The Horror of 9/11, I Remember... But Too Many Others Forget

Everyone remembers where they were when they found out about the attacks on 9/11. I remember driving into the city and thinking that it was a particularly clear day, not a cloud in the sky.

Three hours after leaving my house, I was sitting in my office at Nickelodeon (I was the publisher of Nickelodeon Magazine) working on 2002 projections when I received an IM from my brother "hey Jeff some idiot just flew a plane into one of the trade center towers."

Working for a TV Network had its advantages, I had a TV hooked up to cable in my office. I quickly grabbed the remote, turned on the TV to see the second tower impact. At the time I thought it was an instant replay of the first one. The same thing happened when each of the towers collapsed. It was all so surreal, this was the United States of America it couldn't happen here.

Much of the rest of the morning is a blur, my staff crowded into my office we watched in horror as people jumped off a tower to their deaths.  Then again as we saw the smoldering Pentagon building and finally as each tower collapse. We even heard rumors of a fourth plane that was shot down over Pennsylvania (in actuality Flight 93 was purposely crashed by the Hijackers because the brave passengers had decided to take control of the  plane back).

At twelve noon there was an announcement that the east river crossings were once again open. I called my wife to tell her I was coming home (she begged me not to fearing another attack)  I raced for the garage and began a 40 mile drive that took way over four hours.

Outside my office near Times Square, about two miles from the now smoldering ruins of the towers one could taste the air. Breathing felt strange because the air had a texture it felt like particles of glass were mixed in with the oxygen.

Manhattan had always seemed larger than life to me, but that day it seemed small and vulnerable. Or maybe it was the entire United States that seemed vulnerable.

Staring at the ominous scene surrounding me as my car crawled its way across the 59th Street bridge it felt like something out of a bad "Godzilla" movie...crowds of shocked people were crowding the bridge, crossing on foot to make sure they got off that tiny island as soon as possible.

But this was not "Chiller Theater" this was unbelievably  real.  Looking out of my car  toward downtown Manhattan, the beautiful skyline and cloudless sky that was present during the my drive into work just a few short hours before was replaced by an impenetrable curtain of black over the East River. The aroma of the invigorating autumn air was replaced by a noxious burning smell seeping into my car through the air vents.

Because everyone was trying to use their cell phones at the same time, the cells were overwhelmed, service was non existent. Three hours into my drive I finally reached my wife now frantic because I was out of touch for so long.

When I finally got out of the borough of Queens and into Nassau County the Long Island Expressway, sometimes known as the world's largest parking lot, suddenly opened up.  The traffic wasn't just light, it was eerily non-existent (especially on the west bound lanes which lead back into the city). Just a few minutes later I noticed why. At every single exit Nassau County police cars were blocking the west bound on ramps. The message was clear, people were free to leave New York but they weren't getting back in until they knew that this first foreign attack on US soil since 1814 was over.

After finally reaching home, I spent the rest of the day watching the first reports of heroism which filtered out the tragedy.

As is my regular practice at about 7:45 pm, I left my house drove to my Synagogue for the evening minyan. Usually we have a group of 15-20 people at evening prayers, but this day was different. People began to filter into Shul in groups, fellow congregants who's Synagogue appearances are usually limited to the High Holy days showed up to pray. Each one (like me) had a dull shocked look on their face, slowly walking into the Sanctuary. Our normal crowd of less than two dozen was more than three hundred, desperate to appeal to God for the safety of their friends and family whose fates were still unknown and for the success of their country in the War they knew would follow.

This scene was duplicated in Houses of God, for many faiths from 'sea to shining sea."

September 11 was not the first terrorist attack against the United States, the attack was foreshadowed by incidents such as the First Trade Center bombing and the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Those earlier acts were treated by the United States as crimes, each perpetuated by small group of terrorist operators. It was only after 9/11 that this country realized that there was a worldwide network of people willing to kill themselves to bring down our way of life. Only after 9/11 did we stop searching for "criminals" and begin a war against Islamist Terrorists (at least for a little while).

Back then Toby Keith expressed the feeling of many of us with his song, The Angry American:

(If you cannot see two videos below click here)


Despite what our President says, we are fighting a war against Islamists who use terrorism, or whatever the Department of Homeland Security wants to call it this week, to destroy the the West our freedoms and lifestyle. People who want to use violence to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate.

Theirs is a very patient culture that will wait centuries if necessary to get even with those who they perceived as doing them wrong.

That is their advantage, we are a culture who demands immediate gratification. Ten years after 9/11 there are some many would have us give up that war...give into the terrorists.

In 2008 we elected a President who refused to recognize our enemy. Three years later many in both parties are preaching isolationism. Others are promising to balance the bloated federal deficit by gutting our nation's defenses. Whether they mean to or not, these cuts may result in America suffering through the horrors of 9/11 over again, certainly our military weakness will make it more likely.

Far too many people have forgotten the taste of the air, the curtain of black smoke, the scenes of horror, acts of bravery everything associated with that horrible day that changed our lives.

