I'm Running For Office (And So Should You!)

Today I am announcing my candidacy for county committeeman for the Kings County Democratic Party.

Not impressed? Never heard of the county committee? You're not alone. This obscure position is the lowest level of elected office in our great nation. Roughly two county committee members (one man and one woman) represent every 700 or so Brooklynites, meaning that there are literally thousands of county committee seats for both the Democratic and Republican parties in our borough.

Why would I run for an unpaid job to represent a territory about the size of 3 city blocks? I owe my enthusiasm to Matt Cowherd and Rachel Lauter, the co-founders of the fledgling New Kings Democrats, a political club that grew out of Brooklyn's Obama campaign. These young Democrats were not content merely to shift the course of national politics, they decided to make an impact locally as well.

That's why they've set about recruiting hundreds of political neophytes like you and me to run for county committee. Our aspiration is to have our say in deciding how the Kings County Democratic Party will operate: which candidates the party will endorse or nominate to serve as our public officials, which judges it will select to rule our courts, and many other issues of great significance to all Brooklynites. Right now, under the iron fist of Brooklyn's Democratic boss Vito Lopez the county committee is a joke; a rubber stamp for his tyrannical rule.

We've set out to change the way politics works in Brooklyn. It is our hope that with strength in numbers, we can build a critical mass that will ensure that the people finally have their voice heard in government.

How will we succeed? We need YOU! Email me immediately at brooklynoptimist@gmail.com to find how how you can join us and run to be a county committee member. I'll tell you everything you need to know. It's a lot easier than you think to run and get elected and the time commitment once in office is little. The New Kings Democrats will train you for FREE on how to run your campaign and provide you resources to help you succeed. The only requirements are that you are a Democrat registered in Brooklyn and that you vote.

So, what are you waiting for? As radio host Thom Hartmann says: "Democracy begins with you. Tag - you're it!"

Brooklyn Blogfest 2008: A Hit For Bloggers and Fans Alike

Congratulations to everyone who participated in last night's gala 2008 Brooklyn Blogfest. The event was an indisputable success, drawing over 250 talented bloggers and their fans to the comfy confines of the Brooklyn Lyceum for a night of presentations, networking, and, of course, libations.

The event's organizer Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn deserves the lion's share of the credit for pulling off the largest borough Blogfest ever without a hitch. Special thanks also goes to Louise's stellar team, which included Eleanor Traubman (Creative Times), Adrian Kinloch (Brit in Brooklyn) and Petra Symister (Bed-Stuy Blog), and a host of other talented Brooklynites who donated their services to bring the blogosphere together under one roof.

Despite being given the somewhat harrowing task of handling the evening's video projections (even after I admitted that I am technologically incompetent), I enjoyed myself immensely. Among the individuals I had the pleasure of talking with were local blog giant Bob Guskind (Gowanus Lounge), 2009 City Council candidate and Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens blogger Gary Reilly, the always delightful Katia Kelly of Pardon Me For Asking, Brooklyn Independent TV host Megan Donis, and Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief Gersh Kuntzman.

Another highlight of Blogfest for me was getting to spend time perusing the work of Brooklyn's wonderfully talented photobloggers. Below is the video I produced for last night's Blogfest entitled "A Photoblog Tribute to Brooklyn". Please feel free to pass it on liberally to help celebrate our borough's prodigious and prolific photographers.

The Mets Go To War

As a lifelong Mets fan, I could wax on endlessly about the wonders of the Amazins.

But this piece is about a quarrel I have had with my team of late. And I'm not talking about their 14-12 record. That, ya gotta believe, will pass.

My problem is with the Mets TV network's new subway ad campaign. In case you haven't noticed it, the series of ads feature action shots of one of the team's stars accompanied by fighting words: Jose Reyes slides into a bag above the caption "Bases, Reloaded"; David Wright swings to the slogan "Not-So-Secret Secret Weapon"; and new ace hurler Johan Santana's headline threatens "Armed and Ready".

I fully admit that I might very well be blowing my concerns out of proportion, but after passing these ads for a couple weeks, I've come to the conclusion that the campaign's rhetoric is uncalled for, if not flat out inappropriate. After five bloody years lost to quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan, it seems to me in poor taste to rile up Mets fans with military-inspired wordplay.

Gone is the tender amiability of "Meet the Mets", the audacious hope of "The Magic is Back", even the fatalistic gravity of "The Team. The Time. The Mets." and "Your Season Has Come". Instead, the Mets holster up this season with an arsenal of aggression aimed oratorically at gunning down their adversaries. Replace Wright and Santana with photos of Ted Nugent and Charlton Heston and you've got perfect publicity for the N.R.A.

Many of you may be confounded, if not appalled, by this conclusion, but as someone who teaches advertising copywriting I understand the potent craft behind headlines and how they are carefully composed to provoke the public. I am not inferring that the Mets have deliberately unleashed a barrage of stealth pro-war propaganda. I understand that the hostility of the campaign's tone was likely conceived to combat the stinging memory of the team's ignominious collapse last season. Nonetheless, words carry great influence, especially with children. The terminology we employ to describe something inevitably plays a part in defining its nature. To some degree, this ad campaign glorifies baseball as a shootout and the Mets as soldiers. For many this might mean nothing, but to me I'd rather keep blood lust out of the ballpark.

I am reminded of George Carlin's classic stand-up bit about the differences between baseball and football. In sum, Carlin characterizes the language of baseball as portraying a genteel game of beauty, while football's delineates a brutal battle to annihilate. Those who feel passionately like I do about baseball know that the sport is far from as innocuous as Carlin jokes, but we also know that what makes baseball special is its humanity. The heroes of baseball aren't famed for meting out the most concussions or firing slap shots past hapless defenders. They are idolized for immortalizing our childhood dreams in a world so otherwise ruthlessly determined to crush them.

America's pastime isn't war. When I go to Shea, I ask nothing more for my price of admission than a few hours of peace. That 50,000 New Yorkers can find this tranquility together 81 times a year is the true miracle of the Mets.

Air America WWRL 1600 Suddenly in Shambles

What is going on at Air America?

First, Richard Bey leaves the morning show. OK, no biggie.

Then all of a sudden last week, the progressive radio station's New York City affiliate WWRL 1600 inexplicably drops their best host Thom Hartmann from the station (his Friday brunch with Senator Bernie Sanders was reason enough to tune in), as well as The Lionel Show, just when I had finally come around to listening to the latter.

For what superior programming did WWRL bump Thom and Lionel? A daily two-hour infomercial, faux left wing host Ed Schultz, and none other than Al Sharpton.

Just as my ears were still ringing from WWRL's abrupt overhaul, Raw Story announced today that Randi Rhodes has quit Air America in the wake of her temporary suspension for calling Hillary Clinton by an inappropriate epithet (mind you, not on the air). As a longtime listener, I fully admit that Randi can be irksomely repetitive at times, but her audience benefits greatly every day from the depth of her knowledge and insistence upon fact over the Administration's pervasive fictions. New Yorkers are worse off without her.

I expected more from Air America's President Mark Green, but apparently he is determined to run his family's station as competently as his failed bid for Mayor in 2000.

I haven't looked at how these changes have effected WWRL's ratings, but I know for certain the station has lost one loyal listener from Brooklyn. The Optimist will miss left-wing talk, but at least the Mets have 155 more games this season for their fans to listen to and enjoy.

Diane Gordon Goes Down

Paging Mr. Barron.

The last time The Optimist weighed in on the saga of disgraced Assemblywoman Diane Gordon, I speculated that were Gordon convicted on the litany of charges brought against her that Councilman Charles Barron would abandon the race for Brooklyn Borough President and seek her Assembly seat instead.

Well, yesterday the inevitable finally came to pass. Though Gordon escaped the most serious charge brought against her, the Assemblywoman was convicted on eight other counts, which could add up to 10 years in prison at her sentencing hearing next month. For anyone who has watched the videotape of Gordon soliciting a bribe from developer Ranjan Batheja, the verdict was a foregone conclusion. Caught redhanded violating the public trust to get herself a new house and new doors for her office (!), Gordon's crimes demand severe punishment, if for no other reason than to strike fear into the hearts of politicians with likeminded designs. Clearly, the example made of her convicted former colleagues in the Assembly, Clarence Norman and Roger Green, was inadequate to deter Gordon from following in their shameful footsteps.

So, what's next for the too-often abused residents of East New York, Brownsville, and Canarsie, who are finally rid of Gordon's dubious service? No word yet from Charles Barron. But come September's primary don't be surprised to see the Councilman slip into her seat.

