Still crazy after all these years

                                     ... example number one: Bill Donohue One of the problems with Catholics is that some of them are simply an embarrassment. That is the case with Bill Donohue, who is not just an embarrassment, he is a numskull. He is basically eviscerated by Chris Cuomo of CNN when he says that love is not supposed to be a component of marriage: a family is.  "Marriage is about family, it is not about love," Donohue said.  I am the last person to talk about what marriage should be, but by taking love out of the equation, the self-proclaimed sociologist says that marriage between a man and woman is ordained by nature.  Oops, marriage is an institution that is ordained by government, not by nature. The sexual attraction is natural, but not the institution. I understand why Catholics have problems with gay marriage, but people are carryi...

                   -- that Jay Paterno is running for Lt. Gov.? Jay Paterno certainly made waves in Pa. political circles on Feb. 20 when he announced that he was going to run for Lt. Gov. on the Democratic ticket. Paterno joined a group of relative unknowns who have announced for the second position in Pa., including Mark Critz, former Congressman for the 12th Congressional District in Pa.  Is Paterno's move a positive event for Democrats?  Hardly.  In fact, it could be the worst thing that could happen to them.  Why? The Democrats want an up-and-down vote on Tom Corbett, the current governor who in Jan. was so disliked that just 23 percent of Pa. voters in a Franklin and Marshall poll believe that he deserved re-election <http://www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll>.  Apparently some people think that JayPa's entry into the Lt. Gov. race is a godsend for Democrats. Robert Vickers, the political wri...

                                       ... Anthony Lubrano has to be in the running I do not like to denigrate others, and I hate to be blunt, but Anthony Lubrano, who somehow was elected to the Penn State Board of Trustees, ranks right up there with the stupidest rich guys in history -- although Donald Trump is leading the United States in that category today.  Let me give you an example of what Penn State is facing right now. Penn State is a 4.3 billion dollar operation with close to 100,000 students on 20 campuses. The school has been listed in the top ten research institutions in the country according to the National Science Institute, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in research contracts. The university also has a multi-billion dollar endowment. The Penn State board of trustees hired a new president this week to take the helm in the spring. W...

          ... sledding, building snowmen, jumping into drifts, skiing; you even loved the beauty of snow. Then reality set in.  For me, this occurred in my high school English class when Mike Krumenacker told us that Robert Frost's “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” was not a poem about the beauty of the snow and the woods of New England. Instead, the themes included the "darkness" of the woods (death, evil) and that was somewhat ominous. Somehow, that day in high school removed the majesty of snow from my psyche. By that time, I did not care for shoveling it, but you could still love cavorting in it. After Frost we read “The Wasteland” by T.S. Eliot. At that point, I realized that there was no hope for the universe -- or for the world of poetry. Rhyme was dead, and poetry had taken a devastating turn. Then came adulthood, like the summer of '14. Nothing majestic about the snow and temps the last few months. Nevertheless, w...

                    ... within the Sandusky scandal The case of the deleted e-mails Just what Tom Corbett needs as he runs for re-election with an approval rate in the low 20s. Let me see if I have this correct. In the middle of the investigation of the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State, immediately after Corbett assumed office as governor,   the acting attorney general whom he appointed to succeed him -- Bill Ryan -- decided to delete all e-mail from the attorney general's office after six months, instead of five years.  This is not just a state office. This is the top state investigation organization and documentation is essential for running an effective operation. One of the biggest scandals in years that started in 2009, and you delete the e-mails of everyone working on the case? That is what is slowing down Attorney General Kathleen Kane's investigation of...

Not sure why the state police did not have the Ray Gricar case earlier. Nothing against the Bellefonte police, but the state police have greater resources and sources.  In reality, it will probably not make a difference. He is likely wearing a pair of concrete boots somewhere.  Ray Gricar mystery: State police to take over case of missing Centre County DA http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/ray_gricar_mystery_state_polic.html#comments

                                   ... your Super Bowl talk is simply a smokescreen. Something is wrong with this picture. The CEO of the Pittsburgh Steelers has created some excitement -- probably as a ploy to distract the team's fans from reality.  So, Art Rooney II or III of IV -- the number does not matter since he cannot carry the man's cigar -- now says that having a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh would be a wonderful accomplishment. Yes, it would, but I have a problem with that quest.  It is called focus, and here it is. Dear Mr. Rooney,  After reaching the Super Bowl three times in five years from the 2005 season to 2010, we have sunk to the depth of mediocrity. For Steeler fans, that is a horrible drop over the past three years. That should be your priority, Mr. Rooney. After back-to-back 8-8 seasons, the team obviously has problems beyond a new offensive l...

Memo To: American Meteorological Society Re: "A dusting to an inch" Concerning the weather forecast delivered on Saturday, Feb. 8 concerning Sunday, Feb. 9, these words were used: "A dusting to an inch." Please be advised that when you are using a word like "dusting," you should consult various dictionaries like Merriam-Webster. I have enclosed the URL below for a starting point for your research.  After negotiating your way through the dictionary, you will find that it is a noun and means something like this: "a light application." Please be advised that four or five inches is not "a dusting."  No thanks are required. I am always happy to help those with literacy issues.  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusting?show=0&t=1391986338

                          ... their draft classes were not impressive For those football fans of either Penn State or Pitt, you should step back and analyze their draft classes before giving yourself hope for the future.  Coach James Franklin of Penn State did keep most of Penn State's signees, losing only one four-star recruit from the O'Brien days. However, take a look at the class overall. According to ESPN's rankings, Penn State had only one signee in the top 200. Pitt did not have any.  In fact, Alabama, the number one class, had 13 players higher than the top PSU recruit, number 73, De'Andre Thompkins, a defensive back. The picture is worse for Pitt. Their highest signee was number 151, Adonis Jennings, who is a wide receiver. They also signed Alex Bookser (154) from Mount Lebanon, who is an offensive tackle.  Penn State's other top 200 signees are Saeed Blacknail (118), a wide receiver;...

                        ...  he just does not understand how our government works.  Why is NBC host Brian Williams expressing outrage at Russians hacking into U.S. computers at Sochi? He should be asking, "Why did the world agree to allow the Russians to host the games in the first place?" instead of trying to plug his networks only relevance in the 21st Century. The National Security Agency checks my e-mails and phone messages daily, and no one in my country cares.  This abrogation of the rights of U.S. citizens started with the establishment of the FISA Court in 1978. For all of those people who are enthusiastically clinging to the "freedom" mantra today like Linus has to his security blanket for decades, I have news for you. The U.S. government passed one of the most restrictive civil liberties acts in history in 2001. It is called the Patriot Act, and we gave away all of these liberties to our g...