Editorial - Reform In Albany? Not Today Say Assembly Democrats

Reform in Albany?  Not today.

It’s a disgrace. Given the opportunity to alter the rancid atmosphere in Albany,  Democrats have spoken loud and clear. The message for voters is “NOT TODAY”. Behind closed doors the Democrats decided to unanimously elect Carl Heastie to fill the Assembly speaker position.  

It is worth noting that instead of patting themselves on the back for selecting a reformer, the best Democrats can do is congratulate themselves for installing the first black speaker in NYS history. Carl Heastie is about to become one of the most powerful men in NYS government. The third man in the three-men in a room scenario. 

So who is Carl Heastie? He is a man without any substantial legislative initiatives and without a record of supporting just about anything. We know that he received $23,441 in per diems for travel to Albany during the 65 or so days the Legislature was in session last year.  We know he was investigated for his use of campaign funds and that there were no charges brought against him. We know he never signed on to Assemblyman David Buchwald’s legislation to revoke the pensions of elected officials who are convicted of committing a felony involving breach of public trust. He has not advocated for reform of the legislature. And we know that whatever else Mr.Heastie may or may not be, he comes from one of the five boroughs of NYC; a very important factor in his canonization. 

The Democrats missed the opportunity to elect the first black speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Heastie, in a process that was transparent and competitive. Mr. Heastie may or may not be a sound and effective leader, he deserves the opportunity to be judged on his record. But, as he begins his reign as speaker instead of hope and excitement for the new speaker, the public is left with a feeling of disdain for a process that is at best enigmatic.

The stench of the Tammany Hall-like corruption permeates throughout Albany. How much better would it have been for Assembly Democrats to embrace reform and governance that serves in the public’s interest?

Congratulations Mr. Heastie. Here’s hoping that you prove to be the best Speaker the Assembly ever had. It is unfortunate that the Democrats didn’t give you the opportunity to come out of the gate having succeeded in an open contest.

Reform in Albany? Not today!, say Assembly Democrats.

Pat

Snow Time Again! Have The Rules Changed?

updated - Feb. 1 at 8:20 am.

(click on photos to enlarge)

Get ready snow is coming.  Less than one week after the first snow storm of 2015 the National Weather Service is predicting another storm for our area. The forecast calls for possible snow accumulations of 4-6 inches beginning Sunday evening and ending sometime early Monday.  

Are we ready?

Highway Dept. Plows a road in Nesconset. Photo Dawn Gary“The Smithtown Highway Department is ready” according to Glenn Jorgensen, superintendent of highways. Jorgensen said last week’s storm clean-up was accomplished with 100 town plows, 70 contracted plows and ten plows from the NYS Parks Department. Jorgensen said it was a tremendous effort by everyone and praised the workers from NYS Parks Department saying “I didn’t know what to expect when I heard we were getting help from the State but let me tell you those guys worked, really hard. They made a difference.”

Last year’s snow removal efforts were hampered by equipment breakdowns. No such problem this year. According to Jorgensen there was one transmission break-down and some minor issues. Everything seemed to fall into place. The efficient snow-removal did not go unnoticed by Supervisor Vecchio who used the word “superb” to describe the work the Highway Department did clearing the roads.

Another difference from last year was Governor Cuomo’s travel ban. Governor Cuomo closed down the train and subway system and banned motor vehicles fromLanding Ave during 2014 storm. The road remained open during the entire storm the roads.   Local officials offered praise to the Governor for his decision to ban travel during the storm. “The Governor’s decision to close the roads made it easier for plow drivers. There were no cars to drive around, no cars stuck on the road and no accidents. This allowed my drivers to do their job.” said Glenn Jorgensen.

County Executive Bellone and Supervisor Vecchio concurred with Jorgensen.

Bellone called the response to the storm “historic”. Bellone praised the Governor’s quick response to the storm, ordering a travel ban and supplying aid in the form of snow plows and salt. He agreed with the travel ban emphasizing the reduction in snow related accidents and the ease and speed with which workers were able to clear roads.  Both men complimented residents for staying out of their cars, staying off the roads and for parking their cars off street.

But will these behaviors continue?

County Executive after Jan. 2015 snow stormThere are questions as to how we will move forward. Have the rules of behavior for snow storms changed? Were precedents established during the storm? Will roads be closed when forecasters predict storms? If the answers to the questions  are yes, will the public continue to comply?

None of our officials seem to be ready to commit themselves to road closure as policy. Governor Cuomo was criticised by some people for shutting down mass transit systems and forcing people off the roads. In some areas of Nassau and in NYC  the storm was not as significant as it was in Suffolk County and some people felt the the Governor over reacted. Supervisor Vecchio defended the Governor saying, “If the Governor erred it was on the side of caution. He should not be faulted for that.” 

Book Review - "Killing Patton"

BOOK REVIEW - “Killing Patton” – Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard - 353 pages – Henry Holt & Company - Reviewed by Jeb Ladouceur

This is the fourth book in the highly successful “Killing” series under the Bill O’Reilly banner … the other works detail the murders of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Jesus Christ. “Killing Patton” is the best of the exquisite quartet.

As one who considers O’Reilly of Fox News an interesting entertainer, and because I have been a frequent (if not constant) viewer of the man and his guests in the 8:00 PM weeknight time slot, I feel qualified to make a couple of observations.

First: The book does not sound as though it was written by the self-declared “Independent,” who is, in reality, a staunch Conservative. That is not to disparage his Conservatism … nor is it to say that Bill O’Reilly is a lesser writer than “Killing Patton’s” real author—his collaborator, Martin Dugard. It simply means that the overall tone of this particular work does not smack of the Fox News kingpin … the style is different. After years of watching O’Reilly’s taunts and tirades … innuendo and invective … and, yes, his wit and humor … it is a conclusion easily drawn.

