Goodbye Dad

Below is the obituary I just wrote for my father. I also submitted to the Philadelphia Inquirer and to the Pottsville Republican (his hometown newspaper to which he still subscribed).

James J. Lynch, of Rhawnhurst, died on Sunday, August 21 2005. He was in his 89th year and was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Margaret McGee. Mr. Lynch was born in Phoenix Park, Pennsylvania in Schuylkill County and was the son of John and Lottie Lynch. He was one of ten children and is survived by his daughters, Barbara (Michael) Pumple, Judith (Michael) Gullotti, his sons Anthony and Timothy, eight grandchildren as well as two brothers Gerard and William Lynch. He was preceded in death by his sisters Margaret, Anne, Catherine and Mary and brothers John, Edward (Ted), and Francis (Pat).

The son of a coal miner, Mr. Lynch was an Army veteran of World War II, entered the service in February of 1942 and was stationed in the Aleutians Island during the war. Before moving to Philadelphia, Mr. Lynch was a teacher and baseball coach at Branch Township (his alma mater) in Minersville.

Mr. Lynch earned a bachelors degree in education and a masters degree. He taught math, science and physical education at the Shawmont Elementary School in Roxborough for more than twenty-five years and retired in 1979.

He was a graduate of Kutztown State Teachers College where he was known as the Irish Flash for his exceptional speed in the 100-yard dash. Unfortunately he attended Kutztown before the school established a track team but Mr. Lynch claimed the football team would pause its team practice to watch him show off his prowess in the 100-yard dash. He also gambled a bit at Kutztown and hinted the walls of his dorm room still had dice marks from the many games of craps they played.

He was a lifelong sports fan and coached baseball for several years for the Rhawnhurst Athletic Association. He loved watching sports on TV and was a big fan of the Phillies, Eagles, college basketball, horse racing, women’s softball, the little league world series and pool to name a few. In fact, when he retired his fellow teachers gave him a pool cue as a retirement gift. As a young boy, he had seen the powerful Pottsville Maroons play. They were a forerunner of the NFL teams and laid claim to a league championship that is disputed to this day.

He was an avid reader, had an encyclopedic memory and never forgot a birthday for one of his grandchildren. Just one week before his death, during a phone call he learned a grandson had visited Ithaca to check out potential colleges. Mr. Lynch spontaneously launched into a rendition of a fight song he had heard fifty years ago when the University of Pennsylvania football fans would mock their Thanksgiving opponent, Cornell (located in Ithaca).

Here is the song: “ On the shore of Lake Cayuga, there was a horrible smell. Was a pack of sons of bitches, called themselves Cornell”. The family requests mass cards or a donation to the charity of your choice. A viewing will be held at the Fox funeral home on Tuesday evening from 7-9PM, the funeral mass will be at 10AM on Wednesday at Resurrection of Our Lord church.

Aidan Delgado Re-surfaces

I was watching Hardball last night. Nora O'Donnell was subbing for Chris Matthews and she was spending much of the program on Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas. They briefly stated there was an Iraq war vet participating in Sheehan's protest and who do they show but Aidan Delgado! He is the vet profiled in the NY Times Bob Herbert column in early May. In that column, Herbert repeated Delgado's claim that American soldiers in Delgado's unit smashed Coke bottles over the heads of Iraq civilians as the soldiers rode by in their convoys.

The blogosphere got wind of Delgado's very questionable accusations and neither he nor Herbert ever offered any additional proof or names to support his claim. Delgado then seemed to disappear but it looks like he came out of his spider-hole to join the Crawford protest.

I am fine with Delgado joining Sheehan's protest as that is his fundamental right as an American, but Hardball should learn to do a little homework regarding their (however brief) guests. Do the MSM folks even know how to google someone? Delgado's background (he got discharged as he became a conscientious objector and his spurious claims to the NY Times columnist) is information that the MSM should share with its audience! Don't you agree?

Ten Best Places To Live

Here is a recent magazine list of the ten best places to live. I always enjoy perusing these lists. I am partial to the Reno/ Tahoe area myself and Oregon is as green as can be but in return you get above-average rainfall. Can picture living in Tahoe area one day:

• Charlottesville, VA
• Sante Fe, NM
• San Luis Obispo- Paso Robles, CA
• Santa Barbara- Lompoc, CA
• Honolulu, HI
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Atlanta, GA
• Asheville, NC
• Reno NV
• Corvallis, OR

And I provided the link below if you'd like to read the whole story.

http://houseandhome.msn.com/Move/BestPlacestoLive.aspx

Ted Rall Wants Bad News From Iraq

Here is a story where the cartoonist, Ted Rall, admits he should not have bought into bullshit data that the number of soldiers killed in Iraq was 9,000 or 5 times the 1800 dead (the actual number to date).