As for Gordon, here's the YouTube video that made her an internet sensation one more time for your viewing displeasure:

Brooklyn For Peace: Protesting Iraq 5 Years Later

Remember that war everyone used to talk about? There were two of them actually, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. Well, five years and over 4000 American lives later we're still fighting them and despite some successful recent propoganda from the Bush Administration about last year's surge, they're still not going too well.

Thankfully, the grassroots organization Brooklyn for Peace hasn't succumbed to the fatigue that has lulled our media's coverage of the war to sleep. This Wednesday, March 19th, Brooklyn for Peace is holding two rallies to mark the fifth anniversary of George Bush's "preemptive and unjustified war against Iraq".

The first will be held at 12 Noon at the Brooklyn office of "War-Hawk" Republican Congressman Vito Fossella: 8505 4th Ave. (at the corner of 85th St. and Bay Ridge).

The second event, the "Brooklyn Says No To War" March, will begin at Grand Army Plaza at 6 p.m. and continue on to the U.S. Army Recruiting Station at Flatbush Ave. & Livingston St.

Finally, there is a citywide protest organized for 12 Noon this Saturday, March 22nd. Protesters will aim to form a human chain from the East River to the Hudson River across 14th Street in Manhattan.

For more details on any of these rallies or how you can get involved in the anti-war movement in our borough, call Brooklyn For Peace at 718.624.5921 or go to their website: www.brooklynpeace.org.

March (Midterm) Madness

As many of you have written me to point out, I have been a bad blogger this past week. This time the culprit was a mountain of midterms and other assorted assignments that demanded my attention. My mind has been so fixed in grading mode that even now I can't help wondering to myself what mark this blog entry deserves. I'm leaning toward a C+.

How much better our education system would run if only teachers and students could switch places for a day! I remember as an undergraduate thinking my professors slackers if they did not promptly return my assignments. It was a recollection that came vividly back to mind this week as my students asked with barely masked contempt if I had their papers yet. Shaking my head, I could not help but whither for a moment beneath the weight of their tacit condemnations.

But those of you who have taught can empathize with my travails of late. Students think only of their own work, embittered at their teachers for their sadistic affinity for doling out homework. If only they took a moment to reason through our arithmetic! With 60 students, every time I assign homework, I brace myself for at least 60 times the amount of work I require of them. Multiply that out to three classes a week and you already get a sense of the deluge. Moreover, I teach writing, which means that I must meticulously edit each paper, or my students will be deprived of the personalized nuance of instruction.

It's almost enough to make you long for standardized tests (which, incidentally, are the cornerstone of the lazy man's curriculum - not an attempt at educational parity as the Board of Ed would like to dupe parents into thinking they are).

But enough about me. There's a lot more important things going on in the world. Let's get to 'em.

Two Missed Morsels in the Spitzer Feeding Frenzy

Among the deluge of articles about the Spitzer scandal in the last three days, two tasty tidbits have been overlooked.

1. If Spitzer does get his wet dream (er, not that one) of the Democrats at last taking control of the State Senate, but the Dems only do so by a slim margin, then none other than Spitzer's arch-enemy and soon-to-be Lieuntenant Governor Joe Bruno would be the tie-breaker in close votes. Can you imagine? As bad as Spitzer's personal fall must be hitting him, the realization that he is going to be responsible for getting Joe Bruno a promotion must be nearly as despicable.

2. Before David Patterson lucked into the Governor mansion, it was widely speculated that he was the frontrunner for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat if she is elected President. With Hillary's surge and Patterson certain to stay in Albany, all of a sudden there must be a flock of powerful New York Democrats salivating over the job of Junior Senator.

Spitzer Shocker: Another Moralist Bites The Dust

There's a simple formula for determining which politician will be the next to fall in disgrace. All you have to do is to listen for who is hooting and hollering the most sanctimoniously about immorality. Whether it's Larry Craig on homosexuality, Newt Gingrich on infidelity, or Eliot Spitzer on prostitution, whatever they're railing against in public is likely what they're doing behind closed doors.

Personally, I have nothing against prostitution. It's certainly a scummy thing to get involved in as a married man, but it's by no means inherently evil. In fact, it would be a whole lot more sensible and safer for everyone involved were prostitution legalized. Unfortunately, for Governor Spitzer, however, it hasn't been (nor would he have ever pushed for it to be on his "law and order" watch).

In my eyes, Spitzer's crime - for which he should and will resign - is not solicitation, but hypocrisy. Spitzer framed himself as a moralist in the model of Plato's Euthyphro - a man who would even prosecute his own father in the name of right. He embraced the image of caped crusader, intimating that only he could clean up our wayward Empire State. Well, anyone who has paid attention to Spitzer's brief Administration knows just how poorly he has performed as a crime-fighter in Albany - long before yesterday.

Since taking office, Spitzer has acted like the laws he so zealously trumpets apply to everyone but himself. While condemning the credibility of his allies and enemies alike on the one hand, he has flagrantly abused his power on the other, stooping to such deplorable machinations as illegal wire-tapping and flaunting the campaign finance laws he allegedly held sacrosanct. His embarrassments were so many that only a few months after his landslide victory, Spitzer was already being written off by some as a one-term governor.

With this latest scandal, in one fell stoke Spitzer has humiliated his family, scuttled his reformist political agenda (as well as any else's in New York State for the time being), maligned his party, created negative fodder for the presidential race, and ruined his own career. Oh, and most ironically, even paved the way for his arch-nemesis Joe Bruno to get a promotion. And why? Not because of any sexual indiscretion, but because he thought he thought he was special. He thought that what was good and just was whatever he pronounced it to be, and so he could never do wrong.

Had Spitzer been any less self-righteous, he would have friends coming to his defense. He would have been able to slither away like Senator David Vitter of Louisiana did a few months ago. As it is, now he has no one. But unlike the lone sheriff Gary Cooper played in High Noon, Spitzer can't even take solace in his own virtue. He's just as bad as the outlaws coming for revenge.

Polytechnic University OKs Merger With NYU

Apparently not satisfied with just gobbling up Lower Manhattan, NYU has set its sights on expanding to Brooklyn. Yesterday, according to the Daily Eagle, the Board of Trustees of downtown Brooklyn's Polytechnic University voted overwhelmingly to approve a merger with NYU.

The Department of Education and New York State Board of Regents still need to sign off on the deal to make it official, but NYU's trustees have already voted in favor of the merger and it seems unlikely that any impediment to its completion will arise. Talk of the merger first surfaced three years ago, but faculty concerns and, more recently, suspicions of conflict of interest between members of the universities' two boards postponed the arrangement. Those obstacles appear to have since been surmounted to the satisfaction of all the parties involved.

On the surface, the merger would seem to benefit both schools, even though NYU is roughly 10 times larger than Polytechnic. Polytechnic will now have access to the vast wealth of resources and facilities held by NYU, while NYU will get to add an engineering school to their academic portfolio.

Colbert Report Slams Six-Year-Old Park Slope "Graffiti Punk"

Nothing gets by Stephen Colbert. Just look how he takes six-year-old Park Slope resident Natalie Shea to task for writing in chalk on the sidewalk in front of her house.

Brooklyn Losing Power in the U.S. House, but Strong in Senate

According to Congress.org's recently released 2008 Power Rankings for the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Brooklyn's Congressional delegation doesn't have as much weight to throw around as borough residents might think. Out of the nation's 435 members of the House, only one Brooklyn Congressman, Rep. Edolphus Towns, slips into the top 50 most powerful at #43 on the list. Despite his prominent placement, Towns is still likely disappointed by his Power Ranking. In 2007, he came in at #18 on the list.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, who comes in next at #63, also lost influence from last year according to Congress.org, which ranked him as #43 last year. As did Jerrold Nadler, who went from #128 in 2007 to #162 in 2008. Brooklyn's sole Republican member of the House, Vito Fossella, tumbled precipitously from #116 in the 2005 Power Rankings to #315 this year, though his decline reflects the fact that his party is now in the minority, rather than his performance. Fossella actually bettered his 2007 ranking of #365.

The only other member of the Brooklyn delegation to ascend the list was my congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who leapt to #96 from #180 last year.

Our borough's newest member of Congress, Rep. Yvette Clarke, who won her seat in 2006, almost doesn't register in the rankings. After premiering at #366 on the list last year, Clarke has fallen to #402, giving her the dubious distinction of the 5th LEAST influential Democrat in the House.

Despite our decline in the House, Brooklynites can console ourselves with our seniority in the U.S. Senate. Both New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton place in the Top 10 most powerful members, Chuck at #5 and Hillary at #9.

Could Gore Broker Peace...Between Barack and Hillary?

