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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, May 06, 2011

Was It Something I Said?

On Wednesday, I posted a blog demonstrating that considerable money is being spent in support of the Gracedale initiative without registering a political committee or identifying the source of this money. Unions would prefer to keep you in the dark about the money they are spending. In addition to my blog, I also made a complaint to the elections office, which was referred to the District Attorney. Newspapers followed up on this story, and on Thursday morning, I awoke to see articles in both dailies.

I also saw a smashed window on my truck.

I reported this vandalism to local police, who told me they had no other reports of malicious property damage in the area.

Just me.

Now this incident could be kids. With warmer weather, it could have been a druggie looking for something to steal.

Or maybe, just maybe, someone does not like what I'm writing and is trying to send me a message. Yes, I know how unlikely it is that union thugs would resort to violence as a way of getting their message across. But if they want to shut me up, they're going to have to try harder.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yet more allegations without any proof. And the beat goes on.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Oh, I made no allegation. I stated what happened and who could be responsible. I am sure that nobody at AFSCME would dream of doing anything like this.

Anonymous said...

Nor would your average teenage hoodlum.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was hot gas and the window blew out! My mistake.

Anonymous said...

Yeah not like stuff like this happens to thousands of people everyday. Christ, O'Hare what a drama queen. Get a hold of yourself. You are not that important.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yep. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

dj said...

Had it happen to me twice in Easton and I can guarantee it wasn't a "Union Thug" just everyday life in the Lehigh Valley with people stealing. Once again, Bernie puts a twist on something with his implications. You are right 12:44am, DRAMA QUEEN!!

Anonymous said...

The Unions seem to intent on turning this country into a thugocracy. They have managed to degrade the ethics of every occupation they invade, they have no qualms about destroying personal propetty or freedoms. They have become the enemy of free thought and democratic rule. It is not the foundation our coutry was built on, it is quicksand,

Anonymous said...

I know of no incidents where unions have used any form of violence to "tighten up" vocal opponents. They are gentle souls who make boy scouts look edgy.

Sincerely,
Typical Gracedale Supporter

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yep, just everyday life.

Anonymous said...

Who the hell r u to tell everyone about gracedale, ur not a member of county council, ur not a member of gracedal unions, u dont work there, u sit on a tv show stating "lets stop the personal attacks" do u realize u were the only one on the show making them.... maybe just maybe u should find urself a fucking life instead of sitting ur fat ass in font of a computer giving people false information cuz most of what u said was proven wrong. Oh and y dont we do a business matters talking about all of the money fraud bullshit u and angle have publically been through, the two of u have done nothing but decieve the people of this county, and if its possible maybe u angle and stofa should stop using county money to fund ur lawsuites that r doing NOTHING, and the giant was the only thing people could find to put out side im sure they figured a horses ass would have been better but party city was all out, crying now cuz ur window got broke aww well maybe u should keep ur nose in ur own business and people wouldnt revolt against u. Im sure u could run the county better u could make the budget to fit money for ur own krispy kreme factory. I think i saw a donut roll past the court house if u hurry u might be able to catch it

c said...

I would strongly disagree with anyone doing that to anyone for any reason.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 9:27,

You claim that you are "We, the People," but resent it like hell when one person says something that differs from your orchestrated message. Just like the overwhelming majority of people who will be casting their votes next Tuesday, I am not a member of Council, don't work thee, and don't belong to the union. But I have a vote, and I will cast it.

As for "u should keep ur nose in ur own business," you have made this my business. I have just as much right to speak out as a green T-shirted mob, and I do.

brenda said...

And so goes the song, "It wasn't me" by shaggy.

People who perform vexes like these are those who think they are above the law, see no consequences for their actions, and resort to immature activities to prove a point.

Sometimes the vex goes in reverse, and is 1000 times more powerful.

Coincidence? Dont think so.

I think these people are losing control. Crossing over the line provides a temporary sense of satisfaction. What next? Someone is about to sink his own ship. Its just a matter of time.

Anonymous said...

let me tell you something, my window was smashed too, recently, it wasn't a union "thug" it wasn't even a council member, it was kid going down main st just smashing windows.. nothing was stolen! So if you think you are in jeopardy, don't fear! the nazareth police don't always tell you about other incidents, they want to keep it out of the news... However your blogging could make some people upset, i really don't think anhyone has time to waste on you, unlike you having all the time in the world to be stalking the Union people... chill out man... and get on with your life.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yep. The cop misled me. I am sure it was some little skateboarder, even though I get along very well with the kids in Nazareth.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, does the Gracedale referendum speak to staffing levels? Or can we throw the expensive ones overboard and shrink Gracedale's fiscal damage ASAP? Stoffa has spoken of a much smaller Gracedale, if forced to remain under county management. What will a "new" Gracedale look like? Certainly there must be a plan B to save taxpayers from this inefficient jobs program. Can't we simply lay them off while shrinking the place to a minimum?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you get along with the kids..............

brenda said...

