PRESORTED STANDARD PERMIT #3036 WHITE PLAINS NY
Vol. V No. XXVI
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Energy Independence Page 7
Northern Westchester Page 10
Parents Misbehaving Page 12
The Collapse Page 12
33 - 29
Page 18
Mayor and Boyfriend DPW Commissioner Robbin’ DA Hood By Sam Zherka, Page 15 westchesterguardian.com
No One Is Above The Law Page 20
Iran
Page 21
Woman President Page 22
Page 2
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
The Westchester Guardian
Of Significance Community Section....................................................................2 Hezitorial..................................................................................2 Eye on Theatre.........................................................................3 Books.........................................................................................5 Community...............................................................................6 Economic Development...........................................................6 Energy Issues............................................................................7 Legal.........................................................................................8 Ed Koch Movie Reviews..........................................................9 Music........................................................................................9 Northern Westechester...........................................................10 A Higher Power......................................................................10 The Spoof...............................................................................11 Sports......................................................................................12 Trend Alert.............................................................................12 Government Section................................................................13 Mayor Marvin........................................................................13 Economic Development.........................................................14 Investigation............................................................................15 Albany Correspondent...........................................................18 OpEd Section............................................................................19 Letters to the Editor...............................................................19 Ed Koch Commentary...........................................................21 Weir Only Human.................................................................22 Legal Notices.............................................................................23
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Guardian News Corp. P.O. Box 8 New Rochelle, New York 10801 Sam Zherka , Publisher & President publisher@westchesterguardian.com Hezi Aris, Editor-in-Chief & Vice President whyteditor@gmail.com Advertising: (914) 562-0834 News and Photos: (914) 562-0834 Fax: (914) 633-0806 Published online every Monday Print edition distributed Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday Graphic Design: Watterson Studios, Inc. wattersonstudios.co
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CommunitySection HEZITORIAL
In the Dead of Night and in the Light of Day By HEZI ARIS
Legislation demanded to set the City of Yonkers on a “balanced” course to win the validation of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s signature required almost two hours of hurry and wait protocol. The meeting that was called for 4:30 p.m. would not take place until approximately 7:15 p.m., Thursday night, June 23, 2011. At that propitious time, the Yonkers City Clerk read off the many “tweaks” demanded by the New York State Legislature. It took less than 10 minutes to read each clause and vote on same without a word of explanation, a congratulatory statement, a sigh of relief, or for anyone to pass gas, unless it was silent. None of the Yonkers City Councilmembers said anything. They held their backroom discussions while the audience laughed at one alleged fraud after another. It was hilarious. Then again, it was at the expense of Yonkersites. Things don’t seem to change much in Yonkers after all. Little is known of what was passed and / or what will win approval. No back-up or corroborating numbers were revealed. This would seem conduct anathema to open and transparent governance except when one recognizes that last year’s budget was not made available to be scrutinized for at minimum 7 months after being adopted by NYS Comptroller DiNapoli. In fact, would it surprise anyone that the document had to be stolen so an esoteric few could glean what was codified? No explanation was given; no explanation was offered; and no explanation was demanded from any
of the Yonkers City Councilmembers present. Only Councilwoman Joan Gronowski, having advised of her absence over one week prior, was absent for the vote. Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick refused to hold off the Thursday night meeting until Friday morning despite her request. One must infer Mr Lesnick incapable of managing to answer or get timely answers when asked by Ms Gronowski before a televised session. It doesn’t get sadder than this. Well, maybe it does. It seems Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone, at the behest of Mr Lesnick, had allocated a slot for a Democrat City Clerk position, the very one vacated by ill health a few years ago by Barbara Flatley. It seems the Democrats, Lesnick, Patricia McDow, and Wilson Terrero, were in sync to offer the coveted position worth $92,000 per annum to the termlimited Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Patricia McDow. Ms McDow commandeered the theft of services by parking her unlicensed, unregistered BMW for 6 years at the Buena Vista Parking Lot. Inspector General Dan Schorr asserts she is to complete paying a fine over the 2011 calendar year. He never did divulge the fine. The fine amounted to $350. The process for her theft of services is precluded in the Yonkers City Charter by noting that no elected official is privy to more than any Yonkersite. Ms McDow is undaunted by rules and / or regulations. She is the pay to play girl. Payola is her trade. By the end of the meeting, Mr Lesnick asserted the line for Democrat City Clerk was expunged from the FY 2011-12 Budget. In Yonkers, what one can expunge, may be returned later in another form. It is appalling
RADIO
Yonkers Mayoral Candidate Richard Martinello On the Level with Narog and Aris New Rochelle, NY—Yonkers mayoral candidate Richard Martinelli is co-hosts Richard Narog and Hezi Aris’ guest this Tuesday, June 21, 2011. The show is on the level, thereby its name: On the Level. The show is heard live from 10 - 11 a.m., on WVOX- 1460 AM on your radio dial and worldwide at www.WVOX.com.
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The Westchester Guardian
HEZITORIAL
In the Dead of Night and in the Light of Day to witness thieves at play; trying to outdistance public scrutiny, to squirm their will into a position for which they are not qualified and for which they will be handsomely paid. Once permitted to skirt public scrutiny, she will sit upon a legal mumbo jumbo to assert her right to the job. Should she gain employ by these deceptive means, shame on the voters for permitting their elected officials and the political party hacks to permit the cancer of deceit to continue to denigrate the City of Yonkers. I can hear the cackling in the background: “If she can get away with it, good for her!” Deception seems to have become Yonkers modus operandi under the likes of Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone. Mayor Amicone has won the silence and acquiescence of most Yonkers City Councilmembers who believe they are doing the right thing. How so? Do they know upon what they voted? If so, will they ever share their “knowledge” with the public, or will they continue to omit the facts, never advising the reprecussions of their ignorant and destructive actions Will they divulge that 25 firefighters will be hired only to be let go come January 2012 when the then deficit ridden City of Yonkers finds itself again under water? City Hall has designed it into their plot. The Financial Control Board will make itself known in 2012. Mayor Amicone bit the bullet on this one the Financial Control Board will come after his departure. Many Yonkersites welcome the prospect. That is why so many are stealing as much as they can now. The game will be over soon. If Comptroller DiNapoli validates the FY2011-12 Budget with an accompanying letter advising the issues he has with it, one may infer his office had underwritten the sham promoted by Mayor Amicone and his “yes” men. The best part of the 25 firefighters being hired is that one of them is the future
son-in-law of Yonkers Deputy Mayor William “Bill” Regan. It seems the entire Regan family tree has done well: Regan’s brother, Regan himself, Regan’s daughter, and now, the future son-in-law. After 21 people were clandestinely hired by City Hall about two weeks ago, Mr Regan was asked by Ms Gronowski whether there was intention to hire more employees. Mr Regan said, “No!” Another lie. When will it end? Is this what Yonkersites wants of their deputy mayor? It seems that is all they ever got from Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and his henchmen. The underhanded games and tricks and deceptions and quackery and waste of taxpayer money and theft of services and the intrusion of politics into business and governance and the friends and family network shenanigans continue to undermine a city whose residents deserve more, much more. One more sweet circumstance to put a smile on everyone’s face. Marty Peterson, one-time chauffeur for Mayor Amicone, after taking his civil service exam is now the City Hall Printer. Congratulations Marty. Thank Mayor Amicone and his staff for giving Mr Peterson the opportunity to take the Civil Service exam home to be filled out there. The venue may have been the impetus to bring his score to number 1. Yes folks, Marty Peterson is number 1 for being permitted to steal a position he pushed others out of contention for by his deceit. I hope everyone is laughing. Another concern Inspector General Dan Schorr is incapable of getting the facts. Oh, and please don’t involve the Ethics Board on this one Mr Schorr. They have a life for which your intrusion has become tiresome. I have been told that I should be reveling in learning of these dysfunctions. I should be laughing. Why do I feel only pain? When will it subside?
EYE ON THEATRE
Spouses and Other Relations By John Simon
In 2008, Michael Weller’s 50 Words featured a married New York architect, Adam Penzius, having an affair with an offstage married woman. Now we get that Midwestern woman, Melinda “Lindy” Metz, married to Hugh Metz, who runs a family bicycle-manufacturing business and is running also for political office.
Lindy, mother of two teen-age boys, is a bipolar charmer, medicinal pill popper, former poet and present Special Ed teacher. She and Hugh have a putatively functional marriage, though she will do odd things, such as leaving a dinner party by the political muckamuck sponsoring Hugh in mid-meal because she disapproves of the hosts’ reactionary attitudes. Long ago, the Metzes were globetrotting swingers, but now Hugh is struggling Continued on page 4
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
EYE ON THEATRE
Spouses and Other Relations THURSDAY Continued from page 3, APRIL 8, 2010 to make Lindy respectable, especially after he discovers her seeing Adam in New York, whether as friend or lover remains unclear. So we follow in this two-character play the tribulations of a marriage whose character can change in a trice from cozy and sexually fulfilling to fraught and sarcastic. Weller writes good dialogue both for the flighty and witty Lindy and the by now staid and often exasperated Hugh. In the background remain the Metzes two sons who prove a bit of a problem and, late in the play, a rather major one. The five scenes are supposed to take us to various seasons in the years as welll as in the marriage. Making some, though not full, use of this is David Auburn, who, after one very successful play (Proof ) has turned mostly director. Here he does move his characters around effectively, though he may have them sitteing side by side on
a center-stage couch facing the audience a bit too potatoishly. Fortnately for us, both actors are eminently goodlooking and talented, good company for each other onstage and for us in the audience. Joely Richardson, of the distinguished thespian clan, Is all too rarely seen on the New York stage. She is the ideal Lindy, in equal degree nervous and nervousmaking, enchanting and enraging. Supremely sexy and playful, she is tantalizing in her irresponsibility. The handsome, virile Cotter Smith compellingly conveys a man buffeted between love for his wife and frustration by her volatility. Making the most of parlous interplay, the couple hold our interest during the piece’s 85-minute duration that feels just right. I greatly admired the changes of Lindy’s hairdo from scene to scene, which Ms. Richardson matched with strikingly concomitant mood changes. Wit there is
Mission Statement
The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employed in, Westchester County. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise. Our first duty will be to the PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO KNOW, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate. From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
throughout, as well as some surprises. “How bad was I?” Lindy asks at one point; “on a scale of 99 to 100?” We sympathize with Hugh’s coming home with “pounding heart. I never know which Lindy I’ll find in my house.” And how well Hugh sums up their difference: “Some people scream when they hurt. Others . . . plan.” Beowulf Borrit has designed a most credible apartment and its dramatic changes; Wade Laboisonniere’s costumes have the proper, ever so slightly provincial elegance. Jeff Croiter’s versatile lighting clinches the seasonal atmosphere. Despite a reference to the title in the text, one is left a bit puzzled about it. Why side effects, when all the effects are perfectly direct with only soupcon of piquant ambiguity? I can’t say much for Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles, which strikes me very much as a case of having nothing to say and saying it all too well. Like the Weller play, this, too, has a tie-in to an earlier work of the author’s, After the Revolution, and this, too, is of infinetisimal interest. That play dealt with the descendants of thirties Jewish radicals in conflict with their elders; here we have the elderly lady of that play, Vera, turned 91 and grandmother to the quirky Leo, who drops in on her, his bike in hand, at 3 AM for no very good reason. True, his New York girlfriend Bec broke up with him, but he seems not to have biked the 4000 miles from Seattle merely to see her, and certainly hasn’t stopped in St. Paul to visit his hated mother and his adopted sister, Lily, for whom he harbors more than—or is it less than?—brotherly feelings. Again rejected by Bec, he drops in on Vera, his beloved granny. The play is chiefly about the warm but unstable relationship between Leo and Vera, a kind of odd couple, along with some minor side issues of even lesser interest.
The writing is mediocre, i.e., TV-style at most, and the whole thing comes off as a gratuitous exercise in advanced futility. There is a customarily fine performance from Mary Louise Wilson as Vera, even though saddled with innumerable “whaddayacallit”s, memory lapses more appropriate to Alzheimer’s, which, unlike the writing, is not the problem here. For similar humor, there is an irritating coeval woman friend across the hall, with whom Vera communicates only by telephone. A no less desperate attempt, albeit at drama, is the story of the demise of Leo’s bicycling partner and pal midway through their crosscontinental trip. It is doled out in supposedly suspenseful installments, merely to relate a freak accident second only in credibility to bubonic plague. The one sure-fire thing here, besides Ms. Wilson, is Lauren Helpern’s fascinating Greenwich Village pad set, providing us with what little relief there is from the tedium of the play. A mile, we are told, is as good as a miss; just try to imagine what 4000 are good as. John Simon has written for over 50 years on theatre, film, literature, music and fine arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, New Criterion, National Review,New York Magazine, Opera News, Weekly Standard, Broadway.com and Bloomberg News. He reviews books for the New York Times Book Review andWashington Post. He has written profiles for Vogue, Town and Country, Departures and Connoisseur and produced 17 books of collected writings. Mr. Simon holds a PhD from Harvard University in Comparative Literature and has taught at MIT, Harvard University, Bard College and Marymount Manhattan College. To learn more, visit the JohnSimonUncensored.com website.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Please submit your Letter to the Editor electronically, that is by directing email to WHYTeditor@gmail.com Please confine your writing to between 350 and 500 words. Your name, address, and telephone contact is requested for verification purpose only. A Letter to the Editor will be accepted at the editor’s discretion when space permits. A maximum of one submission per month may be accepted.
