DECEMBER 12 - DECEMBER 18, 1998
DECEMBER 18, 1998
Nothing special
Good morning again. It is 22.8 degrees in Marshburg, PA, USA. It is also 5:37
in the morning.
There is a new web site on line. It is www.stogies-online.com.
Being a fan of an occasional cigar myself, I enjoyed checking it out.
My recent trip to New York netted me two boxes of cigars (Churchills) for $25 a box.
They were a close out that the owner of the store bought up. Any size cigar in a wooden
box for $25. It was a deal because they are as good as the Ashtons I buy occasionally that
go for $280 a box. The one dollar cigar being as good as the eleven dollar cigar. The
store? you ask. It is the JR Tobacco Co. on East 45th Street.
I found the place last year when Sharyn and I were walking past NBC and Rockefeller
Center. Two executive types came out of NBC and immediately lit up cigars. We were going
in the same direction following them down the street. When they walked into the Cigar
Store, I followed. They acted as if they knew what they were doing so when they bought a
box of cigars ($34), I bought what they bought. They were good so I went back again. They
didn't have that brand anymore, but the stogies they recommended are great!
By the way, I want to thank you for the kind e-mail you sent (36 of you)
complimenting me on my stanza of Tyrannus Dukie.
I should point out to you that I was a great fan of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. His work, Tyrannus
Nix? was written in early 1969 and first read at one of the many Draft Resistance
Benefits in the spring of 1969. He referred to his style as a political-satire-tirade.
He becomes one of the first people in America to call for the impeachment of Richard
Nixon. I have been working one my own little ditty, Tyrannus Clint! I should have
that on line by the end of the year. It is just about done.
However, judging by your response, Tyrannus Dukie was a great success. Many of
you asked for more. Keep in mind that this is just off the cuff so to speak, but here
goes.
TYRANNUS DUKIE (PART TWO)
DUKIE DUKIE Did you count the trees today Are there any missing
Did you see any timber thieves Remember that they are lurking everywhere Big Foot is out
there Call your Grand Jury Try Sean You said he was the biggest of the big You
accused him of the theft of trees You lost DUKIE You lost your alleged perfect
record of convictions Sean went free He did not go to jail Instead you recruited him or
maybe he recruited you You turned him to the Dark Side of the Force He became your snitch
and you became his partner What are you doing DUKIE Are you in the tree business now Are
you out there cutting trees with Sean Was he really a timber thief or were you wrong all
along If you couldn't beat them DUKIE Did you join them
At the same time, others enjoyed F.O.R.M.'s. They liked the part about the City
Grandmothers and the puppet mayor. One local downtown business owner vowed to run for
mayor yesterday just so he could fire King Ray and get rid of Connie.
The Mayor runs the Police Department, doesn't she? he asked. I need to get
a hold of that job. I have some things I want to get done.
There is quite a movement out there to send her packing and stay at the Senior
Center on a regular basis. I guess that's what you should expect when you double cross
everyone who worked to get you elected. I am sure there will be a whole lot more about
this in the future.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 17, 1998
F.O.R.M.'S and other people
Good morning. It is 31.8 degrees with snow on the ground and still
falling at 5:56 A.M. in lovely downtown Marshburg, PA this morning.
The last letter in The Bradford Era yesterday was curious. It was as
curious as the letter Tom Ball and Larry Stratton received, too. We'll look at each one
separately.
"Not a word about new auto parts store" was the title the staff of The
Era placed on the letter from Kelly Bradley of Lewis Run.
The letter itself addressed the fact that Howard Johnson's owners did not protest the
building of the store. Certainly, it is within a reader and a taxpayer's right to point
that fact out. Why would the owners of Howard Johnson's object to the construction of the
auto parts store? It is an attractive building. I would also guess that there is little
likelihood the burgeoning population of Bradford and the surrounding area will flood to
the new store in such droves that the parking lot will become inadequate to hold the
automobiles that they will spill over across the street and fill up Howard Johnson's.
Also, Tom Vickery, the owner of the land and the contractor who put up the facility in
record time, just happens to be a persona non grata in the eyes of the City
Grandmothers and Godfather, so Howard Johnson's was secure in the thought that he and the
new company would be given not inside (and secret) deal or tax abatement so as to give
them an advantage over the existing competition. As far as I know, Mr. Vickery never
applied for a LERTA status that would take away school, city, and county taxes for the
next 5 to 10 years as was rumored to be the case in the Comfort Inn deal.
