Posted on 06/29/2005 10:32:25 PM PDT by Coleus
Republicans' liberal use of Mafia metaphors has angered some Italian-American activists who weighed in on the contentious campaign for the governor's office Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester enjoyed some unexpected praise from environmental leaders who are at odds with his Democratic opponent, U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, over preservation of a Delaware River island.
The Italian-American activists gathered in Trenton to demand an apology from top Republicans, who have repeatedly compared Corzine and his allies to mobsters in an effort to underscore his links to the party's most controversial figures.
"To actually have a party organization that uses this as a playbook ... is disgraceful," said Robert Bianchi, president of the state chapter of the Italian-American Bar Association. "A lot of times, Italian-Americans have just accepted these insults as a punching bag, and I'm not going to do that."
Republicans have not said anything about Italian-Americans in general, but party Chairman Tom Wilson has on several occasions referred to "La Cosa Nostra," another name for the Italian Mafia, and called Corzine and other Democrats "capos," or mob chiefs. Bianchi said that perpetuates negative images of Italian-Americans to the exclusion of more laudable figures such as explorer Christopher Columbus and continental namesake Amerigo Vespucci.
Manny Alfano, who heads an organization called the Italian-American One Voice Coalition, wrote a letter to Wilson decrying the "cheap effort to taint the electoral process." Alfano was one of several critics who pushed Corzine to apologize for two jokes he reportedly made about Italian-Americans during the 2000 Senate campaign.
A call to Wilson on Tuesday was returned by two Italian-American Republicans, former acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, who explained that Wilson meant no offense.
Earlier, several environmental leaders appeared with Forrester in Trenton to applaud the Republican's stance in favor of preserving a 300-acre island in the Delaware River near Camden. State and local officials have agreed on a plan to develop housing and a golf course on Petty's Island, but environmentalists say the state should accept owner Citgo Corp.'s offer to donate it as open space.
Corzine said in a statement Tuesday that it remains unclear whether the redevelopment plan is up to environmental and economic standards. However, he said the oil company's donation offer should be viewed "very skeptically" given pollution problems on the island, which is home to a pair of bald eagles.
Well, that makes three of us.
Tony is a good guy, as I said. I didn't know English isn't his first language, though. And not a hint of a (Hungarian) accent - just oldschool Bronx all the way!!!! ;-)
oh man... hehe take your advise, and im sure you would be laughing as much as I am right now. :D keyword "Frank Rizzo" oh man this is classic.
He's never, to my knowledge, been on any damned LIBERAL list and yes, I've kept lists of damned TRAITORS, since the '60s. If he's a damned Lib in private, I do not know. What I do know, with certitude, is that he has NEVER publicly come out against ANY war nor pimped for a damned Dem candidate.
He served in the Navy, during WW II, where he met his still bestest friend, Larry Storch.
BTW, he looks Hungarian! Zsa Zsa and here sisters look more Austrian, but Tony, along with the late Ernie Kovacs ( and Geraldo Rivera too, BTW, whose mother is Hungarian ) are prototypical Magyars.
Haha! Be sure and look for 'The Hucklebuck' for that call to Juggy Gayles. :-)
hmmm, must be a rare one or something. :(
I know what you mean about language and a young age. I'm probablhy the last generation of 'oldschool' NYers who had a similar background.
My first langauge was Sicilian, which was spoken at home so I could speak with my granny and aunts well (who didn't speak much English). I picked up english later, though I can't tell you exactly when.
I actually don't have a hint on any kind of accent (Italian or NYC, for that matter) so I know what you mean and are exactly right. What gives me away as a NYer isn't my speech, but the speed that I talk - NYCers are traditionally fast talkers and I can be a motormouth and let out 3 or 4 sentences in the time that most normal people would say one. :-)
I never heard much about Tony and politics. I don't think he is a nauseating lib, I agree.
Larry Storch is one of my faves - I loved him on F Troop as well as numerous other stuff. Great personality.
I know what you mean about language and a young age. I'm probablhy the last generation of 'oldschool' NYers who had a similar background.
My first langauge was Sicilian, which was spoken at home so I could speak with my granny and aunts well (who didn't speak much English). I picked up english later, though I can't tell you exactly when.
I actually don't have a hint on any kind of accent (Italian or NYC, for that matter) so I know what you mean and are exactly right. What gives me away as a NYer isn't my speech, but the speed that I talk - NYCers are traditionally fast talkers and I can be a motormouth and let out 3 or 4 sentences in the time that most normal people would say one. :-)
I never heard much about Tony and politics. I don't think he is a nauseating lib, I agree.
Larry Storch is one of my faves - I loved him on F Troop as well as numerous other stuff. Great personality.
I'll set you up tomorrow! ;-)
i found it! Barrel a*s ! LOL!
Remember the Brill Building? You and me in the Brill Building? How about that Lipinzky...one night he was trying to ghive me the hucklebuck in the bar, there....whoa! ;-)
Remember the Brill Building? You and me in the Brill Building? How about that Lipinzky...one night he was trying to ghive me the hucklebuck in the bar, there....whoa! ;-)
i just listened to it. LOL thats a good one. lapinsky tried to give me the huckelbuck... he tried suck the pants off me that night. LOL
That stuff makes me laugh so hard! Thanks and have a good one - time for me to pass out! ;-)
Because I went away to another state for boarding school and undergrad ( did grad school in Manhattan ), my accent, besides how I saw "hot dog" and "coffee", doesn't really allow anyone to be able to immediately pinpoint where my accent is really from.
The thing about N.Y.C. accents, is that they change not only from little neighborhood to neighborhood, but from generation to generation! A Henry Higgins type would either be in 7th heaven, or go bonkers with that. LOL
And yes, "we" do talk fast; we walk fast too.
I ADORE F Troop and Storch's Agarn !
Yes, Storch is one of, if not THE, oldest and best friends Tony has. They have always been and still are VERY close.
Yep me too! its 3:11am! eeek!
They're selling a position and that position is hatred of conservatives. And frankly, I don't give a damn.
how did you find this old thread?
I think my comment was to a more current thread... I don’t want to sound like an IRS employee, but I have no idea... just don’t know.
OK, thanks, I’ve done the same, things pop up when you least expect it.
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