Need fairness in city infrastructure
The entire length of Ten Eyck Avenue in Mont Pleasant and Santa Fe Street from Michigan Avenue to Altamont Avenue are riddled with potholes and ruts, yet every intersection along Ten Eyck Avenue is getting fancy new sidewalks. It doesn’t make any sense.
Rita Smith
Schenectady
Don’t wait to keep Schenectady clean
I moved to Schenectady 43 years ago. I never thought the city was a joke. I cannot say the same for those who run it, especially the new bunch who were elected in 2021. They ran with a chip on their shoulders and personal agendas. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
As for the litter problem, it was never a priority with Mayor McCarthy or the retreads who keep getting re-elected every four years.
I often mentioned the litter problem during City Council meetings. On another occasion, I gave Marion Porterfield a list of streets that needed attention. She told me one of the listed streets was not in the Hamilton Hill area. So much for representation.
My solutions to the litter problem are:
1. The sanitation workers union contract. Change the contract.
2. Let businesses do what is done in other places. Each morning, the business owner is required to sweep the sidewalk and curb before opening its doors for business.
3. Take away the landlords’ permits if they don’t maintain clean properties.
4. Ask teachers to include monthly anti-litter lessons in their lesson plans. Indoctrination should start at K-3 and go to grade 12.
5. Lastly, do as I did. Keep a cardboard box, gloves and reacher in the trunk of the car. When you see little, pick it up.
Folks, it’s your city. Keep it clean now, not five years from now.
Mary McClaine
Schenectady
Save us all from Stefanik nightmare
Elise Stefanik does not deserve another term. Shame on The Gazette for endorsing Stefanik. She voted to overturn a free and fair election, even after over 151 police officers were injured while trying to protect her life. Trump orchestrated the insurrection. All the world knows that.
Elise and the world listened to Trump say to Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State, “I just want you to find 11,780 votes,” the minimum number needed to overcome Biden’s advantage in Georgia.
In other words, commit fraud for me by moving 11,780 votes for Biden into Trump’s column.
Yet, Elise continues to support him and his hate-filled, violence-filled rhetoric fueled by lies upon lies.
Here is a small sampling of what Stefanik has done for her constituents. She voted against: capping the cost of insulin; the bi-partisan infrastructure bill; the Presidential Election Reform Act; Women’s Health Protection Act which prevents government restriction on access to abortion services; the right to access contraception; healthcare coverage for veterans.
She’s in favor of a nationwide ban on abortion, raising the retirement age to 70, and ending Medicare and Social Security as we know it.
Vote for Matt Castelli and save us from the Stefanik-Trump national nightmare.
Katherine Sieg
Gloversville
Don’t blame crime on needed bail reform
I would like to address the claims of an increase in crime due to the bail reforms in New York state.
According to FBI data, 2020 saw an increase in violent crime. Homicides, 1% of violent crime, went up ~25%. It is widely spread over states with Republican and Democratic administrations. Property crime decreased.
There are two logical issues with describing this increase as a result of bail reform. One is the wide distribution of the rise in crime over different political spheres of influence. Blaming various causes in different places doesn’t make any sense. The other logical flaw is explaining how bail prevents crime.
People who pay bail are still back on the streets.
We have a justice system that presumes innocence until proven guilty, but arrest is not proof of guilt. Punishing the poor before trial and conviction is unjust. To improve the process, we should hold only high-risk individuals, regardless of their wealth. And we need fair and rapid trials.
The bail system was seriously flawed. It was a system which seriously affected the poor and somewhat inconvenienced the well off. And made some bail bondsmen rich as they took a 10-15% “fee.” It needed to be scrapped.
Chris Hart
Rexford
Castelli will actually help the 21st district
Matt Castelli has been all over this enormous district and I’ve met him several times. He has impressed me with, first, his commitment to the district and his willingness to meet and engage with people here. I’ve seen him answer questions calmly, respectfully and knowledgeably on all kinds of issues that are important to us here. I also like his background — he was a CIA officer and was Director for Counterterrorism in both the Obama and Trump White Houses.
Elise Stefanik, our current representative, has been in Congress for the past eight years, four of which with a Republican administration and I can’t really point to much that she has done for us. She comes here for elections and to claim credit for securing money for the district when she actually voted against the bills that provided those funds.
She voted against bills that would help veterans, which will allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and will cap drug costs. She is also part of the coarsening of politics, encouraging the worst elements with her words and actions.
I encourage voters in NY21st to vote for Matt Castelli. Go to his website to learn more https://www.castelliforcongress.com/
Ruth Levinton
Johnstown
Keep Santabarbara working for our area
Anyone who lives in Rotterdam knows that Angelo Santabarbara has always been here to support our community, and no one works harder.
His record is clear. He served our country in the military, and he’s never let politics get in the way of doing the right thing. Over the years, he’s delivered increased funding for our police, sheriff and fire departments. Most recently, important funding that helped Rotterdam Fire District 2 get its fire station renovation project underway this year. It’s a much-needed project that will not cost taxpayers, because of Angelo’s support.
With all Angelo does, he also understands how important it is to support our friends with disabilities.
Because of legislation he’s worked on, health care workers can better address the needs of people with disabilities. It was big news when he announced the opening of the first sensory friendly emergency room in the state, and it was right here at Ellis Hospital.
Though we are in a redistricting year and many communities are now part of new assembly districts, here in Rotterdam we are still part of the 111th, and that means we can vote for Angelo Santabarbara for state Assembly and can keep him working for us.
Stephen M. Signore
Rotterdam
No longer support a changed Tedisco
I voted for Jim Tedisco. He seemed concerned about individuals and families as well as pets.
But he has changed. He claims to be tough on crime, but his voting does not reflect that. No on banning ghost guns, no on expanding the Red Flag Law for just a few of his “no” votes. He was against mask mandates during covid and voted no to allowing absentee voting for people concerned about covid. That lacks concern for us. Sadly, I can no longer vote for him.
I will be voting for Michelle Ostrelich on Election Day. After meeting and getting to know her, I see her as a knowledgeable, responsible person who will be looking out for all of us.
She believes our elections need to be protected from manipulation and interference. She will protect our children who are LGBTQ. She will fight for a living wage for all and oppose discrimination of any kind. She is for the people, not just towing a party line as her opponent is. She is willing to get out there and fight to save our democracy. I encourage all to join me and vote for Michelle.
Margaret Brennan
Niskayuna
Republicans want to take away our rights
What does the Republican Party have to offer the American people? What do they offer to make our lives better? Not much.
They have become the party of “no.” No to a woman’s right to choose. No to voting rights. No to sensible gun reform. No to reasonable immigration reform. No to meaningful dialogue that would help address our nation’s challenges. Our nation functions best when our political leaders are willing to work together for the common good. Republicans want to win elections, but not because they offer something better only to win.
When they do win, they don’t solve problems for the common good; they take away our rights.
It is up to us as voters to send the message to political leaders that they are there to serve us. After all, they are called public servants for a reason. Republicans have lost sight of that.
When you think about your vote, think carefully. Your rights may be at stake and your vote counts.
