Dear Readers:
In a story in last weeks Journal News a young lady, attending high school in Burlington, Conn. writing and e-mailing to her classmates a criticism of her school officials off campus, meaning not on school grounds, about a decision canceling a popular event was denied her elected seat on the student council by those school officials because of those criticisms. She sued. She lost as a federal judge ruled that the school administrators did not violate her rights to free speech and equal protection. He ruled that off-campus speech can become on-campus speech with the click of a mouse and therefore school administrators could not be held accountable as they could not predict where the line between off-campus and on-campus will be drawn.
Apparently all these college graduates(administrators and judges) cannot see what any high school graduate can, and that is if you are not physically on-campus you must therefore be off-campus. Actually what you are seeing is a federal judge extending the reach of a governing body to stifle speech. What he is ruling is that if you as a student talk to other students via e-mail even from your home, you are considered on-campus and thus can be silenced. In this post-Clinton era where the word "is" can be ambiguous, so can the term "off-campus".
A federal judge must adhere to the constitution of the United States. That constitution places limits on the government in regards to speech. It purposely limited the governments ability to silence criticism. This ruling does the opposite, it expands governments ability to silence dissent. Even though this happened in Connecticut, as it is a federal case, it now can be used to silence student criticism in New York, which like Connecticut is a blue state. One thing all blue states have in common is that the only speech protected is the ruling parties, any dissent must be silenced by any means possible.
From our new president trying to discredit as recently as Friday radio host Rush Limbaugh, to congress' desire to enact the proposed "fairness doctrine" to silence talk radio, you are seeing a new push to silence dissent. Now I know that many of you would like to see right-wing radio silenced, however if you allow the government to do that, then your right to dissent will be in serious jeopardy. The first step to tyranny is the silencing of the people's right to disagree. If you cannot see that, then we as a free people are truly in trouble.
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A MESSAGE TO THE GRADUATING CLASS LAKELAND '73 & '74
Holiday Inn, Rt. 9, Fishkill, NY #845-896-6281
Saturday – August 1, 2009
DJ, Dancing/Open bar, hors d’oeuvres/Dinner
$75.00/person 7-12p.m.
Call and make your room reservations now $109 /night –
a block of rooms is currently being held.
Don’t drink and drive – enjoy the night. Hotel lounge available for more drinks & dancing after the reunion ballroom is closed. Relax and have fun the entire night – sleep well and on Sunday enjoy your classmates poolside to continue renewed friendships!!! A private gazebo building and other hotel amenities are available.
Class 74 : R.S.V.P to Phil by July 10, 2009. # 845-227-9172 Make checks out to : “ L.H.S.C.R.” Mail check to Phil Bisesto 46 Leo Lane, Poughquag, NY 12570 (If you have any contacts with LHS alum please forward info to Carol Stein …carol.stein@ae.ge.com or 610 Old Swann Point Ave. Rocky Point, NC 28457, 910-602-3433)
Class 73: R.S.V.P. to Linda Boniello Larsson by July 10, 2009 # 914-739-5917 Make checks out to : “Linda Larsson” and mail to 234 Lafayette Avenue, Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567. Questions: leapinlinda001@aol.com
PLEASE RETURN BELOW TO UPDATE YOUR H.S. INFORMATION:
Marital Status: ________ Spouse or Significant other’s name: ___________ # yrs. Relationship: ________
Email address: ___________________________ Home phone # ___________________________
Current ages of children and names: _____________________________________________________________
Your current interests/hobbies: __________________________________________________________________
Current occupation : _____________________________ Significant other occupation: ______________________
Comments to share that you have enjoyed since graduation: ___________________________________________
Tourism info: www.dutchesstourism.com Class info reply to : Carol email: carol.stein@ae.ge.com
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AN OBITUARY:
Sad Passing of a Famous Legend
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the
entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died
yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from
repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.
Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of
celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs.
Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty
Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave
site was piled high with flours.
Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described
Doughboy as a man who never knew how
much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business,
but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not
considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on
half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times,
he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive
roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children:
John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in
the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop
Tart.
The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.
P.S.: If this made you smile for even a brief second, please rise
to the occasion and take time to pass it on and share that
smile with someone else who may be having a crumby day and
kneads a lift.
*************************************************************************************A MESSAGE FROM ROB ASTORINO:
Re: New Direction for Westchester:
Dear Friend,
Please mark November 3, 2009 in your calendar. That will be the day when Westchester begins its turnaround. Because on November 3rd I plan to be elected Westchester County Executive, bringing with me into office a reform administration with an entirely new approach to the challenges we face. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I know the right questions to ask. And that is what will make all the difference.
