Lesczynski's Lounge

I'm Off the Ballot

2006-08-27T16:30:00.000-04:00

I returned home from vacation today, and not entirely to my surprise, I found a letter from the Board of Elections informing me that they determined my nominating petition contained an insufficient number of signatures on its face. I had only submitted about 120 of the 1,500 required signatures.

Frankly, I am not too upset about this development. I've been distracted by a lot of other stuff lately, and my heart just wasn't in the race this year, as demonstrated by my lame petitioning effort... and my sparse blogging.

I will continue to work on Serf City and help the other Libertarian candidates who did make it on the ballot, as time allows. At some point, I'll probably resurrect this blog as a general, non-campaign libertarian blog.

But for now, I'm taking a nap.

Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply

2006-08-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

I'm featured briefly in this week's Village Voice in an article about the recent blackout in Queens. The usual suspects whine about how deregulation somehow put the lights out for a week. On the other hand...

There are those who take an opposite tack from the advocacy groups, seeing the Queens debacle as indicative of insufficient deregulation. Jim Lesczynski, the Libertarian Party candidate for Sheldon Silver's Lower Manhattan assembly district, calls the New York State plan "phony deregulation" and adds, "They tweaked their regs and called it deregulation. What we really need is real deregulation. What we really need is a free market in electricity. Then you'd have lots of suppliers rushing in to fill that demand."

But the Queens blackout had nothing to do with inadequate supply; it had to do with grid deterioration. Lesczynski has a quick answer to this observation too: "They can afford to let their equipment go to pot," he says, "because they're a monopoly and what are we gonna do, go elsewhere? If they had someone threatening to compete against them, we would have reliable electricity."

Various competing companies, each with its own lines? Sounds like a lot of potential for chaos.

"The free market has a lot of potential for chaos," he says, "but it has a way of working itself out. If you don't perform you don't stay in business."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait, I did say that myself.

Here's how you can tell we don't have real deregulation in the electricity market. Can you imagine any other company urging its customers not to use so much of its product?

(Kudos to whoever gets the obscure 80s rock reference in the title above.)

Coup-Coo for Silver

2006-08-02T12:56:00.000-04:00

It turns out even the Democrats are getting tired of old Shelley. From the Buffalo News via the Empire Zone comes a report that one upstate assemblyman is urging his colleagues to replace Silver as speaker. I guess that's assuming I don't send him packing in November. Oh ye of little faith.

A 3-Way Race After All?

2006-07-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

I had been told by several insiders that the Republicans had no one to run against Silver. (In fact, I was approached more than once about seeking the Republican nomination myself, which I declined to do.) But according to the NY Sun's 51st State, the Republicans do have a candidate by the name of Lawrence Capici. Never heard of him.

Separated at Birth - Faso and Delay?

2006-07-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted anything in awhile due to a combination of being away for the July 4th weekend and general inertia. But on a slow Friday afternoon, I thought I'd get something off my chest that's been bugging me awhile.

Has anyone else ever noticed that Tom "The Hammer" Delay and John "The Tool" Faso are practically twins?

Can You Feel The Love Tonight?

2006-06-29T14:55:00.000-04:00

The Republicans over at Urban Elephants dig my campaign for Assembly.

UN-Welcome

2006-06-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Fellow Libertarian activist and Assembly candidate for the 66th Assembly district Nic Leobold hit a homerun with his UN-Welcome protest outside the Secretariat building on Monday morning. Nic organized a loose confederation of RKBA activists henceforth known as Gun Rights Activism Partners to demonstrate against this week's United Nations conference on small arms. The thugs who run the world body (understandably) will feel much more comfortable when only government agents have the right to bear arms.

Turnout at Nic's protest was sparse due to the torrential rain (I made a cameo appearance at the event), but it nonetheless got the attention of the press. In particular, Times columnist Clyde Haberman published a shockingly favorable column. I can't link to it because it's behind the the dreaded TimeSelect firewall, but here's an excerpt:

Their issue was not typical for the plaza, which is named for a secretary general of the United Nations who died in a plane crash in 1961 and received the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously. Most times, demonstrators there demand things like freedom for Tibet or justice for Palestinians or fairness for Israel or nukes for no one.

Very few go there to talk about how guns are good for you.

"Crime goes down the more that citizens are armed," said Nic Leobold, an organizer of this mini-rally. And don't fool yourself, he said: human rights are very much at stake.