Barbara J. Stowell
Central Bridge
Look at Bucciferro’s record on budgets
David Bucciferro is running for mayor of Scotia. His platform is controlling/reducing taxes, citing his time as Scotia-Glenville school board president as experience.
In 2018, the state Comptroller’s Office audited the district’s budget from 2014-2018, finding that “Appropriations exceed expenditures by $11.1 million or 7.8% from 2014-15 thru 2016-17.”
The board overestimated expenses, taxed us extra, then rolled it over to the next year; exceeding the 4% allowed. According to the comptroller, “unused money should go back to taxpayers in the form of lowered property tax rates.”
New York state allows districts to keep a small amount for unexpected future costs, but not $11.1 million. As a taxpayer, I would welcome a decrease in my tax bill.
School boards are responsible for approving the district budget and expenditures made by district staff.
As president, Mr. Bucciferro was well aware of what was happening, but says, “I don’t go over the tax cap. I won’t go over the tax cap. I will do whatever we need to do to try to stay under it.” When voting, village residents should consider whether he will handle the village budget the way he handled the school budget.
Lynn Trudell Moore
Scotia
Santabarbara will continue to deliver
I’ve been mayor of Amsterdam for almost three years, and I know our city has no better friend or more effective advocate at any level of government than Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara.
What I admire most about Angelo is that he makes it a point to focus on the best interests of his constituents and not partisan politics, regardless of the issue.
He provides Amsterdam with a highly respected, objective and independent voice in the State Assembly.
He’s also a hands-on representative who listens to his constituents and finds ways to help us solve problems. He’s all about doing whatever he can to improve the quality of life in our community, and his record proves it. The most recent victory has been the launch of our CDTA bus service this year.
Without the funding Angelo got for us in the state budget, CDTA would not be here today.
While this year’s redistricting process has forced our city into new congressional and Senate districts, Amsterdam residents are fortunate they can still vote for someone who has delivered big for us time and time again.
Please join me in voting for Amsterdam’s Assemblyman, Angelo Santabarbara, on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 8.
Mike Cinquanti
Amsterdam
Santabarbara hurts area on climate votes
When will Angelo Santabarbara stop deflecting from the real electric bill issues? After all, he’s responsible.
The “All-Electric-Bill” was merged into the 2022 state budget. Politicians like Angelo intentionally hid this from us. He enthusiastically voted “YEA.” He’s on the Assembly Energy Committee; he can’t run from his horrible record. Then he did it again, voting “YEA” on A.8429 “The Climate Protection Act.” The consequences will crush us on our utility bills. Santabarbara must take responsibility for these poor decisions. An apology to the residents is in order.
New York City politicians do not care about upstate or the damage sprawling solar fields will have on our farmlands and countryside. But Angelo should have. Now in Rotterdam, they are pushing a 150-acre solar farm on Sandborn Road, this to make the New York City political machine feel good about themselves. But it’s not in their backyards; it’s in ours! How can Angelo support this?
Manhattan and Albany politicians want NetZero by 2030. Angelo is voting in lock step with them, at a cost to all upstate families. Santabarbara is hoping no one is paying attention. If he’s willing to hurt our communities to get elected, then Santabarbara has got to go.
Renee Mertens
Rotterdam
Stefanik remains firm in her beliefs
I am so sorry to read that Elise was apparently drawn into a ‘trick’ by Gazette columnist Andrew Waite in his Oct. 23 column (“Dear Elise…”)
It appears that he lured her into feeling comfortable in believing she could be very open in your conversation with him. In actuality, he used her words to write a negative article about her. Conveniently, just before elections. However, that is oftentimes the job of a reporter/columnist. C’est la vie!
Mr. Waite repeats the ‘mantra’ that Mr. Trump lied in regard to the results of the past election. Well, thousands of us know what we witnessed, what was going on during the voting; and for sure, we don’t need the media or anyone else telling us what they say did not occur. There are multiple incidents, still out there on video, which verify what was actually happening. Also, advisories from the U. S. Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency state the Dominion voting machines have the potential to be breached and are shown to have nine vulnerabilities. Though I am not a supporter of Mr. Trump, I applaud Elise for remaining firm in her beliefs regarding Mr. Trump. Wishing Elise all the best!
Flora L. Ramonowski
Schenectady
Santabarbara a good son, assemblyman
As Italian immigrants, we came here years ago with nothing but hopes and dreams. Our son, Angelo Santabarbara, was the first to be born here. Today, we’re so grateful to see him have the opportunities we never had here in the United States of America. He was the first in our family to go to college; he served our country in the US Army Reserve, became a civil engineer when he got home, and he now serves the community we came to call home as our assemblyman.
Angelo grew up in Mont Pleasant in the city of Schenectady. He saw how hard we worked and how much we struggled when we got here. As a husband and a father, he’s now raising his family the same way we raised him — he knows every dollar counts. We watch him day after day working to help families save money during these times of inflation. We’re so proud to know that the family values we taught him guide his work in the State Assembly.
We hope you will join us in voting for our son, Angelo, on Nov. 8. For us, for him, there’s nothing is more important than family. Distinti saluti.
Angelo & Maria Santabarbara
Rotterdam
Save America from far right and Stefanik
Understanding what is fact or fiction is difficult for Elise Stefanik. She claims she supports “The Blue.” The fact is she supported the attack on the police during the Jan. 6 seditious rebellion. Over 140 policemen and policewomen were injured during the attack. Some injuries were serious enough to kill a few, and others have permanent injuries. That fact is not supporting “The Blue.” In supporting the coup attempt, Elise has also supported domestic terrorism.
People of District 21, we cannot vote for someone who is against the rule of law and law enforcement.
Elise puts her own personal gains ahead of American values.
Fact: Matt Castelli fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was counterterrorism director under Obama and Trump. He loves America more than power and deserves the vote of every constituent in District 21.
Save America from the far right extremist Elise Stefanik. Vote for Matt Castelli.
William Nelson
Canajoharie
Hochul has hurt the state in several ways
For her time in office, Kathy Hochul has done three important things. She fired 250,000 low paying state workers for not getting the shot. She assessed $650 million to build a new Buffalo football stadium. Did anyone know about this? It seems her husband is involved with the new stadium. The most important item was that it is now mandatory of New York state campuses to use the proper pronouns. What a relief to know everyone has to acknowledge these special people. ‘They’ instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’ because really, they are two.
In her debate, she asked why crime was so important to her opponent really? Other than inflation it is the most important item. The murders, the lootings, no bail, no jail. Welcome to Berlin 1939.
Geraldine Krawitz
Saratoga Springs
Vote for candidate who stands up for us
I served our country in the Marines and I’m proud to support my friend, and a friend of all veterans, Angelo Santabarbara for state Assembly.
Angelo served our country in the Army Reserve right out of high school, and we’re fortunate to have someone like him serving us in public office. I can tell you that those of us who served in our nation’s armed forces always stand up for what’s right and never leave anyone behind, and Angelo has delivered.
He came through for us with new legislation that created the New York State Division of Veteran Services to better serve our veterans, increased access to Veteran Treatment Courts and the Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Program to help veterans struggling with PTSD.
