The good folks at Monroe Rising raise an important issue: Democratic District Attorney Mike Green and Assistant DA William Gargan have indicted Andrew Moore, a Republican Party official, on the flimsiest of pretexts, for what we believe to be political purposes and self-interest. But when asked for a bill of particulars -- in other words, precisely what it is that Mr. Moore is alleged to have done -- it's been a month. And they haven't come up with anything yet!
Check out the details at Monroe Rising.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Indict First -- Figure Out Why Later
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Talent to Annoy
Governor Paterson said on Sunday's Meet the Press that he's "taken on the special interests."
Actually, what he did was to talk about doing things, such as cutting state spending, guaranteed to antagonize the main special interests in New York.
Then he caved in to those same special interests, thereby antagonizing everybody else as well.
That, we think, more than anything else is the principal cause of the Governor's unpopularity.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Trading Judgeships for Political Proscutions?
Smugtown Beacon now asks about the possibility of a connection between the indictment of the Executive Director of the County Republican Party and District Attorney Green's rumored interest in appointment to a federal judgeship. An indictment described by a law professor as a joke, except to the person indicted.
We fault the Smugtown piece only in presenting the proposition to the DA in easily deniable form: "Were you promised a judgeship in exchange for this indictment?"
It never works that crudely, people. At most, an offer to help get the judgeship, a promise to use best efforts -- that kind of thing.
Our take at Mustard Street is that it's bad enough if Green initiated this farce even if it were just to curry favor with his party, to help get the judgeship. That's all we here have had to say about it so far, and it alone is scandal enough.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Primary Punditry
We can't let September slip away without a few notes on the party primaries earlier in the month.
1. Best Performance in a Comedy
Jerri Kaiser, endorsed by the Democratic Party as candidate for County Legislator in the 20th Legislative District, lost the Democratic nomination -- to her incumbent Republican opponent, Robert Colby.
Kaiser is press secretary to Congressman Massa and was a member of the Democrat and Chronicle's editorial board. Her candidacy for County Legislature was important enough to the party that Chairman Joe Morelle carried her nominating petitions himself, with chief errand-boy Vinnie Esposito in tow. A State Assembly staffer working for Morelle, Esposito's also a legislator in Irondequoit.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Seen and Heard (Especially Heard) in Webster Town Hall Yesterday
A bunch of senior citizens screaming at the clerk over their property taxes. Demanding their tax receipts be stamped "Paid under Protest."
The weary clerk observed, "It's been like this all day."
Way to go, Granny and Grandpa!
Now We Understand How the Liberals Feel About Castro
A foreign leader you like better than most leaders of your own country:
Benjamin Nehtatyahu's majestic denunciation of the United Nations, for giving a forum to Holocaust-denier Ahmadinejad, makes him a moral giant among the Lilliputians of the U.N. Bibi's the Man.
And well done, President Obama, for giving the U.S delegates the nod to walk out on Ahmadinejad's speech. Here's the rest of the honor roll of countries that did the same: Britain, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and New Zealand.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Local GOP Bigwigs to Meet With Cox
News has reached Mustard Street that Ed Cox, who seems about to be elected State Republican Chairman, will meet tonight in a private dinner with local Republican movers and shakers. Group to include key GOP financial supporters and influential political insiders.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Mike Green Must Want that Federal Judgeship REALLY Badly
... to curry favor with his party by indicting a man he knows to be innocent.
We've been looking at the story behind the indictment of Monroe County GOP Executive Director Andrew Moore.
It's well known in political circles that Democratic District Attorney Michael Green badly wants the federal judgeship that's open in Rochester. He's campaigned for the position with both U.S. Senators.Green's a former Republican who flipped parties when he couldn't get the GOP nomination for DA. He's always been somewhat suspect among Democrats in the party heirarchy, on "Not really one of us" grounds. He lives in that most Republican of places, Pittsford, where his wife is a Republican member of Town Council. To his new party, Green still had something to prove.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Penfield Post Supports Victim of Political Prosecution
The Penfield Post, a reliably liberal voice, devoted the lead editorial in its issue of September 16 to supporting Andrew Moore remaining on the Penfield Town Council:
Moore ... is innocent until proven guilty. That's why we hope residents will give him the opportunity to continue to serve.Moore, you may recall, is the person wrongfully indicted by corrupt prosecutor Michael Green as a political offering to the local Democratic Party, whose favor Green seeks in order to obtain appointment as a federal judge.. . .
