Wow, this Pope thing may end up being an even bigger story than Lena's Dunham's voting record.
Whodda thunk? http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-announces-resignation-will-step-down-at-end-of-february-1.1151404
Electoral College expert?
Where is the Nate Silver piece analyzing voting trends in the College of Cardinals?
Grimm endorses Dolan for Pope, and while there's a temptation for me to ask where Grimm is blowing the white smoke, I'll restrict myself to wondering whether he's delivering the support of Rabbi Pinto. http://politicker.com/2013/02/michael-grimm-says-cardinal-dolan-would-have-my-vote-for-pope/
It is always best to call things by their proper name, and the name for non-consensual sexual conduct, be it oral, anal or vaginal is "rape." New York State law should call it just that–it is an insult to victims (including every victim of male/male rape) to call it by any other name.
That being said, the article is completely misleading in that nowhere does it point out that the only distinction the law makes between vaginal rape and oral/anal rape is what it calls them. Each “Rape” crime (there are three different degrees) in the New York State criminal code is exactly paralleled by a similar degree of “Criminal Sexual Act” (the NYS legal name for oral and anal rape) at the same level of felony. The penalties for each parallel provision are exactly the same.
The Daily News does its readers a great disservice by creating the impression that the law treats these crimes any differently, when in reality all it does is call them by a different name.
Symbols are important, so I agree that the bill changing the name of these crimes should be passed, but please, don't get the impression that the change will be anything but symbolic. http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/02/rape-cop-victim-going-public-to-lobby-albany-for-rape-law-changes
Shirley Huntley admits she looted taxpayer funds to buy clothes for her poodle.
Why are you complaining, would you prefer to see her poodle naked? http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/shirley_poodle_boodle_uKZBbQ0f9CLvvT2bHWuocO
Will Klein pay a political price at home?
Well, for the first time, all of Riverdale is in his district, and Oliver Koppell will be unemployed come 1/1/14.
Charlie Hall: The last two Bronx pols to pull something like this were Olga Mendez and Pedro Espada. They were both defeated the next time around. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/state-sen-jeff-klein-balances-albany-powersharing-bronx-photo-ops-article-1.1259095
Great Minds Think Alike About David Paterson:
GATEMOUTH (11/2/09): Part of this owes to the continuing vacancy in the Governor’s office.
GATEMOUTH (6/27/11): I don’t blame Sampson for that, I mostly blame the vacancy we were then suffering in the Governor’s office.
Gail Collins: After the Spitzer scandal, New York was virtually governor-free for several years, due to one thing or another. It wasn’t terrific, yet we got along. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/opinion/collins-fitness-for-office.html?_r=1&
Thirty years ago this week (appropriately enough, also that of Valentine’s Day), Domestic Partner and her family of Rootless Cosmopolitans came to America and moved to an apartment around the corner from the one then occupied by Barack Obama.
Which all seems to come together in this song, cut from “Fiddler on the Roof,” prior to its hitting Broadway.
With much love to wandering Jews everywhere—sometimes we do find home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH5IThoytW0
Domestic Partner: Gatemouth, you are such a schmuck. I did not travel all the way to this country just to provide you with a cheesy ending to one of your insufferable, unreadable blog posts.