I joined the service to protect our families, our values and our country. I know Angelo Santabarbara does that for us in the Assembly with honesty and integrity. His love and dedication for his family and our community can be seen in everything he does. We need more of that from all our elected representatives.
Robert Becker, USMC
Schenectady
Stefanik supports Trump’s awful ideas
Compare 1930s Hitler’s Germany to “The lying press, Fake News” Trump. Germany: denigration of Jews and other non-Aryans. Trump supporters: denigration of Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians. Germany: violent para-military street enforcers-Brown Shirts. Trump supporters: para-military street enforcers/Proud Boys, etc. Hitler’s Germany: “Jews are murderers and rapists.” Trump: southern border immigrants are “murderers and rapists.” Germany: concentration camps and walled ghettos to contain Jews. Trump: internment of immigrants at the southern border, a wall to keep immigrants out. Germany: violent pro-Hitler demonstrations. Trump supporters: violent pro-Trump demonstrations (Jan. 6 Insurrection.) In 1930s Germany, the vile medieval idea was spread that Jews killed and ate Christian children. Qanon supporters are currently spreading the false belief that Jews kill Christian boys to use their blood.
Trump supports these groups and beliefs, coming straight from his mouth (“lying press, murderers and rapists, let’s build a wall.”)
Elise Stefanik is a big Trump supporter. Even if she doesn’t believe these things, her support of Trump condones these ideas (she knows where her bread is buttered). In Germany, this led to a fascist government and mass murder. Might this be repeated with Trump and his supporters? Scary idea. Vote for Matt Castelli for Congress.
Jahnn Swanker-Gibson
Johnstown
Library grateful for community support
The Friends of the Gloversville Library would like to thank everyone who helped to make the basket raffle fundraiser a success.
First, the people who donated baskets: Vince and Jean LaPorta, John and Patti Franco, Lance Gunderson and Barbara Madonna, Mike and Sue Shrader, Linda Stevens, John and Ginni Mazur, Richard Stack and Nancy Krawczeski, Sheri Peto, Sally Ostrander, Barbara Shell, Barbara Leo, Colleen Peck, The Kingsboro Garden Club, the GPL staff, the GPL Trustees, Sandy Maceyka, Christina Maxson, Mike and Lynn Kicinski, and the GPL Friends.
Thank you to Trina Zimmerman for the beautiful wrapping of the baskets, Linda Callahan who created the tags for the baskets, Mary Trainor for creating the raffle tickets and the flyers, and Jenna Krawczeski for helping to run off tickets. Thank you, Sonny Duross and Lex Lanza, for your help with advertising on the website.
Thank you to the Gloversville Retired Teachers for their generous donation. With everyone’s help, The Friends continue to support the beautiful library in Gloversville.
A special thank you to everyone that bought tickets and congratulations to all the lucky winners.
If you’re interested in becoming a Friend, contact the library or check out their website.
Nancy Krawczeski
Amsterdam
McGahay will make a great justice in 4th
I am writing to express my support for Allison McGahay for Supreme Court justice of the 4th Judicial District. I am a Glens Falls native, a Vietnam combat veteran and a former state Supreme Court Appellate Division Justice in Albany and Manhattan. Supreme Court candidate Allison McGahay was one of the best and the brightest law school interns I ever had. She was so good that I have followed her career in both public service and private practice.
Like Ms. McGahay, my legal career has been divided between private practice and public service, including 15 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in upstate and northern New York.
Allison McGahay has spent her career in public service and private practice, as a former prosecutor, an appointee of Gov. George Pataki at the state Board of Elections, and an Essex County elections commissioner. Allison McGahay has the right experience to be an excellent justice. Please do the right thing for the region and for the citizens of the 11 counties in the 4th Judicial District. Vote for Allison McGahay for Justice of the New York State Supreme Court.
Bernard “Bud” Malone Jr.
Delmar
The writer is a retired state Supreme Court justice for the 3rd Judicial District.
Don’t believe that Stefanik will change
We all are entitled to our opinion regarding political candidates and The Gazette has made it crystal clear they endorse Elise Stefanik.
To suggest we should “hope” she will rise above the pettiness and divisiveness? Seriously? She’s not going to do that. Standing next to the sign with “F” Joe Biden? Coarse and disrespectful? Ya think?
She’s where she is by doing just that, and loudly. Her aspirations are not what they were when she began. As long as she continues to be a megaphone for all that Trump, McCarthy, McConnell, et. al. hold dear, her ascent will continue. They all continue the spread of lies by constantly repeating the lies. All for their own benefit, not ours, and to hold onto their overpaid “jobs.”
I, for one, am very disappointed in your endorsement of her. But you’re entitled to your opinion as we all are. Hoping people will change when this behavior has emboldened them? Not happening.
Mary Baker
Perth
Hope Santabarbara will continue efforts
As a county legislator, I’ve worked with many people over the years, and I’m proud to call Angelo Santabarbara a friend of Schenectady County.
Both as a member of the Schenectady County Legislature years ago, and now as our state representative, Angelo has always been there to support our community in any way he can. Over the years, he’s delivered important funding to our county, including safety upgrades to the Plotterkill Preserve in Rotterdam, the Project Lifesaver program at the sheriff’s office that helps keep people with disabilities safe, and he’s made some much-needed investments in our roads and bridges and infrastructure.
I also want to thank Assemblyman Santabarbara for his action on the St. Clare’s pension issue.
He met with the St. Clare’s retirees personally every step of the way and ensured they would not be forgotten. I’m hopeful that his continued efforts combined with those of Attorney General Letitia James will lead to a fair and just solution for the pensioners.
Gary Hughes
Schenectady
The writer is a Schenectady County legislator—District 2, City of Schenectady.
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Categories: Clifton Park and Halfmoon, Letters to the Editor, Opinion, Opinion, Rotterdam, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Scotia Glenville, Your Niskayuna
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F—JoeBiden is very concerned about any illegal activities Hunter Biden may have been involved in as a member of the board of Burisma. I am posting a story from the WP (10/6) that clearly explains where that investigation is at right now. Before you read it, keep in mind that President Biden has not interfered in this case at all. Ask yourself if the case against Hunter Biden involves matters as serious as stealing and keeping top secret government documents in an unsecured location in Mar-a-Lago. Some sensitive documents were in a drawer in Trump’s office desk. Did Biden or Trump show more willingness to facilitate the investigations into their potential wrongdoing, by cooperating with investigators? Remember we listened to a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in which Trump threatened to withhold military aid approved by Congress unless President Zelenskyy did him a favor. The request: Dig up dirt on Joe Biden. When finally forced to give testimony in the investigation into his company’s tax and insurance fraud investigation, Trump plead the 5th 440 times. The NY post article:
Federal agents investigating President Biden’s son Hunter have gathered what they believe is sufficient evidence to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to people familiar with the case. The next step is for the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, a Trump administration holdover, to decide on whether to file such charges, these people said.
The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018, and became a central focus for then-president Donald Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 reelection effort. Initially, the investigation centered around Hunter Biden’s finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work. Over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether he did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, according to the people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.
