East Side Commentary

A Pope's Passing

2005-04-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

The death today of John Paul II ends an era that began before my first birthday--many have known no other pope. In the news coverage of John Paul's decline and death, it has shown pictures of the pope with many world leaders. It is worth mentioning that none could match this pope (or possibly any pope) in the area of moral authority and leadership. He is the only figure in world politics which humbles a head of state---that is power. The image of even a hunched and ailing Pope John Paul II with President George Bush, showed the president dwarfed by the ill man seated next to him--dwarfed in stature and moral power, and personal courage. Who would have stacked up? Not Clinton, maybe FDR, maybe Lincoln. The point is, few can sit next to a President of the United States and make him look small and weak, but that was just the impression I got when I saw the picture of President Bush and the late Pontiff.

The West Wing: Whats Gonna Happen?

2005-04-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

The one show on TV that I always try and watch is The West Wing (NBC, Wednesdays at 9). Even though it can't match the brilliant and poignant writing of the first three seasons with Aaron Sorkin at the helm, it still beats the hell out of most of the other crap on TV. I could give a rat's ass what Jessica Simpson and her inbecile pretty-boy husband do all day. The baseball season doesn't start until next week, and I've watched every "Seinfeld" re-run a million times anyway. So I'm left with "West Wing" which is building up to the season finale next week, where we'll know who the Democratic nominee is, Gary Cole, who plays Russel, the sitting VP under Bartlet, Jimmyt Smits, who plays Texas Congressman Matt Santos, or the ex-veep John Hoynes, played by "Otter" Tim Matheson. The betting is its going to be Santos (Smits), mainly beause he has his picture in the credits of the show and the other two do not, plus, he is presidential. Smits does a good job playing a good guy, someone you'd be proud to have as your Prez. The initial attraction to the show for alot of people, I think, was that our real politcs were so dirty it didn't seem like there were any role models amongst our national leaders, "West Wing" offered a glimpse of a, sadly fictional, White House, where you had virtuous people, led by Martin Sheen's Bartlet, who were trying to do the right thing despite political influences and other pressures. That attraction is still there for me, which is why I keep watching.

A Step Forward for the Stadium

2005-03-31T16:25:00.000-08:00

The Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority today approved the bid made by the New York Jets to build a stadium on the site of the West Side Railyards. This is a gigantic step forward for the Stadium proposal and for New York's dwindling Olympic hopes. Hurdles remain, but the momentum is with the mayor and the governor who are behind this proposal. Speaker Silver and Senator Bruno still have a veto over this project, through their votes on the Public Authorities Control Board, but since the project has come this far, it is now unlikely that either one would outright block the project from going forward. A more likely scenario is that the speaker and/or the Senator will seek some concessions from the governor and mayor in other areas before giving the nod to the stadium, the Jets, and possibly, the Olympics.

Has Hell Frozen Over?

2005-03-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

My beloved home town, Albany, is not known for producing on-time state budgets. In fact, there has not been an on time budget since 1984, for math students like me--thats 21 years. But this year, in a reaction to voter anger which actually resulted in some incumbents losing their jobs, the governor, speaker,and Senator Bruno have gotten together and pushed for an on-time budget this year. There is still time for something to go wrong (Friday is the start if the new fiscal year) but an on time budget would be welcome, and it illustrates a larger point--voter anger, when their is action along with it--gets results.

Way to Go NYC! Hybrid Buses on the Way....

2005-03-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

The City Department of Transportation has announced today that they plan on purchasing 500 additional hybrid buses for use in the city in an ongoing effort to phase out the diesel buses in use for the last 50 years. Anyone walking on the streets in New York has undoubtedly seen these buses already in use, and soon we'll be seeing more of them--and we all can breathe a little easier. This continued effort, along with the city and state indoor smoking bans in businesses and government buildings means that every day the average New Yorker is breathing in substantially less poullutants than they used to.

The Sky is Blue? Build the Stadium!

2005-03-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Getting anything done in New York City requires exceptional persistence, power, and lots of luck. It has been said that if someone says the sky is blue, some New Yorker would give you an argument that it isn't. Right now an effort is underway to build a stadium for the NY Jets to play, and that would host the Olympics in New York in 2012. I hope they build it, and not just because I think it would be cool to get the Olympics, and to have a large outdoor sports venue back in Manhattan after the Polo Grounds left so long ago. I support it because New York is about the big project. I support it because I really hate the people who oppose it. They are a bunch of NIMBY cry babies who have always cropped up when progress is knocking at the door. To show I'm not a hypocrite when it comes to NIMBY-ism, I would support the proposed refuse transfer station at 91st street, very close to where I live on 83rd, and on the East River running path I use frequently. There are always a segment of people in New York who are cynical and like to oppose for the sake of opposing, and they get some opportunistic politician to side with them, and suddenly, progress is halted. One thing seems clear, a gleaming, environmentally and aestheticly pleasing stadium would be better that the blighted space that currently inhabits what is known as the West Side Railyards.

