Rep. Gillibrand Hires Jane Fonda

Help Wanted: Member of Congress seeks extremist to serve as district representative. Must be punctual, enthusiastic and willing to mock religion, patriotism, the Pledge of Allegiance and our National Anthem. Should also be prepared to make frequent use of the word "retarded."

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand has attempted to portray herself as a "moderate" in order to reflect the values and ideals of the New Yorkers she represents. It's what she must do since there are 80,000 more Republicans than Democrats in her district.

Meet Lisa Manzi.

Ms. Manzi is Congresswoman Gillibrand's Glens Falls-based regional representative. If you're a constituent and seek to communicate with the freshman Congresswoman, it has to be done through Ms. Manzi. That's the protocol in a Congressional office because it's impossible for the Member to converse one-on-one with concerned constituents.

It turns out that Ms. Manzi has expressed numerous opinions. And they're not normal. Far from it.

But Congresswoman Gillibrand's constituents likely won't hear what Ms. Manzi has to say about certain sensitive issues. With good reason.

In letters to the editor and on her personal blog, which is now offline (and you'll understand why momentarily), she writes her heart out.

On religion:

"I like to tease the Religious Wrong and tell them that the intelligent designer is probably gay" - April 9, 2006.

"I propose that all of the right wing religious zealots ban together and start lobbying congress [sic] for a constitutional amendment requiring everyone in America to say 'Merry Christmas' to everyone they make eye contact with between Thanksgiving and Christmas . . . Those who don't follow the script will be sent to Syria for why they hate the baby Jesus. Speaking of Jesus, he sent me an email the other day that said: Don't these people know I was Jewish?" - December 15, 2005.

On The Pledge of Allegiance:

"Why can't we pledge to the flag in a secular manner, as we did before the phrase 'under God' was inserted into our national pledge in 1954? In a nation that was founded on the notion of liberty and justice 'for all,' it seems our pledge should not exclude citizens who would prefer to say 'under Allah' or 'the Great Mother Earth' or 'Buddha.'" - October 23, 2003.

On the National Anthem:

"Why was [Condoleezza Rice] holding her hand over her heart when they were singing The Star Spangled Banner? Did she get that confused with the Pledge of Allegiance? Is there some rule about this song that I don't know about?" - February 5, 2006.

On the media:

"CNN's Sunday morning show had me wondering if CNN stands for Christ News Network. - March 5, 2006.

On social conservatives and banning the "morning after" pill:

"First they'll pass this law, and then they'll pass a law that says if you are a woman and you are menstruating, you go to jail. Why? Cause that means you are not pregnant! You should be barefoot and pregnant at all times. Don't you read The Bible? That is ten more years added to your sentence, heathen! The taliban would approve." - September 27, 2005.

On Senator Hillary Clinton being an "angry" candidate:

"Given the choice between an angry president and a retarded one, I'll choose angry hands down." - March 16, 2006.

Did Congresswoman Gillibrand take the time to read this kook's infantile writings before she hired her? Ms. Manzi possesses an incredible hostility toward people of faith and our country's noble traditions.

She questions why Americans hold our hands over our hearts while The Star-Spangled Banner is played? This is up for debate? I wonder what the veterans Congresswoman Gillibrand represents are going to think about that pathetic musing. And our fighting men and women overseas, as well.

If you oppose the legality of the RU-486 "morning after" abortion pill, Ms. Manzi compares you to the Taliban, a cult of evil that has few rivals. I'm sure my fellow Catholics in the Congresswoman's district will be thrilled with such demagoguery.

And she is fine with substituting a ludicrous phrase such as "Great Mother Earth" for "under God" in our Pledge?

What a complete embarrassment. Ms. Manzi's "writing" is what we expect from a SUNY Albany student interning with the Star Wars bar scene crowd at Metroland. Not someone charged with the honor of representing a Member of Congress.

Rep. Gillibrand's Dr. Strangelove Goodfella

Henry Hill: Just ... ya know ... you're funny.

Tommy DeVito: You mean, let me understand this, cause ya know maybe it's me, cause I'm a little ------ up maybe, but I'm funny how? I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to ------ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

Henry Hill: Just ... you know, how you tell the story, what?

Tommy DeVito: No, no, I don't know, you said it. How do I know? You said I'm funny. How the ---- am I funny, what the ---- is so funny about me? Tell me, tell me what's funny! - Goodfellas.

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand believes her career is funny. A laugh riot.

Because during last night's debate when Sandy Treadwell raised, factually, the issue of her long work for Philip Morris she laughed. She scoffed at it. Like it was a ludicrous accusation. The Congresswoman's reaction can be viewed here.

Well, how funny is this reality: When Congresswoman Gillibrand was a $305.00 an hour lawyer for Philip Morris she interviewed Dr. Max Hausermann, the corporation's former vice president of research and development, in preparation for possible litigation.

What was Dr. Hausermann doing while at Philip Morris? Among the studies he supervised was a report that asserted:

"It is important to know as much as possible about teen-age smoking patterns and attitudes. Today's teen-ager is tomorrow's potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens."

That report was titled "Young Smokers - Prevalence, Trends, Implications and Related Demographic Trends."

So here we have the laughing Congresswoman involved with a Dr. Strangelove scientist whose job it was to research how best to hook teenagers on cigarettes.

Capital District moms and dads are sure to find that fall-down funny. Since Kirsten does.

Everlasting Mets

"There's a fly ball out to left. Waiting is Jones. The Mets are the World Champions! Jerry Koosman is being mobbed! Look at this scene!" - Curt Gowdy World Series call, 1969.

They are a team forever covered in glory.

When New York Mets left fielder Cleon Jones caught the final out, with his knee to the ground, in prayer, to win the 1969 World Series on October 16, 1969 at Shea Stadium in my birthplace Flushing, Queens, it became the greatest and most improbable upset in World Series history.

The New York Mets, an expansion team that was a Major League Baseball laughingstock for its modern day record of futility, lost 120 games just seven years before in its 1962 debut season. Yet they not only defeated, but dominated the seemingly invincible Baltimore Orioles four games to one.

Those Orioles are likely still numb from what the Mets did to them.

The Mets won with a combination of incredible defensive plays by Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda, stellar pitching from Jerry Koosman and clutch home runs by true home run hitters and hitters who barely hit their weight. Their manager, Brooklyn's own Gil Hodges, proved a dugout genius.

No one thought it possible. No one at all.

Tonight, as Game One of the World Series begins, the Tampa Bay Rays are poised to become another miracle championship team. But if they defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, it won't compare to what the Mets achieved 39 years ago. Not even close.

The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies? This is not a team feared throughout baseball. No players perform a deer-in-the-headlights with the thought of facing the Phillies. The Mets even won the season series against them before their inevitable, heartbreaking collapse.

The Baltimore Orioles won 109 games in 1969. They had three future Hall of Famers in third baseman Brooks Robinson, right fielder Frank Robinson and pitcher Jim Palmer. Their manager, Earl Weaver, was also destined for enshrinement at Cooperstown.

It featured Orioles who had typical All Star years.

First baseman Boog Powell, the intimidating first baseman who looked like he could hit the pitcher along with the ball over the right field fence at Shea, batted .304, with 37 home runs and 121 RBIs. Shortstop Mark Belanger, "The Blade," won the Gold Glove, his first of eight.

