his job as the Scranton tax collector and Randol lost a loaded handgun that turned up on a city sidewalk a block away from an elementary school. Intelligence must be measured by more than academic degrees. If anything, Randol's Ph.D. should have taught her discipline and responsibility, two traits lost in her armed and dangerous shuffle.
Scranton needs common sense whether or not you have a doctorate.
Another dandy race in Scranton is "Little Billy" Gaughan's run for city council.
Gaughan is the ticking time bomb candidate who I believe accosted me and my WILK News Radio colleagues two St. Patrick's Days parades ago with a barrage of foul language and homophobic slurs. He was clearly under the influence of recklessness and made a complete fool of himself as we watched in awe. In a bizarre on-air interview with me, Gaughan said he could not remember the encounter. He did not deny the episode that at least a dozen eyewitnesses observed. He just said he could not remember.
Gaughan went on to use his mental prowess and local Minooka section of Scranton political connections to obtain a job as a teacher in the Scranton School District – which makes all sitting school directors who approved his hiring – including Bob Lesh and Bob Sheridan, who are running for re-election – incompetent to serve the public and not fit for public office.
Gaughan seems to have more signs on the street than numbers in his IQ yet seems to be a favorite to win. Scranton is in for trouble if this young lout takes a city council seat. He'll be great for the news business and terrible for the city.
But Scranton is used to misery.
And, of course, misery loves "Little Billy" Gaughan & Co.
Down south in Luzerne County, sitting county Controller Walter Griffith is in trouble since the district attorney accused him of illegally recording telephone and other conversations. Griffith has not been arrested but the attorney general's office is investigating. As a result, Walter refuses to talk with the press or even give a deposition in a lawsuit filed against him and the county.
As weird as Luzerne County politics has been, and it ranks right up there with the worst that can happen,. Griffith is to my knowledge the first candidate running for re-election who refuses to answer questions from the press.
Beautiful.
I no longer trust Walter Griffith.
I used to trust him but no more.
I used to trust Liz Randol.
But no more.
Politics is getting scarier and nastier in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
We're really just a few days out of Primary Election 2013 – an election that shapes the things to come.
You might not realize just how important this election is. I do, and want you to understand the importance as well. The quality of life in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties depends on the outcome.
With good reason, most of us still do not trust public officials – particularly county judges.
That's why the judicial race in Lackawanna County is crucial.
So far, Patti Grande Rieder and Jim Gibbons have distinguished themselves – not as good candidates, but as people who do not rise to the level of judgment we need on the bench.
Rieder babbled her way through a recent on-air interview with me, refusing to tell voters what happened when she got fired and then re-hired as a county judicial clerk. She also defended and downplayed the role of a suspended lawyer who works on her election campaign. She also seemed to flat-out lie about an audible "whisperer" telling her the answers to my questions.
Gibbons left me a telephone message defending a well-known lawyer and member of his finance committee acting as moderator for the only debate of the season – a clear conflict of interest and obvious appearance of impropriety – which is a precise violation of the state judicial code of conduct. Frankly, because Gibbons is a magistrate, I believe an ethics violation might very well have already occurred – before he even becomes a county judge – something voters must make sure does not happen.
Another big race is the Scranton mayoral contest.
No matter how many candidates aspire to the job, only two have a change – Democrats Bill Courtright and Liz Randol.
Neither will get my vote.
Courtright has botched his job as the Scranton tax collector and Randol lost a loaded handgun that turned up on a city sidewalk a block away from an elementary school. Intelligence must be measured by more than academic degrees. If anything, Randol's Ph.D. should have taught her discipline and responsibility, two traits lost in her armed and dangerous shuffle.
Scranton needs common sense whether or not you have a doctorate.
Another dandy race in Scranton is "Little Billy" Gaughan's run for city council.
