There's something wrong with Ben

by M. Stewart
I told myself this year that I would resist writing about football, but what the hell. Pittsburgh Steelers fans this morning are bound to be concerned about the future of the team after last night’s costly win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Let’s face it, the Steelers’ offense sucks. Monday night’s third-quarter, back-from-the-dead touchdown drive wouldn’t have been enough had the defense not scored a follow-up TD on the next play.

Beyond an injury report that eliminates the entire running game, there’s something wrong with Ben Roethlisberger. He’s played behind a lousy offensive line for a few years now and gets sacked routinely. As a result he looks mentally confused and physically awkward—even scared.

One thing I noticed about Monday’s boo-worthy first-half performance was that when Ben was on the sideline, he just stood there, ball cap on backwards, staring into space. What he wasn’t doing was reviewing coverages with the offensive coordinator and planning the next drive. In other words, his head wasn’t in the game, and it most certainly showed.

I’m sorry, but that’s not what a pro quarterback does when his offense is struggling—especially when he knows his defense will keep his team in the game. Even in last week’s trouncing by the Eagles, the defense gave the Steelers a chance to win.

Maybe it’s the $100 million contract. Maybe that motorcycle accident did more damage than we know. Maybe he’s just tired of being a punching bag for every defensive in the league. I don’t know what it is, but if he doesn’t start leading this team again, Mike Tomlin is going to have to think about Byron Leftwich. Perhaps getting benched for the first time in his career will get Ben's attention and compel him to wear his sideline cap grown-up style.

Let me end today’s post by turning to the news headlines, literally. Sometimes the day’s headlines line up in a way that underscores the absurdity of existence. Here are some that caught my eye on the day following the stock-market crash.

Stampede in India Kills at Least 100 Pilgrims

Somali Pirates Tell All: They’re in It for the Money

McCain blames Democrats for bailout failure

Depression risk high for heart patients

Phoenix sees snow above Mars, but it's not sticking

Ms. Jackson -- Feelin' Nasty

Feldman discussion today

REMINDER: Today's Ruth Feldman discussion is at 2 p.m. at Coffee Fusion. For more information, click here. This free cultural event is sponsored by the Ohio Valley Regional Arts Council.

Woe is us

Because of the downpour in the third quarter of the Potters game last night, we came home and were able to see most of the presidential debate. It turns out that both Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama can speak without teleprompters, notes, or any other artificial apparatus. McCain does a much better job in the debate environment than he does making speeches.

By this point in the campaign, the candidates have their talking points down pat, so there were no surprises on the standard issues—Iraq, health care, etc. The weakest moment for each candidate came when moderator Jim Lehrer had to ask the same question several times about how the current financial crisis changes each candidate's approach to the presidency.

Instead of answering the question, both candidates fell back on generic, meaningless campaign babble on cutting government spending. McCain claimed he would cut everything except military; Obama’s mouth moved, but I don’t know what he said. Aside from the fact that neither has the slightest credibility in cutting government spending, they kept responding the same way each time Lehrer asked the question.

Explanation for the inept responses could be as follows: Neither candidate has a clue what to do, or neither candidate wants to commit to a position on record because he is afraid it will fail or become politically unpopular.

Let me put it another way. If the federal government decides to use taxpayer money to bail out all these failed banks while at the same time rewarding those who are personally responsible, the American public is going to be looking for someone’s head, especially if the bailout fails to stabilize the financial markets.

Forbes reports that over “$3 billion was paid to the chief executives of the five biggest financial firms on Wall Street in the run-up to the credit crisis. While supervising bad mortgage-related credit bets that eventually brought the financial system to its knees, Merrill Lynch’s Stanley O’Neal took in $172 million in 2003-07, while Bear Stearns’ James Cayne took in $161 million.