For example, I want to know why our county government is so large. I want to know why we are providing services that easily could be provided by state or local governments. I want to know how we let property taxes get so out of control. And why patronage has gone unchecked.
I want to know why a county government is running an amusement park (which loses millions each year); why we don’t get our fair share of school funding from the state. I want to know why money hasn’t been set aside for a new Tappan Zee Bridge—and why the county refuses to participate in Indian Point evacuation drills!
These are the questions I will ask when I am elected County Executive. And I won’t stop asking them until I get answers and solutions. They will be the constant focus of my administration. Somewhere along the line these questions stopped being asked by the current administration. And when the questions stopped, stasis set in. Some of our government leaders forgot they were in office to serve the people, not themselves. County and state government have badly damaged the Westchester community in recent years. We have suffered long enough from wasteful, multi-layered, self-serving government. We can afford it no longer.
In 2005, I ran for County Executive and got well over 40% of the vote. This year I’m going to win. I don’t say that out of bravado. I say it because our mission to lower taxes, cut government waste and bring honest, open government back to this county is the right one for the people of Westchester. As long as we can communicate those ideals, we will be successful.
For that I will need your help. Running a campaign of this magnitude will take money. And as much as I dislike asking for it, I dislike more the direction in which our county has been moving. I need to do something about it. With your help, we can bring accountability back to Westchester. We can bring 21st Century efficiencies to a government that has grown tired and lackadaisical. Westchester is a beautiful place to live, raise a family and conduct business. It deserves better than it’s gotten in recent years. Westchester deserves accountability in its government.
I am enormously grateful for whatever support you can provide this effort to turn our county around. A contribution of $1,000, $500, $250, $50—or whatever you can afford—would be appreciated and put to good use. (The maximum individual contribution is $33,875.)
You can make a secure donation here or mail a check to:
Friends of Rob Astorino
P.O. Box 64
Thornwood, N.Y. 10594
I plan to make a formal announcement of my candidacy in the coming weeks and I will be sure to keep you apprised of it. In the meantime, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. I can be reached by email at rob@robastorino.com or by telephone at (914) 949-3020.
I cannot thank you enough for your friendship and support!
Sincerely,
Rob Astorino
P.S. Change is coming to Westchester. Thanks for being part of it!
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A MESSAGE FROM WILLIAM GOULDMAN:
RE: FROM ALBANY INC.:
The Coddled Sector
New York’s exorbitant spending and heaviest-in-the-nation taxes prop up one of the largest and costliest public payrolls in the U.S. New York ranked eighth in state and local government jobs per capita, 14 percent above the national average, according to 2001 Census Bureau data.Labor Department figures show that, for every 1,000 residents, New York has 71 state and local government employees, compared with California’s 61.
With about 6.5 percent of the nation’s population, New York employs about 7.5 percent of the nation’s government workers—who together are paid 9 percent of the nation’s total spending on government payrolls. All told, 70 percent of New York’s government workers are unionized—the most in the nation. Thanks to union power fortified by long-established collective bargaining rights, state government workers in the Empire State are the nation’s third-highest paid, earning about 18 percent more than the national average.
The difference between New York and other states is so dramatic that New York’s state and local taxes could be reduced by $14 billion a year if its public-sector workforce matched the national average—even if those workers earned slightly more than the national average.
Not only do New York’s government workers earn more than their counterparts in other states; they often earn more than the people who pay their salaries. The hourly earnings of the New York metro region’s private-sector workers average 15 percent less than what is earned by New York City employees, the Citizens’ Budget Commission has reported. This, the CBC notes, “undermines the long-standing myth that the public sector must provide unusually generous fringe benefits packages in order to compensate for higher private-sector salaries.”
Those fringe benefits—notably, health insurance and pensions—remain lavish compared with the typical private-sector worker’s. Consider New York City’s Transit Workers Union: after only 25 years on the job, TWU members can retire at age 55 at half salary—with cost-of-living adjustments. When the MTA tried to rein in these unsustainable pension costs in contract negotiations in late 2005—preposterously, the union wanted the retirement age lowered to 50—the TWU walked off the job in an illegal strike.
Taxpayer-financed public-pension contributions soared by over $3 billion from 2000 through 2004, and the increases continued in 2005. In New York City, the rise in pension costs from 2002 through 2004 was steep enough to consume every single dollar raised by Mayor Bloomberg’s record $1.8 billion property-tax increase.
