2-13-2006 Terrorism Intervention Teams


One…more…time…

"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

She’s funny.

Wilkes-Barristan is finally on the War on Terror map! Oh joy!

From WorldNetDaily.com:

Report: Pennsylvania 'patriot' tried to blow up oil pipelines

Federal agents think American sought to wreck U.S. economy with al-Qaida

Posted: February 12, 2006

Is he an American patriot, or a terrorist trying to kill the U.S. economy?

That's the question surrounding Michael Curtis Reynolds, a 47-year-old unemployed resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who federal agents say worked with al-Qaida in a plot to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a Pennsylvania pipeline, and a New Jersey refinery.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Reynolds is not publicly charged with terrorism, but a federal prosecutor said in a December hearing that Reynolds attempted to "provide material aid to al-Qaida" and that the case "involves a federal offense of terrorism."

Full Story

From what the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, this guy was conspiring to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a Pennsylvania pipeline, and a New Jersey refinery. Maybe he’s getting a bad rap. Maybe he’s not a terrorist at all. Maybe he’s an environmentalist who was inspired to act after attending the latest Million Moonbat March. I dunno.

I loved these comments WNEP conjured from the alleged terrorist’s former neighbors:

"It's like shocking. We don't like this in our neighborhood."

"You see these things on world news and it's everywhere else but not here by my house. It was a shock, a big shock.”

"It's a real shock and I have three children to worry about and to think someone dealing with Al Qaeda was here is pretty scary, really scary."

Yeah, man. Forget those drug dealers. They typically stick to offing each other. What is the mayor doing about the terrorism situation in our neighborhoods? According to my figures, terrorism offences in this city are up 100% over 2005. What does Chief Dessoye have to say about that? Heh? What, they’re knocking off Turkey Hills so they can acquire some C-4 or some fissionable materials? They don’t have terrorists in West Noxen. Maybe she should pick up and move on over there.

[lunacy] I think Chief Dessoye needs to create Wilkes-Barre’s Terrorism Intervention Teams (TITs) and permanently station them in every neighborhood. We need well-crafted and well-supported TITs on damn near every block. We need our TITs to adopt an in-your-face approach to combating the terrorists in Wilkes-Barre. Nothing would make me feel better than to have a couple of TITs hovering over me. And these teams should be comprised of our youngest and most physically-fit officers. I don’t want no drooping, sagging TITs. I want large, firm TITs. I want TITs that would scare the bejesus out of those who have yet to see TITs that large. March down to the next city council meeting and tell Tony Thomas Jr. it’s high time that Wilkes-Barre grows some marbles and deploys it’s TITs. Nothing would work to discourage the loners that gravitate towards jihad faster than a good, firm pair of TITs. It’s a violent world we live in and I say we need all the TITs we can get. Tell me I’m wrong. [/lunacy]

Whatever. We made the national news. Whoopee!

From the e-mail inbox Hi Mark. I used your patented term " chia kev " on Sue's show this morning. I apologize for not giving you credit, but I was unable to figure out how to work it in. I bet the WILK staff knew where it came from, so I hope you will let me slide, this time. Love your site [don't always agree] keep up the good work! JXXXXX

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! For a limited time only, every purchase of a Chia Kev includes a free ash tray, a free copy of the Communist Manifesto, and a free copy of Billy Jean King's revealing book "How to lick your opponent."

Well I’ll be. You know, I was doing the dishes (real He-man stuff, hayna?) this morning and after clanging a few pots away under the counter, I stopped dead in my tracks and thought to myself “Did I hear that correctly?” Turns out, I did hear it correctly. Awesome.

I caught some of Chia Kev’s useless babbling this morning. He was all wound up and besides himself giddy because Dick Cheney accidentally jumped some buckshot into his buddy’s head while out hunting. I guess that’s amusing in some twisted liberal way, but then again, Chia Kev is the same guy who gets his jollies over Dubya’s non-existent bike bell, so consider the oft-prone to misrepresenting the facts source. I think Chia Kev would have much preferred to have Cheney be the recipient of the buckshot.

Since most Democrats are anti-gun because they have to tow the Democrat line or hit the political road, I figure the odds are definitely against them shootin’ up on their buddies anytime soon. Then again, they had absolutely no problem at all with Janet Reno’s death squads shootin’ up on Randy Weaver’s family, or burning the Branch Davidians to death after pumping their compound full of fedrule lead.

If I had my way, I’d couple up Chia Kev and Dick Cheney as hunting partners, send them into the protected wetlands and hope for the best.

I gotta find my photo shop book, snatch his picture from his WILK web page and give him some Chia grass. One of these days. I’m busy.

From the e-mail inbox Hey Mr. Cour,
I just wanted to thank you for putting my brother's picture on your website.. he makes me very proud. Just so you know he is Staff Seargant Robert Rittenhouse and the same picture can be found on www.usarmy.mil on the opening page (it might have to be refreshed a couple of times before his pic comes up *** randomly generated pics***). According to the website (my brother was not allowed to tell me any details of the pic **understandable**), "Staff Sgt. Robert Rittenhouse, from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, guards a suspected insurgent during a raid in Baghdad. Photo by Spc. Teddy Wade." Anyways, I am off to class..

Thanks again,
TXXXXXX

Cool. I wanted to post his pic being that he’s a brave son-of-a-bitch hailing from good ole’ Nord End, but I was reluctant to use his name without permission. So there we have it.

Nord End!

"Staff Sgt. Robert Rittenhouse, from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, guards a suspected insurgent during a raid in Baghdad. Photo by Spc. Teddy Wade."

