Once upon a time, to tell a bald-faced lie you had to know that the information you were offering up for consumption was untrue at the time you offered it. These days, with the vast majority of the unglued left-leaning folks fomenting hateful rhetoric as if by rote, if said information is found out to be untrue after the fact, even though the person offering it thought it to be completely true…that’s a lie.

Left-leaning people openly mock the “domino theory,” which once dominated the major objectives of our foreign policy, every single chance they get. During the protracted Cold War, the thought was that the communists would topple country after country--dominoes--until they dominated the world and put America and it’s silly freedom in it’s place. While that was the true intention of the communists all along, their ideological brothers in arms in this country--the leftie bed-wetters--claim that was not the case at all, and most of the proxy wars that were fought during the Cold War were imperialistic mistakes on our part, or our overreaction to a nonexistent threat.

In the oft-revised worldview of the left-leaning, the prolonged conflict in Vietnam was not the result of any communist quest for power. Not at all. Rather, it was the direct result of the American military/industrial complex’s constant need to deliver death, destruction and chaos to innocent peoples wherever they may roam. You know…America’s bad.

But my thought was, if Bush lied because every intelligence agency this side of Uranus steadfastly maintained that Saddam and the boys had weapons of mass destruction at their disposal, by the leftie logic (or lack thereof), then didn’t Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan also lie to the American people whereas the domino theory was concerned, while Americans were being killed in the far-flung jungles of Vietnam and elsewhere? If the domino theory was a ruse as the lefties claim it was, then didn’t every president from Truman to Reagan lie about why our troops were being put in harm’s way at various times?

Sorry loonies, but an honest mistake based on all available intelligence does not constitute a lie. Sorry panty wastes, but “Bush lied” is a lie on your part. And the cruelest joke of all that will be told at your expense is that history will be a helluva kinder to Bush than any of you cared to be. Don’t worry, it’s still completely legal to be a hapless myrmidon.

If illogic suddenly passed as tradable currency, the folks cackling “Bush lied” the loudest would finally have enough scratch to do what all faithful ‘60s-inspired, leftist bed-wetters do in the end--overdose.

Bush lied?

Sez the liars.

If I suddenly got to complimenting any of these myopic-minded trolls who fashion themselves as being the ultimate watchdogs of all things governmental in Wilkes-Barre, the Sun would spin wildly off it’s axis, collide with Rosie O’Donnell mid-belly and then we’d finally have the Big Bang just in time for the holiday weekend.

At this point, the taxpayer watchdogs make about as sense as they do incessant noise. At this point, I can’t even imagine why any newspaper worth it’s weight in ink would seek out their comments, thereby giving credence to their scattershot drivel.

Former city council candidate Walter Griffith complained that their raises will restart in 2010 and that the proposed pay freeze ordinance is a “smokescreen” to get certain council members re-elected. The ordinance does nothing to reduce the costs of health care and pensions, he said.

So, Walter complains when they accept raises…and then he complains when they don’t. Worse yet, when they decline raises, he goes conspiracy kook on us. Eww…it’s a smokescreen. How utterly diabolical. And they might have pulled it all off had it not been for Walter and his one-man crusade against those who he wishes to one day replace.

Just to clarify things, a salary freeze perpetrated upon our elected officials by our elected officials is a “smokescreen.” (?) Well, all I can say is, if you voted for Walter when he tried and failed to join the council club, you should now understand how utterly brainless you were at that time. Not a problem. Just don’t repeat the same mistake next time around.

As far as I’m concerned, Walter is living proof that we could do significantly worse than the folks we currently have sitting on council.

In a perfect world, he’d get run over by Rosie O‘Donnell right after she went super nova.

Sez me.

By the way, for those who cannot stop blathering on about our mayor’s supposed lack of commitment whereas public safety is concerned, try this.

Two, count ‘em…two new ambulances. Yup.

Oh, and the first of our three brand new fire engines will be in town for some “training” in about two weeks before returning to the factory for it’s final tweaking. Oh, and they’ll be painted red like all good fire trucks used to be painted. Go figure.

All new apparatus. This, from the mayor who’s supposed to be endangering our lives.

I wonder how that’ll be painted in a negative light?

It‘s absolutely amazing that The Beach Boys are going to be appearing in Kirby Park on July 3rd. As far as the general public is concerned, this is a free concert, meaning we don’t have to cough up any bucks to witness local history in the making. That’s a good thing.

Truth be told, The Beach Boys will not fly from Las Vegas to Wilkes-Barre just for sh*ts and giggles. And you already knew as much. The $50,000 the surf music legends will be paid was budgeted for by the city well in advance as negotiations and whatnot played out. But, this event is going to be well-attended, if not downright swamped by humanity. I have no idea how many people can be crunched into Kirby Park, but I guess we’re going to find out.

As you may have read, Mountain Productions will be building the stage right in front of the north edge of the tennis courts, so that the entire expanse of the park will be laid out in front of the boys when they get to twanging their twang and suchlike. And I imagine that many corporate and private sponsors are donating significant sums of money to pay for all of the associated costs such an unlikely concert is likely to tally up to.

And while they should be applauded for their obvious generosity, it really needs to be determined whether they are acting as selfless philanthropists in this respect, or equal parts selfless and self-serving.

When I first had it confirmed for me that those legendary Beach Boys were coming to town, I envisioned late fifty-something folks from Erie packing up the aged Volkswagon bus, making the trip to Kirby Park and camping out overnight in front of the stage so as to have the best seats in the house. No matter what you may think of the Beach Boys, they have quite the following to this day. With the crush of people we should expect to have on hand for this one, I pictured people getting here early and taking squatter’s rights as close as possible to the stage. Turns out, that won’t be at all possible. And quite frankly, I’m a bit disturbed by that fact.

Much by happenstance, I laid all four of my eyes upon an overview of what Kirby Park will look like come the 3rd of July. It’ll look much like it does any other day of the year save for the giant stage, the secondary stage with the dike as it‘s backdrop and the area in the thick of things where the sound guys and such are typically located when a big time rock show comes to town. Other than that, the only other things of note that stand out are all of the VIP facilities. VIPs, you say?

Well, as it turns out, there will be a designated VIP parking area. And a designated VIP cocktail area. Oh, and the 1,000 seats right at the stage’s edge will be reserved as “VIP seating.” Is this truly a free concert for the public, or is it a play thing for the folks who can easily afford to buy their way in to the far-flung VIP areas? To put it mildly, I’m a bit miffed by all of this.

And pray tell, who will have access to the tennis courts which have been designated as being the “catering area?” Nobody made mention of any caterers, so I’m assuming that the likes of me will have to settle for the barely boiled hoddogs, the greasy undercooked fries, the grungy pizza, or the funnel cakes, which could easily bankrupt a hungry family of four. I would have to shell out 5 bucks just to earn the right to purchase an overpriced beer, but just a few feet away will be a hidden “catering area” that dwarfs the totality of Pringle? Something seems amiss to me. Something smells worse that one of those overpriced gyros.

Look, I know this event would probably not be possible without the financial assistance of the much more well-healed among us, but I took it as a smack in the face to learn that the great preponderance of the planning went into accommodating the nameless, faceless VIPs.

What-effing-ever.

Buy yourself a pair of binoculars.

Later