APRIL 10 - APRIL 16, 1999
APRIL 16, 1999
Responsibility
Good morning. It is 43.7 degrees on a very rainy morning.
I received an very nice letter I want to share with you. I am told that most of
you enjoy reading what others think almost (probably more!) than what I have to say. Also,
keep in mind my critics accuse me of writing all these letters. Some day, maybe I will
just put all the mail from one day in this column and then they would finally understand
that my format is conducive to public comment.
"Mr. Beck,
"I just want to take this opportunity to say you are doing a great job. I rarely get
the chance to read the MLR but when I do I truly enjoy it.
I wish there were more people who had the guts to speak their minds without fear of what
other people think. One only has to be able to read (not between the lines) to see the
bias presented daily by the Bradford Error. I have lived in this town for 30+ years (minus
5 or so I lived away) and have seen how this town is operated. It's not who you know...
"Regarding the matter of BAHS and the asbestos, that scares the hell out of me. I
have 2 children that have and are attending and I don't have any faith or trust in
anything I've been told when inquiring. I have spoke to Jones, Sappella and Kellog and got
different stories from all. Of course we were invited as parents to come for a tour as
long as we gave advance notice. Like that would prove anything. You can't see asbestos
fibers floating in the air!! I don't understand why they couldn't do this asbestos removal
in the summer... or have the kids utilize one of the empty schools they keep shutting down
while they do the removal.Or do the removal now, shut the school down and have the kids go
through the summer. But that would mean a sacrifice on our highly paid school officials
and that word is not in there vocabulary. And I don't care how many times someone tries to
convince me that the workers who reported it were "disgruntled" employees.
"No one in there right mind is going to risk their job and future to speak out
like that without just cause. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. My daughter has
told me many different things about the change in how the laborers react to the kids now
since this has all come to light. And also how the teachers will not discuss the issue
with them.. She says it is very apparent that they are not allowed. There is some definite
cover up going on to protect peoples asses.. instead of protecting our kids.
"And try to get a straight answer about what is going on with their clothes that
were contaminated. I want them reimbursed. I want to know how they are going to clean
sneakers without ruining them. I also want to see a state mandated procedure for this
task. I would also like to suggest to Cheri O'Mara that if there is absolutely no risk
then make alot of nervous parents feel better by convincing us you really believe that and
move your office in one of the classrooms the kids have to travel near the sealed off
areas.
"Well, I know you're very busy (just having to duck the cheap shots that are thrown
at you) and I won't take anymore of your time. Keep up.. never quit, and thanks."
Publisher's Comment: The title of the message was "Great Job." Your
letter was a great job! You are not alone in your thoughts and concerns. I have spoken to
many parents and to quite a few students. All say the same thing.
Let me share a barbershop encounter with you.
While delivering the latest Mountain Laurel Review yesterday I took
magazines into MY FATHER'S BARBERSHOP. Connie had a man in the chair and was just
finishing up so I stayed for a trim. We were talking about the asbestos at the high school
when a young man came in and picked up the latest issue which features the pictures on the
web site. After paging through and looking at them he made an interesting comment. It was
then that we realized that he was a student.
"I've seen this before," he said. "It's been like this all year
long."
That is my point. It is so very very easy for the officials of the school
district to say everything is fine now. It probably is! What about when the kids
came back to school? What about the time between August and January when this was made
public? What about it?
Bringing the EPA in now proves nothing. The man said as much in the paper the
other day. It is good to know all is well now, but that doesn't repair any possible damage
that was done way back when.
Therein lies the problem.
Cheri O'Mara is an expert at spending other peoples money. She knows how to keep her
shenanigans out of the paper and she comes off as this nice little chain smoker who
wouldn't harm a flea. She never does anything wrong and what went on in the railroading of
Doug Barheight first, and Carolyn Gulnac next, was none of her doing. She was an innocent
in both matters. Right!!!!!!!!! Believe that and I can convince you that the Marshburg
Domed Stadium will soon become a reality.
What needs to be done is the School District has to own up to the definite possibility
that asbestos dust was present in the air for possibly as long as six months at the High
School. All the EPA studies now will prove nothing. Where was the EPA then?
Once they acknowledge that, nothing has to happen except identifying the kids that were
present at the school. Identifying the teachers, too, might not be a bad idea either.
Then, if and when what we fear most begins to occur, the stricken persons will not have to
hire lawyers and fight for what is rightfully theirs. What is wrong with that? Why does
this have to be a battle? Why can't they do what is right for once and stop covering their
rear ends? Accept the responsibility now!
That's really what this is all about. It is all so simple and maybe if
administrators like Cheri O'Mara don't and won't accept it, then it is understandable why
the teachers can't teach it to the kids.
Responsibility.
Look it up in the dictionary. Take the consequences of your actions - or
inactions.
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 15, 1999
Where are the issues?
Good morning. It is 5:55 A.M. and it is 33.1 degrees outside.
As the day slowly begins, I can see Venus in the western sky. I was up earlier
(2:07 A.M.) and sat down and tried to write this column, but it was to no avail. I sat in
front of a blank screen. The e-mail was not posted yet so I couldn't get any ideas from
you. I went out on the couch and laid down for awhile.
