"Two weeks ago, [White House political director] Karl Rove ... was telling the National Republican Committee 'Here's your game plan, folks, here's how you're gonna win -- we're gonna win by getting everybody scared again. This crowd 'All we've got is fear and we are going to keep playing the fear card.'"--Hillary Clinton--2/7/2006

We have nothing to fear but Hillary herself.

From NewsMax.com

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006 10:51 p.m. EST WMD Gear Found In British Mosque A radical British imam was stockpiling protection gear for a weapons of mass destruction attack in a notorious North London mosque, British police revealed on Wednesday. London authorities told Reuters that the discovery of the WMD-gear actually happened in 2003, but could not be disclosed until Tuesday, after Abu Hamza al Masri was convicted of 11 charges related to terrorism - including soliciting murder and possessing a terrorist training manual. Hamza preached jihad at the notorious Finsbury Park mosque, where convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid and alleged 20th 9/11 hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui both worshipped. According to Reuters, 150 police staged a dramatic raid on Hamza's mosque in Jan. 2003. Once inside, they discovered gas masks, chemical, biological and nuclear protective suits, blank passports, hunting knives, and blank-firing weapons, the news agency said. "The suspicion of the anti-terrorist branch was that this was probably material used in training camps in the UK," a London police source told Reuters. "We've never been able to pinpoint their locations, who was running them or what sort of activities that were going on, but that is the conclusion," he added.

Gas masks, chemical, biological and nuclear protective suits and blank passports???

She’s funny.

According to Sue Henry, American Idol scored higher television ratings than did the Grammy awards show. How sad is that? The pretend musicians are suddenly more interesting than the “real” musicians. That would be akin to a Soap Box Derby race attracting more viewers than a NASCAR race. I told ya nobody cares about the Grammys now that the music has become pedestrian at best.

U2’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" garnered the album of the year award? Sorry kiddies, but that album bites weenies from beginning to end. Vertigo rocked, but the rest of it could be used at a clinic where research is conducted on insomniacs. Sleeping pills are freaking expensive. If you want your hard-earned dollars to stretch a bit farther, forego the sleeping pills and grab a copy of that disc.

I can’t say for sure, but I figure a remixed version of Lawrence Welk Unplugged would have more energy. Or maybe an Archie’s reunion CD with David Lee Roth replacing Archie on vocals could bring it where this “Atomic Bomb” drone-fest could not. How ‘bout some extended dance versions of the 1910 Fruitgum Company’s numerous classics?

It’s too bad those starving folks in Africa can’t digest plastic discs, because if they could, Bono would finally be on the right track to ending world hunger all by his lonesome. I’d sure as hell donate my copy of the latest U2 award-winning depressant.

Correct me if I‘m somehow off-base, but I found the following news to be, well, intriguing news..

From today’s Times Leader:

Posted on Thu, Feb. 09, 2006 Kane, Vinsko pass on 121st Six other Democrats are possibilities to run for state Rep. Blaum’s seat. By MICHAEL P. BUFFER mbuffer@leader.net Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Kathy Kane and city Assistant Solicitor Bill Vinsko are out, and city Administrator J.J. Murphy and Solicitor Tim Henry might be in the race for state Rep. Kevin Blaum’s 121st District seat. Democrats Kane and Vinsko had contemplated running but have decided not to try to succeed Blaum, D-Wilkes-Barre, who announced in December he wouldn’t seek re-election. Democrats Murphy and Henry said they will soon decide whether to run. Tuesday is the first day candidates may circulate nominating petitions. March 7 is the last day to file petitions to get on the ballot for the May 16 primary election. A state representative candidate needs at least 300 signatures on a nominating petition for a spot on ballot. Other Democrats who might run for the seat include: city Councilman Mike McGinley; Brian O’Donnell, an optometrist and a two-year Wilkes-Barre Area School Board member; Bob Reilly, the Luzerne County clerk of courts; and 21-year-old Jim Williamson of Plains Township, president of his Princeton University junior class. The heavily Democratic district includes Ashley, Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre Township, Plains Township and parts of Hanover Township. Christine Katsock is the only Republican to announce a campaign for Blaum’s seat. In 2004, Katsock lost to Blaum by more than 5,000 votes.

I thought Bill Vinsko was the most interesting of the entire bunch. I thought Kathy Kane could do a very credible job of representing Wilkes-Barre’s interests in Harrisburg. The remainder of the previously mentioned possible candidates do not interest me in the least. I know little or nothing about Tim Henry, which suggests that he’d need to raise a lot of money just to build some name recognition amongst the populace.

At first, I was very surprised to read that J.J. Murphy might be interested in Kevin Blaum’s seat in Harrisburg. As Wilkes-Barre’s #2 honcho, I think he’s got an interesting position, a challenging position and what could turn out to be a very satisfying position if Wilkes-Barre really does turn the corner and make the big comeback. He’s certainly well-paid, but the retirement package of those who toil away in Harrisburg is second to none.

