MsKreed

Several have declared intent

But unfortunately,  the "duopoly" holds power within state legislatures that set eligibility laws.....and has colluded in some states to create unreasonable barriers to ballot access.

So, it could be impossible for anyone other than a D or R to win, if other candidates aren't on ballots in enough states to attain the 207 electoral votes needed.

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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is chipping away toward the goal of being on the ballot in states across the country, increasing the chances he will influence the outcome of the White House race.

Mr. Kennedy has cleared the bar in Utah and recently collected the signatures needed to appear on the ballot in New Hampshire.

He has also decided to work smarter, not harder, in a half-dozen states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas — where he filed a petition to create a new political party, which is an easier way to get onto the ballot in those states than running as an unaffiliated candidate.

“We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters and strategists ready to get the job done,” said Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear. “Mr. Kennedy will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

Mr. Kennedy is not alone.

Cornel West, a prominent Black liberal academic and independent presidential candidate, is making ballot inroads, while No Labels, the group laying the foundation for a bipartisan “unity ticket,” is on the ballot in more than a dozen states.

The Green Party and the Libertarian Party have also secured ballot access in several states, including key battleground states.

Source 

I have a headache from trying to figure out how the “weighted scoring system” is calculated. There’s no clarification and the math is not even a little bit self-explanatory.

Hamlin: 21-7-14 = 140 votes

Flacco: 13-26-8 = 151 votes

Joe Flacco, not Damar Hamlin shockingly wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year

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It’s a shocking result as even Flacco said prior to the award show the he thought Hamlin should win. Hamlin received more first-place votes (21) than Flacco (13), but a weighted scoring system gave Flacco 151 total points to Hamlin’s 140.

Oy VEY!!

The Agenda software debate continues, and took up several minutes of yesterday's BUDGET COMMITTEE meeting .

This makes me wonder how Moss has purchased and already begun using his "PEAK" system without the Legislature allocating funds?

The Legislature is proposing replacing Novus (which is retiring soon), with another system of their own choosing.  

This new, new system (CivicPlus) sounds better. It is $10k less per year than Moss's "PEAK", and will import the Novus archives (which Novus does not). 

I admit I never followed Gina’s “controversial” behavior. I think she was amazing in the Mandalorian and didn't hear about the stuff that Disney considered "abhorrent and unacceptable" until after she was canned.

I tend to get frustrated trying to sort out the full and accurate context of “he said/she said” quotes and snippets. Honestly.....from the examples I’ve seen cited, I tend to agree with THIS article that Forbes ran a while after she was fired.

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The latest example is Disney’s firing of Gina Carano from The Mandalorian in February.  She is a conservative who is not shy about expressing her views, the latest being a comment that compared conservatives being silenced and canceled today to Jews being targeted during the Holocaust.

An exaggerated comparison? Yes. But enough to fire her? Doubtful. She’s more guilty of a bad comparison. Gina should have likened today’s conservative cancel culture to the 1950s Congressional hearings held to expose entertainment people who were members or sympathizers of the Communist Party. Ten influential actors and screenwriters were eventually jailed and blacklisted by the major movie studios for denouncing the hearings and refusing to name those who had expressed Communist sympathies. That’s a better comparative. Ironically, when Disney fired Gina for her opinions it inadvertently proved her point.

We can disagree as to whether Disney was justified or not in firing Gina, but one thing is clear; Disney’s management of its social responsibility persona is woefully flawed.

To begin, the company’s approach is confusing. Many assert that Pedro Pascal, star of The Mandalorian, offered similar analogies that Carano did, though with a liberal bent, when he shared a now deleted Instagram post comparing Donald Trump voters to Nazis. Pascal kept his job. Carano did not. Disney’s inconsistent approach led outsiders to suspect that Disney leans left, something that CEO Bob Chapek denied at the recent shareholders meeting by stating, "I don't really see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning, yet instead standing for values — Values that are universal." But management cannot afford to treat employees differently for similar actions. It makes Chapek’s comments appear disingenuous. The company needs a universally consistent approach for its universal values.

The Executive says an agreement has been reached between him and the Legislative leadership

He posted a short video on his FB page: Here

I'm glad they are moving forward to do their jobs and conduct business.....but do have some concerns regarding continuity and retention of archives. 