Pitcher Mike Cuellar won 23 games against 11 losses with a 2.38 earned run average, and was the co-Cy Young Award winner. Center fielder Paul Blair, scored 102 runs and won the Gold Glove. And second baseman Davey Johnson, who would go on to manage a Miracle Mets team, was yet another Gold Glove winner and a critical part of the team's success.

The Orioles could do everything on the field, offensively and defensively.

Along slink the lowly Mets. They had never finished higher than 9th place in the ten-team National League. The team was lampooned for their ineptitude, which was personified by "Marvelous" Marv Thronberry.

They couldn't hit.

They couldn't pitch

They couldn't field.

What they could do, was lose. Spectacularly.

"Can't Anyone Here Play This Game?" asked Jimmy Breslin in his book about the team.

Until 1969.

The Mets, predictably, began their 1969 season with a defeat, 11-10 to the expansion Montreal Expos. After 41 games, their record stood at 18 and 23. It appeared to be another dreadful last place finish in-the-making.

And it began. The team won 11 straight games. Beginning with that fateful 42nd game, the Mets finished the season 82-39, for a .678 winning percentage.

Despite their late-blooming outstanding play, and the key acquisition of Donn Clendenon from the Pirates, the Mets were sill mired in third place by mid-August, 9 1/2 games back.

Again, they did not relent. They didn't give up.

The Mets won 37 of their last 48 games to win the National League Eastern Division, comfortably by 8 games over the Chicago Cubs (with an assist from a black cat Flushing resident). They swept the Hank Aaron-led Atlanta Braves 3-0 in the first-ever National League Championship Series.

The only upset in major professional sports history that surpasses the Mets' 1969 World Series triumph is the 1980 "Miracle On Ice" victory by our United States hockey team at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics.

But the Mets remain the gold-standard of underdogs in baseball. If there is a World Series championship team that achieved a more stunning upset, I want to know. I really want to know.

"Come on down, come on down, baby" is what Cleon Jones said to himself while the final out came flying into his glove off Davey Johnson's bat. It's still a thrill to watch that emotional, amazing out.

And no matter what happens in this Phillies-Rays World Series, the 1969 New York Mets will retain their rightful place in baseball history as the Kings of the impossible victory.

Ya Gotta Believe Kirsten

I believe you, Congresswoman Gillibrand.

I believe you aren't purposely hiding your extensive legal work on behalf of cigarette-dealer Philip Morris.

I believe you never went to great lengths to help Big Tobacco conceal its research on the dangers of smoking.

I believe you did not help Philip Morris perpetuate a fraud on the American people using attorney-client privilege for five years.

I believe the moms and dads you represent will have no problem with your service to Philip Morris executives who denied tobacco is addictive before a Congressional committee.

I believe there were clients at Davis Polk & Wardwell you represented other than Big Tobacco.

I believe your claim that you have proudly and openly talked about your work for Philip Morris with reporters.

I believe you have a good reason for accepting major campaign contributions from Altria, the Philip Morris parent company.

I believe it's an honor for Altria to consider you a legislator they support.

I believe your long association with Altria is perfectly consistent with your current positions on children's health care.

I believe the reason you refuse to release your income taxes is because you have no financial interest in Altria.

I believe you did no legal work for Altria, or Philip Morris USA, while you were at Boies Schiller & Flexner from 2001 to 2006.

I believe it's perfectly understandable why there are no quotes in the public record from you recommending young people and minors not smoke.

I believe it presents no conflict of interest for you to accept campaign contributions from firms your super lobbyist father represents.

I believe your claim to the Times Union that you never talk to Big Daddy about his clients "at all."

I believe your work at the secret Dr. Strangelove German lab used by Philip Morris to skirt United States federal laws were four innocent European vacations.

I believe you possess high ethical standards and would refuse to represent clients you consider morally objectionable.

I believe you should never feel guilty about helping "America's most reviled company."

I believe you, Congresswoman.

* Michael Kelly, RIP.

Gov. Paterson Hires The New York Times

If there is a stark example for why New York continues to head toward economic oblivion, it happened on October 15th.

Governor Paterson approved a $1.25 million state subsidy for The New York Times. For what purpose? We don't know. His Empire State Development Corporation listed the "grant" in a news release with no explanation from the board that approved it.

ESDC didn't give a reason because its bureaucrats knew they'd break the laugh meter. The release can be read here.

Why does The New York Times deserve one penny from New Yorkers? Especially while we're in a fiscal abyss?

The paper's parent, The New York Times Company, owns 24 other newspapers, employs 10,000 people and has annual revenues of $3.2 billion.

But they need $1.25 million in monopoly money from the wallets of New Yorkers.

It makes you want to scream.

And with the The New York Times on Governor Paterson's payroll, we won't be reading any sanctimonious editorials describing a conflict of interest. Or any smug columns on such a conflict by Gail Collins, the paper's editorial page editor, who specializes in smugness.

This is not the first time the Times received a hand out from New York taxpayers. It certainly won't be the last. The Times will come calling again, and Governor Paterson will fail to simply tell them: No.

"America's Most Reviled Company"

I have no problem with smoking or people who smoke, which I wrote about last month before Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand's Big Tobacco past was exposed.

I don't smoke. Never have.

I don't cast dirty looks at smokers in public places if their smoke floats into my personal space, either. Or lecture friends and family about the dangers of smoking. People who behave that way annoy the hell out of me.

Cigarettes are a legal product. So is alcohol and the 1,500 calorie hamburger. If you decide to lead a life where you acquire blood type Cheez Doodles Crunchy (which are extra yummie), that's your decision. It's your free will. Have at it.

The revelations about Congresswoman Gillibrand's Big Tobacco past don't concern adults with the ability to make their own decisions, however. Her problem is hypocrisy, deceit and secrecy, which this blog has documented.

Kirsten Gillibrand sits in Congress partly because the people who voted for her in 2006 are nanny Democrats, health obsessives and meddlesome liberals. It's her political base in the 20th Congressional District. She needs these voters.

The Gillibrand base constantly condemned Philip Morris during the 1990's. She recognizes a severe political liability that must be handled. And concealed.

The Congresswoman told the Times Union she became an expert in attorney-client privilege defending Philip Morris. Good. Every attorney should strive to perfect Constitutional rights for a client. Even when the client is the Enron of the 1990's.

"PHILIP MORRIS: What It's Like To Work At America's Most Reviled Company."

That was the title of a 1999 Business Week cover story, which can be read here. It chronicles lie after lie after lie told by Philip Morris executives, including the laughable smoking-is-not-addictive claim they made before a Congressional committee under oath. How they escaped perjury charges is mystifying.

And who was serving the smoking-is-not-addictive crowd? Protecting them? Kirsten Gillibrand.

The Congresswoman had been working for Philip Morris for four years when Business Week published its story. I wonder what she thought about the sleazy details. Like so much about Kirsten Gillibrand's experience with Philip Morris, we'll never know.

Times Union Flogs Rep. Gillibrand

So, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand's work for cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, and the campaign contributions she accepted from the corporation's parent, should be dismissed as a non-issue? Right. Today's Times Union:

"The money has all the trappings of an investment in a congresswoman the tobacco industry seems to think still might come around. Yet here's Ms. Gillibrand, trying to dismiss Philip Morris as one more of her 10,000 campaign contributors.