Agents determined months ago they had assembled a viable criminal case against the younger Biden. But it is ultimately up to prosecutors at the Justice Department, not agents, to decide whether to file charges in cases where prosecutors believe the evidence is strong enough to lead to a likely conviction at trial.
Dear mayor of the DG opinion page. As per my earlier post about Quid pro quo Uncle Joe. Rather than allowing the MSM media tell you what to think why don’t you go to Google put in Joe Biden CSPAN Council on Foreign Relations 01/23/2018 it takes about 2 minutes to watch. See and hear with your own eyes and ears.
You obviously did not read my entire post.
Blah, Blah, Blah!!!
“At a campaign rally in Iowa, President Donald Trump cited an unsubstantiated news report to revive a widely debunked false narrative about Joe Biden’s work in Ukraine on behalf of the Obama administration.
As we have reported more than once last year, Biden traveled to Kyiv as vice president and warned Ukraine’s then-president, Petro Poroshenko, that the U.S. would withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees until Ukraine removed its prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, who was widely viewed as corrupt.
At the time, the international community and anti-corruption advocates in Ukraine were also calling for Shokin to be removed from office for his failure to aggressively prosecute corruption.
But Trump has repeatedly distorted the facts about Biden’s work in Ukraine to baselessly accuse his Democratic rival of seeking Shokin’s removal to help his son, Hunter, who at the time was a board member of a Ukraine gas company called Burisma. He left the board in 2019.
In Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 14, Trump cited “explosive documents” published earlier that day by the New York Post to revive his widely discredited claim that Biden “went to Ukraine and threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid if they did not fire the prosecutor that was investigating his son and the company that his son worked for.”
As we’ve written, there’s no evidence Hunter Biden was being investigated.
The president made this line of attack against Biden a central campaign theme last year — until a whistleblower last fall alleged Trump had pressured newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25, 2019, phone call to investigate Burisma, Biden and his son, Hunter. The administration released a memo of the phone call that confirmed the whistleblower’s account, and a subsequent House investigation confirmed that the Trump administration withheld U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to pressure Zelensky to publicly announce that he would launch the investigations sought by Trump.
As a result, the president was impeached by the House in December for abusing his office and obstructing the House investigation.
Undeterred, the president at the Iowa rally cited unverified emails allegedly sent and received by Hunter Biden that had been obtained by the New York Post from Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as evidence that “Joe Biden has been blatantly lying about his involvement in his son’s corrupt business dealings.”
But the Post story and Hunter Biden’s emails — which may or may not be authentic — don’t support Trump’s claims.
In one of several stories on Hunter Biden, the New York Post wrote about a “smoking-gun email” that it claims proves the Democratic presidential nominee helped his son and Burisma. The story is based on a photo of an email that Vadym Pozharskyi, an adviser to the board of Burisma, allegedly sent to Hunter Biden to “thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together.” We have no way to verify that the email is authentic.
The Biden campaign says “no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place” because it wasn’t on Biden’s schedule. Of course, that isn’t evidence a meeting didn’t occur — but the email (if authentic) isn’t evidence that a meeting did occur, either. The New York Post did not confirm that the meeting happened, and it’s unclear from the email if the meeting did occur.
“There was no meeting. Period. I was in all of the Vice President’s meetings that touched on Ukraine, and I’d never heard of this guy until now,” Mike Carpenter, who was Biden’s lead adviser for Ukraine at the time, said in a statement provided to us by the campaign. “This has all the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign.”
We asked the Biden campaign about the authenticity of the emails and the claim that the laptop belonged to Hunter Biden, and it referred us to Hunter Biden’s attorney. We will update this story if we get a response.
Citing another email from that same story, Trump said that “the same Ukrainian energy executive even sent Hunter an email saying quote ‘we urgently need your advice on how you could use your influence.’ In other words, Hunter was being paid for access to his vice president father who was specifically put in charge of Ukraine and Russia.”
Trump is referring to a May 12, 2014, email Pozharskyi allegedly sent to Hunter Biden that asked for “advice on how you could use your influence” to help Burisma. Again, we don’t know if the email is authentic, but even so, the email isn’t evidence that Hunter Biden agreed to use his “influence” with his father to help Burisma. And it certainly isn’t evidence that Joe Biden did anything to help Burisma.
Another story by the New York Post published the same day included an April 13, 2014, memo purportedly written by Hunter Biden to one of his partners, Devon Archer. The New York Post says in the memo Hunter Biden “repeatedly mentioned ‘my guy’ while apparently referring to then-Vice President Joe Biden.”
The memo said: “The announcement of my guys [sic] upcoming travels should be characterized as part of our advice and thinking- but what he will say and do is out of our hands.” It was written about a week before Biden, as vice president, visited Kyiv, where he talked about anti-corruption efforts during a press conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution.
Biden’s April 22, 2014, press conference came a few months after Viktor Yanukovych, the former pro-Russia president of Ukraine, fled to Russia during the revolution.
“Ukrainians have also made clear that after an era of staggering public theft — not debt, public theft — that they will no longer accept corruption from public officials,” Biden said at the press conference. “Your former leader had to run in hiding for fear that after everyone saw the excesses to which his theft had taken him and others. The fact of the matter is I’m of the view — and it’s presumptuous to ever tell another man what his country thinks — but I’m of the view that Ukrainians east, west, north and south are just sick and tired of the corruption.”
Under the new regime, Shokin became prosecutor general in early 2015. But he failed “to indict any major figures from the Yanukovych administration for corruption,” according to testimony that John E. Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush, gave in March 2016 to a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Ukraine has had a long line of prosecutors whose function has not been to enforce the law, but to perform the political function of selectively prosecuting political enemies and to hold out the threat of prosecution in order to secure political loyalty and compliance. Shokin was precisely that kind of prosecutor,” Keith Darden, an associate professor at American University’s School of International Service, told us in an email for a story last year. “He would open cases as a way of holding the threat of prosecution over a business, but he did not actually prosecute cases.”
Biden later publicly disclosed that on another trip to Kyiv he told Ukraine’s new leadership that Shokin needed to be removed, warning that the U.S. would withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees until Shokin was replaced. (Biden did not say when he made the threat, but he addressed the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv on Dec. 9, 2015, and dangled the prospect of future U.S. aid if the country rid itself of the “cancer of corruption.”)
“I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,” Biden recalled in remarks at an event hosted in January 2018 by the Council on Foreign Relations. “Well, son of a bitch. He got fired.”
Trump repeatedly cites Biden’s January 2018 remarks as evidence that the former vice president pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin because he was investigating Burisma.
But, as we said, the evidence shows Biden was carrying out U.S. policy, and the United States was not alone in pressuring Ukraine to fire Shokin.
In February 2016, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde threatened to withhold $40 billion unless Ukraine undertook “a substantial new effort” to fight corruption after the country’s economic minister and his team resigned to protest government corruption. That same month, a “reform-minded deputy prosecutor resigned, complaining that his efforts to address government corruption had been consistently stymied by his own prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin,” according to a Jan. 3, 2017, Congressional Research Service report.