There does not seem to be any online records of Legislative and Committee meetings prior to November 2008, when Novus was implemented. In fact, since the Resolution Moss references (08-184) was preceded the use of Novus, we can't access it ourselves. If there was a prior online system that shows information before 11/08, it's not readily accessible. 

Now that the public has had access to over 15 years of minutes and agendas, I sincerely hope that data will still be openly available, and that the new Peak system includes a link to Novus and clear Public Notice on where/how to find older records.

Glad to see the new Board is open to trying different approaches.

I'm a little surprised at the "drastically reduced" admission price.  I thought, at $5 for adults and kids free, that it was already one of the less expensive events in the area. Granted, that adds up if someone wanted to visit multiple days/nights. Maybe also offering a single admission price for the entire Fair would be worth exploring as an option.  Being free to return at a later day/time without paying each time may encourage attendance.

I really hope that fees for vendors and exhibitors stays reasonable (perhaps even a "drastically reduced" discount for local businesses and independent crafters, etc).  Increased charges that are pricing out the "little guys" is a tactic that ruins a lot of festivals and events for me. 

Browsing and supporting unique, locally made products is much more desirable than when most vendors who can afford to show up are just travelling retail distributors (the same people that will disappear and never stand by their goods....and are another event every week all over the region, selling cheap imported products that you can buy at the mall kiosks or Amazon).

20 minutes ago, Chris said:

Going to the DMV or calling about any state office is about to be a lot more fun! /s

Truth.

 But I guess not speaking English with be a great way to improve the process for the all the non-English speaking illegals that NYS started issuing under the "Green Light" Law a few years ago....

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The Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, commonly called the 'Green Light law allows all New Yorkers age 16 and older to apply for a standard, not for federal purpose, non-commercial driver license or learner permit regardless of their citizenship or lawful status in the United States.

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The Civil Service Commission voted to approve the measure on Jan. 18 and is working with agencies to implement the changes, which include dropping typical application requirements like proof of a high school diploma or proficiency in English.

“I have 10,000 openings in the New York State workforce. From our operations to SUNY, I have 10,000 openings. So this is to give options to people but to say we are working intensely to get work authorization — these are all legal people,” said Hochul.

The goal is to make it faster for migrants to get jobs once they get work authorization.

Hochul is eyeing 4,000 entry-level posts that are currently unfilled within state agencies, including:-clerical or administrative roles-technical support-equipment service and repair-food services.

Jobs won’t be limited to just migrants and officials are billing it as a “win-win,” according to an internal memo dated Jan. 12 from the Department of Civil Service first reported by Bloomberg News and obtained by NY1.

“I’m anxious to get this moving quickly, and once they’re approved, we can match people to jobs. They don’t need to be reliant on services any longer, which I think is the objective to not have people supported by taxpayers in our shelters,” said Hochul.

 

Source

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Military officials have released the identities of three Army Reserve soldiers killed in a one-way drone attack that occurred Sunday at a U.S. military base in northeastern Jordan near the country’s borders with Syria and Iraq.

The three fallen troops were all members of the Army Reserve’s 718th Engineer Company. Their names, according to Defense Department and Army releases, are: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, a resident of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

Rivers, who hailed form Willingboro, New Jersey, joined the Reserve as an electrician in 2011, according to the Army release. He previously deployed to Iraq in 2018 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the anti-ISIS effort. His individual awards included an Army Achievement Medal in addition to service and campaign ribbons.

Sanders enlisted as a horizontal construction engineer in 2019, the Army said. She deployed to Djibouti in 2021, earning numerous service and campaign ribbons.

Moffett, who also joined the Reserve in 2019 as a horizontal construction engineer, was on her first deployment, the release said.

All three soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company in 2023 ahead of the deployment. Sanders and Moffett previously served in another engineer unit based in the south Georgia town of Tifton.

At least 34 other service members were injured in the attack, including eight who required medical evacuation from Jordan, said Central Command. Iran-backed militia groups, supported by the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, launched the drone, according to U.S. officials.

The drone hit the soldiers’ housing units, the Army release said, adding that an investigation into their deaths is underway.