Um lets see, an act of anon coward-ness, never ending hatred, a group that will stop at no one , and at nothing, to drive a dull nail into the ground.

Let me see......who could it possibly be?

Maybe someone who is running out of steam and must now resort to violent criminal activity instead of civil criminal activity.

I see an orange jumpsuit in the wind, and it wont be for John Stoffa.

Justus, what size do you wear?

brenda said...

As Bill White said, this is winning Charlie Sheen style.

As a point , I have not read Bill White in a very very long time because I find his editorials so offensive, but this one really hit the dull nail, square on the head.

On a different blog, I gave my illustration of the matter at hand. Its a sketch of a giant petroleum tanker head south on the PA turnpike, hitched to a herd of donkeys, who are rearing their heads, bucking their hind legs, and leaving an enormous pile of dung in the street.

Its almost as good as winning the Charlie Sheen way. Great editorial Bill.

Anonymous said...

"even though I get along very well with the kids in Nazareth."

Why does this sound creepy?

Anonymous said...

Hello creepy

according to the goons:

getting along well with kids= pedophilia

massage therapy= prostitution

paying legal fees per contract= bonusgate

clearly a distorted comment from a distoted person riding the union see-saw , and never seeing past the sandbox. Those who disagree with the union shop dinosaur job program are all criminals. Saving gracedale means selling gracedale, and anyone who votes YES is misinformed.

End of story

The Battle Cry of Freedom said...

Anonymous 9:27AM
You might want to consider working on your spelling and potty mouth. If your mom sees that language she will probably get out the old bar of soap to clean it for you.
Allow me to suggest a book for you. It is "The 5000 Year Leap". It discusses the various forms of governments that man has lived under. We had the Greeks with their democracy that became a mobocracy. We had monarchy or rule by one man. We've had dictatorships where men have few if any rights at all. But the people who Founded this great nation opted for a different kind of government called a Republic. We wrote a Constitution that guaranteed our God given rights. The power was in the hands of the people who could vote for their officials and who could run for office. Most importantly we were a nation that was governed by the rule of law. You, on the other hand find that it is okay for a shadow committee to incorrectly collect signatures for a petition and compound that crime by not filing their financial report for the referendum to save their supposed cause, Gracedale. On top of that the head of the shadow committee has told us to get use to mob rule. Now that is more like today's unions an organization that at one time did a lot of good. Read "Seventy Years of Life and Labor". It is the story of Samuel Gompers the founder of the AFL. I did an extensive paper on him in graduate school and consider him a great man. Union leaders could learn from him but instead they prefer to fist fight their way to the top. I guess that is why their membership is in the tank. Once a proud organization they are no more. But thanks to the Constituion, people do not have to be members of County Council or any branch of government in order to speak out about wrong doing.

Anonymous said...

"But thanks to the Constitution, people do not have to be members of County Council or any branch of government in order to ..." or participate in direct decision making through petition and referendum. Good post Chris.

Anonymous said...

hey just got a great idea!! why don't you take one of the stolen signs and put it in your back window!

Bernie O'Hare said...

For the poster who calls me "creepy" bc I get along well with Nazareth kids, let me explain why. When he was younger, my grandson spent every weekend at my place. When he went out to play, I tagged along because he was suffering periodic seizures and had to be under adult supervision.

1) For several summers, I was involved in pickup baseball games with Nazareth kids at the baseball field on Green Street, where my grandson learned to play ball and many other games from some of the great kids there. I will always remember those kids, who were older than Dat, but looked out for him like a brother, and got hom started in sports.

2) I stood up for skateboarders when much of Nazareth's adult population wanted to treat them like dirt.

3) Though I'm never home, I always leave a bag or two of candy for trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

So I have a good relationship with Nazareth kids, and there is nothing "creepy" or unusual about it. I suspect that the person who posted that comment would be in very serious trouble if he identified himself.

Bernie O'Hare said...

". Can't we simply lay them off while shrinking the place to a minimum?"

Let's see. The County will need $3 MM to fund Gracedale for the rest of the year. It is doubtful Council will even authorize a budget amendment. And why should they? The courts have ruled this does not impact the budget. The union won't kick in $3MM.

