The Daily Gotham

I am on the host committee for a fundraiser for Jimmy Dahroug and I hope you can all attend, spread the word, and/or contribute. Jimmy's fundraisers are pretty damned good and this one includes special guest Jim Dean, brother of Howard Dean and head of Democracy for America.

From the Jimmy Dahroug Campaign:

Wed., May. 14, 2008
Manhattan Cocktail Reception
Campaign Co-Chair Dr. Bonnie Maslin and her Husband, Dr. Yehuda Nir are hosting a cocktail reception for our reform campaign. Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean will be the Guest speaker
Location: 1050 Park Avenue, at the corner of East 87th Street
When: 6:00 PM
Ends: 9:00 PM

Wherever you live in New York State, the upcoming election in my district will affect you, me, our friends, and our families for generations to come.

Today, we are only two seats away from gaining a Democratic majority in the New York State Senate. This will end the stagnation caused by four decades of Republican domination including the Republican gerrymandering which has prevented us from turning more of New York's congressional seats blue.

read more

Last Sunday 5:30 AM found me biking to the Battery where, with a few hundred others, I helped put on BikeNY’s Five Borough Bike Tour. My main job was to ride very slowly, fix flats, gears & chains, hand out water, snacks and encouragement to 30,000 riders. In a previous post I suggested low-key NYC rides you can still go on. Below, I suggest somewhat more adventuresome multi-day rides in order of their physical demands.

When I was a very young teen, I rode on multi-day bike trips organized by the 92nd Street Y and American Youth Hostels. We carried our gear and food; rode 30 or so miles a day on fairly unforgiving 3-speed English touring bikes. I loved it. Heavy duty exercise, lots of unsupervised time on the road for making out, group meals. My dream – never achieved – was to lead those trips.

Fifty years later, in the course of courting, I’ve been getting my wish. On a dare, a couple of years ago I signed up to help put on a multi-day bike ride in the Adirondack Mountains. I practiced and practiced until I could get up the steepest hill in Central Park without collapsing. (Of course, in the Adirondacks, most every hill was steeper and longer than those in Central Park.). Since then, I’ve been on a number of multi-day rides and I want to invite you along.

The following three rides – sponsored by non-profits --, in order of increasing difficulty,

read more

The Brooklyn Papers has an interesting revelation that one of the people leading the pro-Ratner counter rally to Community opposition to Ratner's Atlantic Yards is an admitted pimp:

One of Bruce Ratner’s boosters at the pro–Atlantic Yards rally on Saturday is a former strip club manager who used to arrange for dancers to have sex with NBA stars.

The Atlantic Yards supporter, Thomas “Ziggy” Sicignano, who now runs Brooklyn U.S.A., a youth basketball program in Park Slope, said that Ratner’s foundation gave his organization $10,000 in 2005.

That donation came four years after his stunning courtroom admission that he prostituted strippers to attract NBA stars to the Gold Club in Atlanta.

This comes as no surprise. After all, the counter-rally wasn't a community based rally, but were getting paid to be there. And many people suddenly become Ratner supporters after getting paid money by him. Sicignano had his price. Vito Lopez had his price. Ratner's whole scheme is about buying favors, so he and a pimp would get along just fine.

Back in February, Bouldin observed that this year may be the year of challenging the entrenched and out of touch political establishment in NYC. Bouldin focused primarily on Paul Newell's challenge of perhaps the most entrenched politician in New York State, Shelly Silver. I want to expand upon what Bouldin wrote by covering some other races as well.

There is no question that Paul Newell is going up against the biggest bully in NY State, something that takes considerable guts. Let me let Paul introduce himself to you (though he has already done so here on Daily Gotham several times):

read more

Republican Congressman Vito "Vino" Fossella is really not looking too good right now. His conduct the night of his drunk driving arrest is something he is going to have a hard time living down.

Mug Shot thanks to FossellaFive.org

Drunk driving AND a secret love child all revealed in one scandal. People are arguing over what to call this scandal. Simple "Vinogate?" "Double the Family Values?" "A Congressman Walked into a Bar?" Or, a suggestion on Daily Kos, "In-Vito Fertilization."

