JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 1998
JULY 3-4-5, 1998
There were no articles.
JULY 2, 1998
What's the point Jim?
If you call your article about the county solicitor journalism, Jim, you
need to go back to grade school and learn to spell it first. What you wrote was a pile of
front page nothing. It was fluff. It was air. What's more, Jim, it left out so many facts,
it is inaccurate. Where do I start?
You failed to tell the people what Jay Paul Kahle does. When you
quoted the CYS director, you forgot to mention the times Kahle goes to court in place of
Mrs. Black. That's why you hire a firm instead of a person. Instead, you twisted
the story and quoted only the beginning of the statement when you wrote: "(Kahle)
doesn't prove much of anything direct, he oversees Mary Jo Black." Nice shot, Jim,
but not factually true.
You forgot to mention the fact that Jay Paul Kahle also has earned a Masters
in Social Welfare (MSW) and is qualified to be the Director of CYS and in fact
has been in the past. McKean County is lucky to have a Solicitor who is so eminently
qualified associated with CYS. Stanley Pecora has no such qualifications.
Your comparison with solicitors in nearby counties is also factually
misleading, thus making it inaccurate. Again, you tell only half of the story.
While solicitors are retained at $13,180 in Warren, $20,488 in Elk, and
$25,000 in Venango Counties, Mr. Kahle is salaried at $40,705 in McKean
County. Now Jim, even you, a college level instructor, should understand the difference
between a retainer and a salary. However, for the reader who doesn't, here it is.
A retainer means that more is on the way as the money is used up on an hourly
basis. A salary means that is it. You pay once but you get as much as you need.
That is a difference, Jim!
Did you bother to ask the extra billings made by the solicitors in those
counties? I did. Guess what? Adding the extra hours on the retainers tells a
whole new story. Hourly charges to the office were at $59,766 in Warren, $78,326 in Elk,
and $123,577 in Venango. Our salary remained constant at $40,705 making Mr. Kahle the best
bargain in four counties. What a difference, Jim! What a bunch of crap you wrote!
You do exactly the same thing when you compare Kahle to Pecora. You
make it sound like Pecora made less than Kahle. That is an untrue fact. Again, you did not
look at the hours. Pecora drew more than Kahle. He did it in the same way that you
attempted to make it look like Kahle was doing it with Mary Jo Black. In 1995 Pecora drew
$24,000. In 1995 Doug Garber, who works for Pecora was retained at $18,000. In 1995
additional payments from CYS were made to Garber amounting to $46,244. Add it up, Jim!
Kahle got $40,705. Mary Jo got $29,161. Who got more? Three years later, with CYS cases up
to an all time high, the cost of handling more costs less!
Why are CYS cases so high in McKean County, Jim? Did you look at that?
Did you compare cases in Venango, Warren and Elk to McKean? It might shock you. We have
more cases than Elk and Warren combined. Why? Do you think a liberal judge who has
historically been easy on rapists, child molesters and the like has anything to do with
the startling statistics in this county? Look at our statistics before you knock Family
Centers and programs to teach values again. You need to think about these things.
Hey Jim! Wake up! Comparing Kahle's salary to what Pecora made, or even
to other counties, is like comparing mine to Larry Dunn in Allegheny County.
If you want to compare, compare the Court Administrator in McKean to the three
other counties. Compare the Juvenile Probation or Adult Probation or Domestic
Relations Directors to other counties. Compare the cost of our Court System to other
counties. Why do we have so many cases? Look at the judge! Look at our District Attorney!
She recently completed knitting school for the second year in a row while earing nearly
$56,000 a year.
There is a story! It's there but you aren't allowed to talk about it.
That's right, Jim. You are not allowed. John Cleland is the Sacred Cow of The Bradford
Era. That is really what this is all about, isn't it?
John Cleland against Jay Paul Kahle once more! You really want to say
that Jay Paul Kahle is incompetent and lazy, don't you? You want to say he didn't take the
cases seriously enough. If you do, be a man and say it! I might even agree with you in
part. In the meantime you indirectly are taking your shots at me in a warm up for the
campaign of 1999. Makes sense to me. Makes sense to a whole bunch of other people, too.
They see right through you and the girls on the news desk. Tell the truth, Jim. It isn't
that hard, even for you.
Is that why your degree is in Fiction Writing? Did you have to go to
graduate school to learn to twist a story and omit facts? Is that what you are teaching at
the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford? If this is any indication of your credentials as
a college level instructor, Dick McDowell and whoever hires you should really re-think
your continued employment. By the way, are you salaried, or are you paid by the class? You
know, Jim, it makes a difference.