"How many of those contributors have an interest in pending or future legislation? How many are associated with an industry so heavily regulated by government?

"It's hard to gauge what's more troubling — that Ms. Gillibrand says she don't know she was getting money from Philip Morris, or that she doesn't seem to care. There are responsibilities, in either case, that come with raising all that money — more than $3.95 million and counting."

The Disappearing Congresswoman

Two years ago Kirsten Gillibrand, an unknown New York City lawyer with barely any public service, was headed toward unseating Congressman John Sweeney. Her win had nothing to do with the issues. She won for one simple reason: I'm Not John Sweeney.

Now there is an issue. A legitimate issue. Congresswoman Gillibrand represented tobacco giant Philip Morris. Not for six months. Not for a year. For five years.

Yet, Congresswoman Gillibrand has expunged those five years from her life. Her House of Representatives and campaign biographies purposely exclude her experience. Poof! Just like that, five years of Kirsten's professional career disappeared. They don't exist. Officially.

I've written the official biographies of my employers while a Capitol Hill staffer. The responsibility is an important one because Hill press secretarys and communication directors are called upon to explain, promote and defend the boss' prior experience to the media.

To go over a draft official biography with a Member of Congress is a painstaking process. The Members pay meticulous attention to their careers, and the overwhelming majority are proud of the work that took them to the halls of Congress.

Not Kirsten Gillibrand.

It's convenient how she has forgotten five years of her career. You'd think she fell asleep in 1995, woke up in 2006 and decided to run for Congress.

As this blog was the first to report, Congresswoman Gillibrand runs away from her career for a serious reason. She well remembers the political environment she was working in during the 1990's. The attacks on her client Big Tobacco were neverending. We heard they're nicotine pushers. Purveyors of death. Liars. Thugs. Frauds. Hustlers.

Who would want to be associated with that gang? Not a Member of Congress, for sure.

And so yesterday it was no surprise to see Congresswoman Gillibrand's response when her opponent Sandy Treadwell unveiled a new ad highlighting her smokey past. It was near-hysterical.

Congresswoman Gillibrand can become as indignant as she wants, and it remains a fact that for five years she was a counsel to Philip Morris. Despite her efforts to pull a page out of 1984 and delete years of her life, her constituents are now more familiar with her record than they were in 2006. After all, this is the same woman who constantly reminds us how she believes in "transparency."

Well, Kirsten, you're transparent now.

ESPN, Please Fire This Man

Last night during the ESPN radio broadcast of the ALCS Joe Morgan achieved his usual level of incoherence. In discussing Phillie pitcher Cole Hamels, the MVP of the NLCS, Morgan told partner Jon Miller he disagreed with the selection. His choice: Manny Ramirez. Because he was the "best player."

If the Series had gone to seven games perhaps his argument for Ramirez could have some merit. But in a four games to one blowout, Ramirez provided the Dodgers with no value whatsoever. Zippo.

ESPN's employment of an "analyst" who doesn't understand the simple concept of a Most Valuable Player award, among other deficiencies, is a testament to broadcast mediocrity and Howard Cosell's jockocracy.

Harumph.

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Philip Morris Brands)

Smokescreen

Congresswoman Gillibrand on her father's work for Philip Morris in today's Times Union:

"I don't talk to my dad about his clients at all."

At all.

She must be kidding with that nonsense. Kirsten Gillibrand owes her seat in Congress to Big Daddy super lobbyist.

Successful political families talk about everything and everyone. It's why they achieve success.

Going Up In Smoke

The Times Union followed up yesterday's exclusive post reporting Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand's shady ties to tobacco giant Philip Morris.

It's a brutal 1,150 word story by James M. Odato.

* Fellow Democratic Congressman Michael McNulty on Gillibrand accepting Big Tobacco contributions, and why he once returned a $500.00 Philip Morris check:

"I didn't want to take money from a tobacco company.''

* Bill Corr, Gillibrand supporter and executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, on the Congresswoman's representation of Philip Morris:

"I did not know that."

* Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California at San Francisco, dismissing Gillibrand's I-Was-Just-Following-Orders-Because-I-Was-A-Mere-Associate excuse:

"I think it's highly relevant because she was an active advocate in one of the world's biggest tobacco companies against claims that they were manipulating the nicotine delivery in cigarettes . . . "

"These are very important things she was doing for them. I think this is definitely newsworthy. If she had done this 10 years ago and hadn't gotten a nickle from them, then I'd say, 'well, she was just a junior member of the law firm.' But they consider her their pal."

* Michael Cummings of the Buffalo-based Roswell Park Cancer Institute on Gillibrand's legal ethics.

"Big law firms have other clients. You could work for somebody else."

Just a wild guess, but Congresswoman Josephine Camel and her campaign staff are not having a good day.

McNulty didn't hesitate to throw her under the bus. Anti-tobacco activists were in the dark about her Big Tobacco past. A professor of medicine from California unloaded on her. And the prestigious Roswell Park Cancer Institute was one step removed from calling her a shyster lawyer.

Congresswoman Josephine Camel

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand has been endorsed for re-election by the American Cancer Society.

Despite the endorsement, the Society's officials likely do not know the full extent of the freshman's legal representation on behalf of Philip Morris during the 1990's. Yes, that Philip Morris, or "Big Tobacco" as the corporation's detractors in the cancer community and the media relentlessly describe it.

The Invisible Law Firms

From 1995 to 2000 Congresswoman Gillibrand was an associate at the international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, headquartered in New York City. But New Yorkers wouldn't know she was employed at Davis, Polk & Wardwell for five years because her campaign website does not mention the fact. This experience is also omitted from her official U.S. House of Representatives website biography.

Also curiously cast aside from both her Congressional and campaign biographies is her partnership at Boies Schiller & Flexner, a national firm specializing in unpopular clients. She was employed by the firm from 2001 to 2006. It was her last position before running for the House.

Why would a Member of Congress running for re-election purposely omit a legal career spanning ten years with two major firms? For a good reason. A reason that is still disturbingly vague.

The Settlement

In November, 1998 the disgust many Americans directed at the serial deception of Philip Morris and other cigarette-peddlers culminated with the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. It was signed by Philip Morris, and representatives of all 50 states. The provisions required Philip Morris to compensate states for the cost of providing health care for persons with smoking-related illnesses.

A critical component of the Agreement would eventually make available to the public hundreds of millions of privileged documents. The documents have exposed the decision-making process the tobacco companies and their attorneys followed to defend themselves throughout decades of deceit.

The University of California at San Francisco is home to The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (LTDL). According to its website:

"LTDL holdings updated as of Sunday, September 28, 2008. It contains 51,440,321 pages in 9,925,621 documents."

Congresswoman Gillibrand has a starring role in the LTDL archives. Using her maiden name "Rutnik" in the search engine, New Yorkers will discover an astounding 1,175 documents that include her advocacy on behalf of Philip Morris and organized smoking. But 400 of those documents still remain privileged, and shield from public scrutiny the totality of Gillibrand's work.

