26 DAYS TO ELECTION. IS ANYBODY COUNTING?

26 DAYS TO ELECTION. IS ANYBODY COUNTING?

Halloween and November 8 are just around the corner. Trick or Treat?

Voter turnout will likely be very low. At least, that is what the Mayor and Common Council incumbents are hoping.

The people feel secure in their homes. They don't seem to mind the violence or gunfire in the streets. The unsolved arsons are forgotten.

 Disorderly, failing city schools, violence in the schools, lack of a safe environment conducive to learning, lack of K-8 neighborhood schools, and annual property tax increases to support city schools and pay the long term debt on magnet schools and the ill-conceived school facilities construction bond act, use of a lottery system to gamble with the educational futures of the children - none of this seems to matter much to the senior citizens who make up a large block of the partisan, partyline voters because they don't have any kids in school. Besides, many are glad that they are nearing departure from this life and are looking forward to the peace that will bring them. The only ones that are concerned about these issues are the families with school age children. Those, that can, move out of Albany when their kids complete grade 5. Those, who are left behind are pawns of the system.

9-11, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes -they are terrible things that happen somewhere else. Albany is safe from natural and man-made disasters and terrorist attacks. So, the Mayor and Common Council haven't bothered to prepare a City Emergency/Disaster Plan that anticipates what could happen here, and how we might survive whatever may befall us in the days ahead.

The people know that the city water supply is secure from disasters and terrorist attacks. The sewer treatment system too. An earthquake would never happen here, destroying the aging city water and sewer infrastructure rendering the city unliveable and prone to destruction by raging fires.

But, just in case, the Mayor and Common Council do have a plan - winters in Albany bring lots of rain and snow.

Sorry, you still will have to pay the 15-30 percent increase in water and sewer rates. The bills will be in the mail after November 8 -Election Day.

What are the chances that, in the dead of an Albany winter, we would suffer a disaster or terrorist attacks that would leave us without water, food, gasoline, home heating oil, electricity and all the other things we take for granted? What are the chances of the Downtown elevated highway system collapsing like a row of dominos in a quake? The bridges and highway system? Nah. Never happen. Just ask Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.

Not to worry, you'll be ok. The Mayor and Common Council have a plan. Bags of coal and turkeys will be dropped off on your doorsteps to help you along. However, you will only get the turkeys on Election Day.

Never mind all the chaos and disorder in the streets outside your homes. No, it's not the  armed gangs and criminals, the Mayor and Common Council failed to disarm. It is not they who are running amok through the neighborhoods pillaging and plundering - it is the disenfranchised citizenry who failed to anticipate and prepare for this day. They were too dependent upon the government. But, now they have to fend for themselves.

Just double bolt your door and pile some furniture against it. Fire a few rounds, into the air, from your 30/30 or 357 magnum. They will get the idea, and leave you alone - until your ammo runs out.

Don't try to call 911 because all systems are down, including cell towers. Won't matter anyway, the police and firemen, most of whom live outside of Albany, won't be able to get into down. Besides, they will be taking care of their own families.

No free rides to the ER for medical treatment. Besides the hospitals might not even be there. Hope you know first aid.

Forget about running over to your nearby church, synagogue or school. They didn't anticipate and prepare either. Their kitchens are bare. No stored food and water. No blankets. No emergency generators and fuel to provide electricity and heat. Of course, as you know, do not underestimate the power of prayer.

You are on your own. Hopefully, you had the foresight to prepare.

Regardless of what happens, the mail will get through. You will get your city and school property tax bills . They will never go down, even if your home and property are worthess.

The revaluation/reassessment will take place sometime after the November 8 General Election. Your property values are sure to skyrocket, because they will be based on this year's outrageous comparable sales in an overinflated housing market.

Not to worry, it really isn't a huge property tax increase. Just ask the Mayor or Common Council. The Mayor will tell you to be glad that your house was once worth so much.

Just shut up and pay your city and school property taxes. Stop your whining. You know the Mayor doesn't like people who complain or run Albany down. Anyway, this is HIS city - NOT yours.

He and the Common Council hope you don't bother to go to the polls and vote on November 8. Then they, and their small band of partisan, partyline voters (about 10,000 in number) ,who benefit from the status quo, will remain in power. The rest of the 45,000 Albany voters (more than half of whom don't go to the polls anyway) can go whistle dixie -even if that is not politically correct in this day and age.

