Is this true?

"This picture is worth a trillion $$



House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)

The guy sitting in the row in front of these two....he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores.

These are the folks that couldn't get the budget out by Oct. 1 (last year) , and are about to control your health care, cap and trade, and the list goes on and on….
Should we buy them larger screen computers - or - a ticket home, permanently?

This is one of their 3-DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for (salary is about $179,000 per year).

KEEP THIS GOING! DON'T LET IT STOP WITH YOU! "

I was sent this by email. If it's true, we need to clean out DC.

THIS WILL HAPPEN, It's only a matter of time

Monday, February 28, 2011

"The other day I added to our "Here's Why We Search" page with some information I got about a rescue that was made in Charlotte, North Carolina. An 11 year-old boy was rescued from the second floor of his burning home by Charlotte Firefighters; his parents and older brother had escaped. Kevin Boardman did what many other 11 year-olds would have done: when he realized that the house was on fire he went back in to try and save his animals.

Companies from the CFD arrived on scene and heard that Kevin was inside. It was just before 5:30 in the morning; a family gathered on the front lawn telling the crews that their younger son was inside; the building was deteriorating rapidly. The fire was burning up the basement stairs and spreading up the stairwell. The crew of a Rescue Company committed the search the second floor while an Engine Crew dug in the protect the stairwell. Conditions were bad: visibility was close to zero; heat was banking down to the floor; the signs of rollover were present in the smoke pushing up the stairwell. The firefighters searching knew that flashover was a real possibility. The Engine crew knew that if they did not hold the fire in check for the searching members from the Rescue that things would go very badly. The efforts of these warriors resulted in Kevin being pulled from the building. He was injured, but alive. He was rushed to the hospital and then flown to a burn center.

Kevin died from his injuries. He fought for awhile: from early Thursday morning February 3rd, until the evening of Saturday the 5th Kevin (and a team of Doctors and Nurses) fought for life. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries. My thoughts are with Kevin's family.

I bring this story up to continue the debate we started back with my post "%$#@ Victim Survivability Profiling... Do Your Primary Search." Based on the criteria that Captain Marsar published in his Fire Engineering articles those crews should not have committed to the search. The smoke conditions were such that CO and HCN were present in abundance. The likelihood of a viable victim being rescued was slight based on the studies he has referenced. However, the fact remains that the brave men and women of the Charlotte Fire Department committed to a very marginal set of conditions and managed to rescue a victim. There are those who might say, "But he died," as if that were evidence that the choice to search bordered on reckless.

I will pose this question. Would you have wanted another thirty hours with your 11 year-old before he died? That's what those warriors did; they crawled into a hell that easily could have killed or maimed any of them and in doing so they gave those parents, and Kevin's older brother, the chance to see him, to say good bye. To have a memory of holding his hand one last time, not one of a sudden and surreal loss. When Kurt Vonnegut spoke of the Fire Engine and a symbol of man's humanity to man it was that kind of Courage and sense of Duty he was speaking of.

Posted by Christopher Brennan"

Unfortunately, due directly to dictator Leighton, we may not have the manpower to even try a search like this with any chance at safety. Knowing my brothers on the WBFD we will try anyway, but this is an instance where the NFPA National Standard of 16 men on scene (and the city authorized Lloyds study of 17) comes into play.
The mayors decision to cut the Fire department to 12 men per shift and then rely on calling out firemen or hoping for assistance from surrounding cities puts both the citizens and the firefighters at risk. It isn't just the number of firefighters on scene, it is the number of firefighters on scene in the critical amount of time (measured in minutes).Leighton knows this (I've pointed it out... A LOT), but HE DOESN'T CARE. Unless it benefits him or his campaign contributors.
I ask that you think of your children, your spouse, your parents all your loved ones. They do not deserve to have their lives risked because of Leighton and his political agenda.

1 Screwed up selling the Sterling hotel (costing us $325,000)
2 Bad faith moves
3 Back room deals
4 Tried to sell city property for 8 cents on the dollar to a campaign contributor
5 Lied to county officials to get tax forgiveness to a campaign contributor
6 Cut our safety to fund HIS pet projects
7 The whole Ice Rink, which was supposed to revitalize W-B, HOW?
8 The largely worthless camera system
9 Raised taxes and fees to an all time high.
10 Racked up MASSIVE lawsuit debts
11 Violated a contract (Citywide Towing's contract) so he could give it to a campaign contributor (that cost us $225,000)
12 Trying to sell W-B property (Tax Free) to a campaign contributor (Known for not paying his own taxes)
13 Outright lies to us (The citizens of Wilkes-Barre)
14 Blaming anyone and everyone for his failures (remember the 'I believe' campaign, "I wouldn't say I oversold it. I think maybe the media did," Mayor Leighton said. (WNEP June 10, 2005) AKA It's not my fault, it's the medias)
15 Ignoring the Lloyds Study (which states the minimum FD manning per shift is 17) and cutting manning to 12 per shift
16 VIOLATED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, TWICE !!! (Denise Carey & the Hammonds). That's cost us over $275,000.


Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Last living U.S. WWI vet dies in W. Va. at age 110

"MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - He was repeatedly rejected by military recruiters and got into uniform at 16 after lying about his age. But Frank Buckles would later become the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I.

Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died of natural causes Sunday at his home in Charles Town, biographer and family spokesman David DeJonge said in a statement. He was 110.

Buckles had been advocating for a national memorial honoring veterans of the Great War in the nation's capital.

When asked in February 2008 how it felt to be the last of his kind, he said simply, "I realized that somebody had to be, and it was me." And he told The Associated Press he would have done it all over again, "without a doubt."

On Nov. 11, 2008, the 90th anniversary of the end of the war, Buckles attended a ceremony at the grave of World War I Gen. John Pershing in Arlington National Cemetery.

He was back in Washington a year later to endorse a proposal to rededicate the existing World War I memorial on the National Mall as the official National World War I Memorial. He told a Senate panel it was "an excellent idea." The memorial was originally built to honor District of Columbia's war dead.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917. He was repeatedly rejected before convincing an Army captain he was 18. He was actually 16 1/2.

"A boy of (that age), he's not afraid of anything. He wants to get in there," Buckles said.

Details for services and arrangements will be announced later this week. The family asks that donations be made to the National World War One Legacy Project. The project is managed by the nonprofit Survivor Quest and will educate students about Buckles and WWI through a documentary and traveling educational exhibition.

More than 4.7 million people joined the U.S. military from 1917-18. As of spring 2007, only three were still alive, according to a tally by the Department of Veterans Affairs: Buckles, J. Russell Coffey of Ohio and Harry Richard Landis of Florida.

The dwindling roster prompted a flurry of public interest, and Buckles went to Washington in May 2007 to serve as grand marshal of the national Memorial Day parade.

Coffey died Dec. 20, 2007, at age 109, while Landis died Feb. 4, 2008, at 108. Unlike Buckles, those two men were still in basic training in the United States when the war ended and did not make it overseas.

The last known Canadian veteran of the war, John Babcock of Spokane, Wash., died in February 2010.

There are no French or German veterans of the war left alive.

Buckles served in England and France, working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk. The fact he did not see combat didn't diminish his service, he said: "Didn't I make every effort?"

An eager student of culture and language, he used his off-duty hours to learn German, visit cathedrals, museums and tombs, and bicycle in the French countryside.

After Armistice Day, Buckles helped return prisoners of war to Germany. He returned to the United States in January 1920.

Buckles returned to Oklahoma for a while, then moved to Canada, where he worked a series of jobs before heading for New York City. There, he again took advantage of free museums, worked out at the YMCA, and landed jobs in banking and advertising.

But it was the shipping industry that suited him best, and he worked around the world for the White Star Line Steamship Co. and W.R. Grace & Co.

In 1941, while on business in the Philippines, Buckles was captured by the Japanese. He spent more than three years in prison camps.

"I was never actually looking for adventure," Buckles once said. "It just came to me."

He married in 1946 and moved to his farm in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle in 1954, where he and wife Audrey raised their daughter, Susannah Flanagan. Audrey Buckles died in 1999.

