I got a kick out of this post in the BLOG:

Wow, is that hose chick drunk? I think we found someone who’s punctuation is worse then Mark!! LOL

10-4! LOL! I couldn’t properly punctuate a single paragraph to save my life even if bedraggled Iraqi’s were squirting lighter fluid on my testicles and rubbing too sticks together. Then I ran across a reply to that post:

Miss English,
I see you bring up a valid point about the puncuations (spelling?). Perhaps they are not as smart as they think they are.

Whoever offered-up the latter post should be totally embarrassed and should stick to reading the Man Boy Love Association web site. What a complete maroon! When I saw that, I laughed so hard it brought on another coughing spell. Oh Man!

Whatever. I can’t punctuate and I don’t really care. I could ask wifey to proof read my posts and correct my numerous errors, but who gives a muckity muck? I certainly don’t. I can’t punctuate because high school bored me and college was even more boring, except for the parties. I guess I was a slacker. I believe that we’ve previously covered that fact on Wilkes-Barre Online, America’s most punctuationally-challenged web site. Some Leighton supporters can’t punctuate and some McGroarty supporters can’t spell, but at least us Leighton supporters didn’t make an ass of ourselves on the BLOG. And this dribble came from someone who posted under the anonymous name “professor.” I do love it.

And lay off the hose chicks. They’re cool. These babes have to kiss their hubby goodbye before each and every shift and hope that being a member of a secondary search team doesn’t get their hubby killed in the dangerous darkness that is a serious structure fire.

I decided that our less than scientific poll had run it’s course. Make of those numbers what you will, but Phil...dude...you got spanked man!

I received a couple of tons of e-mail over being threatened by a member of the politically connected. This is what the folks that seek to run the show or benefit from it need to hear if Wilkes-Barre is going to rebound in any significant way:

Ask not what Wilkes-Barre can do for you. Ask what you can do for Wilkes-Barre.

BANG!

When I read the headline “Greco would like to see call center turned into theater” in the Voice this morning, I literally could not believe my eyes. Holy muck! Another theater plan? In Wilkes-Barre, theater plans are like assho*les...you know the rest. Holy jumping orangutan farts! I read the article and it turns out that his idea is not that far-fetched, but at this point in time in this gridlocked and floundering city, it’s not going to happen. The mayor’s Holeplex is an embarrassing and expensive nightmare held up in the courts for over a year. Tom Leighton’s Holeplex II (Percyplex) proposal is being stalled by the mayor’s actions or lack thereof and now we have Plan C-the Callplex.

If some guy from Spokane happened to surf on in to this site and read all of what passes as government and leadership in Wilkes-Barre, he’d probably think I was either making this sh*t up or wildly exaggerating. We live in a city that sees the beginning of it’s empty downtown’s reemergence starting with the construction of a theater, but we can’t manage to land one, while everybody and their brother seems to know how to get one. This is a direct result of the mayor not being able to work with anyone and not accepting help or advise from anyone. Nobody in charge of anything in this city be they private sector or public sector is on the same page. The result? Plan C. Callplex.

I’m not hacking on Thom Greco. His plan actually makes some sense to some degree. It’s just that it’s getting to the point that I’m beginning to lose interest in building a theater at all. It’s a bit unsettling that the future operator of our long bandied about theater project is not willing to build it. If it’s going to be such a big winner, such a big cash magnet-why isn’t he building it? We got burned on that call center in a big way. Why? Because we elected a leader who bought into the “If you build it, they will come” field of dreams gobblety goop. Should we try this approach again? I don’t know. I’d like to think that a theater in our downtown would be the first painful step that would one day result in a booming downtown, but I do have my doubts as long as the city has to build it. I really do, but what do I know? I can’t punctuate.

Is it Callplex or Call-plex?

I listened to the live reports of the hostage drama at the Murray building today on WILK. I was in the Back Mountain and WILK kept me abreast of the latest. SWAT team. State police. A helicopter. An FBI negotiator. Police tape. Traffic snarls. It sounded very, very dangerous to me, because I understand what they boys in blue/black polyester face. I’m not happy with the policing polices in this city during the past few years and that’s no secret, but with murder and gunfire being so prevalent in this city these days, I keep wondering when one of our cops are going to get wasted by some drugged-out loser only because we decided to crush the balls of the unionized employees that are responsible for maintaining the peace. Whatever! We are six weeks away from an election, so NOW we have oodles and oodles of cops. It turns out the big SWAT episode was either a ruse or a misunderstanding of some sort.