In conclusion. Don't bother to become informed or to vote. Don't demand that the local media provide you with the information to permit you to cast informed votes on November 8. They already told you that the election was decided with the September 13 Democratic Primary results.

Of course, you believe that, and you are resigned to your fate. I hope you are happy and confident that government will take care of you in any event.

On November 8 just stay home and watch Survivor on your telly's and never let it cross your minds, that one day, you and your loved ones may be in the same situation, except that it will be for real.

                                                    J P Sullivan

PS: this was not written by Mark Dunlea - I can think and   write on my own.

 

 

 

34 DAYS TO ELECTION DAY: REASONS TO ELECT A NEW MAYOR

34 DAYS TO ELECTION DAY: REASONS TO ELECT A NEW MAYOR AND NEW COMMON COUNCIL

1. OPERATION IMPACT has not been stepped up to disarm criminals and gangs, and to clear the streets of anti-social individuals and groups. Law abiding citizens are not safe in their homes or on the streets anywhere in Albany.

2. NO EFFORT BY MAYOR AND HIS COMMON COUNCIL ALLIES TO FIX THE FAILING ALBANY CITY SCHOOLS.

   A) No Home Rule Request from the Common Council to the State Legislature calling for:

     a1) disbanding the City School District/School Board and vesting authority/accountability for the city schools with the Mayor and Common Council,

     a2) shifting school budget votes to November elections, with results binding - no reruns,

     a3) shifting public school funding from the property to sales/income taxes. so that all pay their fair share of public school support.

    B) No Action Locally to:

     b1) return to a K-8 neighborhood city school system, which is best for kids, parents and neighborhoods,

    b2) require school uniforms and ban gang colors/insignia,

    b3) remove unruly, violent students from classrooms, so that serious students may enjoy a safe environment conducive to learning,

    b4)implement and enforce a strict student conduct code in schools, on streets and on buses.

3. THE MAYOR AND HIS COUNCIL ALLIES HAVE FAILED TO ENACT A LOCAL LAW PROVIDING FOR A 15 MONTH MORATORIUM ON REZONINGS, USE/AREA VARIANCES PENDING CREATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE LAND USE MASTER
PLAN AND REVISED CITY ZONING CODE, with the participation, advice and consent of residents of city neighborhoods.

      Piece-meal urban renewal projects like Park South and Mid-Town only shift the blight and crime to Uptown neighborhoods.

      The proper way to redevelop the neighborhood residential integrity and quality of life in the City of Albany is to secure the Uptown neighborhoods and work back through Mid and Downtown. This approach will contain the transfer of blight and crime and assure the the property tax paying Uptown neighborhoods continue to provide the revenue needed to support city services and city schools. Eventually, all neighborhoods can be redeveloped and improved so that they pay their fair share of support for city services and city schools.

4. THREE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BOONDOGLES CONCEIVED BY THE JENNINGS ADMINISTATION AND BACKED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL- HAVE NOT BEEN RESCINDED:

 a) the 7 million dollar plus amphitheater for the Corning Preserve,

 b) the 235 million dollar plus Downtown Convention Center,

 c) privatizing the Harriman State Office Campus and relocating state workers to an already congested downtown where adequate parking and housing are not available.

5. THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL HAVE FAILED TO STRICTLY ENFORCE SPEED LIMITS IN CITY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND TO PROCLAIM THIS TO BE CITY POLICY.

6. THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL HAVE NOT REASSURED CITY RESIDENTS THAT THE CITY OF ALBANY HAS AN EMERGENCY/DISASTER PLAN THAT ANTICIPATES AND ADDRESSES THE KINDS OF NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS AND TERRORIST ATTACKS THAT MAY BEFALL ALBANY IN THE DAYS AHEAD.

7. IN UPTOWN ALBANY - THE STRIPING OF THE NEWLY PAVED NEW SCOTLAND AVE, KRUM KILL ROAD, BUCKINGHAM DRIVE, HACKETT BLVD AND WHITEHALL ROAD IS NOTHING MORE THAN DECALS WHICH WILL BE SCRAPED AWAY BY CITY SNOW
PLOWS WHEN THE FIRST SNOWS COME.