From the e-mail inbox Foot traffic in downtown wilkebarre? Who are you trying to kid? The only traffic going on down there comes from the criminal element. And whos going to go blend in with those idiots? It will be safe because you say so? Why don’t you try hangng out downtown and then tell us how fXXXXXX safe it is. I seek no net fight with you, but you don’t know what you are talking about.

From a safe and happy wb township shopper

Try hanging out down there? Excuse me, but ain’t I the guy who posts all of the pictures of his grandkids frolicking all over the downtown, especially on Public Square? Am I not the same guy who begged the powers that be to save the canopy, because the grandkids and I turned the bicycle and pedaled like hell to the big red monster every time the sky turned threatening?

People have been telling me for years that I’m crazy to be riding a bicycle in the downtown after dark and yet…not a damned thing ever happened to me. Yeah, I’ve rubbed elbows with plenty of street urchins, but I make it readily apparent to them that they do not frighten me in the least. 99% of the time, that’s all it takes to get them to move on. Whatever. That’s just me. My step-dad punched me in the head quite a bit when I was a kid.

Let’s explore the foot traffic issue.

The Labor & Industry Building is open with 250 employees making their way through the downtown at least three times a day.

I don’t know what the attraction is, but that CYC has been drawing humungous crowds on a consistent basis after dark. The cops have even taken to stationing a cruiser on Penn Ave. for crowd and traffic control.

The Wise Crackers comedy club moved from Ashley to Penn Ave, so there’s more people--more foot traffic--making it’s way into town.

Farley’s Pizza & Continental Breakfast opened for business between the theater complex and the L&I building. And the owners have made some noise about staying open at night when the theaters open for business.

The Chill Grill opened it’s doors just north of Penn Place, so there’s foot traffic wandering in a whole other direction.

Arts YOUniverse moved into the former Red Cross building on Franklin Street, so there’s another new magnet for foot traffic.

It’s not crankin’ just yet, but the former call center now called University Center on Main is going to rock when the building is finally retooled. The Wilkes security office will be located in the ground floor of the adjacent parking garage and the folks utilizing the new sports complex will be using the attached garage. By the way, the security office is currently under construction. The result of all of this? Big time foot traffic and a police substation of sorts.

The riverfront remodeling project is due to get underway any day now, and that will eventually result in foot traffic running the length of River Street from the courthouse all the way down to South Street.

There’s no telling how far off it might still be, but the Hotel Sterling is still slated to be remodeled into something or other. Actually, there’s a rather persistent rumor going around that the entire Sterling complex is going to be demolished--the whole darn thing. We shall see, but that dormant site is heading for a rebirth of some type.

There might be some movement on that Susquehanna River Museum one day, but you got me on that project. I dunno.

Despite what the folks suffering from sciatica of the brain will tell you, the 14-screen theater complex will draw plenty of movie-goers resulting in even more foot traffic on a longish block not known for much foot traffic of late.

Throw in the proposed Flashbacks dance club on the first block of S. Main and we’ve got another normally quiet stretch attracting foot traffic after dark.

Then we’ve got the Igourmet.com outfit rumored to be looking to open their very first brick-and-mortar store in the downtown. Take a gander at their website and you come away knowing that the proposed store would be totally unique in these parts. More foot traffic.

Then we’ve got the big bus garage still pending behind the L&I building which will remove the LCTA busses from the Square and allow for vertical parking.

Don’t forget the much-improved street lighting that was supposed to start going up, like, this week.

Plus, the way I hear it, there are plenty of retail concerns expressing interest in locating in the downtown, but we’re talking closely guarded secrets with all of that. The only way to gain any info on all of that is to kidnap somebody from the Chamber, string them up, squirt them with lighter fluid and then give ‘em one last chance to spill the beans. Lemme know how that goes.

Then we’ve got the administration of this city searching for ways to finance the hiring of even more police officers than the eleven it previously hired.

Do we see what’s going on here and what is very likely to happen?

The theater project well may be the catalyst, but there’s a ton of stuff going on and, or soon to be going on in the downtown. It’s happening. It’s coming. Yet, all I hear is people going on and on about how nothing can ever work. The defeatists--the cry-babies always seem to make the most noise, but I can’t wait to hear what their gripes will be when the downtown starts getting crowded. Not enough parking. Too much gum stuck on the sidewalks. The benches are wet after it rains. Some “dangerous” asshole was riding a bicycle within a hundred yards of them. What-fu>king-ever. There’s no explaining the dimwits on most days.

Here’s the really, really, really tough part to swallow. When that increasing foot traffic starts changing people’s perceptions of our downtown, somebody is going to be deserving of some serious credit. Can we imagine the negative ninnies actually offering kudos to anyone elected or otherwise in this city? I surely can’t. They’ve got way too much of their political capital invested in Wilkes-Barre’s continued missteps.

The same tired fools will show up at the council meetings with the same tired arguments. I’ll be downtown taking in movies, having a bite to eat, and shopping in the new stores, but the nitwits will still be bitching about a stupid firehouse or something.

The foot traffic is coming all right. And to the negative ninnies I say, “Shop, eat, enjoy, or get the fu>k out of the way!”

Oh my goodness! (Not God) The authorities are after my son and my grandson! I’ll finagle ‘em out of it somehow.

New York had record snowfalls over the weekend? Why did Bush allow that to happen? Where was FEMA with the much-needed air drops of milk, eggs and bread? Could it be because New York is a Democratic stronghold? Looks like we need yet another congressional hearing and maybe even another special prosecutor. What did Bush know and when did he know it? Could Tom Clark’s testimony provide the Democrats with the long-awaited smoking gun? Stay tuned.

Hey! First Bush ate my children and now…Cheney shot my cuzzin. Will it ever end?

CYA