Tettigoniidae

Yesterday, I saw a very rare creature.
Evidently, much like the Katydid (scientific name Tettigoniidae, which only comes out every few years), these only come out every 4 years. The Wilkes-Barre street sweeper! Oddly enough the 4 year cycle co-insides with the primary election, and can serve as a reminder to vote.

On a serious note, who does Leighton think he is fooling? I've lived here 6 years and have seen the street sweeper 4 times. And not only has our Dictator sent the street sweepers out, he had DPW guys out with brooms and shovels! He neglects everywhere but downtown for 8 years and we are supposed to forget that because he has our streets cleaned.

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Leighton lists achievements at town hall
STEFFEN LIZZA Times Leader Correspondent

WILKES-BARRE – Mayor Tom Leighton met with the residents of the city’s East End, Heights and Mayflower sections Tuesday night to break down his administration’s accomplishments since 2004 and to answer questions from residents.

The meeting took place at the Coal Street Ice Rink, a venue built as the centerpiece of the Coal Street Park Project.

The mayor responded to the criticism that he essentially built the facility for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with public money noting that the Penguins use only about 4 percent of available rink time, which they pay for. The facility has brought in more than 300,000 patrons since it opened in 2009. Combine them with those of the R/C Wilkes-Barre 14 movie theater, which has brought in nearly 500,000 customers since 2006, to get more than 800,000 patrons who would not have normally come to the city, the mayor noted.

“These are people who are spending money in our restaurants, staying in our hotels and putting that money back into the city,” Leighton said.

Concerning neighborhood infrastructure, Leighton said that from January 2004 until March 2011, the city spent more than $47 million on improvements that include paving 162 streets or 39 miles of road, repairs to five bridges and three new parks.

Regarding public safety, the city hired 29 new police officers, placed 250 new surveillance cameras around the city, and reinstated the K-9 and SWAT units, Leighton said. Also, police received protective vests and 18 new vehicles. The city launched its crime line website ( www.wbcrimeline.com) that allows residents to report suspicious activity directly online.

A city with virtually no online presence before 2004 now also has a website with officials’ e-mail addresses and a Facebook page, the mayor said.

The Wilkes-Barre fire department received $3 million in upgrades for a new ladder truck, three new fire engines, and three ambulances.

All this Leighton said, with the city still technically in bankruptcy.
####

I wasn't there, but I've heard that Leighton turned a Town meeting into an election rally.
Real quick, lets look at these claims.
1. Coal Street Ice Rink has been up and running for a few years. How much revenue is it generating for the city?

2. “These are people who are spending money in our restaurants, staying in our hotels and putting that money back into the city,” Leighton said. But he also said 'the city still technically in bankruptcy.'

3. The Wilkes-Barre fire department received $3 million in upgrades for a new ladder truck, three new fire engines, and three ambulances. He makes it sound like the city paid for these! They were paid for with federal grants, and they replaced old, worn out equipment.

4. "the city hired 29 new police officers", Yes they did. They replaced retiring officers. Leighton tries to make it sound like these are extra officers. They are NOT.

If the city is 'technically in bankruptcy', maybe the 2.5 million from the casino would have helped. Instead it went into Leightons 'pet projects' like:
$1 million to city of Wilkes-Barre for the Northampton and Main Street mixed-use facility
$500,000 to city of Wilkes-Barre for the successful innovation center/small business incubator
$1 million to city of Wilkes-Barre for a wireless surveillance camera system. (The system cost a LOT more than this. This is just where the casino money went.)

We've got corruption, backroom deals, Constitutional rights violations, bullying, a camera system with no records, craters in our streets, our safety ignored, Community Development Block Grant Week annual allocation has been cut by 16.2 percent, or $342,610 (Hey if the old river road bakery is sold FOR WHAT ITS WORTH, it would make up more than the difference!) but don't worry, WE HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE NOW!!

Man, you need hip waders for this load of $hit.



Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

And more money WE have to pay

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W-B firehouse activist’s rep seeks legal fees from city
Attorney wants $240K in compensation in Carey’s successful suit vs. the city.
By Terrie Morgan-Besecker tmorgan@timesleader.com
Law & Order Reporter

SCRANTON – The attorney for city firehouse activist Denise Carey has filed court papers seeking more than $240,000 in legal fees and other costs associated with Carey’s successful suit against Wilkes-Barre City.

Attorney Cynthia Pollick of Pittston filed a legal brief Monday supporting her request for compensation in connection with Carey’s six-year battle with the city.

A federal jury awarded Carey, of Wilkes-Barre, $67,000 in compensatory and punitive damages following a trial in November 2008 for violations of her First Amendment right to free speech.

The panel determined Mayor Tom Leighton retaliated against Carey by seeking $11,000 in attorneys fees the city incurred in fighting a petition Carey circulated that opposed the closure of a fire station in the Heights section of the city. The jury rejected her claim for damages for defamation, however.

The city appealed the ruling to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the verdict in February.

Under federal law, attorneys who represent plaintiffs in civil rights cases can seek compensation for each hour they worked on the case. The fees are in addition to any monetary award to the plaintiff.

In Carey’s case, Pollick initially sought $222,821 in attorney fees and costs following the trial based on a rate of $300 per hour. Those fees and costs increased by $17,492 for hours spent fighting the city’s appeal, for a total of $240,313, Pollick says in court records.

