paranoia can annoya

Good morning! Over the last half century, I've met people with interesting views. For example, THE GOVERNMENT is hiding what happened at Roswell, NM. No, I don't think we were invaded by Little Green Men. If anything crashed, it was an experimental gadget from the military; it may even have been something the American military stole from a foreign power. I firmly believe Lee Harvey Oswald shot John Kennedy. I believe Princess Diana died because her driver was drunk, AND I believe Barak Obama was born in Honolulu, HI. I never doubted it; I was just curious as to why it took so long to release his birth certificate. Of course, some people will be never satisfied - those people really should develop a hobby. Lastly, I believe Osama bin Laden is dead; it is not necessary for me to see photographs with his brains all over the place. There is nothing illegal about doubting our government; it's probably a good thing.

A Tarnished Silver Spoon

Well, it's happened again and this time it's a BIGGIE! Tony Mack must have the worst Karma in the country. He has stumbled from one mistake to another. And Monday morning it really blew up in his face. Personally, I have no sympathy for Paul Sigmund, a man with all the advantages - Born with a silver spoon in his mouth. And he screws up. He should be fired, like Monday afternoon. None of this upaid leave crappola. No doubt Paul Sigmund will enter a rehab facility - a real upscale place. Fine as long as Trenton doesn't pay for it. That's why I'm nervous about this, "upaid leave." And I understand that Eric Berry has taken over the duties of chief of staff - I don't care about that just so long as Mr. Berry is NOT collecting two salaries (1) business administrator and (2) chief of staff. Blogolanders, this story is all over the country. It made the wire services. I, for one, am tired of Trenton as a city being a laughing stock. I'll finish up with a piece of advice for the Honorable Tony Mack. Mayor, it's time to fold your cards and leave the table.

Advice From Dear Ol' Dad

Last week, a young man was shot and killed by the Trenton Police Department, and many people were enraged. It was even called murder. I was not there, so I cannot testify as to what happened. I can, however, add a few thoughts to this sad situation. Blogolanders, as you know I am White Anglo-Saxon Prostestant - a WASP. I grow up in a pleasant house in a pleasant neighborhood with both parents involved. As my sister and I reached the age when we could travel about on our own, Dear Ol' Dad gave us both a piece of advice - NEVER, EVER MOUTH OFF TO A COP. This advice is too often ignored which causes problems; so many of the incidents here in Trenton could be avoided if citizens followed instructions - even if the cops are wrong! The place to sort this out is the stationhouse and/or the courtroom. Running from the cops or ignoring an order only makes everything worse. I gave my son this advice. Now, for the really hard part. A very hard truth. Cops, and everyone else, are not trained to wound, to shoot in the leg, or the left thumb. They are trained to hit the torso dead center. They are trained to shoot to kill - NOT WOUND. A wounded person is as dangerous as one not wounded.
So please, Trentonians, if you have a run in with the police, co-operate. If the cops were wrong, you can sort that out later.

Ladies & Gentlemen

I'm back. New subject. Remember last week when Governor Christie was chewed out for insulting Loretta Weinberg? The Talking Heads were upset because she was elderly. She was a victim of Bernie Madoff. I have no great sympathy for Mrs. Weinberg; she's been in politics long enough to know barbs fly around all the time. As for being a, "Victim." Come on!! People invested with Bernie because they believed what little info he gave them; "I make money every month whether the market is up or down." Even I (and I'm no financial genius) would have been suspicious. And Bernie had a minimum that he would accept for investment - five million dollars. Anyone with five mil to gamble with - sorry I can't cry for them. What does piss me off about Bernie Madoff is that a couple people went to the SEC and reported that he was running a Ponzi scheme and no one at the SEC listened. A watchdog agency sponsored by our government let this creep keep going. Bernie should have been shut down years before he was. So, Mrs. Weinberg, in the future, if it is too good to be true, stay away from it.