Sharyn got up and made coffee and we began to chat about the primary campaign for the
nomination and the lack of issues that the other candidates have failed to bring forward.
When I ran four years ago, the county was heavily in debt and it was at the legal
ceiling for tax rates in the state. In the year before that the commissioners were
threatening a shut down of services and employees were wondering if they were going to get
a paycheck when pay days arrived. In deed, there had been talk in the commissioner's
offices and leaked to the press that checkless paydays were a distinct possibility.
The commissioners attempted to do interim borrowing, something forbidden by the
Pennsylvania Constitution. Then they were going to change the assessed ratio which would
inevitably and almost immediately lead to higher county taxes. Then they were going to
give away the County Home for 25 cents on the dollar and allow a private concern land a
big plum of a property and make immediate windfall profits. I asked myself who those three
people were serving?
Today all of that has changed. The county is solvent. The threat of bankruptcy
evaporated when Mr. Stratton, Mr. Weaver, and myself were able to balance the budget and
get a rope around the run away bull in the Court System who thought the tax payers should
pay for each and every lame brained idea he and his overpaid staff came up with. The
County Home is now returning a welcome and lavish profit to the General Fund every year.
Times have changed financially; and they have changed politically, too.
With seven candidates running for two seats in the Republican Primary and not one issue
of any significance on the table, I get the impression that the competition thinks this is
like running for President of the Senior Class. I wonder if they have any idea of what it
entails to carry out the duties of and deal with the problems of the office of County
Commissioner? I know that Jim, Larry, and I do because we deal with it every day. We deal
with it so automatically now, that the county has never run better. And as the county runs
like a well oiled machine, the people of this county can hear it running for the very
first time.
Things are out in the open. Commissioners take stands and sides on issues as they
arise. In doing so, we deal with them and dispatch them on a sound and business like
basis. Anyone is welcome to come to our meeting and say their piece. Anyone can walk in
and talk to us. Anyone can grab me in the grocery store and have their say. Why? Because
I, we, represent the people, all the people of McKean County, not just our rich and close
friends.
What would Al Pingie do different? I am waiting to hear that. What about Jim McKean, or
Bill Kilmer? What new ideas would they put forward? By now maybe Mr. Harrington has
figured out he lives in Eldred, not Port Allegany; and maybe Martin Causer has stopped
taking credit for the work other people did on the Turtlepoint Park.
There are no issues! There are no issues because Mr. Stratton and Mr. Weaver
and Mr. Beck (me!) have done one fine job of running the county.
We aren't perfect and we haven't done everything right. But when we run into a problem,
we don't run and hide from it either. We deal with it and move on and keep the county
going forward, not backward or standing still, forward all the time. That is what we do
and that is our record. That is not bad! No one else can point to a record like that.
And finally, being a County Commissioner entails having the courage to stand up
and take a position on issues that affect lives and people in this county - even when it
is not politically correct.
Being a County Commissioner is being a leader. It means that when you are
faced with an issue like asbestos in a high school that you have the guts to stand up and
expose it, not sit back and let it pass you by. I do that. I do that time and time
again. I do it even when it hurts me, and maybe even more important, the people closest to
me when they see me take the flack and criticism that comes with being outspoken and a
leader in the fight.
Where are the issues? Who is best fit to lead? Who has proven that they can lead?
Should we vote for someone just because they are a nice guy? What agenda does each
candidate have? Do they want to serve the people or serve themselves and their personal
projects and pocketbooks?
Those are valid questions. They need to be answered.
Comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 14, 1999
Asbestos and power women
Good morning. It is 3:53 A.M. and 32 degrees outside.
I stepped out on to the front porch for a moment and found a star filled
spring sky. The little dipper stood out as did the big dipper and the seven sisters. (I
suppose they should have been capitalized?) Beneath all of that and surrounded by the
magnificent forest, it was easy to feel insignificant - which in the grand scheme of
things, we really are.
Anyway, on to the meat of what we have for today!
I walked into The Bradford Hotel just a little after nine last night. There was a city
council meeting and I wanted to attend it but my presence would be misinterpreted. It
seems that just the mention of my name is able to stir great amounts of emotion, both good
and bad. I did not want to disrupt local government any more than I already had. New ideas
are hard for old dinosaurs to comprehend. That explains Connie; but who can explain a
woman who treats her mother poorly? I would say that there is a wealth of problems on that
group and they seem to be centered on the Cavallaro side. Oh well, I needed a beer; not
another political discourse.
Dave Sheffer greeted me. "Hello, Bud," he said.
"Hello, Dave," I said returning the pleasantry. "Quiet night,
tonight."
It’s still early," he said back. Just as he did, Grant Nichols walked in.
"Hello, Grant," I said. "Sue Wesmiller brought me a copy of last
week’s Journal. Good issue."
"Thanks," Grant said back. "Did you see your favorite admirer in
there?"
"Bernie?" I said.
"Yes," Grant said back. "Except he calls himself THE JERK."
I laughed. "Remember the letter to the editor where he referred to Jim’s
manson like eyes and compared me to Clinton? When I did the first of The Bradford
Hotel series, I referred to Bernie as "a jerk." He introduced himself to me
one day at The Downbeat Restaurant as THE JERK and has been signing his mail to me like
that ever since. I liked the picture. His wife is a whole lot better looking than he
is."