8. IN UPTOWN ALBANY- NO ACTION BY THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL ON A NUMBER OF PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE RESIDENTIAL INTEGRITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE:

 a) The derelict former gas station at Whitehall and New Scotland has not been razed and replaced with the Dan O'Connell Memorial Pocket Park,

 b) The Dan O'Connell Senior Housing/Neighborhood CommunityCenter has not been built on the adjacent 8-10 acres.

 c)  The 23 acre Neighborhood Green Belt bordered by New Scotland Ave/Krum Kill Rd/Crescent Dr/NYSTW and Rte85 has not happened. The  City already owns the western 10 acre parcel. The 5 acre landlocked parcel is for sale by the owner who favors a green belt. This 5 acre parcel could be acquired by a NYS Parks Dept matching grant (With support of Gov Pataki). The remaining 7 acres could be acquired by means of a Transfer of Development Rights arrangement between the city and the owners.

 d) The 7.5 wooded, steep-sloped ravine, containing a tributary of the Normans Kill, two small wetlands, Indian camp sites/artifacts, and a natural habitat for wildlife and birds , could be set aside as a natural area and rezoned as such/ The city could compensate the owner through a Transfer of Development Right arrangement, whereby, the owner (also a developer) could build needed high rise housing Downtown. The woodlands should not be removed from the steep slopes because this will generate flooding in the ravine and downstream residential areas of North Bethlehem. The trees also serve as a buffer to adjacent Thruway traffic noise as well as combatting air pollution to protect neighboring residential areas of the 14th and 15th wards. This is more important because of plans to add a third lane to the Thruway.

 e) Buckingham Pond Park is in great need of improvement. The pond and park are in dismal shape. The holding pond at Davis and Berkshire is a hazard as well as polluted with lawn chemicals, fertilizers, and road salt which drain into the main pond. The main pond is dying as a result. Flocks of ducks and geese, fed by unwitting individuals who feed them (in summer only) are polluting the shore area with excrement, and disease organisms. This is very serious for pets and humans with the likely arrival of a bird flu epidemic from Asia.

9. UPTOWN ALBANY NEEDS AND INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE. INCLUDING BEAT/BIKE PATROLS

THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL HAVE HAD 12 YEAR TO
ADDRESS THESE AND OTHER ISSUES VITAL TO THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF ALBANY, AND ALL WHO CALL ALBANY HOME.

THE MAYOR AND COMMOM COUNCIL HAVE NOT.

GIVE ME FOUR YEARS AS MAYOR AND I  WILL!

THANK YOU                                              Joseph Patrick Sullivan

 

NOVEMBER 8  6 am- 9 pm  VOTE SULLIVAN  MAYOR    ROW A

No one will call. It is your duty to get to the polls and cast informed votes.

PASS THE WORD TO FAMILY, NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS -

YOU WIN IF I WIN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POLITICAL PARTIES: SOME THOUGHTS

POLITICAL PARTIES: SOME THOUGHTS

Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers of our nation, and Third President.

Jefferson was an aristocratic, slave owning  Southern Planter who envisioned an agrarian society of small farmers as the basis for a representative democracy.

Ironically, Jefferson was leader of the Democratic-Republican Party and his appeal was to small farmers, working men, and small shop keepers.

His greatest legacy , as President, is  the Lousiana Purchase of 1803 , when hundreds of thousands of square miles West of the Mississippi River were added to the new nation including the prairies which are now America's grain breadbasket. Again, as an irony, Jefferson and Congress both acted unconstitutionally in purchasing Louisiana. But, the public, hungry for land, supported it.

Jefferson advocated a landed society of educated voters and was a  staunch supporter of free speech and newspapers as ways of educating the electorate.

As the years passed the Democratic-Republican Party split to become the two major parties of U.S. politics. Democrats became the party of  blue collar workers , ethnics and Southerners. Republicans became the party of the wealthy and business interests. Each party had a recognizable philosophy.

In Albany, in the early 1900's the Republican Machine of Billy Barnes firmly controlled local politics. It was a party run by Yankee aristocrats.

Dan O'Connell's father and grandfather were Republicans. They were farmers and saloon keepers. To be a saloon keeper, then, as now, required playing ball with the party in power.