Thank You For Smoking

Rep. Gillibrand's Philip Morris representation includes:

* An August 31, 1995 Davis, Polk & Wardell accounting document that includes Gillibrand as one of 63 employees paid "with regard to legal advice concerning civil lawsuits that have been filed making claims relating to alleged injuries from cigarette smoking, nicotine addiction, second hand smoke . . . " She earned $305.00 per hour. The document can be viewed here.

I wonder what mothers across the Capital District will think about Kirsten Gillibrand earning $305.00 an hour on behalf of Philip Morris. We're not talking about a teacher looking the other way at Emma Willard if a few girls sneak a smoke behind the bleachers. She was doing serious legal work for one of the most reviled corporations of the 1990's. Reviled because of her Democratic party.

* In preparation to defend Philip Morris, Rep. Gillibrand helped manage and interview two Dr. Strangeloves of Big Tobacco: Dr. Wolf Reininghaus and Dr. Max Hausermann.

Reininghaus and Hausermann were employed by Philip Morris. Reininghaus at a highly secretive German "research facility" called INBIFO, and Hauserman as a vice president where he was charged with supervising all 600 of the corporation's scientists in the 1980's. Both were, in fact, responsible for justifying the "science" behind the lies Philip Morris told the public.

According to the March 20, 1996 edition of ABC News Primetime Live:

"Philip Morris needed INBIFO because there were certain research projects that, clearly, the company did not want to have done on United States soil. These projects involved cancer-producing agents. These projects involved ways to manipulate components of cigarette smoke."

Documents show Gillibrand traveled to Germany at least four times. On January 31, 1996 Gillibrand personally interviewed Dr. Reininghaus and on September 5, 1997 she furnished a Philip Morris Associate General Counsel with a memoranda summarizing two previous interviews with Dr. Hausermann. We'll likely never know what Gillibrand said to Reininghaus and Hausermann, but she certainly wasn't in contact with them to provide whistleblower protection counsel.

The Campaign Money Trail

Rep. Gillibrand's Big Tobacco-enabling efforts did not go unrewarded by her former employers. She has been showered with their campaign contributions.

According to the website Open Secrets, Davis, Polk & Wardell contributed $48,300 to Gillibrand during her 2006 race for Congress against incumbent John Sweeney. It was the third highest contribution she received.

Then-candidate Gillibrand's top contributor in 2006 was Boies, Schiller & Flexner at $117,810. The Boies is David Boies of Bush v. Gore recount fame. Boies and his firm have been described by the National Law Journal as “unafraid to venture into controversial” and “high risk” matters.

During the 1990's Philip Morris was the very definition of a "high risk" legal matter. The corporation retained Boies to help contain its ever-escalating public relations nightmare. And Kirsten Gillibrand was there nearly every step of the way cashing paychecks for a paper trail that looks like a protection racket.

Who Are You?

Congresswoman Gillibrand has enjoyed a comfortable first term, with local media outlets fawning over her. Several reporters and editors may as well be on her payroll because of their inability to hide their unprofessional bias.

But what is troubling about Rep. Gillibrand since she first entered public life are recurring questions: Is she truly who she purports to be as either a 2006 candidate or incumbent Member of Congress? Or is she a phony?

No one pretends ten years of a professional life doesn't exist if there is nothing deeply embarrassing or shameful to hide. Gillibrand clearly wants no discussion of her ensnarement by Big Tobacco, which is understandable. She helped defend a fraud. It's a stain not easily forgotten, or erased.

And stay tuned.

The PEF Politburo Responds To Chichester

Arlea Igoe, the secretary-treasurer of the Public Employees Federation responded to my Sunday Gazette op-ed on the state budget here. It's always amusing when PEF hits the roof, especially given their destructive influence in state government. And these perpetual grumps probably have no sense of humor about the hammer and sickle image.

The text:

Don’t blame unions for state’s fiscal problems

Christopher Chichester’s Oct. 5 Viewpoint [“Governor, leaders too afraid of unions to cut state spending”] on cutting state spending is factually incorrect and lacks a basic understanding of the issues facing New York state.

An article lamenting the power of public employee unions without knowing the size of the state work force is inexcusable. Mr. Chichester would have you believe the state work force accounts for a substantial amount of the state budget when in reality it accounts for less than 13 percent of the budget. He should know better. The governor he worked for trimmed the state work force considerably during his term in office.

New York state’s budget problems are not spending problems. We did not wake up one day to discover spending had gone through the roof. We had a balanced budget based on projections of expenditures and revenues. Simply put, revenues are not meeting those projections. New York has been overly reliant on the so-called FIRE (Financial and Real Estate) sectors for too long. When those sectors suffer, New York suffers disproportionately. Now is the time to fix that problem.

We need tax policy that is fair and just. Corporate loopholes should be closed and the wealthiest New Yorkers should pay their fair share. We need to end corporate welfare by refusing to continue wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on costly consultants and instead bring those jobs back in-house. We have proven this saves money, which is why the Legislature and the governor have agreed with us. Not because we are all powerful, because we are right.

Discourse is important, but misguided opinions offer no real solutions. The Public Employees Federation union remains willing to discuss real solutions to our budget problems.

Arlea Igoe
Albany

The writer is the secretary-treasurer of the Public Employees Federation union.

Congresswoman Code Pink, Wrong Again

"We can not continue to send our troops to fight in the middle of a religious civil war. Our commitment to the Iraqis can not be endless and we need to start redeploying our troops out of Iraq by March of next year."

Dear Congresswoman Gillibrand,

That's what you said on March 19, 2007.

You didn't want to "redeploy" our troops. It's a typically bankrupt, focus-group word politicians use when they're too afraid to use accurate language.

You wanted to surrender. To retreat. To cut and run.

If it were up to you, the United States of America would be seen by al-Qaeda and the Taliban as gutless. As craven.

If it were up to you, Islamofascists worldwide would have pursued another September 11th with an even higher degree of fanaticism.

If it were up to you, our soldiers would have returned home cloaked in humiliation and defeat.

But it was not up to you.

Thank God.

I'd like to break the news to you: Our soldiers have been kicking ass, Congresswoman. They're killing terrorists. They are showing the world that the United States military is the most ferocious force on earth.

And where were you when the surge began? Where were you when our soldiers began the path to victory? You were sticking daisies in their M-16's like a tie-dyed Woodstock hippie.

Throughout your re-election campaign against Sandy Treadwell, you barely even mention the war. Well, now, I wonder why.

If you're so proud of your March 19, 2007 statement, you should run television and radio ads citing it. Remind your constituents.

I'm sure they'll be crazy-go-nuts for it. Especially given the 80,000 vote Republican registration advantage in your district.

I noticed you were endorsed by the National Rifle Association this week. So what.

You can acquire all the N.R.A. endorsements the organization has to offer. I don't give a damn. And neither should the New Yorkers you represent. Because you didn't support the most important rifles on earth being fired in our epic global struggle against evil.

- Chris

Fear Of Unions Destroying New York

Chichester's op-ed in The Sunday Gazette of Schenectady on the state budget.

Numbers? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Numbers

Major League Baseball teams retire numbers faster than a Tom Seaver fastball.

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's number 30 was retired by the Texas Rangers after his five seasons of mediocrity, finishing with a record of 51-39. The Tampa Bay Rays retired Wade Boggs' number 12, even though he played only two seasons for the team and had a mere 727 at bats.