As we continue to head toward a brokered convention, Clinton and Obama supporters alike are confronting more seriously our worst fear - that the only thing that can beat the Democrats in 2008 is a division in our own party.

Mindful of this chilling scenario, The Post has an interesting editorial this morning arguing that the only person who might be able to find a peaceful resolution to the battle between Barack and Hillary is Al Gore. Now I'm usually hesitant to agree with the Post, but this strikes me as right. Except for a joint ticket, any other resolution to the pending superdelegate crisis will leave the losing candidates' legions of supporters feeling cheated.

But were Al Gore to negotiate a compromise between the two campaigns it would have a sense of legitimacy far more difficult to assail. Gore has become the sole figure in our party respected by all Democrats and no one in the country can accuse him of being insensitive to the nuances of a stolen election.

Explosion Wakes Up Times Square

Around 3:43 a.m. this morning, a homemade explosive device detonated in the heart of Times Square, right in front of the Armed Forces Career Center. The recruitment office was damaged, but thankfully no one was injured.

According to this breaking story in The New York Times, the police and F.B.I. are investigating whether there is any connection between this latest explosion and two earlier bombings in the City - the 2005 blast outside the British Consulate on Third Avenue and the two dummy grenades that rocked the Mexican Consulate on 39th Street in October 2007.

The government has yet to declare this morning's bombing a terrorist attack - meaning that they can't link it to al-Qaeda - but, given the targets, there is no question that the perpetrator or perpetrators of these attacks had a political agenda. Personally, these bombings seem a lot less to me the work of Muslim extremists than the acts of domestic terrorists - like what Brooklyn Heights resident Ivaylo Ivanov may have had in mind for his arsenal on Remsen Street. Let us not forget that before 9/11 the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil - the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City - was perpetrated by disaffected Americans who deluded themselves into believing they were revolutionaries.

The Optimist Hosts "A Walk Around The Blog" on Brooklyn Independent Television

Apparently it's been on for a week, but it was only yesterday afternoon that I saw the latest segment of "A Walk Around The Blog" from Brooklyn Independent Television. If you haven't seen the show, it's probably because it's new to Time Warner Cable Channel 56 and Cablevision Channel 69.

Each episode a different borough blogger leads a short stroll through an area of Brooklyn life. I had the honor of being selected as the show's third host, following in the esteemed footsteps of Robert Guskind of The Gowanus Lounge and Robin Lester of Clinton Hill Blog.

For my segment, I chose to focus on the proposed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a sweeping 14-mile park project that would stretch along the entire length of the East River from Bay Ridge to Greenpoint. In the video I interview Milton Puryear, co-founder of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, the organization spearheading the push for this ambitious, eco-friendly expanse.

With the Greenway borough residents would finally be able to access a waterfront we lost long ago to commercial and industrial interests. In place of powerplants and other eyesores, pedestrians, bicyclists and families would have an ambitious multi-use green space to enjoy much like the series of wonderful parks which now span the West Side of Manhattan. I hope my "Walk Around the Blog" will inspire you to advocate on behalf of the Greenway.

For more information how you can donate your time and money to the not-for-profit Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, check out the organization's website. To tune into "A Walk Around the Blog", check your local cable listings or go to the show's blip.tv site.

Court Orders Husband to Give Wife 124,000 Roses

Usually any wire story that begins with "An Iranian court..." ends up being horrific news, more often than not about some woman unjustly punished for, well, being a woman. But for once, this morning, I was happy to read a piece via Raw Story about a wife prevailing over her husband - albeit in a very bizarre way.

A woman, identified only by the first name of Hengameh, filed a complaint against her husband to collect her dowry, which, by Iranian law, a wife can claim at any time during the marriage. According to the article, the woman's lawsuit was precipitated by how stingy her husband is - apparently so stingy that he would even refuse to pay for a cup of coffee when they went out together.

Finding in the woman's favor, the court ordered the husband to pay his promised dowry: 124,000 roses. Although the verdict seems like a purely poetic punishment for romantic hyperbole, it is serious stuff. To ensure that the man complies, the court has seized his apartment - worth $64,000 - until he delivers all 124,000 roses.

Not unexpectedly, the man is now crying poverty, claiming that he can't afford to give his wife more than 5 roses a day (roses cost an average $2 a piece in Iran). But he might not have much of a choice but to fork over the 100,000+ long-stemmed apologies. A man who fails to hand over the dowry he pledged at marriage can be sentenced to prison.

On a related note, those interested in learning more about Iran's recent history and the country's treatment of women should watch the Academy Award-nominated film Persepolis, The Brooklyn Optimist's vote for the Best Picture of last year.

Brooklyn Blogade March 2008 Edition

For all you bloggers out there, don't forget that this Sunday, March 9th is the monthly meet-up of the Brooklyn Blogade. This time our host will be Joyce Hanson of Bad Girl Blog. Joyce has picked the Old Brick Cafe at 507 Church Ave. (between Ocean Pkwy. & East 5th St.) in Kensington for a noon lunch date.

The cost is $15, not counting tip. The company is priceless.

For more information, including the event's tasty menu, check out Bad Girl Blog. And don't forget that The Brooklyn Optimist will be hosting the gala June edition of the Blogade.

A Double Dose of Personal Optimism

Despite asbestos in Carroll Gardens and swastikas in Brooklyn Heights (read the posts below), I have a plethora of personal reasons to be optimistic today.

My dazzling fiancée Patricia turns 26 today, despite the fact that she's already been claiming she's 26 for the past six months. And my stepbrother-to-be Jesse Zuba and his wife welcomed their first baby, Luke, very early this morning, thankfully making it much easier for everyone in our family to remember both birthdays.

Congratulations to all my loved ones!

Asbestos Unnerves Carroll Gardens

Is asbestos the real reason that G and F train service has been disrupted this weekend? The Gowanus Lounge has a blistering exposé today about the MTA's sudden (and shoddy) removal of asbestos from the Carroll Street F/G subway stop.

I understand that there are many instances where the City chooses not to unduly unnerve its residents, but deliberately downplaying very real dangers under the pretense of "track work" is indefensible.

Brooklynites are tough. We'd rather hear a hard truth than a whitewashed lie. The MTA should treat us better than former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman did after 9/11.

Brooklyn Heights Violated By Another Swastika

Why has Brooklyn Heights become a focal point of antisemitism? After Remsen Street resident and alleged aspiring terrorist Ivaylo Ivanov confessed to drawing swastikas in the neighborhood, it appeared that Brooklyn Heights residents could be consoled that the spate of recent antisemitic graffiti they have had to endure could at least all be attributed to a single source.

But last week yet another swastika smeared Remsen Street, this time at number 22. According to the Gothamist, the owners of the multi-unit brick apartment building are Jewish, but none of the tenants are and there is no outward sign of why 22 Remsen should have been targeted in particular by the perpetrator(s) of this hate crime.

At this point, Brooklyn Heights residents are right to be concerned. These swastikas can no longer be written off as an ignorant prank. Most frightening of all is the possibility that Ivanov could have sympathizers in the neighborhood or, even worse, inspired a copycat.

If you have any information about who may have painted this most recent swastika or any other one in Brooklyn Heights, please call the 84th Precinct immediately at (718) 875-6811 and share your tip with an officer.

An Optimistic Interview with Brooklyn's Real-Life Ghostbuster

Katia at Pardon Me For Asking has a captivating post this morning about an ad she spotted in Carroll Gardens for "the brooklyn ghost investigators". According to the sometimes misspelled ad, which was taped to a traffic light on Smith Street, the investigators can determine whether you have a ghost, and if you do, take steps to remove the phantasm with techniques like "house blessing" and "american indian smudgeing (sic)".

Needless to say, The Optimist was too intrigued by Pardon Me's discovery to resist learning more about the Ghostbuster of Carroll Gardens, so I immediately called the number listed on the ad. After a bit of confusion on the other end of the line, I finally got a hold of Sal Ciccone, the founder and sole member of the Brooklyn Ghost Investigation Team.

Ciccone, 27, explained that he only just recently opened his business and has yet to have any clients respond to the ads he posted around Carroll Gardens. He was inspired to start his investigative service after a personal experience he had with the paranormal in his East New York home. Ciccone claims that one night he awoke at 3 a.m. to see a "figure going to the window." The phantom, a "tall, blurry" man, then turned to approach him, but "right when it was before my face it disappeared."

The visitation, which Ciccone decribed as "a little frightening", possessed him to believe that there must be other Brooklynites grappling with the supernatural. After reading a number of books on the paranormal, Ciccone was convinced he had the skills to help those in need of specter removal. Though he admits to not possessing any psychic or otherworldly powers that might assist him in his newly chosen profession, Ciccone isn't too worried about his safety because he considers ghosts "not really dangerous", though it "depends upon what type of spirit it is."