However, the letter was interesting in the fact that Kelly Bradley has
information known only to certain people close to the case.
The statement: ....I certainly hope that the owners and managers of Howard
Johnson's have spent ample time and energy picking over the chain of title on the building
lot, scrutinized the building plans, made sure there were ample employee and handicap
parking spaces and looked into any concerns they must have about traffic entering and
exiting the parking lot strongly suggest privy to a whole lot of inside information
that was never printed in The Era or The Mountain Laurel Review. It is
unlikely that Era reporters would have even had that special knowledge to print
what appeared in the letter. I was aware of the actions described throughout the letter
and immediately flags began popping up. Was this person a F.O.R.M.?
F.O.R.M.? you ask.
Why, friend of Ray McMahon, I answer.
That letter smelled of a prepared and planted letter. That letter stunk to high heaven
of someone using someone else to plant an idea and attempt to denigrate and downgrade a
business that has been valuable and important to Bradford. The letter sounded like Ray, or
one of his minions, wrote it.
Anyone can sue anyone else for any reason. Howard Johnson's, opposing the fact that the
City of Bradford saw fit to bend and change its own rules and favor an incoming business
over existing businesses, chose to file suit. That does not make Howard Johnson's bad.
That makes them concerned over their continued existence and the jobs of their employees.
That means that they are prudent and good business people. Opposing the puppet mayor,
her puppeteer, and the policies of King Ray, the man with a lifetime contract, is not a
bad thing. If you are not on the inside and are not a F.O.R.M., you are always at a
disadvantage and will lose in business time and time again.
Another letter that surfaced yesterday was a request from Charles Jeffery Duke
asking for the budget of the county for the years 1996 and 1997. In the letter, he reminds
Commissioner Larry Stratton and Controller Tom Ball that he is entitled
to the information under law. They already knew that. When shown the letter, both
Jim Weaver and I said: Give it to him! What's the big deal?
Really, there is none. Larry, Jim, and I have run the most open administration
in the history of McKean County. Our finances are, and have always been, an open
book. So, why the sudden interest from the great Tuna?
Word has it that Charley the Tuna is coming back! Charley is running for County
Commissioner!
lest we forget:
-This is the same Charley Jeffery Duke who never ran his office within his budget in
any of the four years that he was District Attorney. Imagine what he could do with a
County Budget!
-This is the same Charley Jeffery Duke who was named Liar of the Year by The
Mountain Laurel Review three years in a row. Imagine the open government he would
run.
-This is the same Charley Jeffery Duke who chose not to oppose John Cleland for Judge
because they were rumored to have come to a private arrangement in which he would become
the second Judge when it became a reality. At last check, considering the three
commissioners would not agree to it, that should be about 2018!
-This is the same Charley Jeffery Duke who refused to try rapists, gave easy sentences
and plea arrangements to child molesters, and ran clandestine witch hunts against
political opponents and private citizens who were their friends.
-This is the same Charley Jeffery Duke who started the million dollar Matis
Case.
Stealing from Ferlinghetti and myself allow me to give you a stanza from Tyrannus
Dukie:
DUKIE DUKIE Tyrannus Dukie how many lies did you tell today Did you free
a rapist Did you make a plea arrangement with a child molester or did you just cover up a
domestic violence situation because it was someone near and dear Store the guns and see
that it stays out of the papers You are the hippie turned conservative You are the man on
the inside You are the former District Attorney who cannot remember under oath Go down
that rabbit hole Dukie Turn everything inside out and make truth lies and lies truth. You
are Dukie You are born with the Silver Foot in your mouth You are the Duke who would be
king Is there room enough for two Have you cleared it with King John Go Dukie go
It would certainly make for an interesting spring if that would happen. Can't say that
I wouldn't enjoy it. Actually, I would probably enjoy it. I can't see him
running for Commissioner. It is more likely that he will make a Come Back and run for D.A.
again. I could support that over the incompetence we have now. At least he wasn't a total
idiot. I see Duke backing someone like Bob Lovell, another elitist who thinks he's better
than the rest of us. Oh well. Time will tell.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 16, 1998
Passing it on
Good morning. It is 33.3 degrees at 5:40 A.M.
From one of our readers we received a message. We were asked to pass it on. It
is not a chain letter. It is just thought provoking.
S L O W D A N C E:
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round Or listened to the rain slapping
on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight=20 Or gazed at the sun into the
fading night?