Upstate taxpayers alone pay up to $6 billion a year more than taxpayers pay in a state with an average tax burden, such as Ohio. About two-thirds of that excess is attributable to excess spending on government payrolls. Of course, the state’s added tax burden soars even higher when high-tax downstate precincts like New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and Rockland Counties are considered.
To understand how bloated New York’s taxpayer-funded government sector is, compare two dissimilar areas: Buffalo-Niagara in western New York; and the Albany region. New York’s capital region has long been immune from the economic ups and downs afflicting the rest of the state, because it is home to one of the largest and bestpaid government workforces in the world. In the 14-year period ending in 2004, the Albany-Schenectady-Troy region enjoyed a payroll–job growth rate of 8.3 percent, far above the upstate average of 3.8 percent and the anemic statewide average of 2.9 percent. (The nation’s job-growth rate during the same period was 20.1 percent.) Buffalo-Niagara, in contrast, actually lost jobs during the same 14-year period, when it posted a job-growth rate of -0.1 percent.
“"Each year, unions spend millions on lobbying, political campaigns, and ad campaigns to sustain their privileges." Public-employee unions invest plenty of time, energy, and money to remain plump and happyduring private-sector hardships. These powerful public-employee unions spend millions each year on lobbying, political campaigns, and ad campaigns to sustain their unique privileges.
They are aided by state laws that effectively prevent state and local governments from reining in labor costs. Perhaps the most notorious of these is the “Triborough Amendment” to the Taylor Law, which gives negotiating advantages to New York public-employee unions that unions in other states don’t have. Under the amendment’s provisions, elements of existing labor contracts—annual pay increments, for instance—remain in force even after the contracts expire. Teachers and other government workers have little incentive to grant concessions in contract negotiations with school districts and municipalities, because their previously negotiated gains automatically remain in force. So, for example, public-sector workers typically have much better health-insurance benefits than their private-sector counterparts, since these benefits were awarded when health insurance cost less, and it’s now virtually impossible, thanks to Triborough, to get public-sector unions to make concessions to put these costs in line with the private sector’s. In the lead-up to their illegal December strike, for example, the TWU was outraged to be asked to contribute 1 percent of their salaries to their health-care plans, whereas private-sector workers typically pay between 10 and 20 percent of their health-insurance premiums, far more than 1 percent of the average TWU salary. The free ride for municipal employees has gone on long enough.
Union-Friendly LawsAcross the nation, union membership and influence have been dwindling steadily for years, but New York’s unions still benefit from state laws that directly or indirectly inflate taxpayer spending on government employees and construction projects. In addition to the Triborough Amendment to the state’s Taylor Law, New York inflates its taxes and costs with various shortsighted requirements:
The state’s antiquated Wicks Law requires at least four separate contractors on most construction and building-renovation projects. This makes it impossible for taxpayers to enjoy the cost savings and efficiencies that most private-sector projects realize from use of a general contractor. State laws and regulatory practices generally require schools and municipalities to pay “prevailing wages”—that is, union-level wages that, for construction jobs, are almost universally higher than those of nonunion workers. Many states have prevailing-wage practices; one national study ranked New York’s prevailing-wage requirements the second most burdensome among 31 states studied. Highway contractors say that they are forced by outdated contract rules to pay for union jobs made obsolete by modern equipment. This featherbedding is likely to continue, since 29 percent of New York’s construction jobs are unionized, compared with only 9 percent nationwide.All told, the Wicks Law and other mandates drive up construction and related costs for local governments and schools by over $1 billion a year. But state legislators reject strong annual appeals to repeal or reform the law because subcontractors and unions that benefit from it make substantial campaign contributions and provide get-out-the-vote workers for political campaigns.
So Albany, Inc. has done nothing to lighten the burden that these union-friendly laws impose on taxpayers. To the contrary, state officials have consistently acted to strengthen labor’s hand in organizing and contract negotiating, tightening their chokehold on taxpayers.
For example, with strong bipartisan support in the state legislature and enthusiastic support from Governor George Pataki, Albany passed a notorious union-friendly “labor neutrality” law in 2003. This union-driven legislation prevented employers who got state funds of any kind from saying anything about unions during organizing campaigns. A federal appeals court struck the law down in May 2005, but union leaders vowed to continue their quest for a law to gag employers. Small wonder this is such a high priority for them: after all, while public employees are forcibly compelled to pay union dues whether they like it or not, private-sector workers tend to turn thumbs down when they are informed of potential disadvantages of union membership.
