There’s an effort underway to clean some house in the State Senate, and there’s a post at the Albany Project about it here. The aim is to elect Democrats – or in the case of Queens Democrats Shirley Huntley, (SD-10), George Onorato (SD-12), Hiram Monserrate [...]
Taibbi’s blog is here. He’s come a long way since founding the Buffalo Beast.
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Did you know that in the state of New York, a 14 year-old can get married, provided he or she has parental consent and also obtains the approval of the court?
Yet it is illegal for a gay couple to be married and not only legalize and solemnize [...]
Because the best thread is an open one.
Update: The NYS Senate is debating marriage equality today. Watch it here:
Watch live streaming video from nysenate at livestream.com
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Afghanistan has been at the center of larger geopolitical struggles essentially since before its creation as a distinct nation-state. It has been essentially ungoverned and ungovernable since a coup in 1973 deposed King, and the political situation led to the Soviet invasion in 1979. The United States [...]
This is where you go if you want to engage in “f*ck you”, “no f*ck YOU!@” with Mike Hudson and similar.
Obama says, “yay!”
[...]
Dubai World is a corporate entity run by the Emirate of the same name, and it finds itself in a bit of a debt crisis, which sent markets reeling a bit last week.
Remember how the US was going to outsource its port security to [...]
I don’t want the Mayor and County Executive teaming up with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership to devise a wish list of remarkably expensive silver-bullet projects to help Buffalo remain essentially the same as it is now, only with shinier buildings. Frankly, I can’t think of three [...]
Erie County Executive Chris Collins’ spokesman Grant Loomis asks a non-rhetorical question:
Why should taxpayers subsidize the capital improvements of other taxpayers?
That question is asked in connection with home improvement tax relief legislation being considered in the county legislature. Ty Pennington would be proud.
Under [...]
If you haven’t already seen Chris’ post about the Buffalo Niagara Partnership from earlier today, please do.
What do you do with a half-assed, unaccountable chamber of commerce that bleats endlessly about excessive taxes and government spending on the one hand, but demands $500 million in government [...]
From HuffPo:
A group called the Chicago Tea Party Patriots publicly heckled a grieving family and suggested that the couple fabricated their tragic story.
At a town hall held by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) on Nov. 14,, Dan and Midge Hough spoke about how they believed the death of their [...]
A press release from the Great Lakes Urban Exchange, whose mission is to right the Failboats along the Great Lakes.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — For some, it’s lower taxes. For others, it’s a commitment to a green economy or sustainable city. Many simply need good-paying jobs. Still others [...]
That’s what our alleged legislature in Albany is arguing about. How to cut $3.2 billion from a bloated budget using an out-of-control, petulant adolescent of a legislature. They all hate each other, says Fred Dicker in the New York Post. Who needs Republican opposition when [...]
From the teabag crowd who endorsed local candidates in the last election:
You are a government of the government, by the government, for the government. You have perverted all ideals put forth by your creators.
You are now a combination of Robin Hood, Dracula, Adolph Hitler, Attila the [...]
Slow, short week. I got nothing. Some of you saw Bruce last night. Some of you watched the Curb your Enthusiasm season finale. Some of you heard Maziarz on Dave Debo’s show yesterday. What’d ya think?
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Via Fark, this story of Tyler Shipman, a dying high school senior from Minnesota whose last wish is that his beloved 1986 Pontiac Fiero be restored. The wish was made on a Fiero enthusiast’s forum, and the response was as overwhelming as the badass [...]
John Cole at Balloon Juice wraps up our contemporary discourse, and Republican political & messaging strategy, in one perfect nutshell. He argues that the GOP’s aim is to leave the country ungovernable, and one way to do that is spew a bunch of utter bullshit, and [...]
The Buffalo News covers its policy on Astroturf letters to the editor here.
For one thing, we don’t do third-party thank-you letters, preferring to allocate scarce space to the public debate of issues. For another, the same sort of letters went to editorial pages and editors all across the country, [...]
There’s been a spate of incidents on the renovated Main Street where undisciplined, brutal gangs of medians have jumped out in front of various vehicles.
This is reminiscent of, among other things, the vicious gangs of keep left signs that attacked unsuspecting pedestrians in Bolton, UK in the early 70s.
[...]
A few weeks ago, way up in northern New York, Democrat Bill Owens defeated Doug Hoffman, a Conservative Party candidate who drew support from the tea-steepage-pouch crowd all around the country to defeat the evil Dede Scozzafava.
The result hasn’t been finalized, and the final corrected counts are [...]
Former New York Mayor and punch-line-of-the-week Rudy Giuliani has decided that he won’t run for Governor in New York in 2010. Instead, he’ll apparently run for the US Senate against Kirsten Gillibrand.