Finally, Jim, what does my sister-in-law have to do with the County Solicitor?
Greg Henry represents many clients. Why didn't you mention Howard Johnson's in the
article, too? Why didn't you mention Carol Gulnac? Hell, Jim, you could have given Cummins
Construction a plug. Why not the Corner Bar, Jim? Greg dates Dianne. Looking at it that
way, Barb in Greg's office dates Chris Hauser. You could also mention McDowell Wick and
Daley. They are in the same building. Get off it Jim. The case is in Commonwealth Court on
July 16. That is when you can mention Eileen.
Jim, you stink! What you write is garbage. Someone needs to teach a
class and use your writing as an example like what you did to me and The
Mountain Laurel Review. You need to start acting like a man. Get away from all those
women you are around all night and stop acting like them. Go to a bar and say some of the
things you say. See where that gets you. Better yet, Jim, just go in and announce who you
are. That might wake you up, or put you to sleep.
JULY 1, 1998
Chief Cornplanter and Taxes
Chief Cornplanter, by the year 1815, had settled into a patriarchal style of
life. He was attended by the members of his tribe that lived on the six hundred
acres that he personally owned along the Allegheny River. Cornplanter owned an additional
750 acres in Warren County throughout the hills across the river. He also held other
tracts to the east in newly formed McKean County which amounted to three thousand five
hundred twelve acres.
Cornplanter, unlike any of the men in his tribe, had a three to four inch
beard. He inherited that trait from his father, John O'Bail. While he was
still a legend for his savage and brutal treatment of white men and Indian alike, few had
access to the chief. The fact that he wore a beard was not widely known. Those who had
occasion to come into his presence were immediately taken back at his appearance. Still,
even with the beard and the obvious white genes in his makeup, he was an imposing and
regal man, even at the estimated age of seventy-five.
The Board of Commissioners of Warren County assumed the right to tax private
property in 1821. Chief Cornplanter, along with two hundred other property owners
in Warren County, received an official notice of taxation. The purpose of the tax levied
on property was listed on the notice of billing. It stated "....for the purpose of
providing funds to operate government and provide for the general protection of the
county."
Cornplanter, fluent in six languages, called a Quaker teacher to him. He
asked the man to write down what he wanted to say to the Warren County Commissioners. The
young Quaker agreed eagerly, as he was in the direct employ of the Chief, commissioned to
teach the children of his town.
The Chief spoke and the teacher wrote: "Your lordships. I am paid
by the Great White Father an amount of two hundred and fifty dollars each year at the time
of the harvest. The purpose of that payment is to provide for the general protection of my
people. Unlike the Yankees, we have no need for money for the operation of government. I
am the government along with the elders who are on the tribal council. We do not pay
ourselves. We serve as a duty and an honor.
"We have no need for the hiring of people to protect us. The
Seneca have always dealt in the harshest of ways with those who would come against us. We
have assisted you in your struggles against the English and have not asked for payment
from your government. The two hundred and fifty dollars paid to me is not for the purpose
of operating a government. It is payment for the lands the Seneca gave over to your
government. Those lands are the same lands you now occupy.
"How can you occupy lands not yet paid for and charge me a tax on lands we
have always held? Should you not pay me a tax on the lands that are yet unpaid
for? This is not only unlawful in any nation, but also a personal indignity to a man who
is the leader of his People. You would not have taxed the Great White Father. You will not
tax me."
Cornplanter's claim was legitimate. He drew his claims from the Treaty
of 1791 between the Seneca Nation and the United States of America. Even up to 1821, that
treaty was unique as it was a treaty between the entire nation and the tribe. Other
treaties all were between the Governor of a state and the Indian Nation. the treaty that
Cornplanter signed was also signed by George Washington, Secretary of War Knox, Benjamin
Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. The annual payment was to run until the death of the chief
as payment for the lands ceded to the United States of America.
Cornplanter returned the bill of $43.79 to the Warren County Commissioners with
his letter. They responded immediately by ordering the Sheriff of the county to
collect the tax or to jail the insolent Indian. At the orders of the County Commissioners,
the Sheriff took a armed force of forty men up the river to confront the chief.
The Chief was unmoved at the sight of the armed force. He rose and
greeted them. Calmly, he invited them to follow him. He took them to a longhouse and
invited them in. There he showed them over one hundred rifles arranged around the room. In
English he calmly told the Sheriff that one word from him would bring a warrior for each
of the rifles. With that, as he had done so many times in his life, he had the force
disarmed without anyone being harmed.