“The $3.1 billion paid to execs was about three times the price JP Morgan paid for Bear Stearns in June. Goldman Sachs was most generous with its top players, paying out $859 million over that span. Henry Paulson was among those benefiting from Goldman largesse, taking in $111 million before becoming Treasury Secretary. Bear Stearns was next at $609 million. With $93 billion in net income, the firms’ average pay per employee was $353,089.” (Newser)

Explain that while you’re asking every man, woman, and child in America to pony up to save ourselves from the rich guys who caused the problem.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with this whole financial crisis thing, but it’s pretty clear that the rich aren’t the ones worrying about it. The politicians are counting on the issues being too complex for the electorate to follow, but if we see all their friends walking away scot free on this, the mood of the mob will turn sour fast.

Friday’s debate should make the American people very nervous. These are two very weak candidates, and neither of them deserves our support. Frankly, I think the election will come down to Sarah Palin. Outside the evangelical right and strict party loyalists, no one could possible want that nutball a heartbeat away from the presidency, especially with an old-timer like McCain at the helm.

Is there any way we can call off this election and do the process over again? I’m serious.

Speaking of the White House, here’s something that got passed my way this morning about our friends in the Bush Administration. According to U.S. law, many of the people named in this video should end up in prison.

Well, it certainly does

"Well it certainly does. Because our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state I am the executive of." --Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Ok, there's just no way around it. Sarah Palin is a complete idiot. Perhaps the most interesting effect of her idiocy is that Republicans are blaming the "liberal media" for it. They say they aren't treating her right, that they're being too hard on her. Yeah, that must be it.

Folks, our nation is in big trouble when someone like this can get anywhere near the White House.

And how about the African witch doctor thing? Do you want to watch Gov. Sarah in church getting the witches shooed away? Actually, you probably don't. I offer this only as humor. That this fruitcake could end up in the Oval Office is enough to make real patriots strap on bombs and hit the campaign trail.

Ruth Wasby Feldman

M. Stewart
The Ohio Valley Regional Arts Council, an organization which I chair, is sponsoring a poetry reading/discussion of East Liverpool poet, painter and translator Ruth Feldman beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday at Coffee Fusion & Tea downtown.

Ruth Wasby Feldman (1911-2003) was born and raised in East Liverpool in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in the city’s West End. Her parents, immigrants from Lithuania, owned a small department store in town. At 17, she enrolled at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, but the death of her parents prompted Ruth to move to Cambridge, Mass. to be with her brother, who was attending Harvard Law School. Ruth finished her degree at Wellesley College, married an attorney, and enjoyed a privileged life in Boston’s upper-middle class society.

After her husband died suddenly in his fifties, she began writing poetry and pursuing her talent as a translator of Italian poetry and prose. Feldman spent the remainder of her long life traveling in Europe and maintaining residences in both Cambridge and Rome. There is evidence in her writings that she returned to East Liverpool on occasion to visit friends.

Feldman’s poetry appeared in magazines and journals prior to the publication of three books. Saturday’s readings are drawn from two of those collections: The Ambitions of Ghosts and To Whom it May Concern. Many of her English translations of Italian writers—including Lucio Piccolo, Andrea Zanzotto, and Primo Levi—remain in print.

Feldman’s East Liverpool home, built in 1880, still stands at the corner of W. Fourth and Monroe streets and is undergoing restoration by its current owner--that would be me. Many people in town know it as the "Bendheim house" because the Bendheim family lived in it for so many years.

I hope you'll join me Saturday at Coffee Fusion.

Downtown ELO quiz

Here's what it looked like in 1899. What stands on this site now? (Click to enlarge)

In the W-zone

by M. Stewart
The confusion over whether accused wife killer J.C. Amato had pipe bombs in his bedroom continues. First it was bombs, then it was just bomb components. But according to today’s Morning Journal, it’s bombs and components.

