LEAVWORLD: GRAFFITI POLITTI

The National Center for Public Policy Review has a round up of "news of interest," which I get emailed to me. If I had the time, I'd cite several of these stories in individual posts. However, I think it's not just easier, but a better idea to post excerpts, and links to them all. July 27, 2007 The Energy Bill That Isn't: Rep. Nick Rahall's Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007 The Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act would set back vital energy infrastructure improvements needed to address America's rapidly growing energy needs. Go to http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA558_Energy_Bill.html Neo-Know-Nothings? Law of the Sea Supporter Casts Civility Adrift Are Law of the Sea Treaty critics a new version of anti-Catholic immigrant bashers? One LOST negotiator says so. Go to http://www.nationalcenter.org/2007/07/neo-know-nothings-law-of-sea-supporter.html Protecting Police Officers More Important Than Helping Political Donors, Group Says C...

NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer has gotten embroiled in a scandal that may cripple, if not take down his administration. In a previous article , I cited the NY Post's PAGE SIX gossip column, regarding NYS Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's accusation of "pay to play" press coverage by the Albany Times Union, which included this interesting tidbit: The liberal-oriented paper has whacked Bruno for years, and the pol claims it's because he's a Republican. On Sunday, the Times Union had a story alleging he improperly used a state- owned helicopter to fly to Manhattan for politically-connected events - a claim Bruno denies. It turned out that Sen. Bruno attended official business, as well as political functions, on all of his closely-documented trips, which makes them acceptable under state law. While investigating Sen, Bruno, it came to light that his NY State Trooper security detail was instructed to document his movements in greater detail than any other state offici...

Here's another outrage that you won't hear much about in the MSM. It seems that one billion federal dollars are being held by an entity called the "WTC Captive Insurance Company." It seems to have been set up between 2002, when NYC requested the money, and 2004, when the NY Post quotes minutes from a company meeting. The company has spent 74 million on overhead and legal expenses, while paying out 45 thousand to one person for medical expenses. I repeat: The company has spent 74 million on overhead and legal expenses, while paying out 45 thousand to one person for medical expenses. Here's where it gets ugly. Mayor Bloomberg is saying that "The truth of the matter is Congress didn't set up a victims compensation fund." It looks as if he sees this money as a "legal defense fund" to fight WTC lawsuits by rescue workers. "They've set up a captive insurance company. And the insurance company can only pay out money if somebody sues us i...

I co-owned, with one of my best friends, a 5,000 sq. ft. nightclub called The Main St. Cafe, for a year and a half. During that time, we had some classic rock acts play there, usually for around two thousand bucks a performance. We had Rick Derringer, Dave Mason, and Billy Preston, to name the biggest acts we could book. Okay, they were "B" list "over the hill" acts, even back in 1992. The point of this post is that some weeks before Billy Preston played, we were solicited for ads by Newsday, the largest Long Island newspaper. We regularly ran ads in the "free" Long Island "bar" newspapers, and were familiar with the fact that if you don't buy ads, you don't get stories about your club. We had no idea about "negative press." We didn't buy any ads in Newsday. A funny thing happened, a few days before the show. Newsday ran an article, on page 92, titled "Billy Preston is Back, Let Him Be." After more than 10 paragra...

This is an outrageous story, which just keeps getting stranger. First, some background: in 2003, NYC Councilman James Davis was gunned down in City Hall by a political rival. Four years later (2007), the city council was divided over naming a portion of a street after the late Sonny Carson, a self-described "anti-White" activist. Councilman Leroy Comrie of Queens abstained, along with several other council members. The measure was defeated. After the council rejected the measure, Councilman Charles Barron's chief-of-staff, Viola Plummer, said this about Comrie: ""If it takes an assassination of his ass, he will not be borough president in the borough where I live." City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is White, suspended Ms. Plummer, without pay, for six weeks, after weeks of researching all legal alternatives. During that time, Councilman Barron defended his chief-of-staff, saying that she meant "character assassination," or "assassina...

For the second year in a row, I am publishing Cindy Adams' Fourth of July column . She's a damn fine American, and one hell of a gossip columnist! "Mother knows best, kiddies!" June 24, 2007 -- COME July 4th it's thoughts of a long weekend - gas prices, the car's GPS, picnics, which houseguests we can avoid, which hostesses we can invade, do ants prefer Hellman's or Miracle Whip. Shouldn't thoughts maybe turn to the original Fourth of July? It was 56 Founding Fathers from 13 colonies who signed The Declaration of Independence 231 years ago. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest - 70. Ed Rutledge, from North Carolina, was 26; the youngest. The president of our Second Continental Congress, the famous John Hancock of Massachusetts, who grew to have an insurance company named after him, was 39. Virginia's Thomas Jefferson, 33. Most were late 30s, early 40s. Seven were sixtyish. Three in their 20s. Per the Plymouth Rock Foundation's Rus Walton, they who ...