The Westchester Guardian
BOOKS
The Retired (Try To) Strike Back: Chapter 10 – The Encounter By ALLAN LUKS “I’m having a cup of coffee in this mostly empty, small coffee shop in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. I’m reading the weekly newspaper, and at the next table there’s a woman, still attractive, late sixties, about our age—and she introduces herself, says she’s a widow from Boston who has a vacation home in the area. “I tell myself she’s not aggressive but showing a friendliness that comes from the fresh Berkshire air. I explain that I’m with four couples visiting here, and this morning we’re walking around on our own. We talk a little, but when I mention I was a social worker before retiring, her eyes pop out and she moves her chair to my table—“ “Cut. That’s good, Steve,” says Bob, the film’s director, as he steps away from the camera. “Your meeting this woman yesterday was lucky. It gives us a real-life scene for our film.” The four couples, although on vacation, are continuing to work on their motivational movie, The Retired Person’s Dating Film. Two of the couples have second homes in the Berkshires, and each is hosting another couple. In the large stone basement of Myron’s old home, Steven sits facing the camera. He’s behind a small table with a cup of coffee on it, which is supposed to resemble the coffee shop he was in yesterday. Bob waits next to the camera, and the six other friends sit behind him. Bob says, “O.K., Steve, camera’s on again, Take Two, the Berkshire Encounter—“ “She tells me she’s a widow, her husband owned a business in Boston. Then several years ago she met a lawyer, a widower, a handsome man, and she moved into his home in Boston. They both have married children who were glad their parents were no longer living alone. “About six months ago, he came down with a major illness. The man’s health and his money are steadily deteriorating. “Last month she moved out and took her own apartment in Boston. She said she couldn’t take the stress of living with him. He keeps calling her to come back. “She looks at me, and then says these are her final years and she should
enjoy them as much as possible. That’s her right. Except she keeps questioning whether she might be happier with him than living alone. “She’s seen a psychologist in Boston, but still doesn’t know what to do. She told me: ‘A social worker is supposed to know how to help someone with their responsibilities to themselves and others. What’s the right decision for me?’” Steven pauses, rubbing his face, a habit he developed as a long-time social worker to show he struggles when advising people. “I told her that she has to get in touch with all her feelings, and then weigh them and decide if living alone or with him gives her the better sense of who she wants to be in her final years. That’s sort of a daily analysis. She needs to do it until she has an answer. “To help her, I threw out a few statistics. I told her that eighty percent of people over sixty-five have at least one chronic health condition. And on a smaller scale, as we get older, we lose thousands of taste buds and our sense of smell decreases. I said I believed that this breaking down, in big ways and small ways, was built into us as we got older as a reminder that time was running out and it was our last chance to get things right. I told her, if she did the daily weighing, I believed she’d soon know what’s right for herself. “But she just asked me, ‘How much time does soon mean at your age?’ “When someone our age asks you that, you quickly think of your own questions, you know—“ “Understood, and that’s good enough, Steve,” says Bob. He turns around, the director looking at his long-time friends, waiting in the old stone basement. Allan Luks is a nationally recognized social works leader and advocate for volunteerism. He is the former head of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of New York and is currently a visiting professor at Fordham University, where he teaches several courses in nonprofit leadership. You can learn more about Allan Luks at http://allanluks.com.
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
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THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
Community young girls self esteem and leadership skills; Sound Shore Medical Health Initiative, local businesses in the which works in partSound Shore communership with Sound nity and beyond. Shore Medical Center The evening to raise awareness on raised over $40,000 diabetes prevention to further help and which recently JLWOS continue completed the renovatheir mission of tion of several nurses improving the Sound lounges and a pediShore community atric wing; Project through projects (R-L): Amanda Schlumberger, Mayor Madres, which such as S.M.A.R.T of Larchmont, Joshua Mandell, Victoria works with Spanishgirls, a partnership Maggard, and Christa Lauri. speaking immigrant with the Boys and mothers to improve Girls Club of New Rochelle to improve confidence and self-esteem and in addition
JLWOS Celebrated 60 Anniversary with Fundraising Gala th
LARCHMONT, NY -- The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound ( JLWOS) commemorated its 60th anniversary with a fundraising gala on Friday, June 10 at the Larchmont Yacht Club. With over 200 guests in attendance, including the Mayor of Larchmont, Josh Mandell, the evening was a fabulous success. Mayor Mandell kicked off the celebration with a proclamation declaring it “Junior League of Westchester on the Sound Day.” Guests sipped mojitos, enjoyed Cuban food and music, and bid on silent auction items with amazing items donated from
to all of these, there are several “done in a day” projects to benefit local charities. JLWOS announced earlier this month that in celebration of the 60th Anniversary, it awarded $60,000 in grant money to twenty organizations in the Sound Shore community, including County Harvest, The New Rochelle Campership Fund and the Pregnancy Care Center. A full list of grant recipients can be found at www. jlwos.org. Founded in 1950, JLWOS is celebrating its 60th anniversary of service to the Sound Shore community. JLWOS is comprised of women from Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye and Rye Brook. If you are interested in joining or learning more visit www.jlwos. org.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Consultant vs. Resident
by the consultants; they assert over-night permits could be issued for offstreet parking lots. Further, they espouse residents be pushed “into off-street lots” using variable rates and time limits. The three lots mentioned were the Division Street, Prospect Street, and Maple Avenue parking lots. Street parking is presently restricted to a two hour limit until 6 p.m with free parking thereafter. The consultants suggest street parking meters be reprogrammed to allow for a four hours maximum duration after 6 p.m. The consultants further promote using the south Library and Avalon lots, along with the three previously mentioned, be used overnight from 6 p.m. to 8 or 9 a.m., upon the purchase of a parking permit at a suggested cost of $20 per month. An audit to identify where more street parking meters could be installed was also suggested. A profit and loss statement for each parking lot as well as a Parking Advocacy Committee (PAC) was recommended. The PAC would be used promoted as a forum for residents to mitigate what some define as an “us against them” demeanor and mindset. Signage and lighting would need to be improved. Both consultants believe parking enforcement is key to the success of their respective recommendations. Mayor Noam Bramson asked if they had specifics; and what the rate structure should be. Mayor Bramson noted these questions went to the ability of the City Council to delve and react to the suggestions. It was decided the consultants would be invited to return again toward the end of the month. Councilman Richard St. Paul found “little effect” to the changes in parking
Who Knows New Rochelle Better? By PEGGY GODFREY A parking survey taken over three different days, two of which were taken during pouring rain, found metered on-street parking spaces in New Rochelle’s downtown were “full.” “Full” is defined by Jim Zullo of Tim Haas and Associates as beyond 85% occupancy. Zullo and another consultant, Lawrence Bier, conducted the study for the New Rochelle City Council and the New Rochelle BID (Business Improvement District). Their recommendations included gearing up to use cell phones with which to make meter payments and / or by using credit cards. Police advise they can now identify scofflaws and stolen vehicles with a license recognition machine while within their vehicles driving by. The concept of shared parking, to maximize parking availability has been suggested
enforcement hours postulated by the consultants. He took the consultants’ assertions to task by countering that night-time parking regulations are being enforced. When the consultants surveyed The Prospect Street lot, they found the building side had three rows of cars “inundated with permit parkers” but no users at the far end near Prospect Street. Councilman Al Tarantino wanted to know how difficult it would be to implement the consultants’ plans and was advised, “enforcement was needed.” Bramson proposed getting parking figures for the Prospect Street lot. When Chuck Strome, City Manager, was asked about the study, he said, “the City and the Business Improvement district jointly commissioned the parking study to look at our downtown situation. We look forward to the final report and drafting an implementation plan based on their recommendations.” The Westchester Guardian approached Councilman Lou Trangucci after the meeting to be advised he had voted against the resolution for the parking charges in the lots at night. “This study was handed to the Councilmembers the same night as the meeting,” noted Trangucci. “I want to run some of this information past my constituents.” Trangucci noted one south end resident in his district who wants to know why all these fees and charges should fall on the south end of the city? The resident had emphasized to Trangucci that North end residents do not have people parking on their streets the way we do and we don’t have a lot of places to park to begin with. Gary Torigian, an owner of Spectators, expressed concern with the recommendations to extend the street parking metered hours at night. He said, “With the times as bad as they are, this would be a tax on our customers.” At this point we “can’t even draw
New Rochelle residents down here.” He continued, that surrounding communities form a contrast to New Rochelle. Eastchester and Larchmont have free parking. Rye’s paid parking ends at 6 p.m.. Comparing New Rochelle to White Plains is not realistic. White Plains has many working people during the day but New Rochelle will need to get workers to support its businesses. “I am not negative, just realistic.” Bob Arnold’s heritage spans back to 1845 as a property owner in New Rochelle. He said, “I don’t think it is right to have to pay to use a public street to park. Years ago you used to have to pay a toll on the Hutchinson and Merritt Parkways. People complained and they took the barriers down. We don’t need any additional parking meters. Why should Avalon get a 30 year tax abatement and Cappelli get any tax abatements when he’s not building anything?” “Who was the genius that changed the regulations in the public lots,” questioned George Imburgia, who believes the regulations should be reverted to what they were so people could park free overnight. “I live next to the Maple Avenue Parking Lot - all of which is visible from my window. There are about l0 cars at meters at night, most of the lot is empty which means people are parking elsewhere, probably on the residents’ streets. I think in these difficult economic times, the people should not have this burden on their backs. Make New Rochelle a City that has consideration for the average person. Who knows better, the citizens of New Rochelle who live here, or the consultants who don’t live here?” Peggy Godfrey is a freelance writer and former educator.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
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ENERGY ISSUES
Energy Independence; Jobs within Reach By MATT BARBER and JARED BARBER Fuel prices got you down? Need a job? Well, prepare to unlearn everything you’ve learned about domestic energy production. Don’t ever let another green “warmer” tell you, “We can’t drill our way out of this mess.” That’s a lie. Contrary to environmentalist talking points, we know that by conservative estimates, the United States enjoys three times the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, we have enough natural gas reserves to last nearly a century. Let that sink in. Developing these resources could create nearly a million jobs and pump revenue into a desperately deflated economy. Imagine an America no longer forced to rely for our key energy supplies upon those who would just as soon see us dead. If President Obama and the alarmist green lobby would simply get out of the way, we even might use our wealth of resources as a bridge to cleaner, renewable energy sources, creating jobs and boosting the economy along the way. Everyone wins. Consider that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are as many as 1.8 trillion recoverable barrels of oil in the Green River Formation in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming alone. This is in the form of oil shale - organic-rich rock from which oil and gas can be extracted. A more conservative estimate by the Rand Corp. puts it at 800 billion barrels. To put this in perspective, the United States has 75 percent of the world’s oil shale, and those 800 billion barrels represent more than three times the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia. The Rand study, conducted in 2005, predates recent advances in shale-oil extraction, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking). These are revolutionizing oil and gas production. Environmentalist naysayers simply have it wrong. It won’t take decades to tap this oil. In fact, we can produce enough oil to free ourselves entirely from foreign oil imports in the next 10 years. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) supplies more than a third of our oil. Why? We have all we need and more. Yet Mr. Obama fatalistically projects that via a combination of natural gas use
and oil drilling, we can only reduce our foreign oil imports by one-third by 2025. In reality, we can reduce them by half in just five years. Still, in his trademark fashion, this president says one thing and does another. He has aggressively rescinded policies enacted by his predecessor to encourage drilling, making it extremely difficult for independent companies to get leases on federal lands, where roughly 65 percent of this oil lies. This means fewer jobs, greater foreign fuel dependency and a weaker economy. Natural gas is another part of the solution. It’s a cheap, clean-burning fuel source and, according to a 2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, it lies within our borders in 92 years’ worth of rich abundance. Here’s the problem: Most of this natural gas is accessible only via fracking. In Colorado, for example, 90 percent of gas wells require fracking. The technique, which occurs thousands of feet below ground, involves pumping a solution of water, sand and .5 percent lubricating chemicals at high pressure to create cracks in the rock that will allow oil and gas to flow out and be collected. Yet, where free-market innovation and progress occur, Berkeley-type liberals are sure to tread. A huge anti-fracking lobby has emerged, asserting - against all the evidence - that fracking is harmful to the environment (mustn’t disturb the Sugarloaf tree). The lobby’s primary claim is that fracking contaminates groundwater - a claim refuted by Mr. Obama’s own head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson, who recently admitted, “I am not aware of any proven case where the fracking process has affected water.” Yet the anti-frackers demand that this clean, safe technology be banned or at least regulated into nonviability. When greenie activists say “jump,” Mr. Obama asks “how high?” His administration’s regulatory heavy-handedness has rendered 90 percent of this natural gas and oil inaccessible. According to studies by Penn State and the energy consultant Wood Mackenzie, if the president would back-off The frack-off and allow those who actually produce something to use these fantastic new oil and gas technologies, more than 800,000 new jobs would
materialize quickly. Imagine an immediate need for natural gas vehicles and new natural gas power plants. Someone has to build them. Every drilling project stimulates the local economy as landmen, roughnecks and drilling crews fill hotels and restaurants and shop locally with their honorably earned greenbacks. According to an ICF International study, the industry could produce nearly $2 trillion in government revenue as well through lease payments, royalties and taxes. Billions more would stay here at home that would otherwise go overseas to OPEC and other foreign oil interests. Over the years, the left has successfully seeded major misconceptions about the “Big Oil” boogeyman. The fact is that hundreds of small, independent oil companies help supply the country with energy. They pump millions into the economy through private and government leases and royalty payments. They employ hundreds of thousands of Americans. Economist Peter Ferrara, writing recently in Forbes magazine, observed, “While [Ronald] Reagan used to say that his energy policy was to ‘unleash the private sector,’ Obama’s energy policy can be described as precisely to leash the
private sector in service to [his] central planning ‘green energy’ dictates.” Mr. Obama, tear down this leash. Who knows - Brazil and Saudi Arabia might actually become two of our “best customers.” Matt Barber is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.) Jared Barber, Matt’s brother, is an Independent Petroleum Landman working in the Oil and Gas industry. He is a member of the AAPL.
