DECEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 31, 1998
DECEMBER 31, 1998
Snitches and more sludge
Good morning on the last day of 1998. It is 10.4 degrees at 6 A.M. and it is
snowing.
Yesterday proved to be an interesting day. The Bradford Era ran the
story "Slocum looks to revamp jobless benefits system." It also had a picture of
three children (ages 9, 10, and 11) engaging in a snow ball fight at Callahan Park.
Those kids had better be careful. If they do that on school property, they
could easily come under the scrutiny of law enforcement and be charged as adults for
aggravated assault by the "crime fighting" District Attorney Michele Alfieri.
More about her later.
Slocum's claim that he wants to "change the unemployment compensation system to
make it a more effective and fairer system" proves one thing. Not all the sludge
passed through the water treatment facility in Youngsville and made it into Brokenstraw
Creek.
There is nothing fair for working people in the legislation that our "Sludge
King" is introducing. Saying it would "become more effective" stinks as bad
as the banks of the creek that were encrusted with raw human waste. Just as he saved
Youngsville Borough thousands of dollars by dumping sludge into the water, he will save
his puppeteer thousands also. Plain and simple, Slocum is out to save the people who pull
his strings thousands of dollars a year at the expense of the workers in this state.
Bill Slocum was bought and paid for by the Powdered Metals Industry of Ridgway, PA.
Check out the contributions that made it into his campaign by a certain CEO who is now
calling in his marker. Slocum's legislation would directly benefit this man and his
company as he costs out jobs. He would have the luxury of hiring part time workers
instead of paying overtime to the existing workers. When the job ended, he could lay them
off and under the provisions of the Slocum legislation, part time workers can't collect.
Also, by averaging the last three quarters instead of taking the highest of the three,
this legislation would directly damage workers in the construction trades who are forced
to sit out the winter months.
Last year Slocum was the lone sponsor of this bill designed to cut the amount paid out
in Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits in half. This year, with the support of the
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Slocum hopes to gain additional support in
the Senate and see this anti-labor piece of legislation that is a direct attack on workers
passed.
THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL REVIEW opposes this unnecessary and anti-labor
legislation. We oppose Slocum as he attempts to pay back his political supporters. Leave
our workers alone!
While we were discussing the Sludge King, one of the local snitches in the
latest round of drug arrests came into the conversation.
I thought Bobby Guzan was in jail for 30 days, someone asked me.
I replied that I thought he indeed was in jail.
If he is in jail, then why did I see him driving his pickup yesterday and drinking
in a local bar? the person asked me.
At that point I called Adult Probation at the Court House and asked for Gary Seefeldt.
I inquired about the status of the man who was publicly applauded by the Attorney General
and is making cases for the District Attorney against a few small time drug users.
He's in jail, Seefeldt told me.
I replied that he indeed was not and asked why. Gary did not know so I then called the
District Attorney's office. I was told that the District Attorney was not available.
(Maybe attending another knitting school or measuring the mileage to Pittsburgh and back.)
When I asked that she be made available I eventually got to speak with Chad
Foster, her full time assistant. He relayed to me that she was out of town and
when I pressed to speak with her, he said he would try to get in touch with her. Needless
to say, she never phoned. In the meantime, I called the High Sheriff of McKean County,
Donald Morey. He informed me that Mr. Guzan was serving weekends only for his
third DUI Offense in the past seven years.
Now, quoting a handout given in the DUI classes in Smethport, I draw your
attention to a section known as Mandatory Penalties.
The DUI law in Pennsylvania specifies mandatory minimum penalties for DUI
convictions, which are based upon the number of prior DUI offenses a defendant has within
a seven (7) year period.
1. First Offense - DUI Conviction
a. A misdemeanor of the second degree (M-2) with maximum penalty of two (2) years
imprisonment and $5,000 fine.
b. Mandatory minimum sentence of 48 consecutive hours imprisonment and $300 fine.
2. Second Offense - DUI Conviction
a. A misdemeanor of the second degree with a maximum penalty of two years
imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
b. Mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days imprisonment and $300 fine.