Rall wants very hard to believe bad news and he wants that bad news to actually be far worse. He claims to have awaken to his own idiocy when his friend asked how the government could hide the inflated dead from their survivors. Duh!

I have provided the link below:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001013511

Great Story About An Amercian in Ireland

I have attached a story written by an American on her visit to Ireland. It's very well written an I enjoyed it. Gotta get there soon myself. Below is the link:

http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/004957.html

Air America Flights (of fancy)

This is a new category. I will occasionally listen to the Randi Rhodes radio show on Air America and report without comment what she is talking about. I will try to quote her accurately and refrain from editorial comments.

Today Rhodes :

• Claimed there are true and irrefutable stories of rape rooms being operated by American military contractors in Iraq.
• Discussed one alleged incident in Afghanistan where about 180 or so of 200 Afghani (Taliban??) prisoners died after being trucked miles and miles across the desert by the US military.
• Said America is no longer the greatest country in the world. But said it once was the greatest.
• Said Bush is either an unelected or illegimate president.
• Said Cindy Sheehan is a great American while
• Rhodes failed to mention newstories that appear to contradict Sheehan's earlier positive response to her meeting with Prez Bush in 2004.

I admit when I am wrong & crow when I am right

Modo is back at work and I admit when I was wrong.......I had predicted she was burned out and would take an early retirement.

But I crow when I am right too .... and her column today shows I was right that Modo has lost her once-unique voice. She no longer says anything that isn't heard at many far-left liberal enclaves. Reading her anymore is like watching the same boring play in slow motion over and over and over and over .

Advice to Modo-- retire already so you might re-discover that once irreverent voice. For your reading annoyance, I have provided the column link below:

http://nytimes.com/2005/08/10/opinion/10dowd.html

50 Cents Says He Is Dumb As A Stump

MARTIN REFUSES TO MEET BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN has snubbed British Prime Minister TONY BLAIR's invitation to meet him at his London residence - because the YELLOW star feared it would damage his image.

A galaxy of stars, including rockers OASIS and SIR ELTON JOHN, have accepted invitations to Blair's Downing Street home. And Martin respects the British premier, but does not want to be seen publicly socialising with the leader of the Labour party, for fear of offending his fans who may disagree with Blair's political goals and stance over the war in Iraq.

He says, "I'm not going to go. I really like Tony Blair. He's interested in the same things as I am - he plays the guitar and he always gives the impression of doing what he can to help. "But I don't particularly want to be photographed with him at the moment."

Howard Dean Sounds Like This Every Week - Does that count as a message?

Howard Dean is always saying the Dems need a message to combat the superior Republican "propaganda" machine. I swear Dean is quoted almost every week saying just about the same thing.....Dems need a message.

I suggest Dean spend some time crafting a message but first the Dems have to sculpt some core values. Can't have a message without those! Here is a sample of what the energetic Dr. Dean was quoted as saying 3 days ago....

"We have to be out there. We have to be vocal. We have to be pushing our version of the facts because their version of the facts is very unfactual." [Blogger's note- rumor has it the term "unfactual' is first taught in medical school.]

After visiting 30 states in the first six months as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Dean said Monday he has found "There are Democrats everywhere."

"We need to position ourselves as the party of change," he said. "I think we have learned that when big changes happen in the House and Senate, they happen because one party nationalizes the race and becomes the change agent." [Blogger's note- Dr. Dean is trying to say the Democratic party sucks, the voters knew it, decided to become change agents themselves and made the necessary changes via the ballot box]

In his speech Dean talked about the growing diversity in America and how well that diversity meshes with the message and membership of the Democratic Party. “The face of the Democratic Party is such that it looks like all of America will look in 2050," said Dean. [Blogger's note- The Dems diversity meshes with its message but Dean admitted it does not yet have a message. Dr. Dean will be about 100 years old in 2050 and his face and that of anyone else who is alive today will be wrinkled, old and ugly.]