“After President Poroshenko complained that Shokin was taking too long to clean up corruption even within the [Prosecutor General’s Office] itself, he asked for Shokin’s resignation,” the CRS report said. Shokin submitted his resignation in February 2016 and was removed a month later.
It’s important to note, too, that Trump is citing from unverified emails that were allegedly obtained in a bizarre way by his own lawyer. According to the Post, the emails were found on a laptop that had been abandoned at a Delaware computer repair store, and the shop owner turned it over to the FBI but before doing so he “made a copy of the hard drive and later gave it to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello.”
As we documented earlier this year, Giuliani has visited Ukraine and worked with current and former officials there in an attempt to obtain information damaging to Biden.
More recently, we wrote that Giuliani had been working with Andriy Derkach, who has been identified by the U.S. intelligence community as a “pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian” who is “spreading claims about corruption … to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party.” Those were the words of National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina, who issued an “election threat update” on Aug. 7 that said: “Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time Trump is using material obtained from questionable sources against a Democratic opponent.
As we wrote in 2016, then-candidate Trump used hacked materials released by WikiLeaks to repeatedly distort the facts about then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the final days of the 2016 campaign. In that case, the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, which is responsible for intelligence collection for the Russian military, hacked into computer servers of the Democratic National Committee and party officials and released the hacked material to WikiLeaks and others “to help President-elect Trump’s election chances,” the U.S. intelligence community said in 2017. A counterintelligence investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller resulted in multiple indictments against Russians and Russian companies.
Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that the GRU successfully hacked Burisma’s computers.
“The timing of the Russian campaign mirrors the G.R.U. hacks we saw in 2016 against the D.N.C. and [Clinton campaign chairman] John Podesta,” Oren Falkowitz, co-founder of Area 1, a security firm that discovered the hacking attempts, told the Times. “Once again, they are stealing email credentials, in what we can only assume is a repeat of Russian interference in the last election.”
We don’t know at this point how Giuliani obtained emails and documents that purportedly belong to Hunter Biden. But we do know that they don’t support Trump’s baseless accusations against Joe Biden.”
The above is a report by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheck.org. It is lengthy but worth reading as a response to FJB’s claim that President Biden was involved in some sort of quid pro quo with former Ukrainian President Proshenko to fire Shokin, a Ukrainian prosecutor because he was involved in an investigation of Hunter Biden.
Now that’s blah, blah, blah but if you took an hour to read it and think about, you might learn something.
I did, I just learned everything you said is untrue. The Hunter laptop which you personally told me when it came out was Russian disinformation but we have since proven that it is real. Wrong!! You were so wrong back then and the echo chamber continued to tell me I didn’t know what I was talking about. Now to your copy-and-paste story, it is all on the said computer of Hunters, and the corrupt DOJ is burying it so again all you said is untrue. The good news is that many people have a copy of the hard drive.
What??????
You told me on here that the Hunter laptop was not real. I’m sure you forgot… Right!!
What are you referencing? I never said Hunter’s laptop wasn’t real. Please copy and reprint anything I said about Hunter’s laptop not being real. It shouldn’t be hard to find since you write “You told me on HERE (emphasis added) that the Hunter laptop was not real.”That doesn’t even make sense. I am sure he has a laptop and that it is as real as anyone else’s.
Still waiting for that proof, Bill…
Make an accusation, better back it up like a grownup.
Wow, look at all those letters to the editor today, it seems the liberals are on a crusade. I wander what is happening all of a sudden? Could it be the crime is through the roof in New York? Could it be we’re paying much more money for food and gas in New York? Could it be our schools are not delivering to the children in New York? If any of these questions match what you were thinking just realize who has been running the state of New York. Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul let’s not forget about Tonko and Santa Barbara. Yes there are some Republicans as well running New York but you can’t get much done when Congress and the Senate and the presidency belong to the democrats. All these liberals want to make everything about Trump, he’s not on the ballot anywhere and he has not said that he’s on the ballot in 24. Did any of you ask Elise Stefanik why she didn’t vote to certify the election? No you didn’t you just assumed and you all know what they say about assumed. One letter says that SantaBarbara is supported because of his military affiliation, I still don’t know what his military affiliation was, was he deployed what was his MOS and for those who don’t know , that means job in the military. What about all the lies that SantaBarbara made about water meters in Rotterdam knowing that it was the Democrat administration before this that set that plan up. Who wants to vote for a liar because Angelo sure is one.
It’s very peculiar that Stefanik voted not to certify the presidential election, but was silent on whether she legitimately won her own election. If she’s going to be in the business of questioning some elections, she should be questioning ALL elections, including her own. How did she receive 58.8% of the votes in her district, but Donald Trump only received 54.2% in the SAME district? If there was going to be cheating, it would only make sense to cheat on both the US House, AND Presidential ticket, no!? I’m sure you’ll come up some wild theory, but maybe, just maybe, upstaters thought she did a pretty good job representing her district and deserved another term, AND that they were over Trump’s nonsense and ineffectiveness as president.
Yes, Whoville–that is the very issue that they choose to ignore. It was rigged only for the president, but not for them. It is utterly ridiculous, but that doesn´t seem to matter anymore.
She didn’t vote to certify the election because she sees her pathway to power through an alliance with Trump. He has already said he might choose her to run as his VP should he make a bid for the Republican nomination in 2024.
How many of us have had the opportunity to speak to her directly? The fact is she did side with Trump in his election lies even though in 2015 she was an anti-Trump moderate Republican. It is fairly safe to infer from these facts that her decision not to certify demonstrates she puts her ambition ahead of what’s best for the country.
He’s not going to answer. They only come here to pollute any discussion with impulsive outrage and then leave. Or just to see what kind of reaction they can get (the cry for attention).
Because it’s about THEM! dammit.
All the suffering and oppression the poor beleaguered white Christians have suffered!
They believe they’re a special class (Donald Trump told them they’re very special).
They have their rights!!!!
And they also have the best boat parades, and pickup trucks, and hot babes and obscene banners, and multiple flag poles in their yards proclaiming their devotion and hopes for Trump/JFKjr. 2024r dream ticket and some weird-looking skull thing that’s supposed to scare us all.
They deserve to rule!!!
Or something like that.
Happy Holidays Libs, and stop eating the babies! Dammit!
You hit the nail on the head with those observations!
Maybe instead of showing up here to wear your pain and hurt feelings on your sleeves, try a small amount of digging for the truth, and you won’t sound like such a crybaby. This took 11.85 seconds to find:
“Santabarbara served in the United States Army Reserves for eight years with an honorable discharge in 1998, and has remained involved with local veterans organizations. He is the founder of the first AMVETS Post in his hometown of Rotterdam and served as Post Commander from 2012-2015. He worked as a Civil Engineer for more than 15 years before entering politics. ”
-wikipedia
I would like some of the MAGA supporters to tell us exactly what the Republican party plans on doing to fight inflation and other problems, many of them not really problems but issues involving culture and values, other than “TAX BREAKS FOR THE TOP EARNERS!”
Will those solutions be as successful as the Wall Trump promised Mexico would pay for? His never revealed Health care plan that would be cheaper and better than the ACA? hydrochloriquine to cure COVID?