On this Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 the Mayor of New York has forgotten the first responders who sacrificed themselves during those horrible days and the faiths that gave us the strength to continue by banning 9/11 First Responders and Religious figures from the memorial service.

 Ten years after that horrible Tuesday morning ten years ago,the answer to Darryl Worley's epic song "Have You Forgotten?" may very well be yes.

May we never forget the evil that attacked us on 9/11 even if our leaders do.  May God continue to comfort the bereaved and May the memories of the dead always be for a blessing. 

Lord who grants salvation to kings and dominion to rulers, Whose kingdom is a kingdom spanning all eternities; Who places a road in the sea and a path in the mighty waters - may you bless the President, the Vice President, and all the constituted officers of government of this land. May they execute their responsibilities with intelligence, honor, compassion and love for the constitution wonderfully crafted by our founding fathers. May you always bless these United States and provide us with leaders who will comprehend your role in making this republic  the land of the free and the home of the brave

My friend Dr. Melissa Clouthier has a great 9/11 post and roundup of other 9/11 must read on her site.  Click here 9/11: No, America Is Not Over It Yet  and visit her site.

SHOCKER! Independent Poll Gives GOP Advantage to Pick Up Anthony Weiner's Seat

With four days before the special election the signals are aligning toward a possible victory for Republican Bob Turner in the race to replace Anthony Weiner as Congressman for NY's 9th Congressional District.

The latest Siena College poll released this morning gives Turner a  a six-point lead against Democrat David Weprin a Democratic Party State Assemblyman (crosstabs embedded at the bottom of this post). Siena's previous poll in August showed the Democrat with a six-point lead.

NY-9 is a Democratic Party leaning district by non-partisan pundits as Democrat +5, which means that a generic Democr at would have a five point advantage over a generic Republican. The last time a Republican won the seat was in the 1920 election. 

Geographically Turner has seen a big gain in the heavily liberal part of the district residing in the borough of Queens (40-49%). This may be a result of the entrance of former NYC Mayor Ed Koch into the race. Koch, a Democrat, endorsed Turner and turned the campaign into a referendum on President Obama and his anti-Israel policies. Overall Weprin’s lead among Jewish voters, about one-third of likely district voters, fell from 21 points to six points.

Last week sources within the campaign told me they saw independents breaking for Turner and the Siena numbers bear this out. The August poll had Turner with a small 4 point lead among independents (46-42%), today's poll gave Turner a huge 65-27% lead.


Last week Turner released his internal polls which showed the race tied, a few days later another Republican pollster gave Turner a 4 point advantage.  What makes this poll particularly important is the Siena College poll is considered non partisan, making the GOP lead more believable.

But the Democratic registration advantage is tempered by the poll's crosstabs. Turner runs much stronger among Republicans, holding 90 percent of the vote, than Weprin does among Democrats, taking just 63 percent. Independents are overwhelmingly lined up behind the Republican, with 65 percent of them supporting Turner and 27 percent choosing Weprin.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been touting an internal poll of their own showing Weprin with an 8 point lead. But their lack of confidence is showing through as yesterday they purchased a last minute half-million-dollar ad-buy slamming Turner. A half-million buy is relatively huge purchase for the last few days of a congressional campaign even in a market as media expensive as NY . Most campaigns never see that kind of money coming from the national committee, especially with the 2012 election only 426 days away.

For the Democrats this is a big election. If Weprin loses it will be seen as expression of  disdain for Obama, not only for his foreign policy but his handling of the economy. The poll shows that the President's unfavorable are at 54% in this Democratic leaning district, even higher than that of Speaker Boehner.

Another bad sign for Weprin is as people are solidifying their opinions of the candidates, his unfavorables are increasing faster than his opponent (rising 17% to Turner's 14%)

Part of the reason for the unfavorable change is voters believe Turner is running the more positive campaign, leading Weprin on that question, 43 percent to 32 percent. Correspondingly, a plurality of likely voters believe Weprin's campaign is more negative.

Even though Turner seems to be ahead, 4 days is a lot of time and $500,000 is a lot of money, the six point lead is not insurmountable, especially when you keep in mind that this is a special election.. Traditionally special elections have a very low turnout, usually the team with the best “get out the vote” organization wins in a tight vote. David Weprin still has the advantage of the President’s organization trying too save face,  and a local Democratic machine that has not lost a congressional election since 1921.

Fasten those seat belts and grab the extra large bag of popcorn, the next few days are going to be very interesting. 

Below are the crosstabs for the Siena College poll.

CD90911 Crosstabs

Lockerbie Bomber Comatose, Near Death (So His Family Says)

According to a report by CNN Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is comatose and near death and under the care of his family in a palatial villa in Tripoli, living on oxygen and an intravenous drip.

Al-Magrahi is responsible for the worst terrorist attack in Britain's history, the deadliest assault on U.S. civilians until 9/11.