Dan O'Connell and his brothers became Democrats because there was little opportunity for them to rise in politics in an aristocratic Republican Party. Dan built a viable political base from among the Irish and German ethnics of Albany's South End. Dan was a great leader and looked out for the ordinary people. This is the basis of the undying loyalty of so many Albany Democrats today.

However, what these partyline voters are unable, or unwilling, to admit, is that the Democratic Party of Dan O'Connell is no more.

When we look at the Democratic and Republican Parties, today, the inescapable conclusion is that there is very little difference between them. Both are far removed from the ordinary people.

There are no Democrats or Republicans at the upper levels of our society. They mingle together, make their deals of mutual benefit , while the most partisan adherehents to party labels are those lowest on the food chain.

Today, what we have is a two party system; those in power and those who seek to be in power. They call themselves by different names, at different times and in different places. There are some minor parties but they are only adjuncts of the party in power, in a particular place and time.

On a national level we have a "Republican" President who has failed to secure our borders and sea ports leaving the country open for future devestating terrorist attacks. He is unwilling or unable to halt a wave of illegal immigration into the U.S. which threatens to swamp Lifeboat America in a sea Third World poverty.

On a local level, we have a "Democratic" Mayor who can not , or will not,  disarm the criminals and gangs and make our homes and streets safe. Nor, can that Mayor (or Common Council -also all "Democrats") provide the leadership necessary to fix the failing Albany School System.  They are kept in office by a shrinking block of partyline, lemming like voters who view themselves as "loyal Democrats".  Loyal to what? Can they truthfully look at the last 12 years of the current administration and say that they like what they see in Albany?

Look at the record. Each election the number of people voting, grows smaller and smaller. The representative democracy envisioned by Jefferson is in danger. So, are each and every one of us.

The newspapers which Jefferson viewed as essential to creation of an informed electorate necessary to sustain this representative democracy have failed in their respionsiblity to inform the voters. Today, we get opinions, and few facts, or, no coverage at all.

The media has become a willing participant in creating the best government and judiciary that money can buy.

Those who fail to make the effort to become informed and to cast informed votes have let it happen.

We are nearing the end time of the American experiment in representative democracy that began with men like Thomas Jefferson.

Neither Jefferson,nor the other Founding Fathers,  ever foresaw the nation and world that we live in today. They can't help us. We must help ourselves or perish.

Let us begin, here in Albany, November 8, to create a city where all can live in safety, where children can be educated in K-8 neighborhood schools, where we anticipate and prepare to cope with emergencies, natural and man-made disasters, and terrorist attacks that may  befall us in the days ahead, where we restore our neighborhoods, build more and better downtown housing, and where we develop a comprehensive citywide land use master planand zoning code that will enable Albany to become a liveable city in the 21st Century.

When you go to vote, November 8th, vote with your thumbs.  VOTE  SULLIVAN    FOR MAYOR   ROW A.

 

ARE WE READY?

ARE WE READY?

The storm ravaged Gulf Coast and the suffering of the people there seem like a made for tv drama. This past Sunday's TU devoted much space to photos and stories from the Gulf Coast.

As local residents have watched and listened to or read about the hurricane disaster and the resulting unavailability of water, food, fuel and all the things we take for granted will always be there for us - has it crossed their minds what could happen here in Albany if disaster and /or terror attacks were to occur in the dead of winter?

Are our local governments and state government ready to respond to any number of scenarios? Are our churches, synagogues, schools and hospitals?  Do local governments and the state have mutual aid plans ready to implement?  Are food stores, pharmacies, medical providers, distributors, utilities, transportation agencies ready? Are individuals and households prepared to survive on their own?

With criminals and gangs heavily armed, who will protect us against the violence, chaos, disorder, pillaging and plundering likely to follow a major disaster or terror attack locally?

Campaign 2005 is not your ordinary politics as usual event. 9-11 changed all that. But the politicians and public are not willing or able to grasp this fact. We have to think and behave differently, if we are to survive what may come our way.

Alive at Five, First Night Celebration,  and the Tulip Festival , a 7 million dollar riverfront amphitheater and a 200 million dollar plus downtown convention center, redevelopment plans Park South, Midtown and Arbor Hill would instantly become irrelevant in a major disaster ot terror attack.

I am doing my best to prepare my family for any eventuality.  It is only fair to expect  our churches, synagogues, and schools to be doing the same. Do they have emergency supplies of water, food, fuel and electric generators on hand? Are they prepared to provide shelter to victims of a disaster or terror attack?