The behavior of Vito Fossella leaves much to be desired, though perhaps by Republican standards where even pedophilia is accepted, maybe he isn't so bad.

read more

Earlier this week, Senate Republicans put forth legislation (S.7594-B) which would create a gas tax "holiday" from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I and many of my Democratic colleagues voted against this legislation because it is bad fiscal and environmental policy that will only result in windfall profits for oil companies and no real relief for consumers. My colleagues and I understand New Yorkers have been hit hard by rising fuel costs. However, what we need are not gimmicks, but carefully thought out policies that will create long-term solutions to the growing energy crisis facing our state and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

S.7594-B, introduced by Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), would exempt gasoline and diesel from the State's excise tax, Sales Tax, and Petroleum Business Tax, from May 23, 2008 to September 2, 2008. These taxes are currently used to provide funds for highways, roads, bridges, and mass transit. By suspending the taxes the Senate Republicans will create an estimated $600 million budget gap for these necessary services.

read more

Five weeks ago, the New York Post broke a story that millions of tax dollars were officially earmarked by the City Council to nonexistent accounts so that they could be allocated later to legitimate nonprofit organizations. The idea was that since all funding is required to be made at the beginning of a fiscal year, and many groups don’t know how much they’ll need six, eight, or ten months in advance, some system needed to be created to make that money available.

There’s not much new. Different kinds of phony allocations have been used for decades for the same purpose. It is becoming clear that there was never any intent to deceive, or to send money to groups that don’t meet whatever set of official criteria is in place for such “member items.”

Of course, the widening investigation has turned up a number of these earmarks that have at least the appearance of favoritism or conflict of interest, and two City Council staffers have been arrested for stealing some of this money. But that’s not the real problem, and until we identify and fully address the real problem, what we’re seeing now will reappear again and again.

The real problem is

read more

Suze Rotolo, the girl depicted with him on the cover of Bob Dylan’s first album, has, 45 years later written her memories of their life together and of the early 60’s NYC folk scene. Although it has a publication date of May 13, it has been widely circulated (See for example, this post and this LA Times review and this Gawker Gawk .) For Dylan fans or those with an unceasing yen for nostalgia, try these Dylan-Rotolo photos. It’s a good book about that time & place. I was there some (see last graph, below) and think her report catches well much of the flavor of the time.

read more

We are in the final stages of the migration.
By tomorrow morning we should be in our new server with our new web host.

Thank you for your patience.

/ liza

We are in the final stages of the migration.
By tomorrow morning we should be in our new server with our new web host.

Thank you for your patience.

/ liza

I am moved, perhaps too much, by the deaths and lives of people who were more or less of my parents' generation. Grace Paley, Ralph DiGia [I went to Ralph's send-off Saturday: Hundreds of friends, family, photos, food, booze, schmooze, (true?) stories. See some on his website.], blacklisted film-maker Jules Dassin (More about Dassin's remarkable life and work here), Spanish Civil War Veteran Abe Osheroff . (More about Osheroff here.)

In addition to feeling of loss, reports of the deaths of people in my own cohort bring also the sound of "time's winged chariot hurrying near." Hanon Reznikov,57, who died a few days ago, following a stroke in April, was a long-time co-director of TheLiving Theatre. A long-time lover of Judith Malina, he married her on the 1985 death her husband, Living Theatre co-founder Julian Beck. The May 9, NY Times obit is here (See also this obit , This story from the Villager about The Living Theatre's new home on Clinton Street, this interview with Reznikov and Judith Malina and this YouTube of the two of them.

read more

DDDB sent me a link to some pictures from Saturday's "Put Up or Shut Up Ratner" Rally (as I call it). Once again, I am struck at the politicians that have come together to oppose Ratner.

The iconic picture for me is Chris Owens and David Yassky, on the same stage to demand accountability in all aspects of the Atlantic Yards project:

How times have changed since 2006. And Ratner brought them together.

This picture gives a good impression of the turnout:

Though I think this might be facing only one way from the stage and so show about half the crowd. A was the far end of the crowd in this picture, so I couldn't see to the other end. This seems to give an impression of the crowd facing the other way:

Not a bad turnout for a dreary Saturday.

read more

Today was the rally calling for Bruce Ratner to put up or shut up. Brooklyn is getting tired of Ratner making promises then breaking those promises even as he demands more taxpayer money. The rally was well attended, though we came slightly late and were way at the back, so didn't really see the whole crowd.

Chris Owens, President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats and Brooklyn Progressive Activist, led the rally. Three groups organized the rally: Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, The Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, and Brooklyn Speaks. MANY local politicians attended, including some who had previously been pretty solidly behind Ratner. Ratner has worn out his welcome even among his supporters.