Maybe MR. Marincic will research that for us.
I don’t need to, Congress will stop the student college giveaway and they will also by legislation open up our energy which will come down and will lower prices. Did you know that we are running out of diesel fuel, you know, the stuff trucks use to move our food and merchandise? Biden has left us very little petroleum reserves to make diesel fuel, you think the store shelves were empty during the pandemic, but you ain’t seen anything yet. Google it, and do some real research.
“Google it, and do some real research.”
Good lord, what a trainwreck. Why is there a diesel shortage, Bill. Tell us. And don’t bother including the term “Keystone” because we all know that has nothing to do with it.
Why is there a shortage?
Did you know that P(ayroll) P(rotection P(lan) loans given to support businesses owned by luminaries on your side of the political divide such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz have also been forgiven? Where are your comments and your outrage about forgiveness of those federal loans?
Was he deployed?
Could you please read for yourself and figure it out on your own? No one’s going to spoonfeed you because like a child you’ll just spit it out.
We don’t need a copy and paste anti Trump diatribe.
You obviously do.
Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Santabarbara from a voice here in the peanut gallery. Know that many of us recognize how Angelo has upheld the standard of “public servant” and we are grateful for the work he’s done, and hopefully will do. He’s obviously of good stock.
Grazie mille!
Below are the reactions of Senator Graham and Trump himself to a possible indictment of the former president:
Trump: The nation would face “problems…the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen.” The tortured syntax is typical of Trump’s statements.
Graham: There will be “riots in the streets.”
From the NY Post:
“In April, after White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Biden “is confident that his son didn’t break the law,” Garland was asked at a Senate hearing about how the Justice Department is handling the case.
Weiss “is in charge of that investigation. There will not be interference of any political or improper kind,” Garland answered. ‘We put the investigation in the hands of a Trump appointee from the previous administration’.”
Biden did not rage against this clear decision to allow the judicial process to follow its course in his son’s case. One could argue, that Trump and Graham were sending a message to the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other white supremacists to once again :”Stand back and standby.”
Who is on the side of law and order and who looks to violence should they be indicted? I’ll let each of us decide.
Mr Marincic, The following is a copy of a few of your statements made in the post above. Just thought I would give you and other readers a alternate using your language with a few changes that apply to Florida. Could it be the crime is through the roof in New York? ( Currently, Florida is ranked as the 3rd most dangerous state in America. Always be aware of your surroundings when traveling). Could it be we’re paying much more money for food and gas in New York? (About equal) Could it be our schools are not delivering to the children in New York? (Florida is about 6 to 9 THOUSAND teachers short due to pay and no improvement on the horizon)If any of these questions match what you were thinking just realize who has been running the state of New York. (Florida, Ron DeSantis and Rebublican Legislature for 20 plus years) Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul let’s not forget about Tonko and Santa Barbara. Yes there are some Republicans as well running New York (Florida One Democrat in state wide government. will be gone after Nov election) Finally I will outdo you for the cost of what was modest homes and insurance for those modest homes with home insurance in crisis. But hey we slapped down Disney and the cruise Industry really good. So come on down and give it a try to buy a modest house, insure it and throw in car insurance that is twice as much as the Capitol District area. And all run by Republicans. And we made the choice to move to be nearer family so it’s on me, and better weather (hurricanes aside, two near misses in 5 years).
I have heard that about Florida a in certain areas. People seem to forget it was mostly uninhabitable areas and the army engineers create canals and it drained areas. Most of the housing at first in the 50’s were modest a lot of mobil homes. There was a good reason for that. If you build near or next to a body of water like an ocean Mother Nature will surely visit that house in the form of tidal surge during a hurricane. I was station in Fort Walton beach better known as lower Alabama. I agree there were some areas you didn’t hang out in unless you were from there. Still there are places like Ocala that center state and has some reasonably priced properties and the FEMA insurance is not horrible. Depends on how fancy of house you have. I would love to stay in NY the political climate is less than favorable and hopefully Kathy Jokal will be voted out and we can find the center again. Maybe be a snow bird in Florida when I retire.
Try learning something, anything. Hyper development began long before when south Florida was seen to be the new tropical paradise for the rich in the early 1900’s and plans were laid to drain the Everglades.
I happened to live in Orlando in the early 1980s for four years and when I recently revisited almost nothing was the same. Florida is Western Avenue in Guilderland run amok, and on steroids.
Interesting article in the WSJ about where white suburban women stand going into the midterms. “The new survey shows that white women living in suburban areas, who make up 20% of the electorate, now favor Republicans for Congress by 15 percentage points, moving 27 percentage points away from Democrats since the Journal’s August poll. It also suggests that the topic of abortion rights has faded in importance after Democrats saw energy on that issue this summer in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“We’re talking about a collapse, if you will, in that group on the perceptions of the economy,” said Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio who conducted the poll with Democratic pollster John Anzalone. The poll showed that 54% of white suburban women think the U.S. is already in a recession and 74% think the economy is headed in the wrong direction.” That counters the info that was spread in this forum and again it always comes down to peoples wallets. Democrats are riding the democracy, abortion, Trump train and missing the train that hurts people the most, the economic train. Biden’s giving a speech tonight addressing our democracy, of course he is. His gaslighting of the economy is falling on deaf ears as the WSJ points out. Not a good poll going into next Tuesday for the lefties.
If we don’t make certain the democracy train stays on the rails all of us ordinary people will suffer far more pain than any we have as a result of the current inflation, which is primarily due to supply-chain problems and corporate greed. If your statistics are accurate predictions of the election outcomes I fear for all our futures.
If MAGA Republicans gain complete control of the government you will see severe cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, if not the outright elimination of these programs. And that will only be the beginning. Huge tax cuts for the wealthiest will be enacted and the people will be lectured on supply side economics, told how that money will “trickle down” to them as entrepreneurs have extra investment money. It never has worked and it never will.
Women and other minorities will find themselves stripped of far more than abortion rights. Transgender youths will suffer shaming and humiliation rather than medical treatment. Gays and lesbians will not be allowed to marry. I have never understood why people are against extending marriage rights. What negative impact do those marriages have on the majority straight population? Heterosexuals may see birth control outlawed. Of course, all of this will be done to keep far right Christian fanatics on their side. We’ll say Christian prayers in school. To hell (literally?) with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and all other minority religions. First amendment rights to freedom of religion will be ignored.
All of those MAGA Republicans who gained power by “hook or crook” will infect and corrupt every government agency. As Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Those of you who haven’t voted yet, please make sure your vote is an informed one.
The “election to keep our democracy” is just more gaslighting by the lefties. We hear it every election cycle along with Republicans being racist, misogynists, and all of the other gaslighting terms that you use. Election 2024, we’ll hear the same rhetoric, 2026 the same rhetoric, on and on and on. It never changes.
We also hear it at those rallies the leader of your party throws every few hours where he gets to regugitate his indignation at having his throne stolen but still soak up the love from you minions who voted for him.
America has valid concerns about the lack of discipline the Rspublicans are showing regarding fair elections.