"The right to defend oneself - that's the epitome of human rights," said Mr. Leobold, who lives in the East Village and plans to run, not for the first time, for the State Assembly on the Libertarian Party line. "Gun rights," he said, "are the best litmus test of where you stand on individual rights and ownership. It's the clearest litmus test that I know of.

"What led him and his mates to the plaza was a conference that began yesterday at the United Nations, part of a campaign to stop the illegal trade worldwide in handguns, rifles, grenades, light missiles and other weapons defined as "small arms." A key phrase there is "illegal trade."

Yeah, right, the protesters said. If you buy that line, you're probably gullible enough to buy an East River bridge. The true goal, they said, is to eliminate everyone's right to bear arms.

"Tyrannical politicians thrive on gun control laws," said Ralph J. Rubinek, a Staten Island man who identified himself as chief of public affairs for a group called Gun Owners of America. "In the end," he said, "only tyrants and the very criminals they seek to disarm will have all the guns, and no lives will be saved."

Mr. Leobold elaborated. "All the major genocides of the 20th century," he said, "were preceded by gun confiscation. So the politicians are the only ones who have guns, and they have total control."

Way to go, Nic!

Fat Head Rivera

2006-06-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

The latest you-can't-make-this-stuff-up insanity from City Hall... Councilmember Joel Rivera wants to change the zoning laws to limit fast food.

No, really.

It seems fast food restaurants are plaguing our low-income neighborhoods, deviously tricking gullible minorities into purchasing delicious, inexpensive food. If I were a minority, I'd be insulted that Rivera thinks I'm too stupid to make my own choices and exercise personal responsibility.

You know you're living in a wealthy country when the biggest problem is that poor people get too many calories.

Too Much Time on His Hands

2006-06-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

You would think that with the legislative session wrapping up this week and major state business yet to be finished, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver would have his hands full. But apparently he has plenty of time to insinuate himself into the private affairs of a co-op in his district.

East River Housing is a residential cooperative on the Lower East Side. (Full disclosure: I'm a shareholder and resident in East River. Silver is not.) Hit with a number of increased costs affecting co-ops throughout the city--including property taxes, fuel oil and insurance--the board has been hard-pressed to raise revenues. One no-brainer for the board to target was the co-op's way-below-market parking lot. Parking there is an absurdly low $75 a month, compared to rates of $250-$300 a month at commercial lots in the neighborhood. What makes the situation especially absurd is that the lot can serve only about 400 of the more than 1,700 residents at East River. As a result, most shareholders are on a waiting list that stretches out over 15 years for a coveted spot for their car.

A few weeks ago, the board wisely decided to double the monthly parking fee to $150, still well below market. While the decision was greeted with rare near-unanimous approval by the shareholders, a few crybabies have been throwing tantrums because their perk got a little less sweet. It's not like anybody's heating bill or maintenance was doubled, after all. We're talking about a luxury that is easy to opt out of (very few people actually need a car in NYC, and they can always park free on the street) and is available only to a fraction of shareholders.

That would all normally be no big deal, just typical NYC co-op drama. Only some of the crybabies decided to complain to Sheldon Silver's office. And, incredibly, Silver actually took the crybabies' side in a letter to the East River manager.

Does Silver not understand that the financial decisions of a private cooperative are no business of elected public officials? I'm sure he does--he's not stupid. More likely, it's just a cosmically cynical attempt at pandering to some noisy constituents. Heaven forbid a politician actually admit that there are some issues in which he just shouldn't be involved.

Shelly Screws the Taxpayers (Again)

2006-06-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

This is classic Boss Silver. You wouldn't think this is an important story, because the Times buried it in section B. Yesterday the Assembly Judiciary Committee was set to reform this insane law that allows injured public employees to collect both a full disability pension and sue for future lost wages (i.e., they get paid twice by you the taxpayer for the same injury). This ridiculous practice costs New York City millions of dollars each year, but the personal injury attorneys love it. The committee members thought they finally had enough votes to approve the measure and bring it it to a vote before the full assembly. Then Sheldon saunters in and adds 3 lackeys to the committee. Of course all 3 voted against the bill, defeating it.

Did I mention that Silver is a partner in the largest personal injury law firm in the state?

At least the Daily News thought the story was important enough to make it the lead editorial. And the great Henry Stern is steaming mad.

Whites Need Not Apply

2006-06-14T16:22:00.000-04:00

One of the funniest races this year -- to me anyway -- is for the 11th Congressional district in Brooklyn, being vacated by Major Owens. I never thought I'd see the day when I actually felt sorry for a putz like David Yassky, a protege of Chuck Schumer and a notorious victim-disarmer in his own right. But the race-baiters in this city have talent. They're up in arms because Yassky is running in a district that was specifically gerry-mandered to elect a black representative. What does Yassky think this is, a free country?