In spring 2007, Buckles told the AP of the trouble he went through to get into the military.

"I went to the state fair up in Wichita, Kansas, and while there, went to the recruiting station for the Marine Corps," he said. "The nice Marine sergeant said I was too young when I gave my age as 18, said I had to be 21."

Buckles returned a week later.

"I went back to the recruiting sergeant, and this time I was 21," he said with a grin. "I passed the inspection ... but he told me I just wasn't heavy enough."

Then he tried the Navy, whose recruiter told Buckles he was flat-footed.

Buckles wouldn't quit. In Oklahoma City, an Army captain demanded a birth certificate.

"I told him birth certificates were not made in Missouri when I was born, that the record was in a family Bible. I said, 'You don't want me to bring the family Bible down, do you?"' Buckles said with a laugh. "He said, 'OK, we'll take you."'

He enlisted Aug. 14, 1917, serial number 15577."

RIP Mr. Frank Buckles
General Pershing's Last Patriot
He was the last man standing among U.S. troops who were called "The Doughboys."



Dan Emplit WBFD

Bath Salts make the news

Bath salts used as drug worry cops

"Inmate says high is similar to that of cocaine. Police say there is nothing they can do. By Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com Staff Writer

KINGSTON – A police officer was patrolling the streets when he encountered a man yelling into his hand a few weeks ago.
When the officer stopped his cruiser and asked what was going on, the man started screaming profanities at a tree.

“We found out he was high on bath salts and hadn’t slept in three days,” said an undercover drug detective. “He thought he was arguing with someone on a cell phone.”

Bath salts are the most recent concern among law enforcement officers in the area. Their greatest worry is that buying bath salts is legal, even for a juvenile.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, bath salts are synthetic stimulants that contain various amphetamine-like chemicals. Being under the influence of bath salts is similar to cocaine, said a Luzerne County inmate who requested anonymity.

The 32-year-old inmate from Wilkes-Barre, interviewed in front of several Kingston police officers and before a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Paul Roberts last week, said the effects of bath salts is “10 times” greater than cocaine.

“It’s your speed and cocaine and it’s 10 times better,” the inmate said. “That stuff is really addictive.”

Long addicted to opiates, the inmate said he started using bath salts about six months ago when he spotted packages of the items at the checkout counter in a Kingston store.

“I asked the lady, ‘What is this?’ and she just smiled saying it is good (expletive),” the inmate said. “I liked it a lot and I wanted it every day after that.”

The undercover detective said bath salts sell for $30 to $40 for a half-gram, and is marketed by special names such as Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky or Purple Wave. Though packages may have a warning sign that says “Not for Human Consumption,” the detective said the synthetic stimulant is either smoked, snorted or injected.

“We can’t detain anybody if they’re under the influence of this stuff, because it’s legal,” the detective said.

Adverse effects of bath salts, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include extreme paranoia, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, suicidal thoughts, disorientation, insomnia and kidney failure to name just several.

The detective said juveniles on probation can legally take bath salts and pass a drug urine test.

“It’s not illegal, but they get the same high from taking this stuff,” the detective said.

The state House Judiciary Committee recently passed House Bill 567 that would make synthetic bath salts illegal to possess and sell. The bill is now in the full House for consideration."

Crime Free Wilkes-Barre and I posted about these a few weeks ago.

W B Council 02 24 11

WilkesBarreTV video taped last nights council meeting. Here it is




He said he will begin taping them all.

What does a doctors visit got to do with Gun ownership?

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 22, 2011 --

'Emergency room doctors, psychiatrists and pediatricians should not be able to ask a patient whether he or she owns a gun, a panel of Florida lawmakers said Tuesday, giving the OK to a proposal that pits two of the state’s most politically powerful lobbying interests – the National Rifle Association and the Florida Medical Association – against each other.

The Senate Criminal Justice Association approved on a 4-1 vote a bill to bar doctors from asking patients whether they own guns, unless the doctor believes a patient may immediately harm him or herself with a gun. If doctors were to question a patient about gun ownership, they would face substantial fines under the bill.

“It gives patients the right to refuse to answer questions that are inappropriate,” said Florida NRA lobbyist and former National NRA President Marion Hammer.

The bill, which originally would have fined doctors $5 million for asking patients about gun ownership, was stripped of its original language and amended to create a tiered fine system for violators. An offending doctor would be charged $10,000 for the first offense, at least $25,000 for the second offense, and a minimum of $100,000 for the third offense.

Hammer said some doctors are injecting politics into medical care and that when the NRA asked the FMA to address it, no action was taken. So, it began pushing for legislation.

“It’s about politics,” she said. “Pure, raw, anti-gun politics being imposed on patients when they are most vulnerable, when they are sick or hurt and need help.”

Doctors have pushed back though, saying the restrictions the bill puts on medical personnel hampers their ability to treat and protect patients.

Dr. Vidor Friedman, the president-elect of the Florida College of Emergency Medicine, told lawmakers that doctors often need to question patients in the course of treatment to ensure they are not in danger of being further injured. Particularly in domestic abuse cases, he said, doctors are often trying to ascertain whether a patient feels safe.

“I don’t care if you own a gun or not,” Friedman said. “The question is, is the gun still a risk to you.”

With children, doctors are also worried, said Dr. Louis St. Petery, a Leon County pediatrician who is executive vice president of the Florida Chapter of American Pediatrics and a member of the FMA. The issue, he said, wasn’t whether families owned a gun, it was whether children had access to it.

“Our issue is if you have a gun, let’s talk about how to properly store that gun so that children don’t get accidentally shot and killed,” he said.

But for several members of the committee, it came down to a matter of privacy. Lawmakers largely said they couldn’t understand why doctors would need to ask about guns, even if it involved a criminal action.

Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, who has generally supported gun control legislation, said he was looking for a reason to vote against the bill, but couldn’t figure out why doctors would need to ask whether their patients own guns.

“That would be a question more for law enforcement,” Smith said. “I don’t see why the doctor has to be involved in that.”

The bill (SB 432) also must pass the Senate Health Regulation, Judiciary and Budget committees.'


This isn't about safety, but an anti-second amendment rights agenda. And an invasion of privacy.
And I'm really wary of this quote, “It gives patients the right to refuse to answer questions that are inappropriate,” ...!!!!!! Does this mean the doctor could withhold care if the patient told him, "It's none of your business"? If you are wondering what patient would say something like that, I WOULD.
"The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." -Thomas Jefferson.
Actually the full quote is "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have. The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." -Thomas Jefferson

Dan Emplit WBFD

Meth labs

Crime free Wilkes-Barre has a very good post on Meth labs that are popping up in our area like weeds.
The only thing I'd like to add is a very BIG and very OBVIOUS, DO NOT APPROACH a suspected Meth lab. Not only are the chemical HIGHLY DANGEROUS, But these scum bags often BOOBY TRAP the area. If you are not trained in EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal), in anti-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) procedures, or if you just like having all your parts attached, leave it to the experts. Leave the same way you came in, jack up your situational awareness to 'eleven', and call 911. Trying to be a hero generally means that fire/EMS will have someone to save.

These types of situations are OUR calling, it is our (police, fire and EMS) jobs to handle these situations. Remember, one booby trap and you might not be going home.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Miracle on Ice

31 years ago everyone in the US was GLUED to the TV. We were all watching the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York. The United States team, made up of amateur and college players defeated the Soviet team, who were the best ice hockey team in the world. Most people don't remember that we then had to beat Sweden in order to win the gold.
The Soviet team was HEAVILY favored to win the gold. They had, every time, since 1964. The Soviet players were classed as amateurs, but soft jobs provided by the Brezhnev government (some were active-duty military) allowed them to essentially play professionally with world class training facilities.
The American team, couched by Herb Brooks, only had one player from the 1976 olympic team, Buzz Schneider.
In exhibitions that year, Soviet club teams went 5–3–1 against National Hockey League (NHL) teams, and a year earlier the Soviet national team had routed the NHL All-Stars 6–0 to win the Challenge Cup. In 1979–80, virtually all the top North American players were Canadians, although the number of U.S.-born professional players had been on the rise throughout the 1970s.