Gaughan is the ticking time bomb candidate who I believe accosted me and my WILK News Radio colleagues two St. Patrick's Days parades ago with a barrage of foul language and homophobic slurs. He was clearly under the influence of recklessness and made a complete fool of himself as we watched in awe. In a bizarre on-air interview with me, Gaughan said he could not remember the encounter. He did not deny the episode that at least a dozen eyewitnesses observed. He just said he could not remember.
Gaughan went on to use his mental prowess and local Minooka section of Scranton political connections to obtain a job as a teacher in the Scranton School District – which makes all sitting school directors who approved his hiring – including Bob Lesh and Bob Sheridan, who are running for re-election – incompetent to serve the public and not fit for public office.
Gaughan seems to have more signs on the street than numbers in his IQ yet seems to be a favorite to win. Scranton is in for trouble if this young lout takes a city council seat. He'll be great for the news business and terrible for the city.
But Scranton is used to misery.
And, of course, misery loves "Little Billy" Gaughan & Co.
Down south in Luzerne County, sitting county Controller Walter Griffith is in trouble since the district attorney accused him of illegally recording telephone and other conversations. Griffith has not been arrested but the attorney general's office is investigating. As a result, Walter refuses to talk with the press or even give a deposition in a lawsuit filed against him and the county.
As weird as Luzerne County politics has been, and it ranks right up there with the worst that can happen,. Griffith is to my knowledge the first candidate running for re-election who refuses to answer questions from the press.
Beautiful.
I no longer trust Walter Griffith.
I used to trust him but no more.
I used to trust Liz Randol.
But no more.
Politics is getting scarier and nastier in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Weyerbacher Brewers Select Andromeda ABV:4.7%
IBUs:27
Style:Amber Ale
Malt:LOTS!
Hops:Hallertau Easton, PA
Brewery:Weyerbacher
Brewmaster:Chris Wilson (Head Brewer)
Celebrate our 3 year Anniversary at Krugel's Friday May 10 from 5-7pm
Chris Wilson will be there!
On Saturday, April 27th, 2013, two busloads of intrepid adventurers set out to explore the Lehigh Valley, more specifically Allentown Brew Works and Bethlehem Brew Works on a daring exploit we dubbed...
...the WILK Friday Beer Buzz 'Tour de Buzz III': The Tunnel of Buzz!
Here's the video journal for your listening and dancing pleasure.
Fegley’s Brew Works Space Monkey Raspberry Saison ABV: 7%
IBUs: 25
Style: Saison/Farmhouse
Malt: Belgian Pilsener & wheat malts
Hops: Nugget, East Kent Golding, Czech Saaz
Ale/Lager: 100% Natural Raspberries Allentown, PA
Brewery: Fegley’s Brew Works Brewmaster: Beau Baden
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Finally, thankfully, we now have a group of well-connected citizens who represent an institution of higher learning that actually learned something.
If the news is true, Lackawanna College trustees will rename its’ beautiful and expensive Mellow Theater, dropping the name Mellow and restoring some sense of honor to the hopefully hallowed halls of education.
I’m pleased to say that I take some credit for applying pressure to the former friends of Bob Mellow who control the school, mostly powerful, political men who call the shots at the college that is known more for its menacing football team and players’ off-field shenanigans than for its’ academic excellence.
The school is lacking in leadership as well.
The top position as president has been filled with Mellow men and Mellow men only.
Then bold namesake, former longtime state senator and fierce Democratic political warlord Bob Mellow got busted for political corruption. Then he admitted his crimes and his guilt. Then he cried in court and headed off to a federal prison in South Carolina where he pines for days gone by.
But the Mellow men refused to budge. Steadfast in their loyalty to this degenerate gangster, they stood unflinching in their defense of a man who disgraced the community, himself, his family and the college he controlled.
Their pious approval of his “mistakes” became a treacherous and defamatory attack on the character of the school they claimed to serve. They made fools of themselves. They tried to make fools of us, trying to drag us down into the gutter of dirty politics in which their hero wallowed for decades.