30 Years is way too long

2005-03-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan District Attorney, has been in office since the late 1970s. By all accounts he has been an effective prosecutor, handling high profile cases with skill, and presiding over a transformation in New York from a forbidding, crime infested city, to a relatively safe and much cleaner New York. While currently he is in good health, he has served long enough in his position and should step aside in favor of a fresh face. Even after conceding that Morgenthau is a good DA, every agency and organization could benefit from a change in leadership. Leslie Crocker Snyder, the ex-Judge who is challenging Morganthau in the Democratic primary for DA this year is an eminently qualified successor to the long-serving DA. She was a tough-on-crime judge in Manhattan Supreme Court, and would be the first woman in the job if elected DA.

This Is a Picture Of Mi Amigo Pedro

2005-03-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

Whats in a blog?

2005-03-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

To a certain extent, blogs and webpages are an exercise in ego and a collassal waste of time, why then do I have one now? I have a an ego that clearly needs to be exercised and at the moment I have time to waste thats why. I don't have views that are so remarkably different from others that they need a special outlet on the internet. I seek to give special emphasis to certain issues, or try and make an origional comment on some current event or public figure. People don't have to agree with me, usually they do not, as a matter of fact. For example, a few years ago, back up in Albany, I wrote several letters to the local paper opposing the building of a parking garage downtown on a site where the architectural remains of a 1700s distillery were located. I knew the garage was going to get built eventually, but I thought a word here or there may get people to stop and consider more carefully what they were doing. The bottom line is public comment is essential, and as many people as possible should take part--with the following qualification: think it through a bit before you say it. There are way to many instant celebrities and instant experts on TV these days. There is such a proliferation of media, you can get on TV without doing anything to merit such a potentially large audience. Being on a reality TV show should not qualify you as a celebrity, or, anything for that matter, I hate all of these people who go on these shows, and suddenly think they are hot shit, and I know I'm not the only one out there who feels this way. So whats in a blog? Nothing much, but discussion is good, and hopefully will generate some positive things.

Ode to the Lady Upstairs

2005-03-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

There is an old, frail woman who lives on the fifth floor of our building. Why she lived on the fifth floor of a building that had no elevator always puzzled me. She moved very slowly, but always was carrying something--many times her groceries. She was always alone. Last week Kate and I were talking and neither of us had seen her like we usually had, walking down the street, and in the building. On Friday I overheard the Super talking on the phone...he was saying to the person on the other end that he tried to get into the apartment from the window, but couldn't. The police were called, and it turns out that she had been dead in her apartment for about a month, as far as anyone could figure. To add to the grim story, I have looked and looked and not been able to find any obituary. I have to wonder what family this woman had, and why she lived alone on the fifth floor. But I can say one thing for her, whenever you said hello to her she smiled at you, thanked you for holding the door for a minute, and went on her way. I hope she rests in peace.

....and a little bit on Fish

2005-03-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

Thats right, fish. More specifically our world's fisheries and their status as fish producers. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization reports that of the world's commercially important marine fish stocks 25% are under-exploited, 47% are fully fished, 15% are over-exploited, and 10% are depleated or slowly recovering. (Source, Maritime Stewardship Council, www.msc.org) There is no bigger seafood fan than I, lobster, salmon, crab, tuna, I love them all, and I'd hate for there to come a time when I'm paying $50 bucks for the pleasure of a tuna steak, or when those stocks are so depleated there are no fish for consumption at all. There are also many maritime communities and nations the world over who depend on fish as the basis of their diet. If you visit the MSC website they have a list of Stores and Brands which only sell products that have been harvested from MSC certified fisheries. Certification by MSC means that that fishery has been farmed in a sustainable and ecologically correct manner. Whole Foods is one such store, also Wegmans, Wild Oats and Sea Bear.....if they have those stores in your neck of the woods, consider getting some of your seafood there, and make sure the kind of fish is on the approved list first.

