delicious
diggWhat Rudy Giuliani did as Mayor in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Dorismond was not lawful in the eyes of many.
Dorismond was a security guard and father of two children who was killed by an undercover NY Police Department officer.
Giuliani decided to release Dorismond’s Juvenile record and declared Dorismond was “no altar boy.”
But the move caused a firestorm of criticism at Giuliani because the juvenile record had been sealed, and you can’t make this stuff up, Dorismond had actually served in that capacity, as an “altar boy.”
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blogsFreedom Party Inclusion
Almost since its inception, the Freedom Party attracted supporters from diverse communities across the state. Nestled within the Freedom Party’s petitions are signatures from African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and yes, whites. There were whites who carried Freedom Party petitions as subscribing witnesses.
What would attract this broad base of diversity? Members of the working class see the Freedom Party as a means of addressing their issues. Freedom Party candidate for Governor Charles Barron put it like this: “When I advocate for a living wage bill in the City Council, it would benefit everybody, not just Blacks. Whites see this.” Vito Fosella - Man Of PrincipleThree cheers to former Congressman Vito Fossella. He’s putting his prejudice ahead of his self-interest. I would have thought that since Islam allows men to have up to 4 wives, Vito would have converted by now. Greater Mediterranean Economic Zone: A Continuum
Greater Mediterranean Economic Zone: A Continuum By Michael Boyajian With the EU merged with the Middle East and North Africa in my previously proposed Mediterranean Economic Zone the question is what happens next? Several things can now occur beginning with the 800 pound gorilla in the room, Russia. Russia must join the EU or what has now become the Greater Mediterranean Zone eventually spreading the zone east into the Far East providing trade linkage with China, Japan, Taiwan and the Koreas. A Greater Mediterranean Economic Zone
A Greater Mediterranean Economic Zone By Michael Boyajian The European Union is merely one step leading to a greater Mediterranean Economic Zone based on the logical borders of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent and beyond. A region that was joined by Rome for trade purposes for a thousand years and not for any other reason like conquest for the sake of conquest. Cuomo's no good, but the elections aren't only about him!
Figuring out who to vote for in New York State this year is trickier than usual for those who want to advance labor rights, equality and democracy. The state mirrors the national picture in many ways. Since the 2008 elections, the right has gone on a rampage, especially with the formation of the tea party, perhaps the most openly racist movement this country has seen in decades. It is at once sad and frightening, and, despite a relatively small base of support, it occupies much media coverage. Against that, there have been significant victories under the new balance of forces that was ushered in with Obama's election, especially health care reform and the stimulus package of 2009 - but, economically and in most other ways, the country isn't out of the woods, and Obama and allied forces looking for a road forward are perpetually stymied. Every good initiative has run up against immediate obstruction by the minority Republican Party.
I for one, wish Caroline Giuliani well with future endeavors.
911 Call For Justice
911 Call For Justice By Michael Boyajian Some people like cop movies. I like F.B.I. movies like Mississippi Burning where Gene Hackman is knocking around pasty white KKK goons. I would like to see this kind of action against those who threaten this country in real life too. That is why I believe President Obama should deploy special agents to investigate the mosque burning in Tennessee and anywhere else Muslims are being threatened just like JFK did during America’s civil rights battles of the 1960s. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE EDITORS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORK POST and THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS.
Dear Editors: The constitution of this country reserves a special place for newspapers in this unfinished democracy: a special place which comes with specific responsibilities to the polity. Newspapers are expected to inform and edify the masses beyond the mundane day to day events of life in this city, state and nation. Its columnists, free-lance journalists and editorial boards are also expected to take positions on issues, in order to stimulate debate and discussion amongst elites, professionals and ordinary folks alike. Thus the roles and functions of any newspaper are quite important to the theory of democracy. And despite the fact that television, radio, the internet and other contemporary mediums within modern communications technology, have altogether surpassed newspapers as the main mode of information-gathering for most people, the responsibilities mandated by the constitution remain the same.
Signaling A Change In Tactics: Will The Real Tea Party Step Forward
Signaling A Change in Tactics: Will the Real Tea Party Step Forward By Michael Boyajian Frank Rich reported in the New York Times that Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers were bankrolling the Tea Party. It was ironic to me that foreign born billionaire Murdoch would be the force behind the most xenophobic movement in American history turning brother against brother in a political civil war in a country in which he had no birth right leaving many to wonder if he himself should be deported.
IS JOHN SAMPSON OUR BEST HOPE FOR REFORM IN ALBANY?
On any given day, one can create a checklist of issues facing us in this state: issues which need addressing by our Albany legislators in a timely manner; issues which affect millions of New Yorkers in profound ways. And yet, Albany’s collective response over time has left a lot to be desired. It is no secret that between the Senate (now 62 members) and the Assembly (150 members), Albany has been dysfunctional for years: very little gets done. It’s a joke that isn’t funny anymore: it’s an ongoing situation of which most serious political people have become frustratingly inured. Over the years, there have been too few individuals who intermittently jumped up to seize the mantle for change in Albany. Over the years, there have been too few individuals willing to articulate a framework for reforming the way business is done up there: Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi was one. And there have been too few elected officials willing to fight to change the sterile leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver (as a precursor to real reform): Assemblyman Michael J. Bragman was one. The point is this: Albany harbors too many political cowards and convenient opportunists. Putting "The Gateway" in Perspective, and Exhuming its Prehistory
A few months ago I began an experiment, by changing the format of this department. As I noted then, I spend too much time on Facebook, and it displaced my time on Room 8 as my #1 time waster, but while Facebook displaced Room 8 in my life, Room 8, in its own way displaced Facebook. I started my Facebook life making somewhat edgier versions of David Barry-like observations, combined with opining about Rock and Roll’s roots and branches; and except for posting links to my Gate pieces, barely let politics include, even during the primary season.
But somehow, in a manner resembling my current obsession with the Young Men’s Islamic Association proposed for The Holy Mother Coat Factory, I became obsessed with passing health care reform, and specifically with the idiotic left wing efforts to sabotage it because the achievable was not good enough. The Gateway (Putting My Caveats in a Row Edition)
Young Men’s Islamic Association developer Sharif El-Gamal seems to enjoy the gamier side of life a bit too much to be a Wahabbist, and seems too angry to be a Sufi; he bears a far greater resemblance to a US Senator from Louisiana crossed with a State Senator from Flatbush.
Nonetheless, it is worth remembering that if NYC barred the sleazy from the development of real estate projects, our skyline would resemble that of Dayton, Ohio, but with more open spaces. Park51 developer Sharif El-Gamal has a history of run-ins with the law www.nydailynews.com
The Romanization of Christianity
The Romanization of Christianity By Michael Boyajian I have been drawn for well over a year now to visit Rome to see first the Forum which was the center of the expansive Roman Empire and then the Vatican the center of the universe for one billion Roman Catholics. Unfortunately I have been prevented from going for various reasons but have found other ways to visit through my imagination, travel and history books on Rome and television shows on the subject.
Rick are you running scared? Big Mistake to turn down the NY1 debate
Ten years ago, I was at the Buffalo Senate Debate where a relative unknown at the time, Suffolk County Congressman Rick Lazio walked across the stage and stuffed a campaign pledge in front of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
But that move, perceived as bullying, locked his place in political history as an example of what not to do during a debate with a female candidate. Clinton's support among women voters was solidified. Lazio may now again be in a circular firing squad of one.  |
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