Grant laughed."How did you like being called Boss Beck?"
"No problem, Grant," I said. "I always thought that Boss Nelson had a
better ring with the name being two syllables and all, but the original, Boss Tweed, was
only one syllable, so what the heck. Boss Beck might not be all that bad."
"Jim worked you over pretty bad this morning."
"Yes he did," I admitted. "It is tough when he editorializes in so
called news articles. It’s also tough when he deliberately misleads people who know
nothing about how computers and internet access work. The idea of me making toll calls to
access America On Line is absurd when I can do it through Penn Com with a local call. But
he went out of his way to purposely mislead the readers and make it out like I was
stealing. You and I both know how wrong that is. It's become too personal, but I can deal
with it."
"So what are you going to do?" Grant asked.
I chose my words carefully "What can I do? The Bradford Era has become
what they accused The Mountain Laurel Review of being. It seems like to them, the
end justifies the means. If they have to lie about me to try and defeat me they will. Jim
obviously doesn’t think twice about that. He has his own agenda and as long as it
meets that, so be it."
"I saw that they printed a correction that they mis-identified Dave Hickey, Jr. as
Dave Hickey, Sr."
"Yes," I said. "I brought it up at the meeting and Jim said that until
he had absolute proof they were one and the same. I pulled out tax records. I held up Dave
Hickey, Jr’s and Dave Hickey, Sr’s and read off that they had different wives.
Buck said nothing. They buried the correction under the obituaries. Bernie, er’ THE
JERK, e-mailed me and pointed out the correction, otherwise I would have missed it."
"They had two letters to the editor about you, too."
"Yea," I said. "That’s getting to be a regular occurrence. Jimmy
Buck reports on a meeting that never took place the way he says it does and then they
follow up with a few letters calling me everything but a white man. All they were missing
was another unsigned editorial. There is probably one in the works right now.
"But!" I added. "There is a bright spot. One of the letter writers
didn't like the way this is being handled. Here. Read this."
Grant took the letter that came to me via e-mail. It read:
"Bud:
"Quick note to let you know that I was unhappy with the fact that the Era waited so
long to publish the second letter I wrote to the editor WEEKS ago. Reverse 'wag the dog'?
Also I think the latest scandal "NETGATE", IS A COMPLETE LOAD OF CRAP!
"Little too much effort on the ERA's part to make so much of so little. They
should Attack issues...not create them. I question the integrity of the motives involved
in their 'investigation', much in the same way I questioned the motivation of the MLR on
some things. Good Luck on that count."
Michael C. Krott
mixnuts@penn.com.
"Really, Bud. You have more support out there than you realize. I think The
Era realizes it and is working like heck to try and erode it. Jim is obsessed with
you now. It is almost laughable."
"Ha, Ha," I said.
"I heard you were pretty hard on him at the meeting."
"I was. No doubt about it. I told him he was a disgrace in the way he
misrepresented what went on. I also told him he had no business teaching anyone about
Journalism because he didn’t understand what it was all about. I demanded an apology
from him for saying that I wanted to investigate the premises of the High School when all
I wanted to do was to see the records. You never read any of that in The Error."
"Did he apologize?"
"Are you kidding? You and I are man enough to say we are wrong when we are wrong.
I always thought Jim was better than this shabby business. Obviously, I was wrong. He
isn’t much of a man. THE JERK was probably right in his assessment of him from the
first. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought he would at least be
fair, but I can see that is never going to happen. Heck, Grant," I said. "When
he called these Bradford Hotel articles fictitious, he was being downright mean.
You and I both know they are satirical in nature, not fictitious. While
this never really occurs, the facts are all truthful. That is not fiction.
"But then, who am I to question Jim Buck? He is the one with the Master’s
Degree in Fiction Writing, not me."
"Any good letters for tomorrow’s editorial page," Grant asked.
"Yes," I said. "Have you been following the letters on asbestos,
especially the one from the woman in Florida and then the one from her daughter in
Arizona?"
"Yes," he said. "They are really moving."
"The lady in Florida wrote another about her daughter. It is as moving as the
first two. All three of them bring tears to my eyes."
I handed Grant the letters for the editorial page."People really enjoy reading
what other people have to say. I love the way you incorporate them in the column. I wish I
would have thought of it first." Then he began to read. The one from Florida was
first.
"I knew my daughter was going to write to you, but I thought she was going to give
you facts about asbestos. She has done much research on the subject. Little did I know
that she would write about me. Her letter made me cry. She didn't even mention her own
pain, how her whole high school years were taken from her. I have a niece and various 2nd
& 3rd cousins who are students at Bradford High. Is asbestos going to do to them what
it did to my husband and a lot of other people?
"The people of Bradford need to rebel. They need to go to the school board
meetings and raise hell. They need to document the dates of the exposure, the type of
asbestos, the manufacturer of the asbestos, the names of the school board members. Then
they need to find an attorney in Pittsburgh who specializes in asbestos litigation and sue
the school board. I'm not a brave lady. I'm just a lady who did what I had to do when I
had to do it. I'm from a long line of stubborn Irishmen from Bradford.
