Moula Field

According a NY 1 report, it looks like the blue-collar fans of the New York Mets are going to have to commit some white collar crimes to afford to take their families to the game.

The Cost of a Day at CitiField
By Tara Lynn Wagner

If your kids are begging you to take them out to the ball game, be prepared -- it's going to cost a lot more than peanuts to spend a day at Citi Field.

We'll start with parking which is $18, up from $15 at Shea. At the ticket booth, prices vary according to the day and the opponent with 28 options to choose from. The uppermost level, promenade reserved infield, will cost you $15 to $30 a head, depending on whether they're playing, say, the Padres or the Phillies. Baseball fans say it's a price they're willing to pay for a seat at the new stadium.

"Anywhere between like 30, 40, even bleacher seats," said one Mets fan.

A $30 ticket may sound doable, but that's $120 just to get your family of four through the door. Sitting behind the dugout will cost you $495 per person, a bargain compared to the Yankees top ticket of $2,600 dollars. Sports writer Richard Sandomir says in that sense, it pays to root for the Mets.

"The Mets stadium cost less, the Mets history is less stellar. I think if they charged Yankee prices there would be an outcry," said Sandomir.

Once you're inside, you're probably going to be there about three hours, which means you might get hungry. The question is, how much are you willing to spend on a hot dog? Try $4.75 -- fries not included.

"You can bring food in clear packages and I suspect in this economy there are going to be more and more people bringing food in with them," said Sandomir.

The good news is that some beverages are actually cheaper at the new stadium. Water dropped from $4.25 to $3.75 and a can of beer is now $6, 20 percent less than at Shea.

"You want to enjoy yourself while you're watching the game. You want to have a hot dog, a beer, you know. But anything over $5 I'm not gonna pay," said one New Yorker.

So let's add it up: parking, four tickets, two kids meals, and hot dogs and beer for mom and dad.

Throw in two baseball hats at $19 a pop and a $5 program they can fight over, and we're looking at a grand total of $212.50.

"With the economy the way it is, that's a lot of money for a family to go to the ballpark," said one New Yorker.

And with HDTV providing pitch perfect views of the game, many fans say they'll be rooting for the home team from the comfort of their own homes.

"TV, cable, bars, wherever. But I will watch the games though," said one Mets fan.

Workers say Obama treated autos worse than Wall St

Autoworkers say Obama is treating them more unfairly than the fat cats on Wall Street. Can it be that the unions are finally realizing that the democrats don’t really care about the plight of union workers and were always more concerned about sucking money from union coffers and manipulating their needed votes?

DETROIT (AP) -- Many assembly line autoworkers reacted with skepticism and anger Monday to the Obama administration's tough tactics, which stoked long-simmering feelings that the people who put the country on wheels get treated differently than the wizards of Wall Street.

"It's the age-old Wall Street vs. Main Street smackdown again," said Brian Fredline, president of UAW Local 602 at a plant near Lansing. "You have all kinds of funding available to banks that are apparently too big to fail, but they're also too big to be responsible."

"But when it comes to auto manufacturing and middle-class jobs and people that don't matter on Wall Street, there are certainly different standards that we have to meet -- higher standards -- than the financials. That is a double standard that exists and it's unfair," Fredline said.

Many workers -- not generally known for their affection toward executives -- even sympathized with Rick Wagoner, who was forced to step down as chief executive of General Motors Corp. He was by turns called a "sacrificial lamb," "scapegoat" and "fall guy."

"We knew someone was going to have to take the proverbial `bullet,' and it would have made it a lot easier to accept that had the CEOs of the banks also been required to give up their jobs," said Jim Graham, president of a union local in Lordstown, Ohio, where GM produces the Cobalt and Pontiac G5 fuel-efficient cars.

While CEO oustings haven't been widespread among the banking industry, the government did in September reserve the right to remove senior management at American International Group Inc. as part of its agreement to give the insurer $85 billion in emergency aid. AIG Chief Executive Robert Willumstad stepped down as part of that company's bailout package, and the government hand-picked his successor.

Also, banks don't have the union and legacy costs that the automakers do, which make their products more costly versus foreign rivals.

President Barack Obama said he was "absolutely committed" to the survival of a domestic auto industry that can compete internationally. He raised the possibility of controlled bankruptcy for one or both of the troubled automakers.

Obama said the administration will offer GM "adequate working capital" during the next 60 days to produce an acceptable reorganization plan. The government gave Chrysler LLC 30 days to overcome hurdles to a merger with Fiat SpA, the Italian automaker.

Many workers say the government hasn't dictated such terms to insurance giant AIG or the banks in which it's taken an ownership stake. Obama's actions come amid public outrage over bonuses paid to business leaders and AIG executives.

"To see the very people that drove this economy into the ground be rewarded through bonuses while receiving tax dollars is just galling," said Dan Maloney, a machine repairman at auto supplier Delphi Corp.'s plant in Rochester, N.Y., and a union local president. "In light of that, the administration is taking it out, I believe, on the automotive sector."

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm called Obama's moves "a bit of tough love," yet recognized a disconnect between the financial and auto industries.

"Yes, I do think that there has been a different look at those who manufacture than those who make money by flipping paper and I'm hopeful that the financial industry gets as tough a scrutiny as the auto industry has," she told reporters after an event Monday in Macomb Township, about 20 miles northeast of Detroit.

Despite Granholm's criticism and what many workers saw as the president's unduly harsh treatment, Obama's actions might not have a lasting effect on voters.

"It will be accepted, grudgingly perhaps, but accepted by anybody and everybody with a brain in their heads," said Bill Ballenger, editor of a Michigan political newsletter and a former Republican state lawmaker.

Still, Bill Rustem of Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing-based nonpartisan think tank, said Obama's actions carry some risk.

"I think this could have some impact four years from now if the state's economy doesn't begin to turn around," he said. Michigan's unemployment rate rose to 12 percent in February, marking the eighth straight monthly increase.

Workers watched Obama on large-screen TVs in the lobby bar of a hotel in Detroit's Renaissance Center, home to GM's headquarters. Several wearing GM badges declined to comment afterward, but one man whose fortunes are nearly as tied to GM as its employees expressed hope for the future of the company and industry.

"It's definitely a move in the right direction," said Tony Keros, who owns a restaurant and real estate development firm in the building. "Something has to happen."
In Ohio, Graham agreed that Washington just might get it right -- if only because the stakes are too high to fail.

"They understand that there are literally millions of people who depend on the auto industry -- whether directly or indirectly -- and a ripple effect of eliminating a General Motors, Chrysler or Ford would be devastating to an economy that's already been devastated over the past eight years," he said.

Associated Press writers Ben Leubsdorf in Clinton Township, Tim Martin in Delta Township, Ben Dobbin in Rochester, N.Y., and Thomas J. Sheeran in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Drinking With Bob Rants About World War III

Workers Not Happy With Chapey

Geraldine Chapey is screwing her campaign workers out of a paycheck because she spent all the money screwing her opponents.

Chapey Workers Want To Know: Where's My Money?

By Nicholas Briano

Chapey's campaign office in Rockaway Park. She reportedly owes James Wu's campaign consulting firm, as well as his employees, a significant amount of money for heading up her failed City Council campaign last month.