Page 8
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
ENERGY ISSUES
Fukushima: The Nail in the Coffin of Nuclear Power? By Abby Luby The horrendous nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi plants in March 2011 was one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents since the 1986 meltdown at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in the Ukraine. Horrific images from Japan monopolized the news from huge explosions, raging fires and nightmarish evacuees swathed in face masks. Three of the four Dai-Ichi plants had core meltdowns and days later experts reported that airborne radioactive dust had reached the United States. Fukushima makes real the dangers of nuclear power and a stunned world reacted. Many governments took action to either close their aging nuclear power plants or stop the construction of new ones. In Germany the coalition government decided that all 17 of their nuclear power plants would be closed by 2022 and one of Germany’s oldest and largest nuclear facilities, RWE, permanently shut down just last week, caving to political pressure. Joining RWE in shutting down a plant was the utility company Vattenfall Europe. In Italy, a national referendum saw voters overwhelmingly repeal legislation that would allow the construction of new reactors. Switzerland is planning to phase out their reactors; the newer plants expect to be in operation until 2034 and all proposals for new plants will be turned down. Mexico is also considering taking similar action.
Producing electricity from nuclear power is fast becoming unpopular, says a recent Ipsos/Reuters poll. The feedback from almost 19,000 people from 24 countries is that the preferred sources of energy are solar, wind, hydroelectric power, natural gas and coal. Since Fukushima, 62 percent of people around the globe oppose nuclear energy. Despite Fukushima, other countries are moving ahead with nuclear power, including China, England, India and the United States. China is testing some 28 plants now under construction and wants to have 100 plants up and running by 2020. England just announced last week that it plans to build eight new nuclear power plants and India has a new plant whose construction is slated to start in two years. Here in the United States the nuclear power renaissance that was in full swing before Fukushima has slowed. The Obama Administration was pushing for an additional $36 million in loan guarantees to sweeten the deal to encourage utility companies to build more nuclear power plants. Some plants that were slated to receive those loans have now been mothballed. There are, however, new reactors in Georgia and South Carolina poised for construction, pending regulatory approval and financial backing. In Georgia, utility giant Southern Company, who already has two reactors at their Vogtle plant, has been awarded $8.3 billion of guaranteed federal
loans to build two more reactors, scheduled to go on line in 2016. Although the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has yet to approve Southern’s application, construction has already started on the site. In South Carolina, SCANA Corporation plans to build two reactors at their Summer nuclear station near Jenkinsville, targeting 2016 as the year to first produce electricity. But do we need all the electricity produced by nuclear power? A United Nations panel on climate change said that almost 80 percent of the world’s energy supply could be met by renewable energy sources by mid-century. Another study by the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions report that nine out of 10 businesses and 70 percent of consumers have set goals to lower their electricity costs. The report also said that nearly a third of companies polled have goals to self-generate electricity, whether through solar panels, reuse of wasted heat or other methods. The Energy Information Administration recently reported that the demand for electricity is down from 2.4 percent a year in the last ten years. The decreased demand was attributed to lowpower processors, smarter manufacturing plants, rooftop solar panels and other, alternative technologies that keep usage down. Here in Westchester, studies find electricity demand is down, decreasing the usage from the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Although the plant’s owner, Entergy,
has applied to extend their operating license for another 20 years, until 2035, the utility company has dropped the output of Indian Point from 875 megawatts in 2010 to 360 megawatts in 2011. The twin reactors at Indian Point produce 2,100 megawatts but Entergy has been selling most of the electricity on power grids serving New England, New York, Mid-Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario. Only about four percent of power from Indian Point feeds Westchester and in New York City. Since Fukushima, the groundswell of the anti-nuclear movement has grown against the continued operation of Indian Point and other, similar aging power plants around the country. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in reviewing applications for re-licensing, has said they are adding another level of oversight since Fukushima, which includes an in-depth safety review of all 104 commercial reactors in the United States. The report is due out in early summer. The NRC has never denied an application for a license extension, but many organizations have contested Entergy’s application with a long list of strong contentions. Most notably, wanting to shutter the plant is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State’s Attorney General’s office. It remains to be seen if the NRC will take the lessons learned from Fukushima and apply them going forward. “Abby Luby is a freelance writer in Westchester and the greater New York City area. Her new novel about nuclear power, “Nuclear Romance” is expected out in eBook format by the end of the summer, 2011.
LEGAL
Statement on Behalf of the Family of Charles Campbell
more than anything they are sadly reflecting upon the behalf to the decision issued today by the Family of Dobbs Ferry Deli Shooting fact that Charles will never New York State Court of Appeals. Victim Responds to New York’s Highest return to them and the man “The family is thankful that the Court Unanimously Affirming Murder who senselessly shot him murder conviction of Richard D. Conviction of Richard Diguglielmo will be separated from his DiGuglielmo was unanimously affirmed “We have been asked by the family family and friends for many today by New York’s highest court. But of Charles Campbell to respond on their more years. When Charles was Before speaking to the police... call alive he spent a lot of his time working George Weinbaum with troubled kids ATTORNEY AT LAW to help them learn to FREE CONSULTATION: make wiser choices. Criminal, Medicaid, Medicare His family hopes that Professional Dominican Fraud, White-Collar Crime & Hairstylists & Nail Technicians something construcT. 914.948.0044 Health Care Prosecutions. Hair Cuts • Styling • Wash & Set • Perming tive will come from Pedicure • Acrylic Nails • Fill Ins • Silk Wraps • Nail Art Designs F. 914.686.4873 Highights • Coloring • Extensions • Manicure • Eyebrow Waxing his death, and Mr. Yudi’s Salon 610 Main St, New Rochelle, NY 10801 914.633.7600 175 MAIN ST., SUITE 711-7 • WHITE PLAINS, NY 10601 DiGuglielmo’s
imprisonment, if they serve as a lesson to young people to think about the consequences of their actions before acting out of anger. “The family wants to thank everyone who has shared with them their love, support and prayers over these many difficult years. Finally, they express their gratitude to the Dobbs Ferry police department and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their efforts to see that justice was done in this case.” Randolph Mclaughlin and Debra Cohen have been the Campbell Family attorneys for the past fifteen years.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
Page 9
MOVIE REVIEW
Ed Koch Movie Reviews By Edward I. Koch
Movie Review: “The Trip” (+)
Stilley), is in the U.S. pursuing her acting career and unable to join him, he invites his friend, Rob (Rob Brydon), to travel along. When Steve tells him that the paper will pay for everything plus a stipend which he will share 60-40, Rob, a happily married man with an infant, agrees to go. I immediately expected a
road trip with lots of adventures to follow but, in fact, the picture is almost entirely made of up of conversations between the two friends and their efforts to outdo one another in their word games and jousting. They are both wonderful impersonators and often mimic British actors like Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Ian McKellen and Benny Hill.
My own recollection is that American road-trip and malebonding films are generally more exciting than British movies of the same genre, but this one will charm the shoes off your feet, although there are many droll moments. Manohla Dargis gave “The Trip” a superb review in the Times. I wouldn’t go that far, but it is definitely worth seeing.
Movie Review: “Submarine” (-)
infatuated with a more mature classmate, Jordana (Yasmin Paige), who is clearly the more aggressive when it comes to their first kiss. The Welsh country and seaside scenes are very appealing. However, Oliver’s problems had little impact on me, and I found the film to be pointless. Adolescents would probably
identify with Oliver and Jordana and enjoy their emotional ups and downs, but I did not. The Times reviewer A.O. Scott and I are on the same page regarding this picture, he perhaps liking it a bit more than I. He wrote: “‘Submarine is an important film. Watch it with respect,’ an introductory note from this peculiar,
engaging young man suggests. After obeying the second part of that message, I can’t quite agree with the first, which I doubt was meant entirely in earnest. Significance can be overrated, and Submarine makes the most of his whimsical triviality.”
This British film, based on a BBC2 television series, is filled with marvelous banter. Steve (Steve Coogan) is hired by a London newspaper to review several restaurants in northern England. Because his girlfriend, Mischa (Margo
The main character in this coming-of-age film is Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-yearold Welsh boy who lives with his family in a seaside town. Oliver appears to be bullied by his schoolmates. He becomes
Watch Ed Koch’s Movie Revies at www.MayorKoch.com.
MUSIC
THE SOUNDS OFBLUE By Bob Putignano
Soulive “Bowlive-Live at the Brooklyn Bowl” DVD MVD Visual
Solid Live Set, guests Trucks, Haynes, Robert Randolph, Ivan Neville and more!” What a great concept having this soul-funk band Soulive in residency for two weeks at the newly opened Brooklyn Bowl, and bringing in a bevy of guests sitting in. Guests range from hip-hop stars Questlove (who’s excellent,) and Rahzel, to more roots oriented names like Derek Trucks with Susan Tedeschi, Warren Haynes, Ivan Neville, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, plus Robert Randolph. Soulive is a rocking soul-jazz trio with Eric Krasno’s guitar, (and the two brothers Evans,) Alan on drums, and Neal on keyboards. Soulive has been around since
the late nineties, they have ten albums credited to their name, and five (raw) live recordings that they released as well. Continued on page 10
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Page 10
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
MUSIC
Soulive “Bowlive-Live at the Brooklyn Bowl” Continued from page 9 The many highlighted guests include the very talented vocalist Nigel Hall who nicely tackles JB’s “Soul Power,” and “Give It Up, Or Turnit a Loose.” Hall stays on with Ivan Neville for a cool rendition of “Jesus Children of America” that prances to the mode of Sly Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay.” The other brothers: Oteil and Kofi Burbridge set a mesmerizing groove on Oteil’s “Butter Biscuit.” A glazed eyed Robert Randolph talks backstage about the merits of Soulive, (but in one segment)
is only given a short (one minute) spot performing Stevie Ray Vaughan’s gorgeous “Lenny.” Tedeschi and Trucks solidly cover an extremely soulful take of King Curtis’ “Soul Serenade” with lyrics. Warren Haynes tears down the house ala Albert King on “Born Under a Bad Sign.” Which (by the way;) was authored by the Stax duo of William Bell and Booker T. Jones, where Albert cut it at Stax. Even with all of the guests, let’s not take away from the virtues of Soulive, Alan Evans is a killer drummer, Krasno guitar is spot on
throughout and shows how wide ranging his playing is, and Neal Evans is monstrous on various keyboards, and handles the bass parts with ease and creativity. The overall production values of this DVD is good, but could have been better, as the only audio offered is via Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, but it does sound clear and punchy. The widescreen picture is sharp and the cameraman also provided some interesting close ups during most of the important and fascinating solos. This DVD also has an extremely nice feature, that being that it can be watched in two modes, “Play Movie (With Interviews,)”
and “Play Movie (Without Interviews.) DVD producers take notes! Fans of soul, funk, jazz and blues will enjoy this unique genre stretching video. Kudos to those involved for making this DVD, they obviously put forward a lot of good effort getting all of the guests together, and none of it sounds like a train-wreck! But there’s one piece missing; there’s no internal booklet included, and the only informational notes derive from the outer box, no track listing either, what’s up with that?
