There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.--Muhammad Ali

Especially women, I might add.

I received a few e-mail and cell phone inquiries about the abrupt and seemingly bizarre ending of yesterday's post. No, I was not mucking about with y'all. Wifey's sister really did get shot at. You know, like with a loaded firearm.

From the Times Leader:

Cops: Man shoots his girlfriend

Injuries from incident in Miners Mills section of W-B not serious, police say.

By KRIS WERNOWSKY

kwernowsky@leader.net

WILKES-BARRE - Police arrested a man they say shot his ex-girlfriend at her home in Miners Mills section Wednesday afternoon. Maureen Sack, 41, entered the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center emergency room shortly before 4:30 p.m. and told the staff she was shot, said a Luzerne County 911 supervisor who didn't want to be named. The staff called 911 to notify police a shooting occurred in the 1300 block of North Washington Street, the supervisor said.

Sgt. Matt Stash said that when police arrived at the scene, they searched the apartment and it was empty. However, officers found evidence of "criminal activity."

Her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Hargrave Sr., 58, of Hellertown, left the scene before officers arrived, police said. He was arrested at 7:30 p.m. at his home by Hellertown Police in Northampton County.

Police said they believed Sack's wounds were superficial. Geisinger officials had no information about her condition Wednesday night.

"She got to the hospital by herself," Stash said. "It's nothing serious or life-threatening."

Police restricted access to the rear of the home where the shooting occurred.

One neighbor, who had several children in her house at the time of the shooting, said she didn't hear any gunshots, but when she learned about the shooting she was worried.

"The police just kept telling me to get into the house and I was scared of gunfire coming through the house with the kids and all," said Harriet Davis.

Hargrave Sr. was transferred to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility and is expected to be arraigned on charges of simple assault today.

Hargrave Sr. was the father of 33-year-old Lisa Hargrave, a Wilkes-Barre woman who was strangled to death inside a Wilkes-Barre apartment on Jan. 1, 2003 by her boyfriend Matthew Bullock. Her unborn child was also killed.

A jury found Bullock guilty of third-degree murder but mentally ill in Hargrave's death in October 2003. It also found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter but mentally ill in the death of the fetus.

He was sentenced to serve 20 to 60 years in a secure mental health facility.

"I just hope he never gets out on the street to hurt another person," Hargrave Sr. said of Bullock in November 2003.

Don't ask me what the muck brought all of this on. Ya got me and there's a fat chance I'll ever get the truthful version of the story. Wifey's sis is pissed at me, pissed at wifey and generally pissed at the entire world. Such is the nature of chick's that make mistake after mistake after mistake.

It's not enough that some chicks seem to gravitate towards complete losers time and again and somehow get used to domestic violence. What I find mindblowing is that they compound those mistakes by finding it next to impossible to end these destructive relationships. Then throw into the mix a slew of obviously rudderless children and you've got "wards of the state" written all over their mostly dark futures. As a matter of fact, two of the kids in question are already locked away in a ward somewhere, and I find this situation intolerable. And I am powerless to change any of it, although, I did try a while back.

All that I know about domestic violence, I learned firsthand from my mom and my first step-dad. And while my mom tended to gravitate towards losers of a lesser degree than that of wifey's sister; at least she had the good sense to split the entire program when things started to spiral out of control. On many occasions, she jumped into the middle of beatings intended for myself, or my sister. And as a result, she often ended up at the emergency room rather than either of us. The sickening thing is, when all of this violence was being dished out, I was not horrified in the least unless things rose to new heights previously unreached in our household. I was completely used to seeing my mom get pounded on. And I was used to getting cold-cocked. For a while there, it was the norm.

And while I know that this sort of nonsense leaves emotional scars for some, I for one am here to tell you that a simple cessation of hostilities was enough for me to get on with things without becoming a serial killer, a professional wife beater or even a megalomaniac turned mayor. Why that is I truly do not know. It is what it is and I'll gladly take it.

But having lived through my "fair" share of spousal combat, I cannot understand for the life of me why some chicks can't seem to see the writing on the wall and cut the losers of the world loose. I can't. And I hate being put in the position of idly sitting on the sidelines while the pummeling goes on.

A few years ago, my nephew had his face beaten black. Not black and blue. Just black. My brother-in-law and I showed up and made it plainfully clear that if our nephew as much as scraped his knee from there on out, we were going to return and get ourselves arrested well after a savage beating was administered. And how did his mom react to that? She got totally pissed at us and defended her boyfriend/child abuser. Go figure. Typical. While some women cry out for help, still others wouldn't recognize help if it jumped up and gave 'em a rather nasty tittie twister.

Unfortunately, there comes a point where you just have to wash your hands of the entire situation and wait by the police scanner for the latest. Sadly, that's exactly where I was at last night. Some folks are their own worst enemy and I there's nothing further I can do about that. But still, it pains me just the same.

What are you gonna do?