In Olympic group play, the United States surprised many observers with its physical, cohesive play. In its first game against favored Sweden, Team USA earned a dramatic 2–2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after pulling goalie Jim Craig for an extra attacker. Then came a stunning 7–3 victory over Czechoslovakia, considered by many to be the second-best team after the Soviet Union and a favorite for the silver medal. With its two toughest games in the group phase out of the way, the U.S. team reeled off three more wins, beating Norway 5–1, Romania 7–2, and West Germany 4–2 to go 4–0–1 and advance to the medal round from its group, along with the Swedes.

In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition undefeated, often by grossly lopsided scores – knocking off Japan 16–0, the Netherlands 17–4, Poland 8–1, Finland 4–2, and Canada 6–4; easily qualifying for the next round, although both the Finns and the Canadians gave the Soviets tough games for two periods. In the end, the Soviet Union and Finland (who overcame a disastrous start after sensationally losing to Poland in their opening game of the tournament, but then rallied to upset Canada) advanced from their group.

First period
As in several previous games, the U.S. team fell behind early. Vladimir Krutov deflected a slap shot by Aleksei Kasatonov past U.S. netminder Jim Craig to give the Soviets a 1–0 lead, and after Buzz Schneider scored for the United States to tie the game, the Soviets struck again with a Sergei Makarov goal. Down 2–1, Craig improved his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the U.S. team had another shot on goal (the Soviet team had 39 shots on goal in the game, the Americans 16).

In the waning seconds of the first period, Dave Christian fired a slap shot on Tretiak from 100 feet away. The Soviet goalie saved the shot but misplayed the rebound, which bounced out some 20 feet in front of him. Mark Johnson sliced between the two defenders, found the loose puck and fired it past a diving Tretiak to tie the score with one second left in the period. The first period ended with the game tied 2–2.

Second period
Tikhonov replaced Tretiak with backup goaltender Vladimir Myshkin immediately after Johnson's tying goal, a move which shocked players on both teams. Tikhonov later identified this as the "turning point of the game." and "the biggest mistake of my career". Myshkin allowed no goals in the second period. The Soviets dominated play in the second period, outshooting the Americans 12–2, but scored only once, on a power play goal by Aleksandr Maltsev. After two periods the Soviet Union led 3–2.

Third period
Vladimir Krutov was sent to the penalty box at the 6:47 mark of the third period for high-sticking. The Americans, who had managed only two shots on Myshkin in 27 minutes, had a power play and a rare offensive opportunity. Myshkin stopped a Ramsey shot, then Eruzione fired a shot wide. Late in the power play, Dave Silk was advancing into the Soviet zone when Vasilev knocked him to the ice. The puck slid to Mark Johnson. Johnson fired off a shot that went under Myshkin and into the net at the 8:39 mark, as the power play was ending, tying the game 3–3. Only a couple shifts later, Mark Pavelich passed to U.S. captain Mike Eruzione, who was left undefended in the high slot. Eruzione, who had just come into the game, fired a shot past Myshkin, who was screened by Pervukhin. This goal gave Team USA a 4–3 lead, its first of the game, with exactly 10 minutes left.

The Soviets attacked furiously. Moments after Eruzione's goal, Maltzev fired off a shot which ricocheted off the right goal post. As the minutes wound down, Brooks kept repeating "Play your game. Play your game." Instead of going into a defensive crouch, the United States continued to play offense, even getting off a few more shots on goal. The Soviets began to shoot wildly, and Starikov admitted that "we were panicking." As the clock ticked down below a minute the Soviets got the puck back into the American zone, and Mikhailov passed to Petrov, who shot wide. The Soviets never pulled Myshkin for an extra attacker, much to the disbelief of the Americans. Starikov later explained that "We never did six-on-five", not even in practice, because "Tikhonov just didn't believe in it." Craig kicked away a Petrov slap shot with 33 seconds left. Kharlamov fired the puck back in as the clock ticked below 20 seconds. A wild scramble for the puck ensued, ending when Johnson found it and passed to Morrow. As the U.S. team tried to clear the zone (move the puck over the blue line, which they did with seven seconds remaining), the crowd began to count down the seconds left. Sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game on ABC along with former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden, picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call:
“Eleven seconds, you've got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles?...YES! ”

The March 3, 1980 cover of Sports Illustrated that ran without accompanying caption or headline. In the locker room afterwards, players spontaneously broke into a chorus of "God Bless America". As his team ran all over the ice in celebration, Herb Brooks sprinted back to the locker room and cried.

For its March 3, 1980 issue, Sports Illustrated ran a cover with just a photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier, without any accompanying caption or headline. Kluetmeir said, "It didn't need (any cover language). Everyone in America knew what happened."

The United States did not win the gold medal upon defeating the USSR. In 1980 the medal round was a round-robin, not a single elimination format as it is today. Under Olympic rules at the time, the group game with Sweden was counted along with the medal round games versus the Soviet Union and Finland so it was mathematically possible for the United States to finish anywhere from first to fourth.

Needing to win to secure the gold medal, Team USA came back from a 2–1 third period deficit to defeat Finland 4–2.


At the age of 66, Herb Brooks died in a single car accident on the afternoon of August 11, 2003, It is believed that he fell asleep behind the wheel.
The movie "Miracle" is dedicated to his memory, At the end of the movie there is a dedication to Brooks. It states, "He never saw it. He lived it."


Dan Emplit WBFD

To: God From: THE DOG

To: God
From: THE DOG



Dear God: Is it on purpose our names are the same, only reversed?

Dear God: Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?

Dear God: When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?

Dear God: Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE named for a Dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We do love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the 'Chrysler Eagle' the 'Chrysler Beagle'?

Dear God: If a Dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad Dog?

Dear God: We Dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?

Dear God: More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.

Dear God: Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?

Dear God: Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog.

1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.

3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.

4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.

5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.

7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.

8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table.

9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.

10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt across the carpet.

11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.

12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

P.S. Dear God: When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?

Dan Emplit WBFD
PS Thanks for sending this Mom

This is a disgrace

Hero's unwelcome
By ANNIE KARNI
Posted: 12:10 AM, February 20, 2011
Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus.

"Racist!" some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.

Maschek, 28, had bravely stepped up to the mike Tuesday at the meeting to issue an impassioned challenge to fellow students on their perceptions of the military.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about the war. It doesn't matter how you feel about fighting," said Maschek. "There are bad men out there plotting to kill you."

Several students laughed and jeered the Idaho native, a 10th Mountain Division infantryman who spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington recovering from grievous wounds.

Maschek, who is studying economics, miraculously survived the insurgent attack in Kirkuk. In the hail of gunfire, he broke both legs and suffered wounds to his abdomen, arm and chest.

He enrolled last August at the Ivy League school, where an increasingly ugly battle is unfolding over the 42-year military ban there.

More than half of the students who spoke at the meeting -- the second of three hearings on the subject -- expressed opposition to ROTC's return. Many of the 200 students in the audience held anti-military placards with slogans such as, "1 in 3 female soldiers experiences sexual assault in the military."

The university has created a task force polling 10,000 students on the issue, but would not release the vote tally of the 1,300 who have already responded.

In 2005, when the university last voted to reject ROTC's return, it cited the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

That policy was overturned in December, but resistance remains.

"Transpeople are part of the Columbia community," said senior Sean Udell at the meeting, referring to the military's current ban on transgender soldiers.

Faculty members are divided.

"Universities should not be involved in military activities," Sociology Professor Emeritus Herbert Gans told The Post. "Columbia should come out against spending $300 billion a year on unnecessary wars."

A group of 34 faculty colleagues, including historian Kenneth Jackson and former Bloomberg adviser Esther Fuchs, plan to announce their support of ROTC tomorrow.

José Robledo, 30, a Columbia student who commutes to Fordham University for ROTC coursework, said he found the treatment of Maschek abhorrent.