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A MESSAGE FROM PATTY V.:
January 9, 2009
VIA FAX & REGULAR MAIL 518-474-8219
Hon. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General, State of NY
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12223-0341
Re: Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID)
Request for investigation
Dear Mr. Cuomo:
I am a small business owner and commercial tenant in the Peekskill Business Improvement District. I am writing to urgently request that your office do an investigation and a forensic audit of the Peekskill BID, with a view towards compelling its Board of Directors to comply with the City and State laws that govern its operations. It has become necessary to ask for outside intervention since current and past City officials, including the Corporation Counsel, have exercised little if any oversight over the BID Board. They have given the BID Board of Directors free rein to operate outside the law, and the power to tax and spend our money with no accountability to anyone, including the taxpayers whose interests they are supposed to represent.
Background. The Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) was established in 1996 under the NY Not-for-Profit Law and pursuant to Article 19-A of the General Municipal Law, to “manage activities that will promote and improve the Central Business District of the City of Peekskill.” “The BID has as its mission the development of programs that promote design and preservation, economic development, and that promote the business opportunities afforded by downtown.” (Article I of the BID Bylaws). The BID’s annual budget is $100,000 and it receives other funding through NY State grants, contributions and events. Since 1996, the BID has received over $1.2 million dollars of taxpayer money from property owners in the District plus hundreds of thousands in grants.
Financial Gain. Article I of the BID Bylaws states, “The corporation is not formed for pecuniary profit or financial gain, and no part of the assets, income or profit thereof shall be distributable to, or inure to the direct benefit of its directors or officers.” The Board of Directors has strayed far afield from these principles and has used the BID as a cash cow to obtain salaries, grants and other perks for themselves, their families and their own businesses. Thousands of dollars are spent on renovations, events and projects for the Divisions St. corridor where the Directors have their establishments, while little if anything is done for the rest of the District where the majority of property owners and stakeholders reside. Despite numerous requests by members for a cost/benefit analysis to justify these expenditures, the Board has refused to do so, and the Chairman stated that he will continue to “ignore” these questions. City officials, by their silence, have condoned this unconscionable behavior and possibly illegal spending practices.
Conflict of Interest. In 2007 and 2008, more than half the BID budget went to the former Executive Director and his other family members, one of whom still sits on the Board of Directors despite the provisions of the Bylaws, Peekskill’s Code of Ethics and the State’s Public Officers Law. The current President/ Chairman of the Board, is a principal of River Towns Realty, one of the biggest real estate firms in Peekskill, that represents most of the commercial properties and artists’ lofts that are bought and sold in the City. By virtue of his position on the Board, he like the other Directors, is privy to confidential “insider” information about grants, City projects, BID projects and the like that could conceivably “further his personal interest.” [Art. I- Code of Ethics, Sect. 48-3 (B)] It appears that this too may be a conflict, but since the City officials will take no position on this matter, we again seek your counsel to determine the legality of this situation..
Custody and Control of municipal Funds. Article 19-A of the GML governs the operation and financing of the BID. Section 980-I (a) provides that these funds may be paid out for district purposes “in accordance with the general procedures for payment of other municipal expenditures.” and (b) All contracts for improvements, goods or services to be provided in the district shall be subject to all applicable provisions of the law relating to the letting of contracts by the municipality.” According to the state Comptroller’s office, this includes “competitive bidding and audit of claims procedures. Accordingly, the municipality, and not the district management association, has custody and control of, and directly expends district charges.” [emphasis added} Such is not the case in Peekskill, however, where the Directors have been allowed to make decisions on budgets and expenditures without a vote of the their own board or members, and without input from the Comptroller.
More than half the BID budget goes to salaries for people who have no regular hours, no supervision or set location to perform their jobs, and who have no work product to speak of. Through the records that I obtained through FOIL, I discovered that BID employees submit vouchers that are paid without proof of where they worked, whether or not they actually performed their jobs, or the hours claimed on the invoices submitted. The BID website also contains the “BID Budget” that lists monthly revenue and expenses; however, upon information and belief, the items listed under “expenses” do not reflect the actual transactions that are contained in the financial records I have obtained through FOIL.