With the Sheriff of Warren County and his deputies as his captives, Cornplanter
started out to Warren. Seventy or so armed braves accompanied him. They
arrived just before noon the following day and the County Government was in session.
Cornplanter and his men surrounded the Court House. Cornplanter demanded that the tax be
withdrawn or he would burn down the Court House with everyone in it. Word spread
throughout the town and soon fears of a full scale war were in play. However, more prudent
citizens attempt to prevail on the Chief.
John Morrison heard of the Chief coming to Warren. He and his family
had long been friends of the Seneca. He hurried to town following the same path the Chief
had taken with his hostages. He prevailed upon the Chief to let him talk to the
Commissioners. Using all of his abilities, Morrison convinced the Chief and the
Commissioners to place the matter before the Governor of Pennsylvania for final
determination. Both parties agreed and the crisis was averted.
Following an eloquent written communication from the Chief of the Seneca,
the Governor and the Legislature upheld Cornplanter's claims that government could not tax
Indian lands. They held that the Seneca lands were a separate and independent nation.
While they affirmed that Cornplanter and the council were supreme, they also held that the
laws of the state and the nation would apply on those lands. Cornplanter agreed. (This
story has been taken from CORNPLANTER CHRONICLES VOLUME IV written by
Harold Thomas Beck, Copyright 1995)
JUNE 30, 1998
The mail I get
Every trip to the post office in Custer City is an adventure.
I've made it to several mailing lists. One is the COALITION OF POLITICALLY ACTIVE
CHRISTIANS. Their latest communication to me is in regard to the Impeachment of Bill
Clinton, Al Gore, and Janet Reno. Charles Phillips is the National Chairman of COPAC and I
don't remember ever meeting him. Still, it might have been at a recent prayer breakfast
where I spoke of the lost values in the nation and the world in general.
Mr. Phillips has a few points worth noting. Janet Reno, aside from
being one of the ugliest women I have ever seen, is also one of the shrewdest. She is the
architect of the Waco massacre of children and women and I have always resented her
blatant use of power in such a manner. Mr. Phillips asks the question: "How long will
the Republican leadership allow Janet Reno to stall on cooperating with the Congressional
committees and Special Prosecutor Ken Starr?"
He points out that the President may have appointed Reno, but the
people of the United States of America pay her to be our number one law enforcement
person. He says that "...it is time we demand that Henry Hyde and the House Judiciary
committee investigates Janet Reno for obstruction of justice."
Here! Here! I am with you, Mr. Phillips. Investigate her, and every
other Attorney General in the nation starting with our own answer to Elmer Fudd, General
Mike Fisher. While we are at it, we should look at the District Attorneys, too. If you
want to see obstruction and abuse of justice, Mr. Phillips, you should come to
Pennsylvania!
How did this guy know my hot button? He must have met me at that
prayer breakfast.
Enclosed was a JUSTICE FOR JANET RENO PETITION. I was to sign it
and return it in the envelope provided. I agree with impeaching Bill Clinton and holding
Reno responsible for all of her actions, including being criminally ugly; but Al Gore
really hasn't done that much. I can't agree that he has committed any criminal acts and
Mr. Phillips has not made a case except that he is Clinton's Vice President.
Heck, that would be like holding Audrey Irons responsible because I
never shut up. She's just the Chief Clerk. What is she going to do? I do all my own typing
so she can't even control me that way. No, I can't agree with him on Al Gore. He and
Tipper kind of remind me of middle aged Ken and Barbie dolls. You know, nice to look at,
but nothing of substance.
Then I read on and saw the pitch for money. Did I want to be a part of
the "AMBASSODORS FOR FREEDOM"? I did a double take on the spelling of
ambassadors, but it was spelled with that "o" in the middle instead of an
"a". If I wanted to be an ambassodor, it would cost me $1500 or a monthly credit
card pledge of $125. Wow! This guy must think I have some bucks! It has to be those suits
that Sharyn buys me. Sorry, Mr. Phillips. I am with you in spirit only. No $1500 today
from me.
On the local scene, one anonymous person wrote: "I'm one of
those local businessmen who hesitates to subscribe to the MLR for fear of repercussion
from The Era and McMahon, but I did see a copy of your Special Edition and hope
you get a lot of hits on your website. Regarding your 5/12 River Walk For Bradford,
boy, I wish I'd said that! Great piece of writing. Regarding your 5/10 Cheri
piece, a little rough but, Boy I wish I'd said that!"