Westchester teens 15 and older on July 2nd, call 914-358-3613 for details. The Peekskill Farmers’ Market is now open for the season, so go out there and buy yourself a “farmer,” just kidding…the market is open every Saturday 8:30am to 2pm on Bank Street. Not sure what to make of this… Bedford’s Martha Stewart has added to her media empire with, believe it or not, her own comic book, “Female Force: Martha Stewart.” Maybe, I’ll start my own “Male Force, Mark,” or maybe not… The Hammond Museum has a new exhibit featuring diverse works by the member artists of the New York Society of Women Artists entitled “Heart of the Artist,” for more information call 914-669-5033. Registration has begun for The Country Academy of Dance in Yorktown Heights; the summer session runs July 5th through August 29th. Learn Tap, Jazz and my favorite Hip-Hop; call 914-245-8606 for more information. Are you still looking for something to do with your scoundrels this weekend? You should consider sailing down to Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown for the historic re-enactment of Pirates on the Hudson from Saturday July 2nd to Monday July 4th. The Siege of Sleepy
Hollow features musical pirates, belly dancers and scallywags of all sorts bringing mayhem and merriment! There will be feasting available prepared by Tastefully Yours and grog provided by the Captain Lawrence Brewery. Tickets are $7 to $16 and must be purchased in advance. Call (914) 631-8200 or visit the Historic Hudson website. This idea almost makes me wish I still had someone in diapers!... The Katonah Museum of Art is inviting new parents, grandparents and caregivers to engage, connect and explore the ideas inspired by their latest exhibition “Double Solitaire”. These Stroller Tours are designed for adults with children under 2 years old on Friday mornings July 15th, August 12th, and September 16th from 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Call the museum at 914 232-9555 for more info. As July 4th approaches, let’s take some time to honor and thank our brave armed forces all over the world, who everyday risk their lives to protect us and give this great country our freedom… Happy Independence Day to our soldiers, their families and to all of you… see you next week! If you have an event or story you would like mentioned in this column, please mailto:marsar@optonline.net.
was unexpected but it was from a family member. Good old Uncle Sam sent me an epistle this past week. I was anxious to see how he was getting along. I hear all these rumors, you know, but it is good to hear straight from the donkey’s mouth. When I opened the letter it was not a personal letter. It was addressed to me, all right, and it had to do with personal matters, of a sort. But he was not chatting
about what he was up to these days. Rather, it was a request for money. It seems that way back in the year of our Lord 2003, there was a mix-up in my tax return and somehow I still owed the IRS money. My attitude was, let bygones be bygones. That is ancient history. Let us just get along. There was a phone number on the letter inviting me to call. It was right after
Bob Putignano www.SoundsofBlue.com
COMMUNITY
News & Notes from Northern Westchester By MARK JEFFERS The Jeffers family thoroughly enjoyed the Fox Lane High School graduation last Wednesday evening at Caramoor. The speeches were thought provoking and memorable, with a special shout out to Salutatorian Matthew Karle, who made us laugh and to Sophia Benhammou who brought tears to our eyes with her beautiful and inspiring rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye. Even the rain afterwards didn’t dampen the great spirit that is Fox Lane High School. Congrats again to all the area schools and the class of 2011…now it’s time for us to graduate to another edition of “News and Notes…” And speaking of Caramoor, how about some Pop, Patriots and Fireworks on July 3rd? A celebration of our country’s birthday with symphonic music and fireworks featuring the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Give them a call at 914-232-1252. Our good friend and “The Clubhouse” host Brian Crowell has written a very entertaining book called “Slice Free
Gold,” a light hearted information packed book on learning to improve your golf game. It may take more than a book for my game, but it is a great start. For more information check out the website www. slicefreegolf.com. Registration for the fall 2011 term of Mom’s Day Out, which is a program designed for separation, socialization, sharing and fun for toddlers is underway at Bet Torah Nursery School on Smith Avenue in Mount Kisco. For details call 914-666-7595. In an effort to meet their budget deficit, the Bedford Hills Free Library is leasing commuter parking spaces behind the library on Griffin Avenue. These spaces are available to non-residents and are in a very convenient location, just a two minute walk (no hills!) to the Bedford Hills Train Station, an excellent commute to NYC. $1,250.00 per year, available July 1st, 2011. For more information call the Bedford Hills Free Library (914) 666-6472. The gang over at Grand Prix NY is offering a driver education-program to
A HIGHER POWER
A Delightful Afternoon with the IRS REV. JAMES L. SNYDER I do not get as many letters as I used to, which may be due to the Internet or to the fact I have fewer literate friends
than I used to. I still like getting a letter, as long as it is a letter and not a bill. Bill used to write me but he was always asking for money. I did get a letter this past week. It
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
Page 11
A HIGHER POWER
A Delightful Afternoon with the IRS lunch so I thought why not get this over with and get on with the rest of my life. I hummed a little tune as I dialed the number and then waited for it to ring. I finally got an automated service and was asked to press a certain number if I wanted to continue in English. My English is not that good and in high school, I got a D-plus in my senior year. But as it is the best language I know, I opted for English. For some reason I pressed the wrong number and got something that sounded a little bit like Spanish. My Spanish is not good, actually not at all, I had no idea what they were saying. I really hate to hang up on people while they are talking but I finally hung up and re-dialed the number. I do not want to complain, but I hate punching a number for this and punching numbers for that and finally getting someone on the other end of the line that is not a real person but they’re telling me what to do. Who do they think they are? My wife? After several tries and punching more
numbers, I finally got back to the automated system. Through no skill of my own, I finally punched the right numbers and actually got a live person. Now, I thought to myself, I will get this taken care of, and that will be that. The gentleman on the other end of the line was none other than a friendly IRS person. After exchanging a few pleasantries, we finally got down to business. I finally was able to ask what all of the paperwork meant that I received. He began what turned out to be a very long spiel and it sounded somewhat similar to my high school teacher’s explanation of Einstein’s theory of relativity. I could not relate to my high school teacher’s explanation anymore than I could relate to what my IRS man was talking about on the other end of the phone. If what he was talking about was in any way relative to my well-being, I had no way of knowing. When he was finished with his long, drawn-out explanation all I could say was, “Huh?”
He then proceeded to go through the whole process again, ad nausea. After the second time of explaining what these taxes were, I knew less about its then after the first time of explaining it. I am beginning to see a conspiracy here. “Exactly why do I owe these taxes?” Obviously, he thought I said, “Where do you buy your axes?” And began talking in Chinese, or so it sounded like Chinese. When he was finished, I could not remember why I called him in the first place. Finally, in somewhat of a desperate mood, I asked him how much I owed. As it turned out, I owed the IRS $363.94. Why I owed that much, I still have not figured out. I must say good old Uncle Sam knows what he is doing when he hires people to man the IRS phone lines who know Chinese. The only thing I could say was, “The check is in the mail.” He did mention something about putting a lien on my bank account. Ha ha! There is barely enough money in my banking account to keep my account open. If anybody, especially the IRS, liens on my bank account
they will fall smack on their face. I would like to be around for that one. Paying taxes is one of the responsibilities of every American. Someone has well said that the only certain thing in life is death and taxes. Good old Uncle Sam has found a way for us to pay taxes after we have died. I remember the words of Jesus. “And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:25 KJV ). That is the best separation of church and state I know. The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road , Ocala , FL 34472 . He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores . Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com. Members of recognized houses of worship are welcomed to address The Westchester Guardian readership. Direct submissions by mailto:WHYTeditor@gmail.com.
THE SPOOF
NYC is Now Only the FIFTH Dirtiest City in U.S. Slobs Get Special Invite to Visit By GAIL FARRELLY Last year it was Number 1 in a survey done by Travel + Leisure magazine. But this year, NY has fallen to fifth place. Mr. Clean may have been at work. The survey showed New Orleans as the Number 1 dirtiest city in the U.S., followed by Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Memphis. It’s rigged, New Yorkers feel. They point out that New Orleans, home to Brad and Angelina and their brood of six, has an unfair advantage right away. The Brangelina kids are always photographed with bags of snacks; they must leave a residue behind. Then in Philadelphia, there’s that cracked Liberty Bell, which probably generates an inordinate amount of debris. As for LA and Memphis? Well, there are a lot of entertainment types hanging out in both those cities, and they’re not exactly known for their neatness, right? As always, New Yorkers remain upbeat. They are confident that their fair
city can climb once again to the top of the garbage heap. Native New Yorker Sam Sloppy, ensconced on a park bench in Central Park as he enjoyed a dripping slice of pizza and a large, messy cherry Slurpee -- sans napkins, of course -- explained his take on the situation. “Not only,” he said with pride, “are we natives the messiest folks on the planet, but there’s more.” Sam continued, “In the summer we attract as tourists the biggest pigs in the universe, and they will definitely help us regain our title. No problem.” Meanwhile at a City Hall press conference, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg extended a special invitation to the slobs of the world to visit New York and improve its dirty ranking by being as messy as they like. “The messier, the merrier,” he said proudly. “With a little help from our friends, we’ll soon be back to Number 1 in the dirt department.” Learn more about The Farrelly Sisters Authors online.
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Page 12
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
SPORTS
Parents Misbehaving in Sports By ALBERT CAAMANO
“Every day in America and around the world, sports officials are physically and verbally harassed. Most cases are without incident but in some cases it turns violent.” -----NASO (National Association of Sports Officials) The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) receive more than 100 reports annually involving physical contact between coaches, players, fans and officials. The nearly 18,000 member organization is not the “clearinghouse for bad behavior,” says NASO President Barry Mano, but it is the belief by NASO that the reports it receives is only the “tip of the iceberg.” This week we encountered a sad incident where a parent lost control of her emotions when dealing with a youth sport in which her son was involved. The game was baseball. Janet Chiauzzi, 44, of East Meadow, Long Island, was accused of sending several letters to her son’s baseball team coach threatening his wife and 14-year-old daughter. It seems Chiazzi was allegedly upset over her son not making the team. It was reported that Chiazzi felt her son’s future opportunities would be ruined by his not being chosen to be a member of the baseball team for which he tried out. After the initial letter directed to the
coach in which Chiazzi is claimed to have threatened her son’s coach and the coach’s daughter, Chiazzi is alleged to have sent six more letters to officials with the East Meadow Little League team telling them that the coach should be fired. Chiazzi was arrested Saturday night, June 18, 2011, charged with stalking, falsely reporting an incident, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated harassment. Similar incidents are not uncommon; degrees of severity differentiate one from another. There was an ice hockey incident in Reading, Massachusetts, where one father allegedly fatally beat another father over “rough” play at their 10-year-old sons’ pickup hockey game. We see parents in the stands yelling at the top of their lungs sometimes peppering their language with obscenities and giving instructions to their kids to do harm to the other teams’ players. Psychologists have researched these problems and have confirmed in recent years the incidents have been increasing. Some experts profess economic constraints is putting extra stress and pressure on parents to motivate their children to get that so called free ride or scholarship toward meeting the costs of education and future employment. The burden hits home financially
when recognizing that in some communities, a season of sport may cost $10,000 plus, and the demand for allocating time to attend games by taking off from work. Tournaments sometimes span three to four days. It is at such tournaments that budding athletes may be scouted and may become acquainted by recruiters from colleges and universities. Some parents vicariously live out their dreams, hopes and aspirations through their children. Altercations between parent and child often times flare up when a parent challenges their child for not performing to their expectations. Parents have been witnessed pulling their kids into rooms and unmercifully berating them for embarrassing the parent and making the kid know there will be consequences; it’s become a very slippery dysfunctional slope. Some parents suffer contending with their child’s losing, believing it’s always someone else’s fault for the loss. A parent may challenge the coach or referee; sometimes taking their disappointment and anger onto another child. There have also been incidents involving teams at tournaments having players who tend to be older or who play above the level an opposing team may be playing which may more often than not sometimes have tournament directors look the other way or dismiss these incidents fearing loss of revenue. If the solution is to just not allow participation for a younger player, some view the “solution” as a ploy to
not being included in the top tournaments, or worse, that some teams are not playing by the rules. It all seems a self-imposed Catch 22 with the games continuing as “everyone” attempts to push the limits. . Surprisingly it’s not a problem unique to sport on the youth level. The National Hockey League (NHL) has banned a parent for life for accosting his own professional son. I’ve heard of parents losing their house betting everything on their kid making it, becoming bankrupt in the process. We have to step back and come to grips with reality, let’s praise the kids for their performance, not for winning. Keep your grievances and emotions to yourself. Use positive reinforcement and respect everyone: refs, coaches, the organization and other parents. These individuals are there to make sure the kids are safe and have a good time and most work long hours with little or no pay; keep that in mind. Try to focus on the kids having a good experience and having fun. Make sure they are being properly trained and in a safe environment. Also remember if you sign a contract on which your child is to play on a team, you have to abide by the organization’s rules, including the coaches assigned to those teams. If you feel you are losing control, the best thing for you and everyone else to do, is to depart the venue or the confrontation. Remember, a good memory can last a lifetime.
subsequently predicted the same for Obama’s stimulus package (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). They were no more than cover-ups; there would be no recovery. Meet the New Plan, Same as the Old Plan Democrat or Republican, it makes no difference. Despite the heated rhetoric, solving economic problems had less to do with the party in power and more to do with professional competence. Both sides had their turn in office. Both used their power to initiate policies that created the problems. Both sides had their shot at fixing the messes they were responsible for. Both sides failed, as we predicted. Given who they are and what they’ve done, we confidently predict an unbroken sequence of bipartisan failures in the future. The Beltway Incompetents are in the driver’s seat. What person with a healthy instinct for self-preservation would believe the promises of politicians or trust the judgment of central bankers or Wall Street financiers whose only real interest is self interest?