On Dec. 21, 1988, a bomb exploded in the forward cargo hold of Pan Am Flight 103, a jetliner flying from London to New York. Within less than a minute, the Boeing 747 splintered into thousands of pieces and fell 31,000 feet, smashing down in the village of Lockerbie, Scotland. The impact killed 11 villagers and destroyed 21 homes. None of the 259 people on board the aircraft survived.

On August 21, 2009 Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the terrorist attack, was released from the Prison where he had been serving a life sentence. Because he supposedly had less than three months to live, he had been sent home to Libya to die. Under pressure from Great Britain, Scottish courts were forced to show more mercy to al-Megrahi than he showed to the 270 people he killed

Now the cancer-stricken former Libyan intelligence officer who lived two years rather than three months may take the secrets of the terrorist operation to his grave.

"We just give him oxygen. Nobody gives us any advice," his son, Khaled Elmegarhi, told CNN.

With the recent overthrow of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have called for al-Megrahi to be sent back to prison.

But the National Transitional Council, the rebel movement that toppled Gadhafi, announced Sunday that it won't allow the dying al-Megrahi to be extradited.

"We will not give any Libyan citizen to the West," NTC Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagi said.

Al-Megrahi lived far longer than expected. He made a public appearance with now-fugitive Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi in July, confined to a wheelchair. He always maintained his innocence.

With the fall of Tripoli to the rebels, his care has been left up to his son and his mother.

"There is no doctor. There is nobody to ask. We don't have any phone line to call anybody," Elmegarhi said.

 If this report is true and not just a cynical ruse designed to take the pressure off this mass murderer, then soon Al-Megrahi may have to answer to the people he killed, and his maker. Only then will the full truth be worked out.

If you cannot see video below click here

Almost a Decade Ago WFAN's Mike Francesa and Chris Russo Blamed 9/11 on The Jews

On 9/11/01 I was sitting in my office when I received an IM from my brother telling me of the first crash and urging me to turn on the TV (I worked for Nickelodeon at the time and had a TV in my office). Turning on the set I saw what I thought was a replay of the crash, sadly it was no replay, it was the second plane. My entire team crammed into my office. They stared in disbelief as the news grew worse, the attack on the Pentagon, followed by the horror of each of twin towers crashing to the ground. Just thinking about it brings back memories of fear and confusion.

Having driven into the city that morning I was stuck in the city because all bridges and tunnels leading out of Manhattan were closed. But the second TV announced the reopening of the east side river crossings; I rushed out of my office and began to drive home.

The streets of Manhattan were almost devoid of cars. Traffic moved slowly anyway because the streets were packed with dazed people trying to make their way out of the city. It was a surreal picture, almost like those movies where Godzilla attacking Tokyo. The 59th Street Bridge was no different, dazed people, struggling to get off that tiny island and onto the safety of the Borough of Queens. Gazing out from the bridge to what was soon to be known as ground zero; there was an impenetrable curtain of black over the East River. Even with the car windows closed the air had a "smoky" taste and a texture like sand paper.

I made it home to my family and drove into the city the next day. My memories of the drive home on 9/12 is just as vivid not because of another terrorist incident, but because of something I heard on the radio.

Per my usual practice, during the drive home I listened to NY Sports radio station WFAN. I left early enough to hear WFAN’s afternoon stars, Mike Francesa and Chris Mad Dog Russo. The fun of these guys was more than their sports knowledge, you could tell these two really hated each other; there was an undercurrent of tension on air.

On 9/12 however, these two agreed. They launched a fact deprived commentary blaming both Israel and American Jews for the attack on America the day before. Even worse Russo said (Francesca agreed) that American Jews needed to prove their loyalty as Americans; choose between Israel, which Mike called "a failed experiment," and the U.S." The two bigots thought Jews in America should take a loyalty oath to the country to prove that they were loyal to the US and not Israel.

How Did WFAN react to this blatant Antisemitism? One would think that they would have reacted very strongly, after all this is the station that six years later fired Don Imus, their number one money-maker, for calling the Rutgers girls basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Sadly WFAN reacted by sweeping it under the rug while the pair of bigots denied it ever happened ( despite the fact that other listeners including NY Post columnist Phil Mushnick heard the offensive comments).

The ADL was flooded with calls sent a letter to the station which said in part:

"Since September 12th, ADL offices in the tri-state area have been flooded with calls complaining about comments made by "Mike and the Mad Dog" show hosts Mike Francesa and Chris Russo. The complaints focus on the hosts suggesting the motive behind the World Trade Center attack is U.S. support for the State of Israel or, more importantly, suggesting a divided loyalty for American Jews between our country and Israel."

As of November 2009, the ADL never received a response from their letter:

"From: ADL Media [mailto:ADLMedia@adl.org]

Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 11:42 AM

Subject: RE: Abraham H. Foxman's letter to WFAN in 2001

As far as we can recollect, we had no response from WFAN"

To this day the two (who Don Imus called Fatso and Fruit loops) deny that this incident ever happened. I contacted the station and the two bigots last September, the station and Francesa did not respond and Russo met my request for an apology to the Jewish community with derision.