 

Source

1 hour ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

The Elmira Police Department’s Detective Bureau has two new, full-time Investigators focusing exclusively on shootings and gun cases. The positions were created after Elmira P.D. received a New York State grant to join the “Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative,” also known as “G.I.V.E.” Data shows reported gunshots in Elmira more than doubled from 2018 to 2023.

Just skimming over the excerpt, my first impression was to question the wisdom of spending a lump sum grant on creating new positions. Getting so excited to spend “free money” that it’s treated as some ongoing, permanent revenue instead of what it is: a one-time windfall.

It’s fiscally irresponsible just like the FLOCK cameras. Salaries and benefits for the new positions will need to be squeezed from local tax revenue once the grants end.

By definition, the funding is intended to be a temporary infusion of money.

We all really hope that the Elmira/Chemung County GIVE unit is successful. But the criteria for the G.I.V.E funding is that they remain among the highest counties for gun violence in the state.  Once they successfully lower gun violence in this area, the grants end....and then those salaries and benefits for the new positions will need to be squeezed from local tax revenue.

With that being said, it’s not in any way a reflection of the dedication of the local law enforcement agencies. The following remark hits on the most vital point:

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“We try to take these things further to court to get indictments, to hold people accountable for their actions,” said Investigator Hillman.

The defense attorneys know that judges are forced to dismiss charges if the investigation falls short of new legislation that requires much more documentation of evidence than the past.  Which places a higher burden on the officers who respond and investigate these crimes.

18 hours ago, Ann said:

If true, why am I not surprised.

Me neither.

Call me cynical....but the most convincing argument for me isn’t the he “said/she said” narratives from Israel and Hamas.

The fact that it’s a UN agency is what makes them suspect in my eyes. Maintaining conflict among the very nations that fund them is a cash cow that has allowed the UN to thrive (and grows richer and more powerful) for decades. 

As of October 6th....the Saudis and other Arab nations were on board to facilitate normalized solutions for the region.  I imagine that progress toward sustained peaceful relations could have caused less "need" (and hence a loss of revenue) for UNWRA, as well as a whole bunch more UN "aid" programs. Can't have that.

In the Standing Committees, Margeson clearly said that "all requests made through Novus will be processed appropriately. The Executive branch needs to continue using Novus until the Legislative branch decides to change the policy for how requests for Legislative actions are made". 

While that sounds like requests for Personnel and spending, etc from the Executive departments are not being submitted....it doesn't explain why requests can't be processed for items that legislators want to introduce. Hopefully, the Legislature will take the opportunity to use the "free time" (that they're not working on Executive route slips) to fill the agenda with other issues that serve their constituents. 

For example, this initiative that @Lawana Morse shared on her FB page: 

I have a question.

Does the Legislature still has access to use Novus to submit and generate Agenda items from their own branch...... or has the IT Department (under Executive direction) disabled their access to the Novus site?

The current Policy (below) was implemented in February 2021 under Resolution 21-113. As a “policy” rather than Local Law amending the Charter, I assume it did not require the Executive’s approval.  

However, the Chemung County Charter clearly establishes that it is not within the Executive’s powers and duties to control the “conduct and procedure” of the Legislature:

Section 203 of the states that “In addition to all powers conferred by the foregoing of other provisions of this Charter, the County Legislature shall have the power among others:

(f) to adopt by resolution all necessary rules and regulations for its own conduct and procedure;"

 It seems like (even if Novus is inaccessible to the Legislatures), Agenda items can be introduced under the policy as "exception granted by the Chairperson for good cause"

It would be in the best interest of the County for the Chair to "grant exceptions" at least in the short term to have some resolution presented to address an interim "policy" for Route Slip and Resolutions. 

It's worth noting that particular (Feb 2021) Legislative meeting included some lively debate about the Policy adopted under 21-113, as well as 21-056 (Resolution establishing Legislative Redistricting and Efficiency of County Government Operations Advisory Committee).  Both topics were questioned by several members of the Public and discussed in depth by various legislator (some of whom voted to postpone both resolutions indefinitely). 

