I'm watching the debate right now between Rick Santorum (R-Penn Hills, Va.) and Bob Casey Jr.
I can't say that Bob Casey reminds me of Winston Churchill or Franklin D. Roosevelt. He's a politician. But he looks OK. He's certainly cool under pressure. He's self deprecating. He's relaxed. He's willing to take criticism. I think those are all useful qualities in a politician.
I wish Casey would punch back harder. He keeps asking Santorum to "tell the truth." You can be more plain than that, Casey --- say that he's lying. If Casey can't tell Rick Santorum he's lying, how is he going to speak truth to people in Washington?
But Santorum is just a blustering, swaggering bully --- he tells outright lies, he talks over people and he puts up straw arguments and then knocks them down.
And every time he's told "time's up," he keeps talking. He ignores the rules. The rules don't apply to him --- just like he took tax money from the residents of Penn Hills to send his kids to school in Virginia. He takes whatever he wants.
I also like how Santorum's eyes never meet his questioners, or the camera. What does it say about a political candidate who can't even look you in the eye? Hell, they teach you that on the first day at political candidate school.
I hadn't seen Santorum in action lately, except in his lovely TV ads, and consequently I had forgotten just what a bullying fraud he is.
To quote Rock Ridge's schoolmarm, Harriet Johnson, in Blazing Saddles, Rick Santorum is the leading a--hole in the state.
A conservative Republican friend of mine told me recently he'd like to wipe the smirk off of Rick Santorum's face.
I think that when Santorum passes away (hopefully, many, many years from now), a team of undertakers is going to have to work around the clock for three days to wipe that smirk from his face.
I don't know if Casey will be a great U.S. senator, but I'm willing to give him six years. After all, we've given Santorum 12 years.
Anyone who votes for Santorum --- and thinks he's a good representative of the people of Pennsylvania --- is a damned fool. I think he's an embarassment.
Santorum began his closing remarks by saying "there's a big contrast in this race." There sure is. Bob Casey seems like the kind of a guy I'd like to talk to. Rick Santorum seems like the kind of guy I'd avoid.
No, I'm not going to outline exactly which Santorum positions I disagree with (frankly, I disagree with most of them).
Am I calling names? I guess. This is strictly my personal, visceral reaction. Santorum turns my stomach. I don't like the man.
However, this is not about being a Democrat or a Republican: I voted for Rick Santorum years ago. I could never vote for him again.
He's a jerk. He's a bully. He represents everything I have hated my entire life.
I'm voting for Casey. And that's why.
I want to thank all of you, by the way, who took the time to email me regarding what I wrote Thursday night --- including those of you who said it was unadulterated rot.
To borrow a phrase from Art Buchwald, that's not true. I write only adulterated rot.
Speaking of adulterated rot, I had some fun with Photoshop after work yesterday, and my adulterations made Nancy Nall's blog. It's the highlight of an otherwise mediocre career, frankly. (Mine. Nancy's had a fine career.)
. . .
In Other Business: Our Fair City is pistachio'd at Penn State.
We all saw this coming, and unfortunately, I can't say I blame the city one whit. Because of the decision to change the name of the McKeesport Campus to "Allegheny Campus," Penn State will no longer be allowed to sell its ice cream at International Village:
Mr. Segina said it wasn't just Penn State that irritated him, but the letters in the local newspaper from people who grew up in McKeesport, graduated from Penn State McKeesport and now live in White Oak who applaud the name change. ...
Councilman Dale R. McCall had a longer-term idea. He noted that the city had named the street leading to the campus University Drive, which gives the campus a University Drive address.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bill Mazeroski’s ninth-inning homer enabled the Pittsburgh Pirates to beat the New York Yankees, 10-9, Thursday and win the World Series. He gives his impression of the game in the following dispatch.
By BILL MAZEROSKI
Special to United Press International
PITTSBURGH (UPI) — A cold chill ran down my back a moment after I hit that ball in the ninth inning.
For a second there, I didn’t know quite what to do. But the message finally got to my legs and I set sail.
I can’t begin to describe how I felt when I saw the ball clear the fence. Time seemed to stand still for a minute. Then I ran.
Nobody told me what to do when I went up to hit in the ninth inning. The score was tied, 9-9, and I knew the only important thing was for me to get on somehow.
I let the first pitch go by. I was waiting for a high, fast ball. The second pitch was a fast ball—much like the one I hit for a homer in the first game—and I knew I got good wood on it.
That was some scene when I came into home plate. It looked like half of Forbes Field was there waiting for me. I didn’t care, though.