Ciccone's principal concern is that people who see his ads not misconstrue the Brooklyn Ghost Investigators as a "joke". He charges $20 per consultation and, like his fictitious counterparts from the movie Ghostbusters, is ready to spring into action as soon as you call.

Ciccone, who is otherwise unemployed, hopes that in time his business will grow to the point that he can open an office and create "a ghost hunting team". He is already seeking volunteers to work alongside him, particularly aspiring exorcists with a digital camera, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recorder, or a car.

Those of you with no background in ghostbusting need not despair. Ciccone's recruitment ad for his team insists "no experience necessary." To hire the Brooklyn Ghost Investigators or become one of them yourself, call Sal's cell at (267) 804-5683 or email him at salvatoccc@aol.com.

Indiana Jones and the Excited Blogger

It seems like once every year that I swear off Hollywood blockbusters for good, vowing never again to be duped by a seductive trailer and ubiquitous publicity blitz.

But, once again, I have relapsed. This time the alluring culprit is the long salivated over "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Have you seen the trailer? It's good. Not mind-blowing, but good enough for me to pay to have my hopes again crushed by a sub-par sequel.

It's times like these I wish I weren't so optimistic. It's far too easy to convince myself that this time things might be different. Then I have to wait another year to forget that all of the evidence points to more of the same.

See you at the movies!

Starbucks Enters Sinister Phase Two

When Starbucks closed on Tuesday for three hours allegedly to conduct "training" exercises, I was reminded of this prescient article from a 2001 copy of The Onion. It's scary stuff.

Prepare to pledge allegiance to Starbucks.

Is John McCain Not a REAL American?

Everyone knows that the Constitution bars Arnold Schwarzenegger (thankfully) from ever becoming our President because he was foreign born. But could uber-American war hero John McCain be disqualified for the same reason?

An article in today's International Herald Tribune points out the little known fact that John McCain was born on a U.S. military base in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936. McCain's campaign says that satisfies the Constitutional criteria that only a "natural-born citizen" can become President, but to date, every President of the United States has been born within the 50 States.

It will be interesting to see if McCain's eligibility does provoke a Constitutional debate. I doubt it will, but it could prove a good strategical distraction for Obama to pursue if he wins the Democratic nomination. It could help him diffuse or, at least, counterbalance McCain's inevitable attack strategy of portraying Barack Hussein Obama as un-American.

Rove Tricked By Free Siegelman Banner

If you haven't followed the unbelievable travails of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, here's a good place to start reading.

In short, Siegelman dared to challenge the dirty tricks Karl Rove and his Republican opponent used to steal the 2002 gubernatorial election from him, and, as a result, wound up wrongfully accused of crimes like bribery, denied a proper trial, and subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison. Few examples of the Bush Administration's dark machinations smack so strongly of Stalinist Russia.

Amazingly, Siegelman was held incommunicado behind bars for over a year before reporters really started asking questions about the former governor's suspicious sudden fall from grace. Finally, the mainstream media and Congress has started to look into the case thanks to investigative reporting from the blogosphere, but it seems inevitable that Karl Rove will once again ooze his way out of trouble.

Rove will not emerge completing unscathed, however, thanks to a clever guerrilla prank pulled by Alan Breslauer, a guest blogger for The Brad Blog. In the video clip below, Breslauer tricks Rove into unraveling a "Free Don Siegelman" banner. Rove handles it Rovianly, but is clearly not amused. I wouldn't be surprised if Breslauer winds up mysteriously arrested too.

Independents Best In Bed; Republicans Worst

Contemplating changing your party affiliation? Well, depending upon your libido you might want to consider becoming an independent.

According to a survey in the most recent issue of Playboy, more than 45 percent of respondents said that independent voters were the best at sex. Maybe it has something to do with flexibility?

Democrats need not feel too inadequate. 36 percent of those questioned picked the Dems, while their rivals in the GOP were only appreciated by a frigid 18 percent.

The survey reportedly compiles the opinions of 900 adults between the ages of 18- and 64-years-old. Raw Story has more on Playboy's results.

Chris Owens Radios in to Air America

Brooklyn community activist Chris Owens has started a new gig as host of "Black Politics ... with Chris Owens" on Air America, the nation's only liberal talk radio station. This morning marks only Owens' third show, which broadcasts every Saturday between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., but he has already had on some marquee guests like NY1 anchor Dominic Carter, Rep. Keith Ellison, the nation's first Muslim congressman, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year.

Loyal readers will recognize Owens from my recent video interview with him about borough politics, but there's no official word from Chris yet whether he directly attributes his newest success to a "Brooklyn Optimist bump". Until I hear otherwise, I'll assume it was all the Optimist's doing.

Owens' show is broadcast on Air America's affiliates across the country, but it has not yet come to our local station WWRL AM 1600. New Yorkers aren't totally out of luck, though. You can listen to free podcasts of Chris' show here.

Greenpoint's Gonna Get Funked Up!

In case you had maggots in your brain, The BKO wants to let all you atomic dogs know to get out out your flashlights because the world's most funkalicious band is stepping off the mothership in Greenpoint next week to tear the roof off the sucka.

Awwwwwwww, yeah! The one and only Mr. George Clinton and his Parliament-Funkadelic will be blowing Brooklyn's funkin' mind next Tuesday, February 26th at Warsaw on Driggs Avenue. No word on whether my man Bootsy's gonna be there, but The Optimist will be in the house either way.

I know tickets are still available, 'cause I just got two!

Don't sleep on this weekend either. The living members of Bob Marley's legendary Wailers will be jammin' at Warsaw on Sunday.

My Morning Read

Bob Guskind at The Gowanus Lounge, who does the borough a daily service by sharing his expertise on building in Brooklyn, had an excellent article yesterday, illustrated by great graphics, about what's at stake in the battle for Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg.

As I wrote yesterday, we can have a power plant or a park. Click on the link above to check out the proposed park's designs and then decide for yourself what you'd prefer. If we don't get involved, the choice will be made for us - and we all know how well that usually winds up.

On a more cheerful note, there's a new arts center for kids and their parents in the Slope that sounds like tons of fun. Now all I have to do is get some kids. Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn has the story about the Hootenanny Art House at 426-429 15th Street.

OTBKB also lists her top ten favorite stores that have opened (or are about to open) on 5th Avenue in the past year. #5 is Soula Shoes, the store where The Brooklyn Optimist got the cool sneakers he often receives compliments about.

Unfortunately, as new stores open, old ones disappear. Brooklyn Heights Blog has a troubling story suggesting that Armando's Restaurant Bar could soon be out of business. Armando's, whose famous sign has been a fixture on Montague Street since 1936, once enjoyed Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller and The Brooklyn Dodgers as regulars.

Twin Peaks fans will enjoy this piece over at New York Shitty. While you're over there, write Miss Heather a nice email about how much you enjoy her blog. She could use some cheering up.

The Gothamist interviews Matt Berninger of Brooklyn's rising star indie rock group The National. The group's playing BAM this weekend.

And McBrooklyn's got cool photos of last night's majestic lunar eclipse.

Bill O'Reilly Implies "Facts" Could Justify a Michelle Obama "Lynching Party"

It's not Brooklyn news, but it's informative nonetheless. On a recent episode of his radio show, seasoned hatemonger Bill O'Reilly gave his audience a preview of the thinly-veiled racist rhetoric that will soon be far more pervasive in the conservative media if Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination.

This time, O'Reilly's target was Michelle Obama and the overhyped scandal du jour - Obama's grossly misconstrued comment that for "the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country." Reilly, as he often does when spewing his most vile venom, feigned compassion to downplay the outrageousness of his remarks.

Media Matters has posted a video clip on their website nailing O'Reilly for his racist code language. Here's a lowlight of his assault:

"I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

Just so it's clear, O'Reilly is saying by extension that if there were "hard facts" that showed Michelle Obama really feels America is a "flawed nation" then the idea of going on a "lynching party" against her is "legit".

Yeah...

Expect plenty more of this excrement. O'Reilly and his buddies are just warming up.

How You Can Demand Parks Over Power Plants

I received an important email yesterday from the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning (GWAPP) about what we can all do to ensure Williamsburg gets a great park along the waterfront. The Brooklyn Optimist urges everyone to spread the word and help get involved making this park - the Bushwick Inlet Park - a reality. To join the Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park Committee, email info@gwapp.org.