"The anti-ROTC side has been disrespectful and loud. They hiss and they jeer," he said. "It's been to the detriment of the argument."


It's easy to heckle the ones who keep you safe and alive when you've never had to defend the country that gives you the right of free speech.

It's easy to criticize when you know, because of a hero's sacrifice, that you can sleep secure tonight.

It's easy for cowardly bullies to yell and scream at someone who is better than they are when they know he will not reciprocate.

What is going through there minds? He is not the problem. He is a HERO.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Add on Edit:
I was discussing this on a firearms blog and a friend said this about staff sergeant Maschek going to "one of the great bastions of leftist ideology" and speaking "out in support of the military"

"that's true, he went in harms way again [in a metaphorical sense] he wasn't demeaned, they were. i just felt that our country is slightly smaller and poorer for such behavior on the part of the young people, supposedly the intelligentsia, supposedly the intellectual elite to be!"
Thank you MPI, I couldn't find the words.

The Right to Gripe about Ciavarella

Something Really Stinks Here

Check it out. I agree that Ciavarella will not see a day in jail. There is still too much of a 'Good Ole boy' network. And the corruption investigation has just scatched the surface.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Pure Bunkum about Judge Ciavarella

Still Feeling Victorious, Judge Ciavarella?
Local Feb 202011It was utterly heart-wrenching watching and hearing an anguished mother fall apart at the sight of Mark Ciavarella heading home.

No one knew Sandy Fonzo was in the crowd until Ciavarella’s attorney, Al Flora, said, “This was not a cash for kids case.” That remark was apparently more than this devasted mother could bear.

Fonzo screamed at the former judge, who was just found guilty of racketeering, that her son killed himself. She screeched in pain that it was his fault, that her son never recovered after being sent to a juvenile detention center at the age of 17. Last June, at the age of 23, he shot himself in the heart.

She left work Friday afternoon so she could watch Ciavarella hauled away in handcuffs. She needed to see that. Instead, U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik allowed him to go home with his pregnant daughter, pending his sentencing.

“Are YOU kidding me? Are YOU kidding me?” Fonzo wailed. “You ruined my f….ing life. You killed my son. I’m not a mother. I’m not anything.” She couldn’t stop. ”Do you remember me? Do you remember me? Do you remember my son?” she cried hysterically. She told the stunned Ciavarella that her son was an all-star wrestler and that now he’s gone and her life is ruined.

Ciavarella did not remember her. “I don’t know that lady,” he said. He said he didn’t know the facts or the circumstances of her son’s case. He really should have kept his mouth shut and never admitted that. Not while a broken woman was overcome with grief. Thankfully, Fonzo didn’t hear Ciavarella say he didn’t recall her son’s case, especially after she just screamed that her world has been shattered by his suicide.

Despite being convicted of some serious charges and facing a prison term of between 12 and 15 years, many are angry that the so-called Kids for Cash angle of this case never really came into play.

Ciavarella was reputed to be tough as nails with the juveniles who appeared before him. School principals and even some parents commended him for it. A high-ranking probation department official was prepared to testify for the prosecution that Ciavarella insisted some juveniles be sent to detention despite her protests. But he was the boss. The prosecution didn’t call her because it wanted to nail Ciavarella on racketeering and money laundering, and it did. The defense declared a victory because he wasn’t found guilty of 27 charges.

And now Ciavarella and the community at large awaits his sentencing.

Maybe Ciavarella didn’t remember Sandy Fonzo or her son, but he’s not about to forget her any time soon.

And if he’s still feeling victorious after Friday’s verdict, after coming face to face with this grief-stricken, now childless mother, then Ciavarella is an even more hardened criminal than anyone thought.

- Betty Roccograndi

Also check out 'Crime free Wilkes-Barre' and what she's got to say about it

The only thing I would like to add is if (Yeah, try when) Ciavarella appeals, I would love to have ALL 39 charges reopened. This A$$ should be eligible for parole in life plus one day.


Dan Emplit WBFD

New DPMS .308

Picked up my B-Day present yesterday. It's a DPMS Panther LR-308AP4 16" with a free float quad rail. Here it is with my Colt (Stewie the cat likes the Colt better).



I've added an old fore grip and a Carl Zeiss Conquest 3 - 9 X 40 scope on a Burris P.E.P.R. mount. I'm iffy on the mount. It's too low to mount a rear BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights), but since the rifle is for long range fun, not personal discourse, I'm not too upset and I'll wait for a range trip or two to judge.



Also the sling is crap and way too short. It came with a detachable carry handle which I took off as step one.



I dislike the stock grip on ARs (they're to small for my hands) and prefer the BG-17 grip (which is on the right), the picture shows the size difference. So the list (so far) is a new BF-17, angled fore grip (hasn't come in yet), sling, and maybe a scope mount and bi pod.

Add On Edit: I've gotten 2 emails already asking where I got the rifle. It was from Advanced Arms in Pittston. Their service was first rate and I recommend them.

Former Judge Mark Ciavarella found guilty

WBRE reported former Judge Mark Ciavarella was found guilty in 12 of the 39 charges against him. This would give him a maximum of 157 years. He was found guilty of racketeering, money laundering, mail fraud and filing false tax returns. He was acquitted on extortion and bribery charges. Guilty of taking the 'finders fees', but not of bribery? How that works, I don't know.
The jury was still deciding how much, if any, money and assets should be seized (How about everything he does and ever owned!). Not just for the children, who he prosecuted for his own profit, but for the money that is/will be spent for the review of Judicial Rulings that WE will have to pay for.

Co-conspirator Michael Conahan was allowed to plead guilty to a single count instead of facing the same 39 counts as Ciavarella.
Hopefully now the FBI will be able to put its attention on the rest of the corruption in the area.

Dan Emplit WBFD

The Space Shuttle Enterprise

The Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere.
Construction began on the first orbiter on June 4, 1974. Designated OV-101, it was originally planned to be named Constitution. However, a write-in campaign caused it to be renamed after the Starship Enterprise, featured on the television show Star Trek.

On September 17, 1976, Enterprise was rolled out of Rockwell's plant at Palmdale, California. In recognition of its fictional namesake, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the principal cast of the original series of Star Trek were on hand at the dedication ceremony.



With the completion of critical testing, Enterprise was partially disassembled to allow certain components to be reused in other shuttles, then underwent an international tour visiting France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the U.S. states of California, Alabama, and Louisiana (during the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition). It was also used to fit-check the never-used shuttle launch pad at Vandenberg AFB, California. Finally, on November 18, 1985, Enterprise was ferried to Washington, D.C., where it became property of the Smithsonian Institution.

Enterprise was stored at the Smithsonian's hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the newly built Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it is the centerpiece of the space collection. Space Shuttle Discovery is expected to be added to the collection once the Shuttle fleet is retired. When that happens, Enterprise will likely be loaned out to other institutions. Engineers evaluated the vehicle in early 2010 and determined that it was safe to fly on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft again.

Why am I posting about this? Because her maiden "flight" was on February 18, 1977 atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to measure structural loads and ground handling and braking characteristics of the mated system.

I remember that flight, even though it didn't have engines and was on top of a 747, it made a HUGE impression on so many kids back then. I still remember building the plastic model.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Fix the budget

the New york times made an app to fix the budget, You should give it a try.

Retired Captain John H. Kelley

Retired Captain John H. Kelley passed away this morning around 7 am.
I only met Catain Kelley about 3 times, he retired before I was hired. Everyone who did know him, spoke of him in the most glowing of terms.


RIP Captain Kelley

Dan Emplit WBFD

Chief Norm Davis retired saturday

City firefighter calls it quits after 36 years

By Bob Kalinowski (staff writer)Published: February 13, 2011

WILKES-BARRE - Dedicated to the city fire department the past 36 years, Norm Davis didn't have a lot of time for hobbies.

That's about to change. One of five assistant fire chiefs in the city, Davis retired Saturday.

At the encouragement of his 5-year-old grandson, Davis plans to take up a new hobby: fishing.