What makes this somewhat interesting is that, despite all his recent Palinist bluster, Giuliani is [...]
Via Andrew Sullivan, Spencer Ackerman on a Khalid Sheik Mohammed trial in New York City, and the possibility that KSM will grandstand or make idiotic pronouncements somehow.
My hope for the KSM trial is that it does more than all this. It should forever shatter the [...]
ACORN thought it would be a good idea for OJ to try the glove on in front of the jury, over a latex glove. #acornfacts
ACORN put up the “Mission Accomplished” banner. #acornfacts
ACORN guilted Sarah Palin into doing the Couric interview. #acornfacts
every time Michael tries to get out, ACORN pulls him [...]
Want to reduce taxes? Reduce the cost of government. Want to reduce the cost of government? Reduce the size of government. Want to reduce the size of government? Slough off a completely useless and redundant legislative house.
This would also need nonpartisan redistricting and comprehensive abolition of state authorities in [...]
It’s official. He’s a convict and an ex-Councilman.
The Common Council will name someone to replace Davis through December 2010. This sort of political wrangling – the undemocratic kind – is the most vicious and stupid, so grab some popcorn.
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I don’t really have much to add to this story beyond what was written in the Buffalo News and by Mark Byrnes. But yeah, Carl Paladino has no business complaining that someone – anyone – is getting tax abatements or other forms of incentives to [...]
Image courtesy Chris Hawley
No good deed goes un-shat-upon.
If you haven’t read what Gabe has to say about EHM in Buffalo, here it is. Go look. I agree with everything he says.
If you haven’t read what Colin wrote, go look. I think his [...]
Win #1: Dick Jauron is fired. This ranks as one of Mr. Jauron’s few wins in Buffalo.
Win #2: Buffalo Common Councilman Brian Davis pleads guilty to misdemeanors relating to improper conversion of campaign funds, and there is also an investigation or two going on with respect to [...]
The decision to try some of the “masterminds”, as they’re being called, behind the 9/11 attacks is being met with a lot less controversy than I thought it would. I think that trying these people in a civilian criminal court re-establishes the fact that we are a place governed, [...]
Christina Abt looks at the change in neighborhood, but also the change in attitude.
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Applications for challengers for season 2 of Nickel City Chef are available here and due 12/23.
For the uninitiated, it’s an Iron Chef-style competition pitting local challenger chefs against the “Nickel City Chefs”, Adam Goetz (SAMPLE), Paul Jenkins (Tempo), JJ Richert (Torches), and Krista VanWagner (Curly’s). [...]
I’m not a huge fan of the show mainly because when I see these needy and deserving families getting these amazing gifts, the only thing going through my mind is “tax liability”. It’s wonderful what just happened throughout the Massachusetts Avenue neighborhood of Delores Powell, and I’m stunned at the [...]
Collins supporters often counter the criticism that the shunting of responsibility for WIC and county clinics to private charities is inconsistent with the continued operation of county golf courses by citing the fact that those golf courses earn a profit for the county.
Obviously, that’s hardly the [...]
Here’s a new movement: pray for Obama, using Psalm 109:8. Ha ha ha! It’s a prayer for Obama’s death! Ha ha ha!
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
And if you’re about to argue, no no – let his days in office be few – [...]
Rus Thompson will be filing an ethics complaint against State Senator Antoine Thompson.
You can read here about Brewdog Punk IPA, a Buffalo refugee shelter received a $275,000 gift.
Chris Smith posts a new Lawrence Lessig / Change Congress slideshow, explaining that opposition to the public option may [...]
It was announced yesterday that a group of terrorists, including Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, will be brought to Federal Court for the Southern District of New York to stand trial for conspiracy and mass murder. They will be brought to New York from Guantanamo Bay, where they have [...]
You may be aware of Yoani Sanchez’s blog “Generation Y”. Sanchez is a Cuban blogger who has been very open about her criticism of that government through her blog, and has been subject to typical Leninist harassment from the government there. Until last week, it [...]
Story here and here. The News’ report is here, and it looks like the Public Officers’ Law that saw Butch Holt go bye-bye will also apply to Davis’ situation, whether he chooses to resign (the appropriate thing to do), or not.
Although Davis said that [...]
After all, this isn’t the land of make-believe. This is real life with real consequences, ranging from the very personal to the geopolitical.
Colin Powell advises President Obama:
“If you decide to send more troops or that’s what you feel it is necessary, make sure you have a [...]
Michele Johnson sends this in:
BIG NEWS: BUFFALO REUSE IS TAKING DOWN our SECOND EXTREME house at 369 Normal ST. FRIDAY…AND WE NEED EXTREME VOLUNTEERS AGAIN!!!!
