RIP Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy passed away from brain cancer at age 77. Known for his liberal stance and often picked on for his drinking problem, he served his constituents from MA since 1964. Here are some lesser known facts about Ted Kennedy that many people my generation don't know:

He turned down an opportunity to play for the Green Bay Packers. He chose law school instead. In the 1955 Harvard-Yale game, he caught scored the only touchdown for Harvard.

He was ticketed several times for reckless driving. His driving habits (and failure to notify authorities after killing a passenger in his vehicle) are what hurt his political carreer. The accident, known as the Chappaquiddick incident, is also what gave Kennedy his bad rep for drinking (as he was coming home from a party when he drove his car off a bridge) even though he denied drinking. the incident later haunted him when he ran for President in 1980.

Despite becoming a laughing stock to conservatives in the 1990s and throughout this century, Kennedy was unwaivering in his liberal beliefs and he was a man who stuck to his principles and never strayed from them. Even though I never agreed with his political beliefs, I give him and any other man credit for fighting for what he believed in. This is how I will remember Ted Kennedy.

Lynette Villano's facebook page made me laugh

The former county GOP chairperson has listed as one of her hobbies "working with republican committees and candidates." When did she start doing that - it obviously wasn't when she headed the party from an undisclosed location somewhere in a coalmine deep underground in NEPA.

When she headed the party you couldn't find any contact information for the Luzerne County GOP. No website. No phone numbers. Nada. Zip. Nothing. The party was virtually nonexistent. She was disorganized and uninterested in meeting with anyone. She publicly admitted she didn't want to have anything to do with running the county party and she didn't really care to be so involved with it.

So, is this a new hobby or a stretch of the truth?

Wanna hear a good joke? Doherty for Governor

This moron can't lead the people of Scranton out of a paper bag, let alone a financially distressed Commonwealth. After all, his handling of the city's budget is disgraceful. Can we also talk about his reputation for falsely using a "revitalize Scranton" effort to play the kickback game while ostracizing small businesses (like Buono's Pizza)? The fact that he's considering a run for the highest state office is a joke. Even more funny is how delusional he thinks his reputation in Scranton is - actual quote below with the truth uncovered in [brackets]:

"We're building a better Scranton by creating [no] new jobs, investing in our [buddies to helped me get reelected but we'll call it improvement in our] infrastructure, attracting [absolutely zero] new business and supporting our [pride and joy, the Office, while shitting on] existing ones."

At the present moment, there are 6 people (3 republicans and 3 democrats) who are considering running for governor next year:

Congressman Jim Gerlach (R) - governorship would be a step down for him
Pat Meehan (R) - former Delaware County DA who is trying to run on the Maverick platform, and from a distance without my glasses on he kinda looks like Bob Casey.
Tom Corbett (R) - the most likely GOP candidate.
Jack Wagner (D) - auditor general
Tom Knox (D) - businessman and my favorite democrat candidate so far.

The Commonwealth of PA doesn't need a candidate who has no sense of fiscal responsibility. The citizens of PA need someone who can turn things around. Chris Doherty is not the man for the job. I think the best candidate thus far who stepped up to the plate - hold on to your seat - is Tom Knox. Tom Corbett comes a close second. It would be interesting to see these two have a close race.

Sotomayor in the hot seat

With a liberal President there is no doubt that Sotomayor, the racist bitch from NY who thinks she's better than any white male judge simply because she's Latina, will indeed press the liberals' and her own racist agenda. The clues are all in her own words:

"Congress makes the laws. The job of a judge is to apply the law." Really? the role of a Supreme Court Judge is to uphold the Constitution, not apply the liberal laws that Congress puts in place.

"A wise Latina judge would usually reach better conclusions than a white man." I smell discrimination here, especially when you look at the fact that she was outraged over the Supreme Court's decision that New Haven firefighters were indeed practicing reverse discrimination.

Putting a racist with a skewed political agenda in the position as a Supreme Court Justice is not only dangerous and stupid, it is yet another advancement towards socialism. A liberal President and Congress are already hellbent on destroying the very moral fiber of our country and our national identity while throwing us into a nanny state. Give the third branch of our government the same agenda, and we will give the government complete control over the people. Thank you again for voting for One Big Ass Mistake America.

Persistence does indeed pay off

Ron Paul (R, Texas) is gaining sudden popularity in Congress. Why?

The libertarian/constitutionalist who was for the longest time disregarded as a crackpot by fellow party members not has "the GOP House leadership on his side -- backing a measure that generated paltry support when he first introduced it 26 years ago. Paul, as of Tuesday, has won 245 co-sponsors to a bill that would require a full-fledged audit of the Federal Reserve by the end of 2010" (FOXNews.com) due to fears of overspending, the exercise of poor monetary policy, and Obama's federalization of the financial industry.

