9 p.m.

• My one local RIGHT-WING RADIO host had a field day with this story today.

Bernard Pendleton is a truck driver for the City Public Works Department. He's a Democratic Committeeman. He's also a convicted felon.

 

Court documents show that in 1987 Pendleton approached a 12-year-old girl at a bus stop, asked her if she wanted to go smoke marijuana, then took her to a house and raped her, threatening, "If you tell somebody, you know what is going to happen."

 

After the girl's mother called police, Pendleton pleaded guilty to a list of charges, including rape and served two years in prison.

 

Public Works Director Guy Costa is one of several city leaders who approved the hiring of Pendleton because of his Democratic Party affiliation. They never saw his criminal file - didn't know he raped a 12-year-old. But they did know he was a felon. Right on his job application he admits to pleading guilty to statutory rape and illegal gun possession.

 

"We felt it was good for us to hire him as a truck driver," Costa said.

 

Griffin: "So it's okay then? On his record he says, 'I have been convicted rape.' That doesn't come across anybody's desk?"

 

Costa: "Based on the information we had at the time we felt that he was the best candidate."

 

Griffin: "How would he be the best candidate? On his application he admits to two felonies."

 

Costa: "Again, these are things that happened in the past."

 

Sources tell KDKA's Marty Griffin this is not an isolated incident, that up to 10 percent of the employees in Public Works and Environmental Services have arrest records - some of them felonies.

 

Griffin: "In some departments in the city, 10 percent, convicted felons. Would you agree?"

 

Costa: "I wouldn't say convicted felons. I would say they had things with the law and they turned their lives around."

You know who I feel for? The people that weren't deemed "qualified" for this public works job (which probably pays twice my salary) and got passed over for the "best candidate."

8:15 p.m.

• Another work story. No, I’m not going to bitch about anything. My co-worker has a near out-of-control teen step-daughter that is on the early path to crack-whoredom just like my out-of-control niece-in-law. Now my co-worker goofs of me because I treat my cats like kids. Too bad. Yeah, I know I’m a psycho, but at least I don’t dress them up in costumes for Halloween or take them to get pictures taken with Santa at the mall. That’s just pathetic. Anyway, every time he talks about his kid I then talk about the hardships of raising my three kids. Example:

Him: Beth called the wife at 11 p.m. last night and was throwing a fit because ever since she moved in with her father he hasn’t been driving her anywhere she wants to go.

Me: JJ took a poop and ran up and down the steps for five minutes like a psycho.

I've been doing this for about a week now, and so far it's Cats: 9, Kid: 0.

Oh, and speaking of my out-of-control niece-in-law, from what I hear she’s fucking 50-years-olds for crack and broke into her crack-whore mother’s apartment (paid for by the taxpayer), beat her up and stole $100. She also has two warrants out for her arrest because she doesn’t show up for court dates.

• LOL – Savage is having a field day with these anti-Iraq movies that aren’t doing so well at the box office.