Not “Business as Usual” In the 1920s, US President Calvin Coolidge declared, “The business of America is business.” Four score and 10 years later, the business of America has become war: The forty-year War on Drugs; The ten-year War on Terror; the Afghan War (longest in American history); the eight-years-and-no-end-in-sight Iraq War; the covert wars in Pakistan and Yemen; and most recently, the “time-limited, scopelimited kinetic military action” in Libya. While the justifications for engaging in these wars were all different, all were murderous, immoral, interminable, ruinously expensive and abject failures. Why would anyone believe the optimistic battle communiqués issued by the “czars” in charge and the battlefield brass who keep reassuring the public that reapplying previously failed strategies would, this time, lead to success? Yet even in the face of their proven failures and gross incompetence, anyone daring to challenge the party line or the conventional Continued on page 13
TREND ALERT
Collapse—It’s Coming; Are You Ready? By GERALD CELENTE KINGSTON, NY -Everything is not all right. And things are going to get worse, much worse. The economy is on the threshold of calamity. Wars are spreading like wildfires. The world is on a razor’s edge. Not so, say world leaders and mainstream media experts. Yes, there are problems, but the financiers and politicians are aware of them. Policies are already in place and measures are being taken to correct them. Whether it’s failing economies, intractable old wars or raging new wars, the word from the top always maintains that steady progress is being made and comforts the populace with assurances that the brightest minds and the sharpest generals are in charge and on the case. On all fronts, success is
certain and victory is at hand. Only “patience” is required, along with more men, more time and more money. As far as these “leaders” and their media are concerned, the only opinions that count come from a stable of thoroughbred experts, official sources and political favorites. Only they have the credentials to speak with authority and provide trustworthy forecasts. That they are consistently, if not invariably, wrong apparently does nothing to diminish their credibility. How can any thinking adult possibly imagine that the same central bankers, financiers and politicians responsible for creating the economic crisis are capable of resolving it? Within days of its announcement, we predicted that Bush’s TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) was destined to fail, and
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TREND ALERT
Collapse It’s Coming; Are You Ready? Continued from page 12 wisdom is dismissed as an “alarmist,” “fear monger,” or “gloom-and-doomer.” However unwelcome our forecasts may be pessimism, optimism, like or dislike are all irrelevant only their accuracy counts. We correctly forecast: • Afghan and Iraq Wars would be debacles • Bursting of the housing bubble • The “Gold Bull Run” • The “Panic of ‘08” • European Monetary Union crisis • Failure of US bailout/stimulus packages to revive housing and create jobs • Falling governments, spreading civil wars and social upheaval on a global scale We also said that the Federal Reserve’s sighting of economic “green shoots” in March 2009 was a “mirage” and predicted that their much vaunted “recovery” was no more than a temporary solution, a quick-fix to be followed by “The Greatest Depression.” And now, in June 2011, with the Dow on a down trend and the economic data increasingly pointing in the direction of Depression, Washington and Wall Street remain in denial. The only debate among the “experts” is whether or not a “double dip” recession is likely. However, for the man on the street pummeled by falling wages, higher prices, intractable unemployment, rising taxes and punitive “austerity measures” “Depression,” not “recession,” and certainly not “prosperity,” is just around the corner. According to a June 8th CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 48 percent of Americans believe that another Great Depression is likely to occur in the next year
the highest that figure has ever reached. The survey also indicates that just under half of the respondents live in a household where someone has lost a job or is worried that unemployment may hit them in the near future. Suddenly, after years of obvious economic hardship experienced by tens of millions of Americans only when the suffering and pain can no longer be cloaked in abstractions and cooked statistics does an emboldened media dare utter the forbidden “D” word. For Trends Journal readers, alerted to this emerging trend some three years ago, the prospect of Depression should come as no surprise. Neither should the idea that, when it hits and can no longer be denied, a long suffering public will take to the streets. When I made this forecast back then it was written off by most of the major broadcast and print media. Now, however, when one of their own, belatedly and hesitantly, raises that possibility he is elevated to sage status and it becomes big news. In early June, Democratic strategist James “It’s the Economy, Stupid” Carville, having finally mastered the higher math of adding two plus two, warned that decaying economic conditions heightened the risk of civil unrest. As I described it all those years ago: “When people lose everything, and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.” Trend Forecast: The wars will proliferate and civil unrest will intensify. As we forecast, the youth-inspired revolts that first erupted in North Africa and the Middle East are now breaking out in Europe (See “Off With Their Heads,” Trends Journal, Autumn 2010) Given the trends in play and the people
in power, economic collapse at some level is inevitable. Governments and central banks will be unrelenting in their determination to wring every last dollar, pound or euro from the people through taxes while confiscating public assets (a.k.a. privatization) in order to cover bad bets made by banks and financiers. When the people have been bled dry financially and have nothing left to give, blood will flow on the streets. Trend Lesson: Learn from history. Do you remember when it first became apparent that the US economy was in deep trouble and heading toward the “Panic of 08”? Not many will. Most people were in a summer state of mind and in holiday mode. It was late July 2007 when the stock market suddenly plunged from its euphoric 14,000 high. Though we had warned in our Summer 2007 Trends Journal (released that June) that “trends indicators point to a major crisis hitting the financial markets between July and November,” the diving Dow was downplayed as a mere “hiccup”, a time to pause between more mouthfuls of expansion. Biggest mistake in a falling stock market The huge swings in the Dow are giving investors pause. But taking your money out of the market now could be the gravest mistake of all. NEW YORK‹ This past Thursday was the second worst day of the year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But remember, it was just a week ago today that the Dow closed above 14,000 for the first (and only) time. Fluctuations in the market shouldn’t get to the 401(k) investor. Keep in mind your time horizon - most of us are going to be invested in the market until we retire, often decades from now. CNN 27 July 2007 Four years and trillions of dollars in stock and 401(k) losses later, that typical “take a
deep breath, stay the course” advice looks tragically misguided. The Dow would eventually lose more than half its value and now, in June 2011, it’s fallen below 12,000. The moral of this story is to not let your mind take a summer vacation. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating and it is imperative to remain on high alert. Another violent financial episode is looming. It may be triggered by economics (e.g., debt defaults and debt crisis contagion in Europe, a crashing US dollar, or commodity price spikes); it could be terror (false flag or real), a manmade disaster (another Fukushima) or one made by Mother Nature, or any combination of the above. Publisher’s Note: To excel in any field from gourmet chef to concert pianist to close-combat warrior you have to practice, endlessly, over and over, until finally the training sinks in and becomes a part of you. In that spirit, I again repeat: preparing for financial survival is a “practice.” And it has to be treated as if you are preparing for battle; expect the unexpected and prepare for the worst, which in these perilous times could be a declaration of economic martial law. Banks may close, currencies may be devalued and deposit withdrawals may be imposed. Remember Gerald Celente’s basic survival strategy, “GC’s Three G’s: Guns, Gold and a Getaway plan.” In the Summer 2011 Trends Journal (mid-July release) we will provide practical strategies to cope with the coming collapse and offer approaches that, if implemented, could reverse the prevailing negative trends.
can pull a driver over for talking on a cellphone as a primary offense and issue a $75 ticket. There is currently a bill before the State Legislature to make texting a primary offense and we endorse this amendment to the law. Spring has also brought a rash of breakins to unlocked cars in driveways, with residents losing pocketbooks, glasses and GPS systems. Please remember to lock your car at all times as this is a crime of opportunity. We share the above kind of police
information routinely via our electronic alert system. Currently, approximately half of Village residents have given us their e-mail addresses. We encourage everyone to call Village Hall and register for the e-alert system as it is a terrific way to disseminate information that is urgent and time sensitive and keep residents alert and in the know. E-alerts are particularly helpful for updates during weather emergencies. As in previous years, our ban on gas powered leaf blowers went into effect on Continued on page 14
For further information about Gerald Celente, Trends Journal publisher, please contact: Zeke West, Media Relations, zwest@trendsresearch. com mailto:Zwest@trendsresearch>, or telephone: 845 331.3500, ext. 1
GovernmentSection MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
GOVERNMENT
Season Specific Issues and Concerns By MARY C. MARVIN This week’s column is devoted to news and notices that are season specific for the Village as well as a look at the front burner issues that the Trustees and I are currently discussing with department heads. We have observed a great increase in
the number of people texting while driving. Hard to believe since it is more dangerous than phoning while driving, texting is currently only a secondary offense according to controlling State law. This means that a police officer cannot pull a driver over for texting unless first stopped for a different legitimate violation. In contrast, officers
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MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
GOVERNMENT
Season Specific Issues and Concerns Continued from page 13 June 1st and extends until September 30th. We are working on changing the current legislation to incorporate a significant mandatory penalty fee with a doubling and tripling escalation clause based on the number of violations by a homeowner or a landscape company. Currently, the fine levied is insignificant enough that landscapers are simply absorbing it as the cost of doing business. The ban clearly needs to have more teeth to encourage compliance. June is also, unfortunately, synonymous with Village and school tax bills. Taxes may be paid without penalty until June 30th. Thereafter, a 5% charge is placed on the balance. If you have not received a tax bill, call Village Hall and we can either send you a hard copy or e-mail one. As in past years, in an effort to save time, money and paper, your bill will have the stub for the second half payment of taxes enclosed. Kindly keep this
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
for your future payment. We will remind you via announcements and e-alerts when the second half payment is due in early 2012. Spring also brings an uptick in home improvement projects, most of which need permits from the Village’s Building Department. If you are in doubt as to the need for a permit, call Village Hall before commencing any work because the consequences are significant. If unpermitted work is discovered, the permit fee automatically doubles and there is an additional $250 filing fee added for every permit required. Also, remember to close out valid open permits filed with the Village when work is completed. Permits that are not closed out when complete cause a “red flag” and hinder property refinancing or sale. We have also been reviewing some of the issues that have arisen from large private construction projects that are often long in duration. Problems include the proliferation
curbing and paving materials. Merchant parking permits are currently up for renewal with a deadline of July 1st. The major decision confronting the Trustees this summer is whether to embark on a capital improvement plan. We did not have one in the last fiscal year due to money constraints, but given the extremely low cost of borrowing money, the time may be opportune to embark on even a modest improvement program. However, we cannot make any decisions until after the State Legislature decides whether to institute the proposed 2% tax cap. Based on State mandated pension cost projections, we already believe we may be above the 2% ceiling for the budget next year. Compounding this, the current tax cap bill does not exempt the cost for debt service to make municipal infrastructure repairs – again an example of this tax cap legislation serving as a disincentive for communities to make needed and responsible long term repairs. We will continue to work on these issues throughout the summer months and we will keep you informed of our progress along the way.
of construction vehicles parked all day on residential streets, damage to Village property when trucks are too large to navigate our streets and the digging up of our paved roads by private contractors. We are also having problems with the quality of street repairs done by the various utilities throughout the Village. It is extremely frustrating to undertake a quality repaving program only to have a Con Ed or Verizon rip up the newly paved street and then cover the excavation with tin plates and/or subpar resurfacing. The problem has exacerbated in the past few years as utilities, in a cost cutting measure, disbanded their in-house resurfacing departments and now farm the work out to subcontractors. Often these subs want to “bundle” a group of repairs before doing the work, hence the unreasonably long periods between excavation and repair. It is my view, that save for emergency repairs, new permits should not be issued to any utility until they have properly repaired previous projects in our Village. Our legal counsel is currently researching our ability to require this. In an effort to cut costs through volume discounts, we have joined our colleagues in Tuckahoe and Eastchester to purchase office supplies in addition to our joint purchasing of
Mary Marvin is the mayor of the Village of Bronxville.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic Development News from Greenburgh By PAUL FEINER BioMed Realty Trust, which owns the Landmark at Eastview, also in Greeenburgh, closed on the vacant OSI property situated on Old Saw Mill River Road on Thursday, June 23, 2011. They now own the property. 400,000 square feet of laboratory and office space will now be part of BioMed. This is fantastic economic development news for the town! More high quality bio tech companies… more jobs… increased property valuation… and good for the local merchants in Ardsley and surrounding business districts. In these difficult economic times it is encouraging
to live in a community that continues to be sought after as a a community to live and work in. It is expected that Acorda Therapeutics Inc will lease significant space in the Ardsley Park buildings. This company develops and markets drugs that improve neurological functions in persons with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and nervous system disorders. The company has marketed two products --Ampyra extended release tablets to improve walking in MS patients and Zanaflex capsules, a short acting drug to manage spasticity. Paul Feiner is the supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Please submit your Letter to the Editor electronically, that is by directing email to WHYTeditor@gmail.com Please confine your writing to between 350 and 500 words. Your name, address, and telephone contact is requested for verification purpose only. A Letter to the Editor will be accepted at the editor’s discretion when space permits. A maximum of one submission per month may be accepted.