A lady from Duke Center told me to get off Cheri's back. She felt that
I was out of line, out of line, out of line.
A man from Bradford told me to keep it up. He thought it was high time
someone was speaking out. He gave me credit for bringing The Era into the
twentieth century, one century behind the technology driven Mountain Laurel Review.
My mail is fun. Now I get e-mail which is instant and does not require
a stamp. That is fun too. Oh well, keep those cards and letters coming in, just don't ask
me for money. I'm married. Sharyn controls all of that....now that I've lost my Campaign
Treasurer...ha ha.
JUNE 29, 1998
Hey George!
I really did like your editorial on violent children. It had a bunch
of old fashioned common sense. We don't seem to want to depend on that ancient trait much
these days. Unless someone has a Ph.D. or a MSW after their name, they are not to be taken
seriously.
Parents are the most ignored people on this planet, George. Parents
don't seem to get credit for much of anything anymore except being incompetent child
abusers who beat their kids instead of giving them love. After all, George, we do have an
elite, well paid, group of professionals who seem to have more than a half of a year to
themselves to contemplate what we do wrong. They are teachers.
Teachers tell our children to turn us in if we slap them at home.
Teachers tell our children to turn on parents if they believe their parents are breaking
the law. You were a teacher, and a good one I have been told. It wasn't like that when you
were teaching. What happened?
Don't get the idea that I am condemning teachers. Seriously, George,
being a teacher can be as tough as being a County Commissioner. I have been in the
classroom myself. I liked it, but it could be a pain, too. I am serious, George. What
happened?
You said kids changed, did the teachers change, too? Is it a job now
instead of a profession? Do they lack that desire to teach even the toughest student? We
see all these movies about special teachers who go that extra mile and take the unruly
bunch and get them to graduate. Is that just a bunch of Hollywood hype? Do we have any of
those kinds of teachers in McKean County? If we do, George, why don't you write about
them? Now that would be real Pulitzer material!
I remember being afraid of some of my teachers, George. Kids aren't
afraid of their teachers anymore. They talk back, tell them to go "f"
themselves, and in the cities, beat them up and even shoot them. I learned from the
teachers I was afraid of and I am not so sure that was bad. I remember teachers paddling
children. I am not so sure that was bad either. What was wrong with the way it used to be,
George? Did we all turn into a bunch of liberals after the sixties?
We could blame it all on the lawyers. They are a seedy bunch. Really,
George, they are the true sleaze bags. Besides, blaming lawyers will not draw as much
criticism as blaming teachers. They aren't represented by the NEA yet.
Judges are lawyers, or at least pretend to be, like our judge. You
know me, George. I blame John Cleland for almost everything, including us losing the
Vietnam War. I never explained myself on that one. It wasn't so much that he dodged the
draft, as I have been told. I think I feel that the nation being denied a man of his
intelligence and presence of mind, not to mention his intellect, really damaged our
efforts to win peace with honor.
Add Jeff Duke to that equation, and it was inevitable that we would
lose our first war. After all, George, Jeff could have looked into timber theft and
defoliation along the DMZ, and with the results he got with Grand Jury Investigations,
turning alleged timber thieves into law abiding citizens; he could have probably turned
the Viet Cong into allies. What a loss not having John Cleland and Jeff Duke in uniform
during the Vietnam War! Think of what we lost.
Where did common sense go, George? Did we lose that when we agreed to
let the government tell us how to raise our children and how we should care for our
elderly? Does the government have common sense or is it oriented only around money? Common
sense and manners never cost anything. We didn't need the government to pass billion
dollar budgets for it.
We were taught it at home and at school. Teachers used to teach us
manners and respect. Now many say that is not their job. I don't agree much with Hillary
Clinton. I do agree that it takes at least a village to raise a child. I also agree that
the school systems, with all the money we spend to give them everything that they say they
need, do have an obligation to teach.
Teaching is more than just books, George. Teaching is supposed to
ready children for life. A twenty-two million dollar budget, as impressive as it may
sound, just might have missed the one ingredient that it needs before the first tax dollar
is paid. The administrators of the school district, before they are paid the first cent
should probably reassess their thinking. The teachers should ask themselves why they are
teachers and what they truly perceive their jobs really are?
Where is common sense, George? Where are the manners? What has
happened to us, George? Is it over? Can't we ever go back? Hey George! Tell me. I really
want to know.
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