When the NY Post's Mushnick wrote about the incident in the weeks after 9/11, the sports talkers used some of their radio time to express their denial.

Mushnick wrote in 2002:

"… Francesa's claim that I fabricated quotes, then attributed them to him is a total lie because I never quoted either Francesa or Russo in that column. I couldn't quote them because WFAN claimed that it did not tape that particular segment.

But I did hear them - first-hand, not "second or third-hand" - then wrote a column critical of them for characterizing the 9/11 attacks as the fault of Israel, and by extension, American Jews……The fact that no tape was, in Francesa's words, "ever found" - he failed to mention WFAN's claim not to have taped the segment I wrote about - was used by Francesa, Monday, as proof that I fabricated a story about him."

In a 2009 column Mushnick added:

Days after the 9/11 attacks, Francesa, global affairs expert (it's a gift), launched two bigoted, backwoods and facts-depraving commentaries blaming both Israel and American Jews for America's peril at the hands of terrorists.

Francesa also said the Jews he knows are disloyal Americans in that they would go to war to defend Israel but not the United States.

In the wake of an attack on the U.S. by Islamic lunatics, Francesa even called upon American Jews to prove their virtue as Americans, to choose between Israel, which he called "a failed experiment," and the U.S.

As a third-generation American Jew, whose great-uncle was a WWI doughboy, and whose father was a WWII Naval Lt., then commander of the Staten Island chapter of the Jewish War Veterans, I was, shall we say, displeased by Francesa's determination that the time had come for me to swear allegiance to the United States.

On Sept. 23, 2001, the above appeared in this column. In WFAN's response, on behalf of Francesa, station boss Mark Chernoff denied that Francesa said any of that -- despite thousands, including WFAN staff, having heard what I'd heard. My challenge to produce those tapes was ignored.

Like most Americans who suffered through those horrible days, the sounds, tastes and pictures of the horrible attack on America are embedded in my memory. On 9/12 most Americans, stood united against the hatred of al Qaeda. But here in New York, two sportscasters on WFAN chose not to stand united against hatred; they chose to create even more hatred. I am told that they continue to deny what thousands of people heard with their own ears. I couldn't tell you for sure since I haven't listened to WFAN since 9/12/01 (where Francesa remains), nor have I tuned to Chris Russo's year old sports channel on Sirrus/XM.

In less than two weeks we will commemorate the tenth anniversary of that horror. It is about time WFAN, Francessa and Chris Russo fess up and apologize for their hatred. If you agree please contact WFAN program manager Eric Spitz here espitz@wfan.com or call the station at 212-314-9200 to comment on Francesa. As for Mr. Russo you can call Sirrus/XM corporate offices @ 212-584-5100 and tell them you think the Mad Dog should fess up and apologize

I have Proof That God Still Performs Miracles.

If anybody wants proof that God is still in the miracle business they should read this story about my weekend. My daughter was in a car crash on Friday that by all logic she shouldn't have survived.

At about 5:45pm I was packing up my computer for the night and watching one of my guilty pleasures (TMZ). The phone rang and the stranger on the other end gave me what seemed to be a paradox, your daughter drove into a tree, but is OK. She asked me to call you. It was hard for me to imagine a situation where someone drives into a tree but is basically uninjured. I shouted out to my wife and she joined me in the car as we sped  to the accident site a half of a mile from home.

As we approached we saw two Suffolk County police cars, a fire truck and an EMT ambulance. Having to park a half block away (on the wrong side of the street) my wife ran out of the car to her child crying, I followed. The firemen were shouting to us "don't worry she is OK."

The first thing I noticed as I approached my daughter is the  blood that seemed to be everywhere.  The top of her  head was wrapped as was her neck.  The neck wrapping had already turned red from her blood, but they had quickly covered it up with a heavy duty neck brace. She was surround by EMT workers who were removing a cardiogram and were putting her on one of those hard plastic yellow boards they use when there is fear of a head or neck injury.

My crying wife joined my daughter in the ambulance, while I tried to get her valuables out of the car. Approaching the car, I surveyed the scene. It gave me shivers. My little girl had been very lucky.

Apparently my daughter swerved to the right hit the tree, then pivoted around and the back of her car hit one of those giant 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide, electrical boxes that LIPA puts on every other front lawn. After she hit the electrical box the tree she originally hit smashed down on the driver's side of the car.

As I approached the car the windshield was shattered as was the driver's side window, both airbags deployed, and it was obvious that the worst damage was on the driver's side of the car. Most scary was the roof over her head was flattened from the fall of the tree. All I could think of is how lucky she was.


Driving to the emergency room, I called every observant Jew whose number I remembered. As it was approaching the Sabbath, it would soon be too late to call them and I had a special request for them all. It is a tradition that every time you take out the Torah there is an opportunity to make special prayers of refuah shleimah  (healing)for the ill. Even on the Sabbath when the prayers are mostly prayers of thanks (as opposed to Dear God, I want, I need...) we make prayers asking God to help heal the ill and to grant strength to the doctors who are treating our loved ones.