So what Stoffa will do is lay 60 people off. Every 20 employees costs the County $1MM, so that's how he'll solve the problem.

You can thank the unions, Gracedale Goons, and council members like McHale and McClure.

Anonymous said...

If Stoffa drops the staff/resident ratio below state law, the County will be fined. The state will put in someone competent to run the place and the County will be billed on top of the fine. Not to mention the numerous lawsuits by residents and their families. Yeah, great plan their chief and you make fun of unions.

So not only is the Angle/Stoffa temper tantrum scaring the piss out of the elderly Gracedale residents(real classy guys), it will ultimately cost the taxpayers millions of dollars more than their silly lawsuits and result in nothing. Nothing but stroking their pathetic old man ego's.

The bright side is Angle will be out after November. When The County Incompetent Stoffa tries any of this nonsense he will be recalled and maybe if we are lucky honest, responsible and knowledgeable people will be managing the county.

Angle, Stoffa and O'Hare can go to Nazareth and hang out with the kids.

St. Michael's Brigade!

Anonymous said...

Stoffa can ditch a lot of that pricey, dead wood before running afoul of state requirements. The goons are winning this battle but have already lost their war. They are dead; just too stupid to fall down.

Sparticus said...

Anon 1:19am,

I would check out the regs before you write a statement that layoffs will cause fines from Dept. of Health. I'm pretty sure fines kick in for serious, repeat tags, (E, F, G, H) that deal with neglect and safety.

Staffing is a big one also, but I have just heard from some colleagues who work in LTC that the state is looking the other way on some of these staffing issues. Its because the federal reimbursements for medicare and medicaid have been reduced, and many private homes have had to lay-off.

I dont think the state is looking to fine LTCs because the fines will cause more layoffs. I'm just repeating what I have been told. If you have different info, feel free to correct me.

Anonymous said...

FYI...The AFSCME Union workers came up with 3 million in give backs agreeing to open OUR Contract. We weren't given much notice and had a rushed uninformative gathering and agreed to open up the Contract. What did the Steelworkers Union offer to give back? Career Services? Why is it we Bash the AFSCME union and these other two groups hide in the background??? As usual it is the little guy who is to bare the brunt.

Monkey Momma said...

Be careful, Bernie. Anon 9:27's comment makes it quite clear you're not exactly up against someone playing with the proverbial full deck. Well, that's been clear for a while now.

Anonymous said...

and the retired teacher goes on his rant again GET OVER IT CHRIS MILLER....its on the ballot!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Monkey Momma, There's a few of them.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"FYI...The AFSCME Union workers came up with 3 million in give backs agreeing to open OUR Contract."

And just as quickly, you took it back, brought an inflatable rat to the courthouse, and walked out on talks.

Anonymous said...

you love that rat thing don't you?

Anonymous said...

See here's the thing.. Bernie's has had issues with Jolly Joe Timmer, Judges' staffers, sheriffs, both DA's in LC & NorCO, Bo Koltnow at WFMZ (whom he called a lousy reporter) as well as several Easton Express and Morning Call reporters, trashed the Express Times Editor-in-Chief Joe Owens , several NorCo council members, union heads + their 100's of members, some 15,000 or so petition signers, other lawyers, the judge in his cases, trashed at least 3 other bloggers, candidates running for office (far too many to mention here), other WFMZ guest speakers + the TV audience members, previous clients (when he used to practice), the NorCo elections office, WAEB's Bobby Gunther Walsh, the mayor of Bethlehem + his brother-in-law, LC's title search office and staff, on and on.. so forth, etc. etc. etc.

Jeeze could it possibly be Bernie? Of course not!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Here's the thing. It makes no difference. It's no defense to claim that a Sunshine Act violation is permissible bc you don't like me. In fact, the Sunshine Act was designed to protect people that elected officials don't like. That's the whole point. Incidentally, you missed a few.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully you will be monitoring ALL conversations between county council members.

Of course you won't but it is a suggestion, given Angle's past and all.

Was it a sunshine violation when you, the President of County Council and the County Executive and his administrative team and vendors discussed the private lawsuit you were all colluding on and the amount of public tax payer money involved??


The Third Eye!

Anonymous said...

i wouldn't put it past you bernie to break your own window to blame the "goons" and "thugs"!!

Anonymous said...

So now your backing the skateboard community? Just an honest question?

Bernie O'Hare said...

It's "you're backing," not "your backing." I have always supported the skateboard community, especially in Nazareth. It is just as big a sport as baseball or football, but adults tend to look down on these kids instead of appreciating them.

Anonymous said...

It's you're Lame, not your Lame!