I also provided the article's link below:

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Dean_Fundraiser.html

Rendell As Expected Waffles on Support for War

It was just two weeks ago that Governor's Rendell's office issued a statement that the state of Pennsylvania did not take a stand or position pro/con regarding wars and other national issues.

But there he (Fast Eddie) was on Hardball on August 5th and here is what he told Chris Matthews when asked about support for the war among Pensylvanians......

"Well, for the first time since the war began, less than half of the people of the Pennsylvania support the president‘s handling of the war. And I want to make it clear that Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support our troops. It is not like Vietnam. But support for the war effort and the way the president is handling it is beginning to wane significantly in Pennsylvania. And that‘s in great part because the death tool and the injuries have mounted. We have 84 dead. I think that‘s the fifth highest in the nation, Chris, and over 500 wounded, and some of them very severely wounded. And that affects all of us. And—and I think the people of Pennsylvania are a little at unease because they don‘t see a way out. "

So there it is from a high-profile Democratic governor. In my opinion, he is taking advantage of recent high number of casualties in Iraq. But that's what I always expect of Governor Rendell.

Looks like J Lo read Santorum's book

Saw this in the news. Jennifer Lopez said she may retire to have a family because she thinks it is too difficult to raise kids and have a high-profile career. Is there any chance J LO became enlightened by reading Senator Satorum's recently released book? I have provided the story link below:

http://www.examiner.ie/breaking/story.asp?j=126737900&p=yz673849x&n=126738589&x=

More gun deaths due to suicide than murders!

News Item from the Philadelphia Daily News on August 5, 2005

"Most of the people killed by guns in Pennsylvania during 2001-03 were suicides, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and the state Health Department. Suicides accounted for 2,112 - nearly 59 percent - of the 3,588 firearm deaths in the state during the three years - far more than assaults, accidents or any other reason, the report said. In rural counties, the proportion of shooting deaths that were suicides was much higher - nearly 86 percent. In urban counties, the figure was 55 percent, the report says."

I help out as a volunteer treasurer for a small non-profit that focuses on stemming the number of suicides especially among the young. But this stat was pretty amazing to me anyway. I did know that most male suicides use a gun but did not know that suicides exceeded murders from guns.

Time to Boycott Phillies Games??

The idea just came to me. Is it time to stay away from Phils games until they do something to improve the everyday roster?

I love baseball but the General Manager just doesn't get it. My pet peeve involves two of the team regulars, David Bell and Mike Lieberthal- they can't cut it anymore and are without a doubt the least productive at their respective positions in the entire league.

The team and the fans would be better off if these two were sent home ( I know the Phils owe them millions for a few more years but I don't care!) Get them out of here and find two young players, playthem everyday and let them get some major league experience!

I found a schedule for the Reading Phillies and I may get my fix there. Maybe a boycott by alot of fans will drive the message home.

America Coming Together Came & Went

Here is some very predictable news.

The liberal, activist group 'America Coming Together' (aka ACT) which was formed with the millions of George Soros and Peter Lewis is now defunct because Soros and Lewis have decided they will no longer fund it and at least 28 people were informed they will lose their jobs soon.

I equate this to a little kid who loses the game and so the kid is unhappy and he decides to take his ball and goes home. That is essentially what Soros has done. He thought he could form an activist group, buy some ads or enroll some voters and influence the election so his guy would win. Unfortunately, his guy lost, so Soros is taking his ball (the money) and going home where he will hatch up some other inefective idea on which he will waste another $50 Million or so next election. YOU KNOW IF I HAD ANY SENSE I WOULD HATCH UP SOME IDEAS FOR SOROS AND SEE IF I COULD GET IN ON THAT BIG GRAVY TRAIN IN 2008!

Lastly, in its story about the demise of ACT, the Washington Post reported "By all measures but one, ACT and the Media Fund were a great success, helping to turn out record numbers of new voters. But that one measure was the one that counted. After Bush's reelection and GOP gains in the House and Senate, Soros and Lewis pulled the plug on their support."

Now is that statement by the Post true, documentable and provable? Great Success??? I may email the WAPO authors and ask how they can back up that statement? I remember turnout was a record but are they saying the Kerry turnout was primarily attributable to ACT and the Media Fund?

Let's Shoot for a Real Clean Sweep

I heard a new organization was formed as a reaction to the pay raise grab by Pennsylvania state legislator. It's called PA Clean Sweep and it intends to try to field a primary candidate against every incumbent legislator.