There are those...who incessantly complain that there is nowhere to shop in Wilkes-Barre. I say that's bunk. We here at the tidy adobe had ourselves a wonderful Christmas and here's a run-down of the receipts that I can find.

I don't know, but it seems like there are still enough places remaining to do some robust Christmas shopping here in Wilkes-Barre.

Check this bilge...I ran across at MSNBC.com. Bush stole this election, too? Damn! This mofunker is good. real good.

Back here, the office of Representative John Conyers of Michigan confirmed late this afternoon that he and several other Congressmen are planning to object— to formally challenge— the vote of the Ohio electors when the Electoral College ballots are opened before the joint session of Congress next Thursday.

Conyers says he is still seeking a Senator to join the House members— whom he does not name— and has written to each member of the Senate asking them to join him.

Conyers' letter today was addressed to Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California. It follows in its entirety:

"Dear Senator Boxer,

"As you know, on January 6, 2005, at 1:00 P.M, the electoral votes for the election of the president are to be opened and counted in a joint session of Congress, commencing at 1:00 P.M. I and a number of House Members are planning to object to the counting of the Ohio votes, due to numerous unexplained irregularities in the Ohio presidential vote, many of which appear to violate both federal and state law. I am hoping that you will consider joining us in this important effort to debate and highlight the problems in Ohio which disenfranchised innumerable voters. I will shortly forward you a draft report itemizing and analyzing the many irregularities we have come across as part of our hearings and investigation into the Ohio presidential election.

"3 U.S.C. §15 provides when the results from each of the states are announced, that "the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any." Any objection must be presented in writing and "signed by at least one Senator and one Member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received.The objection must "state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof. When an objection has been properly made in writing and endorsed by a member of each body the Senate withdraws from the House chamber, and each body meets separately to consider the objection. "No votes . . . from any other State shall be acted upon until the [pending] objection . . . [is] finally disposed of." 3 U.S.C. §17 limits debate on the objections in each body to two hours, during which time no member may speak more than once and not for more than five minutes. Both the Senate and the House must separately agree to the objection; otherwise, the challenged vote or votes are counted.

"Historically, there appears to be three general grounds for objecting to the counting of electoral votes. The language of 3 U.S.C. §15 suggests that objection may be made on the grounds that (1) a vote was not "regularly given" by the challenged elector(s); and/or (2) the elector(s) was not "lawfully certified" under state law; or (3) two slates of electors have been presented to Congress from the same State.

"Since the Electoral Count Act of 1887, no objection meeting the requirements of the Act have been made against an entire slate of state electors. In the 2000 election several Members of the House of Representatives attempted to challenge the electoral votes from the State of Florida. However, no Senator joined in the objection, and therefore, the objection was not "received." In addition, there was no determination whether the objection constituted an appropriate basis under the 1887 Act. However, if a State - in this case Ohio - has not followed its own procedures and met its obligation to conduct a free and fair election, a valid objection -if endorsed by at least one Senator and a Member of the House of Representatives- should be debated by each body separately until "disposed of".

"Sincerely, John Conyers, Jr."

Ho. Hum. Every time a democrat loses an election, it is somehow offered up as proof of the latest conspiracy. No wonder there's so many freakin' kooks running around. They're simply emulating their favorite politicians. Democrats, that is.

Here's a prediction...you can bet the kid's college money on from John LeBoutillier:

6) Hillary will remain far, far ahead of any competitor for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. She and Bill will be scouting for a new Perot-type 3rd candidate to suck GOP votes away from the 2008 GOP candidate - just the way Perot did in 1992. (More on this in a future column.)

A large contingent...of DPW guys showed up here today and demolished that sh*thole of a garage down the street a ways. I've been bitchin' about that eyesore for a couple of years, and I even promised to kick it over if the city would give me the okay. It used to belong to a property owner on the corner, but their house burned down, they had no insurance and the city took ownership of the sliver of property after the demolition had been done. But the grungy garage remained and started to lean to one side as of late.

So I hung out down there as the garage put up little resistance to a city-owned backhoe. Boy, Gage Andrew would have sure loved to have watched this. Drat!

And once the hideous thing was flattened, I came to learn that a historic structure of sorts was just destroyed right before my very eyes. Seriously. No foolin'. A neighbor pointed out that none other than Dan Flood himself used to rent that smallish garage from the previous owner and he stored his Cadillac in there. Get out! See that? You learn something everyday, whether you want to or not.

Whatever, man. All I know is, as of today Wilkes-Barre has one less eyesore sitting within it's confines.

Yet another small step forward.

From the e-mail inbox:

******* I think I know why De-looney filed that law suit. Last month, supposedly, Chief Lisman threatened to demote all the extra captains that closing East and Northeast stations caused. Since this would have to be done by seniority the 5 junior most captains would be demoted. Since he did not gain seniority as a chief, that would put Jamnuts low enough to be in that 5.

Being a coward he is terrified of losing any 'superiority that he perceives himself as having.

Happy New Year,
XXXX*******

Sez you. The plot thickens???

Wifey ordered pizza from Januzzi's.

Buh-bye