Sanity

“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?” - Albert Einstein

“You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy.” - Charles Manson

As soon as someone takes on the establishment, the first thing the establishment does is try and portray them as crazy. They said Jimmy Griffin was crazy when he fought against machine politics. They called Carl Paladino crazy when he ran against two career do-nothing politicians. It's funny how he wasn't "Crazy Carl" when he and Rus Thompson were fighting to get the unnecessary tolls removed from the 190. You know who was crazy? People like Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, who said at the time that we needed the tolls because of the "revenue" they generated. They were crazy. Crazier, were the people who believed him for years (as well as others) and kept reelecting him and throwing 50 cents in the bucket. Not me. I got off, drove through the ghetto, and then got on again by the Peace Bridge, whenever I had time. I guess that made me crazy.


WNY's latest person "crazy" person is Akron businessman Jack Davis. I'm not a supporter of Davis. I don't live in the district. However, spending his own money and being a 3rd party candidate does not, in and of itself, make Davis crazy. If you ask me, Jane Corwin's chief of staff, Michael Mallia, shrieking like a teenaged girl and trying to incite a 78 year old man, is much more of a threat to us than Captain Viagra. People like Mallia and Nick Langworthy should both be stocking shelves at WalMart, not running our government.

Oh, yea. Because I write (poorly, I might add) about news stories and offer my opinion on things, I'm crazy too. The people who say such things are usually afraid of their own shadows. They are followers, with little confidence in themselves. Back-up point guards. They were the people in The Emperor's New Clothes who told the emperor how great his new suit looked. Who needs people like them as friends anyway? While Griffin, Paladino, and Davis might have had their flaws, craziness was not one of them.

Now. Posting every single day since August of 2009? Some might say that is a little crazy. Others, persistent...

I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place...


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Reenacting the crucifixion

A crowd watches as Victor Caparas takes part in a reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday at Cutud village, San Fernando city, Pampanga province, northern Philippines. Several Filipinos were nailed to wooden crosses Friday to reenact Jesus Christ's suffering in an annual rite that has been rejected by Catholic church leaders but draws thousands of tourists on Good Friday. (From the Associated Press)

They're going to do this next Easter at Potters and Abbott Rd. in South Buffalo. However, instead of nailing people to crosses, they are going to make them listen to State Senator Tim Kennedy and Erie County Legislator Tim Whalen attempt to speak for 20 minutes. Which is more torturous to withstand is subject to debate.

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Threatening email released

The threatening email sent to state lawmakers was released to the public yesterday. I swear I had nothing to do with it. I don't know why some people resort to violence against elected officials,when it is so much more enjoyable to just make fun of them. Here is one excerpt from the email...

"My group is going to do everything possible to provoke terrorist attacks on New York by al-Qaida, and by Tea Party nut cases, and by religious extremists, lone wolves and anyone else we can provoke into picking up a gun. We want to create anarchy."

I guess this blog would fall under the "lone wolf" category...

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Westboro wackjobs

Admittedly, I'm no expert on freedom of speech. Normally, I fight to defend it, even in some pretty extreme cases. But this "church" group is really appalling...

Westboro Baptist Church, the controversial group that just won a free speech Supreme Court case related to picketing soldiers' funerals, says it is planning to protest at the funeral for seven Perry County children who died in a fire Tuesday night.

"I'm baffled that they would choose this," said Perry County District Attorney Charles F. Chenot, III."This is a family that’s obviously apparently Christian in their beliefs and certainly shouldn't conflict with the beliefs of the Westboro Baptist Church."

The church group is obviously hoping for publicity and money from lawsuits. But I don't understand why this is not considered hate speech. I remember learning that communities could pick and choose what they deem as acceptable and unacceptable behavior. I can't imagine any community in this country thinking this is o.k.Picketing the funeral of seven children killed in a house fire? These people must be fun to hang out with on a Saturday night.

Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket funeral for seven dead Perry County siblings

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Here kitty

This is one of those stories you read about in the paper and know will end up on this site. A Buffalo man was marinating his cat in the trunk of his car in preparation for dinner...

When Ferry-Fillmore District officers pulled over a car driven by Gary L. Korkuc on Sunday night during a traffic stop, they said they heard a cat crying from inside the trunk and investigated.
What they found has left animal lovers at the SPCA Serving Erie County in shock.
The cat, according to police, was in a cage “marinating” in a mixture of crushed red peppers, chili pepper, salt and oil.

This is sad. The man obviously does not have all of his faculties. But, on a positive note, he has been offered employment at the China King restaurant in Hamburg immediately upon his release.

Traffic stop saves cat from owner’s plate - The Buffalo News

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Superfan

Did you see this story in today's Buffalo News? Ken "Pinto Kenny" Johnson will have attended his 250th straight Bills game this afternoon. His streak started in 1994. He not only goes to the home games. He also attends the away games and drives to them also, if it is less than a 10 hour drive. Talk about someone that needs to have his head examined. Johnson drives his 1980 Ford Pinto, which has 186,000 miles on it, to every home game. He also uses the hood of his car to grill hamburgers and chicken wings before each game. He's been to every home game since 1984.

This is the difference between being a fan and being a headcase. A fan might buy season tickets. Johnson's bizarre devotion to the team borders on fanatical. It might be time to make that appointment with the therapist like you've been thinking about, Pinty.

Breaking News...
One of our reporters spoke to Pinto immediately after today's Bills 6-3 loss to the Browns. He said he was no longer a fan of football and instead would probably be going to a movie next Sunday.