Harvey Luft worked for the Chapey campaign in her failed attempt in last month's special election. By all accounts he was one of the hardest working and dedicated employees. But why hasn't he been paid any of the more than $1,000 owed to him for that hard work?

According to Luft, he and other employees who worked for Chapey's campaign manager, James Wu, have not been paid or have been paid with checks that have bounced.

It has been more than one month since Chapey's poor showing in the 32nd District City Council special election. Her campaign raised more than $115,844, according to campaign finance reports, but has only spent around $99,000.

Wu's company, Cornerstone Strategies, was hired by Chapey to organize and run her campaign. According to New York City Campaign Finance Board disclosure statements, Wu's company was paid a total of $21,215 by Chapey on five different occasions, payments ranging from $1,450 to $7,200. Wu contests, however, that she owes him significantly more than what was reported and it is from that money that Luft and other campaign employees are to be paid.

"I am appalled that Chapey has yet to pay her campaign employees," Wu said this week. "I have not been totally paid as well during the course of the campaign. Ms. Chapey is failing to reach her short term financial responsibility and that is sadly continuing after the campaign as well."

Wu remembered Luft and the outstanding job he did for the campaign and regrets to learn that he has not been paid.

"Harvey was a very good worker and a good man," Wu said.

Luft, on the other hand, has grown skeptical of everyone involved and doesn't know to whom to turn anymore to get his money. Luft says he spoke with Chapey's husband, Eugene Pasternak, who assured him he would get him a check right away. According to Luft, however, he received nothing.

"Pasternak lied to me and is blaming Wu. Somebody needs to make good on this money," Luft said. "Wu owes money to workers he hired for the Chapey campaign. I'm not the only one who is owed money."

Luft says both parties are pointing the finger at one another saying they are not responsible. Meanwhile, however, there are people who are awaiting payment for jobs completed more than a month ago.

This is not the first financial controversy surrounding Chapey. In recent months she has been under fire for not disclosing to the public her use of taxpayer funds for her non-profit enterprise, Trinity Senior Services. She placed a distant third in the special election with 920 votes after spending thousands in legal fees to get other candidates including Frank Gulluscio and Glenn DiResto knocked off the ballot.

Luft plans to file with small claims court this week in a last effort to receive his money.

Drinking With Bob Rants About Legalizing Weed

What's next? I'll tell you what's next...Legalizing marijuana. Barack Obama had some kind of town hall meeting on the computer the other day. The number one question people asked Barack Obama is, Will you legalize marijuana?Why do people want it legalized? So they can tax it. Regulate it. Decriminalize it, so we can get some of these people who are sitting in jail right now being payed for by taxpayer money out of there because they really didn't commit a crime. What was Barack Obamas answer? No! Absolutely not! Are you freaking kidding me?! Barack Obama has probably smoked more weed in his lifetime than Tommy Chong. The guy did freaking cocaine for god's sake! Bill Clinton smoked weed. George Bush did cocaine! and these people don't want to legalize drugs? You gotta be kidding me!Let me tell you something... ALL drugs in this country should be legal! If you commit a crime while on drugs, you should be prosecuted for the crime. But NOT for doing drugs! If some guy can hangout all night smoking weed, watching t.v. wake up in the morning a go to work. Why should that be considered a crime? If some guy can snort cocaine. Go out to a freaking club. Dance, sing, have a great tim then get up in the morning make himself breakfast and wash his car. Why should that be considered a crime? It shouldn't!! if you commit murder while on cocaine, you should be arrested for murder. But NOT for doing cocaine. if you beat somebody up while smoking weed, you should be arrested for assault. But NOT for smoking weed! I mean this is common sense. This is one plus one equals two.I know what you're saying, then BOB, why don't they just legalize it? I'll tell you why... Because the government is making more money off of drugs being illegal than if drugs were legal. the government right now taxes you billions of dollars in order to fight a "drug war". If drugs were legal there would be no "drug war" they'd have no justification for taxing you billions of dollars a year. Do you freaking get it?!!All you people think the government is on your side. They're not your friend! They're your freaking enemy! let me give you a great example, seat belt laws. If you're driving without your seatbelt in this country and you get pulled over, you get fined. You have to pay that money to the government. Nobody cares though because they say the government is just looking out for me. They're are looking out for my safety. is the government really looking out for your safety? If the government really cared about your safety, wouldn't they make driving test in this country a little more difficult? In order to get a drivers license in this country right now, what do you have to do? Make a right turn. A left turn. make a u-turn. Parallel park. Does that really qualify you to drive a car? A three thousand pound killing machine around the streets of America? No! Of course it doesn't! But the government doesn't care about your safety! They care about making money. they care about gas taxes, registration, insurance. Thats what it's all about! When are you people going to wake up?! the government is not your friend. They're not here to help you. They're here to hurt you. the government keeps telling you, DRUGS are killing society! Drugs are killing society! DRUGS aren't killing society, POLITICIANS are killing society!!! Would you freaking wake up! Would you wake up!!Should marijuana be legal? Of course it should be legal .It should have been legal yesterday. It should have been legal for the last 100 years, Will it be legal? Of course not! because of they legalize marijuana it's going to help you and hurt them and that's the bottom line.Mark my words. You know what the greatest thing about it is... If they legalize marijuana tomorrow, I guarantee you, the first people. The first people to go out and buy it are going to be the same people who say it should be illegal today, I guaran-freaking-tee you!!!

Vice President Biden's Daughter Doing Blow

An explosive video being shopped to media outlets has plunged the White House and Vice President Joe Biden into a cocaine scandal, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

The video shows a woman, who is represented by the seller and his attorneys to be Biden’s daughter Ashley, snorting several lines of cocaine.

The tape has been viewed by a RadarOnline.com freelance reporter who confirms the woman looks identical to Ashley Biden.

Tom Dunlap, an attorney for Dunlap, Grubb and Weaver in Washington D.C. is representing the seller of the tape in brokering a deal and several news organizations have seen the footage.

In addition to RadarOnline.com, representatives for the New York Post, a large British newspaper and the National Enquirer have all viewed the tape.

The woman on the tape clearly resembles Ashley Biden, 27, who is a social worker employed with the Delaware Department of Children, Youth and Families. She is also a board member of the Delaware YWCA organization.

The tape was shot this year.

On the tape a man cuts up five lines of what is said to be cocaine. The woman who the seller says is Ashley then jokes with the man that the lines aren’t big enough.

The man hands her a rolled-up dollar bill and she proceeds to walk a few steps to a table where the cocaine is cut. She pulls her hair back, bends down and snorts a line.

Four lines of white powdery substance are clearly visible on the table, which is in front of a computer.
A

fter she snorts the first line, the woman said to be Ashley lifts her head and wipes her nose. She then snorts a second and third line before the tape cuts off.

The tape was made without her knowledge. It is being shopped for $250,000.

The events on the tape are represented as taking place at a party in Wilmington, Delaware and the woman said to be Ashley is with a boyfriend.

The cocaine is done amid a party scene with loud music playing and several people talking at the same time.
The tape is approximately two minutes in length.

News clips show that Ashley Biden was once arrested for marijuana possession while she was a college student in New Orleans in 1999. The charges were later dismissed.

In 2002, The Los Angeles Times reported that Ashley, then 21, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer outside a Chicago bar.

