RochesterWriters

by Jon Greenbaum
I was drinking screwdrivers with my 80 year old grandfather in the kitchenette of his Coney Island coop apartment. He leaned across the table, pointed his finger at the table and said in his thick Yiddish accent, “It was not a revolutionary moment. You have to understand that.”

Superintendent Brizard, photo Joel Bell city newspaper

Carrie Andrews Ignores District At Her Own PerilMingya, this is big. County Legislator Carrie Andrews' campaign is on life support. Someone filed petitions against her for a Democratic Primary and she didn't know anything about it until she got a phone call from the Board of Elections -- a real sign that she has very limited contact and connection with the people she represents.

What do Farrah Fawcett and Sammy Davis, Jr. have in common?

The President's appointment of Vice President Joe Biden to be in charge of Iraqi policy is good news.   Biden was the only senator who seemed to grasp the realities of that country, and one of the very few able to conceive and articulate a policy direction rooted firmly in them.  His understanding of the implications of Iraq's regional distinctions, not all of them obvious, underscored a clear and intelligent view.

Bud Lowell at the controls

... and so much to write about.   Why does everything happen when we're away?

Sen. Pedro Espada -- New York's first Latino Senate President!The media praise will be rolling in, right?And all of our problems are now solved! 

The 30 Republicans in the New York State Senate joined forces today with two dissident Democrats to retake Republican control of the chamber late this afternoon, electing one of the dissidents, Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, as President and reinstating Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Center, as Majority Leader.Ousted former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is expected to challenge the move in court.

From "mark of excellence" to mark of ignorance.We really hope we're wrong, but nationalized General Motors will fare no better than publicly-traded General Motors.