And they actually expected good people to support them in their duplicity.
Good people refused.
Day after day, week after week, month after month we railed against the masters and their bad example. I questioned how they could willfully damage the reputation of a school where young people matriculated with hope of a decent, honest future fueled by the sweet knowledge they culled from classes on the architecturally majestic Scranton campus.
But the bitter friends of Bob Mellow stood firm in their ignorance.
Their names now matter little. They are still and will forever remain nothing more than mealy-mouthed friends of Bob Mellow.
The former college president whom Mellow appointed to the state gambling commission who stood by a felon friend accused of associating with organized crime is now and will always be just another friend of Bob Mellow. The current college president whom Bob Mellow appointed to the state ethics commission of all places and who served with honor at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attack is now and will always be just another weak-kneed friend of Bob Mellow. The state senator who replaced Bob Mellow and serves in his shadow while refusing to say a bad word about the criminal is now and will always be just another friend of Bob Mellow.
Like their weak spirits, their power will eventually wane.
What will remain is the legacy of strength and honor that characterized those of us who are not friends of Bob Mellow.
I also remain terribly skeptical as to the truth and the motive to drop Mellow’s name from the theater. I applaud no one on the board of trustees. They are a day late and a dollar short, which, I believe, shapes the real reason they decided to throw Bob Mellow under the stage.
Money is behind this decision.
Just as money and power drove Bob Mellow, money and power drive this decision.
Had the college directors been truly concerned about the school’s reputation and truly acted in the best interests of students and staff, they would have moved on this decision the day after Bob Mellow pleaded guilty. Not only did they refuse to change the theater name, they issued a press release putting the world on notice that they would no longer even answer questions or further discuss the matter.
Such pompous power posture is pure Bob Mellow.
Months later, they suddenly changed their minds.
Am I suspicious?
Ha ha.
Is Bob Mellow a despicable con man?
The Lackawanna College administration and trustees do not lead. They follow whenever opportunity arises. They do for themselves and their friends and cronies. They play a pathetic political game that is slowly but surely beginning to lose power over the lives of decent people.
Yes, the Lackawanna College gang that couldn’t think straight seems to have finally learned something.
But do not trust this gang.
Trust your instincts.
Do not be known as a friend of Bob Mellow, defined as a person whose sole motivating characteristic for progress is the profit margin.
Hello, Geisinger Choice? I got a notice in the mail today, says THIS IS NOT A BILL, but it goes on to say that...what's that? Oh, okay.
Hello? Yes, I got a notice in the mail today, says THIS IS NOT A BILL, but it goes on to say that...oh, you're not? Yes, please. Thank you.
Yes, hello. I received a notice in the mail today, says THIS IS NOT A BILL, but it goes on to say that 100% of the blood test I had done at Viewmont Labs was not paid because my coverage has expired.
Yes. I'll hold.
Hello? Hi. I received a notice in the mail today, says THIS IS NOT A BILL, but it goes on to say that 100% of the blood test I had done at Viewmont Labs was not paid because my coverage has expired.
Now a few months back I dropped MY insurance where I work and went on my wife's plan where she works which is ALSO Geisinger Choice. When I went to my doctors office AND when I went to the lab they made a copy of my new card but I can see on your notice that the numbers don't match.
Oh, those numbers are transferred electronically? Mmm-hmm.
Electronically seems foolproof so I wonder why would the old number be transferred electronically instead of the new number which both offices made copies of?
Oh, you don't? Well I don't either. That's why I'm calling. So, can you rectify the problem?
Oh, you can't. Mmm.
Oh, I have to call the lab myself. Great. Okay, sure, oh, you can give me the number? Excellent. Sure, I'll hold
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Yes, I'm still here. Okay.
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Hello? Yes. Okay, yes I'm ready.
Okay, got it. Thank you.
(CLICK) (DIAL)
Hello, Viewmont Labs, I received a notice from.....what? Viewmont. Labs.