3. Third Offense - DUI Conviction
a. A misdemeanor of the first degree (M-1) with a maximum penalty of five (5) years
incarceration and/or a $10,000 fine. b. Mandatory minimum sentence of
90 days incarceration and a $300 fine.
The Bradford Era reported on December 19, 1998 that this was his third
conviction and he was sentenced to 30 days in jail by President Judge John M. Cleland. How
can that be? House Bill 575, effective September 4, 1995 established mandatory
minimums. How is it that Robert Guzan gets 30 days when he should get 90 days and
then is allowed to serve his sentence on weekends and be out and around driving
(thought there was some sort of suspension attached, too) and in bars drinking, too?
What in the world is going on? Who is responsible for this special
treatment for the witness for the Commonwealth who turned on his friends to save his own
rear end?
Obviously, our crime fighting DA had to agree to this and Judge Cleland had to
give this his blessing also. Did they say he could drive and drink, too? Wow! With this
treatment, everyone will start turning in their friends.
The only way to describe what is going on is to call it what it is - A big pile
of sludge! We believe that the people deserve some sort of
explanation from the Judge, The Attorney General, and the District Attorney. Guzan got his
payment in full when he did not have to go to jail for his own involvement in the cocaine
fiasco. Why does he continue to get more while people who may or may not have committed
offenses circa 1993-1995 are forced to suffer even as I write? Sludge! Nothing but Sludge!
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 30, 1998
Odds and ends at year end
It's not a beautiful morning today. It is 9.8 degrees at 5:57 in the morning
and the snow is falling. The wind is howling and the wind chill is in the area of 30
below. However, it is warm in here and in an hour or so I will try out the plowing
attachment I bought for my lawn tractor.
It is always a scary thing for those close to me whenever I begin to use any item of
mechanized machinery to perform household tasks. For years it seemed that machinery of any
kind and I did not get along. While my mother was here visiting over the Christmas
holidays, Anita, the manager of The Rainbow Inn recounted the day I shot the lawnmower. (I
shot it six times and it never gave me trouble again!)
Things have changed since then. Word has spread throughout the land of weed eaters,
mowers, tractors, skill saws, sawsalls and drills. I am properly respectful of them and
their space and they work for me when required to do so. The ASPCT (American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Tools) and I are finally at peace - at least for now - and
assuming the tractor will start when I get ready to use it.
Freedom of Speech is protected on the internet!
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) recently took up the case of a 17 year old
high school student who published disparaging comments and remarks about his teachers and
his school. The School Board and the Administration did not take kindly to the student's
extracurricular publishing (much like the bosses took to The Mountain Laurel Review)
and awarded him a two week suspension. A Federal Judge ruled that the opinions expressed
on the internet are protected under Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press by the
United States Constitution.
It seems that it came as a surprise to the School Board and the Administration that
such freedoms existed, especially for one of their students. They intend to appeal the
ruling and the ACLU promises to fight all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. We
support the ACLU and their job of protecting the rights of not only the student, but all
of us who use the net to pass along ideas often not placed in the commercial media.
And in answer to many letters about where we stand on Police Office Dom Cercone
shooting the dog last November.............
We support Officer Cercone and his judgement and his response to a situation
that could have proved become a disaster for humans.
There are operational words and thoughts involved in the situation that seems to have
been carried to an extreme by people who would otherwise step over a starving man and turn
their backs on an abused child. They are dog, i.e. animal, not a human, and a very
large and threatening dog at that. Some of the others might be small
children waiting for a school bus, or, animal acting erratically and posing a
potential danger to humans.
I love my dogs. I hate my neighbor's dog when it barks all night. I also hate my other
neighbor's dog when it comes and craps in my front yard. I keep my dogs confined behind a
four foot fence. If they were younger and began to dig under the fence, then I would place
pipe in the ground so they could not get out under the fence. In loving my dogs, I keep
them safe from other people, animals, and themselves.