To prevent the catastrophe of whitey getting the Democratic nomination, Albert Vann and the other usual suspects are urging some of the black contenders to drop out and rally around one candidate, so as not to split the black vote. One of the many delicious ironies of this story, as 51st State's Azi Paybarrah observes, is that the black "leadership" is actively discouraging black candidates from running!

But what the Democrats don't realize is that even if they out-maneuvir Yassky, they still have to contend with another white boy, the mighty Dr. Steve Finger, who is running for the 11th Congressional district on the Libertarian line (among others). Apparently Dr. Steve didn't get the memo that his kind ain't welcome.

Give Congress the Finger!

NCNF Gives Me an "A"

2006-06-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

I just received an early bit of good campaign news. The Nassau County News Flash (NCNF), a venerable pro-RKBA website/newsletter from Long Island, gave me an A rating. I'm particularly proud of this recognition, because they just don't give out top grades like candy. In fact only one other candidate so far this year has scored higher than a B. My opponent, alas, got a well-deserved F.

I'm ba-ack!

2006-06-13T12:01:00.000-04:00

After closing for the season,* Lesczynski's Lounge is back in business. And not a moment too soon, as we kick off another campaign season. Last night, I accepted the Libertarian Party's endorsement as its candidate for Assembly District 64 -- i.e., I'm running against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver!

As far as I know, this is going to be a two-man race. I have been informed by reliable sources that the Republicans will not be fielding a candidate against old Shelly. To paraphrase John Lennon, Sheldon Silver is more popular than Jesus, at least on the Lower East Side (which isn't that hard, considering the large Jewish population).

Anyway, I'm going to have some fun with this race (I always do) and at least offer a choice to those voters who may not be entirely satisfied with the status quo in NYS politics. I also hope to update this blog frequently with mostly political and occasionally non-political items of interest.

* One of my favorite old jokes:

Did you hear about the Polack who froze to death at the drive-in?

He went to see "CLOSED FOR THE SEASON."

Would You Buy a Wrecking Ball for This Man?

2005-10-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

Grand Street News is a monthy magazine/newspaper covering my little corner of the Lower East Side. In the October issue, they profile yours truly and my campaign for Public Advocate. Some back-handed compliments (along with a few funny bits), but the bottom line is the editor proclaims he will vote for me.

Still We Speak

2005-09-28T12:28:00.000-04:00

I will be making a campaign stop this Friday at about 6:00 p.m. at Union Square at the Still We Speak rally to save free speech and free assembly. Stop by if you're available.

And Then There Were 4

2005-09-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

The Democrats had their little dog-and-pony show yesterday. As expected, Siegel, Rasiej, Cabbagestalk, et al, were voted off the island. The incumbent Betsy "Queen Elizabeth" Gotbaum won with something like 48% of the vote.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the race--for any office--was Michael Brown finishing third in the Democratic primary for Public Advocate. He has been a complete non-entity. If he's raised any money, he kept it a secret from the CFB (not that there's anything wrong with that). He didn't even appear on Hardfire when the rest of us Public Advocate candidates debated. I doubt he was invited or that Gary Popkin was even aware of Brown's candidacy.

My own theory is that the Democrats confused him with former FEMA head Mike Brown and voted for him to protest the futility of the Public Advocate. Maybe those same folks will vote for me in November.

So now we are left with:

Betsy Gotbaum (Democrat)
Jay Golub (Conservative)
Bernie Goetz (Independent)
Jim Lesczynski (Libertarian)

Maybe I'll get the formidable anti-last-name-starting-with-G vote.

No Republican is on the ballot.

If anyone thinks this race is over, they're in for a big surprise. I promise we'll have some fun with this motley crew between now and November 8.

Nice Tee Shirt

2005-09-09T12:44:00.000-04:00

Somebody is selling "Poker is not a crime" tee shirts on Craigs List. I don't know who it is, but I can't help but wonder if he or she was inspired by our No Poker, No Peace Tournament.

Honorable Mention

2005-09-09T12:07:00.000-04:00

So the editorial in today's Sun starts off like they were almost considering endorsing me, or at least my platform:

"The office of Public Advocate is a position we'd have advocated abolishing--that is, until a dentist from Queens, Jay Golub, visited our offices..."

