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My entry on Iraq/Afhgahnistan  is on 11/15/06 at either 11:49 pm or 11:56 pm

A WORD TO THOSE ELECTED NOVEMBER 7

A WORD TO THOSE ELECTED NOVEMBER 7. CONGRATULATIONS. THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT.

THE VOTERS HAVE PLACED THEIR CONFIDENCE IN YOU. THE FATE OF NEW YORK, AMERICA and ALL THE PEOPLE IS IN YOUR HANDS. WITH POWER COMES RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. DEMOCRATS CAN NO LONGER BLAME GEORGE W BUSH FOR ALL THAT IS WRONG OR NOT GOING WELL, ON THE HOME FRONT OR OVERSEAS.

HOME LAND SECURITY , EMERGENCY/DISASTER PREPAREDNESS and PUBLIC SAFETY ARE THE PRIORITIES AT HOME.

AMERICANS MUST BE SAFE IN THERE HOMES, SCHOOLS, WORK PLACES, STORES and ON THE STREETS. LAW AND ORDER MUST BE RESTORED. GANG BANGERS, CRIMINALS, ANTI-SOCIAL MALCONTENTS MUST BE DISARMED BEFORE THEY ALLY WITH THE FOREIGN TERRORISTS.

OUR NATIONAL BORDERS MUST BE SECURED and ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DEALT WITH DECISIVELY. AMERICA IS LIKE A LIFE BOAT IN THE STORM TOSSED THIRD WORLD SEAS. THOSE ON BOARD MUST BE ROWING IN UNISON, IN THE SAME DIRECTION. IF WE TAKE ABOARD TOO MANY, FROM THOSE SEAS,  LIFE BOAT AMERICA WILL BE SWAMPED.

NO SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL SERVICES, FREE SCHOOLING, DRIVER'S LICENSES, VOTING, OR JOBS FOR ILLEGALS.

ENGLISH IS THE LANGUAGE OF AMERICA. GOVERNMENT IS WRONG TO BE PROMOTING MULTI-LINGUALISM . THIS PRACTICE ONLY INCREASES DIVISIVENESS AND HASTENS THE DEMISE OF AMERICA FROM WITHIN.

YOU CANNOT CUT AND RUN FROM AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, and KOREA. AMERICA MUST PREVAIL BEFORE WE LEAVE. THE NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES OF IRAN AND KOREA MUST BE NEUTERED.

GOVERN WELL DEMOCRATS. OUR FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS.

IF YOU DO NOT DEAL EFFECTIVELY, AND QUICKLY, WITH THE ISSUES ABOVE, WE HAVE NO FUTURE.

                                                                    Joe Sullivan

 

SOME THOUGHTS ON A VITAL "MID-TERM ELECTION"

SOME THOUGHTS ON A VITAL "MID_TERM ELECTION".

The 2006 mid-term elections are among the most critical in the history of our state and nation. The post 9-11 world is a dangerous place. Homeland security, public safety, emergency/disaster preparedness are the transcendent issues of the day. All other concerns pale in significance. Our state and nation are deeply divided by extreme partisanship  and racial rancour. We face enemies ,overseas, and within, who seek to destroy us and our way of life. This is no time for politics as usual. It is a time that demands extraordinary leadership and an informed electorate.

The political pundits are predicting a sweep by Democrats in New York State and Congress. The public will be in extreme danger during the transition in political power, for a year or more. This is a time when the foreign terrorists and their domestic allies are likely to launch devestating simultaneous terror attacks that could cripple our state and nation.

When the dust of election 2006 settles, George W Bush will still be the President. We will still be in Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea. The border will still not be secure. Urban crime and illegal immigration will still be among the priority domestic issues.

The political officeholders, and public, will have to set aside political partisanship, and unite to find solutions to the grave international and domestic problems that threaten our very survival.

A best election result would be for the Republicans to retain control of the state and U S Senate; for Democrats to be elected Governor and Lt Governor and Republicans as Comptoller and Attorney General in New York State. This would provide some checks and balances in government and require that both political parties cooperate for the public good.

America has no other choice than to use it's military might to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to neuter the nuclear capabilities of Iran and Korea.

On the homefront, we must secure our national borders and protect our citizens from foreign and domestic terrorists and violent malcontents who make us unsafe in our homes, in our schools and work places, and on our streets.

Without international peace and stability and without law and order at home, we have no future.

Either we stand united, or we fall divided. Every New Yorker and every American has a stake in the outcome, and a role to play.

It all begins with casting informed ballots on November 7, 2006. What the public decides with regard to the contests for federal and state public offices, this election, will surely reveal insights into whether or not our political system will survive, and whether or not the public has the ability to rise above all the media hype and partisanship, and make the correct choices. This is particularly true in two particular races: state comptroller and Member of Congress from the 20th District.

We shall find out later today. May God Bless America, keep our troops safe overseas and our citizens safe here at home.

                                                                                            Joe Sullivan

LAWN SIGNS AND WEBSITES:CAMPAIGN REFORM

LAWN SIGNS. Lawn signs most often appear everywhere else, except on lawns. I used to view lawn signs as being for dummies. However, I have come to appreciate their value. This is especially true if the signs are properly designed and placed.

Most voters find out who is running for what by reading lawn signs. The signs name the candidate, the office a candidate is seeking; and sometimes, tell what party line the candidate is on, and in what political juridiction the candidate is running. A few lawn signs direct the viewer to the candidates website, if that candidate has one. The color schemes and lettering of signs are key featrures that govern the visibility and effectiveness of the signs.

Lawn sign placement is an art.  Where and how signs are placed often determine their longevity. Crooked signs suggest crooked candidates. Vandals often destroy signs under cover of darkness. Usually, the destruction is selective, indicating the political affiliation of the vandals.

Voters can determine that a particular candidate is gaining strength when that candidate's lawn signs begin to disappear.

In Albany there are fewer lawns signs than in the past, particularly on lawns. This tells us something about the mood of the electorate.

In sum, lawns signs have their place and value in the political process. Those who destroy lawns signs, under cover of darkness, are cowards who violate the First Amendment rights of candidates and voters, alike. Let the signs be!

Candidates have an obligation to gather up and remove their signs from the landscape within a few days after an election.

Lawn signs get the attention of the voters. However, it is the obligation of the voters to find out as much as they can, or want to know, about candidates; and to cast informed votes in primaries and general elections.

Candidates who do not have much money, and organizational power, can get their messages(if they have one) out through WEBSITES. When the media publishes voter guides, which contain brief  candidate profiles, and indicate the websites of the candidates - and puts that information on line, just as the TIMES UNION has done this year - a giant stride to campaign reform has been achieved.  CONGRATULATIONS TIMES UNION and to CANDIDATES WHOSE WEBSITES HAVE MESSAGES OF SUBSTANCE.

                                                                                  Joe Sullivan