Judge Peter Paul Olszewski

I have been very reluctant to talk, let alone write about what I am about to tell you. In light of the controversy now swirling around Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr., I feel it is incumbent upon me to break a more than decade old silence.

On March 31, 1999 while I served as the Director of Voter Services for Luzerne County, I was asked to commit a crime. The crime was the anonymous gifting of a contribution to the campaign finance committee of two candidates for a Luzerne County office. It is not illegal to contribute to a campaign. The contribution however, may not be made anonymously.

Within an hour of the solicitation, I contacted then District Attorney Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. to ask for a meeting. Two hours later, I reported the solicitation to Mr. Olszewski and First Assistant District Attorney Daniel Pillets. Mr. Olszewski told me that because he was a candidate for Luzerne County Judge, he would refer the matter to an outside agency to avoid even the slightest appearance of a conflict of interest.


Within days of that meeting I met (on separate occasions) with representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

I co-operated in an investigation.

For a number of reasons I will not go into here, the investigation did not succeed.

If you understood the ramifications of this investigation, you would know that Mr. Olszewski guided me through this process at enormous personal, political and professional risk.

In the interest of full disclosure, before he became District Attorney, Mr. Olszewski represented me in a civil matter.

For these reasons, I will vote "yes" to retain Judge Peter Paul Olszewski as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County.

The Beer Summit

Much has been written and said about "The Beer Summit" held at the White House this week. Much curiousity surrounds the attendance of Vice President Joseph Biden. Much ado about nothing. The Vice President wasn't there to offer perspective or even to support his boss. He was there for one reason and one reason only. Without him the picture would be of two black men and a white guy. And because those black men were the first African-American President and a celebrated African American scholar and professor and the white man was a working stiff cop, well you can figure out the rest. Vice President Biden was added for balance, Plain and simple. Because that is the REAL reason for Mr. Biden's appearance, we still have a long way to go.

Don't Quit Your Day Job.

Dear Mr. President, I didn't vote for you, but I support you and unlike some of the other people who didn't cast their vote for you, I really want you to succeed. I watched the Baseball All-Star Game last night and I saw you throw out the first pitch. I did so with much anticipation. Mr. President, with all due respect, please don't do that again. You throw like a girl, a nancy, a big time sissy mary.
It was pretty apparent that FOX had a clue this wasn't going to be pretty. Instead of shooting the pitch from the center field camera, we saw a close-up of you; field level third base side. We at home weren't sure your pitch made it to home plate. But then you pumped your first and well everything was OK.
But it wasn't.
I was on the phone with my son KC almost immediately. He too was surprised we didn't see the pitch to the plate. And then we found out why.
Your pitch didn't make it to the plate. A very gracious Albert Pujols plucked it off the ground with an out stretched glove.
Two things bothered me deeply. First you said you practiced in the Rose Garden of the White House. With whom did you practice? Was it a newly appointed Baseball Czar? Did the Czar tell you, you were ready. You may want to reconsider that appointment. You weren't ready.
Secondly, on your way to the game in St. Louis, you stopped in Michigan and picked up Willie Mays to take him to the game.
WILLIE MAYS!
The Greatest Living Baseball Player WILLIE MAYS!
He gave you advice. He said, "Follow through." You got advice from Willie Mays and didn't take it. You couldn't have. That pitch was just terrible.
Now you did have some big shoes to fill. President George W. Bush threw a bee-bee to the plate to start the 2001 World Series in New York. It was a seminal moment for baseball and the country after 9/11. He threw a perfect strike. And he was wearing forty-five pounds of body armor under his jacket. Don't tell me he had an advantage because he used to own a baseball team. Like your pitch, "that ain't gonna fly."
And while I'm at it, what was the deal with the White Sox jacket? It did give the spinmeisters a reason to blame the smattering of boos on the jacket. But let's face it, we all know better.
Mr. President, if you get a chance to flip the coin at the Super Bowl, do it. Drop the puck on the Stanley Cup Finals, yes sir. You could even shoot threes at the NBA All-Star Game. But please Sir, I beg you. Don't throw out the first pitch at a baseball game ever again...ever.

Billy Mays

Billy Mays is dead and I'm not feeling so good myself.

Ed, Farrah, Michael

They say these things come in threes. Isn't it ironic that in a week that should have been his own, Ed McMahon will end up playing "second," if not "third banana?" Say the name "Ed" and you wouldn't think of McMahon. But say, "Johnny and Ed" and there is no doubt about whom you are talking. "Farrah" stands on her own. Say, "Michael" and this generation is likely to think "Jordan" not "Jackson." I was a little too old to get caught up in the Farrah frenzy. I liked the Jackson Five more than Michael Jackson. If I had to count which of these three performers put a smile on my face time and time again, I'd have to go with Ed McMahon.
Yes Virginia, I'm getting old.

The Bailout!

From MSNBC...Senate Democrats defeated a Republican effort to kill a $1 billion "cash for clunkers" program that provides government incentives of $3,500 to $4,500 to car buyers who trade in old gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles. But in passing the bill on June 18 as an add-on to funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Democrats also defeated the "green" wing of their own party, who wanted to do much more to favor the purchase of passenger cars over pickup trucks and SUVs. The bill, which President Barack Obama is expected to sign, will enable many consumers who take advantage of the program to buy trucks that are barely more fuel-efficient than their old guzzlers. If this idea sounds familiar, may I refer you to a post on this blog from November, 2008. (http://kevinjjordan.blogspot.com/2008/11/bailout.html) The program was right. The amount was wrong. If Congress needs any additional help, please use the e-mail address listed below

A Fallen Hero

On Friday, Northeastern Pennsylvania said good-bye to Pennsylvania State Trooper Josh Miller. Trooper Miller was shot and killed in the line of duty.

I was able to watch and listen to much of his funeral service. It was most impressive.

I was struck by the generosity of his family. They allowed us in. They allowed us to share their grief. Perhaps it was their way of allowing us to share the burden.

On my weekend rounds, I drove Exeter Avenue in West Pittston. There I found American flags lining the street. It was just a small part of the route Trooper Miller took to his final resting place. There were hundreds of flags. Maybe thousands. Young people from Wyoming Area High School decorated tree lawns on Thursday as a tribute to Miller.

Isn't it interesting that one symbol, the American flag, is used to illustrate our greatest pride and our deepest grief.

On this Flag Day we remember, lest we forget.