Then they go on to list all the nifty policies Golub advocates, never mind the fact that the office is powerless to act on any of them. The editorial concludes:

"Another candidate who visited the Sun's offices is the Libertarian Party's James Lesczynski. He is running on the platform of abolishing the office he refers to as 'New York City's equivalent of the queen of England.' He promised the Sun, 'if elected on the first day I would fire the staff, padlock the office, and refuse to take the salary.' He would then tell the City Council to 'return the money to the taxpayers.' We're sympathetic to Mr. Lesczynski's argument, but considering Dr. Golub's policies, we'd recommend giving the office one last chance."

Eliminating the Public Advocate

2005-08-29T15:19:00.000-04:00

Anyone who is familiar with my campaign knows that my #1 issue is eliminating the office of Public Advocate altogether. Recently I came across this NY Post editorial from last December that makes essentially the same points I have been making throughout my campaign. Now that I think about it, I do recall reading this editorial at the time, but I had forgotten about it. Anyway, I agree with everything below:

Editorial
THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC APPENDIX
28 December 2004
New York Post
24

Publicity-hound lawyer and public scold Norman Siegel says he’s decided to challenge incumbent Betsy Gotbaum next year for New York City public advocate – a position whose only other prior holder was Mark Green. Apparently, the 2-to-1 trouncing he got from Gotbaum in the 2001 Democratic primary runoff hasn’t lessened Siegel’s appetite for the office.

Well, that’s his right, of course.

But does anyone need further proof of this job’s utter uselessness than the fact that Norman Siegel aspires to win it?

Voters in 2002 overwhelmingly approved a measure that not only stripped Gotbaum of the ceremonial position of presiding over City Council meetings but also mandated a special election within 60 days of a mayor’s incapacity – instead of letting the public advocate take over for the rest of the term.

In other words, whatever substance this job might once have had is gone.

Since then, Gotbaum’s most notable achievement has been a “report” charging that the 2003 summer blackout inconvenienced seniors. Wow.

As for Siegel – well, it’s been 15 years or so since he last took a pitiful, mentally ill homeless woman to Harvard as a “lecturer” on NewYork’s shortcomings.

But the fact remains that the Public Advocate, a job created 10 years ago, is the most pointless political position in the entire city. It provides nothing of value except a platform for someone who likes holding press conferences – to wit: Green, Gotbaum, Siegel – and hopes to run for higher office.

And that’s no reason to be spending scarce tax dollars. This position has to go.

Hardfire Debate on the Web

2005-08-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Gary Popkin, the intrepid producer of Hardfire, captured the streaming video of last night's Public Advocate debate and preserved most of it for posterity on the web. Due to technical difficulties, the first 10 minutes is missing (including my brilliant argument that the position should be eliminated), but still some good stuff there.

Public Advocate Forum September 8

2005-08-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

We'll see if the wuss-burgers show up for this one. I will be participating in a Public Advocate candidates forum at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, at 6:30 p.m. Stop by to cheer or heckle me as you see fit.

VCR Alert

2005-08-22T15:32:00.000-04:00

If you live in Brooklyn, be sure to check out tonight's repeat episode of Hardfire, where I debate my opponents for Public Advocate. All the candidates participated, except wuss-burgers Gotbaum and Rasiej. The program is at 10:30 pm on channel 35 on Time-Warner cable or channel 68 on Cablevision.

Letter of the Week

2005-08-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

The good news is that the Village Voice not only published my letter, but actually ran it at the top as the Letter of the Week. The bad news is they strangely omitted by name and location. That's particularly strange, since the editor even called on Friday to confirm my location.

I guess there's a chance that's just a glitch in the web edition. I won't be able to check the print edition until I return to NYC from vacation on Saturday.

Somebody in the Media Likes Me!

2005-08-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

Run, don't walk, to you newstand, and buy a copy of today's NY Sun. Then check out the wonderful editorial on page 8 about my matching funds lawsuit.

My Magrittean campaign promise

2005-08-06T19:35:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for pointing out that my campaign is kinda sorta mentioned deep inside this article in this week's NY Observer. (Search for Libertarian.) Who knew I had made a "Magrittean campaign promise", whatever that means? Well, I guess people who read the Observer would know what it means, but I don't know any.

My big day in court

2005-08-03T12:10:00.000-04:00

This morning Judge Feinman heard oral arguments in Lesczynski v. Bloomberg, my lawsuit to overturn the city's matching funds program. It was a lot more low-key than I expected. The courtroom was a small room in the old court building at 80 Centre Street, not the big fancy Supreme Court building at 60 Centre. There were about 18 cases on the docket, I was #6, but the city attorney and I were the first parties to sign in with the clerk, so the judge heard us first.

