Thanks to all of you who voted for this blog as “Best of Buffalo”. As I’ve said many times before, I do this for fun and because I enjoy the comments and conversations that this site generates. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it anymore.

I am truly honored and humbled that people voted for me and this blog as the best in Buffalo, a town which has so many great and deserving blogs. Thanks and cheers.

From now on, any time an opponent of the Bass Pro / Canal Side plan refers to there being a plan for a “big box” store on the inner harbor, they have completely lost all credibility on the issue. If you can’t be straight with people on that simple issue, you can’t be expected to be straight with people on anything else. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus is the Latin phrase / legal term of art for it.

The movement to stop the “horror” and “abomination” that is this “suburban-mall development” is on. Good for them. Too bad all they can do is throw out insults and accusations rather than spell out exactly how this plan infringes so egregiously on what they wanted there.

See you on Monday. At the Artvoice Best of Party at the Town Ballroom.

Say one thing about the Bush Administration, at least they’re consistent. For how many regulatory agencies could this article be written?

Eight consumers groups have united to oppose the nomination of Michael Baroody for the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Baroody is the executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers, which has consistently worked to undermine the very efforts of the organization Bush knighted Baroody to helm.

I think Buffalo is above taking shit from people blogging about the Rangers for Westchester’s Gannett paper.

I wasn’t aware that Poughkeepsie or White Plains had an NHL team. Learn something new every day.

In the age of the internet.

Imagine if instead of carbon-copied Samizdat, the dissidents of the Cold War had blogs.

Go show Michele some love.

There’s a term we use when a government entity engages in prior restraint of political speech, be it in a leaflet, a newsletter, or even on a privately-owned billboard. That term is “unconstitutional”.

Yet that’s the situation we have with respect to Rus Thompson’s efforts to rent billboard signage on Grand Island to protest the Thruway tolls to enter that island from the North or South; there is no toll-free way to come onto Grand Island.

This just might be a bona fide federal case.

HT to Denizen.

See more Zyglis cartoons here and at his website, adamzyglis.com. Click here for a larger, more detailed image:

Via Random Thoughts 101:

“One of the great pressures we’re facing in journalism now is, it’s a lot cheaper to hire thumb-suckers and pundits and have talk shows on the air than actually have bureaus and reporters.”

- Former CNN president Walter Isaacson, on the state of independent journalism after 9/11 and in the run-up to the Iraq war, on “Bill Moyers Journal” program “Buying the War”

As far as I’m concerned, only 1/24th of the daily CNN lineup is watchable, and that’s at noon when they run an hour off CNN International. That branch of CNN actually covers stories around the world in-depth. Much like BBC World News (which I also watch) does. Fox News rarely has actual “news” reporting. Ditto MSNBC.

There is a constituency out there that isn’t interested in cross-talk and the constant repetition of “let me finish”. There is an audience out there for in-depth news reporting from around the world. That constituency is not properly being served, however. Not by the cable news channels, which have the time, if not the resources, to do it.

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe who came to power in the early 80s backed up by the hope of his countrymen.

Now, his regime has devolved into an authoritarian dictatorship that has been completely mismanaged and is rife with corruption and graft. It boasts the highest monthly inflation rate in the world right now - 2,200% in March. It’s like Weimar Germany without the hot nightlife.

At least 80% of Zimbabwe’s population of about 13 million is living below the poverty line.

Here’s hoping someone does something.

Did you watch the Democratic debate last night? It was an hour and a half of a display of everything that’s wrong with American politics today. The fact that we’re busy watching a Presidential debate a full 19 months before election day is just patently ridiculous.

Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel got a lot of laughs, but mostly because he seemed like everyone’s crazy uncle - the guy whom everyone loves, but is a touch embarrassed by. He out-kooked Kucinich.

Kucinich is very proud of his anti-war, lefty cred. That and a dollar will buy him a nice, hot cup of coffee.

Hillary was smooth and polished. When isn’t she smooth and polished? She had a good response to a question about Giuliani:

“Well Brian, I think that as a senator from New York, it is something that I worked on very hard on ever since 9/11 to try to convince the administration to do those things that would actually work to make us safe. I think there’s a big disconnect between the rhetoric and the reality. We haven’t secured out borders, our ports, our mass transit system…The resources haven’t got to the front lines…this administration has consistently tried to hype the fear without delivering on the promise of making America safer.”

Biden is no dummy, but I just don’t think he’s particularly Presidential. Near the end of the debate, he had one great line. Looking especially at Kucinich and Gravel, who had basically said that war is never justified, ever, Biden mentioned Afghanistan and noted that he thought that action was perfectly justified. He said something along the lines of, “you two can have your happy talk, but this is real life.”

Obama looked a bit shaky at first, but got into his grove as the debate wore on. I don’t recall anything particularly memorable about his performance, though. He had a good line about the Confederate flag, which he said should be “in a museum”.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was the only chief executive up on that stage, and his answers were well-arranged in bullet points. He was the first to mention Darfur and obviously is extraordinarily learned when it comes to issues of diplomacy and foreign affairs. Daily Politics notes that his “ideal Supreme Court Justice” wrote some decisions that would not please most Democrats.

