Saturday, May 19, 2012

New York State of Mind and the First Twitter President

It has been a very long time since I have updated you on the happenings in New York. It's not that nothing has been happening. It's just that so much is going on, it's hard to know where to start! So let's start at...

Sports: Okay, the New York Rangers are battling the New Jersey Devils for something or another in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That's hockey for you non-sports enthusiasts.

In other sports new so far - the Yankees suck; the Mets don't suck so much and in basketball news, Brooklyn is getting its first professional sports team since the Dodgers moved to L.A. in the '50's! The New Jersey Nets will shortly be the Brooklyn Nets.

Local: Two issues have been making the headlines in the past few months involving our long-standing Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. First, the AP reported a few months ago that our very competent Joint Terrorism Task Force headed by Commish Kelly may have been fighting terrorism for real by violating the rights of terrorists by monitoring and thwarting the plans of terrorists to plan and execute acts of terrorism in NYC. Imagine that! The task force is accused of monitoring activities in mosques and Islamic-related organizations, websites, followers and neighborhoods with dense Muslim populations in the tri-state area. So far they have thwarted several potential terrorist attacks on bridges, subways, and trains on our fair city. All done legally within the confines of all local, state and federal civil rights laws. But since it targets a single group, then that is bad according to the ACLU and Muslims in the city. Incidentally, the AP won their Pulitzer this year because of their reporting on this issue.

In addition to that, Commish Kelly has come under fire for our long-standing "Stop and Frisk" policing too. This is where the police can stop, question, and frisk anyone that they suspect is up to no good. Since they instituted this policy in early 1990's under the Guiliani administration, murders have declined by about 75% - over 2000 murders at the peak in the '80's to 410 as of 2009. But here is the problem as the New York ACLU et al. see it - 54% of the people stopped are young and black, 34% were Hispanic, and 9% were white and almost all of the stops were in the very high crime/high minority areas of the city. It is no matter that 64% of the violent crimes committed in the city are by young, black men. That must just be a big coinci-dink. Fortunately, Commissioner Kelly and most of the grateful population are not buying any of the outrage. Kelly admits there are problems that can be addressed and updated, however he adamantly defends the policy as highly effective and successful. Interestingly, even the black community, with the exception of the usual race-baiters like Big Al Sharpton, are siding overwhelmingly with Commissioner Kelly.

Federal: Well, there must be a snowball having a high time in a very hot place these days! The Congressional Primary in New York is on June 26 and Charlie Rangel may finally be in big trouble. Since he was elected to the House in the '70's, Ol' Charlie has gone virtually unchallenged, but not anymore. Because New York lost two Congressional District in the last census, District 15 has been expanded to include a large swathe of Hispanic voters in the Bronx. So, now Rangel is now being challenged by the other major minority group in New York - the Hispanics - who are running their own very popular candidates. Respected candidates without the baggage of censure to weigh them down and, surprise, they are leading. It has not helped that Rangel has not been seen in D.C. since February due to a "back injury". He refuses to concede that he may be in trouble, but stated recently that he may consider dropping out if the Dems can find a viable candidate that could defeat him. Of course that came after Obama declined to endorse him and Bill Clinton publicly endorsed his former aide who is running against Rangel. This is definitely a district to watch.

Other Stuff: And finally. I have just joined the Twitter-verse and I just had to follow our Twit-In-Chief. I just couldn't help myself, but for the record, Twitter is a huge waste of time. Maybe it's my age, but seriously, it's stupid, but it's here and not going away. Well, not unless there is a massive solar flare that knocks out all electricity or a giant asteroid hit. But now that I'm here, look what's up...

If you thought that Hollywood was the only place that the entertainment elite meet to pay homage to their favorite Man of the People.



Yes, Sarah Jessica Parker waxed poetic:
"This November's election will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we're forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden -- while people like me, who don't need tax breaks, get extra help."

Of course, it is the same backward policies that allowed an actress with third-rate acting ability and an even worse singing voice to become a very successful superstar of stage, screen, and television with multiple multi-million dollar residences and women who she can pay handsomely to bear her children so she doesn't have to disfigure herself and who can ask 50 of her other wealthy friends to pony up $46K without batting a eye-lash. Think of what $2.3 million dollars could do for some local arts/music program or how that money could help some other middle class family in Ohio! But, hey, that's just me.

And not all of Obama's Twitter followers are supporters. I thought this was pretty clever...



Next time: The long, long list of elected officials who are currently on trial or have been convicted of graft, greed, and embezzlement of public funds this month...