This is what you need to know from GWAPP:

For more than seven years GWAPP, NAG and other neighborhood groups have fought TGE's proposed 1,100 megawatt power plant on the Bushwick Inlet in Greenpoint/Williamsburg. On March 20th the New York State Siting Board is set to convene in Albany to determine the fate of TGE, the fate of the City's proposed 28-acre Bushwick Inlet Park along the East River.

Send a message to our state government in Albany to let them know that we demand a PARK not a POWER PLANT.

Click here to write our elected officials! http://openspacealliancenb.org/form.php

Not Enough Beauty Pageants?

Well, don't worry. Miss Brooklyn is back after a sixteen-year hiatus. According to The Daily News, seven young women will vie for the crown of borough beauty, though "only three of the seven contestants actually live in Brooklyn." What kind of a Miss Brooklyn title is that?

An Optimistic Review: Theater Ten Ten's "The Importance of Being Earnest"

From Left to Right: Vanessa Morosco, Christopher Michael Todd,
Cristiane Young (seated), David Jacks, and Sheila Joon
in Theater Ten Ten's production of Oscar Wilde's
"The Importance of Being Earnest"
Photo Courtesy of LAB Photography

Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" subverts respectability, outrages convention, and makes all that is serious trivial. In short, it is delicious.

Theater Ten Ten's tasty new version of the classic play serves up two hours of sumptuous silliness. Rather than playing "Earnest" with a solemnly absurd decorum as many celebrated performances of the show have done in the past, Ten Ten sticks to farce, keeping the fare light and the pace buoyant. Thus, the show is over before you realize its begun, yet you still go home feeling satisfied and full.

I shall dispense with any lengthy synopsis of the play's ridiculous goings-on as by Wilde's own admission the "plot is slight" and any particular affinity for the story is of little consequence to our enjoyment of it. At its core, the play is an unraveling of society's deceptions, a task for which Wilde's lacerating wit was as ideally suited as Moliere's. On the surface, "Importance" sustains a bit about two do-nothing aristocrats masquerading under the assumed name of "Earnest", who fall in love with a pair of young women as shallow as themselves. The only problem is that once the dandies resolve to reveal their true identities they discover that their fiancées agreed to marry them in large part because they believed their names to be "Earnest". Of course, madcap machinations and hilarity ensues and everyone ends up married in the end.

Why, you may rightly ask, did The Brooklyn Optimist venture from his beloved borough to patronize a play in Manhattan? The reason is that Ten Ten's production is the collaborative work of a proud Brooklyn Heights couple, Judith Jarosz and her husband David Fuller. Jarosz, as director, along with Fuller, as set designer (and supporting actor), deftly orchestrate a simple staging of the play that shrewdly underplays its artistry so that their superbly selected cast can shine.

And shine they do! Most striking are the show's female leads, Vanessa Morosco and Sheila Joon. Morosco, who plays the socialite Gwendolyn Fairfax, is an arresting presence on stage, who rightfully exudes confidence in her craft. A relative newcomer to New York theater, Morosco radiates that ineffable quality known as star power - a quality that is certain to win her many more significant roles.

Joon, who slips into the part of Cecily Cardew, delights as the play's ingenue. Striking a nuanced balance between starry-eyed naiveté and nymphette sizzle, Joon is a smart comedienne, who is just as adept at making us laugh as she is at luring us into laughing at her.

Christopher Michael Todd and David Jacks, who portray the two foppish faux Earnests, enjoy strong chemistry with their love interests, and often the play is strongest when the couples are left alone on stage. The men also provide a fine counterpoint to one another, Todd with his repertoire of wonderfully befuddled expressions, and Jacks with his devilish delivery of the preposterous epigrams that inspire them.

The supporting cast deserves praise too. Greg Horton is particularly funny as a country vicar, making the most of a small role that could easily have passed unnoticed. David Fuller craftily incarnates two distinctly different butlers and Talaura Harms is amusing as a governess on the verge of spinsterhood. Last, but not least, Christiane Young, who as the dread Lady Bracknell has many of the play's funniest lines, well incarnates what P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster often describes as the type of formidable aunt who chews broken glass and howls upon the occasion of a full moon.

My fellow Brooklynites, unless you are utterly averse to laughter, it's worth braving Manhattan for Theater Ten Ten's "The Importance of Being Earnest". The play runs until March 9th at 1010 Park Avenue between 84th and 85th Street. For tickets, visit Ten Ten's website or call the theater's box office at 212.288.3246 ext.3.

My Morning Read

Good Morning! Here's what's on tap this A.M.

It's the end of an era. Fidel Castro has officially stepped down as President of Cuba.

City Limits has a story on a new, largely Brooklyn-based organization called Respect Our Vote, aimed at lobbying the nation's superdelegates to side with whichever candidate wins the most state delegates at the close of the Democratic Primary. MoveOn.org is enacting a similar campaign on a countrywide basis. Both movements have The Optimist's support 100%. Our votes must count!

On a considerably lighter note, City Hall has an article about the trials and tribulations of dating life for politicians. Would be first ladies and first gentlemen, here's your chance to find out who's available!

Brooklyn Heights Blog has the skinny on next week's annual meeting of the Brooklyn Heights Association. New York Times reporter Clyde Haberman will be the keynote speaker at the event. The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place in the St. Francis College Auditorium at 180 Remsen Street next Tuesday, February 26th at 7:30 p.m.

The Gowanus Lounge reports on some new (and newly deceased) restaurants in the Slope. Welcome to Earth Tonez, a new vegetarian and vegan cafe on Fifth Avenue. Adieu Cocotte.

And DUMBO NYC details how the Marrakesh Express restaurant on Jay Street has been revamped.

One More Thing To Digest

Brooklyn's got a $4 slice of pizza now.

My Morning Read

Happy President's Day. I hope everyone has the day off! My poor fiancée had to slog to work, so I figured I'd bite the bullet too. But for those of you at home, here's some stuff to occupy your time:

Via Katharine Jose's morning round-up at the Observer's political blog, I found this story in the Washington Post about Governor Spitzer's proposed tax on illicit drugs. The idea isn't quite as wacky as it sounds, but it's still leaving lots of people in Albany, like Brooklyn State Senator Martin Golden, scratching their heads. Look for this to end up the latest legislative (and public relations) disaster for the Spitzer Administration. It's already being derided as the "crack tax".

Mole333 reports at The Daily Gotham that Gloria Steinem is hosting a fundraiser on February 27th for Democrat Steve Harrison in his bid to oust Republican Congressman Vito Fossella of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Suggested donations start at $100.

"Breakfast Beer Run in Brooklyn Turns Heroic". The Gothamist's headline says it all.

Pardon Me For Asking informs her readers that the films of comic genius (and the world's first action star) Buster Keaton are coming to Cobble Hill.

The much-anticipated 15th Annual Book Sale at Park Slope United Methodist Church is this weekend, so sayeth Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.

The Purchase Building in DUMBO will soon be leveled to improve the view of the planned Brooklyn Bridge Park, according to McBrooklyn.

And Rumproast has ten reasons why life is worth living.

My Morning Read

On this sleepy Sunday morning, there's a lot to discover from the comfort of your home:

Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn writes about "Definitely, Maybe", the latest movie lensed by Park Slope cinematographer Florian Ballhaus.

Miss Heather at New York Shitty has an adorable kitten named Hooper in need of adoption.

Hideyoshi at DUMBO NYC has a bunch of cool links to neighborhood events, including an invite only Erykah Badu show.

The Brit in Brooklyn's got a spectacular desktop image of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Building.

And even Republican Congressman Vito Fossella is appalled by President Bush's proposed $200 billion cut to Medicare's funding, according to The Brooklyn Eagle.

Big Vote Miscount in Brooklyn Favors Clinton

What do Americans have to do to make sure our votes count?

Since 2000, this has become an increasingly infuriating question for voters across the States. But the latest to be disenfranchised - at least, for the time being - seem to be the people of New York City.

The Times has a devastating story today revealing that in 80(!) election districts, including many in Brooklyn and Harlem, Barack Obama was initially credited with a whopping zero (that's "0") votes on primary night.

Upon actually tallying the numbers, Obama's vote count has grown dramatically, but apparently not yet to the point that he has won in any of the districts previously called for Clinton (although some are VERY close). Nonetheless, the discrepancy does matter, especially here in Brooklyn where Clinton eked out a margin of victory of less than 2%.

Delegates are allocated according to the vote count in each Congressional district. If Obama's vote totals continue to rise in our borough, he could take away one or two of the delegates previously thought to be won by Clinton.

And at this point in the race, every delegate counts a lot.