FOIL. The records of the Peekskill BID, although subject to FOIL, are not accessible to BID members or the public. The Board of Directors ignores document requests and refers them to the Corporation Counsel who imposes a 20 day waiting period to provide even the most mundane records that should be readily available to anyone. The process by which money is allocated to be spent is not transparent nor subject to review by BID members. The Board of Directors will not comply with requests for the even the most basic information such as copies of the Bylaws or a list of members and budget details. In order to obtain virtually ANY public records of the BID, we are required to file a FOIL request with the Comptroller and Corporation Counsel who have on occasion denied access to records, claiming that they don’t have the information. It was only after Mr. Robert Freeman of the Committee on Open Government gave his opinion that the information had to be supplied, that I was able to obtain the records I sought. However, in many cases the information that was supplied was either incorrect or incomplete and new FOIL requests (with 20 day waiting periods) had to be made, a situation that exists to the present day.
Conclusion. Given the economic crisis that has hit New York and the crunch that taxpayers and small business owners are feeling, it is outrageous that the BID taxing authority can extract money from us with no transparency, accountability or regard for the law. In many instances we are paying for duplicative services that are provided by the City through other agencies such as the Planning and Economic Development departments. I sincerely hope that your office will assist the taxpayers of the District by compelling the BID Board of Directors to comply with the appropriate laws that govern its actions.
Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Patty Villanova, owner Side Effects/ NY, Peekskill
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Bazzo:
Here's some more info on the BID elections As you know, I am running for a seat on the Board. For the third time! Something has to be done about the BID-- it is a complete waste of taxpayers' money and should have been abolished 2 years ago. This is a perfect example of unnecessary duplication of services.
BTW- I loved your column in this week's NCN.
Patty V.
------------
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thought by now that the election for the commercial tenant's seat on the BID Board was finally on track as the new ballots were apparently sent out by Chairman Lippolis on January 13, 2009. Unfortunately, I was wrong-- it seems as though there is a major problem with the date that the ballots are supposed to be returned to the City Clerk's office to be counted.
The Chairman's letter dated January 13, 2009 advises us to "cast your ballot and return to the City Clerk's Office no later than the close of business January 26, 2009." The BID website lists the Annual Meeting and the fact that new ballots were mailed out the weekof Jan. 13, 2009. It states "Ballots must be returned on the designated date." (presumably January 26th).
Here's the problem: Two legal notices have appeared in the Journal News and the North County News regarding the BID's Annual Meeting and the election. Both legal notices are the same and state in pertinent part: "Completed Ballots must be returned by Close of Business, January 23, 2009 to be counted in final tally." The legal notice that was in the NCN is in the edition dated January 21, 2009. The Journal News has the notice in today's paper which is dated Saturday, January 24, 2009. Besides the fact that the date is different than the one that is on the actual ballot, THERE IS NO MENTION OF WHERE TO RETURN THE BALLOTS ON JANUARY 23, 2009. All it says in the notice at the end is "Contact Peekskill BID at 914-737-2780. Peekskill BID 16 South Division St. Peekskill, NY 10566."
This very simple election process began last November and should have been over and done with by the second week of December. Instead, it's now almost February and there is a serious question as to the correct date the ballots will be accepted. The BID Bylaws provide for an Election Committee made up of the "three statutory members of the Board of Directors of the Association." In this case we were told that the Committee members are Joe Schuder, Howard Wessells and Jean Friedman. The Bylaws also state that "The Election Committee shall conduct the annual election......" so I don't understand how Chairman Lippolis, who himself is running for election, was allowed to actually be in charge of printing and distributing the ballots including those for his own election. If the members of the Election Committee were unwilling or unable to perform their duties, then another Committee should have been appointed to be responsible for running the election.
I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE IN AUTHORITY COULD CLARIFY WHAT IS THE CORRECT DATE FOR THE BALLOTS TO BE ACCEPTED IN ORDER TO BE COUNTED AND CONSIDERED VALID. IS IT JANUARY 23RD OR JANUARY 26TH? PLEASE ADVISE WHEN AND WHERE THE BALLOTS WILL BE COUNTED, PRESUMABLY ON MONDAY, JANUARY 26TH.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Patty Villanova
Still a candidate for BID Board of Directors, Commercial Tenant Seat
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A MESSAGE FROM ANDY POLAY:
Hello All,
I am pleased to announce our next show. We'll be playing at the Bean Runner in Peekskill on Friday, 01/30, at 7:00PM.
After playing opening night at this cool little slice of Soho, I look forward to doing it again. For those of you that attended, you saw the birth of a great place to meet people, enjoy the food, and the music. This time, we will provide you with a special musical experience, as I play a duet with Mr. Rahn Burton on the magical keys. On that evening, we will include a tribute to Herbie Hancock that I am very excited about. Of course, we will also play some of our fav's as we represent the music of Miles, Monk, Cannonball, Brubeck and original material.