"Good luck to you, Mr. Beck, in your fight with the Bradford Era. They have a
"gang mentality". Mr. Buck is not a journalist in the true meaning of the word.
He's just a pitiful man who is on a witch
hunt."
Grant sat silent. He nodded his head and went on to the next one. Dave Sheffer was
standing there listening. He picked up the letter and read it. The reaction was the same.
"This is a powerful issue, Bud," Dave said. "All of this fits in place.
You publish the pictures of the exposed asbestos in the high school and Jim Buck starts
tearing apart your phone records. People aren't stupid."
Grant went on to the next letter.It was about asbestos, too.
"What is wrong with the people in the McKean County Area. Look at how many people
have died and are dying from the exposure they received to asbestos while working at
Pittsburgh Corning, Corp. Even children of the workers. Do they think the Port Allegany
Asbestos Health Program was just established in case it was determined that a little whiff
of Asbestos was dangerous. People, if they have doubts, can obtain information from NIOSH
in Washington, DC (it is free)."
He said nothing and I handed him the next letter.
"I applaud the probation department for getting off their dead asses and checking on
these drunks at local bars. Maybe they will stop some of the low-lifes when they are
violating probation before they injure someone seriously, while drunk. The person they
injure lays in a hospital for years and years and they are out partying and having one
hell of a good time. If the bars feel it is harassment I am sorry but how else can they
keep the low life out, keep them from causing alot of suffering to every human who has to
deal with the aftermath of a low life drunken scum bag? I hope the probation department
continues to do their job. I don't know what got them started but whatever it was I am
glad! It has taken them long enough."
Grant shook his head. "All they would have had to have done is put Bobby Guzan away
and keep him there."
"Heck, Grant. He is in Maple Manor now, not jail! He'll be back in the bars in
less than 30 days and laughing about it. Any bar owner in this county who serves him is
crazy! It's people like this who have got things the way they are. Honest people are
afraid to stop for one beer anymore. What kind of world is that?
"Here's one from our buddy, THE JERK:
"Is the Bradford Era a newspaper or a noosepaper? Has Jim Buck been assigned the task
of controlling public opinion through rumor, innuendo and blatant false reporting?
(referring to the Dave Hickey appointment) The Era, when forced to acknowledge the
reporter had been post scripting his column with false and intentionally misleading
information, placed a correction close to the obituaries assuming it would become a dead
issue. WRONG!
"I have never been a fan of Bud Beck. While I agree with most of what he says and
his opinions mirror mine in many ways, just the mention of his name has in the past
stirred anger within me. I never felt comfortable in the same room with him, having been a
real member of the LRRPs in Vietnam about the same time he would have been there I find it
distasteful even breathing the same air as the phonies and wannabes. I have come to the
realization however that my feelings about him could very well have been carefully
manipulated by the possible false reporting of Era staff members. I don't know if I will
ever know the truth about Beck's military past but that is a different issue.
"I do know that he is a damned good writer and though we might never be
friends I would choose his company over Buck's any day. This will likely not get printed
in the Era, my last two have not been
because of the anti-era slant. Hey, Buck! Did you ask the BASD about those asbestos
abatement records yet?"
Bernie (TheJERK) Moore
75 Belleview Av.
Bradford, PA 16701
e-mail: cnac@penn.com
"There's asbestos again!" Grant said.
"Grant. It is a real danger! People had better wake up. This thing has been
brushed under the rug. Cheri and the whole School Board are not doing us or the kids any
service on this deal. Look at this letter."
"Mr. Beck, You have a lot of nerve to take five hard working women and attempt to
denigrate them and call them power women. Each and every one of them have worked
very hard to achieve the success they have in their particular fields. You should be so
lucky in your life to have half as much ability and success as they. I don't understand
why you would single them out hte way you have. You are a disgrace and should not be
allowed to print the filth that you do."
"How do you answer something like that?" Grant asked.
"Easy," I said. "I love letters like this one. Think about it. Most of
the time people don't object to the stand that I am taking, only the way I take it, and in
many cases, me in general. This woman, if we gave her the facts in a emotionless
atmosphere, would agree with me on the asbestos thing and even the way the Error is
reporting these days. The power woman thing is something else. That should be
addressed.
Publisher's comment: I did not invent the power women. The power
women invented the power women. They openly referred to themselves as power
women in various bars around town. They laughed about it and took themselves very
seriously as they called each new meeting of the power women to order. Even as
one staggered back from the ladies rest room, she hollered across a packed barroom,
"This power woman needs help," and in fact, she did. She was so drunk
she couldn't stand up, yet she took herself home at the end of the power women meeting
in the "company car."
I haven't denigrated anything. You need to look to the power women. You
need to really look at the asbestos issue at the High School and then ask yourself some
serious questions.
Why isn't The Bradford Era and Jim Buck digging as hard and as deep
into the asbestos thing as they are into some calls to Altoona?
Is it because I am corrupt? Or, is it because they are diverting attention away
from a real danger and attempting to use whatever they can to mislead a reading public
that they openly scorn with shoddy reporting, writing, and self proclaimed awards?
Is power woman Marty Robacker Wilder protecting fellow power woman
Cheri Maureen O'Mara by turning away from a situation that may easily have an impact
on this community for decades to come?