School Shootings Strike Home Again

As soon as I read yesterday afternoon about the school shooting on Thursday at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, I called my cousin, Malinde Caldwell, who is a senior at Northern. I breathed a sigh of relief the second she picked up the phone. She was shook up, but fine - as were her friends.

Malinde, who has nearly completed her study to become a special education teacher, was off campus at the time doing her student teaching. Since the shooting, though she lives only a few blocks from the University, she hasn't been back on campus. It's not that she wants to avoid the reality of what occurred in the auditorium in which she has had many classes over her time at Northern. That would be impossible. Her apartment is next to DeKalb's sole hospital, which has been overwhelmed since the shooting by a volume of dead and wounded far beyond what the tiny hospital could ever have conceived of having to treat.

For me, the shooting at Northern was a bracing reminder of last semester at St. John's University, where I work as an adjunct professor. Fortunately, the University's alert campus police aided by some courageous students were able to diffuse that incident before anyone was hurt, but what might have been was a horrifying image lost on no one at the school. Since Columbine, we Americans have become all too familiar with how this type of madness looks.

This was no less than the fourth school shooting in the U.S. within a WEEK. Since she was in a position to understand this latest headline on a human level, I asked my cousin why it was she thought these massacres are occurring so frequently in our country. She responded that since the gunman at Northern, unlike the one at Virginia Tech, demonstrated no real sign of being disturbed prior to Thursday, she didn't blame the University at all for failing to stop the senseless slaughter of her classmates.

The preventive measure that she said was "obvious" was stricter gun control laws. I couldn't agree more. If only this conclusion were as "obvious" to our elected officials!

All of the guns used by the perpetrator were purchased legally - two of the four within the past week. No questions asked. For a small wad of cash, a would-be murderer had all he needed to kill six innocent kids and forever mar the lives of many more.

We are far past the point of pushing for background checks and waiting periods to ensure people who might misuse guns won't get their hands on them. At this point, the alleged right to hunt and bear arms is dwarfed by the right of our citizens not to be hunted - the right to life, so to speak.

I was disappointed by the reaction of our presidential candidates to the shooting at Northern. Senator Obama said existing guns laws need to be strengthened and bullets need to be traced as they are in California. Senator Clinton said "we’ve got to figure out how to get guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists, gang members and people with mental health problems". I couldn't find any comment online from Senator McCain.

It is time that our politicians stop pandering to the nation's gun lobby. I am not sure what Senator Obama means by strengthening our gun laws, but I am certain it is inadequate by my standard. And as for Senator Clinton, there is a simple solution to getting guns "out of the hands of criminals". America must make it illegal once and for all for private citizens to own automatic weapons, semi-automatic weapons, and, yes, even handguns, as is the law in England and many other countries with startlingly fewer incidents of gun violence.

Gun vendors are not psychologists, nor should they be expected to be. And our government has proven far too many times that it is ill-equipped to or incapable of deducing whether an aspiring gun owner will one day turn out to be a murderer.

The only way to rid our society of gun violence is to rid it of guns.

How many more children need to die before this point becomes as "obvious" to our leaders as it is to the victims of these crimes?

Borough President? Try "Assemblyman" Charles Barron

A lot has been made in the press about controversial councilmember Charles Barron's 2009 bid for Brooklyn Borough President, but Barron might not go through with it after all.

The Brooklyn Optimist's inside sources tell him that Barron might opt out of the race for BP to run for embattled Assemblywoman Diane Gordon's seat if Gordon ends up in prison after her pending trial on extortion charges. Gordon, who represents parts of East New York, Brownsville, and Canarsie, was indicted in 2006 for allegedly offering contractors her favor in Albany in exchange for a $500,000 bribe.

Gordon has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but her prospects in court look bleak, since it appears that the Assemblywoman was caught red-handed on tape soliciting the contractor. You can judge for yourself:



If Gordon were to end up out of office, Barron, who is immensely popular in his district, would certainly be a favorite for her seat if he wanted it. Moving to the Assembly would let Barron, who is term-limited out of the City Council, stay an elected official without having to pull off an unlikely win in a costly and bitter primary battle for Borough President.

Of course, nothing is certain with Gordon, who was re-elected in 2006 despite the fact that she was already indicted, but even in Brooklyn, the law seems to catch up with crooked politicians eventually. Just ask Clarence Norman, Gerald Garson, and Angel Rodriguez.

The Optimist stops short of an outright prediction, but if Charles Barron winds up an Assemblyman, remember, readers, you heard it here first.

Pitchers and Catchers Hurl Away the Winter Blues

Will all the election hubbub, I've scarcely had time to give my beloved sport of baseball its due. Yesterday, America's pastime was once more dragged through the muck, but today the promise of spring again warms the wintry hearts of its devoted fans.

This morning pitchers and catchers report to camp!

And though last season was outrageously, mind-boggling depressing even for us die-hard Mets fans, who long ago learned to accept misery, hope always returns in time for Opening Day.

This year, at least, I'll know what to call that hope: Johan Santana.

Manhattan's President Coming to Brooklyn

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer will be the guest speaker at the next monthly meeting of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND), the Carroll Gardens-based Brooklyn political club.

Stringer's February 28th appearance at IND fuels suspicion that he might be thinking of vacating his post as Manhattan BP to seek Citywide office, most likely as Public Advocate - a job he lost out on when he ran for it in 2001. Were Stringer to do so, he would set off a flurry of activity among the many term-limited and would-be public officials vying for new jobs. Many soon-to-be out-of-work councilmembers doubtlessly covet Stringer's current post, while undeclared candidates still considering a bid for Public Advocate in 2009 might think twice about running if Manhattan's BP throws his hat in the ring.

You can catch all the pre-campaign action on the evening of February 28th at IND, which is located at 489 Court Street. For more information, call 718.875.2312 or email information@indbrooklyn.org.

Brooklyn's Mysterious Superdelegates

With all the national talk about the role superdelegates will have in deciding who will be the Democratic nominee for President, you might just forget that our borough has its own fair share of these shadowy power brokers.

Brooklyn's superdelegates are Reps. Yvette Clarke, Anthony Weiner, Nydia Velazquez, Edolphus Towns, and Senator Chuck Schumer. Guess who they're all supporting?

If you answered Hillary Clinton, you're a winner. (And I guess Hillary is too!)

Brooklyn's superdelegates didn't exactly go out on a limb. Every superdelegate from New York who has pledged their support for a candidate so far has gone for our state's junior senator. The fact that Hillary has in her corner her colleagues from New York's congressional delegation is no surprise. After all, every superdelegate from Illinois, save the Mayor of DuQuoin, Illinois John Rednour, has already weighed in on Barack Obama's side.

It looks like Democrats will have a deadlocked National Convention to look forward to in August. Who knows? Maybe Brooklyn's superdelegates will end up tipping the nomination in Hillary's favor. We could be like Florida in 2000!

The Greenpoint Food Pantry Needs You

Since its inception at the end of October, the Greenpoint Food Pantry has gradually expanded to help more of our neighbors get a good meal, but it still needs your help.

The Pantry, which was created by the Greenpoint Reformed Church, operates every Wednesday out of the church between 4 and 7 p.m. It is constantly in need of non-perishable food donations to distribute to impoverished and homeless Greenpointers. Peanut butter, canned meat (tuna, salmon or ham), pasta, rice, cereal, soup, and canned vegetables and fruit are among the foods you can donate to make a difference.

Many local residents and businesses have already generously come to the Pantry's aid. Ann Kansfield, co-Pastor of the Greenpoint Reformed Church, enthuses, "The response rate has been tremendous - overwhelming in ways that I never could have imagined."

Last week, the Pantry was able to give out 92 bags of groceries to those in need. Many of the beneficiaries are hardworking community members, who have simply fallen on difficult times, exacerbated all the more by the general economic hardship plaguing our nation. Co-Pastor Kansfield finds it easy to empathize with their misfortune. "I could see how I could be one of them if circumstances were different," she says.

In addition to donations of food, Brooklynites can help the Pantry by volunteering their time either to prepare meals or clean-up after the 7 p.m. closing time. Polish-speaking volunteers are particularly needed, since 30%-40% of those who receive assistance from the Pantry are Polish - and many of those recipients struggle with English.

The Greenpoint Reformed Church's Food Pantry is located at 136 Milton St. between Manhattan Ave. and Franklin St. If you are interested in volunteering your time or contributing to the Pantry, you can contact Co-Pastor Kansfield at 718.383.5941 or by email at ann@greenpointchurch.org. Food donations can be dropped off at any time in front of the church.

Enough Already With the Hillary Bashing

The Optimist has made no secret of his support for Barack Obama's candidacy for President, but that doesn't mean that he'll sit idly by as the mainstream media mercilessly skewers our Senator without reason.