Secondly: Bill O’Reilly is an openly vain man (a characteristic largely forgivable in wealthy entertainers whose fame is widespread). That probably accounts for the fact that he neglects publicly to credit Dugard with at least equal billing for the authorship of this remarkably well-researched, beautifully written memoir. O’Reilly shields himself from potential accusations of downplaying Mr. Dugard’s contribution to “Killing Patton” by calling him, “…the best researcher I have ever known,” thus assigning him a subservient … almost clerical role in the creation of this powerful book.

Circumstances surrounding the actual death of General George Patton are analyzed in perhaps a dozen pages of this handsome, well-illustrated volume, so the title, though plenty provocative, is misleading at best. Provocation, however, is appropriate to a volume emblazoned with the Bill O’Reilly name. Sensationalism peppered with controversy, after all, is what the man is all about. And the same (parenthetically) was true of Patton himself.

But that is not nearly the sum of this man whose place in history will always be entwined with the four men whose likenesses appear with his on “Killing Patton’s” cover. Along with Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, and FDR, the rough-and-ready commander of America’s Third Army was easily one of the most driven, headstrong personalities to emerge from the World War II era. Hitler feared him, Stalin despised him, Churchill envied him, and Franklin Roosevelt, though he admired Patton, ultimately distrusted him. But no one disregarded him.

Envied by the vacillating Englishman, field marshal Bernard Montgomery, and handled with kid gloves by his own boss, Dwight Eisenhower, Patton’s brusque style was not unlike that of the often profane Harry Truman … who, as an artillery commander, had actually fought beside Patton in World War I.

It was a fact of which the General was unaware when, after FDR’s death, he wrote critically in his diary that the new Commander-in Chief was “…intended neither [by] the party nor by the Lord to be president.” Patton would never have disparaged one of his former comrades in arms that way had he known of Truman’s service. It was not in the man’s DNA.

“Killing Patton” is filled with hundreds of such vignettes … indeed they adorn every page … as do details concerning the marital infidelities of Eisenhower, Roosevelt, and yes, Patton himself. Author Dugard’s interpretation of history seems to imply that such is but one of the inevitable costs of war.

In this valuable biographical memoir, young people unfamiliar with specifics surrounding the terms, “Battle of the Bulge” … “Auschwitz” … “Stalingrad” … and a thousand others, have an ideal opportunity to see them brought to life through the lens of a perceptive historian—Martin Dugard—a man who is far more than a top notch researcher. With Bill O’Reilly, he is the point man on a team worthy of their #1 position on the New York Times best-selling chart.

________________________________________________________________________

Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of nine novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In his newest thriller, HARVEST, an American military doctor is seized by a sinister gang of organ traffickers in The Balkans, and ordered to perform illegal surgeries.

Bishop Robert Rimbo - Urges Outreach To Elderly and Neighbors During And After Storm

With historically unmatched snowfall totals and dangerous blizzard conditions forecasted to blanket the Northeast, threatening the elderly, the isolated and the homeless, Bishop Robert Alan Rimbo of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is delivering a Winter Storm Communal Bulletin calling on all Synod parishes to engage senior citizens and others who may be isolated, alone and at risk as a result of the severe weather.

“If projected snowfall totals and weather conditions are anywhere near being accurate, the level of disruption will be more than a handful for the typical family who is prepared and ready to hunker down. For the elderly, those living alone or those without a place to even call home, this weather has the potential to be an insurmountable and deadly catastrophe waiting to happen and we must do all we can to help our neighbors who may be literally trapped in their homes or worse,” warned Bishop Rimbo.

“I call on all pastors and lay leaders to use social media, phone outreach and other means to engage the elderly, frail and other neighbors in our communities who might be isolated and make sure that they are safe during the storm. 

“As Lutherans, we are committed to serving the community and doing God’s work here on earth. Key to meeting that commitment is being a good neighbor and helping those who are less fortunate or in need of aid and this unprecedented storm is set to place many in a position of vulnerability.

“I can think of no greater service that we can provide at this time than making it clear to those in need that they are not alone, that our Pastors, lay leaders and concerned congregants are standing by to provide any assistance which they may need,”  he concluded.

Bishop Rimbo’s request was delivered to the Synod’s nearly 200 parishes across all five boroughs of New York City, all of Long Island and seven upstate counties (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester).

People In The News - Pauline Zunno Celebrates 102nd Birthday

Twin Ponds Senior Citizen Club Installs New Officers and Celebrates Pauline Zunno’s 102nd Birthday!

Pauline Zunno and Supervisor Patrick VecchioPauline Zunno - click on photo to enlargeNew officers installed at recent club meeting as they celebrated a special milestone!

Organized in 1984, the Twin Ponds Senior Citizens Club recently installed new officers.  Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio and Program Director Laura Greif presided over the swearing in ceremony.

Josephine DeGregoria was installed as President, Pauline Zunno as 1st Vice President, Lorraine Vaccari as Treasurer and Mary Poulos as Recording Secretary. 

The club also celebrated the 102nd birthday of Pauline Zunno!  Pauline, who was born in NYC and lived for many years on Fire Island before moving to Smithtown, enjoys an active social life. Pauline explained “If the snow stays away I plan to celebrate my birthday in Port Jefferson this weekend with family and friends.”

Twin Ponds meets at 12pm on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of the month at the Fairfield Clubhouse in St. James.  New members are always welcome!