What plans have our Mayor and Common Council made? Let's hear them. Now.

Why is the local media not providing useful vital knowledge about what kinds of natural or man-made disasters or terror attacks might occur and what can , and should be done, to [prepare to survive such events?  Why is the media not investigating and reporting on the level of readiness of our local and state governments , our institutions and  all sectors of our economy?

Somehow, I get the nagging feeling that we are not prepared locally.

Only 41 days to Election Day.  Hopefully, the electorate will elect  a Mayor , Common Council, City Court Judge and County Sheriff who realize what can befall us, and who are able to articulate what needs to be done to prepare and who can provide the leadership that will be required to survive whatever may befall us in the days ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GOOD BYE GOODBEE, ON TO NOVEMBER 8

GOOD BYE GOODBEE, ON TO NOVEMBER 8

The September 13 Primary has come and gone.

Goodbee did not prevail because: (1) he had no record of civic involvement in Albany for the past 20 years, (2) his campaign  lacked focus, (3) his message was weak, (4) the Working Families Party shunned him,(5) there was no infusion of George Soros cash and  (6)the African-American voters did not come out in sufficient numbers for Goodbee.

Best wishes to Archie Goodbee, a personable and well-spoken man who tried his best.

Jerry Jennings had the power and advantage of incumbency and received a significant amount of tv coverage, in the weeks immediately preceding the September 13, because of a spike in crime including several arsons and a bank robbery-hostage situation.

The  Pre-Primary Sunday Times Union endorsement of Jennings clinched it for Jerry. Primary turnout was about half that of the Joyce-Jennings 1993 Primary. Was the TU move calculated to ensure a low turnout?

A win is a win. Jerry righfully basked in the glow of the Tuesday Primary results. He won and his control of the Common Council is secure.

Jerry has rock star looks and persona, but that will not be enough to prevail in the November 8 General Election.

 

Contrary to Jerry's victory pronouncement,  and to the pronoumcements of talking heads and media pundits before and after the September 13 Primary, the November 8 General Election is not a sure thing for Jerry Jennings.

Why? Analyze this. Jerry's Primary vote total amounts to about 20 percent of the voters eligible to vote November 8. In other words 40, 000 plus, city voters did not vote for Jerry Jennings on September 13. If they come to the polls in large numbers, November 8, the election outcome may be very different.

Why? Jerry Jennings has had 12 years to make Albany a better place to live. This hasn't happened.  Albany has some urgent problems that have occurred, and /or worsened, on Jerry's watch. Now, Jerry has just 6 weeks to fix these problems:

First,   Albany residents are not safe in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, shopping places or on the streets anywhere in the city. Gun violence, arsons , school violence and disorderly conduct are on the rise.

The solution? A full scale deployment of law enforcement, utilizing Operation Impact, to disarm the criminals and gangs and clear the city streets of anti-social actors.It is essential to immediately disarm the criminals and gangs because they are the eventual allies of the foreign terrorists who are supplying drugs, money and weapons to these domestic terrorists.

Vest Firefighters with peace officer status. Arm them. Make ever fire station a neighborhood police substation.

Recruit and train  and equip civilian, neighborhood police and fire auxiliaries to supplement police and fire department regulars.

Second, The failing Albany City Schools must be fixed.  It is imperative that the schools offer a safe environment conducive to learning the knowledge, skills, and behaviors essential for becoming productive members of society.

 A strict student conduct code in schools, on buses and in neighborhoods around schools, must be enforced. Require school uniforms to replace fashions and gang colors. Remove disorderly, disruptive students from classes. Place them in a boot camp type setting staffed by former military.

Return Albany to a K-8 Neighborhood School system which is best for kids, parents and neighborhoods.

Press the Albany Common Council to send a Home Rule Request to the State Legislature: Amend State law to provide for  (1) shift school budget votes to November elections with votes binding, no reruns, (2) shift school funding from the property to sales/income taxes, so all pay their fair share of support for public schools, and (3) disband the Albany City School District/School Board, merge the school district with city government and make the Mayor and Common Council responsible and accountable for the city public schools.