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
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GOVERNMENT
Latimer Launches Local Summer Reading Challenge WESTCHESTER, NY -- This month, Assemblyman George Latimer will roll out his annual summer reading program in conjunction with the New York State Library system. The reading program, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, asks students to pledge to read for at least 15 minutes each day for at least 40 days during the months of July and August. Upon completion of their readings, students will be able to return the marked off calendars distributed in class, to the Assemblyman’s office in exchange for an “Excellence in Reading Certificate,” signed by the Assemblyman. “Reading is a critical tool for students to have in order to succeed in every aspect of their education,” said Assemblyman George Latimer (D, I, WF—Rye).
“Programs designed to compliment what goes on inside the classroom are what our students need in order to be prepared when they enter middle and high school.” Assemblyman Latimer has distributed program materials to schools in the Blind Brook, Port Chester, Rye City, Rye Neck and Mamaroneck school districts as well as Columbus, Jefferson and Trinity Elementary schools in New Rochelle and Corpus Christi-Holy Rosary School in Port Chester. Throughout all the schools, over 10,000 reading brochures were distributed in both English and Spanish. “Every year that this program has existed, more and more students have participated and achieved at greater levels than the prior year—a real testament to the great work that our teacher’s do during the
year. I’m happy to do my part, no matter how big or small, to help students learn and succeed in school. As always, I look forward
to seeing the results of this program and improving it based on the feedback from our students,” stated George Latimer.
INVESTIGATION
Mayor and Boyfriend DPW Commissioner Robbin’ Da Hood By SAM ZHERKA Mayor Clinton Young fails to come clean with the criminal enterprise being operated out of City Hall. Any rational person with any common sense would ask, “How is it possible that the Mayor is unaware of so much criminality surrounding him and his departments unless he is directly involved and covering up for such criminal activity?” Terrence Horton, a dear friend of Mayor Clinton Young and alleged drug user with a criminal record set the stage for the pilfering of tax dollars from day one as DPW commissioner. Last year The Westchester Guardian caught DPW employees red handed working on concrete side walks and a drive way at a home belonging to none other than DPW Commissioner Terence Horton. The Westchester Guardian furthered its investigation into the dirty activity of Mayor Clinton Young’s closest friend and found more than can be disseminated in one article. In September of 2009, Mount Vernon started seeking bids to replace 29 windows at the MV Fire Department located at 470 E. Lincoln Avenue, in Mt Vernon. The Westchester Guardian obtained the supposed winning bid by Magna Dry Inc.,
D/B/A The Carpet Emporium, located at 26 Mt. Vernon Ave. The Westchester Guardian contacted Magna Dry and spoke to Mary Ann, the office manager, about the window estimate. The Weschester Guardian asked Mary Ann: Do you guys install windows? she responded, ‘No! We do not install them, fabricate them or have any thing to do with windows.” The Westchester Guardian then asked, “Did you ever install windows?” Mary Ann responded, “No we never did.” Then The Westchester Guardian asked, “What is it that your company does and Mary Ann in a very polite way said, “ We clean carpets, mold remediation and flood cleanups.” It was apparent to this writer that the bid and estimate was
a fraud and that DPW had either forged the estimate or may have participated in a kick-back scheme with Magna Dry Inc. The Westchester Guardian Investigation continued into no bid contracts which were disguised as emergency work which were awarded to C.O.R.E. and an affiliated company of Intercounty Paving who are either owned of co-owned by the Nigro Brothers who are also big supporters and contributors of Mayor Clinton Young. C.O.R.E has received at least one such no bid contract to the tune of $115,000. This contract was orchestrated by Terrence Horton and authorized by Clinton Young. The so-called emergency job was to pave the parking lot of Brush Park.
Its been alleged that kick-backs are funnelled to DPW Commissioner Terrence Horton by politically connected contracting companies and their affiliates and directly to Mayor Clinton Young, disguised as political contributions for his upcoming mayoral campaign. Then there’s chatter about Loretta Hottinger, The Corporation Counsel who is married to Democratic VIce Chair Ron Detres. Low key in her nefarious activities, Hottinger is as cunning as her co-conspirators and deeply entrenched in the corrupt activity plaguing Mount Vernon City Hall. As an attorney, and an Officer of the Court, she made a mockery of ethical principals when she allowed DPW workers to perform work at her private home at the taxpayers expense. City workers and equipment were used to pump out her basement at her home located at 36 Continued on page 16
Law Office of Ioanna Burgos & Michael Santangelo Casos Criminales — Leyes de Transito - Corte de Familia — Casos Civiles — Desahucio — Foreclosure
Teléfono 914 941.4485 * Fax 914 941.4513 * Cell 845 641.7381 E-mail: ioanna16@aol.com * 31 Croton Ave. - Ossining, NY 10562
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INVESTIGATION
Mayor and Boyfriend DPW Commissioner Robbin’ Da Hood Continued from page 15 Ridgeway Street. “This is a violation of the law,” said Samuel Rivers, a local activist. “This is outright theft of services; all at the cost of hard working taxpayers. One City Hall insider who asked to be kept anonymous, told The Westchester Guardian that Hottinger is at the route of the problem. “She is a crook who covers up for all the wrong that goes on in City Hall.”
The informant went on to say in a laughing but funny way, “Lorretta Hottinger really belongs on a Jerry Springer episode and not in Mt Vernon City Hall.” Sam Rivers told The Westchester Guardian that Mt Vernon tax payers are being crippled with tax increases. “We are one of the poorest city’s in America but yet we are the highest taxed city in the nation.” said Rivers. “ Mount Vernon City Hall is
a cesspool for corruption and the Mayor is 100% involved after all he hired all the crooks,” continued Rivers. All the facts point to a careless, corrupt and self-serving bunch who by no stretch of anyone’s imagination are like Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but in fact the opposite, “They are Robbin’ Da Hood.”
Stewart-Cousins and Pretlow Legislation to Lessen Westchester Taxpayers’ Costs ALBANY, NY -- The New York State Legislature passed legislation last week, sponsored by Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D/I/WF35th District) and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D- 87th District), which allows Westchester County to finance their 2010 Early Retirement Incentive payments. This will provide immediate relief to the county budget and save taxpayer dollars in the long term.
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
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Last year, when Westchester County opted into the State’s Early Retirement Incentive Program, approximately 350 employees chose to take the incentive and retire. As a result, the County Continued on page 17
The Westchester Guardian
GOVERNMENT
Stewart-Cousins and Pretlow Legislation to Lessen Westchester Taxpayers’ Costs Continued from page 16 was required to make an upfront payment of more than $50 million into the State’s Retirement System this year. The legislation sponsored by Senator StewartCousins’ and Assemblyman Pretlow (S. 2374/ A. 3403) eases the financial impact by allowing Westchester to issue bonds at a low interest rate and make these payments over a period of no more than five years. Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “This is a double savings for taxpayers. Not only do they save money through the County’s participation in the Early Retirement Incentive Program, but this allows the County to save even more by borrowing at a low interest rate.“ Assemblyman Gary Pretlow added, “I commend Westchester County for requesting this legislation and I look forward to continuing to work with them to find ways to save money for Westchester County taxpayers.” “By offering this early retirement incentive for employees, this gives County taxpayers the much-needed relief they have been calling for,” said Westchester
County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins. “We thank Senator StewartCousins and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow for their leadership and ensuring the passage of this legislation. Last year, we were able to provide a -2% tax levy decrease for Westchester residents. Their efforts on the passage of this bill will allow the Board of Legislators to continue to work towards reducing the size and cost of county government as we head into 2012.” Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino stated, “Last year, the state’s early retirement incentive helped Westchester County minimize layoffs and still streamline its workforce by 10 percent,” said Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “This legislation will save county taxpayers an additional $3.5 million by lowering the financing costs tied to the early retirement package. Our thanks to the Westchester delegation for their leadership in getting this important legislation passed.” The legislation awaits Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature to become law.
DiNapoli’s Bill Targeting Pension Abuse Passed by State Legislature The New York State Legislature passed legislation Monday night, June 20, 2011, to boost State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s ability to catch those who abuse the state pension system. The bill grants the Comptroller’s office access to State Department of Taxation and Finance’s wage reporting system to identify New York State and Local Retirement System retirees working for local governments who exceed the state’s post-retirement earnings limitation. If a state or local government employee earns more than those limits, the Comptroller has the authority to suspend and recoup any excess pension payments. “I’ve been pushing hard to end pension abuse,” DiNapoli said. “This legislation is the next piece of the puzzle. Our message is clear: Everyone must play by the same rules. This legislation will allow government agencies to work together to reduce fraud, waste and abuse.” The Retirement and Social Security Law (RSSL) places limits on the amount that may be earned by a retiree who returns to
public employment without it affecting his or her pension payments. Most retirees are covered by Section 212 of the RSSL, which allows retirees under age 65 to earn up to $30,000 per calendar year without any pension penalty. Currently, the Retirement System annually compares retiree information with payroll data for state employees. However, no similar mechanism existed to check payroll information of the thousands of local public employers statewide. DiNapoli’s legislation would amend Section 171-a of the Tax Law to grant the Comptroller’s Office access to Tax and Finance’s wage reporting system to match the Retirement System’s records with information reported by local governments to Tax and Finance. The match would allow the Comptroller’s Office to identify retirees improperly collecting a state pension and a local government salary.
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THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
THE ALBANY CORRESPONDENT
33–29
decision to support the measure. Saland, known for being a serious and meticulous lawmaker, memories of his parents’ By CARLOS GONZALEZ evoked tolerance lessons and his long marriage while explaining his ALBANY- The corrivote. But Saland said he believed in dors of the Capitol were equality, “and that equality includes the filled with cheers and definition of marriage.” shouts of “USA! USA!” And that was enough that was and tears from the disappointed, as New needed. A Saland declaration would York Friday night became the sixth and give the measure 32 votes. Twitter largest state in the nation to allow gay passed the news. and lesbian marriage. However, Buffalo state Sen. Mark State senators voted 33-29 after J. Grisanti, a Republican who had been days of private meetings and little undecided, voted yes lifting the measure open discussion about whether enough to 33. Twitter passed that one too. support existed to legalize same-sex “I cannot legally come up with an marriage. As the bill came down to the argument against same-sex marriage,” wire, it took a freshman from Western said Grisanti, a lawyer, Catholic and New York and a lawyer from Dutchess former Democrat. Politically, this was a County — both Republicans — put the smart move for Grisanti who represents vote over the top. a growing progressive constituency. And they did. The lone Democrat to oppose the Outside the chamber, the “Million bill, Sen. Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, said, Dollar” stairwell serving as the arena for “It is unbelievable the Republican Party, supporters and opponents throughout the party that always defended family Friday, most shouted “Yes We Can” and values ... today has become a tool of the “This is What Democracy Looks Like,” Democratic government.” while a smaller group stood in a circle Sen. Thomas Duane, an openly gay with heads bowed in prayer. Two men Manhattan Democrat who sponsored were on their knees, one with a rosary, the bill, spoke to the hushed gallery of softly chanting -- State Troopers everyhis partner, Louis Webre. where, quite intimidating, but the crowd “Marriage says we are a family. Louis refused to be intimidated. The halland I are a family,” Duane said. “Marriage ways were loud, but it was peaceful. All strengthens all families. It’s going to protesters were positioned in front of the strengthen my family. I am asking my Senate Library, hundreds of supporters colleagues to vote yes for all New York denied access to the chamber made their families, and for me and Louis.” voices known anyway. “I was proud to support marriage Meanwhile, back inside the chamber, equality because loving and willing the bill’s fate was sealed when one of the gay couples deserve the freedom to get key undecided votes, Sen. Steve Saland, married,” said Senator Andrea StewartR-Poughkeepsie, began the debate by Cousins (D-Yonkers). “Once again, declaring first his struggle and then his
New York has shown itself to be a leader in advancing the cause of freedom and equality to all people.” Bruce Carter, president of CNY Pride task force, said after the vote: “Congratulations to all the gays and lesbians who have been waiting to get married in New York. Congratulations to the senators who voted for this bill, and I hope the ones who voted against it will, in the long run, come to realize that was a bad vote.” The law estimates there are as many as 50,000 gay couples in the state. The bill will take effect in 30 days, which would be July 24. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it into law at 11:55 p.m. “With the world watching, the Legislature, by a bipartisan vote, has said that all New Yorkers are equal under the law,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The vote will spark a larger discussion for gay and lesbian rights across the country.” But opponents said the new law redefined a fundamental part of society, and they vowed to campaign against senators — especially Republicans who changed their votes at the last minute — in next year’s re-election campaigns. Among those making that threat was the state’s Conservative Party, which said after the vote in a statement, “Government has a genuine role to keep society safe; it does not have a justifiable role to undermine what has been the foundation of society.” Tea Party organizers too blame Skelos for bringing the measure onto the floor for a vote vowing the bill will “awaken a sleeping giant.” The aftermath from sources close to the Republican conference indicate a rift within the GOP, as well - it’s been developing all day. There’s chatter of
a possible coup by Deputy Majority Leader Tom Libous (R-Bhinghampton) . Republicans are not happy with Skelos and they want to blame someone. My sources in the Tea Party and Conservative movement inform me that it’s time for their organizations to take a step back and clean house, internally to rethink if it’s worthy to work with the GOP. They see the GOP same-sex flip as complete betrayal against them. They’re getting locked and loaded and are aiming directly at the GOP. Some Tea Party organizers say working with Democrats may not be out of the question. Remember when I predicted this same-sex bill would pass? Well, it did. Here’s another prediction. The selfdestruction of the Senate GOP begins today. Watch it unfold. It’s going to be more chaotic, not like the days when former Majority Leader Joe Bruno crippled his predecessor Ralph Marino over a Thanksgiving weekend. Oh no! This one will have the stench of the walking dead and I can spot the members who will be falling from grace. Senate Democrats smell the foul stench too, and see it as an opening. In closing and worth mentioning, two of Cuomo’s daughters were in the capitol Friday for the historic vote, a key part of their father’s legislative agenda that also included capping property tax increases and strengthening ethics laws for state officials. Proudly, my thirteen-year-old was in tow with me too. “This is history and I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” she said. My daughter didn’t notice the stench. I kept her far from it.
