Northampton County Hangmen & Lynch Mob Angry: Was it Something I Said?

I'll let you in on a little secret. Although I attend lots of public meetings, I rarely speak. It's been well over a year since I opened my big mouth. I'm mostly a voyeur. But last night, I unloaded on the Northampton County Hangmen, and they reacted like little kids.

You see, two weeks ago, the Northampton County hangmen (council) teamed with a green T-shirted lynch mob (AFSCME) to string up Connie Sutton Falk, the county's human resources director. The whole thing was an ambush, designed to embarrass both a county employee as well as her boss, county executive John Stoffa.

I was upset. Still am.

With no notice or opportunity to be heard, the hangmen told a Stoffa cabinet member she should resign. We fought a revolutionary war to secure our right to due process of law. But the Northampton County hangmen, led by Lamont McClure and Charles Dertinger, trampled all over that basic constitutional protection.

I decided to tell the hangmen and their green T-shirted friends that their conduct was despicable.

Last night, there were actually two groups of green T-shirted lynch mobs. One was AFSCME, the same group that strung up Connie Sutton Falk. They were there to gloat. The other union was a bunch of steelworkers, out to screw around with Keystone Cement. It was standing room only, with at least 80 union members present. In addition to that, there was also a group of at least thirty rail supporters.

Knowing I was about to say some things that would be extremely unpopular with both the hangmen and lynch mobs, I told rail activist Paul Marin he should stay far away from me. He sat next to me anyway. The guy has guts.

The meeting started off with "courtesy of the floor," where schleps like me are given five minutes to complain about something. Last night, there were ninety minutes worth of talkers. These included some old lady who claimed Stoffa had stiffed her over $300, after which she walked off without her purse. (I think Angle stole it). Some union dude in short-shorts claimed there's some diabolical conspiracy involving the Saucon Valley Country Club and the FBI to steal land in Lower Saucon Township. I was waiting for black helicopters to come andd get him. No such luck.

I was just one of several wingnuts addressing the hangmen. I mostly repeated the criticisms I've already made here. As each of us droned on, Paul looked like he wanted to shoot himself. Union dudes were actually making and receiving cell phone calls, and the smell of booze wafted in the air, along with stale tobacco. But unlike the others, I really got to Hangman Dertinger, who got redder and redder as I spoke. I could also hear mumbling from the green T-shirted lynch mobs behind me. When I was done, I was extremely unpopular with two different unions.

Hangman Charles Dertinger, chomping at the bit to get back at me, finally got his chance later in the evening. But the Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle, had my back. What follows is a circus, demonstrating rather clearly that AFSCME really does think it is running the county and that Dertinger is one of their lackeys. Dertinger actually threatened Angle with violence. Some bald-headed union thug also started walking towardws the dais, shouting and attempting to bully Angle. I recorded every word, and here's a transcript.

Charles Dertinger: "As I sat here relatively patiently, after being accused of some pretty impressive things by our local blogger and character, although his accusation that I made were false against Miss Sutton, they were not only not false but he made no attempt whatsoever to say they were not false.

"I did indeed indicate that Miss Sutton-Falk was abrasive here, and on several occasions my degree being industrial labor relations, she had directed her comment to me, 'If you understood the law . . . ,' which I would find to be argumentative and abrasive. So I believe my comment stands and I stand by my comment.

"His characterization again, and this becomes altogether too commonplace for Mr. O'Hare. He comes to these meetings, he makes a collection of lying statements - I'm sorry, I don't have anything better - lying statements time and again, either here or when he crawls home to his computer.

"To say that things that are in fact - that we violated the ..."

Ron Angle: "Point of order. Do you think it's appropriate to say that he crawls home to his computer?"

Dertinger: "I have a problem with the hypocrisy that has been levelled here tonight. ...

Ann McHale: "We don't need any arguments tonight."

Dertinger: "Specifically, specifically, Listen, you [addressing Angle] don't have to talk from his lap. I'll deal with that."

Angle: "Talk from his lap? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Dertinger: "I ... I ... I'm looking at a man ... "

Angle: "Just who the hell do you think you are? You're obnoxious."

McHale: "Gentlemen, how about we take a five minute recess?"

Angle: "Five minute recess? I'm about to take a two hour walk and get out of town because, quite frankly, they insult everybody who comes in here any more."

Dertinger: "You sat here and lied to us. You ..."

Angle: "Everybody's a liar to you, Charles. The world's a liar. We're all incompetents. 'The World,' by Charles Dertinger. You made accusations a coupla' months ago. Take him into the back room and talk to him somebody."

McHale: "Council's going to . . . uh ... "

Angle: "Region 4 made a decision on you, Charlie. They throwed you out twice."

Dertinger: "Throwed me out?"

Angle: "They voted you out twice, Charlie, they're pretty sharp."

Dertinger: "Time and again, they voted you out as well, pal."

Angle: "Go back to New York."

Dertinger: "Keep walking."

Angle: "If you put the rail in, you can be the first on it back to New York."

Dertinger (now standing): "You wouldn't like to see how I would act without the press here."

Angle: "Get gone."

Dertinger: "You're an absolute coward."

Angle: "You're a pitiful individual."

Dertinger: "Coward."

Angle: "You insult a woman out there . . ."

[The green T-shirted lynch mob begins making cat calls and starts yelling at Ron Angle.]

Angle [to the lynch mob]: "Sit down and be quiet. You're a bunch of puppets out there. You and the union wants to run the county, that's good."

[Green T-shirted lynch mob continues yelling at Angle, and a bald-headed brawny union thug approaches the dais, yelling].

Angle [to the thug]: "You can have yourself removed. You don't run this county. The government runs this county, not the union. [to Dertinger]. He's your lap dog. Take him outside and talk to him."

[Bald-headed union thug]: "I'm here for the employees."

Angle: "You're here for the employees all right. You're here for the union dues. Who are you kidding?"

Angle: [to Dertinger] "Bernie's right. You drug them all out here to put a show on."

Dertinger: "You're a hypocrite and a liar." [Green T-shirted lynch mob begins to applaud].

Angle: "Connie Sutton Falk, don't you think she's a human being?"

Union thug: "She lives in New Jersey."

Angle: "She lives in new Jersey. Oh, that's the reason you insult her - she lives in New Jersey."

Dertinger: "The entire administration lives outside the county. Are you kidding me?"

Angle: "He brings the union out here to make a mockery out of government. The President [McHale] won't control those two [Dertinger and lynch mob] and that's why it's out of order. When he said that he [O'Hare] crawled home, she should have said that's out of order, right then and there. This could have ended. You know, taxpayers don't crawl home."

Dertinger: "I will suspend my remarks."

McHale: "We have Mr. Marin here to make a presentation that a number of individuals are here to see. I apologize to every one of you for the behavior [blah, blah, blah]"