Attorneys for the city filed court documents in opposition to the fee request, arguing the hourly rate is excessive. They also contend the fees should be reduced because Carey did not prevail on each count of the suit.

U.S. District Judge Sylvia Rambo will review the court filings and issue a ruling at a later date.
####

If there was true justice in this city, Leighton would have to pay this himself. But instead the city (meaning we the taxpayers) have to foot the bill for his violating Denise Careys Constitutional Rights. Oh and add to that the money the city (We the tax payers) have to pay for his defense lawyers.

1. Backroom deals (like the no bid contract to disgraced ex-judge Conahan's medic unit)
2. Trying to sell city property for 8 cents on the dollar to a campaign contributor
3. Lying to county officials to get tax forgiveness to a campaign contributor
4. The largely worthless camera system (Costing us well over $2,000,000)
5. Violated contracts (like Citywide Towing's contract) so he could give it to a campaign contributor (that cost us over $225,000)
6. VIOLATED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, TWICE !!! (Denise Carey & the Hammonds). That's going to cost us over $275,000.
7. The Threats (I've been on the receiving end of some, Why? Because I dare oppose him.)

If you treat citizens as enemy combatants, eventually they will be.

If Leighton has his way the FD motto will change to "When Seconds count, The Engines are only Minutes away."

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

I'M BATMAN!

Happy Birthday to 'The Batman'.



DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27 on this day in 1939.
He is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Originally referred to as "the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "the Batman", he is additionally known as "The Caped Crusader", "The Dark Knight", "The Darknight Detective", and "The World's Greatest Detective". And is arguably the most popular comic book character, Ever.



Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a billionaire playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime.

He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear, and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.



The late 1960s Batman television series used a camp aesthetic which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. The Character didn't recover until Frank Miller's limited series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), which tells the story of a 50-year old Batman coming out of retirement in a possible future, reinvigorated the character and was the main reason for his resurgence in popularity.

The Batman comics garnered major attention in 1988 when DC Comics created a 900 number for readers to call to vote on whether Jason Todd, the second Robin, lived or died. Voters decided in favor of Jason's death by a narrow margin of 28 votes (Batman: A Death in the Family). The following year saw the release of Tim Burton's Batman feature film, which firmly brought the character back to the public's attention, grossing millions of dollars at the box office, and millions more in merchandising. However, the three sequels, Tim Burton's Batman Returns and director Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, did not perform as well at the box office. The Batman movie franchise was rebooted with director and co-writer Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins in 2005 and The Dark Knight in 2008.

In an interesting side note, originally Batman carried a pistol and showed little remorse over killing or maiming criminals. It wasn't until 1940 that editor Whitney Ellsworth decreed that the character could no longer kill or use a gun.


Dan Emplit WBFD

The Old River Road Bakery is back in the news

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Judge reopens Old River Road Bakery lawsuit
By Andrew Staub (Staff Writer)Published: April 23, 2011

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton cannot escape the controversy surrounding the Old River Road Bakery.

In an about-face from a previous order, a federal judge on Friday reopened a lawsuit in which a Wilkes-Barre couple accused Leighton and assistant city attorney William Vinsko of violating their due process rights by stopping them from buying the Old River Road Bakery so it could be sold to a Leighton and Vinsko associate at a deeply discounted price.

U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo, in a March 30 ruling, had dismissed the lawsuit saying Antonia and Tyler Hammond's complaint did not pass constitutional muster and did not adequately explain the "nexus" between the city and the associate, Leo A. Glodzik III.

The judge reopened the case, though, after the couple filed an amended complaint last week that named Glodzik as a third defendant and accused Leighton and Vinsko of directing him to violate the Hammonds' constitutional rights.

The violations arose, the couple argued, when the city supplied "false and misleading information" about the bakery, abruptly removed it from a 2009 county tax sale without notification and allowed or directed Glodzik to destroy their personal property and build a fence that encroached onto their property.

After removing the property at 250 Old River Road from the tax sale, the city sold the property to Glodzik for $38,000, even though the county had assessed the property's value at $478,300.

Leighton had served as Glodzik's real estate broker, while Vinsko had incorporated several businesses for Glodzik. The Hammonds' lawsuit pointed out both relationships and said Leighton and Vinsko's actions "amount to what could be considered insider (city) trading in connection (with) city properties as well as ethics violations since there is a clear conflict of interest."

Leighton, Vinsko and city spokesman Drew McLaughlin did not return phone calls seeking comment. When Caputo dismissed the lawsuit last month, Leighton released a statement that said he, Vinsko and the city "always acted in good faith and did not violate anyone's constitutional rights."

Reached Friday, Glodzik declined to comment about the lawsuit.

"I don't know anything about it," he said. "This is the first I'm hearing about it."

Glodzik pays about $50,000 a year for an exclusive towing contract with the city and often has donated to Leighton's political campaigns. The lawsuit alleges Glodzik built a fence that encroached on the Hammonds' property and then bragged about his relationship with city officials when Antonia Hammond told him she would call city hall.

Glodzik told her, "Go ahead, (they're) all my buddies," according to the lawsuit.

In his March 30 ruling, Caputo noted that government officials can be held liable for the unconstitutional conduct of their subordinates.

