Free Republic

Why would you assume that people with the ability to constantly interrupt government workers mid-day, and with the ability to camp out in a park for months at a time, wouldn't have jobs? Occupy Albany got their much needed dose of media attention (video below) this morning when they interrupted budget talks in the capital. The attention-whoring featured the usual slapstick, including mic checks and the repetition of short phrases (because saying it twice makes it seem more intelligent), but the interview after the incident was where the real entertainment came through. When asked about the interruption and the tactics...

Police chief takes on city council.

ALBANY — Police Chief Steven Krokoff roared to the defense of his department Thursday night, singling out city lawmakers by name in a blistering speech as he accused two of being "too weak to stand for the truth" and capitalizing on recent traumas for their own political gain. The normally mild-mannered chief's scorching offensive, which he began by citing the number of officers injured in the line of duty in each of the last two years, seemed to stun some members of the Common Council, who had summoned Krokoff before them to explain his department's actions during the Dec. 22...

"On Thursday, the 22nd, I was pepper sprayed. I was grabbed by the back of the neck and thrown to the ground by police officers," said Colin Donnaruma, an Occupy Albany member. We have heard stories like that since the December day occupiers were told it was time to leave Academy Park. The Albany Police Chief and City answered questions about what they say happened leading up to the police and protester clash. "The initial police presence was minimal because I did not want to create a confrontational atmosphere. As more protesters arrived at the park and the crowd began...

The wanted poster asks for Albany Police Officer Richard Gorleski's address, phone numbers, and email address as well as a map to his home and a picture of it. Occupy Albany member Bradley Russell admits he made the poster and posted it on Facebook. "I have made no threats and I don't want any threats made," Russell tells FOX23 News. "I have no intention of going after this man. On the other hand, if a peaceful drum circle were to show up at his house one day and protest his actions individually [...] I think that would be a legitimate...

Under the watchful eye of the Albany Police, members of the Albany Department of General Services remove the tents and anything related to the encampment of Occupy Albany from Academy Park in Albany, N.Y. Dec. 22, 2011. Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Mayor-police-chief-defend-action-to-dismantle-2421993.php#ixzz1hOuP6mea ALBANY — Mayor Jerry Jennings on Friday morning defended the city's dismantling of the Occupy Albany encampment, saying he believes police officers showed restraint and that the protesters forced they city's hand."There was no legal ambush," Jennings said Friday morning on his weekly radio show on Talk 1300. "Everybody that was involved in this knew that the deadline was the...

Soojee Eckhardt-Rigberg of Albany plays with her dog Obi near her tent (not shown) on snow remaining from the previous night's surprise snowstorm, at the Occupy Albany encampment in Academy Park on Sunday Oct. 30, 2011 in Albany, NY. She has been camped there since last Friday, the first day of the protest. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union ) ALBANY -- They have tents and propane space heaters, but demonstrators at Occupy Albany are considering more permanent shelter: either a walled canvas tent or a wooden yurt, complete with a stove."I think yesterday showed us it's going to get quite...

ALBANY -- A "rogue" now-former security guard at the Trinity Alliance was behind a large party that erupted into a brawl and ended early Saturday with four young men stabbed, a Trinity official said. Trinity CEO Harris Oberlander said the so-called stop-the-violence party -- which was advertised on fliers and on Facebook using the organization's former name, the Trinity Institution -- was "totally, totally a fraudulent operation that had nothing to do with any of us." Oberlander said the party organizer, whom he declined to name but said had worked at Trinity for more than a year, has been fired...

See scanned documents detailing the Elijah Willingham Sexual Harassment Claim (Google Documents): https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B0Q-lAhWOW_WMTQxYTU3NTYtZWE5ZS00OWM1LWI0Y2YtZmJiZjZmZDdhYTEw&hl=en_US

ALBANY -- The husband of County Legislator Wanda Willingham was paid more than $45,000 over three years by the county Social Services Department to care for the couple's grandchildren through a program that helps working mothers. But, while it is legal, the arrangement has raised eyebrows. Willingham is chairwoman of the Legislature's Social Services Committee, which in December approved an annual payment of $233,000 from the county to the Capital District Child Care Council. The council provides registration, training, investigations and approves child care providers for county Social Services. Elijah Willingham, the lawmaker's husband, was approved by the council and...