Whatever the circumstances, a very large and potentially dangerous dog was allowed to
run loose. Reports were made that the dog was menacing children who were waiting for a
school bus. Another report came in that the same dog chased a woman into her car. What was
Officer Cercone to do? Throw the dog a bone and hope it went home? What would we be saying
today if a child had been mauled and permanently disfigured because the man on the front
line making the decision had decided to give this animal extra time? It makes no
difference to me if he shot that animal once or ten times. How many of us have seen deer
run for miles after being shot in a vital area with high powered weaponry? To err on the
side of overkill is an error I will always support when you are dealing with something -
like that dog - that is dangerous. Good job, Dom!
And you want additional stanzas of Tyrannus Dukie!!!!
We were recently told about a lady in Otto Township who was bitten by a rat. We are
looking into the runaround she and her family have been receiving by the people in power
who have the duty to do something about excess rat infestation. However, when told of the
incident, we immediately responded via e-mail in the following manner:
This is shocking. We were led to believe that the only rat in Otto Township was
Jeff Duke.
Evidently, we were wrong. Perhaps we should call on the Pied Piper of Hamlin Township,
Bill Kilmer, to lead the other rats away. However, it also appears that he may have his
own problems with the Sunshine Act Case that was brought against him.
Speaking of Hamlin Township and personalities from that lovely area, Bill
Belitskus deserves a tip of the hat. Remember Bill? He ran for Congress against John
Peterson and has been improperly and wrongfully identified as being part of the group that
illegally shut down the chipping mill.
Bill returned a check to the county in the amount of $21.71 that was his for
jury duty. Bill told us that he did not need to be paid for doing his civic duty.
Many of you might scoff and laugh at him for returning the money, but I won't.
He is to be admired for not only returning the check, but for standing up and saying what
he believes in, regardless of how the rest of us feel. While I don't necessarily agree
with him, just like the student who did not like his teachers or his school, Bill has the
right to say his piece. The last time I checked this was still America - for now, anyway.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 29, 1998
Real stories and real fans
Good morning. It is 29.8 degrees at 5:30 in the morning in Marshburg, PA. Rain
changing to snow is in the forecast. We are looking at lake effect snows tomorrow. They
are unpredictable and can give us a foot or so in no time.
Yesterday's story about President Clinton is for real. A very many of
you e-mailed us about its veracity. The Calgary Herald was careful not to assign
the factual side of the story to the book, even though they did allude to it. However, CBC
did state to us when we inquired about the interview the following:
The statements made by the author in our live interview were the views of the
author. CBC does not necessarily endorse, or deny, that the statements made by him are not
factual. CBC does also recognize that in the eighties tainted blood did come to Canada
from sources in the United States. There currently is an action against the Canadian
Government and the Canadian health care system as a result of the infections that people
contracted as a result of the tainted blood supply. Beyond that, we are fulfilling our
duty to report the news and stories we feel are newsworthy.
We are currently attempting to contact the author and publish an interview with him if
at all possible. In the meantime, looking at the character of the man, why would we doubt
that the allegations made by the author may not have substance and truth to them?
The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta did confirm the actions taken in Arkansas in
the late 70's and the early 80's in an attempt to prevent tainted and infected blood from
reaching the national blood bank. They did confirm that HMA was forced to close. They
would not confirm the continuation and the operation of the lab and the blood recovery
process from the prison population (PP) and the continued labeling and representation in
sales as the source being the general population (GP). They did, however, confirm that the
records of the inquiry and investigation were in deed destroyed in a fire in the vicinity
of the year 1990.
As for the direct involvement of then Governor Clinton, without speaking to the author,
it appears that no direct evidence seems to exist that he was directly involved. The
author has stated in his CBC interview and in the interview with the Calgary Herald
that he ....is convinced that somewhere there is a paper with Bill Clinton's signature
on it. It is the author's contention that this was a pet project of Clinton's in an
effort to produce jobs. Again, if that is true and he allowed it to continue beyond the
damnation of the CDC, then he is definitely culpable in our eyes.