The Hammonds have 14 days to file a brief explaining why Caputo should accept the amended complaint.
####

Just to recap:
Old River Road Bakery was scheduled to be sold at the Sept. 16 2009 tax sale conducted by the county. One day before the sale the city removed the property from the sale list.

The selling of the old river road bakery to LAG towing for $38,000 when it was appraised at $478,300. That's less than 8 percent of the value!!!
8 cents on the dollar. That's like selling gas for 30 cents per gallon!!! And the mayor says he is fiscally responsible. "We were very thankful to get $38,000." Leighton said (Oct 9 2009 Citizens Voice)

Mr. Leo Glodzik donated more than $10,000 to Leighton's campaign in the last four years. He also owns LAG Towing. There is also the "city's" (AKA Leightons) aquizition of several vehicles, of questionable quality and legality but with a HIGH price tag, from Glozdik's in laws (payback?). This is under investigation.

The City asked the county commissioners to forgive $42,349 in back taxes which they did with the understanding the city would acquire it and sell it to a developer for townhouses. LAG is in the towing business not construction.

Leighton has said the city intervened because the building was deteriorating. The city would have no control over who bought the property at a tax sale, which means the city could risk a new buyer who would not clean up the site, Leighton said.

LAG is a towing company. What do you think they will do with the property? I think the will store damaged, leaking cars there.
Does that sound 'Cleaned up' to you? No? Does it sound like MORE of Leightons political lies? Yeah, I think so too.




Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

The Red Baron died 93 years ago today

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), AKA the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories, more than any other pilot.

Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (AKA the "Flying Circus"). By 1918 he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side.

Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918.



For decades after World War I, some authors questioned whether Richthofen achieved 80 victories, insisting that his record was exaggerated for propaganda purposes. Some claimed that he took credit for aircraft downed by his squadron or wing.

In fact, Richthofen’s victories are better documented than those of most aces. A full list of the aircraft the Red Baron was credited with shooting down was published as early as 1958—with documented RFC/RAF squadron details, aircraft serial numbers, and the identities of Allied airmen killed or captured—73 of the 80 are listed as matching recorded British losses. A study conducted by British historian Norman Franks with two colleagues, published in Under the Guns of the Red Baron in 1998, reached the same conclusion about the high degree of accuracy of Richthofen's claimed victories. There were also unconfirmed victories that would put his actual total as high as 100 or more.

Controversy and contradictory hypotheses continue to surround the identity of the person who fired the shot that actually killed Richthofen.

The RAF credited Captain Arthur Roy Brown with shooting down the Red Baron - but it is now generally agreed that the bullet that hit Richthofen was fired by someone on the ground. I know the truth.... It was Snoopy, with a Sopwith Camel, in the sky above Amiens.



All joking aside, deserved or not, The Red Baron had a reputation for chivalty and as a gentleman.

Dan Emplit WBFD

AR Finished..... So Far

I posted about this before.



With the collapsible stock




And with the Bravo Company upper and barrel, MOE handgaurds and DPMS BCG. Yeah I know the angled foregrip is the wrong color, but I got it real cheap and paint is also cheap.

Add on: Just ordered an AimPoint Micro for it.


Dan Emplit WBFD

An Interesting Question

I've been asked, more than once about this. Once upon a time, During its fire, Salernos tavern had one of Leightons worthless cameras pointed at it. Now Salernos 'went up' in a blaze of arson. Where is the camera footage? According to 'legend' it exists, I haven't seen it. The camera FAILED exactly when the arsonist would have been leaving. Convenient, you say? I agree, even with the camera system going down if a pigeon craps within 10 feet. What about before the fire? Wouldn't 'Big Brother' have caught them going in? Who knows, maybe the planets didn't align. But here is another interesting bit O' info. The camera was removed and NOT replaced.


Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

USS Iowa turret explosion

USS Iowa turret explosion

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The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) on April 19, 1989. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself.

The first investigation into the explosion, conducted by the US Navy, concluded that one of the gun turret crew members, Clayton Hartwig, who died in the explosion, had deliberately caused it. During the investigation, numerous leaks to the media, later attributed to Navy officers and investigators, implied that Hartwig and another sailor, Kendall Truitt, had engaged in a homosexual relationship and that Hartwig had caused the explosion after their relationship had soured.

The victims' families, the media, and members of Congress were sharply critical of the Navy's findings. The Senate and House Armed Services Committees both held hearings to inquire into the Navy's investigation and later released reports disputing the Navy's conclusions. The Senate committee asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review the Navy's investigation. To assist the GAO, Sandia National Laboratories provided a team of scientists to review the Navy's technical investigation.

During its review, Sandia determined that a significant overram of the powder bags into the gun had occurred as it was being loaded and that the overram could have caused the explosion. A subsequent test by the Navy of the overram scenario confirmed that an overram could have caused an explosion in the gun breech. Sandia's technicians also found that the physical evidence did not support the Navy's theory that an electronic or chemical detonator had been used to initiate the explosion.

In response to the new findings, the Navy, with Sandia's assistance, reopened the investigation. In August 1991, Sandia and the GAO completed their reports, concluding that the explosion was likely caused by an accidental overram of powder bags into the breech of the 16-inch gun. The Navy, however, disagreed with Sandia's opinion and concluded that the cause of the explosion could not be determined. The Navy expressed regret to Hartwig's family and closed its investigation.