The clerk called for us to come back to the judge's chamber, and I assumed they must want us to fill out some form or something, but he actually sat us down and had the hearing right there in his office. There was no call to order or swearing in or anything like that; the judge just started casually asking us questions.

A reporter from the NY Sun showed up late, and the stupid court officer told the reporter he wasn't allowed to join us, but luckily Mark Axinn arrived at the same time and overheard that conversation, and insisted that they allow the reporter and Mark to observe the proceedings.

So we're all in the judge's office at a conference table, and the judge laid into the city attorney for sloppy paperwork. The judge received the notice of motion but not the accompanying memorandum of law, and he had to call the clerk's office yesterday to get a copy, which irritated him. The judge also reprimanded the city attorney for citing the wrong statute numbers twice in her motion papers. That's not a big deal, but it was nice to see the judge peeved at the defendants early on. :-)

We spent a bit of time on the city's technical defenses regarding statute of limitations and standing, but the judge cut through that quickly and spent a lot more time on the merits of the case -- the free speech arguments. The city attorney went right for Buckley v. Valeo, the US Supreme Court case that upheld the presidential matching funds program. The judge pointed out before I could the key difference between the presidential matching funds program and the city version is the feds at least give you an optional checkoff to fund that on your 1040, whereas there is no opt-out provision in the city program. The city attorney didn't have a response to that one.

I spoke some more about the right to free speech including the right not to speak, blah blah blah, and the judge seemed very appreciative of my arguments. Overall, it went as well as I could possibly expect. The judge said he is intimately familiar with the campaign finance law, that he has been reading a lot of case law and history of campaign finance, and is very interested in this topic. An attorney for the Campaign Finance Board was present but not representing the defendants, and the judge acknowledged that he has many cases on his docket regarding participants in the program, and the judge joked to the CFB attorney that it would be great if he ruled the program was unconstitutional because he could clear her from his caseload. :-)

The judge thanked us and advised us that he would render a decision "but it will be awhile". He had us fill out envelopes so he could send us the decision. Mark says the guideline is typically 60 days for a decision. As I said, it went as well as could possibly be expected, so now all we can do is wait and get lucky.

We Get Our Day in Court

2005-07-28T10:52:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Judge Sets Court Date in Libertarian’s Suit to Overturn Campaign Finance Program

New York, 7/28/05 – The Hon. Paul Feinman of the New York Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Wednesday, August 3, in the lawsuit by Manhattan Libertarian Party chair Jim Lesczynski to overturn New York City’s lavish Campaign Finance Program (Lesczynski v. Bloomberg et al, Index No. 102751/05).

“We are thrilled to finally be getting our day in court,” said Lesczynski, who is also the Libertarian Party’s candidate for Public Advocate. “When Judge Feinman considers our arguments, I am confident that he will allow this suit to proceed and ultimately rule in favor of the taxpayers and free speech.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Campaign Finance Board Chairman Frederick A.O. Schwarz, Jr., the Campaign Finance Board, and the City of New York are named as defendants in the suit. Lesczynski alleges that compelling taxpayers to bankroll political speech with which they disagree violates the free speech clauses of the New York State and U.S. Constitutions. Lesczynski is asking the court for a permanent injunction blocking the Campaign Finance Program.

The city defendants, represented by Assistant Corporation Counsel Donna Kasbohm, have filed a motion with the court to dismiss the suit. Judge Feinman will decide whether to grant the city’s motion or allow the case to go forward.

“I am outraged that the city defendants would have the audacity to move to dismiss this suit before the court has even had the opportunity to consider the facts,” declared Lesczynski. “Our complaint cuts to the heart of whether individual citizens have the right to support or withhold support from the candidates of their choosing. The right not to speak is just as fundamental as the right to speak.”

The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 3, at Part 52, Room 289, New York Supreme Court, 80 Centre Street.

Gotham Gazette

2005-07-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

The Citizen Union's Gotham Gazette ran an article today about the candidates for Public Advocate, including yours truly.

Fourth Amendment R.I.P.

2005-07-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
-Amendment IV to the U.S. Constitution

Well, it was a good idea while it lasted. The War on Drugs put the Fourth Amendment in intensive care, and the War on Terror finally killed it. Maybe it had been dead for awhile, but it left such a good-looking corpse we just didn't notice. But there's no denying it any longer. The random bag searches in the NYC mass transit system started yesterday and will continue into the foreseeable future. No probable cause is required. You draw breath, you're a suspect.