What a difference a bishop makes.When the “Catholic� Association for Lesbian & Gay Ministry attempted to hold a fundraiser in a St. Paul-Minneapolis parish several months ago, Archbishop Niensted quickly put a stop to it.When the same “Catholic� Association for Lesbian & Gay Ministry (CALGM) announces it will host its national conference in Albany, NY, Bishop Howard Hubbard agrees to celebrate Mass for them.Bishop Hubbard turns 75 in a little over two years, but he seems intent on continuing to inflict pastoral damage on his diocese until he retires.This is the same bishop who has publicly praised and gave Communion...

Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings once again stretched his wings of power and vetoed a bill that would have allowed Albany homeowners the privilege to raise and house chickens (and definitely no roosters) in their backyards. (...) What I found amusing about Mayor Jennings argument is that he called the proposal “a flawed and “piecemeal approach” to the broader issue of urban agriculture.” Of course it’s a piecemeal approach, you first put the pieces together and then you enjoy a meal after the chickens are mature. What really is the concern here? A fear that residents are going to raise so...

Albany, GA Woman Fights Off Burglars With Firearm

Andrew Cuomo is sworn in as New York's 56th Governor ALBANY -- Andrew Cuomo was sworn in as New York's 56th governor Friday night, taking the oath of office in a private ceremony at the Executive Mansion. The event was an emotional return for Cuomo and his family, who occupied the mansion during the 12 years his father, Mario, served as governor from 1983 through 1994.It was also a pinnacle moment in the long political career for Cuomo, 53, who ran his father's first campaign in 1982 and long sought to hold the seat himself one day. Mario; Andrew's mother,...

LATHAM, NY - News/Talk WGY-AM, New York State’s first radio station, today is making an historic change in its operations by adding a 24-hour simulcast on FM radio at 103.1 FM. “810 WGY has one of the strongest signals in the country, powering our highly-rated News-Talk giant,” said Kristen Delaney, Vice President and Market Manager of Clear Channel Radio Albany. “We are expecting significant ratings growth by simulcasting on 103.1, which has changed its call letters from WHRL to WGY-FM.” “The decision to simulcast our 24-hour news/talk format on the FM will open up our content to an even wider...

TUSCARORA INDIAN NATION, N.Y., Sept. 16 (UPI) -- An American Indian tribe told motorists it may collect tolls from cars to protest a court decision giving New York the right to tax the tribe's cigarette sales. "It's not just about taxes," a member of the Tuscarora tribe told The Buffalo (N.Y.) News. "This is about our freedom and our human rights. We're supposed to be a sovereign nation, and yet the state keeps trying to tax us." Several dozen members of the Iroquoian-language-family tribe carrying signs and flags stopped passing cars on a two-lane state highway and handed fliers to...

ALBANY -- The Democrats who run the Albany County Legislature like to pass local laws. Critics, often Republicans, say they tend to trample the rights of individuals and private enterprise -- and are yet another intrusion into the lives of citizens. All but eight of Albany's 39 county lawmakers are Democrats. The legislature's penchant for local laws is likely linked to the dominance by the party that lends itself to a governing style of protecting constituents. Across the aisle, Minority Leader Christine Benedict and the other six Republicans and single Conservative have opposed most of the three dozen local laws...

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell is going to war, it seems, in an effort to lure New York hedge funds to her state. Who can blame her? Albany, after all, attacked first — by moving to wrest millions in tax revenue from her state and New Jersey. In the end, alas, New York might turn out to be the big loser. As The Post noted Thursday, Rell’s rolling out the red carpet for hedge-fund bigwigs, offering to meet them over dinner at a fancy Darien steakhouse. She wants to discuss “Connecticut’s advantages” — particularly in the face of Albany’s plan to...

For the past nine months I’ve been working with eight Boy Scouts from my parish, including my own 13-year-old son, toward the completion of their Ad Altare Dei medal, a fairly rigorous religious program for Catholic Scouts that requires them to study the seven sacraments one by one. Service projects and prayers, Powerpoints and collages are all part of the “homework� that has to be done before they conclude with a weekend retreat. I recently helped the boys with the Holy Orders chapter and thought it would be a good experience for them to attend an actual ordination. So this...

Alert: Urgent! Oppose Reproductive Health Act. Possible action by Friday. The Reproductive Health Act would define abortion as a ?fundamental right,? making it impermissible to regulate it, even for minors and even very late in pregnancy. Do what: Contact your Senator and Assemblyperson in Albany. When: Immediately ? Monday! The current session would normally be expected to end on June 28, and if this bill is to see action it would be this week. If a budget is not passed, the session will be extended in some way, but we cannot count on that. Why now: The Democrat leadership may...

