Tuesday, February 27, 2007

RUDY'S VERY FOREIGN POLICY


In 1999, Gabor Demszky, Mayor of Budapest, Hungary paid a visit to City Hall. Budapest is part of the Sister City program. A cooperative cultural venture with countries around the world. Demsky remarked that the Budapest police force was modeled after NYPD. A noble gesture except that it apparently duplicated some of the less laudable features of NYC's finest.

"Another survey published recently indicates a high level of abuse of prisoners in Hungary with Roma (Gypsies) particularly vulnerable. One third of seven hundred individuals questioned in a survey conducted by the Hungarian Helsinki committee and the Constitutional Legislative Police Institute in Hungarian prisons said they had been subjected to police abuse. The study which was published on December 23 also found that foreign prisoners, Roma and young offenders were more often exposed to police violence than others." Sound familiar? Looks like Rudy has managed to export police brutality. The Roma people are the underclass of Europe. Their complaints echo those of minority populations here in the states. However, one philanthropist has heeded the call. George Soros, was born in Hungary. He generously contributes to the Roma Rights program. A billionaire, he is often criticized for his penchant to leftist causes. Through his organization, The Open Society, he once launched a multimilion dollar stop Bush movement. Bush is still there but Soros did announce to YOUR FREE PRESS that he intended to support Barack Obama. So.....he may not get the invite to dine with Rudy G. like Demszy, but he is welcome to share my rice and beans anytime. Video of Soros can be viewed at www.video.google.com Search box: Rudy In the Raw (5)

Sunday, February 25, 2007

RUDY'S MEDICINAL LIE


As a prosecutor, Rudy Giuliani built his reputation on rooting out corruption. As mayor of New York City, he ran a tough, by the books administration. But he also knew how to bend legalities in his favor. At times, his interpretations of the law became almost elastic. Occasionally snapping back at him. For instance, there was a time in his reign when the State government was underfunding the New York City public school system. According to Giuliani, school principals inflated the number of students in attendance in a ploy to get the funding that they needed. He defends their actions by saying "There are different levels of wrong doing". At the core of his argument is that if one does the wrong thing for the right reasons, then it is ok. However, he is reminded by a reporter that in his first term as mayor, he also cut funding to NYC schools. Rudy hastily replies that he cut the funds because the Board of Education refused to be accountable to him. One could surmise that while the Board of Ed was "sent to their room", it was the kids who went without supper. Now Rudy states that this must be viewed in the framework of Accountability vs. Money. His explanation is reminiscent of the famous Abbott and Costello routine of "Who's on First". Tautological arguments and political absurdities will always be played on in local government. However, they take on a different tone when raised to a national level. The concept of "doing the wrong thing for the right reasons" could have dire consequences. When it is applied to religion, war and the national economy, one man's stubborn ideology cannot speak for us all.

See video at http://www.video.google.com/ Search box: Rudy In the Raw (4)

Friday, February 23, 2007

RUDY POLL VAULTS


As winter turns slowly into spring, Rudy Giuliani’s poll numbers are beginning to bloom. The latest numbers showed him ahead of Obama and Clinton. With the primary looming in the distance, all is subject to change.
Giuliani boasts of support from the Liberal, Democratic and the Republican Party in his reelection as mayor. He also states that he governs with a non-partisan philosophy. It now remains to be seen if he courts the same allegiance in his bid for the presidency.

Since the Republicans will be putting out some big bucks to advance Rudy’s cause, they will demand a certain loyalty. Now I wouldn’t exactly call Rudy a free spirit, but he has taken some politically independent stands. His endorsement of Mario Cuomo among others cost him a hug from Al D’Amato. His stand on abortion and gay rights has clenched many a Connecticut lockjaw shut.

But then again, Rudy has always been ambitious enough to behave until he gets what he wants. If he lists a little more to the right, which he appears to be doing, he could gain some points. The ultimate test is whether he can make his old political party hat trick work in the presidential race. See Rudy roll his comments on the subject at www.video.google.com. Search box :
Rudy In the Raw (3)

Thursday, February 22, 2007

BASHED ASH WEDNESDAY


Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. And on a day that the parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Angels church in East Harlem should have been “ashed”, they were not. The doors to Our Lady Queen of Angels are locked probably forever. The New York Archdiocese closed Our Lady Queen of Angels for “Lack of interest”. It will become part of the profitable real estate portfolio of the Catholic Church. However, many religious scholars believe that once an institution is consecrated, the blessing does not disappear with the stroke of an eviction order. Although the parishioners have the option of worshipping elsewhere, this place was their home. This is a community in fast transition. Once, an Italian enclave, it changed to a thriving Puerto Rican barrio in the fifties and sixties. East Harlem now stands on the edge again. This time gentrification. Of course the church stands to profit. The Catholic Church, once all her assets have been put together, is the most formidable stockbroker in the world. The Vatican, independently of each successive pope, has been increasingly orientated towards the U.S.

The Wall Street Journal states that the Vatican’s financial deals in the U.S. alone were so big that it often bought or sold gold in lots of a million dollars or more at a time. The United Nations World magazine estimates the worth at billions of dollars. The Catholic Church is the largest wealth accumulator, and property owner in existence. But still the doors of Our Lady Queen of Angel are closed. But those poor people continue to give every Sunday. The same law that threw the parish protesters in jail will never advocate against the Archdiocese. But the law of Christ that tossed the money changers from the temple just might. The Catholic Church may reap what it invests but it may also reap what it sows too.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Barking At Parking


What is it about parking tickets that makes mayors moody? Last week, Mike Bloomberg went over the edge when asked about snowbound motorists not moving their cars. Some years ago, it was then Mayor Rudy Giuliani who fumed when questioned about stepped up enforcement of ticketing. Long viewed as a source of revenue for the city, Giuliani bristled at the notion. He wanted to be known as the man who enriched the city coffers through keen fiscal management as opposed to the déclassé dollars of ticket summons. A man who on his own admission took few vacations and growled when asked about it. The verbal jousting works with the fifth estate, but when it comes to dealing with the big guys on a global scale, Rudy has to tone it down. Perhaps he should take a course in anger management as part of his presidential makeover.