RadarOnline.com is attempting to reach Ashley Biden for comment.

Crowley Confounds Civic

We knew it wouldn't take long before Elizabeth Crowley and Robert Holden's love affair would end in a conflagration of conflicting views!

Crowley is a moron and has no clue how to be an effective elected official.

Hasn't she repeatedly stated in public that she would not support a school built in Maspeth that is not locally zoned? Quoted in papers reiterating the same position? What changed her vacuous mind?

Read the Juniper Park Civic Association article below

Crowley shocks Juniper Civic meeting attendees
by Christina Wilkinson

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley shocked the crowd at the last Juniper Park Civic Association general membership meeting by vowing to vote in favor of the proposed 1,100-seat public high school at 54-44 74th Street with the only stipulation being that it be zoned for local students.

The facts that the school will be themed (with the theme not yet known), public transportation to the site is limited and currently overburdened, there is no parking for the staff and there are already 2 other schools serving 3,000 students within 4 blocks of the proposed site apparently does not bother the councilwoman.

Using the lines "District 24 needs thousands of high school seats," "The community board voted 3-1 in favor of the school," "I've been in talks with the Department of Education to make PS58 and IS73 locally zoned K-8 schools" and "I have not changed my position" as well as questioning where members of the audience sent their kids to school, she seemed to be representing someone other than the people of the community who came to the meeting. By a show of hands, attendees were unanimously against the building of the school at the 74th Street location.

Crowley neglected to mention in her little speech that the community board only voted yes if the following conditions were met:

- a non−themed, comprehensive education curriculum
- top priority seating for students in the PS 58 catchment area, then to District 24 students in the ZIP codes 11373, 11378, 11379 and 11385, then to students in all of District 24 and finally to students in all of Queens.
- school arrival and dismissal times that do not coincide with those of the other nearby public schools
- teacher parking, which is not included by design at any of the city’s public schools

A deal is obviously being made behind the scenes between the councilwoman and the mayor's office and Maspeth is going to end up getting the short end of the stick as usual.

Call Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley at 718-366-3900 and tell her to vote NO on the proposed Maspeth high school. Also remind her that we as a community voted her in and can just as easily vote her out.

http://www.junipercivic.com/LatestNewsArticle.asp?nid=288

President Obama's Aunt is an Illegal Immigrant

President Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenyan immigrant who ignited controversy last year for living in the United States illegally, has returned to her quiet apartment in a Boston public housing project to prepare for an April 1 deportation hearing that will be closed to the public.

Zeituni Onyango, a tall, frail-looking woman in her late 50s who walks with a cane, had fled Boston to stay with relatives in Cleveland last fall after media attention erupted over her case. She was spotted at Obama's inaugural festivities in January and, according to neighbors, returned to Boston a few weeks ago for her third attempt to fight removal from the United States. She had been living in the country illegally since she was ordered deported in 2004.

Now the woman Obama called "Auntie Zeituni" and described as a kindly woman who kissed him on both cheeks and guided him during his trip to Kenya 20 years ago, is in a national spotlight, where her case is seen as a test of the Obama admin istration's commitment to enforcing immigration laws. Critics, outraged that she is living in taxpayer-funded public housing while thousands of citizens and legal immigrants are on waiting lists, are scrutinizing the case for political favoritism. Others caution that she may have legitimate grounds to stay in the United States.

"The case is unusual in American history because it's a relative of the president involved in immigration matters," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies. "It really does present the White House with an opportunity or a minefield. If they follow through on a decision that she should go home, that would actually raise the president's credibility enormously on immigration enforcement."

Obama has said that he has not had any involvement in the case and that it should run its ordinary course, White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said.

Onyango's fate will play out behind closed doors before Judge Leonard Shapiro in Boston. Onyango's lawyer, Margaret Wong of Ohio, successfully argued to reopen her case in December and have the proceedings closed to the public, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts.

Onyango declined two requests for interviews in recent days, and told a reporter to stop wasting her time.

"I'm not happy," Onyango said, bundled up in a parka against the spring chill as she went to pick up her mail.

Wong has not responded to repeated requests for comment. But her spokesman told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in January that Onyango would present new evidence to back an asylum claim. Onyango has lost several attempts to fight deportation, said immigration court spokeswoman Elaine Komis. In 2003, a judge ordered her to leave the country, and she lost on appeal. She tried again, but an immigration judge ordered her deported in October 2004. Komis would not confirm whether Onyango had sought asylum before now because, she said, asylum cases are confidential.

Shapiro, an immigration judge since 1990, rejected 68 percent of asylum requests from 2002 to 2007, higher than the state and national averages, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Asylum seekers must show that they fear persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group.

Still, immigration lawyers said she has a chance because she managed to get a hearing.
Onyango is a half-sister of the president's late father, Barack Obama Sr., who was absent most of Obama's life and who died in a car accident in 1982. The president met his aunt during a trip to

Kenya in 1988 and included her in his 1995 memoir, "Dreams from My Father," but has said he was unaware of her immigration issues.

Onyango, then a computer programmer, served as a translator, storyteller, and guide during his Kenya trip. She shared stories about his father's struggles and her own. She said Obama's father helped her get out of an abusive marriage when she was jobless and had no money.

She came to the United States in 2000 to find work and to seek a better life. Though she was ordered deported in 2004, she remained in the United States undetected until just before Election Day.

Aida Ramos, a neighbor, said Onyango is a humble, independent woman who suffers from back problems and is upset about the media attention over her case. She said Onyango quietly helps her neighbors, from counseling them on child-rearing to health issues.

"She's a very nice lady who wants to live her life," said Ramos. "Because she's Obama's aunt she's getting all this attention she didn't even want."

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Drinking With Bob Rants About Illegal Immigrants

What's next? I'll tell you what's next...Illegal Immigration. The other day Nancy Pelosi came out and basically said, we're not going to enforce illegal immigration laws in this country anymore. If you're in this country illegally, fine.Hangout. Have a great time! Are you freaking kidding me?Do you realize if you're an American citizen in this country and you're hanging out on a street corner selling drugs, in order to make money to make a better life for yourself and the police come by. You're going to jail. If you're an American citizen and you're hanging out on a street corner in this country, prostituting yourself in order to make money. To make a better life for yourself and the police come by. You're going to jail! If you're an ILLEGAL immigrant. Somebody who's not even supposed to be in this country and you're hanging out on a street corner selling your freaking services in order to make money to make a better life for yourself and the cops come by. They're told to ignore you. To make believe you don't even exist. Are you freaking kidding me?! And I know what you're all saying, but Bob, prostitution; drugs; thats bad for society.You don't think some guy standing on the street corner willing to work for twenty five dollars a day isn't bad for society? You might as well take minimum wage laws and throw them out the freaking window! And then they tell you, no! illegals, they're doing the jobs that Americans don't want to do. NO! They're doing the jobs that Americans don't want to do for twenty-five dollars a day. If you paid Americans a decent salary, they'd be tripping over themselves to get these illegal immigrants jobs. Then unemployment is up to 10%. I could cut that in half TOMORROW! If we got rid every freaking illegal immigrant in this country! But, God Forbid, the government did anything to help out the American citizen! God Forbid the government did anything to help out the people who pay their freaking salaries!Let's take immigration out of it okay? Let me give you a good analogy. Let's say you're going to the Bruce Springsteen concert. You're at Madison Square Garden, standing outside with your ticket in your hand. The doors aren't opened. All of a sudden the security guard comes and opens the doors. Before anyone with a ticket can get in, a hundred thousand people run into madison Square Garden and sit in all the seats. Do you think security at Madison Square Garden is gonna look at all the people with tickets and say, sorry guys; we can't get these people out of here. Do you think Bruce Springsteen is going to come out a sing a song? No! Springsteen's not going to sing a song and security is going to make damn sure that they get everybody out of Madison Square Garden who doesn't have a ticket. And everybody with a ticket inside Madison Square Garden before the freaking show starts!That's what happened at the border. When security at the border turned their backs millions of freaking illegals ran over the freaking border. And now the government says, we don't know how to get them out of here. They know how to get them out of here! They could get them out of here tomorrow! They don't want to get them out of here! Because if they got them out of here, then they'd have to pay somebody a decent salary to clean their freaking mansions and mow their freaking lawns!!And to all the illegal immigrants who are standing out there right now saying, why is he so mad? We're just trying to make a better life for ourselves. I don't think you're bad people. But, the cold hard fact is, I've got a freaking ticket and YOU'RE SITTING IN MY FREAKING SEAT!!! Would you get it! What is it that you don't understand?! What is it that you don't understand?!!What's next! What's next!! What's next!!!