The random searches aren't without precedent, of course. In Boston, they randomly searched people entering the subways during the Democratic national convention last year, following the Madrid subway bombings. In New York, we had random searches of vehicles entering the city by bridge and tunnel. Ever since the authorities discovered five-year-old surveillance of Citigroup Center by suspected terrorists, most large office buildings now x-ray bags at the entrance. Now the London bombings have made subway security the flavor of the month, so it's down with the 4th Amendment on trains and buses. The terrorists must amuse themselves watching our protectors flit from trend to trend in order to make us "feel safer".

It's a wonder the terrorists don't leak plans to hide high-powered explosives in their rectal cavities, just to watch the sheeple willingly submit to random anal probes. I guarantee you one such incident of a Mad Butt Bomber, and you would see cops with a rubber glove on one hand and a tube of K-Y in the other on every street corner.

Yes, the threat of another terrorist attack is real. When you build an empire that puts military bases in 170 countries around the world and routinely invade sovereign nations and kill the locals by the thousands, you tend to make a few enemies. ("Ooh, he's blaming America." No, I'm blaming our stupid-ass government.) While the likelihood of any one of us being in the next exploding subway car is remote - even here in NYC - any loss of innocent life is deplorable, and we should seek to prevent it. But it's important to keep in mind that these searches do _nothing_ but comfort the stupid. Approximately 4.7 million people ride the subways each day, entering 468 different subway stations, many of which have up to six entry points. There are about 40,000 cops. Do the math.

LPNY Vice Chair Blay Tarnoff puts it into even better perspective: "Iraq is under military rule. Anybody's bag, clothing, or body cavities can be searched at any time for any reason or no reason at all. Terrorist-style bombs are nevertheless going off every day, killing all sorts of people, including the most heavily armed and technologically advanced and highly trained soldiers in the world... Given all that, how intrusive will searches have to be to be effective in New York City? Take your time."

What I find hilarious is that whenever the news reports do get around to mentioning civil liberties concerns in the 7th or 8th paragraph, it's always some ACLU talking head or other liberal weenie fretting that the searches could lead to racial profiling. Yes, god forbid they focus on people who look like they might actually be terrorists. Nobody _ever_ gets down to the fundamental 4th Amendment issue of unreasonable searches or the presumption of innocence. The standard now is that civil liberties violations are fine as long as they are done consistently and "fairly".

Unbelievable!

2005-07-14T23:46:00.000-04:00

Channels 5, 9 and 2 all ran stories on our poker protest at 1 PolicePlaza, and all 3 reports never once used the word Libertarian. 5 and 9 didquote me and put my name under me, but they gave my title as "PokerSupporter" and "No Poker, No Peace" respectively. The channel 9 story atleast briefly showed the Manhattan Libertarian Party banner in thebackground.

Yesterday channel 9 and the NY Post both did advance stories on ourprotest, and no mention of me or the LP.Last week "The New Yorker" ran a story on the race for Public Advocate,and directly quoted me in the lead paragraph -- with quote marks andeverything -- without attribution.

Anybody else starting to think they're deliberately snubbing us?

Let's see how the Friday morning papers report the story.

Dr. Thomas Woods

2005-07-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

Tom Woods, the brilliant historian, LewRockwell.com columnist, and author of NY Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, gives our poker protest a plug this morning on the LRC blog.

0 for 3

2005-07-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

As expected, Channel 9 news at 10 did a report last night on our big poker protest at 1 Police Plaza tonight. As we suspected they would, they managed to make it through the entire report without once mentioning the word Libertarian.

Oh well, we're expecting some more of the mainstream media to show up tonight. We'll see if any of them can still remember the first of the 5 journalistic W's.

Closing the Door on Political Correctness

2005-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

A few days late, but I forgot to mention that I wrote an article for this week's issue of The Libertarian Enterprise.

How to Write a News Story Without Mentioning the Subject

2005-07-13T16:44:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to get the feeling reporters are going out of their way not to mention me. First, The New Yorker quotes me last week without attribution. Now today, the New York Post runs a page 3 story about my No Poker, No Peace protest at 1 Police Plaza tomorrow, and never once mentions Jim Lesczynski or the Libertarian Party. I spent a long time talking to the reporter yesterday and made it clear this was a Libertarian protest, but the only quote they used was from my friend Ron Wieck, who I mentioned to the reporter as an afterthought.

The good news is that the Post article generated more interest from the other local media, so it looks like we'll have some cameras down there tomorrow. In fact, Channel 9 is running a story about the protest on the News at 10 tonight. And no, they did now interview for the story. They only interviewed Ron Wieck, since he was mentioned in the Post story. Sigh.