The umpire (Bill Jackowski) cleared a path for me. I made doggone sure to touch home plate, though. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.
Getting back to the clubhouse was a real struggle, but I enjoyed every minute of the way. All I could see was a lot of faces in front of me. It reminded me of being downtown on New Year’s Eve.
When I finally was able to get into the clubhouse, I felt like I had gone 15 rounds with Floyd Patterson. I was really pooped.
In all honesty, though, we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the pitching of Vern Law, Elroy Face and Harvey Haddix. Everyone on the ball club did his share.
I’m glad I was able to contribute a bit, too.
(Mazeroski story from The Daily Courier, Connellsville, Oct. 14, 1960. Top: Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, Pa.; middle, The Valley Independent, Monessen. Sorry, no, I don't have The Daily News!)
I think I speak for many Mon-Yough residents when I say that we're happy that Pittsburgh city officials are getting all of the bad press right now.
In fact, there's been a shocking lack of shoddiness from our local governments lately, but that doesn't mean that competence has broken out everywhere.
So, despite popular demand, it's time for another installment of that copyrighted, award-seeking Tube City Almanac feature called "Good Government On The March!" This time, we cast our sights on fine examples of public service from across the county!
. . .
Dateline: North Bittyburg! That's where your humble correspondent lives. He recently received a letter that caused his heart to sink. It was in an "official use only" envelope from Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein, and proclaimed that it had "important tax information" enclosed.
Egad! Had your editor's property tax assessment gone up --- or was it being appealed?
No! Treasurer Weinstein was merely writing to say that your correspondent's county taxes had been paid by the mortgage company. Back in February, in fact. Of course, the letter arrived in mid-September.
Your humble correspondent already knew the county taxes were paid. He receives a statement from the mortgage company every month, and back in March, that statement noted that the real-estate taxes had been paid.
Of course, even if he hadn't, your humble correspondent could have looked up the information, for free, on the county's website.
Still, it was kind of Treasurer Weinstein to have his staff take the time to send a colorful, laser-printed letter to your humble correspondent --- at taxpayer expense, of course.
So your correspondent did some quick calculations. It cost 29 cents to mail this notice, plus the cost of the envelope (about 2 cents, but the printing probably adds 1 or 2 cents), plus the color laser-printed letter inside (about 12 cents, according to Hewlett-Packard), plus the labor to print, fold and send the letter (about 42 cents --- figure two minutes, at about $13 per hour, since administrative assistants in Allegheny County start at $2,083 per month).
Put more simply, that adds up like this:
Postage: 29 cents
Envelope: 3 cents
Letter: 12 cents
Labor: 42 cents
Total: 86 cents
Your correspondent wonders if he'll be driving to Sunday's events in his state-funded 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, which according to Brad Bumsted and Debra Erdley of the This just in: Jimmy Buffett was fined by French customs officials who say they found drugs on his airplane.
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News broke over the weekend that for the past two years, some genius has been sending threatening letters to the two synagogues in White Oak and borough police Chief Joe Hoffman.
Do you know anyone who collects old stamps, has lousy handwriting and hates Jews? Then call the White Oak police or the FBI in Pittsburgh.
I don't know the rabbis involved, but I've met Joe Hoffman, and he's not a man to trifle with. If I'm ever in White Oak and I'm getting my butt whupped in a fight, I sure hope Chief Hoffman is one of the guys who shows up.
Anyway, sending threatening letters to synagogues or churches (or anyone else, for that matter) is a sign of disturbed behavior, but sending them to the cops rises to the level of criminally stupid.
According to the news coverage (Post-Gazette, Tribune-Review Greensburg Astonisher), the sender has also enclosed white powder on a number of occasions, apparently in an attempt to make the recipients think they're receiving anthrax or some other virus bioterror agent. Cute.
The stamps used have pictures of antique toys on them that were sold in 2003, which postal inspectors think may indicate that the person writing the letters doesn't send much mail. The handwriting is a mix of childish-looking capital and lower-case letters.
The FBI speculates that whoever's sending the letters is purposely trying to disguise their handwriting, but based on the age of the stamps and the appearance of the handwriting, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it's some 70-something crazy old coot. I've gotten my share of crazy old coot mail, and that's what it looks like.
The postal police think the sender may have bought the stamps in bulk. There's something exquisitely sick about buying bulk stamps showing pictures of old toys, and then using them to send hate letters.
Seriously, if you have any information, drop a dime and stop this crackpot. The next letter they write should be from jail, or at the very least from a place with really soft walls:
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