Appointed to serve out the term of Republican Sheriff Dave Smith after his DUI conviction and subsequent resignation, Sheriff Ray Stone has been thrown into the middle of a Wellsville Zone murder case. Given a choice, most guys would rather serve a tour in Iraq. The only thing that surprised me about the story is that the bombs didn’t explode when they entered the room.

Speaking of Wellsville, it looks like village Administrator Jim Saracco has gotten himself into an awkward situation. According to the Morning Journal, Saracco had words with Councilwoman Rosie Goss over yet another secret construction contract involving Cataldo Construction and a pavilion. This time it was $5,625 worth of “emergency” work at a Hammond Park pavilion. (See MJ, “Tempers short, discussion long on Wellsville work”)

After Goss publicly confronted Saracco about the matter, the administrator is reported to have said, “I'm busy girl, I'm busy.” To which Goss replied, “I am not a girl. I have a name. It's Rosie.”

I don’t know if calling an African-American woman “girl” is the same as referring to a black man as “boy,” but it seems that Councilwoman Goss was not amused.

According to the newspaper, Saracco apologized for the “miscommunication” surrounding the whole pavilion deal, but there was no mention of an apology to Goss.

Jimmy, my old friend, you’ve gotta be more careful what you say when reporters are in the room!

Lastly, the Morning Journal reports that the Salem Preservation Society is trying to save an old school building in town. I do wish the group well, but what strikes me about the story is that Salem has a preservation society.

Lisbon has a preservation group, Salem has a preservation group, but East Liverpool does not. Our city has more historical assets than Salem and Lisbon combined, yet there is no one in town to defend them.

Surely someone in East Liverpool cares enough about our old buildings to start a preservation society. If I had the time, I would take the lead and do it myself, but I am currently stretched too thin to take it on. But if someone will step forward to lead, I will definitely help out.

Financial panic and negative views

by M. Stewart
Doing the only thing it could do to avert a complete financial collapse, the federal government has moved to bail out the financial market. For the first time in eight years, it appears that George W. Bush has done something right.

Like many of you, I’ve been paying attention to the interviews with economists and investors, who tell us that the United States narrowly averted a major financial meltdown. I do not pretend to understand it all, but the experts seem to agree on the gravity of the week’s events.

Another thing the experts agree on is that we’re in uncharted territory, and no one knows what will happen in the coming days and weeks. In the end, financial markets are controlled by emotion, and “panic” is never a good thing. So how calm are you today?

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the failed financial institutions taxpayers are rescuing is that those individuals responsible for the failures will walk away scot free and stinking rich. If the same thing happened to you and me, we’d be in jail.

An Associated Press poll has been released indicating that a little over one-third of white Democrats and Independents have a “negative view” of blacks. Everyone is saying that this is bad news for Barack Obama. I wonder if AP bothered asking Republicans the same question.

First of all, no one should be surprised by this information, but I don’t think the poll itself will affect the election. Anyone who has decided not to vote for Obama because he has African genes didn’t make that decision today. Also, having a “negative view” of blacks doesn’t necessarily translate into a refusal to support a black candidate.

It seems to me that black pop culture—specifically hip-hop—is purposely designed to scare white people. So the greatest challenge for black politicians is to distance themselves from the very image blacks cultivate in the media. We haven’t seen Barack Obama jumping around on stage performing gun-violence pantomimes, but I don’t think it’s because he’s suppressing his inner “yo.” Instead, I think it’s because he’s an intelligent, educated man. The non-racist understands this.

Average Caucasians, even those who may harbor “negative views” of blacks, are not necessarily racists. True racists are xenophobes who translate their compulsive fear of “the other” into hatred. They rarely pick just one group; typically they hate and fear anyone who is different from themselves. But white racists aren’t going to vote for Obama anyway, so this new poll doesn’t matter.

When the church was a church

The United Presbyterian Church at the corner of Market and Fifth streets in East Liverpool. The church was built in the 1850s. Click to enlarge.