"He wanted to learn, so I said, 'I'll go with you,'" Davis, 63, said Friday at his South Wilkes-Barre home.

While he looks forward to spending more time with his four grandchildren, Davis admits it's emotional to look back at his long career. He fought back tears Friday at his house when recounting his last day on duty last week. Fellow firefighters gave him a send-off with a big sheet cake.

"It's a tough thing to do after 36 years," Davis said. "I was a little shook up."

While he won't be fighting fires any longer, Davis said firefighting will always be in his blood.

"There were more good times than bad. There's a brotherhood," Davis said.

Davis still has a police/fire scanner working in nearly every room of his Kirkendall Avenue house.

Davis's wife, Barbara, noted he'll certainly miss the camaraderie of the fire house.

"He was happier there, than home. I'm not kidding," she joked. "The guys he worked with were good to him."

As he retires, Davis said he'll remember many of the major fires, including some fatal ones, in which he was the officer in charge.

"I've been in some scary spots - never been too heroic, never got in a position where someone had to drag my rear end out," he said.

Davis remembers a time when he led 25 firefighters on a shift. Now, that number is usually around 14. Despite the loss of manpower, he's confident in the continued success of the department, which includes his son, Ed.

"We have a great fire department. We have a good cadre of young people who are going to be the faces of the future," Davis said.



Norm was my first captain, back about....... a lot of years ago. He is the best. Period. His retirement is a huge loss to the department. He is cut from a cloth that people rarely see anymore.
Over the years I've seen Norm as many things, as a fire fighter, as my captain, as a chief, as a Marine (I don't hold that against him), and as someone to emulate. But mainly I know him as my Friend.
Happy Retirement Norm.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Denise Carey responds and clears a few things up

From Denise Carey "Just want to clear up one thing
We had 1200 signatures on the petition for initiative and referendum. A last minute move by now convicted crook Jamie Lake fearful of retaliation pulled his petitions equaling 350 names put us under the required number of 950. I pulled the petition knowing we didn't have enough signatures
The bullies Leighton and Conahan still held a hearing and ordered I pay 11,056 in fees
I appealed that and won.
Then I sued him for violation of my constitutional rights to free speech and right to petition the government
After 6 long years it's finally over, unfortunately
There is a garage where East station used to be, although I tried to make them open it again as a firehouse. The court ruled there was insufficient evidence of harm because the firehouse is closed
Let's pray about that one
Thanks to all of the firefighters who stood in support of my efforts.
I will always support you guys 100 percent"

Thank you Denise, and thank you for fighting.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Denise Carey civil rights suits

Denise Carey filed two federal civil rights suits against the city and Leighton.

Denise Carey tried to place an 'initiative' on the ballot in 2004 sued the City of Wilkes-Barre and Mayor Thomas M. Leighton after her petition had been rejected. Carey claimed that the City retaliated against her for trying to exercise her rights as a citizen to petition the government in connection with her failed bid to overturn the 2004 decision to close East fire station (on East Northampton Street). She claimed that the Mayor's actions in seeking the fees and critical comments he made about Carey to the media violated her First Amendment right to free speech.

A federal judges' verdict was for $15,000 in compensatory damages for emotional distress, $2,000 for lost income and $50,000 in punitive damages against Leighton plus lawyer fees (a total of $222,821.33 back in Oct. 2009, so it's more now).

I've been trying to sort through the rumors and it is almost immpossible.
One rumor, from a VERY SOLID sourse, told me Denise had enough signatures, but at the last moment a gentleman removed all the sheets he had gathered. The reason, because his wifes non-union job was threatened if he did not.

Another rumor is that then judge Conahan found against Carey (this was over turned) in the initial case and was 'payed' by his Medic unit (Medic 8) got a no-bid contract to back up the cities medic units. I can't find proof but he did find against Denise and Medic 8 was given that NO-BID contract.

When Mayor Tom Leighton refused her offer to halt her efforts to reopen the station if the city dropped its claim for $11,056 in legal fees.
"He said, 'These are the mayor's words, not mine. She can go f--- herself,' " Attorney Jonathan Comitz said. He was even more stunned when city solicitor Bill Vinsko relayed the specific language Leighton used in rejecting her offer. Leighton said. "That language is not in my vocabulary. People who know me know that." Oddly enough, I've been told Leighton thinks my first name is 'F---ing'.
Leighton wrote a letter to the editor, alleging she deceived people and committed an "unlawful act."
"They already had a $11,056 judgment. Now it was more salt in the wound. He called me a fraud. He called me a liar. That was not just for my eyes to see, but all residents," Denise Carey said.

"I have a legal obligation to uphold the law." Dictator Leighton (Nov. 15 2008 Times Leader)He has the RESPONSIBILITY to uphold the CONSTITUTION!!! But he has been found guilty of violating it TWICE!!!!!! By U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie and U.S. Magistrate Judge Malachy E. Mannion found the Hammonds’ constitutional rights were also violated in a seperate incident (The Old River Road Bakery).

1 Screwed up selling the Sterling hotel (costing us $325,000)
2 Bad faith moves
3 Back room deals
4 Tried to sell city property for 8 cents on the dollar to a campaign contributor
5 Lied to county officials to get tax forgiveness to a campaign contributor
6 Cut our safety to fund HIS pet projects
7 The whole Ice Rink, which was supposed to revitalize W-B HOW?
8 The largely worthless camera system
9 Raised taxes and fees to an all time high.
10 Racked up MASSIVE lawsuit debts
11 Violated a contract (Citywide Towing's contract) so he could give it to a campaign contributor (that cost us $225,000)
12 Trying to sell W-B property (Tax Free) to a campaign contributor (Known for not paying his own taxes)
13 Outright lies to us (The citizens of Wilkes-Barre)
14 Blaming anyone and everyone for his failures (remember the 'I believe' campaign, "I wouldn't say I oversold it. I think maybe the media did," Mayor Leighton said. (WNEP June 10, 2005) AKA It's not my fault, it's the medias)
15 Ignoring the Lloyds Study (which states the minimum FD manning per shift is 17) and cutting manning to 12 per shift
16 VIOLATED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, TWICE !!! (Denise Carey & the Hammonds). That's cost us over $275,000.


Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Happy Birthday President Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin in southeast Hardin County, Kentucky (now LaRue County).

Lincoln's formal education consisted of approximately 18 months of classes from several itinerant teachers; he was mostly self-educated and was an avid reader. He attained a reputation of brawn and audacity after a very competitive wrestling match. His family and neighbors considered him to be lazy. Lincoln avoided hunting and fishing out of an aversion to killing animals.

Lincoln was married to Mary Todd from November 4, 1842 until his death on April 15, 1865. They had four children. of which, Robert was the only child of the Lincolns to live past the age of 18.

Lincoln's father-in-law was based in Lexington, Kentucky; he and most of the Todd family were slave owners and some members were slave traders. Lincoln was close to the Todds and he and his family occasionally visited the Todd estate in Lexington. Lincoln's connections in Lexington could have accelerated his ambitions, but he remained in Illinois, where, to his liking, slavery was almost nonexistent.

At 6 feet 4 inches , he was tall and "strong enough to intimidate any rival." At his first speech, he grabbed an antagonist by his "neck and the seat of his trousers" and threw him.

In 1834, he won election to the state legislature after a bipartisan campaign, though he ran as a Whig. He then decided to become a lawyer, and began teaching himself law by reading Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England and others. Lincoln's description of his learning method was: "I studied with nobody." Admitted to the bar in 1837, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began to practice law under John T. Stuart, Mary Todd's cousin. Lincoln became an able and successful lawyer with a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examinations and closing arguments. In 1841, he partnered with Stephen Logan until 1844, when he began his practice with William Herndon, whom Lincoln thought "a studious young man." He served four successive terms in the Illinois House of Representatives as a Whig representative from Sangamon County.

In the 1835–1836 legislative session, he voted to continue the restriction on suffrage to white males only while removing the condition of land ownership. He was known for his "free soil" stance of opposing both slavery and abolitionism. He closely followed Henry Clay in supporting the American Colonization Society program of making the abolition of slavery practical by helping the freed slaves return to Liberia in Africa.