Don't hang the power women creation on me. Five women drinking in a
barroom created that name. Power women it was, and power women it will
be. If I was Mayor Cavallaro, I would be jealous that Peggy is one and she isn't.
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 13, 1999
Heartbreak and loss, and your comments
Good morning. It is 6 A.M. and it is 27.9 degrees on a clear Tuesday morning.
There's a bit of frost on the front yard but it sure looks like it is going to be one fine
day here.
As I brace for the morning Era and Jim Buck's account of what he
believes took place at yesterday's Commissioners' meeting, let me share with you some
comments that were made in response to the lady's letter describing her husband's death
which was directly attributed to exposure to asbestos.
"I am the daughter of the "lady in Florida" that wrote in April 12th.
She accurately described the events in my fathers life....she, however, did not mention
her own hell that the exposure to asbestos brought to her. For 3 years she tended to a
dying man, a task that no one should have to endure. She sacrificed all her time, energy,
and emotions to this man who was unfairly sentenced to death. After all of that time, she
found herself utterly alone.
"She has seen things that probably still haunt her. She had to watch the man that
she loved suffer and drown in his own bodily fluids.
She had to explain to her children that their father was gone, while trying to keep her
own composure. She found herself, at the young age of 47, without the man that she lived
for for almost 20 years.
"I'd like to commend my mother for all her strength and loyalty, she's quite a
woman. What my father went through was horrible, and the dangers of asbestos are very
real. I however, cannot understand the ignorance of the school board to allow this to
continue. I find it to be extremely frightening that such "boneheads" are
allowed to make decisions that directly affect the education of today's youth. The
community needs to pull together and put a stop to this. Protest, make calls, keep your
children home from school. They may need
their education, but that education will do them no good if they're dead 20 years from
now.....thanks to asbestos. Signed......a girl from Arizona."
and;
"What a brave brave lady to share with us the last hours she spent with her
husband. I live in Illinois and I have had a similar experience. It just ended seven
months ago. My husband made, of all things, gaskets. They were asbestos gaskets, but he
wasn't handling them or assembling or packaging. He was the accountant who was well
removed from the floor of the plant. I don't know that he ever touched one. All he did was
balance the books, pay the taxes, and see the men and women got their checks every week.
He never knew or even suspected that the air around him was so deadly.
"As his body hardened from the inside out and he began to literally drown in his
own fluids, I died as I watched him. I was never able to say that before. Only that brave
lady in Florida gave me the courage to say what I am saying here. This is wonderful even
as I am crying. I am finally getting it out of me.
"You people need to stand up and be counted. I do not know of Paul Timbrook and I
never heard of him until I read the column the other day, but he is to be despised for the
casual way he has dismissed the danger of asbestos. The only difference between a chunk of
asbestos and a chunk of radioactive material, is you die faster with radioactive material.
Thank you for having this forum so I can say what I have held inside."
and,
"God Bless the lady from Florida. I live in Texas and I have an experience just
like hers. I am not so good at writing as she is, but what she said was my life, too. She
is not alone even though she believes that she is. There are too many of us who have the
same things in our lives. Our children should not have to live through the same thing just
because people who are given the power to see this doesn't happen are too lazy to do their
jobs and then make jokes like that Mr. Timbrook."
and;
"Both of my parents died from asbestos. My father died because he handled it in a
Michigan plant. My mother died because she washed his clothes. Four of their children
wonder every day if we aren't sentenced to the same fate of our parents because the
government took too long to act. It is a damn shame when school boards are too ignorant
and lazy to protect the children. There is more than just passing tests. What about their
quality of life? What about their health? Twenty years from now the new school will be old
and need to be torn down. What about the kids who are dying? Will they care about the new
school? I don't think so. Get some brains."
Publisher's comment: All of these letters bring tears to my eyes as I am sure
they have done to you. I have more. They say the same thing. They want to know what is
wrong with us. They don't understand our complacency.
I am about to be attacked by The Bradford Era and their reporter. They
are going to allege any number of things about me. (All of my phone records were taken
yesterday - something about a survey on the availability of public records.) However,
their reporter gave it all away when he tied this is a formal request to the asbestos
investigation I am doing at the Bradford High School. So, the light of day comes into play
once more.
If you step on the wrong toes here, you are held up to public scrutiny. For
that reason many people are afraid to stand up and be heard. I am not. I will stand up and
no matter what they say and try, this business about asbestos and the chance that our kids
were exposed unnecessarily will not go away. Tighten your belts friends,
the ride has just begun.
All comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 12, 1999
Asbestosgate and phonegate -your thoughts
A lady in Florida wrote:
"To Paul Timbrook: (Bradford Area School Board Member)
"You want to know what a few whiffs of asbestos can do? How about lung cancer,
asbestosis, mesothelioma. I wish you had lived in my house from July 27, 1989, until April
14, 1992. You would have lived a nightmare, watching what a few whiffs of asbestos can do.
"You would have seen a vital man turned into a writhing mass of pain.
You would have watched as his morphine pump failed to relieve his
pain. You would have watched as his lungs filled with fluid and he
finally drowned in it!