Bombs and sinking ships

by M. Stewart
According to WTOV and the Morning Journal, J.C. Amato is back in jail, this time on weapons charges. His bond is set at $100,000 cash. Given the fact that Amato already has admitted shooting his wife in the head, that seems a might low.

But apparently J.C. has graduated from mere guns. Now we’re talking bombs. What on earth would anyone be planning to do with pipe bombs? Hunt wild game?

Turning to the election, it appears that the Republicans are getting desperate. Not satisfied with using taxpayer money to bail out their rich Wall Street friends, they’re trying to blame Bill Clinton for the country’s imminent financial collapse.

Pay no attention to the fact that President Clinton hasn’t been in office for nearly eight years. Ignore the fact that the last economic boom in this country was during the Clinton presidency. (Oh yeah, I forgot. The Clinton prosperity was due to the policies of King George I—a one termer who was voted out of office after he ran the economy into the ground.)

At least this is what the Republicans would have us believe. Up is down. Get enough people to say it enough times on TV, and it will become truth. What’s so funny about it is that millions of Americans believe it already—no doubt the same ones who believe in angels, demons, the Easter Bunny and the Holy Ghost.

John McCain’s attempts to separate from the Republican Party by presenting himself and Ma Palin as Wild West mavericks is truly comical. I don’t know that Barack Obama is the answer, but I’ve heard about all the Republican bullshit I can take. They already have the racists, the evangelicals, the warmongers and the rich; now I guess they’re going after the stupid.

I know it’s hard for true conservatives to admit, but the Republican Party abandoned you long ago. Republicans are responsible for the demise of the United States as an economic power; they have brought about the end of our brief empire. It was a good 200-plus year run, but the decline is obvious and the fall seems inevitable.

Republicans have literally sold the country to the Saudis and the Chinese. They are actually proud of outsourcing every aspect of the American economy that possibly can be outsourced. Yet the Republicans still wear those little flag pins. They continue to claim they are the true patriots, the true conservatives. They are neither.

Far worse than his father, George W. Bush and his gang have done everything they can to bring the U.S. economy to its knees. But we’re supposed to believe that John McCain, who just a few months ago bragged about supporting Bush 90 percent of the time, is now a reformed “maverick” who will clean up Washington and right America’s sinking ship. McCain and Palin are so desperate to get out from under the Republican cloud that they will say anything to get elected, even insult the party that nominated them.

Then there’s Barack Obama. He wants to play Robin Hood by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Frankly, I’m really sick of the government subsidizing the poor. I don’t see the poor as an abstract class of helpless victims held down by the greedy rich. No, I look around and see the real thing: a bunch of lazy people who know they don’t have to work to get what they want. It doesn’t matter which party is in power, the poor do very well in this country.

So we’re left not with a choice but a conundrum. No matter who wins the election, the United States is in serious trouble. George Bush and Dick Cheney have done us in. Woe to those who follow.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Seeing the big picture

by M. Stewart
All East Liverpool homeowners should support the Board of Housing Appeals when it acts to eliminate the exploitation of our housing market, as it did Wednesday by ordering the demolition of two neglected properties. (See today’s Review.)

According to the newspaper, Ronald Caleffi of Coraopolis showed up late to Wednesday's board meeting to claim that his Daisy Alley property was “structurally sound,” as if that mattered. Lisbon resident Robert Marshall blamed the fire department for damage to his condemned Alton Street property. I’m glad the board didn’t fall for any of this crap, but the problem goes beyond individual cases of property neglect.

East Liverpool has many enemies, but among the worst is the out-of-towner whose only interest in the city is exploiting the highly subsidized housing market for profit. The typical scenario involves purchasing a run-down property for peanuts, investing a few thousand to meet minimal Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority requirements, then sitting back and collecting the guaranteed monthly checks from the government.

When the property is finally destroyed by the drug dealers, crackheads, and scumbags that CMHA supports, so what? By that time, you’ve made your profit, so what do you care? Let the house rot and fall down.