John Edwards is a lot of talk with a fancy haircut, and I just can’t take him seriously. He explained away how he can talk about “two Americas” when he clearly lives in the one that’s effing loaded, by recounting a story about how he had grown up poor. He stands there and reminds me of the Kerry campaign, and how I thought he was a lightweight back in 2004 and I still think he’s a lightweight now. He might have gobs of money, but he’s going nowhere. He was asked a question about whom he considers to be his moral leader. He sat there thinking, eating up precious MSNBC time, finally coming up with his “Lord”, his wife, and his father.

Chris Dodd was there, too. Yes, that’s how memorable his statements were.

So far, Richardson has the most substance behind what he says and he’s very matter-of-fact and pragmatic. I don’t know if he’s got a shot, but this country could do a lot worse.

The debate watch party was hosted by the New Democrats of Western New York, which is a new political club that will endorse Democratic candidates and assist them with their campaigns. They’ll help with the grassroots grunt work - going door to door, lit drops, etc. But they’ll also use some of the newer methods of campaigning that have been very successful in recent local races.

The state Senate voted itself a payraise last night. Must be nice.

Buffalo, NY - Beer-O-Vision is a monthly video magazine focusing on craft brewing scene in Buffalo, WNY, NYS, and beyond! Tune in once a month for segments on beer tasting events, interviews, brewery tours, homebrewing, general tomfoolery, ratings, reviews, news… and more!

Your host is Ethan Cox, local homebrewer, beer writer, and beer enthusiast/advocate. You may know him from his articles in Buffalo Rising, classes in beer & food pairings at Delish!, or from kicking around some of the local beery events such as Mr. Goodbar’s Goodbeer Club and lately, Ulrich’s Tavern’s Hasenpfeffer Club. His mission is to help transform the local beer-drinking culture by raising people’s awareness about the breadth and depth of beer as a beverage. He is motivated by the fact that beer is absolutely a thirst-quenching, workingman’s drink and at the same time, capable of all the complexity, subtlety, nuance and bother that is usually associated with wine and spirits.

In this inaugural segment, you’ll be traveling to the Elmwood strip to Mr. Goodbar, home of the long-running Goodbeer Club. Bobby Raab is a true craft brew hero for organizing this event for so long, nearly three years now. In doing so, he has totally transformed the reality (if not the public conception) of this bar- consider that when he began working there, there were only a few taps, but today they boast well over twenty. If you want a Gaffel Kolsh in this town, it’s to Mr. Goodbar’s you will have to travel, my friend.

Hit the video to get a taste of this fantastic Buffalo beer-event, and stay tuned for further installments of Beer-O-Vision!

Chris Byrd takes a guess at what some of Buffalo’s other well-knowns might have on their DVRs.

And for the record, I don’t watch Tucker Carlson. My DVR right now has 24, Robin Hood, Family Guy, and Stewart/Colbert.

On the pretext that they were shooting for a non-existent show called “America’s Favorite Foods”, the Food Network shot video of Drew Cerza at the Anchor Bar yesterday when, out of nowhere, out pops Bobby Flay for a throwdown. Who made the best wings?

WNYMedia.net was there:

My State Assemblyman, Mike Cole, got wicked drunk at a Sabres-watching party on April 16th.

So drunk that, when he dropped off the 21-year old female intern with whom he had been partying, he had to sleep on her floor. (News reports indicate that she wasn’t his intern. But you can be).

“At the time I didn’t think it was an issue because I wasn’t in a condition to drive,” Cole said. “I couldn’t be more embarrassed. … It will never happen again.”

Darn tootin’. That’s probably because…

The 21-year-old intern was fired.

The Daily Politics says:

The source says Cole and the intern watched the NHL playoffs together last Tuesday at an Albany bar called Legends at a gathering put together by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat, because his hometown team, the Sabres, were playing the Islanders.

Hoyt confirmed he sent an e-mail inviting fellow Sabres fans to join him at Legends last week to watch the game, but said he didn’t invite any interns or know any were present that evening. A number of legislators attended the event, Hoyt said, but most of them were Republicans.

Why, it even made the New York Post.

Funny, getting drunk at a Sabres-watching party with ridiculously young interns isn’t on Assemblyman Cole’s “events” page.

Laura Monte, who ran against Cole and now works for Governor Spitzer, said that if she won, she’d cut her salary by half. She should have also said that she would have kept the carousing to a minimum.

So, Republican Mike Cole gets caught drunk in a 21 year-old intern’s flat, yet it doesn’t merit a story in the Buffalo News, which is the largest paper in Cole’s district. It’s in the NY Post, the Niagara Gazette, and NY Daily News but not in the Buffalo News?!

UPDATE: Cole released a statement:

On Monday, April 16th I watched Game 3 between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders at an Albany sports bar. I was joined by several other state legislators from both sides of the aisle, as well as staff, including intern staff.