I hope to see you there as we share jazz in this intimate setting.
As always, I respect your right to privacy and although I hope you are interested in my music, will understand if you want to be taken off this mailing list. If you would like to be taken off this list, please just let me know by replying to my email.
Thank you very much for your support and hope to see you at the shows!
Andy
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A MESSAGE FROM ASSEMBLMAN GREG BALL:
Gary Berntsen, Decorated 23 Year CIA Chief
Berntsen served as the Commander of all CIA forces in Eastern Afghanistan...
...and led the agency’s Jawbreaker team in Tora Bora.
FRONTLINE Interview: www.GballEvents.com
What: Dinner & Speech by Bernsten, Followed by Q&A Period & Book Signing:
When: February 12, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Where: Travelers Rest
http://www.gballevents.com
Rsvp: gball@ball4ny.com
Gary Berntsen is a decorated former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005. During his time at the CIA, he served as a CIA Station Chief on three separate occasions and led several of CIA’s most important counterterrorism deployments including the United States’ response to the East Africa Embassy bombings and the 9/11 attacks. He was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal in 2000 and the Intelligence Star in 2004.
FRONTLINE Interview: http://www.gballevents.com
In December 2001, Berntsen served as the Commander of all CIA forces in Eastern Afghanistan and led the agency’s Jawbreaker team in Tora Bora. In his 2005 book, Jawbreaker, he alleges that Osama bin Laden could have been captured at Tora Bora if the US military (specifically United States Central Command) had devoted more resources to the operation.
In July 2005, Berntsen took the CIA to court alleging that they were violating his First Amendment rights and the Administrative Procedure Act by taking longer than the allowed 30 days to approve his Jawbreaker manuscript for publication. This delay caused him to miss the June 17 deadline for handing over the manuscript to his publisher and caused the book to miss its original October publication date.
From June 2007 to June 2008, Berntsen returned to Afghanistan as a civilian advisor on IED networks for Regional Command East (RC-East), within NATO-led ISAF.
Gary released his first piece of fiction in August 2008. The book is titled The Walk-In and tells the story of an American CIA case officer dealing with an Iranian defector from the Quds Force. The defector claims that a catastrophic attack is imminent and the American case officer must decide what to believe.
In November 2008, Berntsen published Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Pratical Guide. This book was written to serve as a manual for the incoming president and White House staff and includes highly specific recommendations and policy prescriptions for human intellgience and counterterrorism operations.
FRONTLINE Interview: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/interviews/berntsen.html
This event is being hosted by
GOPAC-NY and New Yorkers on the Ball
www.GoHudBlogs.com
www.GballEvents.com
www.Ball4NY.com
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A MESSAGE FROM GOPAC:
Change coming to Yorktown
Written by Christopher Arnold
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 10:08
Flanked by members of the Yorktown Republican Town Committee, Yorktown GOP Chairwoman Serafina Mastro and Westchester GOP Chairman Doug Colety promised a new beginning for Republicans in Yorktown this evening.
At a press conference outside Yorktown Town Hall, Mastro stated that the rebirth of the local Republican Party would begin with an open candidate interview and selection process, amongst the first of its kind in the county, to attract qualified candidates.
“With the swearing in of the first African-American President today, we are witnessing history,” Mastro said. “In Yorktown, our committee wants to make history of its own by bringing change to town government, for the promise of a better future. This begins with a selection process, to recruit dedicated candidates who will represent the diverse groups within the town.”
Mastro envisioned a local committee that would bring together Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Conservatives to solve the serious challenges the town faces.
“Local government is not about partisan ideology,” Mastro said. “It is about having wisdom, thoughtfulness and restraint. The Republican Party is alive and well here in Yorktown, and we are serious about fiscal responsibility.”
Mastro later announced a series of public committee meetings, where all residents will be able to discuss their positions on important local issues, and hear from guest speakers including candidates, elected officials, and community leaders.
Colety, who has led efforts countywide to recruit candidates who espouse Republican principles, such as fiscal conservatism and smaller government, commended Mastro on the candidate search.
“The selection of qualified and capable candidates to run for office is a key component to rebuilding the Republican Party in Westchester County from the grassroots,” Colety declared.
Those interested in attending meetings of the Yorktown Republican Town Committee or running for office in Yorktown should contact the Yorktown Republican Town Committee at (914) 497 7460.
*****************
Andy,
Exciting new website, blogs:
Jim Coleman, Chairman of GOPAC-NY, has announced the launch of gohudblogs.com, a website dedicated to promoting "spin-free" news and opinion, with commentary and insight from Republican party members dedicated to rebuilding the party.