Judicial Politics--Change of Subject

2005-03-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

Although conservation and preservation of the environment is a first priority for me, and a frequent topic of conversation, I'd like to switch gears here----the politics of selecting judges to sit on our Federal courts. The Senate is gearing up for a major battle should a vacancy appear on the Supreme Court after the current term is up in June. Many predict that the Cheif Justice, William Rehnquist, who is now known as "the ailing" William Rehnquist, will retire this summer. (Personally, I'm not so sure he will--he is tenacious and may be the type who would be preferred to be carried off the bench) Nevertheless if he does, Antonin Scalia has been mentioned as a prime choice of the President's to replace him as Chief. Surprisingly to some liberals, I don't think choosing Scalia may be the worst choice from a personal liberty point of view. He is actually been consistently strong on the 4th Amenedment search and seizure area. He had supported strong protections to the sanctity of the warrant system, and the inability of police to circumvent this requirement. Unfortunately, he still holds to the view that the Constitution should be read as literally as possible. When was the Constitution ratified? The 1780s What year is it? 2005 Herein lies the problem....I susbscribe to the view that the wise Founders of this nation made provision for the Constitution to be ameneded periodically because they recognized the need for flexibility in the document to respond to change. Yes, they made amending the Constitution difficult (2/3 Congressional majority, and 2/3 of State Legislatures), but it has been done many times, and all agree for the better (except prohibition, which was repealed anyway) What do you all think on this issue?

The Population Problem

2005-03-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks guys, for the extensive and interesting comments on this issue. Frankly, Bry, you know alot more about ecological footprints than I do, but I think I have the basics down. In Jared Diamond's book "Collapse" he cites many problems that are contributing to the world's environmental decline. First among them in population growth, which impacts all the other problems:

"The world's population is growing. More people require more food, space, water, energy, and other resources. Rates and even the direction of human population change vary greatly around the world, with the highest rates of population growth (4% per year or higher) in some Third World countries, low rates of growth (1% per year or less) in some First World countries such as Italy or Japan, and negative rates of growth (i.e., decrasing populations) in countries facing major public health crises, such as Russia and AIDS-affected African countries." ( p. 494)

There are reasons for hope out there, India and China have recognized that they have a problem and have undertaken countermeasures. China has chosen a course that has been condemned throughout the world: forced abortion and a one child policy. While this has resulted in dramatically lower birth rates, this is not an option in Democratric societies, such as India, which has adopted less-coercive measures, such as encouraging the use of contraception. This effort has hit snags due to Indian cultural aversion to using such methods.

I have realized that most of our lives as Americans will be devoted to dealing with issues thrust on us from events in other parts of the world--we should get used to it. 9/11 taught us that, especially those of us here in New York, where the world is literally at our doorstep. Everyday American behavoir--what we buy, what we drive, what we eat---can have immense consequences in world politics and what happens to the environment in any number of continents and countries.

I'll sign off for this one by saying visit www.fsc.org, www.sierraclub.org, and check out the sites, and even make a donation if you can.

Issue Number One: Our Environment

2005-03-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

Personally, the most vital issue out there is one of the least talked about, environmental protection and the conservation of our scarce natural resources and the beauty of this planet we all live in. I suppose this issue is so important to me personally because I grew up in and around beautiful places. The Adirondacks of New York State, visiting the beach in the summer, I learned to appreciate natural beauty. To me, there is no human-made beauty that can equal that to be found in nature--period. I now live in New York--where natural beauty is severely limited. Pavement and concrete are a poor substitute for lakes and trees and mountains, in my judgment. But, while here in the United States much work needs to be done to protect and conserve, the the future of this planet will be decided in the Third World, where overpopulation, bad agricultural practices, and a lack of pollution contols threaten all of us---unless action is taken now!

Once I am financially able, I would like to work to advance the goals of building a sustainable future for the next generations, until then all I can to is talk about it, and harp on it, and try and get people focused on the problem. I hope this blog post will get at least one person to start thinking, and maybe send a contribution to the Sierra Club, or make a donation to the Forest Stewardship Council, or the Maritime Stewardship Council. There are many other worthy organizations, including the local favorite, the Adirondack Mountain Club. Lets all work together, focusing at home, and abroad--and start preserving the beautiful place God gave us.

Welcome

2005-03-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Hello, I'm new to blogging and don't particularly like computers. What I do like is politics, foreign policy, and talking about it with some well-informed intelligent people. I hope that discussion can lead to understanding and positive, active, citizenship. Personally, my political views are always in flux. My principals, however, are respect for individual dignity, personal responsibility, public morality, and progress, progress, progress.....