View Rudy's rage at www.video.google.com. Search box title: Rudy In The Raw (2)

HOY VAY: A WEDDING MADE IN THE CORPORATE BOARD ROOM


by Rafael Martínez Alequín

The same day that ImpreMedia and the Chicago based Tribune Company, announced the acquisition of the local Spanish newspaper Hoy to be part of Eldiario/La Prensa, 30 Hoy employees were laid-off. It looks like the same fate that was felt by the staff of La Prensa over 30-years ago.

Over thirty-years ago the owners of La Prensa were facing a struggle similar to the one Hoy is facing today. A struggle to cover the cost of publishing their paper in NYC. There is not enough advertising revenue for two competing newspapers within the Spanish-speaking community. This is one of the concerns of Hoy parent organization, the Tribune Company. Hoy, was a strong competitor to El Diario/La Prensa, until the revelation that Hoy as well as it's sister publication, Long Island Newsday, provided false data regarding their circulation.

El Diario, absorbed La Prensa, and slowly La Prensa disappeared as a publication. It only remains as a name on El Diario masthead, almost invisible. There is never anything wrong on any merge. Corporations see them as a way to increase the bottom line. Business is Business. The needs of the community they serve do not count.

It is akin to gentrification. Eminent domain is invoked. Property is brought and people are evicted. Badda bing, badda bang.
New York City is one of the largest Spanish speaking cities in this country. Unfortunately, as the population of Latinos grows here, and across the United States, non-Latinos own the Spanish press.

ImpreMedia, who now owns the newspapers serving the Latino community in the New York City metropolitan area (New Jersey Connecticut), is owned by a Canadian multi-media conglomerate. As long as non-Spanish business people own the Spanish communication media, there will be little empowerment for Latinos.

Let's be clear, we can’t blame the individuals chosen to be the managers for El Diario/LaPrensa. They are operating with limited resources. Therefore, they do not have the capital that the Anglo mainstream media has at their disposal. They have to depend on the wire services to cover stories dealing with the Latin American countries. But, there is no excuse, not to assign journalists to cover local stories.


There is no reporter as of now, assigned to cover events at City Hall. However, a source did inform Your Free Press that soon that a reporter would be assigned there. Whatever happens at both wings of New York’s City Hall is of immense importantance to our Latino community. A story written by a wire service reporter is picked up and translated into Spanish verbatim. A Latino covering the story would have more knowledge regarding the impact on the community.

In a telephone conversation, with Alex Gómez, spokesperson for ImperMedia, he states: "They will publish both newspapers, one free, (Hoy) and one paid subscription (El Diario/LaPrensa)." One has to be skeptical here. Impremedia has a history of "Buy up and throw out". If things do not work out, Hoy will merge with El Diario. And in the process, people will lose their jobs. Not because they are not capable. But because an Anglo conglomerate misunderstood it's product.

Monday, February 19, 2007

RUDY IN THE RAW (view tape @ www.video.google.com)


Before he was made over by 911, Rudy Giuliani was a sparring partner for the press. He ducked, he dodged, and he punched. Sometimes, below the belt. On a good day, he was charming. He would flash that megawatt grin with paternal reassurance. On a bad day, “Moody Rudy” was known to snap like a Taliban trained pit bull.When 911 occurred, the magical metamorphosis of Rudy began. The horrific events of the day seemed to have a Ritalin like effect on him. He became calm, steady and almost kind. The Rudy we knew evaporated into the dust cloud of World Trade. But then again, did it really? Rudy, like a chameleon knows how to survive. Adapt to the environment. The chameleon can adapt but unlike the caterpillar will never evolve into a butterfly. Giuliani could become president, but he will never be a statesman. In the days going forward, YOUR FREE PRESS will blog video of Rudy b.911. The Rudy we knew before his presidential personality makeover. In the context of Presidents Day, we bring you a video of another President in training. Former California Governor, Pete Wilson, Giuliani supporter then and now, entertained a bid for the White House. His campaign fell short of money, momentum and support. But....he still has a seat at Rudy's table.

The videotape of the press conference with Giuliani and Wilson can be viewed on Google Video. Go to the Google Video search box. Type "Rudy In The Raw". Hit the button and enjoy the ride.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

BLOOMBERG’S SNOW SHOW


The snowfall this week was expected. But the refusal to not suspend alternate side parking was a surprise. A storm of this consistency merited a day or two for drivers to dig themselves out. Not so said Mayor Bloomberg. Standing tough in his characteristic sway, he condemned motorists to a tiresome dig. An excavation that could rival a fossil search since the snow was so hard. But dig they did. Some found it just too hard literally, and opted for the orange paper on the windshield. Forty-eight hours later, the "snow" hit the fan. Newspaper headlines screamed at Bloomberg's insensitivity. His smug delivery regarding the responsibility of car owners hit a nerve. Bloomberg may ride the subway as a gesture to the proletariat, but when was the last time you saw a photo of him shoveling snow. Had the mayor deigned to toss one snowball, he would have known how compacted the snow was. A frivolous analogy maybe but so was Marie Antoinette when she uttered,"Let them eat cake". So it goes. As people struggled to shovel, Mayor Mike was probably thinking, "Let them dig snow". The good news is that one thing Bloomberg is sensitive to is bad publicity. He has done a turnabout, but not an apology. Bloomberg states that parking tickets related to alternate side in the last two days will be voided. Now before you heave a sigh of relief, remember that this decision did not evolve from empathy. It was those negative newspaper accounts that pushed Mikey to relent. And as the snow begins to melt, hopefully, the furor of NYC motorists will also. In the grand scheme of the political scope, this is but a blip on the radar. However, in a city that is fast becoming a safe haven for the rich, the divide between limousine liberals and the working class continues to grow. If the needs of the building super with the old Chevy are not met, he will not be around to help you dig out your limo. Mr. Mayor.......we are all in this together, like it or not.

Monday, February 12, 2007

ISRAEL, THE SIXTH BOROUGH


By Rafael Martínez Alequín

A few weeks ago, city council members were “gifted” with a tour to Israel. Included in the trip were City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and eleven council members, plus staff. The Jewish Community Relation Council sponsored the trip. The council’s press office stated that the Jewish Community office paid the cost of the visit.

A look at the Council press release shows names of Council members, who are seeking higher office in 2009, when their term expires. If we used our imagination, Council member David Weprin and his colleagues could distribute political flyers stating that while visiting Israel, a rocket exploded a mile away from Mayor Moyal's office in Sderot. This could make Weprin the best candidate for City Comptroller in 2009. Christine Quinn who contemplates a run for mayor, could campaign in a flack jacket detailing the dangers here and abroad.