Ordered in 1938 the Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship. She was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943. Iowa’s main battery consisted of nine 16 inch/50 caliber guns.


After serving in both World War II and the Korean War, Iowa was decommissioned on 24 February 1958 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She remained in the Reserve Fleet until 1983. At this time, Iowa was to undergo a modernization as part of President Ronald Reagan's "600-ship Navy" plan. Under the command of Captain Gerald E. Gneckow, she was recommissioned on 28 April 1984, one year ahead of schedule. In order to expedite the schedule, many necessary repairs to Iowa's engines and guns were not completed and the mandatory US Navy Board of Inspection and Survey (InSurv) inspection was not conducted at that time.

Almost two years later, beginning on 17 March 1986, Iowa underwent her overdue InSurv inspection under the supervision of Rear Admiral John D. Bulkeley. The ship failed the inspection. Among many other deficiencies, hydraulic fluid leaks in all three main gun turrets, totaling 55 gallons per turret per week, Cosmoline (anticorrosion lubricant) which had not been removed from all the guns, frequent shorts in the electrical wiring, pump failures, unrepaired soft patches on high-pressure steam lines, and frozen valves in the ship's firefighting system. Bulkeley personally recommended to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral James Watkins, and the Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, that Iowa be taken out of service immediately. Lehman, who had advocated bringing the Iowa-class ships out of mothballs, did not take the ship out of service, but instructed the leaders of the Atlantic Fleet to ensure that Iowa's deficiencies were corrected.

A month after the InSurv, Iowa failed an Operation Propulsion Program Evaluation. A short time later, the ship retook and passed the evaluation. Between September 1988 and January 1989, Iowa conducted little training with her main guns, in part because of ongoing, serious maintenance issues with the main gun turrets.

In January 1989 Iowa's Master Chief Fire Controlman and Gunnery Officer, persuaded Moosally to allow them to experiment with increasing the range of the main guns using "supercharged" powder bags and specially designed shells. Moosally was led to believe, falsely, that top officials from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) had authorized the experiments. In fact, John McEachren, a mid-level bureaucrat with NAVSEA, had given the go-ahead to conduct the experiments even though he had no authority to do so. McEachren concealed his approval of the gunnery experiments from his superiors.

Several of the officers and non-commissioned officers in charge of the main gun turret crews believed that Skelley's and Costigan's proposed experiments were dangerous, especially because of the age of and numerous maintenance problems with the main guns and gun turrets. Meyer complained to Commander Robert John Kissinger, Iowa's chief weapons officer, about the proposed experiments, but Kissinger refused to convey the concerns to Moosally or halt the experiments.

On 20 January 1989, off Vieques Island, Iowa's Turret One fired six of the experimental shells using the supercharged powder bags. Skelley claimed that one of the 16 inch shells traveled 23.4 nautical miles, setting a record for the longest conventional 16 inch shell ever fired. Although the shells had been fired without serious incident, Meyer and the gun chief for Turret One, told Skelley that they would no longer participate in his experiments. Skelley asked Turret Two's gun chief, Senior Chief Reggie Ziegler, if he could use Turret Two for his experiments; Ziegler refused. Skelley then asked Lieutenant Phil Buch, Turret Two's officer in charge, and Buch acquiesced.


The Explosion
------------------------

At 08:31 on 19 April, the main turret crewmembers were ordered to their stations in Turrets One, Two, and Three. Thirty minutes later the turrets reported that they were manned, swiveled to starboard in firing position, and ready to begin the drill. Vice Admiral Johnson and his staff entered the bridge to watch the firing exercise. Iowa was 260 nautical miles northeast of Puerto Rico, steaming at 15 knots.

Turret One fired first, beginning at 09:33. Turret One's left gun misfired and its crew was unable to get the gun to discharge. Moosally ordered Turret Two to load and fire a three-gun salvo. According to standard procedure, the misfire in Turret One should have been resolved first before proceeding further with the exercise.

Forty-four seconds after Moosally's order, Lieutenant Buch reported that Turret Two's right gun was loaded and ready to fire. Seventeen seconds later, he reported that the left gun was ready. A few seconds later, Errick Lawrence, in Turret Two's center gun room, reported to Ziegler over the turret's phone circuit that, "We have a problem here. We are not ready yet. We have a problem here." Ziegler responded by announcing over the turret's phone circuit, "Left gun loaded, good job. Center gun is having a little trouble. We'll straighten that out." Mortensen, monitoring Turret Two's phone circuit from his position in Turret One, heard Buch confirm that the left and right guns were loaded. Lawrence then called out, "I'm not ready yet! I'm not ready yet!" Next, Ernie Hanyecz, Turret Two's leading petty officer suddenly called out, "Mort! Mort! Mort!" Ziegler shouted, "Oh, my God! The powder is smoldering!" At this time, Ziegler may have opened the door from the turret officer's booth in the rear of the turret into the center gun room and yelled at the crew to get the breech closed. About this same time, Hanyecz yelled over the phone circuit, "Oh, my God! There's a flash!"