men and women celebrated a vote that would enable them to make and keep a promise. Promises that were borne out of those dark days following 9/11 when couples in committed partnerships realized that they were legally not their love ones’ next of kin and were shut out of their benefits no matter what their personal wishes were. Passing the marriage equality law also removes one more brick in the wall of discrimination. Gay rights activists remember that it wasn’t too very long ago that gay and lesbians had to live their lives shrouded in secrecy. It wasn’t until June 28, 1969 that the homosexual community
fought back against a government sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities. The Stonewall riot on June 28, 1969 was the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement. No longer were people afraid to stand up to the police and the mafia who demanded pay offs in order to protect that bar and its patrons. Like every other American group in the history of our country, you can only push people so many times before they are going to push back. The last forty-two years of the gay rights movement has not been an easy one. There was, and continues to be bias Continued on page 19
LEGISLATION
Marriage Equality in New York By NANCY KING On the weekend commemorating the Stonewall Riots and Gay Pride, lawmakers in New York State have voted in favor of marriage equality. The vote passed by a margin of 33 yeas to 29 nays. This historic vote allows gay couples to not only marry in New York State but to enjoy the full benefits of marriage that heterosexual couples enjoy. At the heart of this marriage equality bill were the rights often taken for granted by married heterosexual couples.
These rights include the right to a spouse’s health benefits, pension, social security and death benefits. To be sure these are some of the important fringe benefits of marriage but even more important is the recognition that the word marriage means the same thing whether you are entering into a same sex marriage or a marriage between man and woman. Marriage is a promise. Tonight at Westchester only gay establishment, B Lounge in Valhalla, gay
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 2011 JUNE 30, 9, 2011
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GOVERNMENT
Marriage Equality in New York Continued from page 18 against gay men and lesbian women. Jobs have been lost, housing has been denied and those who were brave enough to come out of the closet were met with prejudice and hate that led to the murders of Harvey Milk and college student Matthew Shepherd. The decades of the 70’s and 80’s saw the gay community blighted by AIDS. Yet, activists continued to work on behalf of the gay community. Communities opened resource centers for LGBT members and colleges and universities had open clubs for students who were gay and needed support on campus. But when it came to that sticky situation of marriage, the hurdle always seemed impossible to cross. The sticking point usually came from those who had conservative religious backgrounds and believed
that marriage was only to be entered into in the biblical sort of sense; between a man and a woman. However, here in the United States we have a separation of church and state so it seems perfectly acceptable to leave the decision of whether or not to perform a same sex marriage up to the couple in question and their religious leader. Religious conservatives may feel that same sex marriage will be the downfall of the American family. That’s doubtful; the tenuous economy and dual working parent family has already done that. This vote has taken a long time. After clearing the assembly, it was sent to the overwhelmingly Republican and Conservative Senate. For four days, New Yorkers have waited while the bill was lobbied behind closed doors. At stake were
religious institutions who wanted to be released from liability if they chose to not perform a same sex marriage. Convincing Republicans that they wouldn’t lose their constituents or their donors has also been a rough road to navigate. Senator Greg Ball a Republican Conservative from the Hudson Valley who was thought to have been the swing vote sent an email on June 23rd, stating that he would be voting no. After that email, the next day was spent behind closed doors yet again to muster enough votes to pass the bill. Being gay in Westchester has always been a closeted way of life. Life in suburbia is a far cry from the life of a gay person in New York City. Thanks to the LOFT located in White Plains and Westchester County’s LGBT office, there are more opportunities for individuals to live freely. More importantly, these two offices have given the gay community the
political weight needed to lobby for not just marriage equality but in all areas of equality that the Constitution guarantees Americans. Just last month, Westchester’s only gay lounge B2, where the vote was celebrated, opened in Valhalla. That’s a step in the right direction! For sure, there were a few raised eyebrows but it is 2011 and does it really matter where one stops for a drink after work? More importantly were the opinion of those interviewed right after the vote was announced. Joanne Dondero of White Plains exclaimed “at long last”. Her friend Barbara Krajewski put it this way; “It’s nice to see so many people in New York in agreement. It’s about time that we see how successful non traditional couples and families are.” I agree. Somewhere Harvey Milk is smiling and nodding his head.
men to do nothing” –Edmund Burke. Sincerely, Gary Ajello, Esq. Yorktown, NY
Gary Ajello served as Yorktown Councilman from 1983 to 1999.
Nancy King is a resident of Greenburgh, New York. She is an investigative reporter.
OP EDSection letter to the editor
Legislating Ethics
Either you are ethical or you are not ethical. No legislation will ever change that. We waste a lot of time and energy trying to legislate ethical and moral behavior for people in government. We create demanding disclosure forms for people to fill out. We expend countless hours writing “The Best Ethics Code in the World”. The primary result of all that work is to create unnecessary hardships for the ethical people. The secondary result is that all the harsh Ethics Codes will have a chilling impact on the ethical citizens involvement in government and have no impact on the unethical participants. Who would want to disclose mountains of personal information to get involved in government at any level? As for the unethical people, they really don’t care what the law says. They will just find some way to circumvent any requirement that applies to them. News Flash, that is the reason they are called unethical in the first place. The real problem is that there is no
punishment for the ethical violations and therefore the whole process is doomed as meaningless from the outset. Someone assured me that if a person violated any ethics code he/she would be held up to public “scrutiny”. Yikes, so after the public “scrutiny” period is over, then those unethical people can just get reelected. If an unethical person can deny, deny, deny long enough, then the spotlight will eventually shift to some other ethical scandal de jour and the unethical person can weather the storm. Does that sound familiar? The bigger tragedy is that those same unethical people are not only creating new ethics legislation but they are also having input into every piece of legislation based upon their low ethical standard. The real punishment should be not to allow them run again. However, we must also look to ourselves as we bear part of the blame. What does it say about us? We put those people back in office knowing they are unethical. We keep forgetting that the real culprits don’t think they have done anything wrong. The way to prevent the problem is to have only ethical people in office in the first place. That of course is an impossible dream, as the scammers have been with us since the beginning of time. The burden then falls back on us to choose wisely. You get what you vote for. “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good
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THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
No One Is Above The Law
Imagine what the public response would be if former President George W. Bush, during his term of office, had By ED KOCH engaged in armed conflict with some country without securing Congressional authorization under the War Powers Resolution, adopted in 1973. That resolution allows the President to engage in “hostilities” for a period of 60 days (with a further 30-day withdrawal period) without Congressional authorization, so that he/she would have the necessary freedom to act immediately to protect the national interest. For example, if American citizens were in danger in some country and American military forces were needed to rescue them, the President could do that on his own discretion and get out. However, if he wants to stay more than 60 days, he is required to come to the Congress, explain why and seek Congressional authorization. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) according to The New York Times of June 16th, “had sent a letter to Mr. Obama warning him that he appeared to be out of time under the Vietnam-era law that says presidents must terminate a mission 60 or 90 days after notifying Congress that troops have been deployed into hostilities, unless lawmakers authorize the operation to continue.” The President immediately sent a 38-page report which arrived the next day. That report had been prepared as a result of earlier demands enacted by the Congress. The report argued that the U.S. had not been – in Libya – “in hostilities.” Lawyers for the administration stated, reported the Times, “the military mission was constrained by a United Nations Security Council resolution, which authorized air power for the purpose of defending civilians.” The War Powers clause had been passed during the Vietnam era and vetoed by President Nixon. That veto was overridden by the Congress. The Obama administration does not contest the legality of the War Powers Resolution. A spokesman for President Obama said, “We are saying the limited nature of this particular mission is not the kind of hostilities envisioned by the War Powers Resolution.” On June 18th, The Times reported, “President Obama rejected the views of top
lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American participation in the air war in Libya without Congressional authorization, according to officials familiar with internal administration deliberations.” The Times continued, “Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the U.S. military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to ‘hostilities.’ Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.” The Times of June 11th reported, “Still the White House acknowledged the operation [Libya] has cost the Pentagon $716 million in its first two months and will have cost $1.1 billion by September at the current state of operations.” President Obama, stated The Times, “has the legal authority to override the legal conclusions of the Office of Legal Counsel and to act in a manner that is contrary to its advice, but it is extraordinarily rare for that to happen. Under normal circumstances, the office’s interpretation of the law is legally binding on the executive branch.” Imagine what the response by Congress and the American public would have been had either President Nixon or President George W. Bush done what President Obama has done in continuing a war after the expiration of the 60-day time period permitted? Dozens of members of Congress would have denounced the president and lined up to add their names to an impeachment resolution. Remember the public reaction during Watergate in 1973 when President Nixon ordered the Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire the Special Counsel, Archibald Cox? He refused and resigned. His deputy, William Ruckelshaus, likewise refused and resigned. Wikipedia tells us that although Solicitor General Robert Bork “believed Nixon’s order to be valid and appropriate, he considered resigning to avoid being ‘perceived as a man who did the President’s bidding to save my job.’ However, both Richardson and Ruckelshaus persuaded him not to resign, in order to prevent any further damage to the Justice Department. As the new acting department head, Bork carried out Continued on page 21
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
Page 21
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
No One Is Above The Law Continued from page 20 the presidential order and dismissed the special prosecutor.” The Times of June 20th reported, “Earlier this month, Mr. Kucinich offered a resolution that called for a withdrawal of the military from the air and naval operations in and around Libya within 15 days. The measure failed (though many Republicans voted for it) only because Mr. Boehner offered an 11th-hour resolution of his own, simply to rebuke Mr. Obama for failing to seek Congressional approval.
That resolution passed, 268-145.” The Washington Times of June 4th had reported, “The resolutions were nonbinding, and only one of them passed, but taken together, roughly three-quarters of the House voted to put Mr. Obama on notice that he must explain himself or else face future consequences, possibly including having funds for the war cut off.” Apparently, as a result of the President’s decision to override the legal conclusions of the Office of Legal Counsel and the Pentagon, The Times of June 20th reported, “[t]he House appears
likely to vote this week on a measure that would limit financing for the American military efforts in Libya, using the chamber’s appropriations power to push back against the White House, which did not seek Congressional authorization for the mission.” President Obama, while not commanding a majority of support for some of his policies, does have the personal approval of the American public. He is a likeable man. Nevertheless, we pride ourselves that we are a government of laws, not of men, and that no one is above the law.
