Category: Mon Valley Miscellany || By

Reader mail: Saving brain-dead writers from having to come up with ideas for more than 200 years!

Our first lengthy missive comes from Alert Reader Arden, who has a lot on his mind and seems to be channeling either Larry King in USA Today or Earle Wittpenn in The Valley Mirror:

1. So, do you think there will ever be a Pulitzer Prize for Blogs?


2. Why, oh why, are there so many freaking cars on the road? It was never this busy 10 years ago.


3. The troops are never leaving Iraq.


4. I keep thinking of "Thank you, sir! May I have another?" when I hear the remaining Republican Congresscritters back any crackpot idea from G.W.


5. President Huckabee. Think about that for a moment....nah scratch that...but seriously how is this guy even relevant anymore? Are the GOP candidates that bad? Yeah...but geez!


6. If the Steelers make it to the playoffs this year or (gasp) make it to the Super Bowl, what does that say about the legacy of Bill Cowher? Did he call it quits after he won his last Super Bowl?


7. The Pirates will never have a winning season. Face it they suck, the owners suck, and no matter what the fans will still keep going. Please reference "Thank you sir! May I have another?"


8. So who was the better governor, Tom Ridge or Ed Rendell? Tough choice ... since I don't think either did anything spectacular.


9. Pittsburgh may have problems, but Philadelphia is really screwed up. They are having "citizen patrols" to control the neighborhoods. I don't know if that is the best idea ...because I just see a lot of people getting hurt for no good reason.


10. You can see that Republican marketing has worked on the general populace, like the comment about the Democratic party from your blog, about redistributing wealth. But seriously don't these local jokers understand that what they do has a reflection on the party and just enforces these crazy ideas? I don't understand why Braddock couldn't work out an agreement with that company. What a waste.

Whew! OK, responses, in no particular order:

• Actually, starting this year, blog entries and other "online-only" content can be submitted to the Pulitzer committee in a variety of categories, but it has to be submitted by a traditional daily or Sunday newspaper to "keep faith with the historic mandate of the Pulitzer Prizes."
  
  (I'm worried that the Pulitzer committee may be painting the deck chairs on the Titanic.)
  
  It's inevitable that as readers and resources continue to move toward the Web, some online-only publication is going to produce Pulitzer-caliber work. I don't know if it's happened yet, but some of the investigations done by Talking Points Memo, among other Web sites, sure come close.



• I think Ridge was marginally more fiscally responsible and seemed to work better with both Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly. Rendell can't seem to get anything passed without a struggle; he does have several years left on his term, so it's possible he can salvage something. Otherwise, he leaves almost no legacy.



• The "local jokers" in any borough or township are so disconnected from the national party apparatus, in many cases, that they are Democrats or Republicans by accident of birth. I doubt that the Republican councilors in Sewickley or Edgewood are concerned about the national party's policies any more than the Democrats in North Charleroi or Pitcairn.



• Finally, "President Huckabee" fills me with marginally less dread than "President Giuliani" or "President Paul" (which, barring divine intervention, is not going to happen anyway). "President Clinton" doesn't thrill me, either. And "President Thompson" might be the first president who takes the oath from an armchair.

Frankly, mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again ... and gee, our old LaSalle ran great.

. . .

Speaking of defunct automobiles, Alert Reader Vince plowed through my long screed on the Edsel a few weeks ago, and went out to get the book Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel, which I recommended:

Read it. Loved it.

It never ceases to amaze me how completely shortsighted we as a people can be, be it in the realm of automotive innovation or foreign policy.

Yeah, I went there.

Oooh, you in trouble now, boy!

You're probably in favor of the redistribution of wealth, too. Or as a editorialist, writing about a health insurance program for poor children, said in Sunday's editions of a newspaper that now owns the McKeesport Daily News, "the 'S' in 'S-CHIP' stands for 'Socialist.'"

They say economics is a "dismal science," and that was sure the most dismal column I read this weekend.

. . .

Alert Reader Jeff says he's been catching up on back issues of the Almanac (apparently the prune juice is paying off, but I hope he prints it out on two-ply paper):

Enjoyed the shoe item. I have had great luck with Dexters.

I also read with interest the St. Paulinus item/link. My brother-in-law lives about 100 yards behind the church on the old Bosses Row in Wilson. I think that is the coolest church. I love the use of stone for the church and rectory. I know it's very well built as I have been inside and the walls didn't come tumblin' down. (RIMSHOT!)

Regarding the Sliders game: I'm glad to hear the kid caught the foul ball. He probably saved you from getting hurt.

I had my car broken into while parked on one of the lots along Forbes below the Arena (Lot Motto: "We only have security until the lot is full of paying customers.") The thieving little f---s broke a back window and ransacked the car, taking a few items. But I had 10 to 15 cassettes (this was the late '80s) - mostly oldies-blues-soul from the '50s, '60s and '70s. The little bastards didn't steal one.

I was glad, but a bit insulted --- they didn't deem my music worthy of stealing.

Good to see they're still playing nice in McKeesport government. I saw two or three potential lawsuits. And from one meeting.

. . .

Finally, Alert Reader Andy sends along a link to the "All-American Clothing Co." of Arcanum, Ohio, which promises that all of its products are made in the U.S.A.

"All-American" used to be known as "Union Jean Co.," and believe it or not, I ordered a few items from them before this email came in. A pair of black chinos has arrived already; the jeans haven't been shipped yet.

Honestly, the chinos are a disappointment. The workmanship is fine, but the fabric is awfully thin, and they're almost shapeless. Even ironing them didn't give them much of a crease.

I'll wait and see how they stand up after several washings --- the fabric may be tougher than it looks --- and report back. Also, the jeans may be a lot sturdier than the chinos. But for now, I'm underwhelmed.