"At 5:30 a.m. on the morning of April 14, 1992, I was awakened by an unGodly
noise. It was my husband gasping, with the fluid in his lungs making an awful rattling
sound. My daughter awoke at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for school. She said "Mom, come
and get me when it's over".
"I called the nurse who monitored his morphine intake. She was at the house within
30 minutes. She said the time was near.
"He kept mouthing the words "I love you" to me, all the time knowing
that his time was short. At 11:00 a.m. that day, the nurse pronounced him dead. I went out
and sat on the back porch, shocked and stunned at what I had witnessed, while Donna (the
nurse) cleaned
him up. Do you know what the body releases when a person dies? It's not a pretty sight.
"After a few minutes composing myself, I went to the high school and got my
daughter. She had just gotten out of Geometry class and entered the cafeteria for lunch.
We came home and she went to look at her Dad. She said "gee, he looks so peaceful, no
more pain on his face".
"He is now buried in a cemetery in Bradford, because he loved the area so much
even though he wasn't from Bradford. So, Mr. Timbrook, THAT is what a few whiffs of
asbestos can do to a
person and that MIGHT be what you've sentenced some of the students to. I hope you're
proud of yourself and can hold your head high."
and about phonegate:
"About AOL Gate, this stupid situation that Jim Buck is trying to make into some
major issue:
" I think you need to point out one very obvious, but so far overlooked, fact.
It's being implied that you are using your AOL
account from the courthouse to update your web site when you don't need AOL at all to do
that. After talking to you I found out that you use Front Page 98, a Microsoft program,
and upload the changes to
Penncom, What does AOL have to do with your site? Absolutely nothing!
"Another important point is that any AOL member can sign on to AOL as a guest on any
computer than has the AOL software installed. I can come to the courthouse and sign on
under my screenname and password. The fact that calls were made to AOL from your computer
or any computer, does not prove what AOL
member made them.
"Jim Buck needs to take a crash course in computers and how they work before he
makes charges like the ones he has made against you."
Your comments have said it all. Thank you. Comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 11, 1999
Saturday nite fever
Good morning. It is 34.5 degrees at 6:30 A.M. It seems on this Sunday morning
that the whole world is sleeping. Well it wasn't last night.
I thought that as Titanic sank last night and as old Rose dropped the Star of the Ocean
back into the sea, I could go home and get a good night's sleep for once. Just as I was
getting ready to go home from the Rainbow, Cornplanter and Red Jacket walked in. Red
Jacket, it seems, had just purchased an old Chevy half ton pickup. It was red.
"Hey, Bud," the old chief said to me. "How," and he cleared his
throat, "are you doing?"
"Fine, Captain," I said, remembering what he told me earlier in the week at
the Bradford Hotel.
Cornplanter introduced me to Red Jacket and said that he wanted me to go to town with
them. I expected Sharyn to object and was shocked when she told me to run along with the
two old chiefs and have a good time. So, in a matter of minutes, there I was jammed in the
center of an old Chevy pickup going down 770 hill on the way to Bradford.
I don't know where Red Jacket got his license, but he was a careful driver.
"Don't you love the mufflers on this truck!" Red Jacket exclaimed.
"What mufflers?" Cornplanter said back to him. "I told you you were
paying too much for this truck. You should have made him fix it first. I never would have
gotten anything unless I talked to Luke first. Who ever heard of buying a truck from an
insurance man?"
"I felt sorry for him. He was fat. I figured with all he ate, his family needed
the money."
"I still wouldn't have done a thing without seeing Luke, or at least Keith."
As we reached the bottom of the hill and turned left on 219, almost immediately lights
went on behind us. "What is that?" Red Jacket asked.
"I think it's the police," I said. "You better pull over."
"What did I do?" he asked in disbelief.
"Maybe it isn't you, but this truck," Cornplanter said. "Shut the engine
off."
Red Jacket shut off the engine and got out his license, registration, and insurance
information, and rolled down his window. The police officer approached carefully, his hand
on his sidearm.
"Do you know why I stopped you?" the police officer asked Red Jacket as he
examined his credentials.
"No," the chief said. "I haven't a clue. Please tell me."
"You crossed the center line when you pulled on to the highway back there."
"What?" the chief asked. "I crossed the center line?"
"Yes," the police officer said. "Have you been drinking at all
tonight?"
"No sir," the chief said.
"Step out of the vehicle."
Red Jacket did as he was told. He stepped out of the vehicle. The police officer moved
close to the chief in an attempt to smell his breath. Poor Red Jacket was back against the
truck and the officer was asking him questions.
"Are you sure you haven't been drinking?" the officer asked again.
"Yes, I am," Red Jacket said.
"Jeez!" the officer exclaimed. "Your breath stinks. What the devil have
you been eating?"
"Fish heads and elk hooves," he answered back "It was quite a delicacy
with my people at one time. This new generation seems to have lost its taste for it. They
like pizza and wings better. I don't understand it."
"Get back in the truck!" the officer said. "Are you trying to be a smart
ass with me?" he asked the Indian.
"No sir," the chief said. "I am also not trying to be a dumb ass
either."
"Don't get smart with me," the police man said.
"Yes sir. I'll stay stupid."