He’s got the name recognition, the impressive resume and, I imagine, some fairly decent political connections as far as climbing the ladder might be concerned. No matter how well he performs his assigned duties for the city at city hall, job security at city hall can be a fleeting thing when one administration replaces another. I think what it all comes down to is family considerations, whether he thinks he can win or not, and whether he feels he can accomplish more for Wilkes-Barre by working at city hall versus working in Harrisburg, with the latter being the pheromone that could actually lead him south on Route 81.

Can J.J. Murphy further Wilkes-Barre’s cause by leaving Wilkes-Barre?

Interesting.

If he does go for it, I’m thinking of hitting him up for a job. I see myself as being the assistant to the assistant food-taster.

Wilkes-Barre goes NASCAR full-time in 2006? COOL!!!

We’ve got the Red Barons (for now), the Penguins, the Pioneers, and now Derrike Cope (a veteran of over 400 Cup series races) in the #00 car? Am I dreaming?

McGlynn Racing has the sponsors in place and a 2005 Charger that was used by Penske’s #77 team last year as it’s primary car and intends to run the entire 2006 Nextell Cup schedule. Woo hoo!

How much do you think it would cost me to place a Wilkes-Barre Online logo on the rear bumper? And if I did manage to place a logo on that bumper, wouldn’t it just piss me off to the max to see another car bump-drafting the sh*t out of my ‘pensive logo.

Sounds like a mission for SNAKE. We’ll get him tickets to one of the races at Long Pond. We’ll use some connections to get him into the garage area. And right before the cars are rolled out to the starting line, we’ll create a diversion (topless girls?) allowing SNAKE to affix a Wilkes-Barre Online bumper sticker to the car’s rear bumper. I’ll give him a buzz.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Um, nuthin’ else to do.

I guess.

Oink! Oink!

Simply put, it’s a bicycle ride. I get on one of the bicycles and where I might end up is totally unbeknownst to me when I push off. I ride the Hummer when I’m alone. And I ride the Rock Stomper when the grandrodents want to come along. The Stomper can carry one rodent right behind the handle bars and another on the trail bike that trails along behind me.

Sometimes we tour the entire city and then have lunch in the middle of Public Square. Sometimes we head for an event staged somewhere in the city, or very close by. Sometimes we ride the dike and watch the airplanes at the Forty Fort airport come and go. And other times we head for the Black Diamond bridge and wait for a freight train to come rumbling by. There are those days when we just follow where the police scanner commands us to go. The rodents just love structure fires, cars on their roofs, idiots being arrested and cube vans stuck underneath parking garages. Mostly, they just like being out and about. And so do I.

Bikeabout anyone?

You know, I don’t know what else the city can do to make the various and sundry recycling programs really, really, really easy to follow for the complete dolts living among us, but I can’t find the schedule for clay pot pick-ups anywhere on my city calendar.

Must be me.

Let‘s do this. I live on Thompson Street which is located right down the street a ways from the city’s sprawling DPW complex. I see that as a good thing on most days. Every vehicle the city owns travels back-and-forth to that property all day long day-in and day-out. The fuel pumps are on that property meaning that fire trucks and police cars pass the end of our street non-stop. From a safety standpoint, that’s as good as it gets. But, the recycling trucks also pass the end of our street non-stop meaning we have a trail of crushed recyclables in the gutters every single day. They fill those dump trucks to the brim and then leave a trail of plastic and aluminum behind them as they bounce their way back to the DPW yard.

There was a time when some of us would get on out there and sweep up the escapees from the city’s recycling trucks, but that seems to be occurring less and less. Frankly put, the residents that actually care see this on-going battle as a losing battle. No matter how many crushed 2 liters we sweep up, the trucks will lay down a new trail of them damn near the very next day. I have yet to see a street sweeper that can remove a quarter ton of plastic bottles and aluminum cans from the city’s gutters, so something has got to give.

Rather than just complain like the rest of the negative ninnies, I offer a solution. When the recycling trucks come full, the load needs to be covered by a tarp before the trucks turn and dash back to the recycling yard. Much like the garbage haulers on the highways are required to do. The tarp secures the junk from blowing or bouncing out and can be easily peeled back when it comes time to dump the load. It’s either that, or Pennsylvania Avenue and many other city streets continue to look like sh*t.

I have no problem with volunteering my time to help make the city look better, as I have already done so a few times in the past. But I shouldn’t have to be cleaning up after city employees.

Sez me.

George Curry is scheduled to appear on WVIA at 7 PM tonight. The Wyoming Valley West School Board pussed-out last night, so I’m thinking Bishop Hoban should hire Coach Curry. Picture the long-time patsies turned football super power. Wouldn’t that shake Football County to it‘s very core?

Bye