Steve Garvey, the famed Los Angeles Dodger, had his number retired by the San Diego Padres for five seasons of play. Garvey played 15 seasons with the Dodgers, and the team has not retired his number 6.

The Houston Astros, a 1962 expansion team that has never won the World Series, have retired nine numbers. It's three more numbers than the storied Boston Red Sox, founded 61 years earlier than the Astros.

But one Houston Astro number is particularly touching, and fitting, for the thoughtfulness of the team's ownership. Pitcher Jim Umbricht died of lymphoma at the age of 33 in 1964. His number 32 was immediately retired. Umbricht won 9 games and lost 5 for the Astros.

And those facts lead to my New York Mets. Thoughtfulness and retired numbers are alien concepts to Fred and Jeff Wilpon, the father and son who own the team. Their refusal to properly recognize the players who have provided Mets fans with unrelenting joy over the years is a continuing disgrace. The last time a number was retired was 20 years ago.

The Mets have retired only three numbers: Tom Seaver's 41, Gil Hodges' 14 and Casey Stengel's 37.

The time has come for the Wilpon family to add three more: number 36 Jerry Koosman, number 17 Keith Hernandez and number 31 Mike Piazza.

Jerry Koosman is the best big game pitcher in the 46-year history of the Mets. It's quite a feat given The Franchise, Seaver, is enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Koosman was the pitching star of the Miracle Mets' glorious triumph over the 109-win Baltimore Orioles juggernaut in the 1969 World Series. After Seaver was defeated in Game One, Koosman pitched six innings of no-hit ball in Game Two, and went 8 2/3 innings to give the Mets a critical 2-1 win.

In Game Five, the unflappable Koosman pitched a complete game victory to close out the Orioles for the most improbable win in World Series history. The images of Koosman embracing catcher Jerry Grote after the final out was caught by left fielder Cleon Jones, and dashing off the field, are iconic.

In Game Three of the 1973 National League Championship Series, against another seemingly unstoppable team, the Cincinnati Reds, Koosman pitched a 9-2 complete game victory to put the Mets up two games to one. Koosman was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1989 after finishing his career third in franchise wins (140), second in innings pitched (2,544.2), fourth in Earned Run Average (3.09) and third in strikeouts (1,799).

The transformation of the Mets from a late 1970's Major League Baseball laughingstock to 1986 World Series champions began on June 15, 1983. That's the day the team acquired Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals. He became the undisputed leader of the clubhouse, and was named the team's first captain in 1987.

Hernandez is the greatest fielding First Baseman of all time. He won eleven consecutive Gold Gloves, including six for the Mets. To attempt a bunt against Hernandez is "driving the lane against Bill Russell," said Pete Rose.

And he excelled with the bat, as well. In 3,164 plate appearances "Mex" hit .297, which is the third highest average for a Mets player.

In Most Valuable Player voting, Hernandez finished second in 1984, eighth in 1985, and fourth in 1986. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1997. Hernandez is perhaps the most glaring example of the callous ways of the Wilpons because he's still with the team as a superb broadcaster.

Mike Piazza. Does the Wilpon family need an explanation other than the mere mention of his name for why number 31 should be retired? His career statistics don't have to be cited because they're brilliant.

"He was one of those hitters who could change the game with one swing. He was certainly the greatest-hitting catcher of our time, and arguably of all time," said Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, Piazza's former Met teammate.

When Piazza announced his retirement he said:

"I have to say that my time with the Mets wouldn't have been the same without the greatest fans in the world. One of the hardest moments of my career, was walking off the field at Shea Stadium and saying goodbye. My relationship with you made my time in New York the happiest of my career and for that, I will always be grateful."

It's obvious from Piazza's words that he loved being a Met throughout his eight seasons in New York. His performance on the field and deep affection for the organization should be rewarded. As soon as possible.

Opening Day at Citi Field next year is the opportunity for Fred and Jeff Wilpon to show class and gratitude by honoring Koosman, Hernandez and Piazza . Just like Seaver, Hodges and Stengel, they are everlasting Mets and should be recognized for their years of dedication to the team.

Congresswoman Code Pink (D-Unforgiven)

Dear Congresswoman Gillibrand,

"Rep. Gillibrand Opposes Troop Escalation"

That was the headline from your news release issued on January 11, 2007. It was your first week as a Member of Congress, and you felt compelled to address the surge.

In case you forgot the words, the full text:

"The President's proposal for an increase in troops, and today's testimony by Secretary Gates, have failed to provide a clear strategy for success and a plan to reduce violence and bring long-term stability to the region.

"At this point the future of Iraq rests squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi people. The solution to peace in the region is a political one - not a military one. The American people need to see a commitment from the Iraqi people that they are serious about taking responsibility for their own security and stability.

"America's commitment in Iraq should not be open-ended and I will continue to encourage this Administration to put Iraq on notice that we will redeploy our troops. A defined notice period for redeployment will be the best way to force the Iraqi government to step up to the plate, make the necessary compromises, and take responsibility for their future."

How do you think this vapid, talking points release will be received by your constituents now, Congresswoman? Little attention has been paid to it as you run for re-election.

One sentence after another is now proven wrong. Colossally wrong.

"The President's proposal for an increase in troops, and today's testimony by Secretary Gates, have failed to provide a clear strategy for success"? Wrong.

"The solution to peace in the region is a political one - not a military one"? Wrong.

"At this point the future of Iraq rests squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi people"? Wrong.

The surge, thank God, worked. It worked so spectacularly that the pacifist Left in your party avoids denial.

Yes, you're a Freshman, with foreign policy experience from Emma Willard High School and the faculty lounges of Dartmouth and UCLA. That's no excuse. Your goal was to grovel before the Code Pink lunatics who disrupt Congressional hearings and the Moveon.org extremists that helped you get elected.

But what are the veterans you represent going to think about that release once it receives more publicity? From what I can tell, your opponent Sandy Treadwell has not made it an issue. He should. And if he does, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do. Bumbling explaining, at best.

What makes your decision most troubling is you're a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Who did you talk to at the Department of Defense, or in the field, before you adopted Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco rhetoric? Did you speak to a General or a Private First Class or a Command Sergeant Major?

Probably not.

You should have simply echoed your fellow Democrat Senator Harry Reid when that release you approved went out. He said: This war is lost.

"This war is lost" is exactly what you believed on January, 11 2007. You were a defeatist.

Now, I could recite to you how and why the surge became a tremendous success, but you already know how and why.

As a veteran, you failed me. You failed our dedicated fighting men and women, and you failed yourself.

You're not forgiven. You probably don't even want to be forgiven for such an egregious lapse in judgment. Because we hardly hear a word from you about your opposition to the surge.

You can issue all the "news" releases you want about veterans health care or any veterans issues, and it won't matter. On the most critical strategy that has allowed our country to move toward total victory in the war against Al-Qaeda and their Islamofascist allies, where were you? You were wearing your Code Pink t-shirt. Congratulations.

So, Congresswoman Gillibrand, what do you have to say for yourself now? How about: The surged worked, and I was wrong.

Perhaps if you can utter that phrase you may begin to regain the trust of veterans and our troops in the field. But I doubt it.

- Chris

Whining We Can Believe In

Is there a New York Democrat who refrained from incessant whining, complaining and apologizing this week?