Mi-sheberakh avoteinu v'imoteinu, Avraham v'Sarah, Yitzhak v'Rivkah, Ya'akov, Rachel v'Leah hu y'varekh et (Hebrew name-Son/Daughter of Mother's Hebrew name) v'yavi aleihem refuat hanefesh u'refuat haguf yachad im kol cholei amo Yisrael. Barukh atah Adonai, rofeh ha'cholim.

May the One who was a source of blessing for our ancestors, bring blessings of healing upon (Hebrew name-Son/Daughter of Mother's Hebrew name), a healing of body and a healing of spirit. May those in whose care they are entrusted, be gifted with wisdom and skill, and those who surround them, be gifted with love and trust, openness and support in their care. And may they be healed along with all those who are in need. Blessed are You, Source of healing. Amen.

Knowing my friends I guarantee you that God heard much about Hinda bat Leah this weekend. From my friends as well as my wife and me.

A short time later, I joined my wife in the emergency room.  It was the first time I was able to see her close up.  My little girl (she is 21 but will always be my little girl) looked like something out of a horror movie.

There was a large cut over her left eye, the white of her skull was visible at the bottom of the  of that injury. The entire left side of her face was a lacerated bloody mess which we had to keep dabbing to keep the blood from seeping into her eye.  She had an extremely deep gash on the left side of her neck which, if it was a bid deeper would have severed her jugular.  In short my daughter was a very lucky girl.

About 10 o' clock that evening the plastic surgeon came in to start his work, telling us that he hadn't seen a face that needed that much work in years. He worked for 3 and a half hours wearing glasses that seemed to have mini microscope lenses coming off the front.  The plastic surgeon delicately stitched together each cut and repaired each laceration.

At about 2 AM we were told that as soon as my daughter could hold down liquids she could go home.  But Saturday morning nothing was too be that easy, after drinking some apple juice, she began to "bring it up again." I am not talking a little throwing up but the projectile stuff only seen in the movie the exorcist.

Finally eight hours later, we were allowed to bring my daughter where she belonged--home. She was battered, tired, in terrible pain, but alive with a good prognosis for the future. She will require some more plastic surgeries and maybe even a skin graft, but the result was much better than it could have been. In the middle of the night, the EMTs had brought a man into the hospital who had a similar accident to my daughter.Unfortunately he didn't make it.

All I could think of is all the help she received, the EMTs, police officers and firemen who rushed to the scene and the doctors, radiologists and nurses who treated her at the hospital.  But just as valuable were the people I called who used their Shabbos rest to pray to God that my little girl survive and have a strong recovery.

A little more than 21 years ago my daughter was born.  I remember when the nurses first placed this screaming little baby into my arms, I marveled at the miracle of the entire process, how God was able to take a piece of me and a piece of my wife and create this little human being that came out of my wife and into our lives.

As I drive my daughter and wife home from the hospital on Saturday I thought back to that time and the injuries she received a little less than 17 hours before.  Just as her birth was a miracle and a gift from God, the fact that she was still alive and coming home was a miracle and gift from our maker.

Her injuries were severe but treatable, but if for example, her neck injury was slightly deeper she might have severed her jugular, bleeding out even before the EMT workers came.

Some might say that the fact my daughter is alive today is the medical and emergency personnel knew what to do and they are 100% correct. But to think they didn't have some help from above defies all reality. The miraculous gift  God gave my wife and me 21 years ago, was re-gifted to us this past Shabbos. 

For those who believe God hasn't performed any miracles in two thousand years (with the possible exception of the 1969 Mets), the fact that my little girl is alive and (God willing) healing, is proof that you are wrong.

As the Jewish Prayer Birkhat Ha‑Gomel says

"Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who bestows good things on the unworthy, and has bestowed on me every goodness."

Thank you God, for answering our prayers with a resounding yes.

If anyone wants add their prayers to the ones already praying for my daughter's speedy recovery her name is Hinda bat Leah.

Will The Last Person To Leave NY State PLEASE Turn Off The Lights!

Will the last person leaving New York State please turn off the lights? While Progressives across the country are tied up in their underwear looking for ways to punish success with over-taxation, New York is losing taxpayers at an alarming rate.

According to the NY Post:

 ...a staggering 1.6 million residents fleeing the state over the last decade, a new report found.

That's as if the entire populations of Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, White Plains and West Babylon combined had packed up and left.

If you have ever been to Yonkers, White Plains or West Babylon you might think the population loss is a good thing but when one realizes that most  state  coffers in this country are close to insolvency and New York is closer to the edge than most, the population loss and the resulting loss of tax revenue is horrible news for the Empire State.

For the second consecutive decade, New York led the nation in the percentage of residents leaving for other states, according to the report by the Empire Center for State Policy.

The newly constructed big ball-yard in the Bronx and New Citi Field in "Flushing by the Bay," makes one wonder why anyone would ever want to leave NY State's borders. But I am told life is more than baseball.

Most analysts blamed New York's high taxes and skyrocketing cost of living for the mass exodus.

