The Gateway (Tragic and Ironic Edition)

Ten year old Dybbuk told me he thinks that there will be a Civil War over gun control. I had to explain to him that the other side had all the weapons.

He also told me he thought it would be ironic if Wayne LaPierre got shot.

"And tragic, too," I responded.

"Yes," he said, "tragic; but mostly ironic."

 

 

 

Egomaniacal lawyer specializing in headline grabbing frivolity and bundling money from the young and entitled, announces for Congress without articulating any cognizable rationale, beyond This is the moment for a new generation of leaders who will stand up.” http://www.cityandstateny.com/challenger-announces-candidacy-against-velazquez/

 

 

 

Thomas Lopez-Pierre: Let me use this email to state as plainly as possible my views on Jewish people without you interrupting me.

 I have dated some very sexy Jewish women, I just love Jewish women; the sex was always good if not at times great.

 The truth is that as I am sure you must know, Jewish women have great oral skills – they really know how to communicate their interest to Black men – smile.

 And if it’s NOT your birthday, you can forget all about Black women………………..trust me I know, I dated my fair share of Black women.

 As you may know, Jewish women just love them some big Black men (yes, the stereotype is true – do NOT hate – trust me, take my word for it or ask any Black women who also dates Jewish men – she will tell you how small Jewish guys are compared to Black men)!

Forgive me, I digressed.

Gate: Forgive me for wishing you were born February 29.

I’d also like to know where he finds these Jewish women. http://politicker.com/2013/02/morning-read-i-suspect-it-is-the-same-old-allegations/

 

 

 

Shelly says he did not make an “ethical mistake” in the Lopez case, but rather a “political” one.

Might I suggest that voters in his district find a “political” solution to his continued "political mistakes" concerning Mr. Silver’s “political” handling of sexual misconduct allegations, which I usually describe as “thinking out of the Boxley.”  http://wxxinews.org/post/ethics-panel-report-remains-secret

Speaking of “thinking out of the Boxley,” John Liu’s comments on the latest JCOPE report win the award for dumbest quote of the day:

“It’s making its way through the legislative process, I’m sure they know how to handle it.”

Since Mr. Liu claims to be an expert auditor, I must ask upon which evidence does he make this fantastical assertion?   http://www.cityandstateny.com/city-officials-steer-clear-of-vito-talk-at-state-of-the-city/

 

 

 

As I’ve noted, the Daily News was on a crusade for a bill to "strengthen" the State's rape laws, which would actually have just changed the name of certain sex crimes–not that calling a "rape" a "rape", no matter the orifice, is itself a bad idea (As I’ve also noted the current term in State Law for oral and anal rape is “criminal sex act.”).

Along with various prosecutors, I’ve pointed out the bill would do little, and might even cause some problems.

In response, the bill’s sponsors in each house have taken radically different approaches.

State Senator Catherine Young the bill’s supporters by pulling it and introducing an alternative version which solves the bill’s problems, but also takes out the very provision which was its point: calling rape by its proper name.

Now, incredibly, The News, after two days of endorsing the purely semantic legislation, announces its support for the new Young bill.

In a stunning act of chutzpah, the News, after initially implying that the State was softer on oral and anal rape than the vaginal kind (when, in actuality, the opposite was true), now says “that is a distinction without a difference, as the penalties are and would remain the same.”

But it take even more chutzpah to entitle this editorial “Rape is rape” when the bill they support won’t change that, and the woman whose name they invoke (“In the name of Lydia Cuomo, Albany must fix New York's flawed sexual assault statute”) vehemently opposes the approach they are supporting.

The better approach is that of the Assembly Sponsor, Aravella Simotas, who pulled her bill and changed it. Like Young’s new bill, Simotas’ new bill also makes conviction for vaginal rape easier, but at the same time follows my suggestion of keeping the “rape is rape” language from the original bill.

Gatemouth endorses the Simotas bill (or is it that Simotas endorses the Gatemouth bill?)

 

 

 

Beinart, a "Liberal Zionist" so left on the spectrum that one sometimes questions the Zionist part, explains why BDS and Liberal Zionism are incompatible in the extreme. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/12/why-liberal-zionists-won-t-join-bds.html

 

 

 

It is arguable proposition whether being an open forum for all viewpoints requires an academic institution to lend its name, as opposed to its buildings, to an event.

But one can't really argue with the proposition that being an open forum for all viewpoints requires that an academic institution to not close their event to people based upon their headgear, their holding differing viewpoints, or the fact that they might make a written record of what actually occurred. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-college-student-group-defends-booting-jewish-students-controversial-forum-article-1.1264648#ixzz2Ky3xVMbN