That is a great idea but suggest it be taken one step further because the legislator are a big problem but the root of the problem are the two corrupt political parties which breed these filthy scoundrels. So, why not try to disembowel the two parties by fielding candidates from a new party called "The Clean Sweep" party. If a majority were elected, the Dems and Reps would lose statewde power and the new legislators could start to clean up the state government cesspool.

The beauty of a new party is it adresses the oft-heard complaint that there is no differnce in the parties . The Clean Sweep party now needs a platform and that is clear-cut..... spend our tax money wisely and primarily to pay the cost of police, highways, schools, aged, the sick and the young sufficiently. And the hell with the rest .... ie. get rid of the turnpike commission, the gambling board, and all the other quasi-goverment boards unless absolutely necessary.

And enact general referendums so taxpayers can approve or disapprove proposed spending programs over a certain amount (I propose $10 Million); the referendum must be during the general elections (not in a primary). Lastly, the Clean Sweep Party will not get involved in national party politics nor elections so it will not issue collective opinions regarding abortion, wars, SCOTUS judges, etc.

That is simple enough. Perhaps best of all, I volunteer to help formally write the constitution and organize a Clean Sweep Party organizing convention.

Quote for the week

Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible." - Anonymous.

Modo is Back

Maureen Dowd returned to the pages of the NY Times with a very touching story about her mother who died last week. Here is the link below. This story shows Modo can still write with passion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/weekinreview/24dowd.html?

Russian Spammer Found Murdered

Come on admit it- there have been times when each of us have wanted to exact some vengeance on those pain in the ass spammers and spyware companies. Well, it looks like someone may have acted on those impulses since a Russian spammer was just found dead. It seems he may have repeatedly struck himself in the head with a blunt instrument (just kidding- someone else did that to him). Here is the story below:

Russia’s Biggest Spammer Brutally Murdered in Apartment
Vardan Kushnir, notorious for sending spam to each and every citizen of Russia who appeared to have an e-mail, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Sunday, Interfax reported Monday. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head.

Kushnir, 35, headed the English learning centers the Center for American English, the New York English Centre and the Centre for Spoken English, all known to have aggressive Internet advertising policies in which millions of e-mails were sent every day.

In the past angry Internet users have targeted the American English centre by publishing the Center’s telephone numbers anywhere on the Web to provoke telephone calls. The Center’s telephone was advertised as a contact number for cheap sex services, or bargain real estate sales. Another attack involved hundreds of people making phone calls to the American English Center and sending it numerous e-mails back.

But Vardan Kushnir remained sure of his right to spam, saying it was what e-mails were for. Under Russian law, spamming is not considered illegal, although lawmakers are working on legal projects that could protect Russian Internet users like they do in Europe and the U.S.

Disgusting Behavior from current lieutenant governor

Recommend you read the post noted above on a good website called Irish Pennants authored by Jack Kelly.

Suburban Gorilla

I am amazed at the vile and hatred-filled stuff I see written on some websites. For instance, there is a Philly-area blog named The Suburban Guerilla (www.susiemadrak.com) who spews forth on a daily basis.

Today, the blog's author, Susie Madrak, wonders if Ed Gillespie (former RNC Chariman) and Charles Krauthammer are so angry (in her opinion) because they can't find a good plastic surgeon to improve their looks. Now, Krauthammer is a long established and nationally syndicated columnist. And it is widely known that he was once a talented physician but has been a paraplegic for many years after being severely injured in a car accident. Almost everyone knows that about Krauthammer. Madrak must be one mean-spirited and hate-filled bastard to make such a nasty comment about Krauthammer.

Next, she wonders if the Bush Administration planned the London bombings to boost Bush ratings...here is the quote below regarding one suspect who at one time was under investigation in the United States:

[Quote taken from www.susiemadrak.com website on 7/24/05] - "Now, that is a great question, isn’t it? Excuse me while my imagination runs wild. Yet, as wild as my imagination gets, it just can’t quite keep up with the machinations and sheer amorality of BushCo. You don’t suppose this creature (the suspect -my clarification) was one of ours, do you? I mean, Fearless Leader would never, ever set a bombing in motion because his ratings are in the toilet. Would he?"

So basically, she is suggesting Bush and America may have been involved in the London bombing. In summary, I don't think it's sufficient to simply dismiss Madrak and her comments as the sour grapes from a bitter whackjob loser. I think she deserves a dose of her own medicine if she does not apologize for her comments.