The all expense paid trip is puzzling since few Israelis vote in New York City elections. Nonetheless, one can only see it as a goodwill gesture on both parts. One could only wonder if they also ventured beyond the green line, which divides Arab neighborhoods from Jewish neighborhoods. Considering the large population of voting Muslims in New York City, it would have been a positive political move. The Muslim population here is unique. It encompasses, people from Bosnia, Serbia, Africa, Pakistan, and the Philippines. A virtual potpourri of cultures that these politicos often tout and make token appearances at their festivals. The demonization of the Arab community deserves a study in counterpoint. Not only do Arabs not “All look alike”, but they do not all think alike either. Perhaps the travel time of the City council members would be better served by mending fences. They might want to enlist the aid of the following Arab Americans. They include, Paul Anka, Donna Shalala, Frank Zappa, John Sununu, Congressman Darell Issa, Ralph Nader, Senator Spencer Abraham, Tiny Tim (aka Herbert Khoury), Doug Flutie, football player, Michael Nouri, actor, Christa McAuliffe, astronaut, Senator George Mitchell, Jack Hanna, Zoologist and Steven Jobs founder of Apple Computer.

The list goes on and so does the disregard for the Arab community here and abroad. The Arab/Israeli community struggles to be heard every day. Not every voice is correct. But still, we must listen. There is great potential in this land. Remember.....Jesus was a Palestinian.

Wolfowitz Emerges as Key Figure in Intel Manipulation


By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Monday 12 February 2007

Paul Wolfowitz, former under secretary of defense, has been identified in recently released grand jury transcripts as being involved in a White House smear campaign against Joseph Wilson, the former US ambassador who accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War.

The previously undisclosed development comes on the heels of a scathing report released last week by the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General that said Wolfowitz played a key role in the cooking of intelligence related to Iraq's ties to al-Qaeda and its supposed cache of chemical and biological weapons. That effort helped the White House lay the groundwork for a US-led invasion.

Taken as a whole, the involvement of Wolfowitz in a full-scale effort to undermine the credibility of an Iraq War critic, and his hands-on role in knowingly providing the White House with the sort of dubious intelligence that came under scrutiny by people like Wilson, shows how widespread the issues surrounding manipulated intelligence truly were, and how crucial it became for senior members of the Bush administration to discredit anyone who threatened to expose their ruse.

The transcripts were released in conjunction with other documents in the perjury and obstruction of justice trial of former vice presidential staffer I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. They state that Wolfowitz was chosen by Vice President Dick Cheney in mid-July 2003 to leak a highly classified portion of the National Intelligence Estimate to the Wall Street Journal as a way to rebut Wilson's claims that the White House "twisted" intelligence related to Iraq's attempts to build an atomic bomb. The section of the NIE that Wolfowitz leaked to the Journal claimed Wilson's assertions were flat-out wrong. However, it was later revealed that the section of the NIE that Wilson called into question was based on crude forgeries.

The transcript detailing Wolfowitz's involvement in attacks against Wilson's credibility would appear to support similar charges made by career CIA analysts. The analysts told Democratic lawmakers four years ago that they were pressured by Cheney, Libby, Wolfowitz, and former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld to fix the intelligence on Iraq around the administration's policy toward the country.

In September 2002, according to testimony given Friday by Thomas Gimble, a briefing took place at the White House, attended by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Libby and others purporting a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda that "was not supported by the available intelligence." Gimble is the acting Defense Department inspector general who prepared the report on pre-war Iraq intelligence,

The meeting took place seven months after Wilson was sent on a fact-finding mission to Niger to investigate whether Iraq had attempted to acquire uranium from the African country. Wilson reported back to the CIA that the allegations were unfounded. But Libby, Cheney, Wolfowitz, President Bush and other senior members of the White House ignored the findings of the intelligence community that said Iraq was not an immediate threat, and they pressured CIA analysts to cherry-pick intelligence that would help lay the groundwork for a US-led invasion, according to the DoD report.

An executive summary of the report, released Friday, stated that Douglas Feith, who headed the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, "was inappropriately performing intelligence activities of developing, producing, and disseminating that should be performed by the intelligence community."

The report concluded that these "inappropriate" activities were authorized by Donald Rumsfeld, former secretary of defense, or Paul Wolfowitz, former deputy secretary of defense.

Furthermore, senior administration officials, including Vice President Cheney, made numerous public statements that reflected the views of the Feith alternative analysis, which were inconsistent with the analysis and judgments of the intelligence community. Indeed, Vice President Cheney said the principal Feith office assessment was the "best source of information" on the alleged relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

Those in the intelligence community who dissented found themselves wholly discredited by Libby, Cheney and officials in the Office of the President.

That is exactly what happened to Wilson's wife, covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, who worked in a division of the CIA that dealt with issues related to weapons of mass destruction. When Wilson went public in July 2003 with his criticism of the administration's use of pre-war intelligence, his wife's identity and undercover status were compromised.

Still, Libby and Cheney continued to hammer away at Wilson, for reasons unknown, days after Plame's name turned up in a newspaper column, and a week after the White House had acknowledged that the intelligence related to Iraq's attempts to acquire uranium from Niger was unreliable.

According to Libby's March 2004 grand jury transcripts, he said that Vice President Cheney discussed with him getting Wolfowitz to contact the Journal to leak the NIE as a way of undermining Wilson.

"After July 14, in that week, the Vice President thought we should still try and get the [NIE] out. And so he asked me to talk to the Wall Street Journal. I don't have as good a relationship with the Wall Street Journal as Secretary Wolfowitz did, and so we talked to Secretary Wolfowitz about trying to get that point across [to the Journal], and he undertook to do so," Libby testified.

Wolfowitz faxed the Wall Street Journal a set of "talking points" about the former ambassador that the paper's editors could use to discredit him in print, according to Libby's grand jury testimony, and then leaked to the paper a portion of the then-still-classified NIE that claimed Iraq did in fact attempt to acquire uranium from Niger. The Journal printed, verbatim, Wolfowitz's talking points in an editorial in its July 17, 2003, edition and then misled its readers about the source of the information.

