No, I was accusing American leaders of abandoning the troops. And if you read what I said, it is very clearly an indictment of leadership. I said to the Senate, where is the leadership of our country? And it's the leaders who are responsible, not the soldiers. I never said that.--John Kerry on CNN this past Thursday

"I never said that." Really? Let's sample a tiny snippet of what he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, under oath, in 1971:

They told stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires with portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan.

And there's this from a 1971 "Meet The Press" appearance:

There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages.

Mr. Flip-flop, the Dems standard-bearer, wants us to believe that Dubya is a liar?

What do you think would happen to me today if I wandered downtown and intentionally violated a few state and federal laws?

Our civilized society and legal system is based upon a respect for and adherence to the rule of law. The City and County of San Francisco's unfortunate choice to disregard state law and grant marriage certificates to gay couples directly undermines this fundamental guarantee.--California Governor Arnoldnator

The Mayor of San Francisco, an apparent anarchist, seems to think he is above the law. Should we really be surprised by that? His message to the same-sex hoi polloi? If you don't agree with a law, just ignore it. And then these minority types wonder why their causes don't seem to register with the mainstream folks?

When I saw the Voice headline City council working on law to charge fee for false alarms, I ripped the article out of the paper, slapped it down in front of wifey and asked "How many times have we discussed this?"

This ordinance makes total sense and is probably way overdue. During nearly every shift our cops and fireman work, day in and day out, they find themselves rushing to false alarm after false alarm. In a city where the residents are clamoring for an increased police presence, we don't need our cops chasing ghosts. It's a waste of manpower that should be patroling the city instead of waiting on key holders that are responding from the other side of the county.

We don't need our fire apparatus out of position because of a faulty alarm system. And we don't need to keep starting and stopping large diesel-powered vehicles for nothing. That's the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine, and if it's done frequently enough it can actually lead to premature repairs being needed.

Another thing to consider is just how frequently the same businesses generate false alarms. I've got enough Scanner Land experience to spot a false alarm without fail. The tone sounds: F-6, Truck 6, Rescue 7, Engine 4, Medic 3, respond to Eckerd Drug...NOT! Ain't happening. If any of the repeat offenders actually had flames showing on an activated commercial fire alarm, I'd be shocked to sh*t. And our hose dudes probably would be too.

Here's another unnecessary eyesore in the 500 block of N. Main. This building has three, possibly four rental units. Neither the tenants, nor the owner seem very concerned about the tree lawn out front though.

Either the DPW Landfill is scaling back it's operations, or somebody ripped-off about two dozen city-owned junkers. Not to worry though. If those two dozen vehicles were spirited away in the middle of the night, as far as I can figure, we're only out about $1,000.

This may not seem like much, but it's really a good sign. The City of Wilkes-Barre is now maintaining it's own properties and that is a necessary part of changing our image. Now, the DPW guys can play some Nerf football during their lunch break. Plus, I noticed that city vehicles are even being washed. No! I'm not making that up. Watch for yourself.

BANG!!! Anybody wanna take issue with this ditty. It's not advisable. From the e-mail inbox:

*******The Difference Between Republicans and Democrats

A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.

The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republican's pocket and got out twenty dollars. He kept $15 for administrative fees and gave the homeless person five.

Now you understand the difference between Republicans and Democrats.*******

Sources close to him claim that Ralph Nader will run for the presidency as an independent candidate. It's said he has distanced himself from The Green Party as of late. That's a shame. I so love hacking on the Greens. We can't consume a tree, but we can smoke all of the grass. We have to provide a safety net for every living person, right after we destroy evil big business. We can work hard and earn money, but if we go over a certain threshold, someone else is entitled to it. We have the right to freedom of speech, so long as we abide by the approved list of acceptable speech. Whatever. I had better stop.

One more. Hear that giant sucking sound? That's the Green Party taking a long, hard collective toke.

Know what Nader's entrance into the race would mean? It would mean the Dems will drop over dead after that 2000 fiasco when he siphoned votes away from Gore. The latest polls showed Kerry beating Bush 48-44%. Check the new polling numbers. Bush 44%-Kerry 42%-Nader 6%. Hee! Hee! Hee!

What happened to Alex Polier? Is she enjoying a chunk of that Heinz fortune? One week her Dad was calling John Kerry a "sleazeball." The next week he promised to vote for Kerry. 'Splain that one.

Are the folks at The Times Leader a bunch of meanies? I don't know. Can you get fired after you quit?

I told ya. I'm sure you noticed the Leader story Hopes high Rendell will fund theater plan. For the first time, the local politicos are talking about it in public. It's gonna happen. The "Rendell Watch" has officially begun.

Last night, Gage Andrew was woofing down a sandwich and I asked him what he was eating. He replied with "Flush another." Say what? "Flush another." After further inspection, I found that he was eating peanut butter and Fluffer-Nutter.

From last nights Jimmy Kimmel show:

"Martha Stewart is being railroaded just like Michael Jackson, because she's a rich white lady."

CYA