51 comments:

Unknown said...

Sarah Jessica Parker is from Ohio. FAR from Ohio. She should consult Jon Lovitz about paying her fair share of taxes instead of throwing Obama parties.

Tennessee Jed said...

I read something interesting about twitter on, I think, Breitbart or Drudge. The libs were whining about conservatives out tweeting them. Gotta luv that. I tried Twitter and have an account, but never use it. Occasionally I get notices that some hacker is now "following" me.

BevfromNYC said...

She comes from rather well-to-do family in Ohio, so I doubt that her "middle-class" roots were very deep or over-burdened.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I'm heading out the door any minute to take someone to the airport and I'll comment later. For now, let me just say that Twitter is a mistake. Celebrities and athletes are constantly getting in trouble sending out stupid tweets.

BevfromNYC said...

TennJ - I'm kind of a cultural junkie and am willing to try any new technology. However, I reached a wall with Twitter. It is mindless and brainless. It's the medium for the short-thoughted and ADHD-sufferers. It's kind of interesting that this new tech correlates with the increasing diagnoses of attention deficit disorders too.

But that makes it dangerous because it's also the medium for mindless sloganeering and sound-bite warriors.

Unknown said...

Bev: Middle class is in the eye of the beholder. I have a belief that one can be relatively wealthy or of very moderate means and still be middle class. Economically, her family was well-off, but the question is "to what did they attribute that? Their own brilliance or the freedom to become wealthy in a free society?" Middle class is as much a state of mind as it is an economic condition. When I was a young radical, I would almost spit the word "bourgeois." Now I wear it as a badge of honor.

BevfromNYC said...

LawHawk - I agree with you. "Middle-class" is a state of mind. It also depends on where you live. Being "middle class" in NYC means something much, much different economically than to their counterparts in, say, Columbus, Ohio.

Anonymous said...

Reading this article makes me realize how much I miss New York (warts and all)!

I myself recently joined Twitter. I swore I wouldn't but I was applying for a "social media assistant" job and I figured I might as well take the initiative. I have a total of - wait for it - three followers. Other than that, I am not impressed at all.

Find me here. :-)

BevfromNYC said...

Scott - Okay, now you have 4 followers. I will not hold it against you since it's really for your generation and beyond.

I was cool with Facebook because I've reconnected with old friends that I had lost touch with. However, it's really, really annoying that there are those who will post every movement they make and all of the constant current location posts, and the obsession with taking and posting photos of every bit of food that one consumes. What is that?? Really, it's okay to be a little mysterious.

BevfromNYC said...

Scott - Thanks...I am now not alone in the Twitter-verse!! :-D

T-Rav said...

Dear Sarah Jessica Parker: Given that you have become a millionaire despite a lack of discernible talent (by the way, I thought this was the sort of thing the Left hated), why is your Ohio family still middle-class? I mean, I don't know everything I would do with my cash were I to become a millionaire, but I can think of at least a few people I would spend it on.

T-Rav said...

I don't know. I may have to join the Twitter-verse. I don't want to, but these battles keep being fought in the new media markets. And also, I can't stay away from the feeds of Iowahawk, Andy Levy, etc. If I do join, I'll be following you and Scott right away.

BevfromNYC said...

T-Rav - I am not advocating for Twitter. Like I said, it's a waste of human endeavor. BUT, I would welcome a fellow traveler in the Wasteland that is Twitter! Maybe I can find Iowahawk and Andy Levy. They must be more entertaining than @JoeBiden...or maybe not!

BevfromNYC said...

Okay, this is hoot!! And I got the link on Twitter!

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2012/05/julias-circle-of-life.html

tryanmax said...

Scott, up the tally. It looks like you're moderating followers. I should show up as tryanmax or cogiteria or both.

tryanmax said...

Oh, and Bev, too. I say that twitter is as useful if you make it. If you choose to follow and interact with twits (how appropriate) then it will be a huge waste. I use it to keep up on my favorite blogs and news sites. Hmm, there seems to be one missing...

Anonymous said...

So I have two new followers (thanks Bev and tryanmax)...

I don't use it that often and when I do, it's usually movie/geek stuff. Just don't expect any particularly witty or insightful bon mots. :-)

T-Rav said...

Okay, so who wants to create the @Commentarama account?

In non-Twitter news, Bev, I heard speculation the other day that Ray Kelly might run for NYC mayor on the Republican ticket. Any info on that?

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, We had one, but it didn't add anything so we dropped it.

T-Rav said...

