JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 1999
JANUARY 29, 1999
The positive side of the negative
Good morning. It is 24.3 degrees at 5 A.M. I want to apologize to those people
who have phoned me to say that their e-mail is being returned. Evidently editor@www.mlrmag.com does not work all the time.
Let's try this: rdhedbud@penn.com. That will
be the new address at the end of each article. I know that one works. Every hustler on the
internet knows it too with all their filthy and crooked offers they send me on a daily
basis. Oh well!
I spoke last night at the Bradford Township Lions Club. About 40 people showed up on a
rainy night that eventually turned to ice and snow. We had a wonderful dinner that the
Lioness Club prepared and then I was on the floor.
I enjoy speaking to groups of people. I enjoy the exchange. Speeches are boring so I
keep my opening thoughts to a minimum and then open the floor to questions. I have done
this on subjects ranging from Chief Cornplanter to the Kathy Wilson Murder. Try talking to
a room full of Deputy Sheriffs and law enforcement people and tell them that the man they
are sure murdered Kathy Wilson was in fact innocent sometime! See the reception you get
with that one. But this group was not like that one. These were intelligent and thoughtful
people who were interested in the affairs of their county. I opened with several thoughts.
It is easy for Tom Ridge to claim he has a huge budget surplus when they aren't
paying their bills. I pointed out that reimbursements for the county were running as much
as five months behind.
Then I showed everyone that there were no devil's horns concealed under my
hair. They could also see there was no halo.
Finally, I spoke about tourism. That, I pointed out, was the topic of the week
associated with my name in the newspaper.
Riding on the theme of a previous article from this week, I told them until U.S. 219
became a major limited access super highway, our efforts to attract additional tourists to
the area would be very difficult But at the same time I pointed out that in every area
where tourism flourishes, there is a positive feeling held by the people that live there.
They feel good about themselves and the area in which they live. I told them we already
had that and the job was more than half done. Then we discussed the Tourist Promotion
Agency.
I told the members of the Lions Club and their guests that I was in favor of
forming a McKean County Tourism Bureau and Authority. I pointed out that we
needed a geographically sensitive organization that could properly represent the entire
county from border to border. I said that the Tourist Promotion Agency should take the
lead and become the prime mover in the effort to complete 219. That should be one of their
major charges.
Beyond that, I proposed several key points. They are:
1. The Authority, while attempting to attract tourists to McKean County, should be
responsible for assisting and coordinating events within the county. Events such as the
Black Cherry Festival, the Swedish Festival, The Italian Festival, Old Home Days, etc.,
often conflict with one another. This body could, under the leadership of a director
selected by the Authority board, attempt to schedule events so that they do not conflict
with one another thus maximizing attendance and support from within the county even before
we attempt to attract visitors from the outside. We could be our own best market for the
furtherance of events within the county.
2. The Authority would take an active role in the publicizing and the promoting of the
County Fair. This single event could easily be enhanced to promote the entire area
and in recognizing the excellent work done by the Fair Board, assist them in attracting
additional visitors. They would also work to insure that no local event is scheduled so
that it conflicts with the Fair.
3. The Authority should work to promote the Bradford Regional Airport. If space was
available, the Authority should consider locating its headquarters at the Airport. At the
very least, the Authority should sponsor an information center in the Airport with
directions to various attractions within the county and maintain a schedule of events so
that people will know what is happening and when.
I went on and discussed snow mobile activity within the county and how the stupidity
between Pennsylvania and New York exists regarding being licensed in both states. I
pointed out how the practice of the local police ticketing people riding snow mobiles from
thee Willows to Slaven's to get gasoline is counter productive. We had an excellent
discussion about our future and how we could make it better.
With all the discussion about certification and matching funds for tourism, a simple
fact exists. If the commissioners do not allocate money, there is nothing to match. At
this time, that situation exists. In a letter to the President of the Seneca Highlands
Tourist Association I said:
We both recognize that the county could easily make cash contributions to any
agency that it felt best served the interest of the entire geographic area of the county.
While the state may not recognize a different agency as the official Tourist Promotion
Agency, as long as the county commissioners did and funded it as such, the ultimate
handwriting on the wall is inevitable.
We need to change how things have been done. The new re-organization is more of the
same, more of what was done in the past with higher expenses and new names. It is also a
blatant attempt to cater to the wishes of a few and setting aside the needs of the many.
The members and guests of the Bradford Lions Club were great. I thank them for their
great reception and their keen insight in the problems McKean County must face. It was a
great evening and I genuinely enjoyed myself.