Third, Albany needs to implement an Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Plan that truly secures the city water supply, sewer system and Port of Albany. Individuals, households, churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, schools, health providers, food stores and distributors, utilities and the local transporation system are not prepared to deal with a major emergency, disaster or terrorists attack.

The recent tragic hurricane devestation of New Orleans illustrates how ill prepared government, at all levels, institutions and the citizenry are to cope with disaster. The looting, lawlessness and disorder will be sure to follow, if Albany suffers a disaster or terrorist attack. If multiple disasters, and/or terror attacks occur simultaneously, Albany would be on it's own. In turn, citizens would be on their own.

Therefore,the City Albany must prepare an Emergency /Disaster Plan that includes active readiness and preparation on the part of all city residents.

Scrap the plans for a 7 million dollar amphitheater at the Corning Preserve and a 200 million dollar plus convention center in Downtown Albany. 

Use those monies to provide for a truly effective Emergency/Disaster Plan, security of the Port of Albany , the city water supply and sewer system.

Build more and better downtown housing so commuters have the option of living near work.

Scrap plans to privatize the Harriman State Office Campus. It makes no sense to crowd more workers into an already crowded downtown with a  colonial  street pattern and inadequate parking.

Furthermore, stacking lots of workers in multistory glass office buildings in a congested downtown is inviting chaos in an age of terrorism.

For more: Go to democracyinalbany.com. Click on Election 2005. Scroll to Sullivan. Click on WAMC Radio Interview, Metroland Interview and Sullivan Platform, or explore earlier entries in this Sullivan Blog.

Want campaign reform? Term limits? A candidate with clear stands on issues vital to the future of Albany and all who call Albany home?

You have one!      VOTE   Joseph P. Sullivan for Albany Mayor

                                  Row A  Tuesday, November 8, 6 am - 9 pm

 

PS  Don't look for lawn signs blighting the cityscape, tons of literature litter dumped on your door step, or constant telephone calls bidding you to get your asses to the polls.

All you need to know will be posted right here.

MAKE THE EFFORT TO BECOME INFORMED AND VOTE.

It is your civic duty as an American.

 

 

 

 

 

LESSONS FROM NEW ORLEANS

Today is a fine, sunny warm day in late summer. Not a cloud in the blue sky. The kind of a day to savor and to Thank God for what we have - the harvests from the fields: red and green peppers, tomatoes, local melons, Paula Red apples, new potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, some Saranac Amber Lager. Now, aren't we living well. Yes. For now.

The Hurricane impact on New Orleans, the destruction, the chaos, the death and suffering, the civil disorder  and lack of preparedness on the part of  government, at every level,  on the part of schools, churches , and, most of all, on the part of the people themselves, should be a vivid lesson to all in Albany and the surrounding Capital District.

We had better be prepared for emergencies, natural and man-made disasters, and acts of terrorism .

The people of New Orleans were not. Nor, were their local governments. Nor were the state and federal governments.

You may be sure, the specter of New Orleans, and the lessons resulting, have not been lost on the terrorists who lie in wait to strike again.

Put aside Charter Reform, the empty lawn signs of candidates with no message, the media and mailing campaigns,  Alice Green in the dump, Jerry Jennings ' priorities of building a 7 million dollar amphitheatre at the Corning Preserve and a 200 plus million dollar convention center in Downtown Albany and Archie Goodbees' Crapstat proposals. 

The priorities are to (1) prepare for emergencies, disasters and terror attacks that will come our way. Anticipate what may happen, where and when. Be ready.

The Mayor and Common Council , incumbents and challengers, alike,  do not have emergency/disaster preparedness as a priority issue - which it is, and should be.

The ordinary people, the churches, synagogues,  mosques, temples, schools, medical facilities,health care providers,  food stores and distributors, transportation sector, utilities an suppliers of gasoline, home heating oil and natural gas, are not ready for a disaster or terror attack that could come when temperatures are well below freezing.

It is the priority task of our political leaders to call attention to this issue and to coordinate public and private sector preparations to deal with any eventuality.

Immediate steps must be taken, through Operation Impact, led by the Mayor and DA Soares, to disarm the criminals and gangs, now, before they ally themselves with foreign terrorists, and before we sufffer a disaster and have armed individuals and gangs roaming the city, pillaging and plundering.

Civil order, safe homes, streets, neighborhoods, schools and shopping places  are essential to the quality of life now; and are essential to be prepared for any emergency, disaster, or attack that may befall us.