At 09:53, about 81 seconds after Moosally's order to load and 20 seconds after the left gun had reported loaded and ready, Turret Two's center gun exploded. A fireball between 2,500 and 3,000 °F and traveling at 2,000 feet per second with a pressure of 4,000 pounds-force per square inch blew out from the center gun's open breech. The explosion caved in the door between the center gun room and the turret officer's booth and buckled the bulkheads separating the center gun room from the left and right gun rooms. The fireball spread through all three gun rooms and through much of the lower levels of the turret. The resulting fire released toxic gases, including cyanide gas from burning polyurethane foam, which filled the turret. Shortly after the initial explosion, the heat and fire ignited 2,000 pounds of powder bags in the powder-handling area of the turret. Nine minutes later, another explosion, most likely caused by a buildup of carbon monoxide gas, occurred. All 47 crewmen inside the turret were killed. The turret contained most of the force of the explosion. Twelve crewmen working in or near the turret's powder magazine and annular spaces, located adjacent to the bottom of the turret, were able to escape without serious injury. These men were protected by blast doors which separate the magazine spaces from the rest of the turret.

Turret Two's sprinkler system failed to operate automatically. Firefighting crews quickly responded and sprayed the roof of the turret and left and right gun barrels, which were still loaded, with water. Meyer and Kissinger, wearing gas masks, descended below decks and inspected the powder flats in the turret, noting that the metal walls of the turret flats surrounding several tons of as yet unexploded powder bags in the turret were now "glowing a bright cherry red". On Kissinger's recommendation, Moosally ordered Turret Two's magazines, annular spaces, and powder flats flooded with seawater, preventing the remaining powder from exploding. The turret fire was extinguished in about 90 minutes.
###

Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986-1992

The 1983 U.S. embassy bombing

The 1983 U.S. embassy bombing was a suicide bombing against the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon on April 18, 1983 that killed over 60 people, 32 Lebanese employees, 17 Americans, and 14 visitors. 28 years and it is still fresh in my mind.

RIP,
Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986-1992

Update on Patrick the Dog

Just a quick update.
###
4/15/2011-Patrick Meets Julie Benz, Makes More Progress!


Patrick just loves his treats! He is tipping the scales at 33 pounds and we are overjoyed at the progress he is making. Due to his poor nutrition, he has demodectic mange. At the beginning of next week, Patrick is scheduled for an ultra sound and efforts will be made to remove the foreign body in his stomach. While under anesthesia, he will be neutered. He still tires easily and remains weak in his rear quarters. He will probably be visited this weekend by Sue Davis, Licensed Physical Therapist to help in this regard.




Last week, he was visited by Julie Benz, an actress best known for her role as Rita Bennett on "DEXTER" for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series. She currently stars in the series, "NO ORDINARY FAMILY". Julie is remembered for roles as Darla on "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" and "ANGEL". Julie was in New York on business and wanted to meet Patrick. She traveled to meet this famous fellow and then took some pictures for her Twitter fans. She was kind enough to autograph some of our various t-shirts so that they can be auctioned at a later date.

A Little Pet Vet, LLC from Flemington, N J offered a huge donation for Patrick -- Yums All Natural Pet Treats. The first bag arrived a few days ago and the main ingredient is human grade rice bran which they said should be comforting to his digestive system. For more information on this product, please visit A Little Pet Vet.

Patrick is touching everyone's heart. Patrick's Rescue Fund is set up to accept donations for the many "Patricks" that come through our doors.
####


Dan Emplit WBFD

Wilkes-Barre's dangerous driving situation

This situation is inexcusable, when was the last time our evil emperor had the lines on the city streets painted? Last night I drove most of the length of Wilkes-Barre Blvd. Both North bound and South Bound. In the rain. I don't care how good your vision is or if you have superb night-vision, YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT IS NOT THERE!! Mr. "I would never, never gamble with the safety of residents visitors or guests," (Oct 5, 2004 WNEP) Leighton have those lines painted before you kill someone!



On March 3, 2009 WNEP reported "The casino revenue means more than $2.5 million for projects in the city of Wilkes-Barre." And the breakdown of how the money would be used was:

$1 million to city of Wilkes-Barre for the Northampton and Main Street mixed-use facility
$500,000 to city of Wilkes-Barre for the successful innovation center/small business incubator
$1 million to city of Wilkes-Barre for a wireless surveillance camera system

Lets look at this for a moment.
What is the status of the mixed-use facility? For those who don't know (I didn't) it is 'the project known as University Corners at Northampton and South Main Streets adjacent to the new downtown theater.' How nice. Two years later and a bunch of empty storefronts that the city paid for and renovated. Remember dictator Leighton, back when he was council chairman told then mayor McGroarty, 'the city should NOT be in the real estate business' & 'and not be involved as a landlord.' But this hypocrite has had the city become just that. 'Mayor Tom Leighton said the money is going to help finish 21 apartment lofts above the Main Street storefronts. "It's going to help create more downtown living right in our downtown. It was a project we supported from day one," he said.'

And WHAT THE @&*% IS A INNOVATION CENTER/SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR? Sounds exactly like the terms McGroarty used to hide money for HIS wacky projects.

And the "We didn't use any city funds" to get the 'rarely useful' & 'we don't keep records on' camera project, doesn't need me to point out it worthlessness.

2.5 MILLION dollars and 'Downtown' emperor Leighton didn't spend a DIME on anything but his pet downtown projects. It could have made our streets safer, just by painting lane lines. But that doesn't get your mug in the news.
Downtown Leighton IS NOT A LEADER.