Do you think it is gaslighting to point out that denying the validity of democratic elections is a tool of authoritarians? Read this book to discover other tools used by authoritarians to achieve and hang on to power:”How Democracies Die” by Levitsky and Ziblatt. You may find out why many of usfear the MAGA movement and its leaders.
Is it gaslighting to direct you to a threat made against democracy by Wisconsin’s gubernatorial candidate? From the “Insider” and verified by audiovideo coverage Michels was unaware of at the time:
” Wisconsin GOP candidate Tim Michels said Republicans would never lose a race in the state should he become governor, concerning opponents that he would take steps to alter election results once in office.
American Bridge 21st Century, a left-leaning political action committee, released an audio clip Monday of Michels recorded during a campaign event in Jackson County, Wisconsin. Michels is running for governor against Democratic incumbent Governor Tony Evers.
“Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I’m elected governor,” Michels, who co-owns the state’s largest construction company, can be heard saying.
In response to the audio clip, posted on Twitter, Evers replied, saying: ‘Tim Michels is a danger to our democracy.”
Senators Ron Johnson and Rick Scott have called for periodic reviews of Social Security and Medicare with the option, which they favor, of cutting benefits. How about just raising the FICA tax income limit (currently $147,000) to whatever is needed to save current and future promised benefits? Oh, the rich might have to pay more in FICA taxes. Damn!
Ron Johnson and Rick Scott called for a periodic review of Social Security so that we won’t get caught off guard by it being insolvent, see that’s what real leaders do, they find a solution before the damn breaks. For 50 years liberals have said the Republicans will end Social Security and it never happened. It was Democrats that raided Social Security.
Really BM, take a breath, relax a while and really think. As I pointed out the solvency of Social Security and Medicare could easily be insured by raising the income level subject to FICA taxes beyond the current $147,000 annually.
You can not see it because you won’t open your eyes, but MAGA leaders like Johnson and Scott are interested in increasing the wealth and power of the top 1% not puny little you and me.
From Google, Wickipedia: “Scott was pressured to resign as chief executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997. During his tenure as chief executive, the company defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs.”
I think “Blah Blah Blah” was the smartest thing he ever said on here. How is scrutinizing the Pelosi home crime scene going? Please give me an update.
The idiotic claim that glass on the outside of the window was evidence someone broke out of the house not into it was made by Trump on a podcast. The San Francisco Chief of Police quickly made a statement denying the ridiculous claim, without naming Trump.
Like Hillary’s emails, Benghazi .Antifa was responsible for Jan 6th and other nonsense He will repeat it over and over like it a fact ….It doesn’t matter to him if it’s factual. it only matters if it fits his narrative
If that is true then why do all of the videos show the glass outside on the ground?
You should go outside of your home break a window with a hammer and see where the glass lands …now after your first hit yank the hammer our fast in the hole you just made ….let me know what you find out ok?
I’m actually laughing as I read what BM posts. How detached from reality can you get? He wants to debate whether smashing a window from outside or inside could result in glass fragments inside and/or outside?
Did he ever stop to ask himself another question? Why would Paul Pelosi or the intruder be breaking a glass window to get out? It makes no sense. In addition to no supporting evidence we see a blatant lack of logic, really common sense.
On another note and replying to the letter above. “The mother of a 30-year-old Buffalo woman who was killed by her estranged husband told The Post that Gov. Kathy Hochul was just as responsible for the brutal slaying as the man who pulled the trigger.
The mother of Keaira Bennefield spoke about her daughter’s execution-style death on Oct. 5 when Adam Bennefield allegedly crashed into her car, pulled out a shotgun and killed her.
Adam Bennefield had been released from jail less than 24 hours before the killing for savagely beating Keaira in an on-camera attack.”
The guy beats the piss out of her, which is on video, and gets released due to Hochul’s bail reform laws. Within 24 hours after release he executes her. These stories have been played out over and over and over. Why is it society’s fault that people dont have the financial ability to bail themselves out? Dont you think they shoud think about that before committing a violent crime? How many people have to die or get hurt before this garbage law gets changed? Why not give that same compassion to the mother when he pummeled her like a rag doll? To the gentleman who wrote the letter to the editor, I say this in all due respect, you can take your bail reform statistics and shove them were the sun doesn’t shine. We see with our eyes and ears whats happening in the streets. The lefties have blood on there hands with this abortion of a law.
Just another Willie Horton during election season …..Nothing is perfect …..Revisions could be needed …A tweak here and a tweak there. I would like to see some compassion to the140 Capitol Police that were injured during the Jan. 6th insurrection from you first though. Remember when Republicans stood for Law and Order? And maybe through in a little compassion for Mr. Paul Pelosi while you are at it please
Are u kidding me? You spun bail reform to Jan 6 and Paul Pelosi. You are one sick dude sir, ate up in my opinion. I dont care what you would like to see, who the hell are you? Nothing is perfect you say and the woman was slaughtered by that animal, nothing to see here right Guy? Its a democratic policy, thats all u care about, she shouldve hidden better right? Willie Horton – unfreakingreal response by an angry old man.
Plenty to see there….If you see it with open eyes …..What if he made bail? Would you blame the judge then? Like I said Bail reform needs to be tweaked here and there. Stay calm ..Things will get better…..Try going mudding to relax …And yes nothing is perfect …In total bail reform is working on the most part
“Under current Empire State laws, judges cannot weigh the “dangerousness” of a perp in considering bail. It meant that the judge who freed Bennefield could not even consider that he had gone to prison for 15 years previously for kidnapping another ex at gunpoint in 2000.” This is Guy Varoma and Kathy Hochuls New York. Sick.
What Mr. Flynn says is partially true but not entirely. He is correct in saying that NY state does not allow consideration of the potential danger of someone awaiting trial in setting bail. However. though he implies a person’s criminal record cannot be considered, in fact, their criminal record can be considered.
The primary purpose of bail is to insure a person charged will show up for trial. It does seem unfair to allow wealthy people to walk free while awaiting trial while poorer people languish in places like Riker’s.
It is a complicated issue and our state is working through it. Recent legislation ordered that people charged with non-violent crimes should not be incarcerated because they can’t raise the money for bail.
The MAGA fringe has turned this worthwhile discussion into a divisive issue; they have simplified it and made it another red flag in their crusade of hatred, their attempts to demonize and blame “others” for our problems.
There is no perfect answer. Some wealthy people out on bail continue criminal behavior. Let’s try to be reasonable and fair to all who are caught up in the criminal justice system.
A typically rational response, Mr. Santo. We need to remember WHY there is this thing called bail reform: because too many times people were held, without charge, for extended periods of time in horror hell holes like Rikers which ruined their lives and tore apart families. Innocent until proven guilty, but punishment regardless if you can’t make bail.
It needs work, as all legislation does (especially when one party refuses to cooperate like children).
And it is tragic what’s happened to Keaira Bennefield, which is an understatement. Keep in mind though that before the judge made his decision, the cops made the charges, which they determined were misdemeanors.
It’s a damn shame we need to try to work with a Republican Party being ripped apart by one man and the flocks of idiots who’ve latched onto/are afraid of him.