Here’s the thing that suggests there is yet another problem with our leadership. Wifey called me out to the video box to see WNEP’s accounts of the episode. We all know what has gone on at that problem property in the recent past. Drug dealing, prostitution and murder. I kept wondering when the city was going to step in and padlock this building, but the city never did, even though residents have been screaming bloody murder about this building. Tonight I saw what our police chief had to say about the property and I was flabbergasted. He was alluding to the fact that crime seems to just ooze from this building and it has been oozing for quite some time. His sentence that was most frightening started with “For some reason...” His words. For some reason, this building is a crime magnet. My words, not his. If we’re aware of that fact, why is it that the building remains a crime magnet?

Am I asking for or expecting too much? If our top cop knows that “for some reason” this building is a daily and nightly stop for his underlings, why wasn’t it dealt with in a very serious way before today’s incident? This is the same guy that acknowledged his belief that S. Franklin St. is the red-light district of the city. So do something about it! Is it me? We know there is a problem, but we accept it and wait for the next call from 911? I keep hearing how the city is so fu*king proactive, but the police chief’s comments suggest that today’s raid by the city building inspectors after the SWAT team stood down was completely reactive and that is astounding when you consider that a city official admitted that the building has been a hornet’s nest for a while now.

For some reason...this city is severely mucked-up. Who’s fault is that?

Check this pic. Six weeks to go to the primary and now we’re replacing sidewalks in front of churches. Ya’ gotta get the most re-election bang for those taxpayer bucks you’re spending at an alarming rate. Heyna?

Hey, maybe we should start handing out quarters to those begging goobers at Bilo. Some of them are down to three beers. I know, because I checked. Show some compassion.

The amazing one, Gage Andrew, and I’m sure to be his equally amazing sidekick, Taylor Kate, are coming to town on Sunday. Peace and Scott are heading out to celebrate their anniversary, while wifey and I will enjoy the company of the amazing duo. Feel free to drop by.

Of all the e-mails I received during the past twenty-four hours, this one touched me in more ways than one. It points out that the morale of city employees is not good, it states that it’s sad that residents should be afraid to get involved or speak out and it reminded me that not everyone wants to jump me in a dark alley. It also hints that the exodus of productive folks out of Wilkes-Barre will continue if the voters don’t make a statement on May 20th.

******Mark,

I just had to take the opportunity and write you about your last post and the play by play of running into, who I believe could only be, Mr. XXXXXX at the fire scene on North Main Street, W-B. Welcome to the club of political or God help us, future political harassment by certain politicos in the W-B government scene. As one who knows the feeling of confrontation from a politician while attempting to do your job, this is nothing new to the majority of the city employees. If you had that sudden pit in your stomach of being confronted off guard suddenly turn to burning rage within, then you know what every city employee who has dealt with this type of treatment feels as they continue about their business. Threats are nothing new. It is truly shameful that now you, a citizen of W-B, because you speak out, because you give a damn, because you took action, have to deal with this type of thug mentality that exists.

Now I know that you have had your moments with some others in the city administration, and even some events that tested your will to continue the search for the truth in dealing with the city government. You have always risen to the occasion and written things as you have seen them. For that they are bitter. You are a threat to their very existence. You have the ability that we as city employees do not enjoy.....the freedom from retribution on the job. I guess we will see if this leads to some other course of action that will once again test your resolve to stand up to those who feel the citizens have no right to ask why, or how come they do the things they do.

All I know is Mr. XXXXXX from everything I have ever heard about him....by the way nothing good....should watch what he says. The truth is a double edged sword. It can set you free one minute and lock you away the next. If this is the future of W-B, XXXXXX and McGroarty, then there really is no point in being here. If they are elected, mark my words, the days of W-B are numbered. The chance for a better W-B must be turned over to another. I agree that LEIGHTON IS THE ONLY CHOICE FOR MAYOR from the pool of candidates. Stay the course......though you know it means watching your back at every turn......rest assured that a host of others will be looking out for you as well.******

I appreciate the kind words, I really do, but I never felt anything in my stomach while listening to the threats that spewed forth. What I felt was complete and utter sadness. It’s sad what has happened to this city and it’s sad that some folks don’t care how bad it gets as long as they can profit from it. I seek no profit, I seek only a great place to live and somehow I’ve become the bad guy. As Michael Douglas said in Falling Down, “How did that happen?“ In Wilkes-Barre, our right to our supposedly god given rights of freedom of speech is not only not encouraged, it is something that needs to suppressed by whatever means necessary. During the past seven years, Wilkes-Barre has become a sad, sad place.

Shut up and pay your taxes?

Nope. Funk that!

TLFM

Oh yeah, punctuate this!!!