Frustrated, the officer said: "I'm giving you a warning for a loud muffler. You
have 72 hours to get it fixed and bring me proof or I am going to make this real."
"Yes sir," Red Jacket said.
"Who sold you this, anyway?" the police officer asked.
"My insurance man," he answered.
"That figures. You should have gone to Luke."
"See. I told you so," Cornplanter said.
Then he shinned his light in my face. "Do I know you?" he asked
"I don't know. Do you?"
"You're Beck!" he said as he recognized me. "It's a good thing you
weren't driving. I'd haul you in for a blood test right now. In fact I should do it
anyway, just for general principles. I don't like you!"
Join the club, I thought to myself.
As we pulled away and continued on down 219, Red Jacket asked if Lewie's Lounge
wasn't nearby? As we approached Song Bird and 219 I told him it was just a few
blocks down the road.
"Do you mind if we stop in? I used to hang out at McCourt Label from 1962
until 1966. Lew used to come to work there during his school vacations. I used to know
Henry Hulings. Ahhhh, those were the good ol' days."
"Fine with me," I said.
"Same here," Cornplanter chimed in.
When we got to Lewie's it was rather quiet. Lewie, we were told was visiting Sheffer at
the Bradford Hotel. The bartender recognized me and said that a bunch of them went down
there looking for me. They wanted to get the low down on the asbestos at the High School.
"This is a nice place," Red Jacket said. "Do you come here often?"
"No," I said. "Really, I don't get out that much anymore."
I had a quick one and we were on our way in the loudest darn pickup I had ever been in.
It seemed to get louder every minute.
Bradford was its usual Saturday night self. There were people mingling in the square
and activity around the bars on Mechanic Street. The Riddle House parking lot was full and
McDonald's was just closing down. We parked the truck and crossed the street to enter the
Bradford Hotel.
The hotel was full. Lewie and Sheffer were down at the end of
the bar. David Poyer was at a table talking to Greg Henry, who was puffing on his pipe.
Judy and Jose were there, as were Bob Cummins and Pete Pascuzzi. Grant Nichols was at the
table next to Dave and Greg with award winning columnist, George Petrisek. Along with them
were the regulars, a group of regular Bradford people, very much like the people you would
find in any small town in forgotten northwest Pennsylvania. As we entered, they
barely noticed that the two great Seneca chiefs were with me.
We walked up to Lewie and Sheffer and said hello. Lewie immediately recognized Red
Jacket.
"Hello," Lewie said to the old chief.
"Hey Lewie! How have you been?"
The two men exchanged pleasantries while Sheffer started right in on the asbestos
thing.
"You've been taking a real beating on this issue," he said. "Cheri
O'Mara called you a liar on the radio."
"That's all well and good, Dave," I said. "I am taking a beating right
now, but in a week or two, Cheri and the School Board will be being asked questions that
they are not going to want to answer. When confronted with absolute evidence that they
ignored this thing for months and sat back and did nothing, then I want to hear who is
being called a liar."
Greg Henry got up from the table and joined Dave and I. I could see George perk up and
begin to listen.
"Harold has some startling evidence that he is about to make public. The less said
about it at this time, the better. But, Dave, when it comes out, it will be a block buster
and it will open up a whole lot of eyes."
"You know," I said. "Betty and Jeff Hendryx were up at the Rainbow
tonight having dinner. He owns property in Marshburg and stops in from time to time. We
talked about what went on at the School Board meeting on Tuesday night.
"Jeff told me that Paul Timbrook, a School Board member, said he had a lot of
experience with asbestos. He was sitting there holding himself up as an expert. Then he
makes one of the most stupid statements I have ever heard. According to Betty and Jeff,
Timbrook said something to the effect that ..........He couldn't imagine any parents
getting upset if their kids got a few whiffs of asbestos. He's on our School Board!
Can you imagine him saying that? How absurdly stupid can one man be?
"What I can't get over is how that was not reported by Kimberly Weinberg when she
did her story on the School Board meeting," I said. "You all know darn well if I
said something like that it would be in a headline the next day."
Red Jacket joined the conversation.
"How can they keep you out of the High School?" he asked. "Isn't it a
public school? Aren't you a tax payer? Since when does Cheri O'Mara have the power or the
right to place a ban on anyone?"
Greg Henry jumped right into that conversation.
"That raises interesting legal questions. How long is the ban in effect for? Where
does it extend to? Does Harold have to stay back sixty feet from the High School? Can he
walk up Interstate Parkway? Is he allowed to talk to students as they enter or leave the
school? Does it mean he can no longer go to Callahan Park? How does this affect Harold's
civil rights? Does he have grounds under the Civil Rights Law to file an action against
the school district? All of these are very interesting legal questions, and you, Harold,
as a fellow member now, should begin to ponder all of them."
David Poyer joined right in. "It reminds me of Thunder on the Mountain,
my new book. It is almost the exact same situation as the strike at the refinery. Oh how
history repeats itself!"
Cornplanter was quiet. When he finally spoke it was a good one.
"You know," he said. "If any of the Quakers who came up from
Philadelphia to teach our children to read and write the white man's language would have
taken them into a den of rattlesnakes, we would have burned them alive. Where is the
difference here?"
No one wanted to touch that one. Everyone stayed oddly silent but the point was made.
