New York News Blog

Sick of the legislature doing nothing about the budget during what were supposed to be special sessions, Governor Paterson is asking for special powers to make his own damn cuts. "Cut this deficit with me or I'll do it myself," he said in a video address today. He's sending the legislature an "executive option proposal" that would empower him to make such decisions, as "traditional mechanisms for securing the funds necessary to run the state may not be available" -- meaning that the senate has its thumb up its ass and will dither and duck until the repo men come to take their microphones and lecterns...

"The State Senate just convened, and then adjourned, without doing anything," reports Jimmy Vielkind. The session was ten minutes long, including the religious invocation. Didn't matter -- a number of Democratic senators were absent, making passage of anything unlikely. That does it! says Governor Paterson -- he's threatening to keep the legislators at work through Thanksgiving. This sort of thing has been tried before, though, and nothing ever comes of it. Enjoy Happy Hour, statesmen!

The first round of special sessions of the Albany legislature didn't produce much; the second produced Leandra's Law but none of the budget-cutting that was allegedly the reason for the sessions. So far they've spent half a million just having the special sessions.

But third time's the charm! They go back at it today, and this time there's "Pressure on NY Lawmakers to Tackle Deficit," says WCAX. Why didn't we think of that before?

Well, it looks as if Doug Hoffman, who this week unconceded the apparently settled NY-23 Congressional race when he gained votes on a recanvass, and then charged that ACORN was trying to steal it from him, has failed again. The Watertown Daily Times says the Board of Elections has counted enough absentee ballots now that "Rep. William L. Owens could lose all 3,072 absentee ballots left to be counted and still win the race."

At least the last minute fundraising based on accusations of fraud has probably left him in good shape for his inevitably rematch with Owens, just as it prepared Al Gore for his successful challenge in 2004. Tea Party on, dudes!

​So this is how those "meme" things get started: reporter Dave Weigel, responding to some recent ACORNmania, tweets (with a tip of the hat to the Stonecutters and Steve Guttenberg), "FACT: ACORN rigged the 1993 Oscars for Marisa Tomei. #acornfacts." Then, a few more. Suddenly it's an avalanche ("62% of Kris Allen's American Idol votes came from ACORN," "ACORN rigged it so 4 out of 5 dentists agree"), getting further and further afield of the original metaphor ("ACORN only calls when you are on the throne," "ACORN laughed during 'Brian's Song'") and becoming a trending Twitter topic. Even ACORN itself got into it, if humorlessly ("Real #ACORNFACTS: What really caused the financial collapse. Predatory Lending").

By dinnertime, the energy will have shifted back to #funnybutnotcool. Now, on to real news: "Alexandra Kerry's see through dress and Alexandra Kerry booked for drunk driving." Uncle Walter would be so proud!

​As Doug Hoffman has little chance, despite his late gains, of reversing the apparent outcome of the NY-23 election that put Bill Owens in Congress instead of him, what reason could he have for dramatically "unconceding" the race this week? We found out via our inbox this morning -- money!

The DougHoffmanforCongress.com email we got -- far from the district Hoffman sought to represent -- says he is "writing you today" because "recent developments leave me to wonder who is scheming behind closed doors, twisting arms and stealing elections from the voters of NY-23." He then gives the leading rightwing dog-whistles of the day:

​We know this stretches the definition of news, but the Albany special sessions haven't accomplished much in the way of deficit reduction. Sheldon Silver informs us the hard-working assembly has been churning out bills, including one inspired by the sad case of Leandra Rosado that will make it a felony to drive drunk with a kid in the car. But even there Albany has seen conflict: some state senators called the assembly bill "watered down."

They say they have a deal on that, but when it comes to money matters, the wheels grind exceedingly slow. Democratic senate leader John Sampson (pictured) says there's a consensus among senate members to... keep talking. So that means double-secret special sessions!

​The Obama Administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others accused of masterminding the 9-11 terrorist attacks in civilian federal court in New York City has sparked all sorts of ire -- from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's media campaign over the weekend, some members of Congress, and Governor Paterson himself.

So where do New Yorkers themselves come down in this debate? According to new Marist poll, city residents are pretty divided too, and the divisions appear to run on party lines. 57 percent of Republicans think the trials will make New York more of a target, while only 38 percent of Democrats do...

​A Bronx mosque that had sought a sound permit to amplify its morning call to prayer has quietly rescinded its application.

But the Jame Masjid mosque's revocation of the proposal didn't hush its neighbors, since the mosque plans to resubmit its request to play the undulating ribbon of Arabic invocation, or adhan, through a loudspeaker during four of five daily prayer times.

Residents called the plan, which was unveiled in October, an imposition on the daily lives of a diverse community. The idea of prayer booming through the streets also touched off cultural resentments.

"When in Rome do as the Romans do," said Gerri Lamb, who lives a quarter mile from the mosque. "If you're not in your own country, in your own culture, then you can't force me to be a part of it"...

Elliot Madison on a recent episode of Democracy Now!

​When Jackson Heights resident Elliot Madison learned last week that charges against him had been dropped by the Allegheny County District Attorney in Pennsylvania, he had little reason to celebrate. The 41-year-old Queens social worker was arrested during the G-20 in Pittsburgh, while he was using Twitter to alert other protesters about the movements of police. The formal charges were "hindering apprehension or prosecution, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of instruments of crime."

Madison, a self-described anarchist, is very open about listening to a public police scanner and then tweeting police locations. (His tweet channel was open and advertised on posters.) On September 24, police stormed the room at the Carefree Inn where he was staying with Michael Wallschlaege shortly after the duo had relayed an order to disperse.

Madison doesn't deny his involvement, but he says "it wasn't a crime. It was protected free speech." He tells the Voice he was merely using new technology to pass on publicly accessible information, describing it as being "the same as if you and I were walking down the street, and I said to you, 'Hey, the police are on 42nd street, and they've said anyone who goes there will be arrested, so don't go there.'"