Yesterday, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky of Westchester was upset because Governor Paterson didn't tell him of plans to build a new Tappen Zee Bridge in his district.

"I was glad to learn from media accounts that my district was to host the announcement about future plans for the Tappan Zee Bridge," Brodsky said in a news release.

"We welcome the Commissioner and state officials here, and urge them to spend some additional time listening to public concerns rather than just making announcements. We are releasing this statement because we have been neither briefed nor invited to the announcement."

Oh, boo hoo hoo, Dick. You know why you were kept in the dark? Because Republicans and Democrats know you're an obnoxious pain in the ass. It's bi-partisan.

Also yesterday the Assembly Ethics Committee recommended banning married Assemblyman Sam Hoyt from the Assembly intern program because of a "past inappropriate relationship" with a 23-year-old intern.

"I accept the committee's findings and once again apologize to my family and the people of the 144th Assembly District."

Assemblyman Hoyt won his Democrat primary this month with an apology-filled campaign after e-mails he exchanged with the intern were leaked to the media.

And earlier this week Congresswoman Tracy Flick Kirsten Gillibrand released a new ad because Republican opponent Sandy Treadwell hurt her feelings:

"With all of America's challenges, you'd think Sandy Treadwell could do better than a false, negative campaign. Now, rest assured Sandy's personal attacks don't hurt me. I expected it."

"Personal attacks don't hurt me." Right. Play the non-victim victim card.

The Most Corrupt, And Weird, Party In America

When then-Republican John Lindsay ran for mayor of New York City in 1965 columnist Murray Kempton wrote: "He is fresh, and everyone else is tired." Forty-three years later, it applies to his former party.

Only, New York Republicans are not merely tired.

They're exhausted.

Republicans in control of the Senate will likely lose their slim 32-30 seat majority on Election Day. It will engender little sympathy because Albany's Republicans and Democrats reach agreement so often it's nearly impossible, ideologically, to distinguish between them.

Even worse, Governor David Paterson has skillfully positioned himself to the right of the state G.O.P., especially on property taxes and cutting government spending. Our liberal Democratic Governor has become more of a Republican than Albany's Senate Republicans on the two most critical issues facing our state.

But, there is one difference between Albany's two parties, and it's significant: The legislation proposed by Senate Democrats as well as the appalling behavior of New York Democrats in general.

The New York Democratic party is infested with corruption.

Congressman Charles Rangel's rent-controlled apartments scam is merely warming up in the unethical bullpen. His party's Assembly Sopranos have been forced from office with one felony conviction after another. Gloria Davis, Clarence Norman, Diane Gordon and Brian McLaughlin, among others.

So it was no surprise when Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Soprano Seminerio was arrested for accepting $500,000 in bribes two weeks ago. The 17-page indictment is rife with Seminerio's greed and narcissism.

"I'll break his balls. And I know what to break his balls about," Seminerio boasts to his bribe-paying hospital executive who was angry with a senior Department of Health official for not helping him fend off "cuts" to his budget.

It's unrelenting with Albany's Democrat La Cosa Nostra.

Don Speaker Sheldon Silver's former chief counsel, J. Michael Boxley, a man he vigorously defended against rape charges, is now a registered sex offender. Comptroller Fredo Corleone Alan Hevesi resigned in disgrace because he was using state tax dollars to chauffeur around his wife. And New Yorkers know well how Luca Brasi Eliot Spitzer made our state a national laughingstock.

This is not normal for a state party as a whole.

If the New York Democratic Party is not the most corrupt state party in the country, what state, either Republican or Democrat, outperforms its sleaze?

Tell me.

Tell me what state party, blue or red, is more corrupt.

I want to know.

Despite their undefined and undisciplined existence, New Yorkers should vote to keep the Senate Republicans in the majority. Why?

Because:

* Nearly every Senate Democrat has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, which favors a "progressive" tax system, and they will undoubtedly be a major force in leading the effort to raise taxes on every New Yorker;

* Brooklyn Senator Eric Adams supports legislation that gives illegal aliens and convicted felons the right to vote, and he's in line to become the Chairman of the Senate Crime, Crime Victims and Corrections Committee;

* Westchester Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins introduced legislation that would make obtaining an abortion so convenient that her colleague, and ordained minister, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. called it "one of the most dangerous and radical pieces of proposed legislation in New York State that I have ever seen"; and

* Manhattan Senator Liz Krueger has pronounced a revived death penalty bill will never receive a vote in a Democratic Senate (this is also the same Senator who told New Yorkers to "drive less" while gasoline prices were exploding and she voted against suspending the gas tax for the summer months).

If New Yorkers believe the future is dire now, just wait until Senate Democrats move to implement their agenda. Tax hikes, voting rights for illegal aliens and convicted felons is merely the beginning. They will also revisit the attempt to provide driver's licenses to illegal aliens despite the intense backlash when Spitzer proposed it. And we'll witness more criminal convictions.

When Senate Democrats inherit the majority this January, upstate and Long Island will be completely dominated by New York City interests. Once we have statewide one-party Democratic rule, it's the kiss of death. New York won't recover for a generation.

Paul Tonko: The Triumph Of Mediocrity

Chichester's op-ed in The Sunday Gazette of Schenectady on soon-to-be Congressman Paul Tonko.

Boss Paterson's Hackocracy Strikes Again

"Empire State Development today announced that 25 Upstate New York grants totaling $67 million received formal approval at the Board of Directors Meeting held in New York City on September 18."

That was the first paragraph from a news release the Empire State Development Corporation issued two days ago. It was the same day The Daily News ran my piece on Governor David Paterson's ESDC funneling millions of tax dollars to McDonald's, Fordham University and multi-billion dollar corporations.

$67 million went down the drain on Thursday, and the largess included:

* $200,000 for Alpla, Inc., an Austrian plastics manufacturer with 10,000 employees and 119 manufacturing plants in 34 countries;

* $100,000 for Luvata Buffalo, a Swedish metal fabrication company with 8,500 employees in 18 countries;

* $500,000 for Erie County tool manufacturer Dynabrade; and

* $500,000 for Anaren, a self-described "world leader" in wireless infrastructure based in Onondaga County.

No explanation whatsoever was given by ESDC for why these four businesses received tax dollars. Not one quote appeared in the release. ESDC simply announced the company, and the cash is now in their bank accounts.

ESDC also approved:

* $50,000 for the Erie County Industrial Development Agency;

* $26,000 for Current Applications of Jefferson County;

* $34,200 for Exelco Developments Inc. of Chautauqua County;

* $50,000 for Graham Corporation of Genesee County;

* $40,000 for J.R. Clancy of Onondaga County;

* $40,000 for Nixon Gear Inc. of Onondaga County; and

* $25,600 for Qualicoat Inc. of Monroe County.

No explanation was provided. Again.

This is payola. It's Tammany Hall-style vote-buying and legalized bribery.

Nearly every company that gets its claws in New York's taxpayers describes itself publicly with superlatives such as "leading" or "global" or "innovative" or "worldwide." O.k. If that's the case, why do they need even one penny from New Yorkers?

Our accidental Governor has an opportunity to prove he's a real Governor by abolishing the ESDC, and it's repellent corporate welfare culture. New Yorkers would be spared from funding its bloated $1 billion budget, at the very least.