Http://gohudblogs.com
Check it out!
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MY LATEST GOPAC POST:
A PARTY OF IDEAS
by Anthony Bazzo on Jan.24, 2009, under Blogs
Dear Readers:
Mike Edelman has written an interesting post “What The Republican Party Needs To Do”. Simply said, The Republicans should no longer be about ideas in order to win elections, but instead should just be about winning elections. It should appeal to “hyphenated New Yorkers” instead of having a set of principals and then convince all New Yorkers that their ideas are better. Republicans have lost local, county, state and federal elections by trying to be Democrat-lite.
Instead of saying that the premise of Democrat arguments are incorrect, they accept the premises and then try to out Democrat a Democrat. Republicans accept the premise of “man-made global warming”, but say we will take less rights and money then the Democrats. What the Republicans should be arguing is their premise is a crock being used to remove freedoms, separate you from your money and grow government. There are enough credible scientists making this argument, Republicans need to do research.
Instead of accepting the premise of “a right to health care”, Republicans should be showing who it is without health care and why. They should be showing how tax and regulation in New York have driven up the cost of heath care in a effort to make people demand state run health care. Republicans should be showing how having the “Cadillac” of medicaid programs drive up the cost of health care for all of us. They should be showing how limiting who can sell health insurance in New York, removing competitive pricing dives up the cost of health care. They should be showing how the hidden taxing of hospitals and health insurance premiums drive up the cost of health care. They should be arguing that removing certain mandates and lowering taxes will lower the cost of health care an make it affordable again.
Instead of accepting the premise that public worker healthcare and benefits which are the major reason we are heading into bankruptcy because they are protected by the state constitution, should be arguing for a constitutional amendment to remove those unaffordable protections and bring those costs more in line to what the taxpayer can afford.
You get the idea. Stop arguing on Democrat terms and make them argue on Republican terms. The quest for power without principled positions is what has gotten this state into this mess. Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats. The problem lies in the fact that Democrats do not rely on principals, they rely on pander. Mr Edelman proposes that Republicans adopt the same play book. In the Senate they did, and have now lost their last base of power.
I do agree however with Mr. Edleman’s suggestion about stopping cross endorsements. Each party should run their own slate of candidates. The Working Families Party did that and eliminated the liberal party. Let the slate with the best candidates win. How ever, I believe it will be the Republican Party that loses if they stay on their present course of trying to stand for what people will fall for by being “Republicrats”. When a leading elected Republican, State Senator Leibell spends over $70,000.00 to help an endorsed Democrat defeat another Republican, Assemblyman Greg Ball, that is a recipe for defeat.
Twice Assemblyman Ball has fought his own party and a Democrat election tsunami to win his elections. The Republicans should study his play book on how to win elections. It works! He did not try to be Democrat- lite. Money and the arena of ideas are where elections are won. The Republican Party should again become what it once was, the party of ideas.
BAZZO 01/25/09
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A MESSAGE FROM YORKTOWN COUNCILMAN NICK BIANCO:
RE: THE UPDATED BRENNAN CENTER REPORT ON OUR STATE LEGISLATURE:
RE: "IT'S STILL BROKEN"
Go to www.brennancenter.org
Look for the NYS report and download.
Nick Bianco
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A MESSAGE FROM DOMENIC VOLPE:
RE: CABLE T.V. SHOW UPDATE:
The Volpe Report is pleased to announce that the special guest for January is Kathleen Fitzpatrick- the managing editor for the North County News. Listen to Kathleen as she speaks of the road that led her to the NCNews staff and the workings and pressure of deadlines, judgement calls, and articles that make the weekly paper so popular is the area.
The dates and times are as follows:
Yorktown/Putnam Valley Channel 74 Wednesday @ 6:00pm December 31, January 7, 14, 21 and 28
Peekskill/Cortlandt Channel 15 Thursday @ 8:00pm January 8, 15, 22 and 29
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THIS WEEKS "IN MY OPINION COLUMN" IN THE NCN:
Dear Readers:
This week I discuss "The MInd Of A Liberal".You can read my column on this topic exclusively on line(see link below)or in this weeks NORTH COUNTY NEWS on sale now. I am worth the seventy-five cents. Look for my column IN MY OPINION(page 10) in the editorial section. Better yet as this column is exclusive to the North County News on a regular basis and will be covering the local political scene, take out a subscription. Click on the North County News link below and go to Subscribe. Between this blog and The North County News you will have all the information to make a vote based on substance.
