MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2000
JUNE 2, 2K
The trial is on
Good morning. It is 66.2 degrees at 6:06 A.M.
I was over the Court House on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing on my
"criminal" case - you remember the one - the $384 one in which the Attorney
General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at the urging of the party, using a liar,
brought charges against my sister in law and me for "election fund
irregularities" when I was elected County Commissioner.
Inspite of the fact that the Attorney General, a former high school classmate of mine,
has spent in excess of $300,000 to investigate and prosecute this five year old case, I
found it humorous that the prosecutor, Anthony Krastek, took a moment in the hearing to
offer to settle - or at least talk about it.
Now I am certainly one not to have deaf ears to deals. Heck! Look at the deal we made
on 9 Main Street, both in the purchase and then in the resale. But making a deal with the
likes of Mike Fisher and the corrupt Republican Party in this state leaves me cold. It
leaves me cold when I look at certain facts.
First, the $384 was reported as legal campaign expenses.
Second, every penny was accounted for and I spend more of my own money than the
contributions I received.
Third, I never created or authorized a Political Committee, a major prerequisite to
have charges brought against me for that offense.
Fourth, there is a double standard here. When the former Mayor of Bradford, Connie
Cavallaro, accepted a $500 Corporate Contribution, a very major no no in any political
circle, everyone looked and continues to look the other way.
And there is more and when we go to trial on October 30 of this year, all of that will
come out. It will because I will defend myself and I intend to call 191 witnesses in my
defense and get set for the array of well known people I will parade across that stand. I
have questions to be asked and asked under oath.
How long will this trial take?
Mr. Krastek estimated a day and a half to two day. Mr. Henry, my sister in law's
attorney, estimated three to four days. Me, I am not sure how long it will take to
question that many witnesses, but I am certain it will take at least a week, if not
longer.
And look at the timing.
October 30, 31, November 1, 2, and 3 are the week exactly before the fall election when
Mike Fisher runs for re-election against Democrat Jim Eisenhower.
Who is responsible for this?
From the beginning when I successfully ran against the party candidates and won, one
political action after another came at me. First it was the special election to keep the
party nomination. Then it was the business about where I served during the war. Then it
was this, and that was a contrived effort to get me to resign like our own Sludge King
Slocum who I must add, Mike Fisher did not prosecute. Has Fisher orchestrated this so he
can convict a corrupt former politician on the eve of the election?
I don't know, but if that is what he plans, he had better plan better because I will do
everything in my power to see that this blows up in his face.
Get set for a media event sports fans. No matter how you cut it, it will be just that.
Your comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
JUNE 1, 2K
Notes from my friends
Good morning. It is 63.7 degrees at 6:31. The temperature is higher than the
time!
After a very late night, I was gratified to have this very poignant note sent
to me.
Hi Bud,
How are things? Dodi and I are doing great. I have to pass on this little piece of
information, it makes a point that is so true. Hope you and your family are doing great,
see you soon!
On Thursday, May 27, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a
victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was
invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he
said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was
painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was
it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher,
every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every
so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are
powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. The following is a portion of
the transcript:
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts
of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of
violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the
deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must
not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers."
"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel
out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the
NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the
reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days
that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers
began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the
NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to
represent or defend the NRA -because they don't need to be defended. If I
believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their
strongest opponent."
"I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a
spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame
lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies
behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves."
"I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This
was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and
spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we
create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek
havoc. Spiritual influences were present within our educational systems
for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as
theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us
as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the
doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as
Columbine's tragedy occurs-politicians immediately look for a scapegoat
such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that
contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not
need more restrictive laws."
"Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount
of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of
massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing
and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our
nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will
not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more gaudy
television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do not
need more million dollar church buildings built while people with basic
needs are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble
acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple
trust in God!"
"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his
two friends murdered before his very eyes-He did not hesitate to pray in
school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge
every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on
April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our
schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain.
Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for
legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To
those of you who would point your finger at the NRA I give to you a
sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first
stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this
country will not allow that to happen!
The media did not report this, so let the nation hear this man's speech.
Please send this out to everyone you can -- they are words that should
make people at least stop and think, no matter what their beliefs may or
may not be.
And in the midst of the Jesus Christ controversy, we got this suggestion.
Hot dog day! Yea, that's a better name for "it". The vast majority of
people don't know or care about the real, or true meaning of Memorial Day. Like Christmas.
Who REALLY celebrates Christmas JUST for what it is supposed to be.....JUST a
"celebration" of Jesus Christ? ....No, we ALL give presents to each other (all
you WACKOS out there, too few in numbers to matter, who
don't - don't correct me!)....every last one of us. Now - on to Memorial Day. As a
society, we evolve ( even Bradford, like it or not) . What may have started out a
celebration, or actually a somber occasion to remember all the world war 2 vets that died,
came back wounded, maimed, or risked their lives (where were the anti-war protesters back
then?) turned into "Hot Dog Day".
Now I ;must say at this point (I am definitely NOT intending any disrespect to WW2
vets) I am not saying this is right. What I am saying is, To the vast majority of
Americans, This is NOW (and for many years to come) a celebration of the start of summer.