It isn't?
Sorry. Wrong number.
My father always says 'Everybody wants a job but nobody wants to work.'
From last Monday until yesterday, I spent hour after hour, day after day thinking and talking about the bombs and the terrorists and the aftermath of a Patriots Day event at the Boston Marathon.
The nation paused for a moment of silence yesterday and then once again it was, “Play ball.”
Actually the Red Sox played Saturday to a packed park that included a big screen video tribute to first responders and victims and survivors, some of whom sat in the stands trying to put reality back in place where life was safe as a bunt and a cold beer at a baseball game.
They also listened to a loud-mouth foul-mouthed Red Sox icon named Papi Ortiz who defamed the memory of all that was good when he tossed out he first F-bomb of the season, declaring thet “This is our *&^%$ city.”
Boston belongs to everybody.
New Americans and old have a stake in what happens next on Boylston Street. We can build it up or blow it up. We can make it better or worse. We can rise or fall on retribution or true liberty. We can become more disciplined and smart or fall into the backwater of ignorance and revenge, rallying our bloodlust with shallow chants of “USAUSSA “ and a willingness to sign on to the madness militia that eats away at the promise that America has always offered to us all.
Sign me up for another tour with the Statue of Liberty.
The huddled masses need us more than the mobs gathered on Watertown street corners, high-fiving and fist-bumping, cheering cops who lose some of their own dignity by slapping each other on the back and cheering themselves while bombing victims still fight for life in hospitals and colleagues heal and the remains of one young cop is prepared for the first night of eternity in a cold spring grave.
Give me the immigrant dream, the American Dream that drew and draws countless seekers to our shores, some better than others, of course, who desire freedom and opportunity, something so many of our own ancestors desired as they landed at Ellis Island and elsewhere..
Give me the risk-takers, the hopeful wanderers who flee oppression and war in the lands of their birth. Give me those who want to make America better than we are. Give me allies, because, sad to say, we need help.
We are not America the beautiful.
We are a land where descendants of the immigrants of old are quick to turn against people with whom they actually have more in common than they do with the rich and powerful politicians they support. Descendants of Irish and Italian coal miners now scorn farm workers and meat packing factory laborers, instead choosing to applaud the political posers and business special interests that finance the political campaigners.
But, by hating the immigrants, they are hating themselves.
And we all risk going down together.
When I was a kid, a Russian leader named Nikita banged his shoe on the table and predicted that we Americans would destroy ourselves from within. You don’t need a bomb to help along the destruction. All you need is raw emotion and a willingness to arm yourself with enough reckless cruelty to trigger collateral damage throughout the land.
I mourn the loss of lives in Boston.
But I also mourn the loss of common decency and dignity that has often defined the best of this nation, this place where peasants always struggled yet held high their heads as they did the rough work that the privileged always shun.
Give me the huddled masses who came ashore with a simple, yet firm, courage that helped shape this place they now called home, this foreign land of opportunity where they took risks that paid off more often than not.
Not all of them were good citizens. Murderous mobsters found their way into our lives. Irish, Italian, Jewish and others – now Russians – defamed the honorable legacy of their own ancestors.
But they, like other terrorists, were in the minority.
So, too, are the fanatics of Islam.
Would you blame all Christianity for the acts of a fundamentalist Christian abortion clinic bomber?
Of course you wouldn’t.
So how can you attack all Islam for the gruesome actions of a few fundamentalist extremists who wage war against those with whom they disagree and hold accountable for perceived attacks - both real and imaginary - against their faith?
In good conscience, you can’t.
So don’t.
Cease and desist from blaming without evidence. Stop insulting all followers of Islam. Stop railing against immigrants – documented and otherwise - who one day might do more to improve this country, this America, than you and all your born-in-the-USA ancestors put together.
Beautiful and spacious skies exist for us all.
Our goal must forever be brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
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