From the early 1830s, Lincoln was a steadfast Whig and professed to friends in 1861, "I have always been an old-line Henry Clay Whig." The party favored economic modernization in banking, railroads, and internal improvements, and supported urbanization as well as protective tariffs, and Lincoln supported these positions.

In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served one two-year term. He was the only Whig in the Illinois delegation, but showed his party loyalty by participating in almost all votes and making speeches that echoed the party line. Lincoln developed a plan to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, with compensation for the owners and a popular vote on the matter, but dropped it when he could not get enough Whig supporters. He used his office as an opportunity to speak out against the Mexican–American War, which he attributed to President Polk's desire for "military glory—that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood."

Lincoln returned to politics, in opposition to the pro-slavery Kansas-Nebraska Act. On October 16, 1854, in his "Peoria Speech," Lincoln declared his opposition to slavery which he repeated en route to the presidency.[84] Speaking in his Kentucky accent, with a very powerful voice, he said the Kansas Act had a "'declared' indifference, but as I must think, a covert 'real' zeal for the spread of slavery. I cannot but hate it. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world..."

The 1858 campaign featured the seven Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858, generally considered the most famous political debates in American history. The principals stood in stark contrast both physically and politically. Lincoln warned that "The Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the values of the Founding Fathers that all men are created equal, while Douglas emphasized his Freeport Doctrine, that local settlers were free to choose whether to allow slavery or not, and accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists.

This brings us to his presidency, which is a story for a differant day.
Quotes from President Lincoln:

"The people are the masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who would pervert it!"

"It is better to remain silent an be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

"In the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

Dan Emplit WBFD

How to be annoying at Work

1. Page yourself over the intercom (don't disguise your voice).
2. Insist that your email address be "zena_goddess_of_fire@carlson.com"
3. Put decaf in the coffeemaker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over caffeine addictions--switch to espresso!
4. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask them to sign a waiver.
5. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask them if they want fries with that.
6. Send email to yourself engaging yourself in an intellectual debate about the direction of one of your company's products. Forward the email to a co-worker and ask him/her to settle the disagreement.
7. Name all of your pens and insist that meetings can't begin until they are all present.
8. Make up nicknames for all of your co-workers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point Sparky", "No, I'm sorry I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Chachi".
9. Suggest that beer be put in the soda machine.
10. Include a piece of your children's artwork as a cover page on all reports that you write (if you don't have children - draw stick figures yourself).
11. Schedule meetings for 4:14pm.
12. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized chair dancing.
13. Send email to the rest of the company telling them what you are doing (ie. "If anyone needs me I'll be in the bathroom").
14. No matter what anyone asks you, reply "okay".
15. Put your garbage can on your desk. Label it "IN".
16. Plant a hedge around your desk area.
17. Determine how many cups of coffee is "too much".
18. Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.
19. Compose all of your email in rhyming couplets.
20. "Hi-Lite" your shoes. Tell people that you haven't lost your shoes since you did this.
21. While sitting at your desk, soak your hands in Palmolive.
22. Put up mosquito netting around your desk.
23. Decorate your office with pictures of Cindy Brady and Danny Partridge. Try to pass them off as your children.
24. Tell your boss, "It's not the voices in my head that bother me, its the voices in your head that do."

Hunlock Creek Shooting

State police investigating shooting on Old Tavern RoadEdward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com

HUNLOCK TWP. - A specialized state police hazmat group searched a trailer on Old Tavern Road after a man was killed in a reported invasion at the residence late Tuesday morning.

Several law enforcement sources identified the man as Robert Jacob Muntz, 44, last known address as Sweet Valley Road. He was killed when gunfire erupted inside the trailer at about 11:40 a.m.

State police closed a large stretch of Old Tavern Road after finding suspected evidence that the trailer was being used to manufacture methamphetamine. Troopers with the state police clandestine team were called in from Harrisburg to search the trailer.

Muntz was scheduled for trial in Luzerne County Court on charges he operated a meth lab at a residence on West Green Street in Nanticoke when he was linked to a $3.6 million cocaine trafficking ring involving members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club in March 2009, according to arrest and court records.

Muntz’s name has not been officially released by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office.

POSTED 12:45 p.m.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Tom Kelly said that one person is dead and a woman was injured after a shooting at 59 Old Tavern Road in Hunlock Township late Tuesday morning.

Kelly said that two males and one female, all wearing masks, forced their way into a trailer. Gunfire erupted, and a female homeowner was struck in the arm. The homeowner returned fire, killing a male intruder. Two suspects fled the scene in an unknown vehicle.

And

Police ID gunned-down home intruder
State police have identified a masked intruder who was fatally shot in a Hunlock Creek home invasion Tuesday.

Robert Muntz, 44, of Sweet Valley, was killed at 59 Old Tavern Road, said Trooper Tom Kelly, spokesman for state police at Wyoming. In March 2009, Muntz was one of 22 charged in connection with a drug ring allegedly operated by the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

A female occupant of the home was shot Tuesday, but was expected to survive, police said.

Witnesses told investigators three masked people - two males and a female - entered the home around 11:39 a.m. prompting an exchange of gunfire.

"Right now, we're treating it as a home invasion with shots fired," said Kelly.

The female victim shot the intruder, police said. She was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The two other alleged intruders fled in a car and remain at large.

"At this point, we have two people who fled the scene. They were allegedly wearing masks and left in a vehicle. We have troopers canvassing the area looking for evidence and any people. So yeah, we'd ask neighbors to remain in their homes, stay secure and be leery of any strangers right now, " Kelly said.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at Shickshinny at 570-542-7105.

In March 2009, authorities seized more than 40 pieces of evidence — including gallons of hydrochloric acid and drain cleaner, glass jars and funnels — and
10 guns from Muntz's Nanticoke home, according to The Citizens' Voice archives.

Muntz was charged with delivery of methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with the probe into the Ashley-based Outlaws Motorcycle Club, the local affiliate of a dangerous nationwide biker gang.

A comment from 'edcl46' caught my attention,
"If there was stronger gun laws, there wouldn't be a need to have them in your home. Yeah those guns are awesome baby, one is dead but wooooooooo hooooooooooo us Clampets have guns to fire back. Party time , we can all meet up, get us a pig, have a pig roast and cap some arses. Wooooooo Hoooooooo. And before you "SHOOT" off your political BRAINWASHING, I hate all politicians, along with simply stupid people!!!!!"

My answer is simple. What about a 6'2 240 lb rapist/serial killer, with a knife, who breaks into your sister/wife/daughter/niece/girlfriends house? What is she going to use to defend her life? Harsh language?
There is not much you can say to someone so obviously divorced from reality and any rational thought.
Remember gun control means 3 things
Grip
sight alignment
a firm steady squeeze


Dan Emplit WBFD

Comments from the Times Leader

Didn't feel like doing a full post, so I thought I would 'copy & paste' some of the comments from the newspapers. Turned out to be a huge job. So I just put the ones I found 'interesting' up here. I left out most of the 'wild' ones. The one from CaseyRoman1 really struck a cord.


Leighton to make announcement about W-B mayoral race

'Joe'
Mayor Leighton before you make the announcement to run again, can you please tell the taxpayes and voters of the City of Wilkes Barre who pay your salary and demand accountablility, how you allowed a no bid contract for the ambulance company in which disgraced judge Conahan was a principle/owner in to do business in the city. It seems something just does not pass the small test on this. I am sure if everything is on the up and up, then you should have no problem giving us the details and how this transpired. If this is such a great deal for the taxpayers of this city, I would expect you to be praising this deal. And if lots of money is to be made in the city by a third party ambulance service, then why doesn't the city put another ambulance in service and collect the revenues itself ? This would eliminate the middle man, and thus put more profit/cash in the cities bank account .That would be a win/win for the taxpayers/citizens. Not only would the citizens have another W-B City run ambulance in service 24/7 but more money would be generated to keep the taxpayers taxes down. Unless of course mayor leighton, there is something else going on, that the public is not privy to ???