Has anyone else noticed that most of the worse crimes have gone up?

"When too much power is concentrated in one person, the government loses touch with the citizens they are there to serve." ~ Me

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Don't mess with older drivers

A mature (over 50) lady gets pulled over for speeding...
Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?
Officer: Ma'am, you were speeding.
Older Woman: Oh, I see.
Officer: Can I see your license please?
Older Woman: I'd give it to you but I don't have one.
Officer: Don't have one?
Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.
Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.
Older Woman: I can't do that.
Officer: Why not?
Older Woman: I stole this car.
Officer: Stole it?
Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.
Officer: You what?
Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see.

The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.
Officer 2: Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle.
Older woman: Is there a problem sir?
Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.
Older Woman: Murdered the owner?
Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please.

The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.
Officer 2: Is this your car, ma'am?
Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.

The officer is quite stunned.
Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.

The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.
Officer 2: Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.
Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Prepare for Judgement Day!

According to 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Skynet will be implemented on April 19, 2011 and will begin its attack against humanity on April 21.




I for one welcome our metal overlords...... Really.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Election time

Eight years ago, then council Chairman, Leighton told Mayor McGroarty that 'the city should NOT be in the real estate business' & 'and not be involved as a landlord,'. But now the Emperor has bought ANOTHER building. Last month, the city purchased 71 S. Main St., a brick three-story near the theater complex. It also owns two other 'businesses' near by at 69 South Main, While the Wilkes-Barre Redevelopment Authority owns 61 S. Main. And the city has owned Norton's for 15 years and NOTHING has been done except letting it sit there, Why is our tax money (Remember the city doesn't have the money for your safety) being wasted on another property? Also, the city is now on the hook for future taxes.
“We need to protect our assets. We’re confident once the economy improves that we will attract a developer,” Leighton said. He'll protect 'our assets' but not our safety. What a Hypocrite.

Then there is the sudden innovation of 'Town meetings'. Naturally he scheduled yesterdays for Hollenback fire station.... AFTER the street was paved. He must think we are stupid. Didn't McGroarty also do the whole 'Town meeting' crap to save his doomed empire?
Now he's taking ideas from Charlotte Raup to make a website for reporting crime. He is something.... just not a leader.


(Thanks to 'KingGhidorah' for the idea)

Don't forget to call him, "he's listed." Eight years as dictator and NOW you can call him. Of course he will lie and tell everyone how he only gets "good" calls.
The bottom line will always be - facts and reasonable thinking aren't a part of Leightons thought process.

Add on Edit: the street in front of Hollenback station was milled not yet paved.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Apollo 13

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was successfully launched toward the Moon, but the landing had to be aborted after an oxygen tank ruptured, severely damaging the spacecraft's electrical system. The flight was commanded by James A. Lovell with John L. "Jack" Swigert as Command Module pilot and Fred W. Haise as Lunar Module pilot.

The mission was launched on April 11, 1970. Two days later an (April 13) explosion crippled the service module. To conserve its batteries and the oxygen needed for the last hours of flight, the crew instead used the Lunar Module's resources as a "lifeboat" during the return trip to Earth. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water and the critical need to jury-rig the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17. NASA called the mission a "successful failure".

The mission began with a little-known smaller incident: during the second-stage boost, the center engine shut down two minutes early. The four outboard engines burned longer to compensate, and the vehicle continued to a successful orbit.

En route to the Moon, approximately 200,000 miles from Earth, Mission Control asked the crew to turn on the hydrogen and oxygen tank stirring fans. Approximately 93 seconds later the astronauts heard a loud "bang", accompanied by fluctuations in electrical power and firing of the attitude control thrusters. The crew initially thought that a meteoroid might have struck the Lunar Module (LM).

In fact, the number 2 oxygen tank, one of two in the Service Module (SM), had exploded. The resulting pressure inside the compartment popped the bolts attaching an outer aluminum skin panel, which as it blew off probably caused minor damage to the nearby high-gain S-band antenna used for translunar communications. Communications and telemetry to Earth were lost for 1.8 seconds, until the system automatically corrected by switching the antenna from narrow-band to wide-band mode.

The damage to the Service Module made safe return from a lunar landing impossible, so Lead Flight Director Gene Kranz immediately aborted the mission. Considerable ingenuity under extreme pressure was required from the crew, flight controllers, and support personnel for the safe return.

If you do not know the story, I suggest seeing "Apollo 13" directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. It has been noted as one of the most historically accurate films ever made. Even though the real phrase was "Ok, Houston, we've had a problem here." not "Houston, we have a problem.".

The incredible determination and ingenuity to get these brave men home is, in my opinion, the perfect example of what makes the United States great.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) Believes military service does NOT equal Public Service!!

###
Congressman: Military Service Doesn’t Equal Public Service

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has some explaining to do to the nation’s veterans. While attacking his opponent, Republican Patrick Murray, Moran said Republicans use “stealth candidates, that haven’t been in office, haven’t served or performed in any kind of public service.“ He said Murray is a ”typical” example.

There’s just one problem. Patrick Murray is Colonel Patrick Murray, and he served 24 years in the Army.

Still, Moran deserves the benefit of the doubt, right?. Maybe he forgot Murray served, or maybe he misspoke and would later backpedal. Not the case.

