Tag Archives: New York state

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that one of his top priorities for 2013 will be the further decriminalization of marijuana possession. Raw Story reports: Even if the governor fails to convince the legislature to go along on decriminalization, marijuana arrests are already destined to begin falling dramatically thanks to a recent court decision barring so-called “stop and …

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his State Of The State address in Albany today and and outlined a plan that some are calling the most restrictive gun control policy in the nation. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he wants to make New York’s gun laws the toughest in the nation, pushing to ban weapons with “military-style features” and eliminate loopholes …

Crackpot anti-gay New York Sen. Ruben Diaz has ten wishes for the new year. 1. For Senator John Sampson, to find better and more faithful friends. 2. For reporters Bob Kappstatter, from the Bronx Times and Jim Odato from the Times Union, to learn how to be impartial and objective journalists. 3. For Senator Jeff Klein and his Gang of …

Former Democratic New York Sen Hiram Monserrate has been sentenced to two years in prison for campaign finance fraud. The ex-Queens politician was also ordered to cough up $79,000 in restitution, following his guilty plea in May to mail fraud. Monserrate is expected to report to prison in March. “Hiram Monserrate was undone by his greed and now will pay …

The New York Daily News reports that the approaching fiscal cliff has prompted a rash of slashed mansion prices in the Hamptons.  Some homes have been marked down to only $20 million! Hamptons homeowners have launched a selling spree, offering fire sale prices to get rid of their properties before higher capital gains tax rates are expected to kick in …

Saying he can no longer stomach incessant proselytizing by his Christian commanders, an atheist cadet at West Point has resigned. “Countless officers here and throughout the military are guilty of blatantly violating the oaths they swore to defend the Constitution,” wrote Blake Page, who was slated to graduate in May. “These men and women are criminals, complicit in light of …

A West Point graduate got married today in the first same-sex wedding ever held on the legendary military academy’s campus. Penelope Gnesin and Brenda Sue Fulton, a West Point graduate, exchanged vows in the regal church in a ceremony conducted by a senior Army chaplain. The ceremony comes a little more than a year after President Obama ended the military …

Some great news today from central New York. The New York Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Syracuse Common Council’s passage of legislation amending local civil rights law to protect transgender and gender non-conforming residents from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels and stores. In an 7 to 1 vote, the Common Council approved a …

A district attorney in central New York has confirmed that he worked in adult films 40 years ago after a YouTube clip proved his former identity.  Cortland County prosecutor Mark Suben had vigorously denied his porn past until the clip surfaced on Thursday. “Recently materials have been circulated alleging that I was involved in the adult film industry about 40 …

“Everyone knows that I have always been a Democrat, I am a Democrat, and I will be a Democrat. The only difference is that I am a conservative Democrat. I am a pro-life Democrat, meaning that I am against abortions. I am a traditional marriage Democrat, meaning that I am against gay marriage, and that I believe marriage should be …

As I noted yesterday, newly-elected Democratic state Sen. Simcha Felder has announced that he will caucus with the GOP, imperiling the chance of Democratic control of the chamber for the first time in many years, not to mention jeopardizing the long overdue Gender Non-Discrimination Act, which has languished for a decade. Now the Democrats say they are exploring how to …

Democratic New York state Senator-elect Simcha Felder, who last week won his seat in Brooklyn’s newly drawn and heavily Orthodox Jewish district, has announced that he will caucus with the Republicans. Felder’s decision may upend the Democrats’ coming (for now) one-seat hold on the Senate majority. The Democrat, Simcha Felder, a former city councilman who is a deputy to the …

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has denounced Rabbi Noson Leiter, who made news earlier this week with his claim that Hurricane Sandy was God’s retribution upon the state for legalizing same-sex marriage. “The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state’s embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as …

An upstate New York man is suing his church after a giant crucifix fell on him, costing him his leg. David Jimenez put all of his faith in a massive marble crucifix, praying to it every day that his wife would be cured of cancer. And she was. The 45-year-old pizza parlor worker was so grateful, he volunteered to clean …

Fire Island, which is arguably the most famous gay vacation destination in the world, was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The damage is so severe that the spokesman for the National Seashore believes that at least one new permanent inlet between the bay and the ocean has been created, effectively dividing Fire Island into two separate islands. Steve Weinstein has the …

Right Wing Watch has the story: Rabbi Noson Leiter of Torah Jews for Decency is blaming Hurricane Sandy on gays and lesbians, calling it “divine justice” for New York’s new marriage equality law. Torah Jews for Decency campaigned against marriage equality in New York and New Jersey, worked with Liberty Counsel and New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms in an unsuccessful …

Today New York’s hate groups hit the end of their miserable, bigoted road. New York’s top court has declined to hear an appeal from a Monroe County-based group that sought to overturn the state’s law allowing same-sex marriage. The state Court of Appeals announced its decision Tuesday. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative group opposed to same-sex unions, filed …

All that rosary-waving and Catholic voodoo failed former New York state Sen. Pedro Espada today when he finally pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of tax fraud related to the government-funded health clinics his family operated. He faces over seven years in prison and is free until sentencing is finalized. Espada was at the center of the two most tumultuous …

The Empire State Pride Agenda has named former Gay Men’s Health Crisis public policy director Nathan Schaefer as their new executive director. Schaefer says his first goal is the passage of GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.