Anyone who has worked at the highest level of New York politics knows why ESDC exists. It's a patronage mill; a dumping ground for relatives and friends of the well-connected. These people have no training, no experience and no clue how a free market economy functions. All they understand are political favors, and hustling businesses to stay in New York when they would otherwise leave because of our punishing tax burden and excessive regulations.

Our state Legislature should schedule multiple hearings on Boss Paterson's ESDC operations. Summon their bureaucrats to the Legislative Office Building in Albany, and grill them on how they reach their decisions.

Why are certain businesses lavished with taxpayer goodies, and others blown off? Because right now, we have no idea. The public record is barren.

But I do have a good idea why.

For Thomas Valentine Hennessy

Thomas Valentine Hennessy was my Grandpa. He would have loved this piece in the News today.

The Daily News: New York Economic Development Giveaways Are A Bloody Ripoff

Velmanette Montgomery, A Pervert's Best Friend

Our New York State Senate is controlled by Republicans with a precarious two-seat majority, 32-30. Unfortunately, they are nearly certain to lose their majority for the first time in forty years because of their own ineptitude, and the record turnout that Barack Obama will create in minority communities.

But New Yorkers should be aware of what they'll get once the Senate is controlled by New York's Democrats. There are Democratic Members of the Senate who possess a disturbing inability to punish criminals. Paramount among them is Senator Velmanette Montgomery of Brooklyn.

Ms. Montgomery is obsessed with protecting sex predators, and that’s no exaggeration. From her voting record, she believes it's a crime right up there with jaywalking.

On May 19th, the Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos that would require the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to post personal information regarding every registered sex predator in New York State. Under current law, New Yorkers are prohibited from accessing any information about so-called Level 1 Sex Offenders online.

It means if one of these deviants happen to live right next door to you, there's a good chance you'll never know about it. They’re supposed to be a “low risk” to commit additional sex crimes, and exempt from the online public registry.

The Skelos bill also requires all sex predators to provide their zip codes. Zip codes enable authorities to send New Yorkers an immediate e-mail informing them a sex predator - at any level - has just moved into their neighborhoods. All it takes is a request to be notified.

This common sense legislation passed 60-1. Well, who was the only Senator to vote against it? Velmanette Montgomery.

On May 14 the Senate passed another bill sponsored by Senator Skelos that would make it a class E felony for any Level 3 Sex Offender who fails to register or report a change of address. The vote was 60-1. And Senator Montgomery was again the only Senator to vote against it.

Finally, and also on May 14, the Senate passed legislation sponsored by Republican Senator George Maziarz that would make it a class A misdemeanor for first-time sex offenders to apply for a job that would allow them to have access to children in any way. Those guilty of a second violation are subject to a felony conviction.

The Maziarz bill passed 60-1. And, yes, the chairwoman and sole member of the Senate Friends Of Sex Predators Caucus voted against it.

What the hell is this woman's problem? The precious "rights" of people who commit such heinous crimes that even murderers believe they're the scum of the earth?

I attempted to find out what crime renders someone a Level 1 Sex Offender. That information is not publicly available. Why? Because the court of jurisdiction assigns the offender level. Isn't that wonderful? We have some of the most criminal-friendly judges in the country and they're making these decisions.

According to DCJS, there are 9,778 Level 1 Sex Offenders living in New York. I doubt all of them are 75-year old Alzheimer's patients who briefly opened a rain coat on Main Street.

In Senator Montgomery’s Brooklyn borough there are 636 Level 1 Sex Offenders. But she doesn’t want her northern and central Brooklyn constituents to know that one of them may be living in an apartment right next to them.

If you’re a Level 1 Sex Offender and decide apply for a job teaching second graders, Senator Montgomery has no problem with it. Since it’s just dandy that Level 1 Sex Offenders can become teachers, perhaps Ms. Montgomery should track one down on her own and ask him to do some babysitting for her family or friends.

And if you fail to register she also doesn’t believe you should be prosecuted for a felony. It’s called a registry and Senator Montgomery finds no fault with failing to register.

This is beyond ludicrous.

There is no way to describe these three votes by Senator Montgomery as anything but disgusting. I wonder how many Democrats in her district were appalled enough to mount a primary challenge. We already know the answer. Zero.

If a Senate Republican cast these three “no” votes there would be a stampede to get on the ballot. The Member would also be denounced publicly by party leaders.

It becomes even more Orwellian.

Senator Montgomery is the Ranking Member on the Senate Social Services, Children and Families Committee. That means she'll likely Chair the Committee if her party wins the Senate majority. She is also a member of the Senate Crime, Crime Victims and Correction Committee.

So, New Yorkers, vote for every Senate Democrat on the ballot this November 4th if you want the demented thinking of Senator Velmanette Montgomery to sit in a position of power in Albany where she can dote on and excuse sex predators.

With A Blue Moon In Your Eyes

They are The Assembly Sopranos.

Since 1975 Democrats have controlled the New York State Assembly, and they don't merely resemble a fictional organized crime family. They are an organized crime family.

All the shadow of the Capitol requires in Albany is the Bada Bing! and Satriale's Pork Store.

So it was no surprise when Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who once boasted of being "John Gotti's Assemblyman," was arrested last week for an eight-year scheme he concocted to collect $500,000 in bribes. The 17-page indictment is damning.

"I'll break his balls. And I know what to break his balls about," Stugots Seminerio tells a bribe-paying hospital executive who was angry with a Department of Health official for not being helpful enough.

Seminerio, a 30-year incumbent, was also brazen and dumb enough to bring the undercover F.B.I. agent who nailed him onto the Assembly floor.

"Seminerio introduced the undercover to the Assembly Chambers' security guard, and requested that the security guard let the undercover enter the Assembly Chamber," the indictment charges. He immediately introduced the agent to Assembly Members who could help pass environmental legislation, and subsequently accepted a bribe for the "service."

Seminerio responded to the charges with his trademark arrogance. "It's one of those stupid things," he said.

He will likely join his disgraced former colleagues in resignation or expulsion from the Assembly. Or in prison. The body's most recent Assembly Sopranos, all New York City Democrats, include:

* Brian McLaughlin, allegedly the "confidential witness" who set up Seminerio. Plead guilty to racketeering charges for stealing $2.2 million from labor unions and nonprofit groups for personal use. Awaiting sentencing;

* Diane Gordon. Convicted of receiving a $500,000 bribe to build a new home. Awaiting sentencing;

* Clarence Norman, former Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman. Convicted of accepting illegal campaign contributions. Currently serving time in a New York prison;

* Gloria Davis. Convicted of receiving a bribe. Served 90 days in jail;

* Roger Green. Plead guilty to larceny for billing taxpayers for rides to the Capital he received free of charge from a contractor. Resigned.

It never ends with this crew.

A day after Seminerio was hauled in by the F.B.I., the toothless Assembly Ethics Committee met to investigate Democratic Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and Assemblyman Greg Ball (a rare Republican Assembly Soprano). The married Hoyt has confessed to exchanging sexually explicit messages with his goomah, a legislative employee, and Ball is accused of stalking and sexual harassment.

Democratic Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV has twice been accused of rape, and exonerated. Earlier this year he was charged with a D.W.I., and his female passenger was so drunk she had to be taken to a hospital emergency room by the police.