For the individual, the lesson of New Orleans  is very clear. Do not depend on government to save you or your loved ones. You must save yourselves.

Every individual, household and the institutions in neighborhoods must make immediate emergency/disaster prepartions. Set aside water, food, fuel, batteries, flash lamps, radios and first aid kits. Devise individual and household disaster plans. Churches, synagogues, fire stations, schools should all make emergency preparations and be prepared to provide water, food, shelter, heat and other assistance.

You get my drift, but the people who aspire to be your leaders: the Mayor and Common Council, do not.

You will never be safe as long as they are in office. They have not learned the lesson of New Orleans, nor have they learned the lesson of 9-11. Sadly, neither have most of our neighbors.

In the event of multiple emergencies, disasters and terrorist attacks, occurring simultaneously, we would be on our own. There would be no outside assistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THOUGHTS OF GRANDFATHER MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN

My Grandfather Michael J. O'Sullivan was born in Inchinteskin Townland , Eyeries Parish, Beara Peninsula, West Cork, Ireland in June 1873.

Mike emigrated to the mining camp of Butte, Montana in the late 19th Century, as had many of our relations. Mike wasn't without company. There were 1,268 Sullivans, all relations and nearly as many Harringtons (also relations) in Butte at that time. Many more were scattered about the Rocky Mountain mining camps in Montana, Colorado and Utah; and the desert mining camps of Nevada.

Mike was a tall man (6'3'') lean and hardy. He worked as a hammer and drill man in the hard rock mines, wielding a sledge hammer to drive the drill held by a partner. Terrible working conditions in the mines. Poor ventilation, no santitation, dangerous work far below the surface. In winter when temperatures dip to 30 or 40 below zero in Butte, Mike and his mates had to endure temperatures of 100 degrees, or more, above zero- a mile deep driving mine shafts. When they came off a 12 hour shift, the were soaked with sweat. As they emerged into the far below zero winter air, my father recalled seeing the men disappear in a vapor, before they tossed their uneaten lunches to the children on the Anaconda Road.

St Patrick's Cemetery, Butte ,is full of young Beara miners, row after a row, who died from fires, explosions, rock cave-ins and other mine accidents in their 20's and 30's. One old Beara miner, who returned to West Cork, said that men where cheaper than timbers in those Western mining camps.

The Beara boys did not live long lives like their relations back home. Quartz crystals from the mine dust shredded their lungs resulting in a premature, hard death from the "Miner's Con". The air was heavy with the fumes of lead and arsenic from the smelters.

Mike met, and married my Grandmother, Julia Harrington, in St Patrick's Church, Butte. Julia was from the Western (Allihies Parish) Beara. She had emigrated to Butte with her father Sean (A Buaile)  (Sean of the Field) a reference to an infamous field in Kilcatherine , Eyeries where the Harringtons and O Sullivans fought a battle over turf in the Famine times. Julia's brother's  Jeremiah, Daniel, Timothy and John went to Butte.

Her sister Mary and younger brother, Den, remained in the Western Parish. Den was raised on the Killaugh farm of my Grandmother's Uncle Paddy O'Sullivan (Sounish). There so many branches of the O'Sullivan Clan in Beara (23 in Eyeries Parish alone ) that they had nicknames to sort them out.  Sounish is Gaelic for "The Peaceful" . That nickname refers to our Ancester Owen who treatied with the English in the late 1500's and kept his lands.

The rest of the Clan fought the English and, most, were either killed or scattered to foreign lands after the fall of Dunboy castle (Castletownbere) in 1602. Some were transported to Barbados where they became slaves on the English sugar planations. Others were sailors, sea captains or mercenaries in the armies of France, Austria and England. Some even showed up in Northern New York in the French and Indian Wars.

 Back to Michael J. - After they were married in Butte, they went to the Cripple Creek Gold mining district  10, 000 feet up behind Pike's Peak in Colorado.

Their first born John and Mary Anne died as infants in an influenza epidemic. Uncles Rob, George and my father, Joe were born in Colorado. Rob in Cripple Creek, my father and George in Denver.