As this story unfolds, we will dedicate a day to some of your fine comments. Beyond
that, the Steelers went down last night 21-3 to end a dismal year. Kordell Stewart
was his usual second year self throwing two interceptions. He didn't cry; but probably
should have. I am sure many of the fans felt like crying. Jerome Bettis ran for over a
hundred yards in the first half and 130 plus in the game. Receivers dropped two passes in
the end zone - as if it mattered. Bill Cowher stood on the sideline dumbfounded with the
dopes in the press box thinking they can call plays and may even know something about
football. Who ever decided that we need offensive coordinators, anyway? What happened to
quarterbacks calling their own plays? Oh well. What do I know? I'm just a fan who has
stuck with them and always will.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
DECEMBER 28, 1998
The Clinton Scandal that is still buried
.....came to light when a Mountain Laurel Review reporter, Scott
Jenkinson, was recently listening to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and an
interview with an author. The book, Blood Trail, was published as a work of
fiction, however, it seems that it is a fictionalized account of facts that surround its
story.
The Calgary Herald reviewed this book on November 21, 1998 and states:
"Blood Trail is a well-worked thriller on a simple literary level, but is rendered
much more powerful by the basis of truth on which it is constructed. It is a fictional,
but theoretically possible, story about the tainted blood scandal that has infected more
than 30,000 Canadians with either hepatitis C or AIDS trough blood transfusions. The plot
concerns a father whose son gets AIDS as a result of a transfusion he needed after being
injured in a hunting accident. Zak then unwittingly passes the virus to his wife. His
father, David Farr, is driven to trace the blood and discovers a conspiracy leading
through the Arkansas prison system to its former governor and present president of the
United States. No prizes for guessing who. "I honestly believe that records exist
with Bill Clinton's name on them" said the author in a Herald interview. " He
must have been fully knowledgeable." Recently Michael Sullivan revealed his true
identity -- Michael Galster to give his cause more credence. He had used the pseudonym
fearing for the lives of his wife, five children and himself. Galster has worked since the
late '70s as a prosthetist in Arkansas and has had contracts with the state penitentiary,
where he first suspected blood was being taken from prisoners and sold throughout North
America. In 1978-79, inmates with jaundice came to his prostehetic clinic with bandages on
their arms. He was shocked to find they had given blood, despite having infected livers.
In his ignorance Galster assumed there must be a means of cleaning the blood before it
reached the market. "The second red flag came when prisoners came to me asking for
percodan, a narcotic," explained Galster. This was the currency with which prisoners
were paid for their blood. The appalled Galster recalled the case of Danny Sanders, an
inmate who, in his craving for the drug, injected himself in the knee with saliva which
brings on a potentially fatal infection. Sanders ended up having his leg amputated at the
hip and his family brought a legal suit against the penitentiary. Galster charted the
existence of the health contractor, HMA, which conducted the blood operation. According to
his research, it employed doctors who had been struck of the list for various
misdemeanors. HMA was closed down after an inquiry in 1981, but Galster claims its
plasma-collection unit continued to work right up until Clinton moved to the White House
in 1991. Of course, records are scarce. Clinton has taken all his personal papers to the
White House and the commission that first fingered the HMA lost all its records in a fire
in 1990. Even if the facts still have to be investigated fully, Blood Trail is well worth
reading purely as a thriller. The story is fast paced, the characters well defined and the
action, often drawn from Galster's own experiences is explosive. Add all this to the
medical scandal, which no feeling human being can ignore, and the result is compulsive
reading."
The interview that our reporter heard on CBC states that the book, even though
it is fiction, is fact.
The author stated in the interview that the Center for Disease Control in 1984
identified the blood supply being sold by the State of Arkansas to plasma suppliers was in
fact tainted with Hepatitis C and AIDS. While it was forbidden to be sold in the USA, no
such restriction was place on exports. The author alleges that the Arkansas Prison System,
HMA, and the Governor, William Jefferson Clinton, knowingly sold and shipped the blood to
Canada even after the CDC outlawed it in this country. Currently, there is a law suit that
is going on where individuals have joined together to sue the Canadian Government for
supplying them with blood that has infected them and given them the sentence of death.
If there is one shred of truth to this, what type of man have we elected to be our
president? Forget Monica and sex in the White House! Forget the fact that he lied under
oath and is a Sociopath on an international level! Forget all of that because if this is
true then the man rates right along with the other mass murderers of this century.
Your comments on this article are welcomed at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
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