A day to: boat, camp, cook out, hike,
party, swim, go to the beach, cook out, bike, picnic, watch-the "RACE", cook
out, plant gardens, mow the lawn, cook out, ride motorcycles, wax the car, cook
out...............How many people went to the parade? 500....out of HOW many live in
Bradford and the surrounding area? Now, how many people cooked out? How many boated? how
many camped? How is that remembering the dead?
Wouldn't a good way to remember the dedicated men who gave their lives, would be
:going to the graveyard where they lay, kneel down, and say a prayer for them? How FEW of
you did that? Times have changed. I'm not the one who took the day away from the vets,
don't get mad at me. But it should be re-named to better reflect the times, and the true
meaning of the day........"Summers Here Day"......"Indy
Day"......"Camping Day"........my best suggestion is "Hot Dog
Day".
And even more about the parade - and more beyond and before that!
I can't help but comment on the person who wrote about the "faces filled
with promise" that marched in the Band on Memorial Day.
I also cried when others remembered how the "promises got broken" by
Band directors who abused their powers with those faces.
My children were members of such a band once upon a time. As a parent,
I watched their faces fill with promise. Then, I watched the Band director's face
"kiss a drum major" in the hallway of a darkened auditorium on a snowy night at
McDowell High School in Erie, PA. When I told the administration, they turned their heads.
"Not a second time at our school," was their reply. Yes, it had happened just
three years earlier with a different director. A School Board member that I spoke with
literally accused me of slander and told me that I had better be sure of my facts if
"she was going out on a limb". She never did go out on that limb. Instead, she
left town.
The School Board Attorney called me and said that there was no "hard
evidence." I told the Principal and he said, "We will watch him." It took
two more years before they finally got their evidence but how many "promises"
were broken in the meantime. That Principal eventually left town, too. The local newspaper
couldn't even "break the scandal" although a competitive paper in another town
tried. The Band Director left with his NEW wife after he divorced his current wife and the
Superintendent left on his horse.
I know that hopefully this is the past. But, to those whose "promised faces"
really were "painful faces", their music was perhaps more grand than that
recently heard. Perhaps now their songs will also finally be heard and appreciated for
what they were going through. It isn't the uniforms that make them look great, it is the
emotion inside that they let out in their songs.
The next time you see that Marching Band go down the street, think of
all those in the past who were shamefully put on exhibit, ridiculed,
taunted, threatened, and sadistically educated in the "Mary Kay
Latorneau" mentality of teachers who were protected by a system that
couldn't even see the facts for the asbestos.
Just sign me.....
Not Afraid To Tell The Facts Anymore
And more on the parade, too.
Hi Bud,
I just read your piece on the Memorial Day parade and wanted to let you know what Memorial
Day means to me. I know it's supposed to be a day
remembrance. I don't have any relatives or friends that died in W.W.II that
I'm aware of, not even Korea or Vietnam. My only memory of Vietnam is from
the evening news when I was 8 or 9 years old. As a day of remembrance,
Memorial Day means little to me.
Not knowing anyone who died doesn't keep me from appreciating the incredible sacrifice of
those who did serve. The courage of men going off to foreign lands to die under horrible
conditions in the name of their country. The
honor with which they served their units, comrades, and us. They did serve
us, because even though they didn't yet know my generation, they believed in
it and fought for it. That I can understand. That is why Memorial Day, to
me, is a celebration of the courage, honor, and faith of those who served.
The parade is a celebration for them too. I applaud anyone who takes the
time to participate and make it a better celebration. Christ, Santa Clause,
and the Easter Bunny. Like any rite, the parade not only helps to remind us,
but helps us to teach our children. The floats, the music, the crowd, and
especially the candy, made it a celebration for my children. And because of
the celebration, it gave me the chance to start to teach them about the
reason behind it. One day hopefully they will understand the spirit of those
they never knew.
You may not like David Souder. Criticize him, but don't bring the parade
into it. Next it'll be those offended by Santa, or girls in hula skirts,
and we don't need any more political correctness in what should be a
celebration of spirit.
And all of this because Tom Clark didn't write this week.
Your comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
MAY 31, 2K
Where's Tom Clark when I need him?
Good morning. It is 51.1 degrees at 6:07 A.M.
No Tom Clark! I could have used his column yesterday. One person did not
appreciate my column.
Regarding the Memorial Day parade. Main Street was packed with people. It was a
beautiful morning. The Marching Owls looked magnificent in their new uniforms. They
sounded great. The Fretz band along with School St. and St. Bernards equally moved me.
Such wholesome faces filled with hope and promise. There were boy scouts, girl scouts,
little leaguers and firetrucks. There were old cars and new cars, wheelchairs and even a
lawn tractor. Then there were the floats. Some to make us laugh. Some to make us remember
and some to make us think. All designed and created by fellow Americans for 'our'
enjoyment. Last and certainly most important were the proud group of
veterans. My Dad was one of the proud Vets who marched in the Memorial Day Parade. I watch
them pass by without him and I cry. He wasn't avery religious man but he risked his life
so that my sister,her pastor, and her fellow church members could march in any parade they
chose to.What does Christ have to do with Memorial Day? Where do you think all the people
being remembered are? Just my 2 cents...