They were all caught up in the labor violence of the Cripple Creek mine wars. My Grandfather, Mike was an organizer for the Western Federation of Miners, who sought safer working conditions in the mines. The mine owners brought in scabs. Explosions and shootings followed. Army troops were brought in to restore order. Mike, and a 104 other Irish miners were rounded up and deported. Julia and the children went to Denver.

In 1907, Mike and family showed up in the Nevada gold camps of Tonopah and Goldfield. Aunt Liz was born there. I still have her birth certificate -a handwritten scrap of paper. She lived to 95, I knew her well.

More labor strife and violence in the mines. The Irish miners has to strip when they came off shift. The mine owners wanted to make sure that the miners weren't highgrading gold ore anywhere on or in their bodies. Needless the say, the Irish lads didn't stand for this. More strikes, explosions and shootings. More troops were called in to restore order.

 

This day in 1908, Mike died, at age 34, in the desert mining camp of Rhyolite, Nevada, at the edge of Death Valley where temperatures, this time of year hover well at 100 degrees or above.

Grandmother Julia was down with Typhoid, as were the children. My father, Joe, had Scarlet Fever. They weren't expected to live, but did.

My Grandfather's brother, Black Jim, who ran a saloon on the Anaconda Road, Butte,and Julia's brother,John, made the trek to Nevada. They brought Mike's body, Julia and the children back to Butte.

No welfare or social services or childcare programs then. People took care of their own!

Mike wasburied in St Patrick's Cemetery, ironically, the same week as Sean A Buaile (Julia's father and my GreatGrandfather). Sean died of the miner's con at 67 -rather old for a miners, because he had emigrated at  age 50.

Julia ran a boarding house for Irish miners, on the Anaconda Rd, a few doors down from Black Jim's saloon. Terrible air pollution from the mine stacks and smelters - a constant smog of lead and arsenic with copper dust.

The working conditions in the mines were still horrible. The young Irish miners were exploited by the mine owners.

My father told me there was a bottle under the bed of every young miner - a drop of the craether to help them rise up and do their work and to fall back to sleep when the shift was over.

Grandmother Julia decided enough was enough. Butte was not a place where a widow could raise three sons and a daughter. In 1913, she took the family back to Beara. She, Rob, George and Liz went to Killaugh to live on the farm of her Uncle Paddy Sounish.

Grandmother Julia became a nurse. She delivered most of the babies born in the Allihies Parish in the 1920's and 30's. No hospital. Julia would go to her patient's homes on a pony and trap. She is still fondly recalled by oldtimers, there, as Julia "the Big Nurse".

Paddy Sounish's farm is still there. Den's son Brendan, my cousin, raises dry stock on the same fields overlooking the wild Atlantic. that have been farmed by our family for centuries.

 My father was sent to work the Inchinteskin farm of his aging  Grandparents, (Mike's parents) because Mike and his six brothers had all emigrated.

My father's Grandparents were a pair. John was a very tall man, over 6'5''. Johanna (O'Sullivan (Shearhig)) was a hearty woman who dug potatoes with the men in the fields. Johanna came from Coulagh Ard (The High Field) just up Mishkish Mountain above Inchinteskin.

My father told me those were the best years of his life - even if his Grandmother was no one to cross, One day, when he was about 15, he drank about six bottles of stout and fell off the stone wall on his back. He heard his Grandmother calling him, but he couldn't rise. Suddenly, she appeared standing over him with a fireplace poker in his hand. He got the poker across his shin and bore the scar til they day he died. But, he never disobeyed his Grandmother agae

Black Jim brought his family back from Butte to the Inchinteskin farm. He built a fine house, but didn't live long after. Black Jim died in a Black and Tan raid. THey were the prisioners let out by the English to terrorize the Irish country people in the 1920's

So, here I am in Albany, with my thoughts. Grandfather Mike lies in a marked grave  in St Patrick's Cemetery, Butte, along with two of Black Jim's infants - John and Alice. Greatgrandfather Sean A Buiale lies nearby in an unmarked grave along with his sons Dan and Jerry. Dan's wife, and a cousin John Murphy - the latter 4 all died in their 20's.

They have plenty of company, lots of relations there. Our Lady of the Rockies , a huge statute erected on a nearby mountain, looks down on St Patrick's and Butte.

So, here I am in Albany today, with these thoughts. I  am proud of my Irish heritage and my Ancestors. They helped build America and they are the reason I am here, An American, today.

I am who and what I am because of them.