A Letter from a Reader

NY Times 3/21/09

"For more than 50 years, it has been against the law for charities to contribute to politicians. This news appears not to have reached Albany. Danny Hakim and Jeremy Peters recently reported in The Times about how more than 80 tax-exempt charities have been doling out money to helpful state politicians. Some of the charities said they simply “goofed,” even though they appear to have received favors from politicians they supported. Charities should know better; the illegal money, meanwhile, should be returned. "

The JPCA has donate thousands to local candidates. When will someone stop this illegal practice?

Surreal947

The Wave Wipes Out Eric Ulrich

Ulrich Won due to a Lack of Viable Alternatives
Commentary by Howard Schwach

Many Rockaway voters were caught in a real bind when they went to the polls on February 24th.

They wanted a person who lives on the peninsula to represent them, but the two locals who were on the ballot were problematic. Actually, I have learned that from many people and have to say for the sake of full disclosure that I was in the same bind that they were.

Had Glen DiResto remained on the ballot, although he is a political neophyte, at least he would been a viable alternative to Geraldine Chapey and Lew Simon. Surrogates, Harold Cornell and Noreen Ellis, acting at the behest of Chapey, worked to get DiResto off the ballot (as well as democratic front runner Frank Gulluscio) off the ballot on minor technicalities.

That left voters with four alternatives:

Eric Ulrich: The ultimate winner is a nice young man with very little in the way of practical experience and a wealth of Conservative Republican baggage. You didn’t see a very special Ulrich ad in The Wave, but it was handed out at area churches on the Sunday prior to the election. The flyer showed Ulrich shaking hands with the late Pope, in what was obviously photoshopped to make to look like he actually met the Pope. On that page, it said “Catholics are united behind one candidate for City Council…Eric Ulrich.” Somehow, I really don’t think the Pope endorsed a candidate. On the other side, it pointed out that Ulrich would be a strong voice for Catholics should he win. The flyer says that Ulrich is “pro-life”, conservative catholic; a supporter of school choice and vouchers for Catholic school parents. In fact, he said that he would make school vouchers his priority in the council. Funny, but he never mentioned those things in his discussion with Wave staff.

While Ulrich is the antithesis of everything I want in a legislator, I’m not too worried. He won’t be around long. He is like a baseball player who is playing out his option year and will become a free agent at the end of the season and who is traded to another team to help that team in the pennant race. He is rented out for the remainder of the season. He won only because the other three alternatives were so bad.

Geraldine Chapey: Chapey thought she had it won until she refused to answer questions about where the money allocated by the city for her nonprofit van service goes. The question was asked in several ways in several different venues, and in each, she refused to say. I believe that is because she and others draw serious salaries from the $100,000 plus that she received from the city each year over the past dozen years or so. Even her supporters began to lose interest in her when she told one questioner to “sit down or leave” when he asked the question.
Chapey was reportedly demonic after the election, particularly over the fact that Lew Simon, her hated alter ego as Democratic District Leader, beat her by more than 1500 votes. Hopefully, that will be the last we see of Chapey in the political arena, and that she will soon be investigated by the Department of Investigations to find out just how she spends the taxpayer money she receives.

Lew Simon: Simon came in second to Ulrich. Lots of people like Simon and he had done some good for locals who need a traffic light fixed or a pothole filled.
Can you imagine his standing up at a City Council meeting and telling the other members of the body that he was now there “with his pitbull teeth” to set them all straight on how the city should be run. Simon has already become a laughingstock among those city officials who have to address Rockaway problems. He probably believes his intransigence is the right way to do business, but in the real world, particularly in a deliberative body, consensus and compromise are the keys. Simon is perfect right where he is. He is already on or two steps above his competency level, and it would be bad fore Rockaway should he wind up representing us off the peninsula. We laugh at his antics and his lies and say, “oh, that’s only Lew.” That would not happen in the City Council.

Mike Ricatto: Ricatto apparently believed he could buy the election by spending lots of money and making a couple of appearances. Despite the fact that he spent more on the election than all the other candidates combined, he could only muster a little more than 600 votes. In terms of Rockaway he was a total bust, with little idea of what Rockaway is or what it needs. I hope we have seen the last of him and his conservative ideas.

So there are the four candidates: Ulrich, Chapey, Simon and Ricatto.

What was a Rockaway resident who wanted a local person to win the office to do?

Many voted for Ulrich as a default position, not understanding just how conservative he is, because he covered up that side of his agenda well at local forums.

A number of locals have told me that they took the time to write Glen DiResto’s name in the little box provided in the voting booth, but the city tells us that only a few people did that. We will not know for sure until the vote is certified in a week or so.

Others just stayed away from the polls.

As one political savvy insider told me on Friday, “I’ll wait (to vote) for the real vote in November, when the Democratic Party throws it weight into the election.”
“This is still a democratic town,” he said. “If the party can keep the loonies out of the race, it will not even be close in November.”

Obama Kin has Cholera

Official: Obama's half-brother falls ill in Kenya
1 hour ago

KISUMU, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan health official says President Barack Obama's older half-brother has been hospitalized with stomach pains and is being tested for cholera.

Local disease surveillance officer James Sande says that Malik Obama, a 51-year-old businessman, was taken to Siaya District Hospital in western Kenya on Tuesday evening. Sande says Obama's condition is improving enough for him to be discharged Thursday or Friday. Results of his cholera test have not come back.

There is an outbreak of cholera in the area and hospital official Frederick Osanya says a domestic employee of Obama's was hospitalized with the disease last week. Cholera is easily treated but can be deadly.

Obama family members in Kenya did not return phone calls seeking comment. Barack Obama has five Kenyan half-brothers and a half-sister.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNGd3FUZNv381Vzh8APzbBf5fOhAD975MC7O0

The Obama Show on the Skids

Early ratings: Obama's viewership declines

Most TV shows start strong in the ratings, then decline as their novelty wears off. Apparently that trend also holds true for the president's primetime telecasts.

