N.Y. City Council Passes Anti-Patriot Act Measure

Washington Post ^ | 2/05/04 | Michelle Garcia

[kattracks]

NEW YORK, Feb. 4 -- New York City, site of the country's most horrific terrorist attack, Wednesday became the latest in a long list of cities and towns that have formally opposed the expanded investigatory powers granted to law enforcement agencies under the USA Patriot Act.

The New York City Council approved a resolution condemning the law, enacted by Congress six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, with a voice vote in its chambers a few blocks from the gaping hole at Ground Zero.

"The Patriot Act is really unpatriotic, it undermines our civil rights and civil liberties," said council member Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan), the bill's sponsor. "We never give up our rights that's what makes us Americans."

[ZULU]

Just more grandstanding by a bunch of leftist Dems, trying to help Kerry.

[AppyPappy]

Help me out. Wasn't the World Trade Center IN NYC?

[Rummyfan]

Idiots!

[kattracks]

ping

[garylmoore]

I guess I wouldn't expect any less from a city with so many people with so many things to hide.

[hellinahandcart]

Voting for term limits here was the biggest mistake I ever made in my entire life. It forced out a ton of entrenched Democrats who, in retrospect, really weren't so bad after all, and replaced them with flaming communists like Charles Barron.

Did you know that we are in the middle of "Black New Yorkers for Peace" Month right now, not Black History Month? That's the kind of resolution you can always expect from people like Barron and Bill Perkins. They even gave ANSWER's Larry Holmes a special mention in the text.

I can't wait to get out of this town...

[correctthought]

I can't wait to leave this place too.

[hellinahandcart]

I admit defeat. I don't recognize this place anymore. Get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here.

[EQAndyBuzz]

As soon as the kids head off to college, I am gone. Looks like Scottsdale Arizona for me.

[correctthought]

As soon as I finish grad school, I'm outta here. I just have to find an area with a deep job market for accountants.

[stopsign]

Hummm...:)<<me

[Steve_Seattle]

By electing a carpetbagger like Hillary, the people of New York defined themselves as a bunch of star-struck hillbillies, like the citizens of Mayberry bedazzled by a snake-oil salesman; I've stopped looking for signs of intelligence in New York.

[Recovering_Democrat]

The NY City Council's resolution has this much effect on law enforcement: ZERO.

They just want attention...they are idiots of the first division.

[B4Ranch]

Monica Tarazi, New York director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said the Patriot Act and other tactics to fight terrorism has sowed fear within New York's ethnic communities and activists.

"This country is not about registering [people] and ethnic profiling," she said. "We need this [resolution]. We need this as Americans."

[NYCVirago]

The resolution criticized the Patriot Act for allowing infringements on privacy rights.

Yeah, like the City Council really cares about privacy rights, when they have their anti-smoking ticketers go after smokers in their own private offices!

[hedgie]

They went through our building's garbage and found a bag with a letter with a resident's address and some other junk mail in it. The sanitation inspector sent him a ticket for $20 for failure to separate recyclables.

So much for privacy.

Meanwhile our city council passes this resolution. I mean, I can't even keep track of how many terrorist plots have been uncovered in this town over the last 15 years.

I am preparing to rip into my Councilwoman, Eva Moskowitz.

I think what you have on the council are a bunch of red-diaper babies and a rich kid chair (Miller) who is probably on a bunch of Chelsea club drugs.

[Paulie]

"As soon as I finish grad school, I'm outta here. I just have to find an area with a deep job market for accountants."

Paulie and the Mrs. just might join you...

[NYC GOP Chick]

Land of Fear, Rape, and Hunger
The City Council Welcomes a Dictator

[NYC GOP Chick]

Last year, I nearly got into a screaming match over the phone with some broad in my idiot councilcritter's office. Seems that the chunkhead, Alan Gerson, was a co-sponsor of the city council's Anti-War Resolution.

For some reason, his staffer didn't appreciate my asking if the councilcritter was aware that what remains of the WTC site is in his district and just how disrespectful to the rest of this country -- especially the men and women who would soon be putting their lives on the line -- this would look.

[hellinahandcart]

And now they think they're entitled to know what I buy out of state, so they can TAX ME just as if I'd bought the stuff in New York.

But they're concerned about protecting my privacy. I'm telling you, this is the longest bad dream I've ever had...

[hellinahandcart]

Oh yeah, I called Giffie's office about that last year. The girl answering the phone finally said "You DO realize this is only a resolution, don't you?"

Yes, you dumb ****, I realize that the City Council does practically nothing except pass gas in the form of meaningless and yet utterly offensive resolutions...

[neverdem]

I tried to find something about this story on the NY Times website using the term "Patriot Act". There was nothing. Do you think the Times is embarrassed? I can't wait to leave this Peoples Republic(NYC) too.

[cyborg]

New York Slimes is good for picking up my poodle's crap.

[bc2]

The PATRIOT ACT is bad legislation that didn't even have a chance to get debated on in the Congress. If everyone had gotten their crap together in the first place and shared information between agencies we probably could have prevented this. I don't see what overall good sneak-n-peek warrentless searches will do to our society in the long run.

Regardless, NY is going down the drain. I'm getting the hell out of here while I am still young. New Hampshire and Wyoming are my top 2 choices... FREE STATES unlike NY.

Sad to say, because Rochester is my home and I truly love Upstate. I will be sad to move but there are greener pastures outside of NY.

[Dan from Michigan]

said council member Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan), the bill's sponsor. "We never give up our rights that's what makes us Americans."

Hey! Bill, do you support the Sullivan Law?