In video of the October 6 remarks, Moran recognizes Murray’s service, but still sets himself up as the real public servant:

Video Link

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey says this:

Note too that it’s not as if Moran didn’t know about Murray’s service record. Moran actually sneers at it, claiming that Murray had “taken a government check” for 24 years as a member of the military, as if Murray hadn’t earned every penny of it working in defense of his nation.

While the Washington Examiner’s Barbara Hillingsworth adds this:

However, Moran’s opponent happens to be Col. Patrick Murray (US Army-Ret.), who served 24 years in uniform, was deployed to four different combat zones, including Baghdad, as part of the 2007 troop surge under Gen. David Petraeus, and was even shot at by foreign combatants. If that isn’t public service, I don’t know what is.

Paper shuffling in Washington, apparently.

Hollingsworth also notes that Moran drew the ire of the Military Officers Association of America by claiming the group had endorsed him. It says it did not.
###

AND

###
Dem. Rep Gets in Shouting Match With Veteran at Town Hall: ‘Time to Sit Down’

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) isn’t known for his friendly comments towards veterans. This is no exception.

While at a town hall meeting last night, Moran got into a heated debate with a someone who identified himself as a 27-year veteran. The veteran was visibly upset that Moran was holding a town hall instead of trying to figure out the budget in Washington. While answering that charge, Moran took a shot at the supposed veteran, calling the man’s question “caustic.” That didn’t sit well with the man, who began a heated back-and-forth with Moran (exchange starts at about 4:00):

Video Link

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey offers his thoughts:

It’s certainly not a highlight reel for Moran’s concept of constituent services, but running a town-hall meeting does require a little decorum. The problem is that Moran’s the one who disrupted it. Moran’s contempt shines through right from the moment he begins speaking, saying, “And if you served your country in the military for 27 years, I thank you for that service, sir.” Is it so unusual to find a military veteran in Moran’s district that his gratitude has to come with a qualifier? Does Moran employ the qualifier for veterans who ask questions along the lines of “How can you be so totally awesome and humble at the same time?” He then insults the constituent by claiming that his question was “caustic” rather than “legitimate,” prompting the veteran to interrupt — and Moran to act like an old schoolmarm when he does.

Morrissey goes on to say that Moran’s town hall was not egregious: the House had already passed a budget, so they were off the hook. But that doesn’t absolve Moran for the way he handled himself. Far from it.
###


How do jerks like this keep getting elected? He isn't good enough to pick up dog poo.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Patrick - Road to Recovery as of March 21, 2011

Those of you who follow this Blog, know that I'm a big supporter of the ASPCA. However, I truly hate the heart-tugging commercials.
That said, this video shows how people can devolve to worthless a$$hats. Nothing stopped Patricks owners from dropping him of at a shelter. Instead they starved him for weeks and dropped him down a 22 floor garbage shoot!



When we adopt a pet, we take on certain responsibilities. It is that simple.
Some people need serious psychological help.

Dan Emplit WBFD

AR15 lower build

I finally got off my butt and started something I had wanted to do for a long time. I built an AR lower (minus the stock and buffer tube, They are on the way).


This is the bare (striped) lower. It is from Spikes Tactical. I didn't chose the 'Punisher' version, it was the only one they had. I like the 2004 Punisher movie anyway. They should never have let Thomas Jane go.



the trigger guard


Installing it


And the roll pin


Trigger Guard installed


I ordered assembly blocks but they didn't quite fit. I had to lightly file the corners.


Then the magazine release.


After this I kind of got into it and stopped taking pictures. There was a lot more, Trigger assembly being the biggest part.



This is the so-far finished product. More to come.


Dan Emplit WBFD

A speach from the former Governor of Colorado

From my Email inbox, acrording to Snopes.com it is true;

We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of America's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Davis Hansen talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.

Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"


"Here is how they do it," Lamm said:"FIRST, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way:"The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy." Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans.".


Lamm went on: SECOND, to destroy America, "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.

THIRD,"We could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently:"The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together." Lamm said,"I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."

"FOURTH, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."

"My FIFTH point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."

"My SIXTH plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common Language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia , threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" --From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."

"Next to last, SEVENTH, I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."

In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said,. "Lastly, EIGHTH, I would censor Victor Davis Hanson's book "Mexifornia." His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book."

There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."

Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path especially The American Dream.


Dan Emplit WBFD

April 7th and the Yamato

Yamato was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, "were the largest and most powerful battleships ever built", displacing 73,000 tons at full load and armed with nine 18.1 inch main guns. Neither, however, survived the war. (Our Iowa class Battleships displaced 52,000 tons at full load and were armed with 16 inch guns). Two battleships of the class (Yamato and Musashi) were completed, while a third (Shinano) was converted to an aircraft carrier during construction.

Laid down in 1937 and formally commissioned a week after the Pearl Harbor attack in late 1941, Yamato was designed to counter the numerically superior battleship fleet of the United States, Japan's main rival in the Pacific. Throughout 1942 she served as the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, and in June 1942 Admiral Yamamoto directed the fleet from her bridge during the disastrous Battle of Midway. Although she was present at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, Yamato played no part in the battle. The only time she fired her main guns at enemy surface targets was in October 1944, when she was sent to engage American forces invading the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On the verge of success the Japanese force turned back, believing they were engaging an entire US carrier fleet rather than the light escort carrier group that was all that stood between Yamato and the vulnerable troop transports.