I realize that not everyone fits these stereotypes, but anyone who pays attention to how the poverty industry works in East Liverpool is well acquainted with this scenario. Absentee landlords bear much of the blame, but city residents exploit the system as well, and it’s CMHA that makes the system work.

Eliminating the poverty industry in East Liverpool starts with a willingness to identify CMHA as the primary enabler. Without government intervention, the free market would take care of the problem. Landlords would have an interest in renting their properties to responsible people who work hard and pay their own rent. As it stands now, they get a check every month from the government no matter who resides at their property.

The illegal drug industry—another pillar of the East Liverpool economy—also would be curtailed without government subsidized housing. No longer could drug dealers live free in CMHA housing while they ply their illegal trade. Remember that the drug industry is a cash system; there are no W-2s and pay stubs. A person can be officially “poor” while making decent money.

The problem is that it’s not easy to document this stuff. You have to live here and see it happening around you every day. The evidence is anecdotal and easy to deny by those who make legal money from the system.

It would be interesting to know how many politicians, government officials and city workers take advantage of the CMHA-driven poverty industry. Perhaps by answering that question we can discover why so little is being done to combat this systemic problem that is slowly killing our city.

All Jesus, All the time

The McCain campaign has finally found its spokesman. At first I thought this was some kind of Mad TV or Saturday Night Live skit, but it turns out this guy is legit. Be sure to visit the Hon. James David Manning's Web site Atlah Worldwide. Manning, who apparently thinks he is a judge, also claims to have a Ph.D.

Fifth & Market ELO

This church on the northwest corner of Fifth and Market in East Liverpool was converted into a movie theater. I'm not certain, but I believe it burned down. Click to enlarge.

Possible suicide?

by M. Stewart
The plot seems to be thickening on the “possible suicide” of 38-year-old Jason E. Miller, who died of an apparent gunshot wound while handcuffed inside a St. Clair Township police cruiser Friday evening.

The bizarre circumstances of the shooting, the official statements given thus far, and the fact that the Morning Journal is following the case very closely lead one to believe that something isn’t right. Add to the mix today’s MJ report that investigators, the county coroner, and county prosecutor have scheduled a Wednesday meeting with the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, and you’ve got one hot grapevine.

No one should be surprised that police aren’t releasing much information on the shooting. Any way you cut it, the arrest was bungled, and cops aren’t about to incriminate themselves by giving statements to the press. Why should they?

A comment on today’s story left at the Morning Journal Web site suggests that newspaper reporters have not done their jobs in pursuing alleged “conflicting” statements made by St. Clair Police Chief Don Hyatt. Given that Jo Ann Bobby Gilbert and Tom Giambroni are covering the story, I can guarantee you that shoddy reporting is not the issue. Still, there are some obvious questions that have not been addressed.

We’ve been told that the incident occurred after Miller was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court. What was the original charge? In which court did he fail to appear? Was Miller depressed, desperate, or in any way suicidal? Virtually no information on Miller’s background or state of mind has been reported.

A routine pat down is a very basic police skill; even so, mistakes are made. If a mistake was made in this frisk, one has to wonder about Miller’s intent. Did he intend to shoot himself, or did the gun fire accidentally while he was attempting to get rid of it? Was he planning to use the weapon in an escape? Was his situation that dire? Why was he carrying a gun in the first place? Surely investigators are asking these same questions.

Although it’s clear that something went awry in the arrest, I see no reason to assume any more than that. Nothing that has been reported suggests that the arresting officers played an active role in Miller’s death, but given the paucity of information, public speculation is bound to run wild. After all, this is Columbiana County.

I suppose it's possible that something of substance will be issued after Wednesday's meeting, but don't count on it.