... Moore has repeatedly spoken publicly and has made himself available to the people he is answering to, which includes talking to the media.
For that we commend him. Too often, when public officials find themselves faced with tough questions, they dodge the spotlight and prefer to remain elusive in hopes the furor will subside.
The editorial quotes Moore addressing a meeting of residents and officials:
"I choose to defend my character and my integrity against these false allegations."Good for him.
We'll have more about the whole story in a report to appear shortly.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
No One Seemed Worried About Civility
Yours truly went slumming on Tuesday, attending a meeting of the Monroe County Legislature.
High point seemed to be when a speaker during the public comment portion, accompanied by two fake "nuns" of an ilk we've described before -- Sisters of Saint Stalin? -- distributed what they called "smores" to the legislators, announcing during their time at the podium that the "smores" were made not of chocolate, but of Ex-Lax, to "clean the pipes" of the members of the august body.
Friday, September 4, 2009
So It's Come to This
Since 1992 Monroe County Democrats haven't been able to make the sale to voters on the basis of their principles or policies. Actually, they haven't offered much in the way of policy other than proposals that would benefit themselves politically, or that implicitly criticize successive Republican County Executives.
As a last resort, they're now criminalizing ordinary political activity.
We're not talking about "Robutrad," which should be fully prosecuted to the extent of criminal activity involved.
But arresting someone because, as a campaign volunteer, he merely wrote a piece of campaign literature?
David Shapiro, a former prosecutor who teaches forensics accounting at New York City-based John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said he was surprised to see a political endorsement letter at the center of a criminal charge of rewarding official misconduct. The crime requires the accused to knowingly “confer” — or help others confer — a “public benefit” upon a public servant who violates his or her duty.• • •
“It must have been a great letter,” Shapiro said. “It almost makes (this allegation) seem kind of funny, except for the fact that the person indicted has to go through this ordeal.”
Maybe Professor Shapiro can tell us how the law deals with a District Attorney corrupt enough to abuse his office in this way.
At least we now know the Democrats' strategy to take the County Legislature, in order to be able to cripple the County Administration for the next two years.
Will we see a succession of political arrests between now and November? Perhaps.
Moore, like the others who may be arrested in the weeks ahead under the Democratic campaign plan, will be acquitted easily. But none will go to trial until after the November elections. That's why the arrests didn't start happening until now.
Maybe the voters won't fall for it. If they do, they will have voted in their own punishment.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Where Were The Calls for "Civility" ?
This photo is from a "Code Pink" protest in February, 2008.
Funny thing.
Back then neither the Democrat and Chronicle, which today editorialized about the need for "civility" in public discourse, nor the rest of the traditional media, seemed to be worrying about it.
Just thought we'd point that out.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wegmans is Rationing My Food!
Who knew? But it's true! Wegmans let me walk out of its East Avenue store today only with groceries I paid for. Not one thing more!
That's rationing, right?
Only if you believe Obamacare supporters, who claim that government rationing of medical care would be no different than Blue Cross "rationing" your medical care by only giving you the coverage you pay for.
The argument is dishonest.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Strange Death of Renaissance Square
An Investigative Report
Former Mayor Johnson's essay in City News reminds us again of how Mayor Duffy torpedoed Renaissance Square at the eleventh hour, squandering a prime opportunity to improve a part of the City the private sector won't touch.
We supported Renaissance Square. That doesn't prevent us from asking the question: Why didn't the County administration and the Regional Transit Authority see this torpedo coming?
We also wondered, what motivated the Mayor and City Council to act as they did?
In looking for the answers, here's what we learned.