ALBANY – Bishop Howard Hubbard ordained the largest group of new priests since 1984 at a ceremony Saturday at the newly reopened Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The five priests ordained include Rendell Torres, 39, a Los Angeles native now residing at Our Lady of Victory Rectory in Troy. “Although as a child I considered the priesthood, as an adult I was reawakened to my priestly vocation when a long-term relationship with a girlfriend was at its romantic peak,� said Torres, who considered marrying his girlfriend before returning to his calling. “I never felt as peaceful as I do preparing...

ALBANY -- An assemblywoman under fire for sponsoring a bill that asks cops to shoot gun-wielding suspects in the arms and legs brushed off the outrage yesterday -- although she admitted she is no expert on police work. Asked about her critics' contention that the proposed legislation will put police lives at risk, Annette Robinson (D-Brooklyn) told The Post: "I understand that." She insisted that cops use too much force, but acknowledged she is unqualified to assess the issue.

ALBANY, New York, May 10, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The world premiere of the abortion industry exposé "BloodMoney" has been delayed by what its producers say was the pressure that pro-abortion activists put on the owner of the theatre where the film was to feature. The Albany Times-Union reports that Roman Jaquez, a filmmaker from Troy, New York and producer of "BloodMoney," said that the owner of the Spectrum 8 Theatres called him over a week ago to inform him that he had canceled the screening after receiving phone calls from pro-abortion activists threatening to picket the theater for debuting the...

Watch The Trailer.

Bring your hand-held signs, your tri-corner hats, your flags, your voice, and stand up for Liberty!

February was not a kind month to New York State politicians. Last week, only a few days after declaring his candidacy, New York Gov. David Paterson announced that he would not run for reelection. Why the sudden change? It came to light that one of Paterson's top aides was accused of assaulting his live-in girlfriend in New York City, and that members of the Governor's State Police security detail urged her to avoid pressing charges. The night before the woman was to appear in court to seek a restraining order against the aide, Gov. Paterson himself called to "chat." She...

The subject kept coming up all the time. “Everybody I talked to over the past year has been saying, ‘Ugh, it’s so awful,’ ” former Mayor Edward I. Koch said recently. At lunches and dinners, in meetings with clients, law partners, fellow alumni of public service, business associations and good government groups, the conversation invariably turned to the political chaos in Albany. “I finally said to myself, somebody’s got to do something,” Mr. Koch recalled. “And if no one else does anything, notwithstanding the fact I’m 85 years old, I’m going to throw myself into it.” So Mr. Koch is...

ALBANY — A 22-year-old city man is under arrest for drowning a cat in his bathtub and then attempting to set it on fire. Police Officer Kevin Paul was on routine patrol Sunday at about 6 p.m. when he spotted a small fire in a vacant lot on Yates Street. The officer went to investigate and saw Caleb Capen, of 1156 Madison Ave., standing near the intentionally-set fire with a dead cat inside paper and plastic bags. While being questioned by detectives, Capen admitted to grabbing the cat by its back legs and holding it underwater until it stopped breathing...

Formal cooperation in another’s evil act (that is, undertaking to help expressly another to perform an act known to be evil) is itself evil. Davis, Moral and Pastoral Theology (1938), I: 341-342. There are no exceptions to this rule; no supervening circumstances can ever render formal cooperation in evil good.The use of [illegal] drugs “inflicts very grave damage on human health and life [and] . . . is a grave offense. Clandestine production and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.� CCC...

Rally in Albany Tuesday Over H1N1 Flu Shot Debate (New York, NY) -- Hundreds of health care workers will rally in Albany Tuesday, angry that they are being made to receive H1N1 flu shots. The State Health Department has made it mandatory that all health care workers get immunized by November 30th. The protestors say their rights are being violated and that they can not be forced to get a H1N1 flu shot. Officials say there will be exceptions for those health care workers who have a personal health issue that would prevent them from getting the shot. WOR News...