The Islamic, Communist, Afro-unAmerican Antichrist

by M. Stewart
Here's more first-rate political propaganda. One of the reasons that most Americans don’t understand how propaganda works is that they have been conditioned since birth by living in a completely commercialized culture. Propaganda is all we know. No longer citizens, Americans have been transformed into consumers, and most haven’t even noticed the transformation, much less its consequences.

This video asks us to “connect the dots,” yet it supplies the dots and connects them for us. By the end of the video, the host asks us to do the same for “war hero” John McCain, but it’s much easier to do with McCain:

John McCain......white.....Anglo......war hero.....real American.

But what is accomplished by such things? What does this video attempt to do? Get us closer to truth? Heavens no. Instead, it is an attempt to scare people by activating fear, xenophobia, and racism. Truth itself is complex, so it has little use in an American presidential election. But fear, prejudice, hatred? Those are easy buttons to push.

The basic message of this video is that Barack Obama is Muslim—a “sleeper cell” agent. If fear of Islam doesn’t work, how about Communism? Barack Obama is a communist revolutionary who hates America and wants to bring the country down. Don't buy that either? Well let’s try racism and religion. Barack Obama is a black revolutionary who wants to kill the white man and his Jewish god.

It’s obvious, isn’t it? Barack Obama is an Islamic, Communist, Afro-unAmerican Antichrist.

John McCain, on the other hand, has an Anglo name. His skin is about as white as a living person’s can be. He is a “war hero,” and we all know how much good Christians love war. In contemporary America, all you have to do to become a “hero” is sign up for the military or score the winning touchdown.

But most importantly, John McCain wears a flag pin.

POSTSCRIPT: I saw the second half of Sarah Palin’s interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson (but not the first). Cutting to the chase, I thought she did a great job. She makes John McCain look like a corpse, which, I believe, is the whole idea. Sarah Palin will be the first female president of the United States.

Rainy day quiz

Where in East Liverpool would this neighborhood stree have been? Click to enlarge.

Why conspiracy theories get started

End of the road

What is the location in this old East Liverpool photo? If I didn't know, I'd never guess, but I've learned never to underestimate ORL readers. No doubt someone will post the right answer within minutes. Click to enlarge.

ORL supports Palin for president

by M. Stewart

We've heard about Sarah Palin's good looks, her cool glasses, and her hockey-mom approach to government, but we haven't heard much about her religion. Here is a woman who urged her fellow Alaskans to pray to God for a gas pipeline project. If enough people pray, God will keep those energy dollars flowing!

Now that's my kind of deity: one who will send us money.

After lengthy analysis and editorial review, ORL officially supports Sarah Palin for president of the United States. (John McCain? No. The man can't even lift his arms. Barack Obama? No. Too skinny, and his ears stick out too much. I can't look at that for four years.)

But I just love that Gov. Palin's pizzazz, and she's got that great "Fargo" accent! Oh ya! You're darn tootin'!

And that "Bridge to Nowhere" thing she keeps talking about? I like the fact that she supported it at first, pocketed the federal money for her state, then blamed the federal government for wasting money. And the left-wing media is letting her get away with it. Fantastic.

Add to that the whole "gun-totin'-mama" image, and there is no question. Sarah Palin for president!

I stand in awe.

Old Liverpool

by M. Stewart
Sunday's Review carried a "Riverstyle" feature on new developments at the American Spirit Academy on Fifth Street downtown. After reading Mike McElwain's story, I assume that Craig Newbold intends to utilize the building on the southwest corner of Fifth and Market to expand the campus, even though the artist's depiction that accompanies the article does not show the building. If it is included in the expansion plan, that's good news to those of us who want to see East Liverpools functional old buildings saved. (Click here to see a recent pic.)

Today's historic photo was taken in the late 19th century from the Diamond looking toward Fifth Street, showing the Brooks building under construction. The building remains in pretty good shape after all these years, and I hope American Spirit can make good use of it as the institution expands.

If anyone associated with ASA knows something about the specific plans for the building, I do wish they would fill us in.