According to the editorial, "Yellowcake Remix," the Journal said the data the newspaper received about Iraq's interest in uranium "does not come from the White House," despite the fact that Libby testified that he personally lobbied Wolfowitz to leak the NIE to the Journal, and that arguably Wolfowitz's position as Undersecretary of Defense made him a senior member of the Bush administration.

A spokeswoman for the Wall Street Journal said Saturday she was unfamiliar with the issue and was not interested in responding.

Jason Leopold is a former Los Angeles bureau chief for Dow Jones Newswire. He has written over 2,000 stories on the California energy crisis and received the Dow Jones Journalist of the Year Award in 2001 for his coverage on the issue as well as a Project Censored award in 2004. Leopold also reported extensively on Enron's downfall and was the first journalist to land an interview with former Enron president Jeffrey Skilling following Enron's bankruptcy filing in December 2001. Leopold has appeared on CNBC and National Public Radio as an expert on energy policy and has also been the keynote speaker at more than two dozen energy industry conferences around the country.

Published by permission from T r u t h o u t 2006

Sunday, February 11, 2007

THE WHITENESS OF UNIVISION AND TELEMUNDO



By Rafael Martínez Alequín

If Barack Obama becomes President, one of his first duties should be to declare a state of emergency integration at Univision and Telemundo TV. Both are large network conglomerates, broadcasting throughout the Spanish speaking world. Its programs include news and entertainment. However what it does not include are black Hispanics. At times, programming appears as a recreation of the Aryan Nation. The novelas (soap operas) often depict blacks and Indians in menial roles. The stereotypes of the fifties can often be seen here. The irony is that while Latinos continue to fight for representation in main stream media, we are discriminating against our own in Latin television. According to statistics, black Hispanics number approximately three million in the United States. That is approximately ten percent of the total Hispanic population. So, the excuse that qualified persons cannot be found does not apply. If we are ever to be accepted into main stream society, then our own institutions must be a reflection of that society. We are not living in the fifties of “Ricky Ricardo”. A sanitized Cuban married to a zany white red headed wife. Under the Univision code, even George Bush's Mexican nephew would be rejected. After all, he is unacceptably brown skinned.

The days of blond supremacy are over. The talent pool of black Hispanics is waiting to be tapped. If these stations plan to continue their policy of "No Blacks Need Apply", then they will reap the karma of discrimination.
The power of advertising rests in TV. But the power of legislation and boycott rests in the people. Where most television networks must provide community programming, Univision and Telemundo do not. Show me a community service program dealing with black Hispanics and I will show you my cat piloting a 747. The time has come for the unrepresentd viewers to challenge the license of this powerful Spanish media. Remember, it is the FCC, a federal agency that grants TV licenses. And remember that the dark skinned niece and nephew of the President of the United states are the people that you have excluded. We are watching you Univision and Telemundo, even when the remote is turned off.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

THE REAL LOSER: THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK STATE


by Rafael Martínez Alequín


The New York State Legislature today, clearly proved that they justifiably deserved, the acronym of the most dysfunctional legislative body in the country. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and his counterpart, State Senator, Joseph Bruno, inflicted a black eye not on Governor Spitzer, but on every taxpayer in the state.

The panel agreed to by both the speaker and the governor, chose three qualified persons with vast experience dealing with financial matters. However, the legislature overrode the former comptrollers, H.Carl Mcall, Ned Regan , and former New York City Comptroller (Then known as the Young Dynamo), Harrison Goldin.

If these three sages would have chosen, God, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the state legislature under the helm of Silver and Bruno, would reject them too, because no member of the legislature was recommended. Even if the former comptrollers had recommended a member of the assembly, for example, Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, she would be chosen over those recommended by the panel.

There is nothing to be said negatively about Mr.Thomas D’napoli. The newly anointed State Comptroller was an unknown obscure member of the assembly, until few days ago. The only people, who knew him beside his family were the members of the state legislature. He will have to answer only to Speaker Silver and company. The state residents don’t count.

The pundits say the Governor was the loser. In reality the biggest losers were the residents of this state. Governor Spitzer, is not. Now he most prove to the people that the culture of political chicanery, and corruption so prevalent in Albany will end .

Governor Elliot Spitzer has to review recent American political history. President F. Delano Roosevelt had his fireside chat with the American people. So, Spitzer needs to go directly to the people in order to reform the state government.

The governor as the State Attorney General, investigated the robber barons of Wall Street He was justifiably baptized as the “Sheriff of Wall Street. He won a reputation across this country for his excellent work. Now, as the pundits predict that he will encounter stumbling blocks in the budgetary process, he must take the “bull by the horns". And not allow him to be "bullied".

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

JUDY NATHAN AS FIRST "LADY"?


As former mayor Rudolph Giuliani slides into announcing his candidacy for president, his wife fades into the political scene. Yesterday's New York Post cover featured the two in a passionate lip lock. The cover feature detailed an upcoming article in Harper's Bazaar magazine. Judy Nathan, the subject of the article, talks about the romantic and virile Rudy. Now one could only wonder as to why we want to know about Rudy the Lothario. Is it titillating? Yes. But is it relevant to his proposed position as commander and chief. No.
What it is appears to be is a feeble public relations attempt to bolster his appeal to the female vote. But it is no more than a photo op at it's best and a portrait in poor taste at it's worst. Judy can play the seductress in New York, but that ticket will not sell in Idaho. Down in the Bible belt where girls are taking chastity vows,
they call women like Judy, Madame X. And if she doesn't show a more conservative image, we can call her Madame Hex. Presidential candidates and their wives are tied together at the hip. Even when their mates prefer to remain in the background, they are still under scrutiny. Sex sells. No doubt about it. But, the image of a testosterone fueled Rudy post prostate cancer is ponderable. And his wife marketing his virility is tasteless. This public relations faux pas will not get her a guest spot on Christian Brothers Network. T. Roosevelt said it best. “Walk softly and carry a big stick”. Rudy......are you listening?

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

RUDY WILL FORMALLY ANNOUNCE HIS RUN FOR PRESIDENT SATURDAY IN CALIFORNIA


By Rafael Martínez Alequín


Finally, to the “surprise” of New York’s political pundits, Rudy Giuliani has files a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. Sources close to the former mayor, hinted that Giuliani would announce his quest for the oval office next Saturday, February 10th, in California where he is slated to be the main speaker at State Republican Party soirée.