At the end of the long night, I walked one of the interns, a 21-year-old woman, home to her apartment. I ended up spending the night on her floor. As wrong as it sounds now, at the time I didn’t think it was such a bad decision to sleep there being that I was incapable of driving. But it was.

I should have taken a cab home. At no point in time did anything inappropriate occur, nor has anything been alleged. However, a couple of years ago a strict ‘fraternization’ rule with interns was put into place in the State Assembly. I believe I may have violated this house rule. I couldn’t be more embarrassed that I placed myself and my family in this situation. For that, I am truly sorry. It will not happen again.”

There is a super-strict anti-fraternization rule in the Assembly with respect to interns, and the Assembly Ethics Committee has been meeting behind closed doors all afternoon to figure out what to do with Cole. The intern was fired due to her violation of the rule. Cole can’t simply be fired, so we’ll see.

Did you vote in the poll?

Here is what some people have put down for “other”:

- Anyone
- Henry Nowak
- Mark Poloncarz
- All suck
- Cynthia Locklear
- Mark Poloncarz
Write In: Ed Rutkowski

THE NEW DEMOCRATS OF WESTERN NEW YORK cordially invite you to watch the 1st Democratic Debate of the 2008 Presidential Election at a Debate Watch Party Thursday, April 26, 2007 6:30-9pm.

The party will be held at JP Bullfeathers Restaurant at 1010 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. There will be free food and a cash bar; entry is free to the party.

The New Democrats of Western New York is an organization dedicated to advancing a 21st Century Progressive Agenda for the Buffalo-Niagara Region. It supports Democratic candidates who represent a new generation of leadership for WNY through the use of innovative modern means combined with proven grassroots methods of the past. Its membership includes elected officials, Democratic activists and campaign consultants with a proven track record of being able to deliver victories in important and difficult races.

You can learn more about the New Democrats of WNY this Thursday, April 26 by joining them at JP Bullfeathers Restaurant, 1010 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo as they discuss the upcoming election season and then watch the first Democratic Presidential Debate for the 2008 campaign live from South Carolina. All of the candidates are scheduled to attend, and this should be a great event to kickoff the 2008 election season.

This debate watch party is FREE and open to any person who cares about our country and region. If you plan on attending, RSVP by e-mail at rsvp@newdemsofwny.com.

The New Democrats of WNY are on the web at www.newdemsofwny.com, where you’ll find a webpoll on whom you will be supporting in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary.

Evidently, parents can’t be bothered to use their V-chips or prevent their kids from watching 24 and CSI, so the government’s going to step in and help make prime time TV more closely resemble Noggin and Nickelodeon.

Maybe Hannah Montana can defuse some suitcase nukes with a rousing rendition of “Who Said”.

The Sabres win 5-2. Bfloblog has the recap.

I thought it would be fun to link to the New York Post’s story and the Daily News’ story about the game.

The Buffalo News, by contast, channels John Rambo.

Chesley McNeil.

Today, Washington really screwed Western New York. The Department of Homeland Security broke off talks with the Canadian government regarding shared border management.

The Canadian government. I mean, Christ is there any government ours can get along with?

The sticking point?

The DHS refused to comply with Canadian law which would have forbidden US inspectors from fingerprinting travelers who approach the Peace Bridge but then change their minds and do not cross.

“That’s a vital authority that we’re simply not willing to surrender,” spokesman Russ Knocke said.

Under shared border management, which was announced as a done deal to some fanfare in 2004, American border inspectors would be sited on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge, thus freeing the west side neighborhoods on the US side of lots of idling trucks, and permitting us to re-configure the park by the Peace Bridge to look like this.

In response to the announcement, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said,

It is imperative that these talks continue and that we reach a final agreement on shared border management. Two years ago we all joined on the west side to announce the agreement for a pilot project which was widely applauded by elected officials and community members. Without shared border management there is no way that this project can proceed in a fashion that is positive for the entire city of Buffalo. This project is going to affect our community for generations – it is essential that we do it right.

Instead, we’re looking at a larger plaza on the US side. Just about every single local politician has pushed for shared border management to shift inspection to the Canadian side.

From Congressman Higgins’ office:

In response to the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement today that they are ending all consideration of a shared border management plan at the Canadian side of the border, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) released the following statement:

“This decision demonstrates the inability of this Administration to find a creative solution to a difficult problem.,” said Higgins.

A Canadian news report says,

Canadian law doesn’t permit fingerprinting unless someone volunteers or has been charged with a crime.

But suspicious people could still be questioned, said Day.

It’s puzzling, said Greenwood, that the two countries have had a successful air clearance program at major airports for years but can’t conclude this deal, where the stakes for the economy are so much higher.

Why is this important, aside from the aesthetics of Front Park in Buffalo?

The Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario, is the third busiest commercial crossing and second busiest passenger vehicle crossing along the northern border, handling $20 billion of trade annually between the United States and Canada.

Congestion blamed on infrastructure constraints and heightened post-9/11 security cost the economies of both countries billions of dollars each year.

Let’s try again, shall we?