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JANUARY 28, 1999
Computer sex
Good morning. I'll bet the title got your attention! It is 37.2 degrees
at 5:30 A.M. Tonight I speak at the Bradford Lions Club and I am looking forward to
addressing such a fine organization. My father was active in the Lions for years and he
received much enjoyment from the good work they did.
From Chris McGonnell again, he shares this wisdom to start our day. It is about
Computer sex.
A marketing director for a prominent computer manufacturer was devising a new
advertising campaign for his company. While researching consumer response to his product,
he asked "Naval ships are commonly referred to as 'she' or 'her'. What gender would
you assign to your computer? Give four reasons to support your answer..."
A large group of women reported that the computers should be referred to in the masculine
gender because:
1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the
time they are the problem.
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had
waited a little longer you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand, concluded that computers should be referred to in the feminine
gender because:
1. No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other
computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for
later retrieval.
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
In computer talk, LOL (laughing out loud)!
I love the feed back you give me on the editorials. With regards to the recent
article about tourism, a former resident says this:
I have been following your daily editorials for a couple of months now and find them
to be rather interesting (and enlightening) most of the time. The point you raise about
the proper completion of Route 219 in your January 27 piece is particularly important.
I am originally from Kane, PA and graduated from high school there. I now live just south
of Charlotte, NC. When people ask me where I am originally from (a particularly popular
question in this area), I am embarrassed to say because of what Kane has become.
Kane's current "condition" can be blamed on many factors (including highly
questionable leadership over many, many years). One significant factor is the lack of
economic development. This can be most directly attributed to, in my opinion, the lack of
ready access to the area by a (using your words) "modern four lane limited access
superhighway".
Such a highway would undoubtedly bring more tourism and would give the area at
least a chance to try to attract additional significant industry as well. (If Zippo had to
site their operations today as opposed to have them grow as they did in the Bradford area,
I doubt that Bradford would be very high on their
list of possibilities. The lack of a decent, close tie to the interstate system
would be a good reason for them not to do so.)
I relocated to the Charlotte area for many reasons. The primary reason, by far, is the
economy here. It almost makes the economy in McKean County look like that of a Third-World
country. One of the major factors that drives this area's economic success is immediate
access to Interstates 77 & 85. There is also ready access (within about an hour by
I-77 or I-85) to Interstates 20, 26 & 40.
While I don't think our explosive growth here would necessarily be the best model for
McKean County to follow, the positive aspects of controlled growth can far outweigh the
negative aspects. The amount of school and road bond projects done here are so large here
that the garbage guys' heads would spin right off their shoulders if they had to use their
"mathematical skills" to keep up.
It is nice to see that someone such as yourself is trying to bring some pragmatic change,
but one person can only affect so much. A properly completed Route 219 is, without a
doubt, necessary to affect real change. At least you are trying to do what you can and
speaking out about the problems. It's a vast improvement over the "ostrich &
corruption" approach that has dominated the county for years.
Now, that is one fine letter! Why wouldn't I print one like that! I like people
who agree with me.
At the same time, with our rotund State Senator growing daily with every free lunch and
dinner he attends, he should ask who he is really serving, and not what is being served.
Pulling local control of tourism out of McKean County will doom us forever. Does his
alliance with his former teachers at the University of Pittsburgh Bradford and their grab
for power serve the entire county, or just their short sighted agenda? What does this new
order in tourism do for Port Allegany or Mt Jewett? Will it help promote the Black Cherry
Festival in Kane? Will it promote Swedish Days or Old Home Days? What about the annual
Town Garage Sale?
If they could say to me that they would bring order and coordinate all these events so
that they do not compete with one another, then they would be going a long way to get my
support. The fact of the matter is they are not. UPB sees this as a way to extend its
sphere of influence and pull local political strings. Slocum is going to bring home a plum
for Warren. It will go there at our expense and the cost will be greater than just the
loss of a part time directorship. Slocum needs to curb his appetites and remember that
along with stealing tourism from McKean County, new stadiums and legislation that
robs unemployment benefits from laborers, are not the reasons he was elected.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
JANUARY 27, 1999
The forest, the trees, and the forgotten land
Good morning. It is 21.0 degrees at 5:25 A.M.
Tourism is the second largest industry in Pennsylvania. In McKean County it has
become a battleground. Why? Is it so lucrative that it can become a King Maker
for the right person? Is it a jumping off point for a bright political career? I don't
know, but lately it would seem that way.
For several years now, tourism in McKean County has taken a back seat. The County
Commissioners designated the Seneca Highlands Tourism Association as the Tourist Promotion
Agency (TPA), contributed $5,000 a year. Part time director, Charlie Dach, ran things and
muddled through as best he could. After all, Charlie was paid in the area of $9,000 a year
for working 20 hours a week. What did we expect with that kind of support? Evidently, some
people thought that they deserved more.