Those who have covered then Mayor Giuliani, know that Rudy, as a high school student in Brooklyn, had his sights set to be the first Italian –American President of the United States. However, during his tenure as mayor of the Big Apple, his presidential potential was sorely lacking.

He claims that he was responsible for decreasing crime in the city. However, it was during the Administration of Mayor David Dinkins, that crime began to decline. Dinkins, with the strong support of then City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, implemented the “Safe City Safe Street” program and crime began to decline.

Americans, outside of New York City know only one Giuliani, the Giuliani of 9/11. On September 10, 2001. Mayor Giuliani’s popularity in the city was lower than high tide in the Dead Sea . During his 8 years at the helm of the city, he refused to acknowledge the existence of elected Afro-American legislators and community leaders.

During his mayoralty, he and his Police Commissioner, Howard Safir, kept their eyes and ears closed to the heinous torture of Abner Louima by the New York police, as well as the unjustifiable killing of Amadou Diallo. When, the police killed a Black security guard named Patrick Dorismond,, Mayor Giuliani defended the police. He justified the killing of Mr. Dorismond in a news conference at City Hall, stating that Mr. Dorismond, as a juvenile, had a brush with the law. In a twist of irony, it would later be revealed by Village Voice investigative reporter, Wayne Barret, that the mayor's father was a guest of the State of New York’s prison system (Attica) for armed robbery. He was also a known enforcer for the mob.
American citizens must look at the Giuliani administration and the people he anointed as part of that administration. One needs to look at his police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, who is under investigation for dealing with individuals connected with the underworld. Kerik, with the blessing of Giuliani, was President Bush’s candidate to be the Homeland Security Secretary. The president withdrew his nomination after Kerik’s malfeasance began to unravel. Beside Kerik, many other Giuliani’s appointees are serving as guests of the criminal system, or are under investigation. There is the case of the son of Ray Harding. Harding, former head of the Liberal Party and a Giuliani mentor, called in his favors. Giuliani placed his son, Russell in a position as a housing czar. Having little experience in that position, he proceeded to reward himself through expense vouchers and pleasure himself through downloaded porn. All at the expense of New York City taxpayers. Thousands of dollars went into that payback. Harding was found guilty and conveniently tucked away in a psychiatric facility while Patrick Dorismond lay tucked away in his grave.

The good citizens of this nation must closely look at the Rudolph Giuliani before 9/11. A venue to see the Giuliani that New Yorkers already know is to read journalist Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins book “Grand Illusion” and watch Kevin Keating’s DVD, now on the market “Giuliani Times.” Perhaps then, they will get a glimpse of Rudy’s clay feet.
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Sunday, February 4, 2007

The Politic of Counterfeit Goods


Once again, fashion week is upon us. Talk of anorexia, Anna Wintour, and tulle are abundant. In a world where the ratio of body fat segways to the same of waist to hip measurements, there is a break in the mundane. Harper's Bazaar held a conference last week to discuss the issue of counterfeiting. On display were several stunning copies of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and other designer bags. The theme of the conference was how the counterfeiting industry is linked to terrorism. An absurdity as blatant as some of the clothes Harper portrays on it's cover. The concept of terrorists profiting from counterfeit designer goods is one that has been floated for a year or more. Terrorists also sell American cigarettes, condoms and viagra on the black market to line their coffers. When was the last time you heard Marlboro calling for an investigation of their cigarette buyers? The real impetus behind this poorly conceived "crackdown" is image and marketing. The designer lobby often sites the millions of dollars of lost revenue in counterfeiting. The logic fails in this argument. Any woman buying a knockoff Louis V for $50 could hardly afford the real deal for $500. Designers are more concerned about the Walmart shopper who ports her fake Gucci to the laundromat. The overweight, gum chewing, sneaker weraring model is not their idea of the ideal buyer. After all, the right look allows you to charge the "right money".....sometimes. Last year, the chief exec of Crystal champagne quipped that Rappers bring "unwanted attention" to the upscale brand. Well, JayZ, a multimillionaire rap mogul called for a boycott. The bling king switched his allegiance to Moet Chandon and Crystal went flat.

A cultivated image is the tool marketers use to enhance the value of the ordinary. But, one need only look behind that image to find that sometimes, it is just an illusion.

Fake Louis Vuitton bags are in abundance on Canal Street. Maligned for their attempt at the real thing. But, let us look into the history of Louis himself. A new book written by Stephanie Bonvicini details the nazi collaboration of Louis Vuitton during the war years in France. Louis Vuitton had a store on the ground floor of a fabulous property, the Hotel Du Parc, in Vichy where Petain, (French leader) set up his puppet government. The other shopkeepers, including Van Cleef and Arpels were forced to shut down. Vuitton was the only one allowed to stay. Vuitton's grandson, Gaston, the wartime head of the company had instructed his eldest son, Henry to forge links with the Petain regime to keep business going. Henry became a regular at a cafe frequented by the Gestapo and was one of the first Frenchmen to be decorated by the Nazi backed government for his loyalty to the regime. The Vuitton family even set up factories that manufactured some 2,500 artifacts glorifying Petain. And while French Jews were marched off to a horrible fate, the house of Vuitton continued to supply and patronize the nazi regime that helped them make lovely designer merchandise. Not only were the Vuittons admirers of the Nazi culture but also, the House of Prada.

Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada. When the Nazis swept thru Europe, Mario, according to his grandaughter was "fascinated" by Hitler's parades and obsessed with German culture. Miluccia Prada, now chief icon of Prada recalls photographs of her mother in Tyrolean dress and remembering how she and her brother and sister would dress in leather trousers or dirndl skirts. She still does when vacationing on the Italian lakeside. Miluccia, a former communist, designs today with an anti-bourgeois feel. Considering the income of the company, this would appear as an oxymoron.

Now speaking of contrasts, one should consider the price of Gucci goods with what the design magnate pays it's factory workers. Gucci, owned by Pinault Printemps and Redoute is the target of an international campaign. The focus is PPR's catalogue business which runs a series of mail order services thru out the world. The suppliers allegedly flaunt labor standards and are highlighted in a recent report by CFIE (Center for Information about the Enterprises) Suppliers in Bombay and the Phillipines are singled out as providing payment below wage. This is compounded with the thousands of African immigrants who flee their continent year after year to secure factory work in Italy. They assemble Gucci goods in factories, hoping for permanent visas. Many lose their lives on flimsy boats sailing to the Italian promised land. All to make a bag for a rich woman.