A special prosecutor is already being eyed amid a burgeoning scandal in Troy over the alleged forgery of absentee ballots in this month’s Working Families Party primary. The scandal is focused on suspicions people tied to the Troy Democrats forged ballots. News of the fakes surfaced in Saturday’s edition of the Times Union. The details were eye opening because so many voters interviewed by the Times Union said they didn’t vote despite ballots cast in their name. Voters said their signatures had obviously been forged and comparisons between their registration cards and the ballot applications showed distinctly different signatures. Today,...

p>The Schenectady Light Opera Company is buying a former Catholic church downtown and will raise money to convert the property into a 300-seat theater and performing arts center. The Light Opera Company, an 83-year-old community theater group, signed a contract with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to buy the former St. John the Baptist Church on Franklin Street. St. John the Baptist, said to be the oldest church in Schenectady, closed June 24, one of 33 worship sites that will be closed or merged in the diocese over the next three years. The first mass was held at St....

Near majority of voters want all senators thrown out of office When it comes to state government, New Yorkers want a do-over. They're mad about the budget. They're mad about the senate stalemate that brought state politics to a screeching halt for a month. They're mad at Gov. David Paterson. New Yorkers are so frustrated with how things are going in the state that nearly half of registered voters say almost everyone in the State Senate, including their own legislators, deserves to be thrown out, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Voters aren't thrilled with their representatives in the...

Albany politicos skirt protestersSenate Democrats enter fundraiser protected by curtain By Phil Fairbanks and Mark Sommer NEWS STAFF REPORTERS July 19, 2009, 7:08 AM They entered behind a black curtain that kept protesters at bay. And if that wasn’t protection enough for the visiting VIPs, Buffalo’s police commissioner was on the scene ordering protesters and reporters to stay clear and on the sidewalk. Keeping the public from the politicians was just one part of the scene Friday as State Senate Democrats arrived in Buffalo for a $5,000-a-plate political fundraiser. Outside, about 60 protesters, undeterred by police, shouted slogans that suggested...

I strongly disagree with the prudential opinion expressed by Bishop Howard Hubbard: "The US bishops have given their enthusiastic support to the Waxman-Markey bill, a piece of legislation designed to address climate change, which Republican opponents have characterized as entailing "the largest tax increase in American history." The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 proposes a complicated series of schemes known as "cap and trade," ultimately imposing taxes on the carbon-dioxide emissions that are cited as a major factor in global warming. Even before the 1,200-page legislation was made available to Congress, the members of the House...

ALBANY - Bronx state Sen. Pedro Espada, whose defection to the Republican camp helped trigger the current Senate crisis, will return to the Democratic fold and end the month-long Senate stalemate, The Post has learned. Espada, whose defection to the Republicans was the main reason for Gov. Paterson's controversial action yesterday "naming" Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor, revealed his startling plans to The Post.

Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. has returned to the fold, giving the Democrats a 32-30 majority in the state Senate—again—and taking the title majority leader. Espada (D-Bronx) said during a news conference this afternoon that his disagreement with fellow Democrats on June 8, which led to a Republican-led coup, “has never been about titles,” though he received the title of temporary president as a result of the coup. “Today I stand here with another title,” he said. “I tell you very clearly, I have always been a Democrat. I will continue to be a Democrat. I never left home. I had...

SEN. ESPADA RETURNING TO DEMOCRATS POWER IN ALBANY FLIPS AGAIN ALBANY - Bronx state Sen. Pedro Espada, whose defection to the Republican camp helped trigger the current Senate crisis, will return to the Democratic fold and end the month-long Senate stalemate, The Post has learned. Espada, whose defection to the Republicans was the main reason for Gov. Paterson's controversial action yesterday "naming" Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor, revealed his startling plans to The Post. The defection would bring a quick end to the Senate's current 31-31 vote stalemate, in which Espada has repeatedly joined with the 30 Republican members in...

During the first five months of this year, with the Senate under the control of its first African-American majority leader, Smith, top Democrats bemoaned the lack of minority Senate staffers. But instead of trying to recruit new hires, they fired nearly 200 almost exclusively white workers and replaced them with a large number of minority employees, many of whom were seen by their fellow workers to be unskilled at their new jobs. The move produced severe racial tensions, made worse by the fact that, as a high-level Democratic staffer confided, "We've been told to only hire minorities.''

STATE GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER BEEN SO CLOWNISH, SO EVIL, SO IRRELEVANT Having witnessed the anarchy, chaos and lack of leadership that has engulfed the state Capitol during the past month, I have a painful confession to make. After three decades as a journalist covering state government, if I had to do it all over again, I'd find another job. I've covered Govs. Hugh Carey, Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson and for New York to wind up like this after 35 years of modern leadership, it's clear to me that my real job has been to chronicle...