The Times has an excellent opinion piece by Professor Stanley Fish today analyzing the "vicious and irrational" attacks heaped upon Hillary Clinton by her rabid critics on both the left and right.

Now, I take issue with Hillary's vote for the Iraq War and her inexcusable support for the appalling Kyl-Lieberman amendment on Iran, but beyond that I don't really have too much else negative to say about Senator Clinton.

What Fish makes clear in his article is how groundless, if not outright silly, the criticisms levied by Hillary-haters are. Really, beside some visceral emotional dislike some of you may have for our Senator, what has she done to justly earn your ire?

I've met Hillary in person. I found her to be positively charming and warm. Certainly not the soulless Gorgon Chris Matthews would have you believe.

State Assembly Coffers Smell a Ratner

It turns out that Forest City Ratner is not going to stay out of politics after all. An excellent exposé by the Atlantic Yards Report today demonstrates that developer Bruce Ratner's company has violated its pledge not to influence our elected officials with campaign contributions.

Taking advantage of a campaign finance law loophole, Forest City Ratner lined the pockets of the Democratic Campaign Assembly Committee last month with a hefty $58,240 donation. The Atlantic Yards Report speculates (!) that the sum "may be payback to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver", whose support was critical to the approval of Ratner's master plan to build a host of high-rises downtown and an arena to host his NBA team, the current New Jersey Nets.

Ratner's most recent largesse may not be the first time he's skirted his promise not to buy the favor of Brooklyn's leaders. A September 2006 article in the Atlantic Yards Report pointed out that the developer's brother, lawyer Michael Ratner, and his brother's wife, Karen Ranucci both made campaign contributions to local politicians using Forest City Ratner's Brooklyn building as their return address. Among the beneficiaries of these (probably coincidental) donations were Congressman Edolphus Towns, who has been a proponent of the project, and State Senator Martin Malavé-Dilan, also an advocate of the Atlantic Yards.

February Brooklyn Blogade Recap

I enjoyed myself immensely today sharing the company of my fellow borough bloggers at this month's Brooklyn Blogade. Expertly hosted by Eleanor Traubman and Michael Sorgatz of the Creative Times blog, this month's lunch blossomed into a brainstorming session as to how Brooklyn bloggers could work collaboratively to enhance each other's work and the services we offer to you, our readers.

The Optimist was pleased to join the conversation, as there are many ideas that I have been wanting to share about the bright future of our borough's blogs. I mentioned that I thought our blogs should pool our content to create an independent wire service that all of the borough's blogs could draw upon in the way that newspapers subscribe to Reuters or the AP for content. I also proposed that we use our collective voice to galvanize community activism projects, such as the Kent Avenue litter clean-up that I will soon be asking you to join me in performing.

I was pleased that these proposals were well-received (as well as my suggestion that we publish a "Best of Brooklyn's Blogs 2008" book), but I was even more excited to hear my fellow bloggers articulate their wonderful visions. Xris, the Flatbush Gardener, spearheaded the idea of an annual Brooklyn blogger conference to complement the Blogfest. Katia Kelly, of Pardon Me For Asking, advocated for using our blogs as a vehicle to get our elected officials on record about their positions, so that they could be held accountable to the voters they serve (a passion of the Optimist's!). And Petra Symister, of the much beloved Bed-Stuy Blog, asked how blogs could build their legitimacy as publications, a question that sparked everyone's interest.

I should have taken more notes, but my attention was a bit diverted at times by the savory cuisine cooked up by the owners of Faan, the excellent Asian restaurant at 209 Smith Street that our hosts chose to stage this month's Blogade. Little Buddy Biscuit Company, chef Peter Solomita's sinfully-good, homemade Park Slope cookie corp, and the charming Blue Ribbon General Store at 365 State Street, also generously played sponsors to the event.

Next month's Blogade is being organized by Joyce Hanson of Bad Girl Blog. Stay tuned for more details on this affair. None other than Your Friendly Neighborhood Optimist will be playing host to June's meet-up. No specifics on this one either. I'm still looking for a suitable site in Williamsburg or Greenpoint. Any suggestions?

A Mea Culpa For My Daily Optimists

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time this past week to inquire (some of you, very insistently) as to where your daily dose of optimism has been. It is so heartwarming to know that though I've only been writing this blog for a little over a month that I could already be missed.

For those of you who feared that some misfortune had befallen me, let me put your minds at ease. The Optimist is well and as optimistic as ever! Multiple factors contributed to my absence, but for the most part I just wanted to enjoy more time with my lovely new fiancee. Can you blame me?

I did have a bit of a post-Primary hangover too. After two years of expectation, the anticlimactic resolution of Super Tuesday left me drained. It was only yesterday when the caucus results came in from Louisiana, Washington, Kansas, and the Virgin Islands, that I felt my temporary political apathy recede.

But now I'm back and I have a lot on tap this week for all of you, so don't worry. There's plenty of cause once again to be optimistic!

GO VOTE!

After many months of talk, it's finally time for action! Regardless of your choice for either the Democratic or Republican nominee, The Optimist urges you to take a few moments today to exercise your most important right as an American.

Democracy starts with you. If you don't vote, you forfeit your voice.

The Optimist already cast his vote today, heading down to P.S. 110 on Monitor Street in Greenpoint to do so. The election inspector who signed me in described turnout so far today as "fabulous", which did not surprise me, but heartened me nonetheless since I've gone to the polls many times in recent years and found myself the sole voter in a large, desolate room.

Since the Democratic field has been winnowed to two candidates, some Brooklyn voters may have found themselves surprised by the wealth of options they faced in the booth this morning. Along with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, and Dennis Kucinich were all still on the ballet.

In addition, Brooklynites who favored Obama or Clinton were asked to approve a slate of five delegates to stand for their candidate of choice at the Democratic Convention. On my ballot, Obama's five delegates were Paul Newell, a community activist who has taken on the mammoth challenge of trying to unseat the Speaker of the New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver in this September's primary; 23-year-old Rachel Lauter, who has been a very active member of Brooklyn for Barack; prominent local gay issues and AIDS activist Daniel Tietz; Matthew Cowherd, an attorney with mega-firm Skadden Arps; and Allison Davis.

As for Hillary, her delegates of choice were State Senator Martin Dilan; Councilmember Rosie Mendez; Luis Garden Acosta, a community activist and founder of Williamsburg's El Puente; Chung Seto, a former Executive Director of the New York Democratic Party; and Charles Obe.

In the last few weeks, the polls have shown a narrowing of Hillary Clinton's once insurmountable lead over Barack Obama in New York State. Who will win depends solely upon you.

Remember the words of former U.S. Treasury Secretary William Simon: "Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote." Simon was one to know. He served under Nixon.

The Brooklyn Optimist Endorses Barack Obama

I am excited about Barack Obama. Who isn’t?

Even a Republican political pundit I caught on the radio the other day said that anyone who hears Senator Obama speak in person who is not moved by his startling oration should check themselves for a pulse.

To be honest, I never thought I’d see a candidate of Obama’s strength, intelligence, and dynamism come so close to the Presidency in my lifetime. I had resigned the idealism of the 1960s to a past too long ago to rekindle and too far away from where our country has fallen to reinvigorate.

Even in my optimism, I could not envision a progressive candidate who could so captivate Americans with the pure brilliance of his promise that they would come to the polls in record numbers to affirm their belief in him.

Even in my optimism, I could not conceive of a candidate with the potential to convince Americans that it is not our system of government that is inadequate, but the elected officials who we have settled on to manage it.

Even in my optimism, I could not imagine a candidate who could simultaneously unify our deeply divided nation, while at the same time restoring our integrity and esteem on the world stage.

Even in my optimism, I could not expect Barack Obama.

Of all the endorsements that heaped praise upon Senator Obama, none articulated and understood his qualities as eloquently and precisely as the letter of support Toni Morrison released this week. What was different about the Nobel Laureate’s evaluation was that it did not resort to tired criteria like “electibility” and “experience”, but invoked words we long ago gave up trying to apply to politicians – words like “virtue” and “wisdom”.

Though I have never met the man myself, I am convinced, like Ms. Morrison, that Barack Obama is both a man who is virtuous and wise. These are the words that I would use to describe Jefferson, Lincoln, and Dr. King.

These are the words I want to use to describe my President.

I ask you to join me on Tuesday in voting for Barack Obama.

Marty Markowitz Signed Cast For Sale on Ebay

You decide if it's goodwill or creepy self-promotion.