And while we are on the topic of rich women, one must examine the life of Coco Chanel. The Chanel label is frequently copied for it's design and prestige but it's origins are quite below par. Coco Chanel was born at the end of the nineteenth century. Her father, Albert Chanel was an itinerant market trader. At one point, he left behind his 19 year old pregnant girlfriend who would become the mother of Coco. Her parents finally married but her mother died at the age of 33. She spent time in an orphanage and at the age of 17 struck out for a career in show biz. She tried to sing but was better sewing costumes for those with a better voice. Through her show biz contacts and good looks, she managed to "farm" herself out to several male mentors. Nimble with the thimble and other skills, they bank rolled her until she rose to the fame and prominence that created the House of Chanel.

The counterfeit industry ia a growth business netting billions of dollars a year. It now boasts what is called a "super copy". In effect, the fake is better engineered than the original. Tradesman who are legitimately employed by the legitimate designers are marketing their skills to the higher counterfeit bidder. Thus, the link between terrorism and counterfeit merchandise is a tenuous one. It is multifaceted. As long as women will drop a thousand dollars and more on a handbag, the industry will continue to proliferate. Perhaps they are the real terrorists. The continue to feed a system that was built on supplying nazi regimes and exploiting the poor. The icons are built of clay feet that are masked in the adoration of those who rule by exclusion. Counterfeiting is not bad. It follows the old adage of "Imitation is the highest form of flattery".

LISTEN GORE: SOME INCONVENIENT TRUTHS ABOUT THE POLITICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS




by Mitchel Cohen


Al Gore's film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” raises the issue of global warming in a way that scares the bejeezus out of viewers, as it should since the consequences of global climate change are truly earth-shaking. The former Vice-President does a good job of presenting the graphic evidence, exquisite and terrifying pictures that document the melting of the polar ice caps and the effects on other species, new diseases, and rising ocean levels.

But, typically, the solutions Gore offers are standard Democratic Party fare. You’d never know by watching this film that Gore and Clinton ran this country for 8 years and that their policies — as much as those of the Bush regime — helped pave the way for the crisis we face today.

Gore never critiques the system causing the global ecological crisis. At one point, he even mourns the negative impact of global warming on U.S. oil pipelines. Oh, the horror! What it all comes down to, for Gore and the Democrats, is that we need to shift away from reliance on fossil fuels and tweak existing consumption patterns.

Even there, Gore and Clinton did nothing to improve fuel efficiency in the U.S. — a topic which Gore talks about in the movie without any hint that he’d once actually been in a position to do something about it. The question Gore poses is,Who can best manage the relatively minor solutions he recommends, the Democrats or Republicans? For Gore, it’s sort of “trust US, not THEM, to deal with this situation because they are liars and we're not.” Well, should we trust him?

As Joshua Frank writes, during the campaign for president in 1992 Gore promised a group of supporters that the Clinton-Gore EPA would never approve a hazardous waste incinerator located near an elementary school in Liverpool, Ohio, which was operated by WTI. “Only three months into Clinton’s tenure,” Frank writes, “the EPA issued an operating permit for the toxic burner. Gore raised no qualms. Not surprisingly, most of the money behind WTI came from the bulging pockets of Jackson Stephens, who just happened to be one of the Clinton-Gore’s top campaign contributors.”(1)

But failing to shut down toxic incinerators is just the tip of their great betrayal. In the film, Gore references the Kyoto Accords and states that he personally went to Kyoto during the negotiations, giving the impression that he was a key figure in fighting to reduce air pollution emissions that destroy the ozone layer. What he omits is that his mission in going to Kyoto was to scuttle the Accords, to block them from moving forward. And he succeeded.

The Clinton-Gore years were anything but environment-friendly. Under Clinton-Gore, more old growth forests were cut down than under any other recent U.S. administration. “Wise Use” committees — set up by the lumber industry — were permitted to clear cut whole mountain ranges, while Clinton-Gore helped to “greenwash” their activities for public consumption.

Under Clinton-Gore, the biotech industry was given carte blanche to write the US government’s regulations (paltry as they are) on genetic engineering of agriculture, and to move full speed ahead with implementing the private patenting of genetic sequences with nary a qualm passing Gore’s lips.

You’d think watching this film that Gore is just some concerned professor who never had access to power or held hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in Occidental Petroleum (driving the U’wa off their lands in Colombia), let alone was the Number Two man actually running the U.S. government!

“Gore, like Clinton who quipped that ‘the invisible hand has a green thumb, extolled a free-market attitude toward environmental issues,” writes Frank, who goes on to quote Jeffrey St. Clair: “Since the mid-1980s Gore has argued with increasing stridency that the bracing forces of market capitalism are potent curatives for the ecological entropy now bearing down on the global environment. He is a passionate disciple of the gospel of efficiency, suffused with an inchoate technophilia.”(2)

Before Kyoto, before the Clinton-Gore massive depleted uranium bombings of Yugoslavia and Iraq, before their missile “deconstruction” of the only existing pharmaceutical production facility in northern Africa in the Sudan (which exacerbated the very serious problems there, as we’re seeing in Darfur today), there was NAFÂTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. The task of Clinton-Gore was to push through this legislation which not even strong Republican administrations under Reagan or Bush Sr. had been able to do. Since its inception, NAFTA has undermined U.S. environmental laws, chased production facilities out of the U.S. and across the borders, vastly increased pollution from Maquilladoras (enterprise zones) along the U.S./Mexico border and helped to undermine the indigenous sustainable agrarian-based communities in southern Mexico — as predicted by leftists in both countries, leading to the Zapatista uprising from those communities on January 1, 1994, the day NAFTA went into effect.

Clinton-Gore also approved the destructive deal with the sugar barons of South Florida arranged by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, which doomed the Everglades. (In fact, Clinton was on the phone with Alfonso Fanjul, Jr., the chief of the sugar barons, while Monica Lewinsky was busy doing her thing in her famous blue dress under Clinton’s desk.)