Pinto Kenny’s devotion to Bills may be unequalled*

International Update:Chavez Tries to Ban Golf

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, dressed in his military outfit, called golfers "lazy", "bourgois", and said "there is no justification for a golf course within a city". The Caracas Country Club in Venezuela is comprised of the country's wealthiest families (just like the Caz golf course). This was Chavez' way of telling the people that he is one of them and not in cahoots with the country's rich snobs.

A sure way to tell whether a leader is crazy is when they put on the military suit. Very symbolic. Sometimes I think these guys just never got tired of playing with GI Joes when they were kids. This guy is hysterical. If an American leader talked like this, he'd be taken away by men in white suits.

I'm not a big fan of the sport but I don't begrudge people who play golf. I tried it once and just couldn't hit the damn ball. If I want to take a walk, I'll walk to the store. Anyway, to say golf is only played by wealthy snobs is a bit unfair of Chavez. Perhaps he forgot about the Cinderella story of a former assistant greenskeeper, now on his way to becoming a masters champion at Augusta...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904246.html?referrer=emailarticle

International Update- The Moammar and Mahmoud Show

You like to think the world is being run by sane, capable people. Think again. After reading this article from the News Wire Services today, I was reminded of the Peter Sellers movie Dr. Stranglove. In that movie, miscommunication and paranoia led the West to thinking the Russians were about to drop the atomic bomb on us. What followed were 90 minutes of comedy based on mistrust and the arms race. This movie still remains a timeless classic.

Here's a recap from today's Buffalo News. I couldn't find the link so I copied the article from the Morning call. President Obama asked the leaders to move past " reflexive Anti-Americanism" and work together to solve the problems of the world. Apparently, the rest of the world doesn't know that our politicians can't agree on where to put stop signs or red lights, much less solve bigger problems like world peace.

Despite being given the customary 15 minutes, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi went on a 96 minute tirade. We haven't heard from this guy in 25 years and now, all of a sudden, he's saying something more ridiculous every other day. Moammar, Libya has never even made it to the 2nd round of the World Cup. Your country stinks. Keep your mouth shut.

Gadhafi criticized the war in Afghanistan and spoke about current events like the 1983 invasion of Grenada. He spoke so long he wore out his first translator and had to ask for a second. The Libyan wackjob called Obama "our son" referring to Obama's African heritage. This statement is sure to go over well in middle America. In a blatant ass kissing move, he also suggested Obama should be made US President for life. He demanded massive reparations for the colonization of Africa and urged additional investigations into the death of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. (???) The only thing Gadhafi forgot to mention was the running back controversy on the Buffalo Bills involving Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

Not to be outdone, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a half empty crowd that Tehran was ready for peace and reconciliation. He then followed it up by ripping the US for the remainder of his speech. This led the US delegation to walk out. They must have heard enough and headed for a liquid lunch.

After the meeting, Obama met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (didn't he play for the Sabres in the 1990s?). The two spoke specifically about Iran and agreed to blow it up next week. http://www.mcall.com/news/all-obama-un-092309-cn,0,187196.story

Mrs Ostanski, Please Report to the Prin...Never Mind

In this country, people are innocent until proven guilty but not on this website. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it is worth 1000 bucks. In a scene that would make principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off proud, we have principal LuAnn Ostanski of Kenmore East HS helping herself to the students petty cash. It looks like she borrowed a few of Michael Jackon's sequined gloves to try and throw off the Kenmore police. She never expected a hidden camera would catch her in the act. She admitted to stealing less than $1000, but why do I think it was more than that? In an ironic twist, students from the in-school detention room came out and threatened to call Ostanski's parents. At her former school, money was missing and an assistant principal was asked to resign (despite no proof). He was black. He is currently going through phone books looking for an attorney as we speak.

Dr. James Williams of the Buffalo Public Schools has already offered Ostanski a job in his district once the case is resolved. "Mrs. Ostanski meets all of the qualifications to be a principal in Buffalo. First off, she lives in the suburbs. Secondly, we can have her work with McKinley principal Crystal Barton. She's good at stealing money from vending machines and taking field trips to Europe with the student's money. I think they'll work well together. After all, it's all about the chiiiiiiiiiillldren" Williams concluded.
Photos caught Kenmore East principal stealing*

Teacher of the Year

I don't understand what the big deal is. After all, I thought this took place every day in New Jersey. All this teacher was doing was showing the students how the real world works. If she was a member of one of the prominent South Buffalo political families, everything would be swept under the rug and she'd probably end up getting transferred to a better school or working at the board of education.

You know, substitute teachers have access to grades too. We know where to locate all the important passwords. A D can very easily be turned into a B. My favorite part of the story is that she told all the students the money was going to charity. She forgot to tell them that charity begins at home. Let he amongst us who is without sin, cast the first stone.

NJ teacher accused of selling grades for $1,400*

International Update- Libya

Other countries like to say the USA thinks they are better than them. Quite frankly, we are. Here's a prime example. Libya wants our respect and a place at the international table. Yet it's people cheered wildly for Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the terrorist convicted of killing 270 people (mostly college students ) on Pan Am flight 103 in 1988. In fact, Moammar Gadhafi's son was there to greet him at the airport. Normal people don't cheer for mass murderers. I don't care what culture you are from. It was a classless act.

Why he was released also needs to be investigated. I don't care what they claim about compassion (the terrorist has terminal cancer). Scotland was given something by Libya (probably tons of cash) to release him. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton need to do something about this atrocity. Maybe Clinton will look into it after she brings the 200,000 jobs she promised to upstate NY. While they're at it, they should arrest the two Libyan terrorists that killed Doc Brown in Back to the Future.

Lockerbie bomber freed, returns to cheers in Libya*