The Don of The Assembly Sopranos is Speaker Shelly Silver. He's no stranger to ethical gray areas and excusing criminal behavior.

Don Shelly once stayed at a posh Las Vegas hotel (how fitting) paid for at a discount rate by a casino company looking to expand in NewYork. And he works for a law firm notorious throughout our business community for supporting tort laws that have enriched trial lawyers and helped cripple our state economy. Because of our weak ethics laws, Silver is not required to disclose how much the firm pays him.

In perhaps Don Shelly's most appalling example of looking the other way in the face of criminality, he aggressively defended his chief counsel, Michael Boxley, after he was charged with raping a 22-year-old legislative employee.

It was not the first time Boxley was accused of rape, and Silver called the young woman a liar publicly. Boxley was dragged out of the Capitol in handcuffs, and is now a registered sex offender.

"Speaker Silver has acknowledged repeatedly that he was wrong about Michael Boxley," said one of his spokescapos at the time. Boxley's victim received a $500,000 settlement from the state.

A primary reason why the Assembly is an organized crime haven is because of its shameful refusal to pass financial disclosure reform legislation. Its Members can hold outside jobs, and they're not required to disclose income and holdings beyond the pittance of $1,000.

The Assembly Sopranos want it that way. It's how they stay organized until they get caught. Until they remove this veil of secrecy and pass strong financial disclosure legislation we will continue to witness the convictions of small-time Roger Green grifters as well as big-time thieves and aspiring Jimmy Hoffas like Brian McLaughlin and Anthony Seminerio.

However corrupt, from bribes to sex scandals to F.B.I wiretaps to rats to convicted felons, The Assembly Sopranos fall short of their fictional counterparts in one respect. No Assembly Member has whacked anyone.

But it wouldn't be a surprise if it's reported one day that one of them: Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun.

Good, You Know, Will, Uh, Hunting Speaks

Matt Damon solidified his status as a leading Hollywood dimwit on CBS News today. To comprehend his complete meltdown, this is the full text of what he said about Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin:

"I think there's a really good chance that Sarah Palin could be president, um, and I think that's a really scary thing. Um, because I don't know anything about her. Uh, I don't think in eight weeks I'm going to know anything about her. Um, I know that she was the mayor of a really, sma- , really small town. Um, and she's Governor of Alaska for, for less than two years.

"I just don't, understand.

"Uh, I think the pick was made for political purposes, but in terms of governance, it, it's a disaster. You do the actuary tables, you know, there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term. And it'll be President Palin.

"And, it really, you know, we was talking about it earlier, it's, it's, it's like a really bad Disney movie, you know. The hockey mom, you know. Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska and she's the president and it's like she's facing down Vladimir Putin and, you know, and using the, you know, the, the, folksy stuff she learned at the hockey, you know, rink, you know, and it's, it's absurd. It's totally absurd, and I don't understand why more people are not talking about it. How absurd it is.

"I, I, I, it, it, it's a really terrifying, uh, possibility. The fact that we've gotten this far, and, and we're that close to this being a reality is crazy. Crazy.

"She, I mean, did she really-. I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. That's an important - I wanna know that. I really do. Because she's gonna have the nuclear codes, you know. I, I, I wanna know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago.

"Or if she banned books, or tried to ban books.

"I mean, th-, th-, you know, we can't, we can't have that."

I mean, th-, th-, you know, Hollywood people really gave this guy an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay? He can barely, uh, complete a sentence. Perhaps th-, those rumors about legendary screenwriter William Goldman writing Good Will Hunting are true.

I just don't, understand.

Well, you know, I-, I-, I- can't, can't believe how he dared to bring up Senator McCain, you know, possibly dying in office. It, it, it's so low class. You do the actuary tables, and, and there's a room temperature IQ for The Talented Mr., Mr., Um, Ripley, right up there with Madonna. Crazy.

And, it, really, you know, he, uh, insulted small towns across America with his really elitist, condescending comments. I mean, th-, th-, how can, how can any Alaskan or small town resident ever want to watch, rent or, um, own, one of his movies ever again?

Uh, even though Damon said he doesn't know anything about Governor Palin, and won't, for the next, ah, eight weeks, he certainly expressed a strong, you know, op-, op-, opinion about her.

It's, it's, it's a really bad Disney movie, you know, when a Hollywood actor attempts to address the, the most serious issues before our country and comes across, like, a, a, a complete, stammering idiot. It's, like, Snow White, and, and, and the Seven Dwa-, you know, Little People running for president.

But, hundreds of thousands of Americans take their children to the hockey, you know, rink, and the bet here is they won't appreciate Damon's comments in swing states where hockey, you know, rinks are a major part of their lives. Like, in Minnesota, Michigan and Montana.

I, I, I wanna know why Matt Damon believes Governor Palin wants to ban books, as if, like, you know, she's a Nazi or something trying to fool everyone by using, the, you know, folksy stuff. Whatever.

She, I mean, uh, I think it's really terrifying to think the dinosaurs could have been in those really bad Disney movies 4,000 years ago, too, carrying the nuclear codes with them, and, I mean, Sarah Palin starring in them. Disney movies I've already seen, like, Benji the Hunted, and The Mighty Ducks.

You know, th-, th-, we can't, we can't have that.

Governor David A. Paterson, Amnesiac

From today's New York Daily News:

"Republicans disguised their digs at Barack Obama with 'racial coding' to subtly make an issue of his color, Gov. Paterson said Tuesday morning.

"'There are overtones of potential racial coding in the campaign,' Paterson told the Crain's Business Forum, when asked whether racism would hurt Obama's chances to become president.

"'The Republican party is too smart to call Barack Obama 'black,' Paterson said.

"'But you can take something about his life, which I noticed they did at the Republican convention. A 'community organizer.' They kept saying it, they kept laughing, like what does this mean?' "

Dear David,

Get a life. There was nothing remotely close to racism at the Republican National Convention, or in Senator McCain's campaign operation.

I hate to break the news to you, but Senator Obama himself refers to his past as a "community organizer." So do his supporters. Are you even paying attention to the presidential campaign?

The reason why "community organizer" is mocked by Republicans is because Obama has yet to explain what exactly this position entailed beyond feel-good nonsense. "Community organizer" is yet another part of his paltry experience.

What about your strong association with Al Sharpton? Anyone who claims Sharpton as a close friend and political ally, like you do, should be very careful about tarring public officials as racists.

Sharpton was - and still is - New York's premiere demagogue on race. He never apologized for his despicable role in perpetuating the Tawana Brawley rape hoax, and a civil jury ordered him to pay $345,000 in libel damages to the prosecutor Steven Pagones.

And, David, let's not forget Sharpton's role in inciting the armed attack on Freddie's Fashion Mart that led to the death of eight people.

"We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business," said Sharpton at the time. Of course, your buddy Al didn't stand by. One of his thug's entered the "white interloper's" store with a gun and flammable liquid. Does that horrible crime ring a bell, David?

How about the Crown Heights riots, and your pal Sharpton's destructive role?

"If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house."

That's what Sharpton said at the time. He also referred to Jewish New Yorkers as "diamond merchants."

You're obviously trying to score points with the Obama campaign. Fine. But at least attempt to achieve that goal without Al Sharpton exposing your hypocrisy.

"Racial coding." Right. You're the only one who seems to be the codebreaker.

- Chris