Zippo Manufacturing, the largest employer in the county, has single handedly
placed McKean County on the map with Zippp lighters, the Zippo/Case Museum, and the Zippo
Swap Meet. Even more than the Allegheny National Forest, Zippo, under the direction of CEO
Mike Schuler, is a prime mover in the area of tourism. That is because Zippo has something
to sell. The Allegheny National Forest is comprised of bureaucrats, who, while being well
intentioned, are looking into the future for their retirement. Why wouldn't private
industry do a better job!
Everything about tourism converts to dollars and cents and the attractiveness of the
area; but, a strong case for convenience can easily be made. The main north-south route
through the county and this part of Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 219, is a winding two lane
trail that goes up and down mountains. The addition of passing lanes in recent times give
some relief, but they are a far cry from the modern four lane limited access superhighway
that this area dreadfully needs.
That single addition, a modern U.S. Route 219, would mean more to tourism than the most
qualified director in the entire world. With all other parts of the state readily
accessible using interstate and superhighways, we remain an isolated and a forgotten land.
We are one of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets, or so it might seem. Then we must look at
our plight objectively.
Why would someone travel here when the Poconos Resort Area can be reached by the
Northwest extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 81, or Interstate 80? Why
would they travel here when the Poconos offer ten to twenty times the modern hotel
accommodations we have to offer as well as local skiing and other attractions. We do have
the Kinzua Bridge, but after that where do you go? After the cigarette lighter museum,
what do we have in Bradford? There is the oil museum, but what then? Do we send them over
to the Bradford Hotel or the Riddel House to meet the local population? Maybe we could
offer a Historic Tour and make beautiful Old City Hall a major attraction. Think about it!
What do we have to offer?
If you believe Rick Esch, we have a whole lot to offer; but beyond Zippo and the
Allegheny National Forest, he is not very specific. Instead, he says things like: We
want to expand our scope. Working more with surrounding counties, we can take advantage of
regional marketing initiatives the state has in place. He denies that McKean County
will merge with Warren County. However, State Senator William Slocum (R) has said it is
about to become a definite reality. Mr. Esch's regional marketing initiatives sound very
much like Senator Slocum's grand scheme of merging all the counties in his voting district
into one tourism bureau headquartered in Warren, PA. He is no more convincing when he
denies the existence of the plan to merge than when he attempts to sell the wife of a
Zippo executive to us as the most qualified candidate for director.
It is unfortunate that Charlie Dach has become a battle ground. Charlie is a likeable
guy and a good promoter for this area. At the same time, Charlie is not the greatest
administrator, either. Former Mayor of Bradford, Arvid Nelson, fired his Chief of Police
for just that reason. It ultimately cost him an election and the new mayor re-hired her
nephew and made him Chief once more. It doesn't seem that the peace and safety of the city
has suffered much because the chief has a messy desk and doesn't follow up as fast as some
people think he should. One talent does seem to compensate for another. However, a group
that has worked themselves into power see it differently. Charlie had to go and wasn't
even considered as one of the three finalists when it came down to the final selection
process. They are bent on changing the face of tourism in McKean County.
While I agree on the concept, I disagree on the procedure. With Seneca Highlands
Tourism Association divided, I question their effectiveness. It no longer seems to be a
genuine association of people who have come together for a common purpose. Instead, it
appears that it is some pivot point for a power base.
Mr. Esch, who has suddenly appeared on the scene, aside from his full time employment
at the University of Pittsburgh Bradford, now is involved heavily in a number of
committees and community endeavors. That is commendable, but what gives him the background
and the knowledge to participate so heavily? I am leery of people so heavily involved.
Many times they fizzle out and everyone suffers. Along the same line, what is the
connection between him, his employer, and his involvement? Who is really calling the
shots? What agenda are we missing? What should we expect in the future?
Really, that is the question. What is this about and why is this so important all of a
sudden? Are we to believe that a new director will suddenly bring people to the county in
droves; or, should we believe that something else is going on? Realistically, all the
directors in the world will not make a difference. Charlie, Linda, Sam, Susan, or Wilbur -
we won't see much of a change. All it is, is a job and a job that they want to fill with
someone they know. Will the new director promote our airport? What will the new director
promote? What direction are they going to give the new director? I wonder what will be
different?