Still, I could not get over such a stupid statement about kids taking a few
whiffs of asbestos and The Bradford Era failing to report it. Is this a cover-up
Bradford style? You be the judge.
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
APRIL 10, 1999
Startling realizations
Good morning. It is 7:13 and the sun just came up. It is 30.0 degrees outside.
This column is dedicated to startling realizations - yours and mine. Yours first.
About Bobby Guzan:
"You've heard the old saying, 'He fell into a s*** hole and came out smelling like a
rose'. Well he did it again. I'm referring to Bob Guzan. I found out that he went to Maple
Manor today, Apr. 8, for 28 days (a lot of good) and then he'll be out to go back to work.
No more jail time. Now how the hell has this happened. Also found out that if you file
bankruptcy, which they are, he gets to keep everything he was suppose to lose. It seems to
me that he's never going to learn a lesson by getting away with everything. You know how
much a bulls****** he can be. I also do know that the counselors can see right through his
bulls***. You can't BS a BS'r, cause they've been there and done that. Now we're looking
at him smelling like a damn rose garden. Go figure. It's not right. But what can we
do?"
Publisher's comment: Yes. That is the Bobby Guzan I know too. Poor, poor, Bobby!
Actually, what about the damage he has caused with this latest round of evil? What about
the two underage drinking buddies of his who "stole" his truck? What about the
honest hard working business people who have been damaged by his carrying ons? Lewie
Eggbert, because of Guzan, feels his place of business is now a target - and rightfully
so. Lewie did nothing wrong. He opened for business and in walks Adult Probation harassing
customers just because they are looking for Guzan. Other eating and drinking
establishments feel the same way. They did nothing wrong except not bar Guzan for life -
like we did at the Rainbow. Heck, even the Rainbow became a target during the Guzan
search. It was an excuse for the probation boys, working for King John Cleland, to harass
honest business people like my wife and Lewie. All the time Bobby was out driving without
a license and drinking up a storm. Now this is just the latest in the saga of a snitch who
actually did more than the people he turned on to save himself. A real worm!
About Cheri O'Mara:
"Have you heard anymore on the rumor of Cheri O'Mara retiring? This rumor I heard
came from a friend of hers from Kane. I'll check a little more into this and keep you
posted, if you don't keep me posted. Her epitaph should read, 'Well I don't know, I'll
have to check into that'. It seems everytime I hear her on the radio and has a
taxpayer ask her a question, her famous reply is, 'Well I don't know' or 'I'll have to
check into that'. Duh! aren't you suppose to know. Don't you run the School District. I
and a friend of mine had a meeting with Cheri about 4 years ago. The school was trying to
kick our kids out of school and we were concerned parents so we
confronted Cheri about it. We asked her when the kids from BAHS skip school and are in
Callahan Park area or at Humpty Dumpty wall and the kid gets hurt, who is responsible?
Well I don't know? Or why do they allow kids to skip school? Or why do they allow kids to
smoke before and after school on the taxpayers property? Or why can't they enforce the
police to patrol this area?"
Our experts on the "asbestos wars" have their say:
"I want to point out the EPA inspector was quoted as saying "appears to be in
compliance with (the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act)." He did not say that
they were or even appeared to be in compliance with (Asbestos School Hazard Abatement
Act). And while $75,000.00 is a fraction of 7 million, it is also, though a larger one,
only a fraction of O'Mara's annual salary..."
and:
"ASHAA was a forerunner to AHERA and supplanted by AHERA.
Under ASHAA all friables were to be found, and then it was to be ascertained which
friables had asbestos content. Those were to be removed or abated. Lots of times those
were just sprayed with encapsulants so there would not be fiber releases and to provide
some protection from accidental damage. Then along came AHERA which required that all
ACBMs be found, regardless of condition. Beautifully maintained VAT, lovely Transite
board, lagging, plaster, thermals, even wiring insulation. Some cement and mortar! Check
all
the materials, and if there are any suspect materials (meaning basically
anything except known wood, solid metal, rubber or glass) that are not sampled, they must
be "assumed" and treated as if known to be ACBMs. AHERA is much stricter than
ASHAA."
and from another school district:
"Chris Niemann, project manager for the Port Allegany HS renovation, told the board
he wants the asbestos abatement done in the summer, not during a school term, so as not to
risk the "kinds of problems Bradford is having." He said having workers there
"the second shift" is not the answer. And that's pretty obvious. Does anyone
think if workers disturb asbestos in the evening or overnight and go off the job before
school opens, the fibers they released depart as well? Asbestos is not known to be that
considerate."
and about me:
I realized that I have probably become part of the lowest form of life on this planet.
Perhaps all the bad things they have said about me are true. It occurred to me while
discussing the asbestos issue with Attorney Greg Henry that I have recently joined his
ranks as a lawyer.
You see, I filed with the Prothonotary on Wednesday an entry of appearance on my own
behalf to represent myself in the up coming charges against me for the $370 I reported on
allegedly the wrong form. I am going to represent myself as my own lawyer. Yes. I came to
a startling realization that I was now both a lawyer and a politician. What a thought!
Comment on this at rdhedbud@penn.com.
Comment on this column at rdhedbud@penn.com.
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