Will the Democratic-controlled Senate hold President Obama to the same standard the Republican-controlled House appears prepared to do and that which the Senate undoubtedly would have done to President Bush? Will equal justice prevail in the legislative branch of our government, and will those we elected do their duty, no matter how painful it may be?
fear is the use of nuclear weapons by either state, there is absolutely no reason to think our basic strategy of conventional nuclear deterrence, employed successfully for more than 40 years during the Cold War, would be less effective today than it was in the past. Indeed, deterrence would be more effective against weaker nuclear adversaries than against a stronger opponent like the Soviet Union. Destruction in such cases would no longer be mutual. For either nuclear weaker nation, Iran or South Korea, it would still be very much assured destruction—a form of national suicide. Why the proponents for an attack on Iran do not perceive this is beyond comprehension. Perhaps they have begun to believe their own fear-mongering. There is another and more real aspect to our worries—namely that terrorists will get their hands on fissionable materials. The Middle East should not be the focus of our attention. Why would potential perpetrators of a nuclear attack waste time waiting for the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb when the materials and technology needed to develop a nuclear weapon are already in circulation on the world’s nuclear black market? The threat is real. Oil money can indeed subsidize dangerous action against the United States and its interests, but the Middle East is not even close to being the source of that threat. Several other regions pose the danger of nuclear terrorism. These are less likely to be in the Middle East and more probably will be in Russia or the states of the former Soviet Union The misguided emphasis on threats posed by Middle Eastern countries and groups like al-Qaida and Hezbollah contributes to our inaction elsewhere.
For example, the growing instability in Pakistan, a nation with anywhere from 70 to 90 nuclear war heads, should cause concern over the possibility that these weapons could fall into the hands of disgruntled, Taliban-friendly Islamists.
The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.
OPED
Iran—Imminent Threat or Paper Tiger? By Robert Scott In 2003, an unknowledgeable and incurious President George W. Bush turned the Middle East upside down. He strengthened Iran by attacking and destroying Iraq, its traditional archenemy and a counter to Iranian expansionism. He further strengthened Iran by putting into power in Iraq a Shia-dominated government with close ties to largely Shia Iran. Despite having majored in history at Yale, the President was blinded by his own abject ignorance of the Middle East. Whatever view he had of the area obviously was tinctured by his provincialism, naive idealism and religion. His managerial ineptitude and poor judgment left us mired in two simultaneous wars, with no possibility of achieving victory or exiting honorably. As impossible as it is to believe, an attack on Iran is now being talked up in some quarters.
Facing Facts Thanks to mediocre public education and increasingly irresponsible mainstream media, the United States remains a country where knowledge of the history and geography of the Middle East are virtually absent. Compared to what we knew about Iraq before we invaded it, Iran resembles Winston Churchill’s famous description of the Soviet Union during the Cold War: “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Without diplomatic representation in Iran since 1979, we know woefully little about it.
Slightly larger than Alaska, Iran is almost four times the size of Iraq. Iran’s 77 million inhabitants dwarf Iraq’s 30 million. In any conflict between Iran and the U.S., the mismatch would be profound. In terms of per capita GDP, the U.S. figure is $43,800; Iran’s is $8,700. Iran spends 2.5% of its total GDP on its military; we spend 4.1% on ours. Iran is also the key transshipment point for heroin moving from southwestern Asia to Europe. A high percentage of its population uses opiates. Lest we attempt to portray ourselves as superior in that respect, let it be noted here that the U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of cocaine, and a major consumer of Ecstasy, Mexican heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine. So much for moral comparisons.
Iran and the Bomb Iran has invested heavily in nuclear power plant technology, and its nuclear enrichment program is monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. But to further its desire to see the state of Israel eliminated, it has not hesitated to arm Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. In an insightful article last week in The New Yorker, Seymour M. Hersh revealed that Washington’s two most recent National Intelligence Estimates have stated that there is no conclusive evidence that Iran has made any effort since 2003 to build a nuclear bomb. Nevertheless, it is understandable for Americans to worry about an Iranian bomb, but no more so than a North Korean bomb. In either case, if what we
Iran Is Far from United The notion that Iranians are united behind their government is preposterous to those who have any familiarity with the country. Among Iran’s population of 77 million, slightly more than half (51%) are ethnic Persians and 24% are Turks. Other ethnic minorities make up the remaining 25%. The idea of Iranian national unity is a myth, and so is the concept of Persian nationalism in a country where half the population is not even Persian. The U.S. should be capitalizing on these differences instead of accepting the portrayal of Iran as a united country. Iran’s 18 million Turks (called Azeri) are in open revolt against Persian cultural imperialism, and so are its 6 million Kurds. An Arab minority regularly detonates suicide bombs in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran. Baluchi tribesmen openly attack police posts in southeastern Iran. Moreover, many in the slim majority of Persians oppose the theocratic regime of the mullahs because of its prohibitive restrictions or because they are Sufis, a branch of Islam the regime persecutes almost as much as it does the small minority of the Baha’i sect.
Iran’s Mythical Military Threat As they did in the run-up to the first and second Iraq wars in 1991 and 2003, newspapers and magazines are publishing statistics about Iran’s army, navy and air force to show how formidable they are. What they don’t reveal is that Iran’s
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
OPED
Iran—Imminent Threat or Paper Tiger? By Robert Scott warships are all more than 30 years old; its smaller naval vessels would only be capable of pin pricks against a modern navy. Because of a severe lack of spare parts, most of its combat aircraft (Mirages, F-4s, F-5s and F-14s) have not flown in years. Its army table of organization boasts brigades and divisions that exist only on paper. Always described as a fearsome elite force, members of the Pasdaran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are uniformed smartly and appear to be well trained when marching in celebratory parades--but so do American high
school marching bands. Although they exude a cocky, triumphant air--the truth is that they have fought only one war--the 1980-88 war against Iraq--and they took a severe licking in that one. Iran’s control over one side of the narrow Strait of Hormuz through which vulnerable tanker traffic down the Persian Gulf must pass is often cited as a reason to fear Iran, which allegedly could create a worldwide depression by choking it off. Saudi Arabia controls the other side from which U.S. air power would make short work of any threat to sea traffic. Overestimating the strength of
Middle Eastern military forces has been almost habitual among Western powers. In the lead-up to the 1967 war, the Soviet Union sold so much equipment to Nasser’s Egypt that Western experts saw his military as intimidating. Yet it took the Israelis only a few days to achieve victory in their surprise attack. Six years later, with a substantial assist from the U.S. in the form of hastily airlifted munitions, the Israelis needed less than three weeks to defeat the Egyptians and Syrians after their Yom Kippur attack. In the early 1990s, Saddam Hussein’s army, which had defeated Iran after eight years of war (also with an assist from the U.S.), was even larger than Nasser’s, and cast the same formidable shadow. So intimidated were the so-called coalition nations, they assembled a huge force, with
the U.S. contributing 575,000 troops— the lion’s share. When the war began in earnest, the Iraqi air force made no attempt to fight. Saddam’s tanks that had paraded so threateningly provided little more than target practice for coalition forces. The levies that make up Middle Eastern armies have repeatedly shown little stomach for traditional battle, preferring to engage in guerrilla warfare. Saber rattling and scary talk of World War III will not create the atmosphere of fear that worked so successfully in the lead-up to the attack on Iraq in 2003. The big question is whether the American people will hold still and allow themselves to be swindled again with the same tissue of lies and phony evidence.
one of them becomes the role model for others to follow. Currently, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann have popular support for 2012. My choice is Palin because she has demonstrated her executive ability as Governor of Alaska and was the most exciting candidate in the election of 2008. Although she hasn’t decided if she’ll run next year, we constantly hear that she has too much baggage. What baggage? Anyone who knows anything about her record in Alaska would have to admit that she exhibited all the traits that make up the building blocks of leadership. Her rise to prominence is well-known and doesn’t need to be restated in its entirety here. Suffice to say that she took on a corrupt system within her own political party and rose to the governorship after throwing the bums out of office. Certainly, a resume’ like that should be viewed as the perfect recipe for a country in need of a moral renaissance. Aha, but therein lies the problem! How many in this country want to return to the days when politicians weren’t sending their nude photos on the Internet, fathering children with their housemaids or having sex with interns in the Oval Office? I suspect that all decent people want to go back to a time when their children had better role models than Weiner, Schwarzenegger and Clinton. The culture shift in the last few decades is more than mildly alarming; it is downright frightening! Every aspect of our lives has
eroded. From education to entertainment to politics; we have seen a value system that was once the envy of the world, slowly, insidiously corrupted by a philosophical framework that is inimical to any concept of a great nation. Today, we have a country whose people have almost given up on the idea that morality has value. What has all this to do with Sarah Palin? She’s a threat to those who have become addicted to the titillation of a callous and uninhibited lifestyle, free from compunction or responsibility. She represents the wholesome values and patriotic spirit that has been all but lost in the violent maelstrom of social and political engineering that has distorted our sense of right and wrong. No flea is she; Sarah’s the iconoclast that breaks glass ceilings and shatters the lids on jars. Bob Weir is a veteran of 20 years with the New York Police Dept. (NYPD), ten of which were performed in plainclothes undercover assignments. He retired as a sergeant after supervising patrol in Midtown Manhattan, the busiest precinct in the country. He eventually retired to Flower Mound, Texas, where he began a writing career that started 12 years ago with his first book published in 1999. Ruthie’s Kids, Murder in Black and White, Deadly to Love, are just a few of the titles available from Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, among other major online book sellers.
WEIR ONLY HUMAN
Are We Ready for a Woman President? By BOB WEIR When Barack Obama was elected the first black (actually black and white) President it was considered a milestone for a nation that has a long history of virulent racism. Whether you agreed with his politics or not, you could surely feel a sense of pride that most voters were colorblind when they made their selection for Chief Executive in 2008. Yes, I know that about 98% of blacks voted for Obama, but, considering the history of subservience to whites, I don’t think any fair-minded person could have expected less. Now that we have shown how open-minded we are about race relations, maybe it’s time to do the same with gender-relations. Hillary Clinton came close in 2008, but no woman has yet to be nominated for president by a major political party. Two women have had a chance to be Vice-president, but it wasn’t enough to push the head of the ticket across the finish line. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that women have been subservient in this country, but I’m certain it can be said that they don’t have the same image as men when it comes to leadership. Perhaps that’s why, with more than half the population made up of the “fairer sex,” women have not been able to reach that pinnacle of political power on
Pennsylvania Avenue. There’s an interesting dynamic at play here. Before Obama’s election, few blacks had been taken seriously as presidential timber. However, once that hurdle had been achieved, several others are being considered for the top job. It reminds me of the story about trained fleas. An experiment was conducted in which fleas were caught and placed in an open jar. Now, fleas are quite capable of jumping great distances for their size, hence, as long as the jar was open they were having no trouble jumping out. Then a lid was place on the jar. For a period of time one could hear the sound of fleas trying to jump out, but hitting the lid and retreating. Soon, the sound stopped and the fleas were jumping just below the level of the lid, so as not to hit against it. When the lid was removed the “trained” fleas no longer tried to jump high enough to get out. People are often like fleas in that they don’t try to succeed past a point where they have been trained to stop. Feminists have coined the phrase “glass ceiling” indicating an un-breachable barrier that keeps women and minorities from reaching the upper rungs of the corporate ladder. It’s my contention that women will continue to face perceptual roadblocks in the presidential area of politics until
THURSDAY, June 30, 2011
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Lexington Capital Associates, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/14/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY desi gn. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC P.O. Box 376 Great Neck, NY 11021. Purpose: Any lawful activity. United Trade Alliance L.L.C. Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/7/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 9-7 Nicole2Circle Ossining, NY 10562. Purpose: Any column lawful activity. Registered Agent: Spiegel & Utrera, P.A., P.C. 1 Maiden LN, 5th Fl NY, NY 10038.
Notice of formation of R. Jaundoo Realty LLC. Filed with the Secy. Of State of NY(SSNY) On 02/09/11. Office location: Westchester County. SSNYdesignated as agent of LLC upon Whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 4021 Paulding Ave Bronx NY 10466. Purpose: Any lawful activity. TMRC, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 5/24/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy 1 of column process to The LLC C/O Rose Chin PO Box 956 Bronxville, NY 10708. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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Amkai LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/10/11. Office location: Westchester Co. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 3/26/07 SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC 200 Business Park DR Ste 208 Armonk, NY 10504. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St Wilmington, DE 19801. Arts. Of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Salinaro Vistas Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 6/17/2011. Off. Loc.: Westchester Cnty. SSNY designated as agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 1 Burnside Avenue, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 10706. Purpose: all lawful activities.
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Wellness by the Sea Retreats,LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 2/1/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Sandra Ramos 333 Bronx River Road #502 Yonkers, NY 10704. Purpose: Any lawful activity. SG FIRE PROTECTION LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/31/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 198 PARK AVE. W. Harrison, NY 10604 Purpose: Any lawful activity. Registered Agent: Gaetano Vitolo 198 PARK AVE. W. Harrison, NY 10604 FLEUR RESEARCH LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/14/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 100 Hickory Lane Bedford, NY 10506 Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, June 23, 2011
www.westchesterguardian.com