The details of the meeting can be reviewed as follows:

Video: February 8, 2021 Full Legislature Meeting

Minutes: Feb 8, 2021 Minutes

After it convened, the "Government Efficiency" part was (rightly) abandoned by the Redistricting Committee.  The legal consultants at SUNY explained that the required redistricting is a defined and specific process that cannot be combined with changing district sizes or government structure (elected Exec vs appointed Manager, etc).

Personally, I think the Charter does need to be revised to have clearer procedures for Agenda policy as well as examining the number of legislators and executive structure.  However, these issues should not be decided by Legislative committees -- the Legislature should pass a resolution to form a Charter Commission (with diverse members outside the elected branches) that can comprehensively evaluate the entire Charter.

I’m not sure about other states, but in New York State the prison system regularly changes terminology.

I suppose it started with “reformatories” and “penitentiaries” becoming “prisons” and then “correctional facilities”.  I have no idea when (or why) “wardens” became “superintendents” or who decided that “prison guard” was insulting and needed to called “correctional officers”.

And then there is the evolution of “convict” (short for the perfectly clear and accurate “convicted felon”, since they had clearly been convicted of a felony - duh). By the 80s or 90s, that was unacceptable and was changed to “inmate”.  Not only did it involve editing every single document, blank form, database and directive that was used in a prison ....um Correctional Facility......staff could face disciplinary action for using the “old” language.

The 2000’s saw another change from “inmate” to “offender” (no longer convicted of a felony, they had just committed an offense, I guess?). Many of the “offenders” themselves took exception to the new label....as it seemed too similar to the already common “sex offender” title that had replaced distasteful descriptions like “rapist” and “child molester”. 

So, in spite of all the thousands of documents, blank forms, databases and directives that were revised to replace “inmate” with “offender”....the word “inmate” was still the preferred term. However, the Verbicide continues..... and the revision process started all over in 2022 when they were renamed “incarcerated individuals” because the term inmate is "dehumanizing".

Sorry....having been convicted of felonies, they are still convicts. 

11 hours ago, KarenK said:

Kid is originally from Erin and can not even count the number of times he has been in trouble.  Glad to see the family has finally shut up and quit making excuses for him.

The legal system is so broken, that the Courts/State most likely have done a good job of making excuses for him. 

According to the DOCCS Inmate Lookup, he's only been sentenced to State prison time once......So apparently, all of his earlier run-ins with the law had been pled down and reduced enough to always be less than a year sentence. In fact, there's a good chance that the one conviction (3rd degree burglary, Class D felony) that did get him state time was a reduced charge from something more serious. 

It looks like it was served at Lakeview so he was out after 6 months in the Shock program. He was just released (all rehabilitated) in September, and now he's tooling around with somebody's children while hauling meth and an AK-47.

I appreciate the sentiment that a full-fledged conspiracy doesn’t seem feasible.....but this is sort of circular reasoning:

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Just to be perfectly clear, this is not the NFL accidentally letting out its secret agenda for this postseason through a television station in a foreign country. It’s likely a gaffe that stems from both the Niners and the Ravens being the top seeds in their respective conferences. Sure, Baltimore won their playoff game Saturday, and the Niners are favored against the Packers by 10 points, but both organizations would still need to win next week to make this prediction come true.

Even if that were to happen, what’s the conspiracy? That the NFL manipulated things to let the two best teams in the league into the Super Bowl? That’s not exactly MK Ultra-level stuff.

If there were a conspiracy going on that was big enough to “plan” the SuperBowl....wouldn’t be silly to assume it hadn’t started early enough to set the designated teams up to be the two best in the league??

🤷‍♂️

Some fans have always claimed Sports leagues are fixed. And knowing how much money is wrapped up in it....especially as gambling is legalized in more places, I guess I understood how people would think so. 

It always seemed unlikely to me, because so many people would need to be "in on it".

BUT.......

A premature outcome being advertised is weird enough, but then when it looks like that very outcome is proceeding to happen??

49ers complete comeback with victory over Packers while Ravens advance to AFC

56 minutes ago, Chris said:

Im not saying it’s okay to do, but I’m thinking that the consequences are far more heavily enacted, and likely because it’s a great moneymaker for the state.

Without defending drunk driving, I have to say you’re not wrong that enforcement and consequences are unfair in comparison to other crimes, like gun laws.