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FYI:ATOM TAXI INC. AIRPORT SERVICE:
Dear Readers:
This gives me a chance to plug my business ATOM TAXI INC. As you are planning your holiday or business or vacation travel? Instead of the headache of trying to find Airport parking, we do Airport Service to The Westchester County Airport(and ALL other airports) 24/7. Just call 1(914)879-6121 and my partner Tommy, will be glad to take you in our Airport Taxi. You will also be provided with a free copy of your local paper of record The North County News. If this is a business trip we also provide a professional receipt, just tell Tommy at the time of booking. The cost of a one-way trip to LaGuardia Airport the cost is Ninety dollars plus tolls. The cost to JFK and Newark Airports is one hundred-twenty-five dollars plus tolls. The tolls are $10.00 Westchester County Airport and Stewart cost $75.00. We do not take credit cards, sorry.
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E-MAIL ME WITH YOUR COMMENTS:
Dear Readers:
It has come to my attention the difficulty in posting a comment on this blog. If you wish to comment, e-mail me at the link posted below, putting "Manifesto Reader" in the subject matter, and I will "cut and Paste" your comments myself. If you DO NOT wish your comments posted, but just wish to communicate with me, please make your wishes known in the e-mail.
LINKS: atom_taxi@yahoo.com(as this a yahoo address make sure you put an underscore (-) between atom and taxi)
For immediate reply: atomtaxi@aol.com
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SITES TO LINK TO:
JOHN G. TESTA: www.johngtesta.com
ON TOPIC W/ JOHN TESTA: www.ontopicwithjt.com
CARS & US: www.doverracing.com
THE WINERY AT ST. GEORGE: http://www.TheWineryAtStGeorge.com
PLAN PUTNAM: planputnam@googlegroups.com/
PEEKSKILL GUARDIAN: "http://peekskillguardian.blogspot.com/
NORTH COUNTY NEWS:"http://northcountynews.com/
THE JOURNAL NEWS:http://thejournalnews.com/
PEEKSKILL DEMOCRATS:http://www.peekskilldems.com/"
PEEKSKILLREPUBLICANS:http://peekskillgop.com/
YORKTOWN SUPERVISOR DON PETERS: http://www.donpetersforyorktown.com/
PUTNAM VALLEY SUPERVISOR BOB TENDY:http://www.bobtendyforsupervisor.com/
THE PEEKSILL NEWS:http://thepeekskillnews.blogspot.com/
CORTLANDT MANOR CIVIC ASSOCIATION: www.cortlandtcivic.com
GOPAC: gohudblogs.com
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CABLE SHOWS TO WATCH
ON POINT ON PEEKSKILL: Every Tuesday at 8PM channel 15 (Peekskill only)
Hosted by:DARREN RIGGER
DON PETERS AND YORKTOWN: Various day and times on chanel 20(Ykt.only)
Hosted by: SUPERVISOR DON PETERS
YORKTOWN WATCHDOG: Every Friday at 9:30 PM & Wednesday at 4:30PM on channel 74
Hosted By: ED CIFFON
LEGISLATORS REPORT: Saturday and Sunday at various times on chanel 20
Hosted By: COUNCILMEN NICK BIANCO AND LOU CAMPISI
THE VOLPE REPORT: Thursadys at 8PM chanel 15 (Peek. and Cort.) chanel 74 at 6pm (York.& Put. Valley)
Hosted By: Domenic Volpe
THE ISSUES: Thursdays at 9:PM chanel 74 Peekskill Mondays at 8PM chanel 15
Hosted by; Sam Davis
ON TOPIC WITH JOHN TESTA: Thursdays at 9:30PM chanel 15 (Peekskill & Cortlant)
Tuesdays in Yorktown & Putnam Valley 9:30 chanel 74
Hosted by: John Testa
CARS & US: Fridays 10 PM chanel 15(Peek. & Cortlant) 74(York. & Put. Valley)
Hosted By: Dennis Tate
SPEAK OUT WITH SANDY GALEF: Yorktown chanel 74 Wednesdays at 7:30PM..Ossining/Peekskill chanel 15 Wednesdays at 8PM
Hosted by: Sandra Galef
DEAR SANDY: Yorktown chanel 74 Fridays 7:30PM...Ossining/Peeksill chanel 15 Fridays
9PM
Hosted by: Sandra Galef
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EDITOR'S NOTE:
All articles re-printed in this blog from the North County News are with the permission of Bruce Apar Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
01/25/09
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