The Tax Foundation ranked New York highest in the nation in the combined state and local tax burden in 2008. And as small-business lobbyist Mike Durant noted, New York has also "consistently ranked worst or in the top three worst in business climate.

"You can't suck every penny out of people and expect them to remain in New York," added Durant, New York state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Since 1960, New York has lost 7.3 million residents to other states -- a net loss of 2.5 million people after adding in an influx of 4.8 million new immigrants, the study found.

The only thing saving the state from even greater population losses is the influx of immigrants, but the new Americans do not help tax roles enough because the people leaving generally have higher incomes (and pay higher taxes) than the people entering the state.

Along with the loss in tax revenue is the loss of political power. The state's House delegation will drops to 27 next year, in 1960 that number was 43 (what's worse is they refuse to gerrymander my Congressman Political hack Steve Israel out of a seat).

People were surprised when newly elected governor Andrew Cuomo started acting more like a conservative. But when you consider the above it is not really surprising.

"Gov. Cuomo believes a hostile business climate and high taxes have and would continue to drive people and businesses from our state," said his spokesman, Josh Vlasto, touting the governor's success in capping property taxes, holding the line on state taxes and focusing on job creation during his first year in office.

 The flight from NY should be a warning for progressives in each state with a high tax rate as well as those who work in the federal government.  You may think that paying taxes is patriotic, but there is a limit to patriotism when it means paying to much in taxes.

The world is a lot smaller than it used to be, just as people are fleeing high-tax states, people with higher income can do what many corporations are already doing....leaving the country.  Its a long way off, but nation-wide we could eventually face the same dilemma as The People's Republic of NY, a wealthy-tax base being replace by lower income immigrants.

Tax revenues per person usually fall with increased tax rates If you think the deficit situation is bad now, I shudder to think what will happen to the National Debt if  lower revenue/person is combined with fewer wealthy tax-payers.

Sheila Jackson Lee at Today's Muslim Hearing "Investigate The Right Wing Extremists""

Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tx) is beginning to sound like a broken record and warped one at that. Today was the third installment of Peter King’s (D-NY) Muslim Radicalization hearings. While all of the committee members where focused on the threat of the potential radicalization of American Muslims, the Texas moonbat thought continued her tradition of making at least one ignorant outburst during each of King's hearings.

This time she argued that there should also be a set of hearing about those right-wing extremists.

“I would add to that, that I would like to have a hearing on right-wing extremists, ideologues who advocate violence and advocate, in essence, the terrorizing of certain groups."

For those of you who are thinking that Lee was reacting to last weeks horror in Oslo, the answer is no she does it all the time.

During the first day of hearings back in March Jackson Lee asked  LA County Sheriff Baca a question about his deputies’ outreach to minority groups. When Baca mentioned that he had a Muslim officer accompanying him, Lee began clapping.

That drew a reprimand from Peter King, who admonished all member and guests to avoid "outbursts" that's when Jackson-Lee's famous temper took over.

But the best part was the dead pan comment of the next congressman. "That's a tough act to follow."

If you cannot see two videos in this post click here.



The second hearing on Muslim radicalization saw Jackson Lee insisting on asking about the non-existent Christian militants who were trying to undermine the government.   King replied by reminding the Congressional Nutjob:

I would just remind the members of the minority for four years they controlled this committee and they could have had hearings on any of these issues at any other time if they wanted to. I never heard any mention of any of these groups at these hearings until we held our first hearing on Muslim radicalization. I wish you would have been as attentive during the previous four years.

 In other words....TAKE THAT!


After today's Jackson Lee demand for an inquiry into those right wing radicals who have been blowing up all those locations in America, she used much of her remaining time to question panelists with expertise on radicalization about the alleged hacking into telephones of 9-11 victims by the now-closed News of the World tabloid in England.

Look at the bright side, at least she didn't talk about Vietnam again.

Celebrate Tomorrow The Real Independence Day Was July 2, 1776

"Why then sir, why do we longer delay? Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise not to devastate and to conquer but to reestablish the reign of peace and law. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands of us a living example of freedom that may exhibit a contrast in the felicity of the citizen to the ever-increasing tyranny which desolates her polluted shores. She invites us to prepare an asylum where the unhappy may find solace, and the persecuted repose. If we are not this day wanting in our duty, the names of the American legislators of 1776 will be placed by posterity at the side of all of those whose memory has been and ever will be dear to virtuous men and good citizens." -- Richard Henry Lee-July 2, 1776




The Declaration of Independence was approved/signed on July 4th, but it was two days earlier that the Continental Congress Passed the Lee Resolution, declaring that we were independent from Britain. This simple resolution was a stirring call to throw off the bonds of tyranny:

Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.

That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.

On July 2, the resolution of independence was approved by twelve of the thirteen colonies. Delegates from New York still lacked instructions to vote for independence, and so they abstained on this vote. Even back then the NY Legislature was a joke.