Here are some excerpts from the press release from the three organizing groups:

read more

One picture says it all. Thanks to FossellaFive.org, here's Vito Fossella's mug shot from his drunk driving arrest:

I think we all should be thankful that Vito Fossella didn't hit anyone while driving intoxicated. Such irresponsibility is disgusting in anyone, but particularly in someone who is supposed to be a leader. As Steve Harrison, Democratic Candidate taking on Vito Fossella in the NY-13 Congressional race, says:

"Lawmakers cannot expect the people to follow the laws if they themselves disregard them."

As tomorrow's big anti-Ratner rally approaches, bringing together not just Ratner's usual opponents but even some former supporters turned sour (e.g. Bill DeBlasio), new revelations are coming out about Ratner's broken promises and the city's willingness to let him get away with anything.

We now know that Bruce Ratner is trying to weasel out of the Affordable Housing part of the deal he made with the city. Affordable Housing was the excuse the city had to throw so much money (taxpayer money) at Ratner's feet. Bringing the Nets to Brooklyn was another excuse. Ratner is backing out of the first promise. Is he backing out of the second one as well? According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Bruce Ratner may be giving up on bringing the Nets to Brooklyn:

The owner of the Devils hockey team and Newark Mayor Cory Booker are seeking to assemble a group of investors to buy the Nets and move the basketball team to Newark, according to people familiar with the effort.

read more

Steve Harrison, Vito Fossella's main Democratic opponent, has issued a statement regarding Vito (or is that Vino?) Fossella's Drunk Driving Arrest:

read more

It is Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is the time we remember the 11 million people (including he 5 million non-Jews too often left out of our remembrance) who were killed by the Nazis in WW II.

Written in Pencil in the Sealed Freight Car

Here, in this freight car,
I, Eve,
with my son Abel.
If you see my older boy,
Cain, the son of Adam,
tell him that I…

--Dan Pagis, as quoted in Ariel Hirschfeld’s chapter in Cultures of the Jews, David Biale (ed.)

I read this poem, evoking the emotions of a woman crammed into a freight car on her way to the death camps during the Holocaust, right before I read Elie Wiesel's most recent edition of his book Night, describing his own experiences in the Holocaust. His book is, needless to say, chilling. But the additions in the latest edition make it even more so. If you read earlier editions, you might want to read the intro to the new one because he mentions things edited out of the original.

read more

Haha.

Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.) was arrested overnight in Alexandria and charged with driving while intoxicated, court records showed today.

Reached by phone, Fossella's communication director had no immediate comment on the report.

Shocking, I know.

AfterDowningStreet.org has an amazing historical overview on why tomorrow there will be massive demonstrations and labor union strikes all across the country : 122 years of the 8 hour week and end of child labor, 5 years of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq, 3 years since the discovery of the Downing Street Minutes, 2 years since the nation-wide immigration rallies of 2006, almost 2 years ago when Nanci Pelosi and Democrats in Congress and the Senate took the impeachment of George Bush for misleading the country to war, "off the table". Yet in one of the most mindboggling examples of the Bush Administration's information war against Americans, May 1st has been declared Loyalty Day.

And here's the thing : You and I know that when it comes down to it, the war against immigrants is a war against labor which is part of a larger attack from the only people who benefit from the other kind of corporate-led violence like the occupation of Iraq.

As my friend Roberto Lovato said earlier, paraphrasing ActUP, "Silence = Death". If you are like me, you hate marches but you go to them because you know that as a symbol of solidarity in dissent you need to go.

So dust off your walking shoes and get your arse to the streets and square tomorrow at 2 or 3pm.

read more

In a city in which it is not a crime to shoot Sean Bell fifty times or Amadou Diallo 41 times, where black and Hispanic young men are stopped and frisked vastly in excess of their proportion of the population, it should not be a surprise that blacks & Hispanics are arrested for marijuana possession vastly more than whites (even though marijuana use is equal across ethnic groups). The surprise, as I see it, is that decent people don’t spit at Mayor Bloomberg and his police Commissioner. How often will NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Misinformation, Paul Browne, say things like the NYPD doesn’t engage in racial profiling without his nose growing from Police Plaza to City Hall? (I hate it when Mayor Bloomberg’s race policies make me write as though I were Al Sharpton.)

Rocco Parascandola of Newsday reports on a study released by the New York Civil Liberties Union:

The NYPD arrested more than 350,000 people for misdemeanor marijuana possession over the past decade -- a tenfold increase achieved by systematically targeting young black and Hispanic men and stopping them without cause, a report released Tuesday charges NYCLU,

The NYCLU press release, is here

read more