Like I said there will be some flaws in bail reform I’m not saying it’s perfect. They will work these flaws out eventually. I do know that many people rotted in jail for months before their trial for minor offenses because they couldn’t afford the bail ….I have confidence that they will work out a solution that is best for all parties concerned
Thank you ChuckD. And thank you Guy for discussing the problem of bail rationally.
So if the court set bail and he paid it, and then committed murder, who should we blame then?
That’s easy they would blame Biden 😂
If the court could set bail I’m sure it would be pretty high, maybe a million dollars, he ain’t bailing out, and if he was there would be a monitor on his ankle.
Steven, you are wasting your breath, the liberals on here will say it is worth it to save the innocent. I bet if it were their daughter they would say something. I just read another story where a husband let on on no bail broke into his wife’s home and killed her in front of the children.
All three of you are being shown to be the real 3 Stooges as every one of your whines and gripes are slapped down with reality.
Prove me wrong. Every single issue you people raise is shown to be incomplete, or twisted, or a myth or an outright lie. Please, do more than express hate and show you have some trace of maturity and intelligence. Or are you opposed to that too?
William are you a bail expert now? How do you know what a judge would charge ?
Its what the judge should charge a guy who beat the living hell out of his wife and had a similar prior. The freaking max.
Or he sets no bail and keeps him in jail because he is a criminal. Oh my goodness what a crazy concept.
It is obvious that every criminal case is unique and judges must be allowed leeway in setting bail, taking into account the specific events involved in the alleged crime as well as the financial and personal situation the defendant finds himself in.
Mistakes will be made. Innocent people will await trial in jail and some guilty people will be free while waiting for their trial.
Justice will never be perfect but it should always be our goal.
Mr Marincic,
You stated we are running out of diesel fuel, look it up. So This article is from the Trucking industry, you know the ones that run all those trucks that use diesel. And if you read the story, yes we are lower than normal for this time of year, but it explains why in the article if you care for “the rest of the story”
https://www.truckinginfo.com/10186010/no-we-arent-running-out-of-diesel-but-low-stockpiles-mean-higher-prices
Excerpt
“While stockpiles of distillate fuels (diesel and heating oil) are low, the country is not going to suddenly run out of diesel fuel by Thanksgiving, despite reports of a “diesel shortage” driven by widespread misunderstanding of a government statistic.” Sure that’s what happened you misunderstood the information or maybe your Right Wing “source” did.
For all to hear and see with your own eyes and ears. Joe Biden CSPAN council on foreign affairs 01/23/2018 it takes about 3 minutes into it. The Mayor posted all of MSM reference and said he didn’t say that it is not true. Fortunately everything can be found on the internet Al gore allegedly invented / help develop / talked to someone who did invent the internet. But he did say it.
Regarding the short novel about Mayor A.S. election update. I searched every single state and I could not find Donald Trump on any election ticket. Mr. Mayor please share your source that shows what state Donald Trump is running for office in? I would like to see your sources and what he is running for. Is the senate, congress, governor, or maybe you are scared he will run for Mayor of DG opinion page.
LGB(T) huh?
Great speech as a president for all, President Biden!
this is the quid pro quo Joe that mayor A.S. said didn’t happen. It was regarding a billion dollars being withheld unless they fired a prosecutor investigating Hunters business dealing with Burisma and Ukraine Oligarchs.
You are moving up the ranks of the QAnon movement …maybe one day with some work you will be the new Q
C.V as one of the three wise men of DG you should know that it is not QANON. There is Q and there is anon. I do not follow either. Thank you though .
…that the EU, the IMF and a bipartisan group here endorsed, which is part of the story you choose to leave out. Like I said yesterday.
Get an education, will you? You might enjoy it.
He was already being investigated for failing to root out and go after corruption in Ukraine. If you had actually read my posts you would know it was not just mentioned, but discussed.
I re-post this for your convenience. PLEASE READ THIS FROM MY EARLIER POST, THEN READ WHAT YOU POSTED JUST ABOVE:
“As we have reported more than once last year, Biden traveled to Kyiv as vice president and warned Ukraine’s then-president, Petro Poroshenko, that the U.S. would withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees until Ukraine removed its prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, who was widely viewed as corrupt.
At the time, the international community and anti-corruption advocates in Ukraine were also calling for Shokin to be removed from office for his failure to aggressively prosecute corruption.
But Trump has repeatedly distorted the facts about Biden’s work in Ukraine to baselessly accuse his Democratic rival of seeking Shokin’s removal to help his son, Hunter, who at the time was a board member of a Ukraine gas company called Burisma. He left the board in 2019.”
Thank you, for honoring me with the title Mayor. You know I earned it.
“…Biden traveled to Kyiv as vice president and warned Ukraine’s then-president, Petro Poroshenko, that the U.S. would withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees until Ukraine removed its prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, who was widely viewed as corrupt.
At the time, the international community and anti-corruption advocates in Ukraine were also calling for Shokin to be removed from office for his failure to aggressively prosecute corruption.
But Trump has repeatedly distorted the facts about Biden’s work in Ukraine to baselessly accuse his Democratic rival of seeking Shokin’s removal to help his son, Hunter, who at the time was a board member of a Ukraine gas company called Burisma. He left the board in 2019.”
And of course there’s more, but our developmentally challenged right-wingers won’t care. It’s clearly not about truth or honesty in their Trump-addled minds.
– Factcheck org, October 15, 2020 | Updated on October 16, 2020
“…on the internet Al gore allegedly invented / help develop / talked to someone who did invent the internet.”
Smooth move mocking the myth your own people invented. Pretty obvious too that you don’t verify things before posting.
But hey! Just barf it out there, whatever makes you feel good!
Post a link to where Gore said anything like what you say.
C.D. all you have to do is Google Al gore inventing the internet. There is a montage of Al gore saying just what I said and it ends with Al explaining how the internet started in the 60’s and became what it is today. A platform for the Three wise men of DG to spew vitriol for Donald Trump. DNC has no achievements to run on so they tie everything to Donald Trump. I see uncle Joe as Nero sit back and enjoy the music as the walls tumble around your parties demise.
Thanks but I’ll take Snopes and Factcheck, and my own clear memory on it rather then slog through the muck. That’s called critical thinking. FYI.
I am honestly lost in your verbiage and I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. No one said Trump is running for office this year. I can name three candidates he is endorsing who have indicated they will not accept the election results unless they win: Kerri Lake (running for Az. governor), Ron Johnson ( up for re-election in Wisconsin Senate race), and Tim Michels (Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate).
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
The above is from the 8th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It does not define what “excessive bail” is. But certainly requiring an impossible amount from a person barely making a living could be deemed excessive, while allowing the more affluent to enjoy freedom and not even experience financial pain by posting bail seems unfair.
NY state is admirable in attempting to treat all people charged with criminal behavior fairly. It is impossible to attain absolute justice but it is a worthy goal.
Look at this situation another way. If we didn’t have the 8th amendment and decided to keep all people charged in jail, with no bail offered, would that seem fair?
It is a difficult problem to resolve but we shouldn’t become angry and insulting but discuss the best possible solutions. I think that is what the NYS legislature is doing. We should do that too.