Simply put, Obama and Capitol Hill democrats in the last 5 months spent trillions of dollars, increased regulation, and gave more authority to federal agencies which would make Lennin and Marx smile in their graves. Republicans are seeking transparency - an ideal stressed by Obama while running for office but has thus far become a false campaign promise. "If they give them a lot more power and there's no more transparency, that'll be a disaster," Paul said.

The bill (The Federal Reserve Transparency Act) would call for the comptroller general in the Government Accountability Office to audit the Fed and report those findings to Congress. The GAO's ability to conduct such audits now is severely restricted.

The current status of the bill is that it is sitting, collecting dust on the desk of the House Financial Services Committee. If you need to ask why it's just collecting dust, take a look at the two most powerful members of this committee who are stalling this bill from moving it forward: Osama Bin Kanjorski (Paul Kajorski, D, PA-11) and Barney (Barney Frank, D, Mass). Both are responsible for destroying the economy.

Premature withdrawal may save face, but leads to a big mess

BAGHDAD — Iraq officially took control of its fate Tuesday as the U.S. pulled its combat troops out of Baghdad and other cities and towns, handing over security responsibilities to Iraqi forces.

The withdrawal completed the Status of Forces agreement signed last November, and touched off celebrations in Baghdad and other cities.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared Tuesday to be "National Sovereignty Day," complete with a military parade to display to Iraqis — and a still stubborn insurgency — its ability to maintain order in a nation ravaged by six years of war.

"This day, which we consider a national celebration, is an achievement made by all Iraqis," al-Maliki said in a televised speech.

"Our incomplete sovereignty and the presence of foreign troops is the most serious legacy we have inherited (from Saddam). Those who think that Iraqis are unable to defend their country are committing a fatal mistake," he said.

But the dangers facing Iraq were brought into stark focus Monday as U.S. military officials reported that four American soldiers were killed in combat on the eve of the withdrawal.

Officials said the four soldiers served with the Multi-National Division-Baghdad, but did not provide further details pending notification of their families. The soldiers died as a "result of combat related injuries," officials said.

The withdrawal that was completed late Monday is part of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact and marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. President Barack Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.

President Jalal Talabani said the day could not have happened without the help of the United States, which invaded Iraq in 2003 with the aim of ousting Saddam Hussein — who was later convicted by an Iraqi court and executed in Dec. 2006.

"While we celebrate this day, we express our thanks and gratitude to our friends in the coalition forces who faced risks and responsibilities and sustained casualties and damage while helping Iraq to get rid from the ugliest dictatorship and during the joint effort to impose security and stability," Talabani said.

Describing June 30 as a "glorious page" in Iraq's history, Talabani warned that "security will not be achieved completely without proper political environment and without a real national unity and reconciliation."

Iraq marked the day with an overnight display of fireworks, while thousands attended a party in a park where singers performed patriotic songs.

The midnight handover to Iraqi forces filled many citizens with pride but also trepidation that government forces are not ready and that violence will rise. Shiites fear more bombings by Sunni militants; Sunnis fear that the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces will give them little protection.

If the Iraqis can hold down violence in the coming months, it will show the country is finally on the road to stability. If they fail, it will pose a challenge to Obama's pledge to end a war that has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 U.S. troops and thousands of Iraqis.

Despite Tuesday's formal pullback, some U.S. troops will remain in the cities to train and advise Iraqi forces. U.S. troops will return to the cities only if asked. The U.S. military will continue combat operations in rural areas and near the border, but only with the Iraqi government's permission.

The U.S. has not said how many troops will be in the cities in advisory roles, but the vast majority of the more than 130,000 U.S. forces remaining in the country will be in large bases scattered outside cities.

There have been some worries that the 650,000-member Iraqi military is not ready to maintain stability and deal with a stubborn insurgency.

Privately, many U.S. officers worry the Iraqis will be overwhelmed if violence surges, having relied for years on the Americans for nearly everything.

Madoff gets the MAX!!!

NEW YORK — Convicted Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison Monday for a fraud so extensive that the judge said he needed to send a message to potential imitators and to victims who demanded harsh punishment.

Scattered applause and whoops broke out in the crowded Manhattan courtroom after U.S. District Judge Denny Chin issued the maximum sentence to the 71-year-old defendant, who said he lives "in a tormented state now, knowing all the pain and suffering I've created."

Chin rejected a request by Madoff's lawyer for leniency and said he disagreed that victims of the Ponzi scheme were seeking mob vengeance.

"Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll," Chin said.

The judge said the estimate that Madoff has cost his victims more than $13 billion was conservative because it did not include money from feeder funds.

"Objectively speaking, the fraud here was staggering," he said.