Especially when you consider that as constitutionally questionable as some “prior restraint” gun laws are.....DWI laws are essentially just as (if not more) “preemptive”. Traffic blockades are set up to 'fish' for drivers who are not violating any traffic rules, and whose actions have not "yet" caused any harm.  Not much different than SAFE laws that assume someone with 10 bullets in their magazine will presumably do something dangerous later. 

It can be argued that, in some cases, DWI laws lack due process since driver’s license can be immediately revoked for refusing a test, and stay revoked even if a defendant is later acquitted. The only reason that’s allowed is because it’s a “privilege” to drive – but in NYS lawmakers have decided it’s a human right for illegal immigrants?

It would be nice if these agencies were more transparent and reported the custody status of the offenders they spent tax money investigating. 

The media/public should remember that there's a reason why the legal system itself assumes that those who use "vague" language are trying to pull one over on someone.....Contra proferentem is a rule of contract interpretation that states an ambiguous contract term should be construed against the drafter of the contract.

(I think omitting that data is likely an indication that few, if any, were held. )

Also....I hope I'm not the only one who had to look up what G.I.V.E. stands for?

Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative find NYS info here

It looks like it's been around for 10 years but Elmira just started receiving money from them ($383,147 in June, 2023). 

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Elmira and Chemung County are new additions to this 10-year-old initiative that now supports agencies in the 21 counties outside of New York City that face the most gun violence and violent crimes.

So, apparently Chemung County is rising in the "gun violence" rankings in the state?

I couldn't find the original Topic of this story from 2021. It must have been archived

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Special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.

The analysis from experts in ballistics and forensic testing relied on replacement parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin, after parts of the pistol were broken during testing by the FBI. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.

The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, "given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver."

 

Read More Here

19 minutes ago, Zapp Brannigan said:

Electric pickup trucks are just dumb. Not to mention those Fords are rather pricey and most normal folk cant afford them.

17 minutes ago, Chris said:

I was told they're great for in town use but the minute you have to tow something or have a heavy load, forget it. 

Even passenger vehicles have a limited EV market. Trucks and vans are heavier, more likely to carry cargo weight and are used for utilitarian needs that require regular travel outside city limits. It's absurd to think they'll work as EVs in any practical sense.

I’m in a few FB groups for Class B RVs, and there’s been a lively conversation about the Ram Promaster EV that is being introduced. I can’t believe how many people think they’ll live long enough to see these things commonly adapted to travel coaches.

We’ll need several generations of improvement before the EV charge will be sufficient to power the coach in addition to the current travel capacity of 162 mile city range on a full charge. (That’s for an unloaded chassis. Add the RV build and that will drop significantly.)

The option to drive a loaded rig to a remote destination and boondock for days is a long way in the future.

19 minutes ago, Chris said:

Didn't the DNC vote to make South Carolina the first caucus, primary, whatever?

I think they wanted dates changed but NH refused?  

I do believe Iowa has some staggered thing this year, with the Rep caucus at regular time and a later "mail-in" caucus date for dems. I don't understand what a "mail-in" caucus could even mean. 

There is some Super PAC that is pushing a write-in campaign in NH for Biden. And folks in NH are pointing out that, while Biden's name isn't on the primary ballot, his administration is conspicuously bragging about what he's done for the state (while assuring everyone it's not a Hatch violation as long as they don't mention the primary out loud). 

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This week alone, New Hampshire has logged visits from five Cabinet secretaries: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Tuesday, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Wednesday and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday. That’s on top of recent visits from White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman.

They’ve spread out across New Hampshire, talking up spending by the Biden administration on roads, schools, farms and more. Just don’t ask them whether it all has anything to do with the primary campaign later this month.

Source:  Biden’s campaign is snubbing NH. But we sure are popular with his Cabinet lately

I realize Biden will be the dem nominee the DNC has decided for its voters. 

But I give Dean Phillips points for trying. 

(let's see how many times it takes me to get the embed to work - LOL)

5 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I saw that on the news last night and it made me chuckle.  Nope, I'll stick with gas powered car for now

Yeah.....it's sort of hard to feel bad for a bunch of upper income tree-huggers who felt so superior for "saving the planet" from the neanderthals who cling to fossil fuels.