<p>ALBANY (AP) - The Republican-dominated faction claiming control of the New York Senate says a Democrat-appointed legislative staffer doctored the original, official minutes of the session three weeks ago to delete the GOP-staged coup to seize the majority.</p> <p>"The Senate journal - and they (Republicans) know this, they were in the majority for 40 years - is a living, breathing document that changes through the course of the week," Grainger said. "The resolution was passed once adjournment occurred. This is what was cleaned up in the final journal."</p>

07/01/09 03:04 PM Assembly Democrats refuse to accept Senate Democrat bills By Tom Precious ALBANY - Assembly Democrats have refused to accept more than 100 bills that Senate Democrats insist they legally passed on Tuesday in a session that Republicans say was illegal in the first place. Gov. David Paterson has already said he will not sign the bills if sent to him, but the Assembly has the ability to block them from even being transmitted to his office � saving him some political grief. At issue are about 125 bills Senate Democrats say were legally approved Tuesday when a...

Updated: 06/30/09 01:48 PM State Senate Democrats use bizarre maneuver to start passing bills ALBANY — In a bizarre twist, Senate Democrats claimed this afternoon they have established a quorum when a Republican senator — on his way to a lounge adjacent to the chamber — was counted as present for the purposes of holding a legal session. The Democrats quickly gaveled in and started passing a long list of stalled bills submitted by Gov. David A. Paterson. "I think it's fraud," said Sen. Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, who the Democrats counted as present for the noon-time session. Padavan...

See the video Democrats refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance! In this case, though, the context actually improves the story. This takes place in Albany, where the New York state Senate remains locked in a power struggle in an evenly divided chamber. Rather than an insult to American patriotism, the Democrats here engaged in an insult to the intelligence of New Yorkers:

New York's annual Gay Pride parade was a colorful celebration of 40 years of progress toward civil rights for gays, but once the dust settled, gay couples who wish to marry in New York state remain thwarted. A bill to legalize gay marriage in the state that saw the dawn of the gay rights movement is mired in political stalemate in the state capital Albany, where Democrats and Republicans are battling over control of the state Senate. "I had hoped today's march would have been a bit of a wedding march. It's not," Christine Quinn, the gay speaker of the...

ALBANY (CBS) ― The battle for control of the New York State Senate got even more bizarre Tuesday. After talks of a power-sharing arrangement broke down, Democrats locked themselves in the Senate chamber, Republicans tried to conduct business on their own and none of the "people's business" got done. As incredible as it may seem, pictures obtained by CBS 2 HD are of the Democratic senators who locked themselves inside their chamber so they could be "first in" for Gov. David Paterson's special session. The pictures, shot through the window of a Senate door, seem to show that it was...

Dems Refuse To Recognize Espada As President Pro Tem, Don't Stand For Pledge Of Allegiance During Special Session Republicans Fail To Take Podium, Pass Bills By Acclamation

ALBANY — Senate Democrats entered the Senate chamber through a back hallway on Tuesday afternoon and locked themselves in, pulling off a sneak attack of sorts in the ongoing battle for control of the State Senate. The move took the Capitol by surprise, and left Republicans scrambling to plan their next procedural move. Republicans had planned to enter the chamber at 2 p.m. — an hour before the special session called by Gov. David A. Paterson was scheduled to begin. Who would be in the chamber first became a key question on Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats failed again to...

Calling all NY Freepers!! Liberty Starts Here Again! Much of the significant fighting early on in the Revolutionary War occurred in New York – Fort Ontario, Fort Ticonderoga, The Battle of Saratoga, The Battle of Long Island, Fort Stanwix, Manhattan, White Plains, and many more. With Liberty so imperiled today, our hope is that Liberty starts here again in New York. Our message to our representatives is simple: We're Voting the Ins Out! Tuesday, June 16th at high noon (12 – 3 pm) in East Capitol Park

By the time the dysfunctional body that passes for a Legislature in New York State gets through the 2009 session, calling someone an Albany reformer will be an insult. In a display of chutzpah that startled even old political hands, the Senate Republicans and two of the least-reputable Democrats in a deeply disreputable place brazenly declared themselves to be a reform coalition and staged a palace coup against the Democratic majority. We’re still puzzling out how these defections came about and what tawdry promises were made. But make no mistake: Reform and bipartisanship had nothing to do with it. Two...