'Former City employee'
Maybe Leighton can use the yellow school bus that is parked up at the DPW lot for his campaign trail since he bought it from LAG and there is no title for it and it is good for nothing else.


'rollin in my chair'
I HOPE IT TURNS OUT THE SAME AS HIS RUN FOR STATE OFFICE. This time he will not get my vote.Im tired of paying for things the city dont do anymore. Clean the streets with the sweeper, pick up leaves ( We still pay for the leafe sucker and dont even have it anymore, ) We still pay for the sewer cleaning and the city dont clean the sewers, heck they dont even have the truck anymore!!!


Complaints about work on property

'Former City employee'
This is not the first time Leo has purchased a property and done the work without permits. Checkout 86 Carlisle Street. The City bought it and sold it to Leo then caught him doing work without permits and instead of fining him they let him take the homeowner permits out.

'duke911'
Not just permits needed ...he needs zoning approval to turn a garage into a multiple unit dwelling ........also several inspections .....FRAMING, ELECTRICAL , PLUMBING , INSULATION , FIRE PROTECTION SUCH AS PROPER WALLS AND DOORS ........so there is certainly something going on here behind the scenes that Mr McLaughlin is not bothering to mention . Good thing Homer is running for mayor again .......so we can not only have ........but expect more of the same . You get what you vote for.

'Fred'
Leo and Tommy Rap Duo. Hey Leo, yea what ya gotta say, Yo Tommy look the other way. Lets scam the tax paya today. Old Riva Road aint no one gonna know, here's some campaign cash, just put in yo stash. Hey yo Leo dont worry bout no investigation cuz I'm big ole mayor Leighton. Permit date dats a typo, hope ole Patty aint a ratty. Permit color pink, hope we dont wind up in da clink. Yo Leo what about dem pending charges, dont worry Tommy the tax paya numb and da cops are dum. Yo hey Tommy whos to know just run that city like a gangsta show.

'SWBResident'
It's no different than the property located on Edison Street in South Wilkes Barre that is owned by an employee of WB City Hall. The neighbors have been complaining about it for almost two years and everytime they call City
Hall, they are asked "Do you know who owns that property?" At the neighborhood meeting in October, the neighboors were finally allowed to speak their mind. To date very little has been done. The fence is still illegal, the wood piles are still there, there is a dump truck containing trash and garrbage on the property. There is an old 200 gallon fuel tank on end. To top it off, the property owners are putting a roof on the building which really doesn't meet the building codes. But again, because of who owns this property, nothing is done, The owner was sent a citation and pleaded not guilty. A hearing was scheduled at the magistrate, but was continued by the defendant due to a conflict. This is going to go on and on due to who owns the property. If it was a regular citizen there would be all sorts of citations and violation letters but because the owner works at City Hall it's a big difference. I highly doubt that the owner would like this mess by their home, why should other residents be subjected to this mess by theirs. Perhaps Bill O'Boyle could revisit this area and do a follow-up to his original story about this particular property.


'Bababooie'
I'm not going to get permits now. If the Luzerne County elite don't have to neither do I. As a matter of fact I am going to start emulating our areas finest.


'David_Wayne'
This is one of the real problems in this area. I can not believe more people aren't outraged about this. There is one set of rules for the people to follow, and antoher set of rules for "special" people to follow. Having had my run ins with these people, I know the many hoops they want you to jump through in order to do something simple, LIKE HANG DRYWALL in your home. It seems to me the courupt LOVE having a million regulations on the books. Onorus, overbearing, and complex regulations keep many people away from investing in the city.


'Omegacat'
Isn’t this the same thing he tried to pull at the Old River Road Bakery?
Hope his buddies in the city don’t try to cover this one up!
News Flash Mr. Drew McLaughlin, violations have already occurred.
The building permit was issued on 11/10/10.
He didn’t buy the property until 12/9/10!
How could the city issue a permit to someone who doesn’t own the property yet?
And then list him as the self-contractor when they know that this is NOT his primary residence?
When is the corruption going to stop?


W-B test will determine if meters are ‘Street Smart’

'CaseyRoman1'
Wasn't Leighton investigated for picking up a prostitute back when he was council president? I think it was around Easter? That was hushed up.

'TwelvePack' in reply to CaseyRoman1
Yes




That last one from 'CaseyRoman1'. well I vaguely remember it happening, but I can't find anything in the papers.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Arbitration Award

Well dictator Leighton has won one over the citizens of Wilkes Barre and the safety of fire fighters. The arbitration panel gave us a 'few Pieces of Silver' and the ability to live outside the city while saying NOTHING about the INDISPUTABLY RECKLESS manning cuts.
Here is a link to a letter that one of the arbitration attorneys wrote. He WILL NOT SIGN the 'award'.
I retyped it to post it here. Sorry if my typing skills suck, this is as close to word for word as I could do in the time I had.

'Fire fighting is an inherently dangerous profession. Stated in its most simplistic fashion, the citizens of Wilkes Barre require their fire fighters to rush into a burning building to effect a rescue when common sense, and even the most basic of survival instincts, demands the exact contrary action.
Most public officials who ask for these daily acts of extraordinary heroism are demonstrably appreciative of the brave fire fighters who willingly expose themselves to this danger. The Mayor of Wilkes Barre is not one of them. On the contrary, this Mayor has deliberately chosen to greatly - and needlessly - increase the danger that every Wilkes Barre fire fighter faces by twice decimating their complement to less than a skeletal status. The result is self-evident. As any Wilkes Barre citizen readily sees, a mere handful of fire fighters now respond to the most serious of dangers.
The fact that no one, be it citizen or fire fighter, has thus far indisputably died as a direct result of this reckless course of conduct stands more as a testament to the skill and professionalism of the remaining fire fighter than to the shockingly ill-advised judgment of the City's Mayor. However, their ability and dedication cannot forever overcome the inevitable. It is only a matter of time until people are killed or severely injured because this Mayor was unwilling to protect either the citizens that elected him or the fire fighters who must follow his orders.
During the course of the Act 111 hearing in this case, the fire fighters dedicated an entire day of hearing to present hours of unrebutted evidence regarding the Mayor's utter disregard for the safety of the members of this bargaining unit. Compelling - and unrebutted - evidence demonstrated that the city has slashed the active complement of the fire fighters to a mere twelve responding fire fighters to cover an entire city. As the citizens themselves know, the Mayor has, without any reduction in their taxes, deprived them and their families of the vital protection that had been offered by two now vacant fire stations and the precious minutes of now squandered response time that the City formally provided prior to the arrival of the current Mayor.
The fire fighters proved to this Panel that the preeminent scientific body in the United States - the National Fire Protection Association - has promulgated very explicit regulations demonstrating that Wilkes Barre is running at half - and less than half - of the minimum complement necessary to minimally protect the lives and safety of the fire fighters of the City. Not a single shred of contrary scientific evidence was presented by the Mayor to explain, much less justify, his policies.
Thus, it was more than evident to the Panel that this Mayor has no hesitation in endangering the lives of the City's fire fighters. For reasons known only to him - and the handful of people left in the City who are supporting him - he has chosen to risk the lives of citizens and fire fighters in some misguided mission to decimate and destroy the City's fire department. Whether it be mayoral pique at the unbroken string of expensive arbitration losses costing the citizens hundreds of thousands of dollars in squandered legal fees or simply a complete lack of concern for the safety of the City's populace, the inescapable fact of the matter is lives at being placed in danger by the Mayor's chosen course of conduct.
Having been abandoned by the City, the fire fighters could only depend on this Panelto provide them with the minimum protection that the City was not unable - but unwilling - to provide to them. if the Mayor was not to have a conscience regarding the lives and the safety of the fire fighters, it was hoped and trusted by those fire fighters that this Panel - or at least the majority of the Panel - would step forward and do the right thing. In that hope and trust, they were sadly mistaken.
Sadly, the Panel totally abandoned the fire fighters with the same dispatch and finality as the City that it so obviously sought to please. A majority of this Panel simply ignored the fact that the lives and safety of this bargaining unit are being blatantly endangered by the City of Wilkes Barre. In place of providing some modicum of safety through at least an effort, however inadequate, to comply with NFPA standards, the majority of this Panel coldly turned its back on the fire fighters and their families and shamelessly washed its hands of any concern for their lives, their safety, their future.
In lieu of offering the fire fighters of this bargaining unit a greater opportunity to safely return to their homes and families at the end of their shift, a majority of the Panel instead increased their wages and provided improvements that, on the whole, are satisfactory to the Union, and clearly significantly more than the Mayor was willing to pay.(1)
However, a few pieces of silver will never substitute for one life, one injury, or one fire fighter. The majority of the Panel knew to a point of servitude that if it does nothing on the issue of safety, someone will get hurt in the very near future. With that knowledge and in the face of overwhelming evidence that the Mayor is more than willing to accept that horrific certainty, the Panel still did nothing. Its inactivity in the face of this record is inexplicable, inexcusable, and unforgivable.
The law does not allow fire fighters to strike for obvious reasons. As a consequence, the members of this bargaining unit are required to respond to blazing infernos with a decimated complement under the "leadership" of individuals who are more than willing to needlessly expose those fire fighters to death and danger.