Early in Clinton-Gore's first administration, they pledged they would stop the plunder of the Northwest forests, writes former Village Voice columnist James Ridgeway. “They then double-crossed their environmental backers. Under Bush Sr., the courts had enjoined logging in the Northwest habitats of the spotted owl. Clinton-Gore persuaded environmentalists to join them in axing the injunction. The Clinton administration went before a Reagan-appointed judge who had a record as a stalwart environmentalist and with the eco toadies in tow, got him to remove the injunction, and with it the moratorium on existing timber sales.”(3) Then Gore and Clinton “capitulated to the demands of Western Democrats and yanked from its initial budget proposals a call to reform grazing, mining, and timber practices on federal lands. When Clinton convened a timber summit in Portland, Oregon, in April 1994, the conference was, as one might expect, dominated by logging interests. Predictably, the summit gave way to a plan to restart clear-cutting in the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest for the first time in three years, giving the timber industry its get rich wish.”(4)

Gore and Clinton sent to Congress the infamous Salvage Rider, known to radical environmentalists as the “Logging without Laws” bill, “perhaps the most gruesome legislation ever enacted under the pretext of preserving ecosystem health.” Like Bush's “Healthy Forests” plan, the Clinton-Gore act “was chock full of deception and special interest pandering. ‘When [the Salvage Rider] bill was given to me, I was told that the timber industry was circulating this language among the Northwest Congressional delegation and others to try to get it attached as a rider to the fiscal year Interior Spending Bill,’ environmental lawyer Kevin Kirchner says. ‘There is no question that representatives of the timber industry had a role in promoting this rider. That is no secret.’”(5) What the Salvage Rider did was to “temporarily exempt ... salvage timber sales on federal forest lands from environmental and wildlife laws, administrative appeals, and judicial review,” according to the Wilderness Society — long enough for multinational lumber and paper corporations to clear-cut all but a sliver of the U.S.’s remaining old growth forests.

“Thousands of acres of healthy forestland across the West were rampaged. Washington’s Colville National Forest saw the clear cutting of over 4,000 acres. Thousands more in Montana’s Yak River Basin, hundreds of acres of pristine forest land in Idaho, while the endangered Mexican Spotted Owl habitat in Arizona fell victim to corporate interests. Old growth trees in Washington’s majestic Olympic Peninsula — home to wild Steelhead, endangered Sockeye salmon, and threatened Marbled Murrieta — were chopped with unremitting provocation by the US Forest Service.”(6)

The assault on nature continued with Gore’s blessing.

Around the same time, Clinton-Gore appointee Carol Browner, head of the EPA, was quoted in the NY Times as having said that the administration would be “relaxing” the Delaney Clause (named after its author, Congressman James Delaney, D-NY). Congress had inserted this clause into section 409 of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in 1958. It prohibited FDA approval of any food additive found to cause cancer in humans or animals. Alone among all food-related directives, this legislation put the onus on the manufacturers to demonstrate that their products were safe before they were allowed to become commercially available. (7) A federal appeals court in July 1992 expanded the jurisdiction of the Delaney Clause, ruling that it was applicable to cancer-causing pesticides in processed food. Browner retracted her comment, claiming she’d never said it, but the proof was in the pudding. The ban on cancer-causing additives (the “Precautionary Principle”) that had held through the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush, Sr. administrations was finally removed, not by the Republicans but by the Clinton-Gore administration. Instead of expanding the Delaney clause to protect produce and other unprocessed foods, the new Food Quality Protection Act legislation permitted “safe” amounts of carcinogenic chemicals (as designated by the Environmental Protection Agency) to be added to all food. (According to Peter Montague, editor of Rachel’s Weekly, “no one knows how ‘safe amounts’ of carcinogens can be established, especially when several carcinogens and other poisons are added simultaneously to the food of tens of millions of people.) Nevertheless, the Clinton-Gore administration spun this as “progress.”

The Clinton administration, with guidance from Gore’s office, also cut numerous deals over the pesticide Methyl Bromide despite its reported effects of contributing to Ozone depletion and its devastating health consequences on farm workers picking strawberries.

Much is being made these days about the need to save the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. But Clinton-Gore opened the National Petroleum Reserve — 24 million untouched acres adjacent to the refuge, home to a large caribou herd and numerous arctic species — to oil drilling. The chief beneficiary of this was Arco, a major ($1.4 million) contributor to the Democratic Party. At the same time, writes James Ridgeway, “Clinton dropped the ban on selling Alaskan oil abroad. This also benefits Arco, which is opening refineries in China. So although the oil companies won the right to exploit Alaskan oil on grounds that to do so would benefit national development, Clinton-Gore unilaterally changed the agreement so that it benefits China’s industrial growth.”(8)

Not once in the entire film does Gore criticize this awful environmental record or raise the critical questions we need to answer if we are to effectively reverse global warming: Is it really the case that the vast destruction of our environment that went on under his watch and, continuing today, is simply a result of poor consumer choices and ineffective government policies? Is the global environmental devastation we are facing today rectifiable with some simple tuning-up, as Gore proposes?

Neither he — as point man for the Clinton administration on environmental issues — nor Clinton-Gore’s Energy Secretary Bill Richardson (with major ties to Occidental Petroleum), nor the Democratic Party in general offer anything more than putting a tiny Band-Aid on the earth’s gaping wounds, which they themselves helped to gash open.

Clearly, the vast destruction of the global ecology is a consequence not just of poor governmental policies but of the capitalist system's fundamental drive towards Growth and what passes for Development — Grow or Die. Environmental activists won’t find in Gore the kind of systemic analysis that is needed to stop global warming. Instead, we need to look elsewhere for that sort of deep systemic critique.

NOTES

1.Joshua Frank, Counterpunch,May31,2006, http://www.counterpunch.org/frank05312006.html. Frank is the author of Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush, and edits www.BrickBurner.org

2. Jeffrey St. Clair, Been Brown So Long It Looked Like Green to Me: The Politics of Nature, Common Courage Press, 2004.

3. James Ridgeway, “Eco Spaniel Kennedy: Nipping at Nader’s Heels,” Village Voice, Aug. 16-22, 2000
4,5,6 Joshua Frank.

7. The battle over the Delaney Clause has been ably documented by Rachel’s Weekly, at www.rachel.org

8. Ridgeway, op cit.

Friday, February 2, 2007

THE 'N' WORD BUZZ AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH



By Eric K. Williams


The jury is out over whether a symbolic ban on the ‘N’ word will have a long lasting impact on New York’s youth. The jury is also out on just how committed those who appeared at a City Hall news conference are in supporting the call. Yet, one elected official is dead serious about stemming the long-term use of the word in popular culture, to a generation largely removed from the Civil Rights era.