[NYC GOP Chick]

Well, that girl at least seems more sane than the shrieking harpie in Gerson's office. I thought she was going to come through the phone and hit me when I asked if he's aware that the WTC site is in his district.

Why, oh why, did you vote for term limits? Elections themselves are term limits, in that if we're sick and tired of the bums, we vote them out of office! I *wish* Rudy were still mayor! :(

For all his faults, I can't imagine that Peter Vallone would have allowed that dopey anti-war resolution nor the invite to Mugabe to go through the city council when he ran things.

[NYCVirago]

Great point about the taxes!

[NYCVirago]

I am preparing to rip into my Councilwoman, Eva Moskowitz.

Did you know that the teachers' union is launching a big campaign to unseat her, because she had the nerve to highlight their wacky contracts in those hearings last year?

[Dan from Michigan]

I love term limits (Joe Schwarz, Laura Baird, Mike Hanley, Julie Dennis) and I hate them (John Engler, Mike Green, Candice Miller).

At least Gerson will be gone someday. Maybe you should run. :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

She's actually one of the saner ones of that taxpayer-funded dumpster.

[neverdem]

Hey! Bill, do you support the Sullivan Law?

Nice catch Dan, I noticed that too. I forgot about it in trying to make the point that the NY Times ignored this story, but WaPo didn't.

[NYC GOP Chick]

I love term limits (Joe Schwarz, Laura Baird, Mike Hanley, Julie Dennis) and I hate them (John Engler, Mike Green, Candice Miller).

Term limits are essentially telling us that we're too stupid to know when we no longer wish to keep someone in office.

At least Gerson will be gone someday. Maybe you should run. :)

Don't laugh -- I've thought about it, for a couple of fleeting seconds. The job pays almost $100,000/year and City Hall is a quick walk from my apartment. Then again, given the makeup of my district, I'd go down in the most humiliating defeat possible.

To tell the truth, I'm so sick of the nambypamby liberal lite RINOs that get put up against Jerry "The MOAB" Nadler that I'm sometimes tempted to run against him just to put up a real conservative. Sure, I'd get about 3% of the vote (the Upper West Side, Chelsea, Greenwich Village and SoHo are in this district), but I'd give the 5 or so other Republicans in the district something about which to be enthusiastic when they go to vote. :D

[Dan from Michigan]

Term limits are essentially telling us that we're too stupid to know when we no longer wish to keep someone in office.

True. The only area I'd back them is for Congress with "Beltwayitis" which can really have an effect on some people.

Don't laugh -- I've thought about it, for a couple of fleeting seconds. The job pays almost $100,000/year and City Hall is a quick walk from my apartment. Then again, given the makeup of my district, I'd go down in the most humiliating defeat possible.

Do what some dems try and do in my district. Pretend to be republicans. :) If I was in NYC, I'd run as a "DINO" unless I was in Staten Island....and considering how many RINO's are in NY, sometimes I gotta wonder what the difference is. I think my last name alone would be good for 20% in some white areas.

I'm so sick of the nambypamby liberal lite RINOs that get put up against Jerry "The MOAB" Nadler that I'm sometimes tempted to run against him just to put up a real conservative.

Go for it.....for all I know he may eat his papers or forget to file. :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

True. The only area I'd back them is for Congress with "Beltwayitis" which can really have an effect on some people.

Why? Are we too stupid to figure out when these congresscritters are past their expiration dates? If we are, then we deserve what we get.

Do what some dems try and do in my district. Pretend to be republicans. :) If I was in NYC, I'd run as a "DINO" unless I was in Staten Island....and considering how many RINO's are in NY, sometimes I gotta wonder what the difference is. I think my last name alone would be good for 20% in some white areas.

No can do. Besides the fact that it would go against my conscience, I'm too well known as a Republican. Hell, I'm on the Board of Governors of the NY Young Republican Club!

Anyway, there would be far too much competition in the 'rat primary. Hell, that's why Nurse Bloomberg suddenly became a Republican in 2001, because the 'rat field was overcrowded and the GOP one was almost empty.

[Dan from Michigan]

Why? Are we too stupid to figure out when these congresscritters are past their expiration dates? If we are, then we deserve what we get.

Dale Kildee has been there since 1977. John Conyers since 1965, and Carl Lenin has been a Sinator since the year I was born. Then there's John Dingell, who has been in Congress since my dad was 5 years old. My state's very smart on curing Washingtonitis.....(rolls eyes)

No can do. Besides the fact that it would go against my conscience, I'm too well known as a Republican. Hell, I'm on the Board of Governors of the NY Young Republican Club!

LOL. It's the same reason I can't vote in the dem caucuses(It would also be considered fraud since I'm a precinct delegate)!!

[hedgie]

She's been very good on education reform.

I think it is because she is having her feet held to the fire by Upper East Siders who fanatical about getting a good education for their kids.

The private schools are so expensive now that you have to have serious big bucks to send your kid. I mean $22,250 for kindergarten, wow! And that's if you can get in. But I'm sure you know all this.

So, yes, she get a lot of points for going up against Randi Weingarten and the UFT which is to your kid what private carting companies were to your garbage in the '80's. As the mayor in Animal House said "If you mention extortion again, I'll have your legs broken."

[hedgie]

Why don't you run for city council? I'm tempted to. I am so sick of that thing being a sandbox for denizens of the NYC liberal cocktail party. They are so divorced from reality. But then again so are most of their constituents.

[IrishRainy]

Let me be the first to welcome you when the time comes! We escaped from Kalifornia 8 years ago, and the only thing I miss is the ocean.

You'll LOVE Scottsdale, BTW!