After voting for independence on July 2, Congress turned its attention to the declaration. Over several days of debate, Congress made a number of alterations to the text, including adding the wording of Lee's resolution of independence to the conclusion. The text of the declaration was approved by Congress on July 4 and sent off to be printed.

John Adams wrote his wife Abigail on July 3:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated Independence Day on July 4, the date the much-publicized Declaration of Independence was approved, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Life is not a musical, so Richard Henry Lee did not go of to get his instructions singing, but the truth is without the approval of the most powerful southern state Virginia, we would not have been able to declare independence 235 years ago.

When telling the story of our independence, we hear about Adams, Jefferson and Franklin etc., but Lee, who went back to the Virginia legislature sold them on independence,  came back and introduced the resolution for the 13 colonies independence,  should be counted amongst the key players of our historic bid for independence.

The Revenge of the Nerds: Breitbart Vindicated Again

The most unusual part of Congressman Weiner's mea culpa press conference today occurred before Weiner came to the stage.

In New York pimping his new book, Andrew Breitbart showed up at the presser and was immediately mobbed by reporters asking about today's exclusive pictures of Weiner on Big Journalism and Big Government which seems to have pushed Weiner into admitting the truth.

Watching Breitbart take Anthony Weiner's Stage and speak into the microphone Weiner rented not only showed how far Breitbart has come, but how far citizen journalism had come.

After ten days of being vilified by left wing media reporters, those same reporters were tripping all over their underwear trying to ask him questions about the story they had doubted until today.  Not only that, but at the behest of the same reporters who trashed him personally and his stories, Breitbart stood where Weiner was about to stand and demanded an apology from the slanderers in the press,  and from Congressman Weiner himself.

Andrew shouldn't hold his breath waiting for their apology (and he knows that). You see,   the progressive agenda-driven mainstream media looks at Andrew Breitbart and sees the devil himself.

Breitbart and his team of editors and contributors (of which I am one) are everything that the press hates.   We find the facts that either they don't find or they choose to ignore, and we reveal them to the public. As the guy whose name is on all the sites, along with being the content director and a reporter, Breitbart's job is to publicly take the body slams directed at all the writers including himself.

Let's face it, Breitbart's "Big" sites not only shoot down the progressive media's political idols, but they make the press seem incompetent for not reporting those stories themselves.

Just look at the some of the major stories broken on a Breitbart site, the ACORN Scandal "pimp and hooker" videos, the misunderstood Shirley Sherrod video, the Pigford Scandal and my personal favorite the Helen Thomas "Tell the Jews to go back to Germany" video.  With the exception of the Sherrod video all of those stories should have been discovered by the mainstream media first.  ACORN already had a long history of criminal charges, the "pigford-related" government settlement was big news, but the story behind it was ignored by the media, and after I posted the Helen Thomas story on Big Journalism and Breitbart TV, friends in the media told me they weren't surprised,  Ms Thomas had said similar things to them but it was a private conversation and she was one of their own. 

Most in the press will never understand why we continue to find stories like the Weiner story or all of those others reported first on a Breitbart sites.  Just chalk it up to the Revenge of the Nerds.

For those of you who haven't seen that movie, there is a scene near the film's end when one of the nerds wore  a mask while being  intimate with one of the hot "cool girls," Betty Childs, who was dating one of the colleges football stars.

Betty Childs,  [blissfully] Oh, Stan. You were wonderful. You did things to me you've never done before.  [Lewis takes off his mask-Betty gasps] Ahhh! You're that NERD!

Lewis: Yeah.

Betty Childs, [blissfully] Oh, you were wonderful. Are all nerds as good as you?

Lewis: Yes.

Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: How come?

Lewis: 'Cause all Jocks ever think about is sports, all we ever think about is sex.

In a way we are like those nerds, that is why Breitbart, his editors and contributors constantly come up with stories you will never find in the mainstream media.  'Cause all those reporters ever think about is their progressive agenda, all we ever think about is finding the truth.

As Andrew Klavan wrote on PJ Tatler:

Watching Breitbart crush Weiner beneath his heel like an insignificant weiner, it occurs to me that Breitbart’s genius – and he really is an information genius – consists almost entirely of two pieces of knowledge:  one, leftists will lie knowing the media will back them and two, the media will back them.  With those two principles, he manages to make utter fools of both lying leftists and their corrupt mainstream media cronies again and again.  Not to mention again.  It’s wonderful.

It certainly was wonderful because, not surprisingly, Andrew Breitbart and the "Big" sites were vindicated. At the same time his editors and those who contribute to his sites were also vindicated.  And for a medium-sized blogging nerd trying to scrape a living out of a keyboard and a desire to find the truth...that makes me one of the "cool kids."