Also, Scott, what's this I read about you being a NASA test subject? Should we be alarmed?

AndrewPrice said...

Here's our page:

Waste of Time. We even had 8 followers apparently.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Where are you in the Twitterverse? We can give you another follower. :)

Unknown said...

Bev and Andrew: Speaking of Commentarama and the internet age, check out comment 50 on today's open thread. Oops.

AndrewPrice said...

Hmm. How did we miss that? Well,

Happy Birthday Commentarama!

BevfromNYC said...

I knew it was around now, but I didn't know the exact date!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVERYONE!!!

It's hard to believe it's been 3 years! I think that this is the only thing that has kept me sane enough to cope with the Obama Administration et al.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I just checked. It is today. We should have gotten the site something! Like cake!

DUQ said...

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear C-Rama, Happy Birthday to you!


Bev, Commentarama has been an ocean of sanity in the Obama years.

BevfromNYC said...

I am (what else)on Twitter - BevfromNYC

And now back to business -
The NY Republican Party is lobbying hard for Ray Kelly to run for Mayor. They do not have any viable candidate to run on Repub ticket and Ray Kelly is very popular. So far he hasn't said "yes" or "no".

AndrewPrice said...

There you go Bev, Commentarama itself is stalking you.


Thanks DUQ! I'm amazed we got three years of articles. I just realized that as of today, I've written 934 articles. Wow.

T-Rav said...

This is Commentarama's birthday and there's been nothing to mark the date? Fail, guys. Fail. (shakes head)

AndrewPrice said...

Gee, thanks T-Rav. It's old age. At the tender age of 3, we are senile.


Hey, speaking of "fail"... cough cough, weren't you supposed to be writing an article?

Doc Whoa said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Commentarama!

Doc Whoa said...

Bev, How has Kelly been as a police commissioner?

BevfromNYC said...

Hey, didn't this happen last year too? I am having a deja birthday experience...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Nope. We had a legit Birthday posting and everything. Ronald Reagan even toasted us! :)

LINK

tryanmax said...

Happy Birthday, Commentarama!
(It's what I could do on short notice.)

AndrewPrice said...

Looks tasty. And here I thought it took like an hour at 450 degrees to make one of those things! ;)

Jen said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COMMENTARAMA!!! Sorry, I can't post any fancy stuff.

Andrew, an hour at 450 degrees? Are you serious? Would you like cake or charcoal? Or is it toast? LOL!

AndrewPrice said...

Jen, I'm kidding. I know they make cakes on the stove top. ;)

T-Rav said...

.......

BevfromNYC said...

Hey, Tryanmax, thanks! A cake just for me...er...us! But really for me 'cause I'm the Princess, right?

And Jen, I've heard if you bake a cake at 500 degrees it bakes even faster..

BevfromNYC said...

Doc Whoa - In my opinion, Ray Kelly has been the best Police Commissioner that NYC has ever had. And he doesn't care what Al Sharpton says, the city is safer because of the work he and his police force have done. He doesn't sit around and wring his hands worrying about hurting anyone's feelings. Do the police make mistakes? Yes. Do some cross way over the line? Yes, and they are dealt with accordingly (fired or jailed) But does Kelly apologize for arresting criminals and keeping the bad guys on the run? No. Most of all, he takes responsibility for what the his force does like an adult. I'm not sure if who he is would translate into a good Mayor, but I'm willing to risk 4 years to see. He may be smart enough to know he doesn't want the job.

Jen said...

Bev, how long at 500 degrees? Is that when you use the smoke detector for a timer to tell you when it's done?

I'm pretending that I'm my sister responding because, she is the cake maker, not me. Sometimes, you can't even joke with her.

Anonymous said...

T-Rav -

Sorry for the late reply. Re: NASA test subject... yes, I was a volunteer NASA test subject in late 2009. In short, I was required to lay in bed for 30 days straight without getting up. (Really!)

Read more here. (Note: the blog entries were edited by another party after the fact.)

ellenB said...

Happy Birthday Commentarama. Many more.

BevfromNYC said...

Thanks, ellenB!

darski said...

Happy Birthday Commentarama!!!

And many morrrrrrrre.

AndrewPrice said...

Thanks darski and Ellen! :)

rlaWTX said...

I sang last year - and nobody should have that happen to them 2 years in a row - so I'll just holler: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rlaWTX said...

Bev, y'all need Frank Reagan as Commish!
(Blue Bloods)

AndrewPrice said...

"Holler" -- LOL! Very Texas! :)

Post a Comment