Just Thoughts on a Monday Morning

It looks like this will be a pleasant spring day - about time, too. The flowering trees are lovely. Yeserday, Easter was celebrated with a lovely lunch at The Blue Danube; this place is one of Trenton's hidden treasures and long one of my favorite places. For the longest time, I took guests to either Pete Lorenzo's or The Blue Danube. I finished the day by watching the third and final episode of Mastrepiece Classic - an update of "Upstairs Downstairs." I started watching because it got great reviews; I found it silly and somewhat unbelievable. Then I switched over to The Learning Channel for the latest Royal stuff. Yes, Blogolanders, I am following the stuff about THE WEDDING. The Kid teases me about it; I am a great fan of most royalty, especially the British tribe. It started back in 1953 when I was in the hospital having my appendix out; my parents brought in a Coronation coloringbook and a box of crayons to keep me amused - I was hooked. On July 29, 1981, I woke early, fed Nicholas, got him dressed in a clean diaper and light shirt. Then I settled him in his baby chair in front of the telly. I knew he wouldn't remember a thing (he was just five months old), but I wanted him to say he saw the Prince of Wales marry. Nicholas promptly fell asleep. I can't explain why I find these people interesting; some of them have been plain stupid. This I know, part of my interest has been based on The Accident of Birth. Their ancestors, if you will. Diana, for one, was the great great granddaughter of one Frank Work of Chillicothe, Ohio. Nothing seems to be known of his ancestry - probably good peasant stock. The late Queen Mother has a few interesting types in her family tree. So all this flab about Miss Middleton's ancestry is rather amusing. So what if an ancestor was a miner? In a few generations (assuming the Brits keep the monarchy) it won't matter a damn. Actually, this dose of good rich red commoners blood is not a bad idea. The constant intermarrying made the Hapsburgs a family of idiots. One person I never really warmed up to was Princess Diana; especially when the marriage hit the skids. The theory that she had no idea what would happen doesn't ring true. Her family has for generations been chummy with the Royal Family. She was born on the Sandringham estate; her maternal grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was one of the Queen Mother's closest friends, her father Earl Spencer had been a member of the court, her brother-in-law was private secretary to the Queen. Everyone assumed they were getting an updated version of the Queen Mother and instead found themselves with an unhappy, not too bright young girl. But I will continue to waste time this week following THE WEDDING news; hell, it's harmless. As one Englishman said to my late husband years ago, "Buck House puts on a good show." Finis

Bed Bugs!

This has become a hot topic in our fair city; last evening, at council, the subject came up. It was obvious landlords weren't crazy about the idea of taking responsibility for the problem, and I left with mixed emotions. By the way, the director of the city health department told me it was not a public health matter because bed bugs do not spread disease. I disagree. Whether they cause disease or not, the current problem is a public health matter, but more on that later. This morning, The Kid chewed me out and suggested I talk to a man known to be an excellent landlord - Bob Wagner of Artifacts Gallery. Mr. Wagner may not like the various rules and regulations imposed on landlords, but he follows them to THE LETTER. Since I had a framing project, I stopped by late this morning, and asked for his imput. Bob's answer was, "Mrs. Stewart, I, the landlord, did not bring in the mattress with the bed bugs; I did not bring in the sofa with the bed bugs - no, I'm not responsible." He's right. If a tenant moves in with bed bug infested possessions, it's the tenant's problem. If the city does anything, it should be to get the word out - and fast - about where these little buggers come from. They hide in used furniture, used clothing, used mattresses, you name it. I also realize good tenants can introduce the little critters by accident, but the landlord did not do it. There is no easy solution to this problem, BUT we must all put hysteria to one side, sit down calmly, listen to solid advice on how to solve the problem, and then do it. No, the landlords are not to be held responsible. If I owned rental property, I probably would have the place fumigated each time the unit turned over just to be on the safe side. There is no easy, immediate answer to this problem; nothing, however, will be solved until everyone stops screaming, "It's not my problem." One last word, I reread these gems at least twice before posting yet I continue to miss typos. One really should not proof one's own work, but I don't have a secretary. Ergo, I apologize in advance for any typos - I know they are annoying.

Update

The Kid (aka my son, Nicholas) and I were in Washington, D.C. for a few days. We got back late last night. He is a potential bone marrow doner and was given a physical yesterday. Please, Blogolanders, keep your fingers crossed that this donation takes. Yes, there is discomfort involved, but having a baby is bloody uncomfortable, yet women keep having babies so a little discomfort to save life ...what the hell. As to Tuesday's council show, I did leave early. My good friend, Dion Clark, stayed and heard the unpleasant exchange between Mr. Bethea and Mr. Mucshal. I'm not sure what George has done to deserve impeachment; he does his job and well. The Three Graces avoided the microphone. It's almost impossible to hear what they say; I suspect I haven't missed anything. One man, I didn't catch his name, spoke about the issue of voting where black citizens are concerned. He mentioned that prisoners, parolees, and probationers are not allowed to vote. This is true. ANYONE under supervision of the courts loses certain civil rights. That includes the right to vote. Prisoners are counted in the census. That's probably the most accurate count given since it comes from the warden. Now a war story. When I was working as a probation officer, one of my tasks was to explain the, "joys," of probation. Along with losing the right to vote, one also lost the right to own fire arms and the right to leave the jurisdication of the court without a travel permit. You know what really caused moaning and groaning? Not the loss of voting priviledges. The loss of the weapons and the right to travel about the country whenever. The loss of the right to vote was generally met with, "I don't care nothin about that; whadda you mean I can't leave Mercer County?" As someone who feel very strongly about the right to vote, that attitude hurt. Maybe it's time to remind citizens how important this right is. Forty years people were being beaten, chased by dogs, and sprayed with fire hoses just because they wanted to reigister to vote. When owning a gun or taking a trip is more important than voting, folks, we got troube right here in River City. I'll be back with more.