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(1) Being a politician, the Mayor will undoubtedly spin the economics of the award to make it appear that it does not constitute the crushing loss that it so clearly is. So be it. No one ever expected candor.
However, it should be clearly understood that the fire fighters did not want - and never wanted - dollars in place of their lives and safety. Thus the citizens lost twice - paying more than a reasonable administration could have easily bargained and being deprived of additional fire fighters who would have - and could have - made a significant contribution to their safety and that of their families.



Act 111 was designed and intended to serve as the fire fighters' substitute for their inability to strike. Interest arbitration was supposed to provide the fire fighters with a rational response to individuals, such as the Mayor, who have a demonstrated pattern of acting irrationally. The fire fighters of Wilkes Barre trusted this Panel to exhibit more concern - any concern - for their lives and safety than a Mayor who is apparently bereft of that characteristic. That trust was grossly misplaced.
A majority of this Panel, without even a modicum of apparent concern for the lives and safety of the fire fighters, has chosen to abandon the fire fighters who trusted it to protect them. Instead, that majority has opted to walk lock step with a Mayor who has, time and again, demonstrated his utter lack of concern for their safety and that of the citizens that they protect. I cannot and will not abandon them. I will not be a part of any Award that so clearly fails to respond to the proven basic safety needs of fire fighters.
Having inexplicably abandoned the fire fighters to their fate, the Panel majority alone shall be responsible for what the future now holds. For that reason, I dissent to the Award and will not place my signature upon it. I do request that this Dissent be appended to the Award in lieu of my signature.

Thomas W. Jennings
Union-Appointed Arbitrator
February 3, 2011'


We lost.
We have to pay more in Health Care co-pays(in a job that exposes us to everything for HIV to MERSA)
Drug and alcohol testing (wanna bet mr. spiteful finds a way to abuse this as punishment)
we lost a no-layoff clause (Watch the dictator hire firemen and then after the election lay them off)

and our "pieces of silver are":
a $50 clothing allowance increase (on a job where we often spend our own money)
a 3% raise for 2 of 4 years
The ability to live outside the city (most of us own homes and aren't moving)

And now for the lies... I mean Quotes:
From The Times Leader 02-04-2011
1. “They can live as far away as White Haven, Dorrance and Harveys Lake. What will that do to response time?”
I see 2 lies here. First off, How about making Council live in the city? One doesn't.
And response time is about the number of ON DUTY fire fighters, you know the number that he cut to UNSAFE (for both the citizens and us) levels. A Lie by misdirection.

2. “Kingston could be here in 5 or 10 minutes,” Where does he get his numbers? Kingston is a part volunteer dept. They have to wait for manning to get to their engine house, then go. A Lie by not giving all the facts.

3. “It might take some of our firefighters as long as a half hour or more to get here, depending on where they choose to live.” He knows that the vast majority of fire fighter are NOT going to sell their houses, uproot their families and move out of town. Besides it's about ON Duty Manning.A Lie by fear.

4. “The city presented evidence that illustrated that its staffing levels often matched or exceeded the staffing levels of comparable municipalities,” How when NFPA standards say 16 men for a one family house fire? The Citys own study said 17 men. An outright Lie

5. “The staffing requirements were not changed; therefore, we concluded the arbitrator agreed with the city’s position that it can be trusted to staff the fire department in a responsible manner.” Wrong the Panel decided they 'had no power to impose it through terms of a previous finding'. Outright Lie #2.

6. 'Regarding layoffs, Leighton said he is pleased the city will now have that flexibility, but is hopeful he will not have to resort to that.' Want to bet? Didn't Yudichak point out that Leighton is a bully, back in the first debate in May?

7. "I have always put public safety first" How by cutting essential LIFE SAVING services?!!? Big Lie.

8. 'The city has invested more than $2 million to purchase new equipment, new vehicles and new engines since he took office, he said.' Paid for with FEDERAL GRANTS. Lie by misdirection number......? I lost count.

And the Citizens Voice 02-04-2011

9. 'Leighton countered that the firefighters' request to move up to 13.5 miles away from fire headquarters in Wilkes-Barre represents the threat to public safety.' Once again he knows it's about ON DUTY fire fighters. Another lie by misdirection. (Maybe he thinks if he keeps on saying it, people will believe it.)

10. 'The fire department's average response time is three minutes, 55 seconds, well below the national average of eight minutes, Leighton said.' For the first due engine, yes. But 12 men are just 12 men, and that is not enough BY THE SAME NATIONAL STANDARDS HE IS QUOTING!!! That is HYPOCRITICAL. And another Lie.

11. "They're going to make accusations because they're not happy," Leighton said. Of course he would make that claim. He is running for office again.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Oopps

Charlette Raub of Crime Free Wilkes-Barre posted that she had mentioned the 'Bath Salts' back in October. She did. There is even more info there. This stuff is scary.

The rumor mill has two more firemen retiring this week. This puts us down about 21 men. I've already pointed out MANY times that as our numbers go down, overtime goes up. Something for the Emperor to blame on us AGAIN.

Another Firefighter emailed me, asking where he could find our dictators fiction, I mean the Mayors online budget. Good question. It was supposed to be published online by January 1. It's not. Why? Probably because he is running for re-election and his math skills are on a third grade level. The second I see it, I know our overtime budget will be ridiculously small, considering the number of men we are down. It seems to me the only reason the budget isn't published (and why are we publishing it as a scanned document? except that makes it harder to scrutinize) is because it will show that the common sence fairy hasn't visited him yet.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

WHO thought about smoking 'Bath salts'??!!

My work email had a dept wide advisory. I thought it should be repeated here and got permission. Here it is:
"From: Alan Klapat
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:09 AM
To: FIRE
Subject: Bath Salts

Wilkes-Barre City Fire/EMS has had it's first known call involving the use of "bath salts" as a stimulant. The active ingredients of the salts are methylenedioxypyrovalerone or mephedrone and are being sold at places such as "head shops"and convenience stores . These bath salts have designer names and are packaged to be very appealing to young people. They are being snorted or smoked and may cause paranoia, fighting, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts and physical effects such as hypertension and rapid heartbeat. Although some of the effects may mimic cocaine or methamphetamine use, the use of these bath salts can lead to destructive behaviour, serious illness and death over a very short period of time. If dispatch information suggests the use of bath salts or once you arrive on scene and determine bath salts were smoked or snorted proceed with caution and consider requesting police if they are not already on scene.

Captain Alan F. Klapat CFI
Training Officer/Fire Inspector/Investigator
City of Wilkes-Barre Bureau of Fire
20-22 East Ross Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA. 18701"


All I want to know is WHAT MORON FIRST THOUGHT OF THIS ONE? And why would anyone with 2 IQ points try this? Some people need to be slapped on the head.... HARD.

Dan Emplit WBFD