During 1944 the balance of naval power in the Pacific decisively turned against Japan, and by early 1945 the Japanese fleet was much depleted and critically short of fuel stocks in the home islands, limiting its usefulness. In April 1945, in a desperate attempt to slow the Allied advance, Yamato was dispatched on a one way voyage to Okinawa, where it was intended that she should protect the island from invasion and fight until destroyed. Fortunately the Allies had intercepted and decoded their radio transmissions, learning the particulars of Operation. Her task force was spotted south of Kyushu by US submarines and aircraft.



On April 7, 1945 she was sunk by American carrier based bombers and torpedo bombers with the loss of most of her crew. Yamato was hit by at least eleven torpedoes and eight bombs, in the attack one of the two bow magazines detonated in a tremendous explosion. The resulting mushroom cloud—over 3 and a half miles high, was seen 100 miles away on Kyūshū. Yamato sank rapidly afterwards.



Because of the often confused circumstances and incomplete information regarding their sinkings, few wrecks of Japanese capital ships have been discovered and identified. Drawing on US wartime records, an expedition to the South China Sea in 1982 produced some results, but the wreckage discovered could not be clearly identified. A second expedition returned to the site two years later, and the team's photographic and video records were later confirmed by one of the battleship's designers, Shigeru Makino to show the Yamato's last resting place.

President Barack Obama's First Ad of 2012

I think the best part is the unicorn crapping a rainbow at the end.

Dan Emplit WBFD

When are we going to stop this?

Forwarded from my email in box:

'For those of you who are on Medicare, read the article below.
It is about the monthly amount of money you are going to pay into Medicare in 2011, 2012 and the huge increase you will pay in 2013. It's a short important article: You will pay it.
All who receive social security and Medicare have paid into the system for years. That is a basic requirement to be eligible for benefits. Think about it… if you started paying in at age 20, you will have paid for more than 40 years before receiving benefits. These are NOT entitlements or giveaways.

Out of respect for those who earned benefits, consider the following:

Our legislators are supposed to be representing OUR interests.

Social Security
Congress will not allow an increase in the social security COLA (cost of living adjustment). However, the per person monthly Medicare insurance premium will be increased from the 2009 premium of $96.40 to $104.20 in 2010, $120.20 for the year 2011 AND Yearly increases to a wonderful $247.00 in 2014.

Congress also gave themselves a $3,000 a month Cost of Living Adjustment!
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER 2012'

A two hundred fifty six percent increase in 5 years. Incredible!! It is time to get rid of the clowns and elect LEADERS!!

"I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of 'taking care' of them." ~ Thomas Jefferson

Dan Emplit WBFD

Norm Davis for City Council

Retired Fire Chief Norm Davis is running for City Council.

Norm Davis will run for W-B City Council
WILKES-BARRE – Retired city firefighter Norm Davis has announced his candidacy for City Council in District A as a Democrat.

Davis retired from the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department after 36 years of service as an assistant fire chief. A graduate of GAR High School and the paralegal program at Penn State University, he attended fire science classes at Luzerne County Community College. Davis also served in the UAA.S. Marine Corps before his appointment to the city fire department.

Davis is married to the former Barbara Fritzges and they have two sons, Edmund and Jason, and four grandchildren.

Davis said he feels that service is the answer to keeping the city strong. He said strong municipal services will attract people to live in the city. He said police, fire public works and code enforcement services are expected and must be provided.

“Residents must feel safe and secure,” Davis said. “I feel the downtown is very important to our city, however our neighborhoods are the heart and that’s where we need to concentrate.”

Davis said he has seen a lot of for sale signs in front of city properties and he said that needs to change.

“We have to treat our neighborhoods better,” Davis said. “Let’s begin with the residents.”

I have known Norm for many years and can say, He is someone who is a LEADER. Someone who will stand up for what is right. He is an intelligent, thoughtful man who leads by example.
Hmmm, it's been a long time since this city has had a true leader.
Good luck Norm, anything I can do to help let me know.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Skinny Dipping

An elderly man in Florida had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back.

It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some orange, and lime trees.

One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over.

He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee.

As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of beautiful young women skinny-dipping in his pond.

He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end.

One of the women shouted to him,'we're not coming out until you leave!'

The old man frowned,'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked..'

Holding the bucket up he said,'I'm here to feed the alligator.'

Some old men can still think fast.

Should the American Flag Be Banned -- in America?!!

From my E-Mail in box (and it is a legit poll at Fox)
"Fox is running a poll about whether the flag should be banned in schools in order not to inflame Hispanic students. The poll is being sandbagged by SEIU and we should mount a counter action if you agree with me that our flag should be taken down for no one .

Moveon.org, funded by George Soros, Organizing for America , and SEIU, "Service Employee International UNION", have been twittering today to go to Fox Poll and vote to BAN the American Flag"

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/05/06/american-flag-banned-america/

It's the Veteran

It's the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.
It's the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.
It's the Veteran, not the politician, who gives us the freedom we take for granted.
It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the ungrateful protester to burn the flag.

Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her.

Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.

Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our Country would be as bad as France.



Dan Emplit WBFD
US Navy 1986 - 1992