But there were others and the first comment answered the question asked in this
one.
Tell Souder to come to our town. We have an Easter parade and he would
fit right in.
Did the marching band march? At least perhaps they weren't involved in
any drum major scandals like during past Memorial Day liaisons.....er,
parades.
Does anyone else remember that tidbit in history? It seemed someone did!
You are right about the parade. Many of the "attractions" were out of
place. But the Marching Owls did march and it was good, and it was healing to see them.
There was a time when the band was nothing but a "playpen" for certain people
and when it was exposed it was quickly brushed under the rug with certain people actually
being threatened to keep their mouths shut. One innocent family even move away over it.
Time has moved on, it is just that things like that have a way of staying around. So do
the people involved.
And someone else agreed with me about Jesus Christ.
Three cheers for having the balls to say that Christ carrying the cross does not
belong in a Memorial Day Parade. Now they will call you an atheist or even worse.
Nevertheless, you are right.
And someone else did, too.
I was appalled when I saw that moron carrying a cross down Main Street. It is a
shame it wasn't as heavy as the real Cross was and the crown of thorns were not real, too.
Then, instead of being a mouth and not living the life he says we should, then maybe he
would know what it is really like. You should investigate him and the activities he is
involved in. You could give us some interesting reading.
Life in Dog Patch!
But alas! While I was working all day Memorial Day- after the Parade - I had on KOOL
100, our local oldies station. They had ads on most of the day that were positive on the
area. They were so positive that I almost didn't know where they were talking about.
I liked it. I liked it a whole lot. Forget the three cheers for me for doing what I
always do - cause trouble, three cheers for the radio station for talking up instead of
negative all the time.
I love living here. It is good to come home after covering six states in five days. It
is real good. Now we need some of the heat that I had when I was in the south. Once we get
that it will really seem like summer. And we all know summer is just beginning. Have a
really nice day. Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
P.S. Tom Clark! Phone home!
MAY 30, 2K
Coming home
Good morning. It is 46.6 degrees at 6:14 A.M. and I hope every one had a good
Memorial Day Weekend.
Whether you realized it or not, I was on the road last week - literally. In
five days and four nights I covered 2,654 miles.
It was nice being out there looking in on Bradford and McKean County every morning
using The Error as my window. I got quite a few laughs over Jimmie Weaver and
Sludge King Slocum. I got even more laughs over Wal Mart wanting to come here. That will
never happen. No one in the Wal Mart organization is so stupid to place a multi-million
dollar super store in a dying area. No. On the contrary, they would rather go to
Coudersport where they have something going for them. That is where the store will be
located. And all the ink wasted and the hot air expended won't mean a thing.
If I were Wal Mart, I would look at Kane any day before I would look at Bradford.
Heck, Bradford can't even put on a decent Memorial Day parade.
Tell me something. What the hell does some minister dressed like Jesus Christ wearing a
crown of thorns carrying a cross have anything to do with remembering our veterans who
died for our freedom? That was about as much in keeping with Memorial Day (formerly known
as Decoration Day) as the flat bed truck with women in grass skirts and bikini tops
dancing throwing candy to kids.
We are a nation under God. I do not dispute that. However, we are also a nation that
welcomes all faiths and beliefs, and the presence of Christ carrying a cross in a Memorial
Day Parade is just a bit to the edge for me; and the flat bed truck is no better either.
Both were out of line for the theme of the day.
I remember marching in Memorial Day Parades. First as a Cub Scout, then as a Little
Leaguer, and finally as a Boy Scout. Each and every year we ended up at a Cemetery and
listened to speeches about our dead veterans who gave their lives in war. Then we started
the baseball season and the swimming pools opened. For some reason I remember it always
being warm. Yesterday was barely that. I wonder how that fits into the Global Warming
Theory?
Any way, I checked the Erie news this morning. They showed the parades all over Erie
County and down to Meadville, too. There were bands and fire trucks, I saw Cub and Boy
Scouts, I even saw the Little Leaguers; but no Christ carrying the cross. I wonder why? Do
they know something we don't; or do we know something they don't?
And remembering back to my childhood, going to a Catholic School, no nuns marched in
parades and neither did the priests. The Methodist Church next door didn't have a float.
The Lutheran Church didn't have a band. The Presbyterians didn't field majorettes. None of
the churches were represented in the parade and that was in the days when we prayed in the
public schools, too. I wonder why?
Extremists and nuts like David Souder belong in their churches, not in Memorial Day
Parades. The only place the clergy has is to give the invocation. Beyond that, it is what
it was always meant to be and that is for us to go to the graves of our veterans and
remember them and thank them for what they did for us.
God gave us the strength and grace to make it through those wars and He saw fit to take
some of the best and brightest from us as payment for our freedom. And at the same time He
allowed us to prosper and go on in their names. For that we should be thankful and we
should not forget it. But as far as his only Begotten Son, He does not belong marching in
any parade to honor war veterans.
Your comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com
MAY 27, 28, & 29, 2K
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