Rirkrit Tiravanija: Fear Eats the Soul

A while back, when I was still in the habit of posting regularly (and had the time and mental energy to do so), I mentioned the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija in conjunction with another relational aesthetic project that was occurring at the Flux Factory. Aah, the old days! A friend of C's saw the post and ended up deciding to check out one of his events, and even mentioned it to see. But I'd never had an opportunity to experience his work live--to participate in it--until this past Saturday when that same friend, knowing of my interest in Tiravanija, hipped us to his show that's currently running at Gavin Brown's enterprise until mid-April, Fear Eats the Soul. I can't say I fully grasp Tiravanija's invocation of the English translation of the title of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's iconic film (one of his best, really) from 1974, Ali: Angst Essen Seele Auf, which treated the tumultuous love affair, across national, linguistic, racial, class, and cultural lines between a white working-class German woman and a brown North African immigrant laborer, especially after reading the press release for the show, but it nevertheless increased my interest in seeing what he had devised.

The show consists of several parts: one, FEAR EATS THE SOUL, is the large, transformed open space of the Brown enterprise gallery, with "Fear eats the soul" graffitied in black on the gray walls, a mini-gravesite (a hill of soil, an iron headstone laid flat reading "Fear Eats The Soul"), and other deconstructive elements placed here and there, the emptiness and ephemeral state of the space signifying, among other things, quite playfully upon the title and the idea of the "reliquary," which he has played with before. Another reprises several of his earlier performances, including the plywood replica of his apartment, this time filled with bronzed pieces referencing his 1994 show "with" (the late) Andy Warhol, which paired the latter artist's pieces (one of the Mao portraits, a Brillo box, a TV set) with pieces from Tiravanija's life.  Unlike in 1999, on Saturday, we weren't able to install ourselves and sleep on his bed, watch his TV, ruminate, be; the door was locked, the space open for viewing. The plywood structure did invite visitors through a second door, which led to a screenprinting shop, TSHIRTNOTSHIRT.COM, whose walls Tiravanija had lined with a number of phrases he has cited in the past (some of them détourned or repurposed quotes from others), and which offered $20 t-shirts featuring these phrases to anyone who requested one. When we dropped in, one of his Columbia University graduate students, the affable Nick P., was running the press. Obsessed as I am with documenting such events, I got one (see below).

But this would not have been a Tiravanija show for me if he had not performed one of his trademark moves, which was to prepare food for visitors-participants, a hallmark of his practice from his earliest performance-events, such as 1990's Pad Thai, which also took place at an earlier inpetration of Gavin Brown's enterprise, and a legendary and almost hackneyed form of the now well-known genre of conceptual art known as "relational aesthetics."  Hackneyed except in the hands of Tiravanija himself, who as part of SOUPNOSOUP.COM, in another (the main?) part of Brown's arthouse, quietly and with radiant charm (and several assistants) prepared two different soups, one a tea-lime chicken version (which led me to break my vegetarianism for a day) and the second a milder mushroom soup. I know that tea, lime juice, and a few other things went into the pot, because my trio watched Tiravanija and his trio prepare the food, the day grow brighter and chillier, and various personages, unknown to us but likely part of New York's art scene, pop in for soup and conversation.  One person I struck up a conversation with turned out to be a very important former gallerist and font of knowledge and insight, Simon Cerigo, whose wife publishes the Website ArtLoversNewYork.  To say that he regaled us would be understating matters, so I'll put it this way: I learned more in the 45 or so minutes of conversation with him about the New York (and global) art world of the last 30 years than I had in the last 25 of my own gentle investigations of the same. Or rather, I got from his conversation what no books, polite inquiries at galleries, and chats with the artists I know have provided. I lie not! At any rate, we decided not to be carbuncles, and headed out. I could not muster the courage to chat with Tiravanija, so I took lots of pictures, and smiled at him. He probably thinks I'm a crazy person, which wouldn't be so off the mark, especially as I have been sporting a baby(fro)hawk these last few days. (It's spring break!) 

I'm still thinking about the soup, the crowd, the concept, Fassbinder, New York's art world, what it might mean to be a world-famous artist reprising your earlier interventions in an art world that has grown immeasurably richer and more global since you first began your work; to be serving soup in a city in which the homeless are numerous, and what sort of "community" really is being created or engaged if the project occurs within a (private, wealthy) gallery's (open) walls; to build a plywood version of any sort of living space, again within the confines of a privat(iz)e(d) institutional space, when New York apartments are still unaffordable for the majority of its population and people of color are still losing their homes empty to foreclosure and empty storefronts are legion; to create ephemeral artworks that on the one hand defy easy commodification but are by the same token now utterly implicated and imbricated the contemporary art and economic commodification process, and which by their very nature assume even greater value at a certain level; to be making art in a gallery on the edge of SoHo when the artworld has mostly tromped up to Chelsea, which was mostly still warehouses 21 years ago, in an increasingly deindustrialized, deterritorialized, defunded city, at a revolutionary moment or moments: what does it mean and can it be summed up even in an essay or book?  I'm still thinking, remembering, enjoying. Photos below:

Rirkrit Tiravanija, at work

At work

C & Ada H (THE)

Angst Essen Seele Auf


Nick P. at work on (my) t-shirt

The way things go

My secret motto

Simon Cerigo

Reprise of Tiravanija/Warhol (originals 1994)

Yours truly, with his soup

The tea-lime chicken soup