Bus terminal lunch room

I'm sure I had a lunch or two in the E.L. bus terminal, but I have no memory of it. Because there are no people inside the building, these pics must have been taken prior to the terminal's opening. Click to enlarge. Photo courtesy of the Wellsville Historical Society.

Baard forum in Lisbon

Readers of ORL, along with all local residents, are cordially invited to attend a townhall debate/meeting on the Baard liquid coal plant on Saturday at the Columbiana County 'Joint' Vocational School in Lisbon.

Intended as a non-partisan informational event, we have invited several panelist speakers, including an environmental expert, a Baard representative, and Matt Stewart. (Baard declined the invitation.)

Whether you support or oppose the Baard proposal, or if you would like more information before making up your mind, please come to participate in the forum or to simply listen. All are welcome!

WHAT: Townhall meeting on Baard plant proposal
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 6, 4 p.m.
WHERE: Columbiana County 'Joint' Vocational School in Lisbon

Sincerely,
Nachy Kanfer
Sierra Club National Coal Campaign - Ohio
(614) 461-0734

Bus station main lobby

Interior of the East Liverpool bus station. After the bus system was abandoned in the 1960s, the building was home to an excellent delicatessen known as Gus's Party Center. The building was demolished by Chuck Buckman just before he closed his auto dealership and left town in 2002 or '03. Click to enlarge. Photo courtesy of the Wellsville Historical Society.

The old/new bus terminal

Over the next few days, ORL will offer a photographic tribute to one of East Liverpool's most interesting buildings: the bus station at Walnut and East Fifth, now a parking lot. Click to enlarge.

Chief Barcus loses it

by M. Stewart
It looks like East Liverpool Fire Chief Gerald Barcus has gotten himself into big trouble, especially since the man he verbally abused is his boss. See the Morning Journal: “Chief faces disciplinary action after City Hall dust-up.”

Exactly why Chief Barcus went after Service-Safety Director Ryan Estell is not clear. The newspaper said it had something to do with trash pickup at one of the chief’s rental properties, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. His actions were unacceptable for any city official, let alone a veteran fire chief.

I’m sure all of us are capable of getting pissed and saying something we regret, but the level of disrespect and insubordination here is extremely serious. That Police Chief Mike McVay had to escort Barcus out of the building is astounding.

The sheer stupidity of Barcus’s actions is underscored by the fact that Mr. Estell is the one who determines the disciplinary action, and that’s anything from a 10-day suspension all the way to termination.

Estell’s decision will be significant. There is no way he can avoid making an example of Barcus. No matter what, the decision will send a clear message to every city employee. It all depends upon what message he wants (or needs) to send.

Three

by M. Stewart
I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend. We had great weather up here in the North, but on TV we got to see “the storm of the century” down South. Not only that, we got a good look at the new Republican gun-totin’ mama, Sarah Palin.

Here at ORL I had a nice exchange with Redneck, who understands the true spirit of international politics. At the same time I had several readers tell me I’d better cut the nonsense or no one will read the blog anymore. (Sorry, only one comment was decent enough to publish.) Even The Wiz has returned to our discussion board! As far as I’m concerned, these are the salad days.

Not much in the local papers, but it was a holiday weekend for them too. The last couple weeks have been good, though, especially if you have a mystical affinity for the number 3.

On Friday the Morning Journal told us of three prisoners who were released because of beatings and threats at the county jail. Apparently, one of got in trouble with Bubba when he didn’t bring drugs and cigarettes home from work release.

A little while before that, three prisoners escaped our county jail only to be captured near Pittsburgh. According to MoJo, “three former jail guards have been charged with smuggling drugs into the [jail], one of whom was convicted and another one has gone missing while awaiting trial. The third one is scheduled to go on trial next year.”

Is it any wonder our county sheriff resigned early after getting busted for drunk driving? Sounds to me like somebody needs to get holt of Lisbon before things get completely out of control.