You better slow down Don't dance so fast Time is short The music
won't last
Do you run through each day on the fly=20 When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores running
through your head?
You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast Time is short The music
won't last
Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die Cause you never had time to call and
say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast Time is short The music
won't last
When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown
away...Life is not a race. Do take it slower Hear the music Before the
song is over.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO HELP THIS LITTLE GIRL
Dear All,
I just received this mail from a friend of mine in my College. Please respond to it. It
will just mean employing a little bit of time and won't cost you a penny. All it needs is
the heart for you to send this mail. PLEASE pass this mail on to everybody you know. It is
the request of a little girl who will soon leave this world as she has been a victim of
the terrible disease called CANCER. Thank you for your effort, this isn't a chain letter,
but a choice for all of us to save a little girl that's dying of a serious and fatal
form of cancer. Please send this to everyone you know...or don't know. This little girl
has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a chain letter
telling everyone to live their life to fullest, since she never will. She'll never make it
to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. By you
sending this to as many people as possible, you can give her and her family a little
hope, because with every name that this is sent to, The American Cancer Society will
donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500
people!!!! So,I know that we can send it to at least 5 or 6. Come on you guys.... and if
you're too selfish to take 10-15 minutes scrolling this and forwarding it to EVERYONE,
then you are one sick person. Just think it could be you one day.It's not even your money
just your time! PLEASE PASS ON
Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx,
New York 10461, Phone 718-430-3306
The American Cancer Society may contact us at editor@www.mlrmag.com to verify the
number of people who read this page today for the purpose of the donation. We share with
Dr. Shields in asking our readers to please pass this on to your friends.
DECEMBER 15, 1998
A Louisville Slugger
Good morning. It is 20.1 degrees at 6:01 A.M. It is 36 degrees in
Buffalo, 70 -90 miles to the north, depending on who is estimating the mileage, just to
give you an idea of the difference between Marshburg and the rest of the world.
The first day of the hunt was a quiet one. The leaves were crunchy
with the frost the night before and the deer could hear you coming for several hundred
yards. Later, in the afternoon, shots were ringing out. I was out with Geoff when I heard
a shot below me. Then I could hear something coming. In a moment a large buck, bounding 30
to 40 feet with each leap, with his antlers gleaming in the afternoon sun, went by
escaping danger. Where was he last week?
In no time at all, the hunter who had fired went walking in the direction of the
escaping buck. I suspected he was firing at the large male deer. He claimed to have hit a
doe from 213 paces and asked if I saw the rack on the buck. I replied that I had and went
on about my business. I was covering Geoff's one side and he was hot on a drive.
Being out in the woods with your son is really something special. On the way out we
were talking about the Space Shuttle and the new Space Station. He was remembering being a
small boy and me taking him with me to a bar on Delaware Ave. in Buffalo to watch the
shuttle go up. We used to watch all the launches, he said. And we did, too. It
was a ritual with us like it probably was with many other people. The space station, I
pointed out, when completed will be visible with the naked eye from earth in the daytime
because of the size of the facility. It is an amazing world and it is nice to be able to
share it with your son.
Sharing something with you, Rick Piscitelli of Louisville,KY corresponds with
me via e-mail from time to time. Rick is with Team One Productions at a local
television station in Louisville and is originally from Bradford. He had one aunt
still living in the area. He wrote:
Just saying another "hi" and keep up the great work in my former home
country. I wish to comment on your December 1, 1998 article on the saving of the forest by
lawyers and college students from Clarion...they do need a clue! It's just like anything
else out there in nature, Bud, you know, you must have hunting season, some kind of
logging to keep the forest cleared of debris...and to keep the deer population at a safe
number...we all know it!
But city folk don't. I constantly see a car (a piece of crap old Dodge Colt, no
less) with a bumper sticker on it's window which proclaims "I am one of the 93% of
Americans who don't hunt. And I VOTE."
I also must remark that this person is also not just an idiot for that idealism,
but also 3 months late on renewing HER license plate, which expired in September!
Also, I am not mentioning the thick black smoke coming out of the exhaust, and our county
has emissions laws!
The tree-hugging, Bambi saving people just don't understand nature and really need
a reality check. That is all from here. Thank you for letting me vent. Happy Holidays to
you and your family!
P.S. The Indiana (and Kentucky) bat has discovered that the Allegheny
National Forest is a really great place, that's why it wishes to take up residence there.