The house is already scheduled for demo but they would like it to start coming down as early as possible so they can [...]
The vote was close enough that absentees are being counted, and machines are being recanvassed. It may even end up with a Hoffman victory.
But remember this: regardless of the outcome, regardless of whom it may help or hurt:
Count. Every. Vote. [...]Buffalo, NY – Tomorrow (Friday) at 1:30pm, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter will hold a press conference joined by members of the community in her Buffalo office announcing the benefits Western New Yorkers can expect from the newly passed Affordable Health Care for America Act.
The historic health care bill passed the [...]
From a press release received today:
Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo) announced that the Legislature passed his bill providing mandate relief for municipalities (A.2 Extraordinary Session Assembly Bill) that will streamline government, cut wasteful spending, and save taxpayers millions…
…Hoyt’s legislation, one of two bills voted on during Tuesday’s special session, would [...]
A truck will be in front of Buffalo City Hall to accept canned goods and non-perishable food items on the morning of Friday November 13th, 2009 from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM as part of the “Extreme Makeover: Food Drive Challenge.” The downtown business community, along with [...]
Someday, the Answer Lady will not have to include a paragraph about the police not coming when called in just about every post she does about crime and crime-magnet-house-parties in Buffalo neighborhoods:
A week or so after another young person is murdered in her council district, Bonnie Russell is [...]
Nothing like a good dose of fear and xenophobia to get people going in the morning.
The other day, some asshole put some other asshole on his radio show so they could try and outdo each other in their hatred of Muslim people. When two septuagenarian callers recommended [...]
A proud local father of a local Marine sends along this commendation his son received for not only helping to get medical care for an injured Iraqi boy, but for taking a small step towards winning hearts and minds in an area where that hadn’t been [...]
It met today to do two things: 1. address the deficit; and 2. vote on same-sex marriage.
Welcome to Albany.
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I’m not 100% sure about this, but I think 1989 was the summer my parents and I did a grand tour of Bosnia-Hercegovina, visiting Sarajevo and Mostar before ending up on the shores of the Adriatic not far from Dubrovnik. We traveled to our native then-Yugoslavia often [...]
State Senator Hiram Monserrate is the subject of a commission of inquiry set up as follows:
Senate Resolution
BY: Senator Sampson
SENATE RESOLUTION PROVIDING for a Select Committee of the Senate to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding the conviction of Senator Hiram Monserrate on October 15, 2009
WHEREAS, On [...]
A constituent explains in eloquent detail why same-sex marriage is so important to her and her wife.
I thought Maziarz’s reaction & answer was fine. He’s against it, he’s voting against it, that’s the way it goes. You just can’t get every politician to vote the way you want, no matter [...]
WIVB Channel 4’s Jericka Duncan meets and interviews the enigmatic figure whom just about anyone in Buffalo has seen and wondered about.
[...]Here’s audio of my call in to Hardline with Dave Debo yesterday during County Executive Chris Collins’ interview. Based on Collins’ answer, it seems to me that Dino Fudoli was as qualified, if not more so, than Kathy Konst to become head of the Department of Environment and Planning.
[...]Twice today, I passed by that intersection at County & Strickler where four teenagers died because the driver decided to gun it up to 90 on Strickler.
The other car, heading westbound on County that got struck by Viktor Shapiro’s 2002 Sentra going 90 on Strickler? [...]
You can truly travel the world thanks to Flickr. A lot of really stupid people have used North Korea as some sort of example of what life is like under Obama. You know who else had free health care? Hitler.
Anyhow, this set I stumbled on tonight via [...]
Anyone else catch Chris Collins on WBEN’s Hardline on Sunday? It was easily some of the most disingenuously hilarious radio I’ve heard, at least since hyperemotionalist Palinist comedian Tom Bauerle last called for an armed revolution and librul cull. Some highlights:
1. He’s sorry for calling Shelly Silver [...]
I spent Mia’s naptime and a bit after watching the health care reform “debate” on CSPAN. Only it wasn’t a debate so much as it was a perverse game of ping-pong that went something like this:
Democrat is yielded one minute of time, declares that the health care [...]
Congressman Eric Massa, Democrat from NY-29, will be voting against HR 3962, the current iteration of the health care reform bill. Whether you’re for or against health insurance reform of any kind, you have to hand it to Massa for standing on principle. At Netroots [...]
After a while, it stopped being parody, and practically became a carbon copy of the Dr. Beck Feelings Hour:
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cThe 11/3 Projectwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show
Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Crisis
Tom Tancredo is one of the most detestable xenophobes ever to have darkened the halls of congress. Lou Dobbs has got nothing on this guy. It’s also quite ironic, given the fact that Tancredo’s last name ends in a vowel.