In the end, when it is all said and done, nothing much will have changed. Route 219
will still be the same road it has been for the past thirty years. There still will be no
easy way to get here. More and more of our campers will have died out. No one will come to
take their place. Fewer hunters and fishermen will come with each new season. The snow
mobilers will have been driven away by the lack of access to gasoline and local law
enforcement ticketing them and seeing them as a source of revenue. The camps will be
absorbed into the National Forest and there will be less public land and more government
land. The trees will grow and the forest will remain.
Regardless of who the Director is, we will still be a forgotten land. So, what is this
really all about?
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
JANUARY 26, 1999
Is this why we married and had children?
Good morning. It is 28 degrees at 5:01 A.M. No new snow is in the forecast
until the weekend and we are expecting rain tomorrow.
A reader in Ohio e-mailed me and asked a few questions. They are valid so I am passing
the entire correspondence on to you.
Good morning. I am sitting here wishing I had the January issue of MLR. I'm
beginning to think I've done something to you people. When I come visit your beautiful
mountains I'm always sure to clean up my camp site. I do not litter anywhere. I'm always
courteous on the highways and I always thank people when they give me directions
to your great restaurants. So please where is my January issue.
Also I was told I would receive the book "Ripe For The Picking". A signed
copy with the number somewhere in the mid 30's. If I need to send a check first please
advise as to price and I will send a check.
Hey Harold, what about these manager guys in the Clinton case? Can you believe they
used the power of the independent prosecutor to get at Monica. Isn't that just a little
illegal. Its beginning to get shades of the 1930's Nazi Germany. These guys are beginning
to scare the hell out of me. The two guys that broke their vows to their wives and God
were the two guys that give a speech on the floor of the Senate about the properties and
virtues of an Oath. The last time I looked in the Webster's a vow and an oath are pretty
much one and the same.
Keep up the good work . Thank you, Biggy
I wrote back to Biggy and told him the there was no specific January issue. I told him
that we do a January/February issue and it was not done yet. Furthermore, I told him that
RIPE FOR THE PICKING was waiting on an Afterword from the defense attorney and we were
projecting to a May 18 release date, the eleventh anniversary of the Kathy Wilson
disappearance. I also told him we were not singling him out. I told him we treat everyone
as poorly as we do him.
However, the reoccurring theme of the oath and the sex and Monica seem to keep coming
back. I heard it last Friday night from a couple and I heard it the previous Friday from
another couple. Both husband and wife echoed the same ideas as Biggy. Both couples were
outraged that adulterers were the people casting the blame. Neither couple, as in the case
of Biggy, seems to be able to make the link between the breaking of Federal Laws and the
actions of the President. Still, all of this started over sex. If Clinton had not exposed
himself to Paula Jones, none of this ever would have happened. From there the chain of
events unfolded ending in perjury and obstruction of justice when the President was
compelled to testify under oath.
Beyond the President and beyond the exposed adulterous activities of the accusers, is
an underlying question. Beyond the charges in the Senate and news clips of Monica and the
fancy hotel room she had in Washington, is what seems to be a major shift in morality. For
many of us it does not seem to be much of a change. For many of us it was always expected.
For the media it seems that they have finally waken and realize that the majority of
Americans, the silent majority of Americans, live by a separate set of rules.
Biggy is right. An oath to God and to your spouse is important. It is not only
important, it is paramount! The basis of the family is the oath of fidelity to one
another. That oath is the guarantee that the offspring of the marriage will have two
parents to raise and protect them. We all know what has happened since the sixties. We
know that the marriage oath has meant very little to quite a few and for that reason we
are paying the price today. Why shouldn't the very curse that has befallen us have not
descended on the Presidency and the President himself? A lie is a lie is a lie is a lie.
Once it starts where does it end?
People have always been unfaithful to their spouses. It came in vogue following World
War II when businessmen and white collar workers were portrayed as straying dogs by
Hollywood. Many were in real life. Many had numerous extramarital affairs and justified it
in their minds just as long as their wife had a new coat every year and the children were
fed and raised well. The only problem was their children grew up and they recognized the
sham that their parents had lived. Bill Clinton didn't know who his real father was and
his mother lived a rather flamboyant life.
Many of us had little regard for marriage. We married because it was what was expected
of us. Many of us did it by the numbers and then one day woke up and asked what it was
for. We asked because we hadn't been taught. The words had been spoken sure enough, but
there was nothing for us to grab on to and really be able to believe. The world was
changing and we believed that we deserved more. It was there for the taking. Many of us
took it. We did not care who it hurt. We only wanted what we believed would make us happy.
