Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Here’s an easy way to solve the problem Democrats are having with deciding who their nominee for President will be: leave the decision to the elected delegates. So called “super delegates” should not vote. If the super delegates do not vote on the first ballot, neither Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton nor Senator Barack Obama can secure the nomination. That will force at least a second ballot. Under Democratic Party Rules, delegates are released from their obligation to vote for a candidate to whom they are pledged after the first ballot. Now the fun will begin. As long as super delegates stay out of the fray, the decision will rest with delegates who have been elected by the voters of the Democratic Party. The party leadership will not have to deal with charges that they have brokered a nominee in the proverbial “smoke filled room.” Two ballots, three ballots, more…whatever it takes. Whoever the nominee is, charges that they were coronated by the party’s leadership will dog that nominee through November. A floor fight for the nomination that is transparent can only serve to help the nominee. And the hope of a “dream ticket,” Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton can come to fruition without the baggage. So super delegates “stand down” and let the people decide. Let’s get ready to rumble.

"Double G"

It was with profound sadness that we learned today of the death of George Gilbert.

George was a legend in local radio. His family announced the death on an internet radio chat board. How appropriate. Thanks to Tom Woods, many of us were able to share our thoughts about George. His son-in-law said George's family shared them with George. Before he died last night, surrounded by his family, George knew how important he was to us.

I've always said that David DeCosmo "discovered" me, but it was George who gave me my big break, taking a chance on an 18-year old newscaster back in 1975.

I saw him last at the funeral for Terry McNulty in 2006. Before that, George was part of Terry's on air retirement party at WNAK. Many of us recorded messages for Terry. I recorded George.

I remember thinking to myself, "George hasn't missed a beat." While much of the discussion over the next few days will be about George's immense talent, please don't lose how much he gave to the broadcasters with whom he worked. As part of the "Sensational Seven" he made WARM Radio a powerhouse. By inspiring and supporting young broadcasters, WARM continued to be a giant.

May God bless you George. May God bless your family.

You are and were, "Sensational."

Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston is dead and I'm not feeling so good myself.

21

Right out of the gate, this is not a review of a movie.

It is about a milestone.

I know a man who turns twenty-one years old on April 2.

He's smart.

He's compassionate.

He has a heart of gold.

I know, it's a little cliche. But it's true.

He is loyal and true.

He is everything I once hoped to be.

He is mature beyond his years.

While I have almost certainly disappointed him, he has never disappointed me.

If you are lucky in life, you may meet him someday.

I suspect you may read him first.

He is an aspiring journalist. He is a very good writer.

By now, you may have guessed I know him well.

You are right. I do.

He is Kevin Christopher Jordan. K.C. for short.

He is my son. I love him more than he knows.

Happy Birthday buddy.

You're the best!

Count On It

Kudos to the County Commissioners for approving an optical scan voting system in Lackawanna County. While the county had a difficult time using the system the first time around in '07, the system will prove to be an advantage. An optical scan voting system uses printed ballots. Voters fill-in the circle next to the name of the candidate for whom they wish to vote. The ballot is then placed in a ballot box and counted once at the polls and again at a central location. But the biggest advantage is the ability to visually inspect a ballot. This is significant during a recount. Inspectors can examine a ballot over and over and come to agreement on just what the ballot says. That is crucial in establishing integrity with voters. Commissioners in other counties should have been so wise.

Damage Control

I had the opportunity to listen to Senator Barack Obama's speech on racism. Mr. Obama was introduced by former Senator Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania. I later watched the same speech on television later. The televised speech seemed more inspiring. It must be the same effect of listening to the Kennedy/Nixon denate on radio and watching it on TV. It was a good speech. It was not great. It was not Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I would have been more impressed if the Senator had delivered the speech without the swirl of controversy surrounding him and his former Pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I was left with the impression that the Obama capaign was engaged in damage control, full throttle CYA, not a debate on the issue of race in America. Follow the speech with a major faux pas. After throwing his grandmother under the bus as a racist, he later described her as a "typical white person." Excuse me Senator I am not typical. That's stereotyping and, dare I say it, "racist."

Teach a man to fish...

Sources tell me the apparent sickout by teachers at Holy Redeemer High School Wilkes-Barre will be the first of many “rolling sickouts” at newly merged schools in the Diocese of Scranton. It’s coming to a school near you. This comes after Bishop Joseph Martino announced he would not recognize the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers. Should teachers have the right to elect their own leaders and to have those leaders bargain on their behalf? I say yes.
“We should add here that in today's world there are many other forms of poverty. For are there not certain privations or deprivations which deserve this name? The denial or the limitation of human rights - as for example the right to religious freedom, the right to share in the building of society, the freedom to organize and to form unions, or to take initiatives in economic matters - do these not impoverish the human person as much as, if not more than, the deprivation of material goods? And is development which does not take into account the full affirmation of these rights really development on the human level?”
The above author: Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Pope John Paul II
Here’s the link to the Vatican’s website so you can read it yourself:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis_en.html
My hope is that the Bishop will step back. He should not spend money on consultants. He should recognize SDACT
My fear is that the Bishop will act unilaterally and not recognize SDACT. The teachers only have the months from September to June to try and reverse the Bishop’s decision to deal with teachers through an employee council at individual schools.
Catholic School teachers make extraordinary sacrifices to teach our kids. At the very least they deserve to choose their own leaders and to bargain collectively. Parents make equally significant sacrifices to send their daughters and sons to our Catholic schools. Their stake in this issue should not be diminished.
As a product of Catholic education, let me say, “Thank you,” to the religious and lay teachers who provided me with my education and my parents who sacrificed to send me to a Catholic school.
I stand with the teachers.