Sup? Work has been a tad nuts of late, so less internet tomfoolery on my part was the result. No big thing. Most of the people who visit this Web oasis say they enjoy my scribbling and such, but rarely agree with me. And if that’s the case, who would give a flying farg if I stopped altogether, right?

We got ourselves another new blog about Wilkes-Barre and such what at--Reclaiming Wilkes-Barre. Thanks to Gort for the link. That’s cool by me. I like reading what others think about the current state of Wilkes-Barre‘s affairs, whether I agree with their musings or not. I hope the new internet entry fares better than this one and this one and this other one.

Likewise, I think we need to reclaim our streets. However, unlike many others, I do not exaggerate whereas these various and sundry urban problems are concerned. And I do not avoid any section of the city, or any street. I go where I want and I do what I want. I am always aware of my surroundings and I am always armed with a built-in redundancy. Also, I do not summarily shun people based solely on their pigment.

Some fear for their safety every time a heavy truck backfires, but I like it here.

I know we‘re reflexively accused of being too partisan when we get to criticizing any member of the opposite political or ideological camp, but does insanity run in Al Gore’s family?

Yeah, he’s been smoking some hay.

I know most of us can’t take any time out of our daily Bush Bashing, but did you take notice that Gore recently predicted the end of the world? Yepper, the boy’s gone and lost it. Excuse me for asking, but don’t you think that’s just a bit presumptuous on his part? Or is it preposterous?

While he tells us we need to change our habits within ten years, he’s jet-setting all over the place plugging his new movie about global warming. It's called "An Inconvenient Truth" and it’s based on his observations about the environment. Anyway, at a speech the other day in jolly ole Englandistan, Gore made his most dire prediction to date: he called global warming a "danger which could bring the end of civilization." That’s right, it’s the end of the world, I tell ya!!!

An Inconvenient Truth? Who’s truth? Maybe they should have called it “A Convenient lack of Proof,” coming from the man who “invented the internet,” and the man who needed to hire a chick to teach him the ancient ways of the alpha males.

He flies the world over and hops into limousines or SUVs or helos so as to hang out with all of his tree hugger buddies, while I commute by way of a bicycle. And I should change my ways? Hmmm.

From The Guardian:

Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists". In an interview with the Guardian today, the former vice-president calls himself a "recovering politician", but launches into the political fray more explicitly than he has previously done during his high-profile campaigning on the threat of global warming. Denying that his politics have shifted to the left since he lost the court battle for the 2000 election, Mr Gore says: "If you have a renegade band of rightwing extremists who get hold of power, the whole thing goes to the right."

Very nice. The left-winger sez the right-wingers are extremists, while the right-leaners maintain that the left-leaning are the extremists. Ever wonder why your health care is so frickin’ expensive with that kind of nefarious rhetoric somehow passing as leadership?

Here’s a question posed by the aforementioned Gort and one of his internet friends.

We in the blogosphere write and comment a lot on what we want from candidates and elected officials. Things are seldom a one way street however; other than voting, what is our part of the bargain? What should we be doing during campaign season? If our candidates are elected, then what? Do we just sit around until the next election?

No, I d say we need to pay strict attention to what they do, as well as every other elected official. And we need to hold them accountable. Unfortunately, we do seem to be paying strict attention, but what we remember, or what we choose to believe has become too selective.

Leftie bloggers see only the faults of the Republicans and vice versa. If the lefties are so completely motivated to dump Rick Santorum, why do they seem so content with obvious boobs such as Cynthia McKinney, or Harry Reid? Reid’s a stooge, but I wouldn’t argue with you if you called Santorum something equally disparaging. We need not dump just the Republicans boobs. We need to dump all of the boobs.

What is our part of the bargain? I guess that depends on how much time you, as an average Joe, can devote to politics, but I’d say our part of the bargain should be putting our country first and our party second for the good of said country. But more importantly, we should demand that the elected folk do likewise.

Good freaking luck on that one, because, as we all know, the only thing wrong with politics is that other party.

Right?

Anyway, Al Gore has done gone off the deep end of an ice shelf somewhere in the Sahara.

The Citizens‘ Voice folk continue to amaze me.

The former managing editor of the Voice, Paul Golias, in his The money that could rebuild Route 81 is being spent on Iraq war op-ed, has vaulted to the very top of the apoplectic Bush basher crowd.

Actually, I laughed out loud when I read this piece. Holy frig! Now they’re blaming Route 81 on Bush! See? It won’t be long before “Bush ate my children” makes headlines the world over.

Another thing: Golias seems to be one of the dinosaurs that thinks NEPA will thrive only as it’s highways thrive. This, after decades of being told that this area should be thriving because of it’s major intersecting highways. First, our highways were our greatest asset as a struggling community. 10 newfangled restaurants and a hockey team later, our highways are suddenly holding us back?

Is Route 81 really so treacherous at rush hour? Well, then slow the fu>k down and go an entire hour without your stupid cell phones!

Sez me.

Someone told me Virgil intends to run, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did run, or if he ultimately won. From what he tells me, he can afford a yard sign or two.

If Christine Katsock loses in November and then loses here in the Nord End, would that not be the clearest signal yet to give it up already? If you can’t win an election in your own neighborhood, where are you going to win? We shall see. Plenty of “ifs” in all of these scenarios.

Dude, funnier things have no doubt happened, but, credible or not, I can’t see an unknown upstart knocking Kathy Kane out of the political box. I just can’t. Although, there is a reason we still go and vote, right? Rare as they may be, big upsets do happen on occasion.

Again, we shall see. Sounds like fun to me.

Stay in touch.

Tom Leighton, J. Wayne Anderson, Steve Barrouk, and Larry Newman are on WVIA as I type and I gotta take in this show.

CYA