I am sure if Bill Clinton ever imagined his trip to a hotel room with Paula Jones would
have ended this way he certainly would have kept his fly zipped. The unfortunate thing
about him is he is sorry he got caught, not sorry for what he did. But then, many of us
suffer from the same condition. Many of us are still unable to accept the consequences of
our actions. That is because we think of ourselves first and then put everyone else in
their proper places.
The Senators and the Representatives, and even the President, himself, have all long
since forgotten why they were given the positions that they hold. They see themselves as
some grand body and grand persons who have been Divinely bestowed with the power of the
people and are above all of us. They pay us lip service when they want our votes. Beyond
that, they are beyond us and our reach. They are special. They, above all us, place
themselves first. Whatever they believe they want, they believe they deserve.
Biggy, that is why so many of them are mirror images of us!
So tell me, answer my question. As you marry and buy your first house and both of you
work and then start a family, what are you offering? Are you offering a home where mom is
there with the kids while dad brings home the paycheck and you don't have everything you
want? Is that what you are offering or is it both parents working, two cars, fancy
vacations, the kids raised in Day Care and in the school, and the rest of the dream?
What is unfolding on the Senate floor is more dramatic and has more impact on our lives
than we care to admit. What is going on is a statement about us, not just Bill Clinton. It
is a trial of our morality and the morality of a nation. Bill Clinton is only the clown
character that Shakespeare would use for dramatic repetent at the most tragic moment of
the act. The tragedy is the Tragedy of America - not the Trial of a President.
Biggy, you have a point. You only got it partially right - not even half right. We need
to look beyond what is going on and see what has really become of us. That Biggy is a Vietnam
Legacy and the result of World War II all rolled into one. It is the Age of Aquarius
and the days at Woodstock; it is the seventies and disco fever and it is our failure as a
moral generation. It is a tragedy when we cannot answer the question I asked at the
beginning. What is worse, we can't even remember it.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
JANUARY 25, 1999
Is your basement wet?
Good morning. It is 28.8 degrees at 5:24 A.M. and after several days of the
January thaw my basement is certainly wet. But, I don't feel like the Lone Ranger and I
have no damage other than a wet rug at the bottom of the cellar steps. It is just
inconvenient to walk through water to get to the freezer to get out venison to make
dinner. I could have been like Ann Marie over in the Poconos who reported that she had
water flowing into her patio door. Ouch!
Other than that, it was a good weekend. I met with Doug Dupont on Friday for lunch. He
is involved with the Fund Raising for the YMCA and my name came up and he asked if I would
help. Certainly, I will! The YMCA in Bradford is a very fine organization and a definite
asset to the community. In fact, it is perhaps one of the most under rated assets we have.
The Y has just concluded a deal to take over the old Pennzoil Building. It will, for
now, be used to have activities while the current building is expanded and renovated. Once
that is done, I believe that it will be torn down and used for parking. Isn't it a shame
that city government is so short sighted that they insist on maintaining the crumbling
fire trap we all know as Old City Hall!
That building is unsafe. The City of Bradford jeopardizes its citizens when it
allows any type of activity to be held on the premises. If there is electrical service to
the building, then it is almost a certainty that it is below code and substandard, if not
dangerous. There is no heating system and the structure would probably not be up to
passing any sort of modern day inspection. With those obvious problems, the mayor and her
city clerk, both feel it should be declared a historic site and we should spend a million
or so to renovate it. Absurd!
It should be razed and the property used as a parking lot for City business and
the YMCA.
Chris McGonnell is at it again. After working her at home on Saturday and Sunday, it
says how I feel.
God and Man
God created the mule, and told him: "You will be Mule, working
constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back.
You will eat grass and you will lack intelligence. You will live for
50 years." The mule answered: " To live like this for 50 years is too
much.Please, give me no more than 20."And it was so.
Then God created the dog, and told him: "You will hold vigilance
over the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion.You will eat his
table scraps and live for 25 years."
And the dog responded: "Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is too
much. Please, no more than 10 years."And it was so.
God then created the monkey, and told him: "You are Monkey. You will swing from tree
to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and
you shall live for 20 years." And the monkey responded: "Lord, to live 20 years
as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10
years."And it was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him: "You are Man, the only
rational being that walks the earth. You will use your intelligence
to have mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate
the earth and live for 20 years." And the man responded: "Lord, to be Man for
only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 20 years the mule refused, the 15
years the dog refused, and the ten years the monkey rejected."And it was so.
And so God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live
20 years like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back.
Then, he had children and lives 15 years as a dog, guarding his
house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry; then, in his
old age, to live 10 years as a monkey, acting like a fool to amuse his
grandchildren. And it was so.
Comment on this article at editor@www.mlrmag.com.
JANUARY 23 - 24, 1999
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