According to the early Nielsen ratings, Barack Obama's Tuesday night press conference showed some audience slippage compared with his two most recent live events.
The news special drew a 21.1 metered market household rating across the four major broadcasters -- down 14% from his Feb. 24 address and Feb. 12 conference (which drew a 24.5 and 24.4 in the metered markets).

The comparisons could shift later today when Nielsen releases the telecast's final national ratings (which will include the cable news networks).

Still, some broadcasters who were grumpy about the president's primetime interruption nonetheless enjoyed a silver lining. With Obama clearing the night of Fox's "American Idol," several shows airing after the press conference saw signficant ratings gains over last week.

These number could shift slightly more than usual in the nationals, but the preliminaries have ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" results show up 32% (15.7 million viewers, 3.7 preliminary adults 18-49 rating and 10 share). NBC's "The Biggest Loser" (9.8 million, 4.1/11) hit an eight-week high. CBS' "NCIS" (17.5 million, 3.9/10) was very strong also. At 10 p.m., ABC's "Primetime" (8.5 million, 2.7/7) was up, while CBS' "The Mentalist" (17.5 million, 3.8/10) climbed 15%.

As for the protest vote, the CW's "Reaper" (900,000, 1.0./3) at 8 p.m. was the only broadcast ]show to air against Obama's press conference and enjoyed a slight boost this week.

In the conference, Obama said he was seeing signs of progress in his drive to lead the United States out of economic crisis as he sought to reassure recession-weary Americans he was on the right track.

"We're moving in the right direction," Obama said.

Knocked off stride by public anger over hefty corporate bonuses and facing skepticism about his massive budget plan, the president moved to regain his political footing and refocus attention on his broader economic agenda. He made his case to the American people the same day he pressed for coordinated action among the world's major economies, and just a day after unveiling a trillion-dollar plan to soak up toxic bank assets at the root of the global financial meltdown.
Obama took the podium after U.S. stocks slid while investors paused to reassess the government's latest effort to clean up bank balance sheets. Initial euphoria over the plan had driven stocks sharply higher on Monday.

Obama, who has vowed to repair America's image overseas after eight years under George W. Bush, said there were indications his policy changes were "restoring confidence" internationally in U.S. global leadership.

He also made clear he was serious about his recent overtures of a fresh start with longtime U.S. foe Iran and said the status quo of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in which he has promised strong U.S. engagement, was "unsustainable."

Focusing on the economy, Obama said, "We've put in place a comprehensive strategy designed to attack this crisis on all fronts. It's a strategy to create jobs, to help responsible homeowners, to restart lending, and to grow our economy over the long term. And we are beginning to see signs of progress."

-- With additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Ross Colvin, Reuters

Get Well Wishes for Tom Ognibene

It has come to our attention that Mr. Tom Ognibene was admitted to the hospital. The details are sketchy therefore we will not speculate as to his condition nor the reason for his admission.

We just want to send out our prayers to his family and wish him a speedy recovery.

Clueless Crowley

Clueless Crowley Exploits Tragedy

According to reports, Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, will introduce legislation to raise the penalty for anybody who leaves their vehicle running and unattended. The bill comes in response to the tragic hit and run by a drunken thief who stole an idling car and fatally struck Alex Paul and Robert Ogle in Middle Village, Queens, early in February.

This was a horrible incident and our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the two boy who murdered by that bastard. But trying to take a shred of responsibility from the maniac who committed this heinous crime in unconscionable.

I understand that the person who left car idling was careless but was it criminal? Once again, our clueless politicians want to take responsibility away from the criminals and place blame on citizens who became victims of criminal behavior.

Maybe Dizzy Lizzy will………

Charge people who leave their back doors opened and get robbed with breaking and entering

Charge people who brew beer, make wine or produce liquor with vehicular manslaughter every time someone gets killed by a drunk driver

Charge fast-food restaurant owners when fat people die of heart attacks
C

harge parents whose children have grown up to be violent criminals

Here is a novel idea why don’t we severely punish the criminals. Take away loopholes in the law? Take away plea bargain agreements for violent criminals? Let’s punish the people responsible for doing the crime! This bill will provide defense attorney’s with a mechanism that will allow courts to take some blame off their clients.

Let’s pass a bill that would allow family members of those killed by criminals to visit the bastard in jail once a week to kick the shit out of him or her!

Congressman Barney Frank calling Justice Scalia a Homophobe is just another example of his propensity for idiocy. Barney Frank should be more concerned about his complicity in the economic turmoil he and his friends caused while taking saunas on Capital Hill.

And why the hell is Chucky Schmuckey Cheese Schumer commenting on same sex marriage today? As New York faces a budget deficit in the billions, shouldn’t Schmucky Schumer be spending his energies ensuring that stimulus package money be used in closing these budget gaps instead of worrying about gay marriage?

Barney Frank and Charles Schumer should really consider looking foe new careers because the American people cannot afford to have them shooting off their mouths spouting stupid ideas at our expense.

Rep. Frank Calls Justice Scalia a 'Homophobe'

The Massachusetts Democrat told a gay online news agency that he hoped the Supreme Court won't ever get to hear a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act while Justice Scalia is on the bench.
By Lee Ross

Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank called Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia a "homophobe" in an interview released Monday on a gay online news site, and said he hoped a challenge to a federal law widely disliked in the gay community will not be heard before the high court until new justices are seated on the bench.

Frank, who is gay, made the remark in responding to a question about legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act. The 1996 law says the federal government and states have no obligation to recognize same-sex marriages even if other states allow them.

"At some point, [the Defense of Marriage Act] is going to have to go to the United States Supreme Court," the congressman, a Democrat, said. "I wouldn't want it to go to the United States Supreme Court now because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has got too many votes on this current court."

Last month a controversial judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared the 12-year-old law unconstitutional. That's the second time a judge from the notably liberal court has made such a ruling.

But both rulings were administrative in nature and offered no precedent, thus making it unlikely they would be appealed to the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, a judicial marker has been set that has clearly drawn the interest of the gay community.
Scalia is no stranger to personal attacks and is a favorite target for gays because of his dissent in a 2003 case that overturned the nation's consensual sodomy laws.

In that case Scalia held the majority's ruling represented "a massive disruption of the current social order."

He went on to conclude that "the Texas statute undeniably seeks to further the belief of its citizens that certain forms of sexual behavior are immoral and unacceptable, the same interest furthered by criminal laws against fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality and obscenity."

A representative for Scalia was not immediately available for comment.

Drinking With Bob Rants About AIG and GOV

It's not AIG. It's the GOV...