The Brooklyn Paper's editor-in-chief Gersh Kuntzman has put up for sale on Ebay the cast he recently had removed after breaking his ankle in January. The selling point (it's up to $22.51) is that the cast is signed by none other than the Borough President himself, Marty Markowitz, whose John Hancock is widely known to be of inestimable value.

All proceeds from the auction will go to Markowitz's Camp Brooklyn charity.

Park Slope "Book Nerd" Blogger Wins Library Prize

Congratulations to Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo of Park Slope on winning the Brooklyn Public Library's 4th Annual Power Up! business-plan competition. Devotees of Brooklyn blogs may recognize Stockton-Bagnulo as the literary lion behind The Written Nerd, the self-proclaimed "confessions of an independent bookseller and unrepentant book nerd".

As the top prize winner in the competition, Stockton-Bagnulo will receive $15,000 toward starting her dream business: an independent bookstore. She's now looking for investors to join her as she scouts Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, and Clinton Hill for possible locations. Any takers? It's more than a worthy cause. We need more independent bookstores in our borough.

A complete list of the competition's winners and more information on Power Up! is available here.

An Optimistic Interview with Chris Owens on Brooklyn Politics

After The Optimist interviewed former Congressman Major Owens this past weekend, I seized the opportunity to get his son Chris Owens on camera to discuss the current state of Brooklyn politics.

Chris is as well-informed about the subject as anyone, having spent the past several decades as a community advocate in Brooklyn and a leader in local politics. A former candidate for City Council and U.S. Congress, most recently, Chris has been nominated to become the President of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) - one of the borough's most influential political clubs.

I spoke with Chris about the future of the Kings County Democratic Party, the 2009 City Council race, his own political aspirations, and what Brooklynites can do to ensure their voice is heard in government.

WANTED Posters in Williamsburg

Last night, as I was walking down N. 6th St. in Williamsburg, I noticed a woman veiled in the shadows cast by a scaffold at the corner of Wythe. Though I could not discern her features, it was clear her gaze was fixed nervously upon a sign stapled to the plywood boards that enclosed the construction site before her. It was a sudden, eerie moment, the kind that reminds the late night wanderer he has taken a wrong turn on a dark street, and wound up isolated and vulnerable.

Drawing closer, I was able to make out the cause of her concern. In bold, intimidating letters boomed the headline "WANTED" above a drawing on the fugitive to fear.

Perhaps it was only now that the woman heard my approaching footsteps, for she suddenly turned to look over her shoulder at me before scurrying off down Wythe.

I continued toward the sign, compelled now to discover what menace could be so terrifying to our neighborhood that the police bothered to plaster his mugshot even in an unsavory alcove. Was this where the monster lurked? Finally, the fine print came into focus and I learned what had drawn me into harm's way:


An ad! And for a video game, no less. The latest installment in the enormously popular Grand Theft Auto series, in which the player takes on the role of a psychopathic criminal with the goal of unleashing as much mayhem as possible upon his city.

Sound uplifting? According to the WANTED poster issued by the "City of Liberty", the game's protagonist is of Eastern European descent and "wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting at a nightclub in the Hove Beach area of Broker". In line with the type of justice the game advocates, the poster advises that the criminal - who you embody - be shot on sight.

As it so happens, I am teaching advertising for the first time this semester, and so from a professional standpoint I can understand the savvy of an ad like this one. But at what point does a guerilla marketing campaign go too far? Surely, terrorizing the public has to be that bar.

Part of creating an effective ad entails zeroing in on the demographic you want to win for your customers. What type of person is Grand Theft Auto trying to appeal to with fake Wanted posters plastered in the darkest corners of our City? Probably not the type of person you would want to meet if you ended up lured to one of its posters alone at night.

The Latest Primary News on Barack Obama

Are the stars aligning for Barack Obama? I wrote last Sunday that the only way Obama had a chance of overtaking Clinton for the nomination was if Edwards dropped out of the race and threw his support behind Obama.

The far more unlikely half of that hypothetical scenario happened this afternoon.

The Latest Primary News on John Edwards

Once again, as he has done on so many other occasions throughout the course of this campaign, John Edwards inspired my optimism by doing the right thing. Prior to this campaign, it was as nearly as unfathomable to me that a woman or a black man would become President, as it was for a candidate whose stated primary objectives were to help the poor and break up America's corporate oligarchy.

The fact is that Edwards' message was so threatening that the mainstream media - which, as it so happens, is owned by the very same corporations Edwards was railing against - made sure to ignore his candidacy long before it bothered silencing Dennis Kucinich.

Hopefully, Edwards will be able to leverage his impassioned supporters across the country (10%-20% of Democrats in all the states left to vote) to ensure that Clinton or Obama will pick up the mantle of his fight for the common man, as they both promised today to do.

I didn't think that Edwards would drop out of the race before Super Tuesday, even though I knew he should. I took Edwards at his word when he stubbornly insisted before South Carolina that he was going to push through to the Convention. But now I see that his bravado was a valiant final attempt to convince Democrats he still believed he would win, so that voters wouldn't feel like they would be squandering their vote on him.

By withdrawing from the race today, Edwards keeps his dignity while preserving the integrity of his message. In other words, he acted in a way consistent with what he has preached. Even The Optimist is taken by surprise when a politician proves so genuinely virtuous.

Edwards isn't right for either Clinton or Obama's running mates, but he would make a fine Attorney General for either Administration. Of course, the likelihood of that happening depends on who he decides to endorse, if anyone. I don't know about him going for Obama, but I can't imagine Edwards coming out for Hillary and I'm not so sure his supporters would switch over to her even if he did.

The Latest Primary News on Hillary Clinton

This bit in The Times' story on Edwards surprised me:

"Since the New Hampshire primary, Mrs. Clinton has reached out to Mr. Edwards aggressively, through telephone calls and private meetings. Mr. Obama has spent far less time courting Mr. Edwards, according to people familiar with the talks."

Clandestine, "private meetings"? I'd love to know what Hillary was offering (or might still have on the table). I had only considered the reasons why Obama would court Edwards' campaign to concede, but it was foolish of me to think Hillary would not be so shrewd as to try the same power play. After all - and it probably would have occurred to me if I had spent a moment to think about it - Hillary definitely knows Edwards much better than Obama, especially since Obama and Edwards' time in the Senate didn't overlap.

Not only has Hillary served alongside Edwards, but the Clintons played a much larger role in stumping for the Kerry-Edwards campaign than they did for Gore-Lieberman (because Al tried to distance himself from Bill). For some reason I had assumed that Edwards felt the same cold indifference to the Clintons as he did for John Kerry, but maybe he and Clinton have a friendship behind the scenes that made her think Edwards would favor her as his second choice.

What has already been decided between the candidates, if anything? Those with the answer to that question know if Hillary spent today scrambling or smiling.

The Lastest Primary News On Rudy Giuliani

The media committed a grave injustice by allowing Rudy Giuliani to sell us on the preposterous premise that his all-or-nothing Florida bid could rightfully be called a "strategy". As soon as the American public finally caught on to what "America's Mayor" did as our Mayor, Giuliani took such a precipitous tumble in the polls that he saw he had no chance in any of the early battleground states.

But Rudy prefers not to play, than to lose (as he showed in the first over-hyped, never-to-be Clinton-Giuliani match-up). That's why all of a sudden he dreamed up the ridiculous, historically-unprecedented strategy of only trying to win in Florida.

That's not a strategy. That's desperation. Stephen Colbert's bid for President was more serious than Giuliani's.

Personally, I'm relieved Giuliani is at last officially out of the race. "President Giuliani" has an even harsher ring to it than "President Bush". It is a credit to the America people's intelligence that they figured out so quickly what Rudy Giuliani is really about.

Rarely, has the Times so found les mots justes to describe someone, as the paper's editorial did in their endorsement of John McCain for the Republican nomination. You know, the spot-on portrait of Rudy as "a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man," who "shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city’s and the country’s nightmare to promote his presidential campaign."

Yeah, the guy we New Yorkers know.

I read in the Observer New York City Council Minority Leader and committed Giuliani-supporter James Oddo's quote consoling his candidate that "Rudy will have a good life post Florida."

I'm sure he'll be far better off than a lot of Americans, but is this really true? As far as I can tell, Rudy's campaign for Presidency was calamitous for him. Had he not run, he would have been a revered king-maker for the Republican field and, if he had played his cards right, a front runner for a Vice Presidential nomination. Instead, his political career is over, his businesses have been exposed for profiteering, he's been tied to criminals, his mystique has evaporated, and he's been shown to be one of the country's worst family men.

I'm not so sure that Rudy's future will be as bright as Councilman Oddo imagines.