More than a dozen civic leaders, elected officials and those in the entertainment industry joined Leroy Comrie, a New York City Councilman, on the first day of Black History month to press the point. It was an impressive list of public faces among those standing with Comrie at his City Hall news conference. That list included Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor; Manhattan and Queens Borough Presidents, Scott Stringer and Helen Marshall. At least ten City Council members stood with Comrie including David Welprin, Gale Brewer, Oliver Koppel and, Robert Jackson. One noted recording artist included Rap and Hip-Hop pioneer, Curtis “Blow” Walker. The symbolism of the announcement on the first day of Black History was not lost to those present.

Black History month, as it is commonly understood, is a period where the nation takes time out to learn of the contributions of one of America’s oldest ethnic groups. This “month of education,” Comrie argues, presents the perfect time for “re-education” about a word that is “horrible” whatever the intent may be.

Comrie (D-Queens,) a mild mannered man, was emotional in an interview on the subject hours before his council chamber presentation. He said he was aghast about the growing, and general use of the ‘N’ word in everyday public life and, also, in present day American society. His dramatic decision to introduce a symbolic city council resolution calling for a ban was one attempt, as he put it, “to re-take our children.” What was particularly perplexing to Comrie was the general acceptance and use of the word among the young. He took aim at those in the music and entertainment community that is, largely, dominated by Blacks. Comrie said that many of the city’s young, particularly Black and Latino youth, are confused about the word and, fail to understand that their self esteem is diminished whenever they use it. He said by going public with the ban he has hopes that the city’s youth would eventually “eliminate the word from their vocabulary.”

In recent months the move to participate in symbolic bans on the “N” word have gathered steam in several sectors, including commentary on the topic in the popular press. The New York Daily News columnists, Errol Lewis and Stanley Crouch, respectively, had written numerous segments criticizing Hip-Hop lyrics for use of the word. Lewis, more recently, had supported the move for a symbolic ban among artists and policy makers in a late December 2006 commentary. In at least a dozen American cities, including those with smaller Black populations, symbolic bans against the ‘N’ word has taken root. Efforts in cities such as Minneapolis, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon, led by Black elected officials first gained notice last Spring.

At Comrie’s news conference Jill Merritt and Kovon Flowers, founders of the Brooklyn-based “Abolish the ‘N’ Word Project,” spoke first. Merritt said that their fight “is not just a fight against a word but, a war against a mentality.” Use of the word re-enforces a mentality to accept less, rather than more, she said, adding that much is lost in self-pride and is counter to the interest of current day Black youth. Citing other world events from the slaughter of non-Muslims in Darfar, in The Sudan, to the national battle to stem the tide of AIDS, Merritt said the call by Comrie was a “giant step in the right direction,” to reverse a sorry trend.

Kurtis “Blow” Walker, a Hip-Hop pioneer of the genre, challenged the Rap and Hip-Hop generation to not only stop using the term, but to “try to see themselves differently.” To quit using the word, he said, is a positive step toward changing the mentality of the community.

Dennis Walcott, a surprise participant for a Deputy Mayor, took off his title and spoke from the heart, saying he is more than a deputy mayor and called himself “a man of the community.” He said that many who use the word don’t know the history of it, the origin, and how it’s use “goes to the heart of the person’s value of self, value of community and a person’s value of their worth.”

Richard Basciano, owner of the comedy night club the Laugh Factory, said he was ‘bursting with pride’ to be there and to take part in the symbolic ban on the word. It was in December when Michael Richards, the former television situation comedy actor who uttered the N word during a flagging performance at the comedy club’s Hollywood setting, that may have helped to generate momentum towards such calls for the ban. Basciano said that incident was “the kick-off” to eliminate use of the word at his Laugh Factory venues.

Nearly all who stood with Comrie spoke at the news conference. Of note, it included an emotional plea by Helen Marshall, the Queens Borough President, for young people to take time out to learn more about recent Black American History. Marshall attributed her rise in politics directly to the gains of the Civil Rights movement. She is the first African American woman to hold the post of Queens borough president in the City's history.

Until now, New York’s Black elected officials were among the last of those calling for a ban of the word in the nation’s big cities. It remains a controversial call and, it also raises constitutional questions over the right of freedom of speech. Comrie said that he plans to use the rest of February to visit city schools, discuss Black history and challenge students to write essays on the matter. The best of the finished essays would be read aloud at City Hall near the end of the month. A vote on his resolution after Thursday’s introduction to his council peers will likely come up at the next Stated Meeting.


Eric K. Williams is a reporter for Pacifica Radio's WBAI-FM and Executive Director of the International Access Networks, a web-based media center. Link to www.ifilm.com/video/2818928

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Bus Bust


The City of New York has devised a plan to save $12 million dollars. School bus routes have been cut where low turnout is perceived. Contrary to the City prediction, this plan has caused more chaos than cash. Children are now waiting far longer than usual for their buses and parents are forced to alter their work schedules to accomodate the new routes. When Mayor Bloomberg was asked at a recent press conference about children waiting for two hours for a bus, he bristled. Claiming that no child has waited that long, only to be proven wrong by a NY Post article the following day. Children as young as six years old have been given metro cards by their school and expected to ride the subway or bus by themselves. This is an outrage. Bloomberg has said all along that he wants his political legacy to be judged on what he did to reform education. Does that mean subjecting small children to the terror of fending for themselves? City officials have asked that the public call 311 if there was a problem. Well....not only did the public phone in but the calls relating to this problem topped off at 13,000. A three fold increase. Consider a single, working mother who has to juggle a job and getting two children off to school. The lack of bus service skews her schedule and forces her to take time off to get her children to school. This has a domino effect. If she cannot remedy the situation, she must quit her job. If she quits her job, then she falls back into the poverty cycle she left. Thus, a portion of the $12 mil that our mayor has saved, now reverts to this mother. Nothing is gained.....nothing.

The decision makers have yet to understand the implications of the stroke of a pen.
They live in a bubble of chauffer driven cars and paid expenses. A five minute alteration in the life of a single mother is a major shift in direction. Children left to fend for themselves are the objects of pedophiles and maturity that comes too early. This plan is a kneejerk reaction to a hole in some city accountant's ledger. The wheels on the bus should continue to go "round and round" mr. mayor.
And that is in every borough of New York City where a little child waits in the cold
for a ride to his future.