What's next? I'll tell you what's next...AIG! AIG! Everybody's going nuts. I can't believe they're getting bonuses! I can't believe they're getting bonuses! Would you people wake up! AIG is a freaking smoke screen to take your attention away from the real criminals in this country... The freaking government! The government is to blame for this problem. The government sits up on capitol hill vilifying wall street like they;re the problem. the government has been in bed with wall street from day one in this freaking economic disaster.You know what one sure fire way from keeping AIG executives from getting bonuses was? NOT giving them a bailout to begin with. The American people knew this. the average citizen knew this. We said no bailouts for anyone, on day freaking one. Did the government listen? No! Bush,Bernanke, Paulson, Obama they're all to blame. They were handing out money like it was going out of style and not paying attention to where it was going. This is like giving a kid a hundred dollars to buy school clothes and then being mad when he comes home with video games and jelly beans. Are you kidding me?!Then Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut comes out the other day and says, before the last stimulus bill was signed, he put in an amendment, Basically making it possible for the AIG executives to gets their bonuses. he basically wrote on top of the last stimulus bill, that no matter what happens the executives at AIG have to get their bonuses. You know who signed that stimulus bill? Barack Obama! Then he has the audacity to come out on t.v. the other day and be outraged. "I can't believe these people are getting bonuses... You signed a piece of paper making it possible for these people to get bonuses YOU SCHMUCK!!Would you people WAKE UP! The government is playing a game with you and no matter what freaking number they roll, YOU FREAKING LOSE!!! You're worried about AIG. I'd be more worried about the GOV than AIG!! Would you wake up! The only way we're going to stop this is to all grab a freaking musket and charge the freaking White House! We're finished people! We're freaking finished!!What's next! What's next!! What's next!!!

Monserrate Slapped Around By Grand Jury

NY state senator indicted, accused of assault
By COLLEEN LONG – 2 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A freshman state senator sworn in to office despite allegations he slashed his girlfriend's face with broken glass in a jealous rage has been indicted on domestic assault charges, prosecutors said Monday.

A grand jury in Queens indicted Hiram Monserrate on three counts of second-degree felony assault and three counts of third-degree misdemeanor assault. Arraignment is expected later this week. He faces seven years in prison if convicted on the most serious charges.

The 41-year-old former police officer was arrested after Karla Giraldo's face was slashed Dec. 19 at his New York City home. The gash over her eye required 25 stitches. Both said it was an accident.

Monserrate, who was in Albany on Monday for a legislative session, issued a statement saying he did not commit a crime.

"I've said all along this was accident. Karla has said all along this was accident. The district attorney's politically motivated decision to pursue this case doesn't change the fact that this was an accident," he said.

Monserrate told police he tripped while holding a glass of water and that the glass accidentally hit Giraldo.

But authorities say evidence, including surveillance videos, painted a picture of a heated argument and a frightened, bleeding woman in distress.

According to the police report, Giraldo, 29, initially said she was assaulted, then changed her account after learning officers planned to arrest Monserrate. She later told police she did not wish to press charges.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Robert Holden is Against You

Robert Holden is against YOU!

Robert Holden is out there again attacking members of the community who are dog owners. Once again, Holden is fighting against a dog run in Juniper Park and again causing a rift in our community.

Let us take a look at what else Robert Holden (and the Juniper Park Civic Association) is against…

Robert Holden is against children
Robert Holden is against education
Robert Holden is against reducing overcrowding in schools
Robert Holden is against letting kids play on the upper ball fields
Robert Holden is against minorities
Robert Holden is against dogs
Robert Holden is against dog runs
Robert Holden is against veterans
Robert Holden is against placing the Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial in our park
Robert Holden is against parents
Robert Holden is against our community
Robert Holden is against YOU

Isn’t it time that the community come together and stand together against Robert Holden and the Juniper Park civic association

Eric Ulrich distorts the lines between Church and State

Eric Ulrich distorts the lines between Church and State

Throughout history it has always been a dangerous practice when political figures utilize the church or religion for their own personal gain or political expediency. In the recent special election for the 32nd Council District held on February 24th, 2009, Eric Ulrich strong armed members of the clergy to assist him in his quest for world domination.

Here is a very interesting letter from a member of the clergy that states he seeks Eric’s advice and counsel. I guess God must be on vacation or the Pope is no longer taking phone calls. The clergyman even goes so far as to infer that Eric shares OUR values! This is only true if our values are misogyny, racism, greed, malice and lying.

FROM THE DESK OF
FR. PAUL C. PALMIOTTO

February, 2009

Dear Parishioner,

As you may already know, there will be a very important Special Election on Tuesday, February 24th for Member of the City Council.

My good friend and parishioner Eric Ulrich is a candidate for this position, which became vacant when Joe Addabbo was elected to the State Senate last fall.

Since becoming Pastor at Nativity B.V.M. I have come to rely on Eric Ulrich’s advice and counsel. He is a bright young man who serves a lector at Sunday Mass and is also very involved with the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society. Whenever this parish needs help, Eric is always there.

There is no doubt in my mind that that when he is elected to the City Council, he will be an effective leader and someone we can be proud of. He shares our values and will do what he thinks is right.

While the church cannot officially endorse any candidate for public office, I would like you to know that I am personally supporting Eric Ulrich and you to consider doing the same.

Sincerely,

Fr. Paul C. Palmiotto

P.S. If you would like to discuss with me my reasons for voting for Eric Ulrich, please feel free to contact me at the rectory during regular business hours. (Phone number omitted by blog)

Drinking With Bob Rants About Obama the Retard

Obama's Retarded...
What's next? I'll tell you what's next...

Barack Obama is at it again. The other day he went on Jay Leno. Jay Leno! Are you freaking kidding me?! The President of the United States went on Jay Leno. They're sitting on the freaking couch, talking about Barack Oabmas' bowling prowess. Barack Obama says how he bowled a 126. Jay Leno laughed. Barack Obama laughed. Then Barack Obama proceeds to say how, that was like a Special Olympics score. Are you freaking kidding me? Is this guy out of hie freaking mind?! This is why the President of the United States should not be on a late night talk show. Barack Obama can't even order breakfast without using a teleprompter and he decides to go on Jay Leno and start winging it? Start throwing out one liners? Could you imagine if George Bush went on Jay Leno and said he bowls like someone from the Special Olympics? The mainstream media would have had him hanging from a cross the next freaking day in the paper. But, not Barack Obama.

Then they have Barack Obama on t.v. picking NCAA basketball teams. They've got him standing there in front of a 6 foot by 6 foot freaking board with a giant magic marker in his hand telling us who he thinks is gonna win the NCAA College Basketball Tournament.

Would somebody slap this guy in the back of the head and tell him that he's the President of the United States. That's not a 5 day 40 hour a week job. That's 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, he has to act like the freaking president. We're in danger of going to war with freaking Russia, China, North Korea, Iran; the economy is in the crapper and this guy is freaking telling us who he thinks is going to win a basketball game?!

You know NOBODY asked him to be president! NOBODY walked into his freaking room, grabbed him by the ears and dragged him out into the freaking hallway and said, "You have to run for president!" He begged to be president! He said he was going to bring about "change"! So far he's done NOTHING!!

The only thing we know conclusively about Barack Obama after 3 freaking months is that he bowls like a freaking retard and he thinks the University of North Carolina is going to put more balls in a basketball hoop than the University of Duke! Would you people WAKE UP! Would you WAKE UP!! If you voted for Barack Obama. You've been punked stupid! You've been punked!!

What's next! What's next!! What's next!!!

The Pink Politico Opines About Ulrich

Oh Boy, This is worse than We Thought

You know we live in bizzaro world when an impotent Mayor Bloomberg jokes that he could be Eric Ulrich’s grandfather, a delusional Republican leader (Rosemary Ciulla-Frisone) boasts that she elected Barack Obama for change and that is why she supports Eric Ulrich, a “non-political” priest named Father Colamaria pokes fun at political figures who ran against Ulrich and a President of a “college” applauds Eric’s callousness during a very odd swearing-in ceremony.