Wendy McElroy Rocks!

2005-07-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

Cool article about libertarian feminist writer Wendy McElroy in today's NY Sun. Wendy was the guest speaker at last week's Junto meeting. The article ends with a plug for tomorrow night's Manhattan Libertarian Party monthly meeting, which will feature guest speaker Tom Woods, author of the NY Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History.

Ugh, Petitioning Begins

2005-07-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

If it's hot and humid outside, then it must be petitioning season for Libertarian Party candidates. The major party candidates get a 6-week headstart and are already submitting their Designating Petitions, but we second-class citizens start collecting signatures on our Independent Nominating Petitions today. I collected 40 myself while attending the Patriot Act protest in front of the midtown library on my lunch break.

If you ever wanted to help us fight for freedom, now is the time to do so. We need to get 7,500 good signatures (which means about twice as many raw sigs) in the next six weeks. Our mayoral candidate Audrey Silk has a great petitioning page on her website that tells you how to go about it.

NO POKER, NO PEACE!

2005-07-05T17:12:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO POKER, NO PEACE: Card Tournament at One Police Plaza to Protest NYPD Hijackings

New York, 7/5/05 – Libertarian candidate for Public Advocate Jim Lesczynski announced today that the No Poker, No Peace Penny Poker Tournament will be played at the entrance to One Police Plaza beginning at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, July 14. The tournament, which will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. press conference, will protest the NYPD’s recent raid of two popular Manhattan poker clubs and the wrongful seizure of $100,000 in players’ money.

On May 26, the NYPD Vice Squad raided the Play Station poker club on Union Square and the Players Club on the upper west side. In addition to confiscating $100,000 from the tables at the two clubs, the police arrested 39 employees. Although it is not illegal to play poker for money, it may be illegal to “promote” gambling.

“The Manhattan District attorney admits the players themselves did nothing illegal, yet the police walked off with $100,000,” Lesczynski charges. “They claim the money was confiscated for ‘evidence’—as if anyone needs evidence that poker is played for money. The police say they have no plans to return the money to the players and that it will eventually become city property. It is not hyperbole to say that is simply armed robbery by the NYPD.”

Lesczynski demands that the police make a good-faith effort to return the confiscated money to the players to whom it rightfully belongs. He also wants the NYPD to refrain from future poker club hijackings.

The No Poker, No Peace tournament at the foot of police headquarters is open to all—seasoned gamblers and novices alike. At penny-ante stakes, the participants don’t stand to make a bundle, but the winner will get bragging rights as the Poker Protest Champion.

Gary Popkin, the Libertarian candidate for Brooklyn Borough President, will participate. “I hardly know how to play poker,” says Popkin, “but I knew enough, when one of my nephews suggested playing with two decks because there were so many players, to ask, ‘Does five eights beat a royal flush?’”

Talk of the Town

2005-07-04T17:17:00.000-04:00

Nobody reads The New Yorker anymore, of course, but if they did they'd see a particularly snarky entry in this week's Talk of the Town column about the race for Public Advocate. Don't get me wrong: The race for Public Advocate is a subject entirely worthy of snarkiness, but this piece is just lame. It leads off with a great quote from me (“I promise to report to work just long enough to fire the staff and padlock the office.”) that they don't even bother to attribute.

After goofing on a few of the other candidates and lamenting the lack of respect for the Public Advocate, the writer tries to argue that "the office holds so much promise!" Among his dubious assertions is that the Public Advocate is second in line to the mayor in case of emergency. At one time that was true, but a public referendum in 2002 changed the city charter, so that now we would have a special election within 60 days of the mayor's demise. The Public Advocate would be interim mayor for a whopping two months. The writer also claims that the Public Advocate can break ties in the City Council, which is technically true, but he neglects to point out that the Council Speaker never lets anything come up for a vote unless it is guaranteed to pass. With 48 of the 51 council seats controlled by Democrats, the Speaker always gets his way, and on those rare occasions when some rebels get out of line and vote their conscience, they find themselves swiftly stripped of perks and committee positions. At least the Vice President of the United States occasionally gets to case a deciding vote in the Senate. To my knowledge, the Public Advocate has never had the opportunity to do so in New York City Council, and never will.

Dealing with Lefties

2005-07-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

My friend Gary Popkin, the Libertarian candidate for Brooklyn Borough President, has a wicked sense of humor. Check out the following excerpt from the June 15-28 issue of The Indypendent:

"McDonald's have introduced so-called 'healthy' options to their menus, but rather than this being through their concern for the public's health, it is merely an attempt to capture customers who wouldn't eat their usual fare."