The other day, Daily Kos’ Markos Moulitsas was debating Tancredo [...]
Brian Davis has rapidly become the most hilarious elected official in all of western New York. No one else can match his level of personal and professional failures and breaches of ethics.
When the FBI and DA’s office comes to hunt you down at your work [...]
In Albany, they argue that it costs too much money to go to Albany to hear the governor talk about spending less money.
Why do we need a state senate, again?
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The Democrats in this town had better start getting their shit together and start working together, otherwise they’re going to have a lot worse nights than last night as time goes on. The rift between HQ Democrats and the Byron Brown Democrats has reached idiotic levels. Political [...]
Last night, legislative and sheriff’s candidates paid fealty to the lord of Erieshire Manor. But here’s a question: which do you think Chris Collins would prefer?
a) a 15-member Democratic legislature; or
b) Mark Poloncarz in a second term as Comptroller, poised to possibly challenge him for CE in [...]
When turnout is 24%, there is a mandate for only one thing: apathy.
P.S.: If you don’t vote, don’t complain.
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Moderate Republicans, seeking to avoid Scozzafavation, are now figuratively paying protection money to Sarah Palin to keep her from summoning her minions to Hoffmanize future races.
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If you’re a political candidate, and you get a call from the Buffalo News’ Bob McCarthy, and he informs you that he’s going to run a story the next day that accuses you of horrible moral turpitude (e.g., you stole money from Iraqi orphans or you’re a [...]
This is being written quickly on 6 hours’ sleep, so I’ll try to flesh it out at a later time.
1. I thought Hardwick would win. I didn’t think he’d obliterate Iannello. Congratulations to him. As I said last night to Chris, I hope he does look at [...]
On November 5th at 7pm in the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Buffalo Spree will host a panel discussion entitled, ”Journalism on the brink: When the daily paper becomes the daily blog, who wins and who loses?” The event is free [...]
Erie County residents can look up their details here.
In addition to the county races, for which Marc and Chris have also provided endorsements, I’m going to obviously keeping an eye on NY-23, where Democrat Bill Owens is up against Conservative Doug Hoffman. [...]
I’ve done it every other election season, so why stop now, right?
But this year is different.
First of all, let’s dispense with what Rumsfeld would call the known knowns: nobody gives a crap whom I endorse for elected office, and this is a completely meaningless post as a practical matter. I [...]
The hiring of Pedro Espada’s son as assistant to the regional manager the state senat’s deputy director for intergovernmental relations – a $120,000 job – has prompted an ethics investigation because of anti-nepotism rules.
Remember that Espada and Monserrate are strongly supported by Tom Golisano’s [...]
Well, NY-23 just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting.
UPDATE: Let me start off by quoting this from John Cole:
You know the thing that I find most amusing about the NY race is that what they are basically telling every moderate Republican across [...]
Our apolitical County Executive robo-calls on behalf of his hand-picked Comptroller candidate lapdog Phil Kadet.
Thank God this is all about competence and everyone’s being so nonpolitically apolitical.
Collins/Kadet Robocall can be heard here.
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As noted above, the endorsed Republican candidate has been effectively purged from the Republican Party, and some sort of conservative purity is, therefore, effectively preserved. Or something. Scozzafava has released all her supporters, and the party chairs who backed her, to do whatever they want.
Scozzafava could have [...]
Sunday from 10am – 12pm on WBEN AM-930, tune in to Hardline. Dave Debo’s in-studio guests will include:
10:00 am: Alice Kryzan, Bill Kindel & Barry Weinstein, running for Amherst Supervisor
10:45 am: Hamburg Supervisor candidates Dennis Gaughan, Patti Michalek and incumbent Steve Walters
11:30 am: Lancaster/Elma/Marilla county [...]
I tend to refer to Chris Collins’ leadership style as shtick. He’s a fantastic salesman, and there are a lot of suckers out there.
Well, part of his shtick is to blame Albany for whatever might be convenient to blame Albany for. That’s why he’s busy comparing Assembly [...]
In NY-23, that paragon of New York good government excellence, George Pataki, has endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. After Pataki’s decade-long tenure, where Albany pretty much stayed the same exact tax-and-spending place it’s always been, I hardly see how this is a boon to Hoffman, but as [...]
In the race for Erie County Comptroller, no one can mount a credible attack that incumbent Mark Poloncarz has done a lousy job. Instead, the only attacks are that he’s too political and that he “can’t count”. Specifically, Phil Kadet charges that Poloncarz projected that 2008 would [...]