Just read the article below and the hairs on the back of your neck will stand on end.

Mayor swears in Eric Ulrich as Councilmember
BY TONIA N. CIMINO
Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:47 AM EDT

The room erupted in thunderous applause as City Councilmember Eric Ulrich took his unofficial oath of office – administered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg – on Sunday, March 15.

“He [Ulrich] will do a great job and this city will benefit from it,” said Bloomberg, who joked that at 24, he could not just be Ulrich’s father, but grandfather.

In fact, Ulrich’s grandparents, as well as his great-grandfather, attended the ceremony at Howard Beach’s P.S. 207, and were given special tribute by one of the youngest members ever to be elected to the City Council.

Ulrich was elected to represent the 32nd Council District on Tuesday, February 24 in a Special Election. He fills the seat vacated by Senator Joseph Addabbo.
“We worked day and night [on his campaign],” said Scott Jordan of Ozone Park.
(Scott Jordon is a moron and a long time crime partner of Eric Ulrich, the press should look into Mr. Jordan’s past)

“We elected [President] Barack Obama because we needed a change,” said Rosemary Ciulla-Frisone of the Ronald Reagan Republican Club of Howard Beach. “And that’s how we feel about Eric.”
(Ronald Reagan is turning over in his grave listening to this moron comparing the election of Barack Obama to Eric stealing the 32nd Council Election)

The results were to be certified on Tuesday, March 17 by the New York City Board of Elections (BOE), and Ulrich will officially be sworn in by the City Clerk “as soon as possible” thereafter.
(We are sure that Ulrich insiders will be there “ensuring” that the certification goes their way)

But on Sunday, March 15, as nearly 500 people came out to support the new Councilmember, Father Francis Colamaria, pastor of Holy Child Jesus Church, delivered the opening benediction by thanking God “for Eric’s opponents in the race [Lew Simon, Geraldine Chapey and Mike Ricatto],” to which the audience replied with raucous laughter.
(We hope that the Diocese speaks to Father Colamaria about not mixing religion and politics)

“I wanted to see him sworn in,” said Marie Cazzalino as she sat in the audience. “He is young, ambitious – we need new faces.”
(Poor Marie Cazzalino has no idea how many face Eric Ulrich actually possess, but fear not for he will rear his many ugly heads)

Dr. Frank J. Macchiarola, former New York City Public Schools Chancellor and former President of St. Francis College – of which Ulrich is an alumnus – served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

With great pride, Macchiarola informed the audience of how he’s always known Ulrich to be smart and ambitious – of how he always knew he would achieve great things.

“It’s a remarkable achievement,” he said, noting that Ulrich’s campaign was a grassroots one. “It’s absolutely something to be proud of.”
(It is remarkable that Ulrich has fooled so many people in such a short time. His arrogance is confused with intelligence and his ambition disguises his personal greed)

When Bloomberg took the stage, he shared “tips for success” with Ulrich, which included “Laugh at Councilmember Simcha Felder’s jokes,” and attend Council sessions “because the New York Post counts [attendance].”
(Let’s not forget raise taxes, ignore the will of the voters and advance your personal career at any cost)

After Ulrich recited the oath and the audience, – many still waving campaign signs – cheered, the new Councilmember joked, “I paid them to do that.”
(He also paid a lot of other people that the NYC Campaign Finance Board should look into immediately. I bet not ALL expenditures were listed)

“Each and every one of you has been a part of who I am today and I want to thank you for coming,” he continued. “I will work closely with all of my colleagues” to empower local businesses to remain open and allow people struggling to pay their mortgages stay in their homes.”
(Eric is delusional; insiders know he will be unable to do anything in the council because his reputation precedes him.)

He vowed, “From this moment on, my life, my entire being will be dedicated to the people – I’m not a benchwarmer, I’m not a placeholder – I’m here to serve.”
(Eric’s statement is already changing, during the election he said he HAS been dedicated to the people for his entire 24 years living on this earth. Poor Eric is delusional he thinks that he is not a benchwarmer nor a place holder for Frank Gulluscio who will the seat back in November)

Macchiarola then thanked those in attendance – many of whom worked on Ulrich’s campaign – including Tom Ognibene, State Supreme Court Justice Augustus C. Agate, Democratic District Leader Frances Abbracciamento, Jane Deacy, Republican District Leader, State Senator Marty Golden, former Councilmember Al Stabile, Republican County Leader Phil Ragusa, and Queens County Conservative Party Leader Tom Long.
(What a collection of self serving political parasites)

Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz of the Rockwood Park Jewish Center then delivered the closing blessing with “May the future journey of Honorable Eric Ulrich be one of peace.”
(I wonder what the Rabbi would say if he knew what Eric really thought about people of the Jewish faith)

A reception and meet-and-greet followed the ceremony.

Ulrich will serve as Councilmember through the end of the year, but he will have to run again in November, when all of the 51 Council seats are up for grabs.
(Eric will lose in November)

Many of his supporters are already gearing up.
(Too bad Eric would no longer have all the Gulluscio people who voted in the special)

“This is a very proud day, bit it is only the beginning, I’m sure,” said Deacy. “He has many more miles to go.”
(Deacy used to be a very astute District Leader, it is so sad to see her mental faculties deteriorate)

Drinking with Bob Rants About Nancy Pelosi

What's next? I'll tell you what's next...Nancy Pelosi! Nancy Pelosi! This piece of trash is in the news again. Supposedly, some watchdog group intercepted emails from Nancy Pelosi asking for military planes to fly her and her family back and forth across the country every freaking weekend. Sometimes she would reserve these planes, get them all fueled up and not even use them. Costing the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.But, of course, Nancy Pelosi has an excuse. It wasn't her fault. It was her assistant. It was her secretary who was ordering all of these planes. Are you freaking kidding me?! I'm sick of these politicians always blaming somebody else for their freaking mistakes. It was Nancy Pelosi's fault. Know how I know? Cause the liberal mainstream media came out with excuses for her before Nancy Pelosi could even open her mouth. They said she needed the plane because if Barack Obama died and Joe Biden died. Nancy Pelosi would become President. Are you freaking kidding me? If Barack Obama died. And if Joe Biden died. This is like Bill O'Reilly walking around wearing a Knicks uniform 24 hours a day, because one day he might play in the NBA. Are you kidding me? It's NOT gonna happen. Another thing they said was, she needed a bigger plane. The previous speaker of the house had a 12 seat plane. She needed a 60 seat plane. You wanna know why? She needed to be able to fly from washington DC to San Francisco without refueling. Why?Security reasons. Security reasons? Are you freaking kidding me? Carrot Top has bigger security concerns than freaking Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi's security force should consist of a heart surgeon and a bottle of Metamucil. The only thing this woman is going to die of is OLD AGE. Probably 6 months from freaking now.Aren't you freaking sick of these people?! Aren't you sick of these freaking politicians acting like they're freaking royalty?! Let me tell you something, this ain't the sixteen hundreds. We don't have kings and queens in this freaking country. The only QUEEN I know of in the freaking congress today is Barney Frank. And if he wants to fly across country, he can use JetBlue like the rest of us and pay for it him freaking self! Are you kidding me!Nancy Pelosi wants a military plane? The only people who should be flying in military planes are the freaking military!! Period!!!