And here is Gary's reply:

Dear Indypendent letters editor:

It makes my blood boil to think of the greedy and vile behavior of McDonald's you reported ("Big Mac Attack," The Indypendent, June 15 - 28, 2005). A more egregious example of this unacceptable practice occurred when General Motors first started offering smaller vehicles with better gas mileage not through their concern with the environment, but merely as an attempt to capture customers who wouldn't buy their usual gas-guzzlers. The bastards.

As Borough President I would investigate every instance of a business in Brooklyn changing its product line, and impose fines if product lines were changed merely to get more customers and without any socially redeeming reason.

This concept can and should be extended to all features of commerce. If a retail store improves its lighting not out of concern for safeguarding the eyesight of its customers but merely to capture customers who would not shop in a dark store, it would be fined. If a store devotes more resources to keeping its sidewalks cleaner not out of concern with complying with New York City law but merely to capture customers who prefer a cleaner environment, it would be fined. Let's show them we will not stand for the unconscionable business practice, all too common, of trying to attract more customers.

Gary Popkin
Libertarian candidate for Brooklyn Borough President

Mission Impossible?

2005-06-25T13:43:00.000-04:00

The New York Sun had a bit of fun yesterday with the nascent Brooklyn Libertarian Party. I even got mentioned in the article, and I wasn't at the meeting.

I'm Lovin' It at the Freedom Summit

2005-06-25T13:36:00.000-04:00

Dawn and I dropped the girls off at Grandma's house for the weekend and headed up to New Hampshire for the 5th Freedom Summit. Talk about your hardcore libertarian cornocopia. We're talking a weekend packed with speeches by such leading libertarian thinkers as Nathaniel Branden, Congressman Ron Paul, Vin Suprynowicz, James Bovard, and many others. And of course, I alway love to catch up with my Freedom Summit sponsors Ernie Hancock and Marc Victor. These guys are truly inspirational and give me the enthusiasm to love fighting for liberty. As Ernie likes to say, "If you're not having fun with activism... you're doing it wrong!"

But How Will Alan Jennings Attend Council Meetings?

2005-06-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

14 members of the City Council want to vote sex offenders off the island of Manhattan, as well as much of the rest of the city.

Don't You Hate Stale Blogs?

2005-06-21T17:15:00.000-04:00

I slacked off big time on the posts after launching this blog last week. In my defense, it was more of a soft launch" that allowed me to work out the kinks before really unveiling it to the public. Honest. I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD.

(Bonus points: Name the movie reference.)

At any rate, I'm going to make an effort to update the blog at least once or twice a day going forward, so be sure to check back soon. And tell your friends.

And When Are They Going to Eliminate This Tax?

2005-06-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

While NYC is slowly whittling away at the sales tax (see below), the federal government still hasn't seen fit to do away with the "temporary" federal excise that on telephone service that was enacted to fund the Spanish-American War... 107 years ago!

Half a Sales Tax

2005-06-21T16:09:00.000-04:00

Apparently that's what we'll be left paying on clothing in New York City. The mayor and city council have reportedly reached a deal to ask Albany for permission (!) to cut the city's 4% share of the 8.375% sales tax on clothing. I guess it's a start... and just in time for campaign season.

Guinea Pig Kids

2005-06-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

The federal Department of Health and Human Services just issued a scathing letter to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center about New City's worst-kept secret -- that the hospital, in cooperation the Catholic church and government agencies, had a local version of the Tuskegee Experiment going for years. Only this time, instead of black men and syphillis, it was foster kids and experimental AIDS drugs. The foster kids, some as young as three months, "volunteered" to test experimental AIDS cocktails for pain, toxicity and side effects. Of course, the foster kids' parents weren't asked for permission to subject their children to these chilling experiments. They lost custody of their kids to the government, because the parents might have, you know, mistreated their offspring. All together now... it's for the children.

Guns For Tots Revisited

2005-06-15T17:48:00.000-04:00

In case anyone missed it, I had an all-new segment with Ed Helms (see "Helms Looks Back") on The Daily Show last week. The response has been tremendous. They say The Daily Show is the primary source of news on current events for young people, and I believe it. People I haven't heard from in more than 15 years have been emailing, and strangers stop me on the street to shake my hand. One guy even asked for my autograph in a bar last Friday! Yes, there has also been plenty of criticism from humorless sorts (both inside and outside the Libertarian Party), but overall it was was priceless publicity for me and my campaign.