And send us down the finest Northern Ash, so we can turn 'em into baseball bats (no pun
intended)...
Thanks Rick! Your comments and your humor is appreciated. Many of us
agree with you. Really, do only 7% of us hunt? There are really a lot of flatlanders here
this year. Seems like more than that to me, but who am I to question the lady in the Dodge
Colt?
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 14, 1998
Fair weather fans and the forest
Good morning. It is 22.1 degrees at 5:35 AM this morning.
It is the first day of a three day antlerless deer season. That means all the
newly impregnated doe are now fair game. I realize that it does sound a bit savage - you
know, going out and trying to kill the pregnant females of a species - but according to
those in the know, it is quite necessary.
It really isn't as bad as it sounds. There is no snow this year and it is virtually
impossible for the "flatlanders" to track anything. Also, working in the
"girls" favor is the fact that there are not all that many hunters in the woods.
I never bought into the estimate of 20 to 30 deer per acre by the game commission (I have
been regularly in the woods and that means I would be kicking out herds every hour or so),
but I do recognize that there are more deer than we believe.
The vastness of the area that I hunt was never anything I really thought about until I
hit on the Microsoft web site that showed satellite views of the earth. It's called
Microsoft Terra Server and I was able to key in on The Rainbow Inn and then plot
my hunting grounds map by map. In all there were 17 maps and it was then that I realized
my father-in-law's camp was due north instead of west and that I was covering an
exceptionally large area that probably was host to three separate herds of deer.
My son has never liked my hunting grounds and has chose the area across the road from The
Rainbow Inn. Considering he has dressed meat already in the freezer, if that was what
I was really after, I would follow him instead of going back to where I have a half dozen
or so kills. Anyway, it seems that the kill for me is not the action that I really desire.
It seems that it is the thrill of the hunt. The realization that my eyesight is not what
it used to be and my marksmanship has also suffered, just may be as much as I care to
admit. I shudder to think what it would be like dragging one out! I would guess that I am
a fan of the hunt more than the kill.
Yesterday, many Pittsburgh Steelers fans joined me at The Rainbow Inn to
watch them lose to Tampa Bay 16 - 3. There was quite a discussion regarding
Kordell Stewart and the offense, or lack thereof, by the Steelers. Needless to say, at
times it got hot and there was even the offer to wager as much as $100 on some idea that
would not come to pass for many years. Comparisons were made to Terry Bradshaw, a former
Steeler Quarterback now in the Hall of Fame. It was also pointed out that this was
Stewart's second year as a starting quarterback and still had to grow into the job. All
that out of the way, the Steelers now are 7 -7 and will need a minor miracle just to get a
Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
With everyone at the bar a Steeler fan, it became apparent that some took the meaning
of being a fan much differently than others. The term "fair weather fan" was
thrown out and it was obvious that it certainly applied to many of the participants in the
conversation. It was also obvious that the fans have been spoiled by the teams of the last
six seasons. One person blamed the poor showing on the Stadium Funding Issue. He was
promptly told to shut up and get a life.
Needless to say, it was quite an exchange around the large horseshoe shaped bar. Anita
was on her skates keeping the boys (and one lady) lubricated and fed. The wings were
coming out of the kitchen and the bones were piling up. The Steelers went down in defeat
and we changed the station just in time to see the Giants ruin Denver's perfect season. A
Buffalo Bills fan wandered in, lost obviously, and asked about his team. They won
decisively - another Doug Flutie job proving the power of desire and the willingness to
compete. Then we settled in to watch Dallas lose to Kansas City.
The disappointment of the Steelers loss still rumbled around the bar. I think we all
enjoyed watching Dallas (an arch enemy of the 'burg) struggle with a team we destroyed.
Still, there was little joy in that. Our team lost and Kordell is not the superstar he was
touted to be - at least this year, anyway.
Two games remain and the rest of the league does not have it so easy either. Miracles
do happen. We can win the remaining two games and certain teams can lose. Then it becomes
the horse of a different color, so to speak. I guess that is pretty much like my hunting.
I can't play ball myself anymore so I live through my team - The Steelers. Just like
hunting and missing a shot, true fans like true hunters, wait for the next week, the next
season, and the next shot. There is tomorrow, or at least we hope there will be. Win or
lose they are my team and I will be out there shortly after first light hoping I can get
one more for the freezer.
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DECEMBER 12-13, 1998
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