Arrogant Eric's Fall Begins

To many hoodwinked voters, Eric Ulrich appeared to be a legitimate candidate for public office in the special election for 32nd council district. However, when you take a closer look many are shocked to find out what lies beneath that arrogant smirk. People will find out more that what political insiders already know. Everyone clearly recognize that at the tender age of 23 he lacks the requisite experience to deal with the complexities of the New York City budget and is ill-equipped to deal with constituents.

Arrogant Eric as he is know in political circles, is so consumed with his recent surge of misguided power that he is already dividing the constituencies that elected him to office. One republican official stated, “Eric believes that he is the number one political figure in Queens and is already started warring with political veterans.” Only a united republican party can win in a September primary and November election.

Frank Gulluscio, Lew Simon and Glen DiResto must be kicking back and enjoying the unraveling of arrogant Eric.

Juniper Berry Talks About Proposed Maspeth High School

Educate yourself about the proposed Maspeth high school
by: Robert F. Holden

The School Construction Authority (SCA) is pushing forward with a plan to site a 1,100-seat high school at the corner of 74th Street and 57th Avenue at the former Restaurant Depot site. This is a very bad idea for several reasons. There exist many factors which will lead to a detrimental impact on our quality of life.Why here?

First of all, there are 2 schools right nearby - PS58 with 975 students a block away and IS73 with 2,000 students about 4 blocks away. Most of the students at IS73 are not from this neighborhood. We already have Newtown and Grover Cleveland High Schools operating above capacity in neighboring Elmhurst and Ridgewood respectively. However, 73% of households in Middle Village and 69% of households in Maspeth have no children. Between these two neighborhoods, there are approximately 70,000 people. Meanwhile, 45% of households in Elmhurst and 50% of households in Corona have children and each of these communities have more than 100,000 residents. The need for schools is obviously greater in these areas, not in Maspeth or Middle Village.

Geographically, this site is at a disadvantage because there is limited access to routes to the south because of the presence of the Long Island Expressway. The Grand Avenue buses are already packed to capacity during after-school hours, so much so that many times riders must allow several buses to pass before one comes along that he or she may board. And with 3,000 kids pouring onto the streets at one time and then lingering, pedestrian traffic is discouraged and business along Grand Avenue suffers. The Maspeth Chamber of Commerce is against the building of the school for that reason.

Traffic around the existing schools comes to a standstill during the afternoon and there is double parking, blocking of fire hydrants and driveways, etc. What will happen when a high school is added into the mix? The SCA does not include parking in its plans, and you know that the teachers will drive to work since there is no subway nearby. Senior students may also drive. Where will they all park?

We have read that a commercial establishment is interested in the property, but they know the City has its eyes on it for a school and is willing to use eminent domain if necessary, so they have been reluctant to make an offer.

Why so many kids?

In November 2008, the New York Times published an article which found that high schools with fewer than 500 students did twice as well than larger schools. Why will this proposed school contain 1,100 students if this is not the ideal learning environment?

District 24, which covers an area from Long Island City to Corona, contains 15 high schools. Most of the newer schools were built in LIC in industrial areas with subways nearby. They all are “themed” or “career” schools. This is the trend. Career schools cannot be zoned locally and must be open to the entire city. Local students interested in whatever career is being taught at this school cannot be guaranteed seats. There are a total of 529 high schools in the City, of which 32 are zoned locally. None of the locally zoned schools are located in District 24. This again raises the question of why we should invite a 1,100-seat career school into our small town that has inadequate transportation in order to educate kids from the rest of the City.

Overdevelopment and overpopulation

One thing that needs to be mentioned in an article about new school construction is that the rampant overdevelopment, illegal apartments and illegal aliens that the City encourages are no doubt putting strains on school services. Now the City can’t build schools fast enough to deal with the population overload that they brought upon themselves.

“A high school in your own backyard will be great for the neighborhood,” the Department of Education brainwashes parents of public school children into thinking and repeating. This school is being shoved down our throats and these parents are being duped. This is a clear case of overdevelopment. SCA simply looks at the square footage of the building and how many kids they can pack in. They don’t care about the community or a school’s impact on residents’ quality of life. We will be doing nothing more than absorbing the overflow of students from Grover Cleveland and Newtown, high schools with poor graduation rates. And it’s pretty certain that people who live in Maspeth and Middle Village will not be sending their kids to a failing school.

This will also put an unfair burden on the NYPD, the ranks of which are forcibly shrinking. There is not enough manpower to keep an eye on the kids and direct traffic flow after school. Police on the streets at dismissal time are a necessity because of the increase in vandalism and crime that happens in the vicinity of public high schools.

We are going to have a brand new park where the Elmhurst Gas Tanks formerly were. We envisioned the spot as a place of quiet reflection for seniors and a place that mothers could take their small children. If this high school is constructed at the proposed location, we can kiss that goodbye.

We want our elected officials to take a long hard look at the numbers and take all of the issues into consideration before they cave into the PTA moms and the UFT reps. They need to say that this is not right for our neighborhood. If they want to do something for students here, they’ll fight for vouchers to give parents a tax break on private school tuition. Those schools manage to educate students for far less money and have more than twice the graduation rate that public schools do.

Call Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley at (718) 366-3900 and tell her to vote against the proposed Maspeth high school. If she votes no, the rest of the Council will likely follow suit. Remember that she is counting on your support this November for re-election.

New Juniper Park Patriots Coming Soon

Juniper Park Patriots Under New Management

The Juniper Park Patriots are under new management. Stay tuned.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Montserrat. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.[1]
St. Patrick's feast day was placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding[2] in the early part of the 17th century, although the feast day was celebrated in the local Irish church from a much earlier date. St. Patrick's Day is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The feast day usually falls during Lent; if it falls on a Friday of Lent (unless it is Good Friday), the obligation to abstain from eating meat can be lifted by the local bishop. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. St. Patricks Day is very occasionally affected by this requirement. Thus when March 17 falls during Holy Week, as in 1940 when St. Patrick's Day was observed on April 3 in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, having been observed on 15 March.[3][4]

The New York parade has become the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade in the world. In a typical year, 150,000 marchers participate in it, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs, and 2 million spectators line the streets.[7] The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and is always led by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment. New York politicians - or those running for office - are always found prominently marching in the parade. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch once proclaimed himself "Ed O'Koch" for the day, and he continues to don an Irish sweater and march every year up until 2003, even though he is no longer in office.
The parade is organized and run by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.[citation needed] For many years, the St. Patrick's Day Parade was the primary public function of the organization. On occasion the order has appointed controversial Irish republican figures (some of whom were barred from the U.S.) to be its Grand Marshal.[citation needed]

The New York parade is moved to the previous Saturday (16 March) in years where 17 March is a Sunday. The event also has been moved on the rare occasions when, due to Easter falling on a very early date, 17 March would land in Holy Week. This same scenario arose again in 2008, when Easter fell on March 23. The festivities went ahead on their normal date and had record viewers.[36] In many other American cities (such as San Francisco), the parade is always held on the Sunday before 17 March, regardless of the liturgical calendar.