24 MAY 11 - MAY 17, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Odds and ends
Sensible gun laws cannot
be delayed any longer
There have been over 300 school
shootings in America since the
Newtown, Connecticut massacre
in 2012. We the people have waited
for sensible gun laws but our government,
beholden to lobbyist money,
will let its citizens wait because the
NRA has a stranglehold on the gun
control debate. We should not accept
the deaths and the status quo in which
unstable and dangerous individuals
are granted easy access to firearms.
The two Republican candidates in
the 11th Congressional District, incumbent
Dan Donovan and convicted felon
Michael Grimm, have no good plan to
protect citizens from gun violence.
However, Democratic candidate Max
Rose, a decorated combat veteran, has
a clear plan to increase the protection
of the innocent with sensible gun
regulation.
Max will support our right to keep
and bear arms while getting “guns out
of the hands of dangerous people” … by
… “requiring a criminal background
check on all gun sales.”
Most Americans oppose the NRA’s
indiscriminate opposition to any gun
regulation. Enhanced background
checks will not force a single gun
owner to give up a single firearm. The
Bill of Rights should protect all people
including gun owners and unarmed
citizens.
NRA supporters recently set off a
firestorm of controversy in Brooklyn.
The Friends of the NRA scheduled a
fundraiser at Gargiulo’s, but critics
complained about the event during
which organizers planned to raffle
off vouchers for shotguns, pistols and
rifles so the eatery cancelled it.
In the wake of the Parkland, Florida
high school massacre and the March
for Life movement it engendered, the
event seemed ill-timed and ill-placed.
The NRA divides and conquers
through polarization and misdirection
so that no one truly debates the issue.
The NRA would like Americans to
COMMON SENSE
BY JERRY KASSAR
WE THE
PEOPLE
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • JUNE 5 - JUNE 11, 2014
WE THE
PEOPLE
BY BRIAN KERIN
WE THE PEOPLE
BY BRIAN KERIN
believe that discussing gun regulation
or opposition to its agenda is fascism.
City Councilmember Justin Brannan
commented in support of the
protestors of the Friends of the NRA
meeting, eventually booked at the
Dyker Heights Knights of Columbus
under a different name, and was attacked
for having the nerve to voice
his opinion after he pointed out that
the NRA had to “sneak around” in
order to hold meetings in his district.
He said the comments were about
“standing up for what’s right, and …
listening to my constituents.” He told
reporters, “The NRA — we don’t need
them in Brooklyn. We don’t need more
guns in Brooklyn.”
He’s right; however, Mr. Brannan received
death threats,and was attacked
on social media and one coward sent
a poster lampooning Democrats as
Nazis to his mother’s home.
Our councilmember is not intimidated.
He stated that the NRA is
BY BRIAN KIERAN
“widely unpopular” and “act like their
rights are under attack and intimidate
those who want real gun reform.” He
tweeted that he had no problem with
gun owners but he had an issue with
“an organization that spends tens of
millions … bribing boneless politicians
to block common sense gun reform.”
Will Michael Grimm or Dan Donovan
lead on gun control? They will
check with the NRA. Where does State
Senator Marty Golden stand on gun
control? He missed votes in Albany on
gun control and regularly gets good
ratings from the NRA.
There are choices to make in November
if we want to have sensible
gun regulation that will protect
responsible gun owners as well as
innocent citizens.
The NRA does not represent responsible
gun owners and has an
irresponsible agenda. It advocates extreme
positions with money provided
by gun manufacturers. The desires of
the people should be valued more than
NRA dollars.
Hospital situation
need of triage
College Hospital seems to be destined
Victory Memorial Hospital, Peninsula
Vincent’s Hospital.
proposed plans are short on service to
on dollars in the pockets of developers.
believe that, as the city grows,
increases
prospers,
fewer
health
Do we
chain
bank on
hospitals?
the company that wins the proposal
be obligated to provide a large
facility to compensate for the
service hospital it will replace.
Congressmember Hakeem Jefferies
opportunity to complain that the NYPD
low-level marijuana arrests in
hinted that this may be an indication
Blasio is really not serious about
following through on his campaign
promises to assure the NYPD scrupulously honors
individual citizens civil rights.
He stated that the “new administration promised
change but instead we get more of the same.”
That is not true. The number of arrests for low-level
marijuana possession
has dropped and NYPD
policy is not to force a
suspect to display small
amounts of pot in order
to make an arrest.
Governor Cuomo has
proposed decriminalizing
possession of 15
grams or less of pot whether hidden or in plain view,
which would take this controversy and its attendant
political baggage off the table. It would be nice to let
police offi cers perform their duties instead of being
pawns in a political chess game.
Mayor de Blasio has fulfi lled an incredible amount
of his promises in a very short time. He has imposed
the extra protection of an inspector general for the
NYPD and signed off on the laws passed by the City
Council which may leave police offi cers subject to
lawsuits for negligent performance of their duties.
He has provided universal pre K without a tax
increase. He is settling the outstanding municipal
worker contracts neglected by Mike Bloomberg for
the next mayor to handle. He is championing Vision
Zero to reduce traffi c fatalities to zero. It is unfair
to question his commitment to his ideals or to the
fulfi llment of his promises.
The City Council will pass 11 laws and four resolutions
to create a Vision Zero environment for our
streets. The new laws provide a lower speed limit for
city streets and enhanced penalties for reckless drivers.
The state legislature must approve the changes.
We also need the state legislature to provide a
reasonable number of speed cameras to enforce the
new laws. Let us hope that our legislators will work
together as a group to see that these changes and
improvements are made quickly.
Brian Kieran is an attorney who works as a Principal
Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of the State of New
York in Kings County and is a Democrat.
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vitae metus ac lacus fermentum
Pellenesque tincidunt ligula non velit
leo vel nibh condimentum eu
tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis
iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat
lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum
feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam
id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus
tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui
purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros.
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orci, eu ultrices tellus.
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nisl magna. Duis
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lorem, a dictum
leo imperdiet ut.
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leo eleifend viverra.
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pulvinar,
mattis vel purus.
Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit
amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum
sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium
feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur
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non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris.
Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum
vitae, molestie a lectus. Donec molestie, ligula
consequat venenatis lobortis, libero eros porttitor
diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris.
Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum.
Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu,
fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus.
Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec
suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin
sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique
suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus,
orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet
enim magna nec ligula.
Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing
imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus
nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis.
Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet
aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio
quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor
imperdiet.
Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet
lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum
mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices
metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis
purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor.
Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum
sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada
elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at
massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices.
Brian Kieran is a community activist who works
for the State of New York and is a Democrat.
Double decked headline
fit alloted space
“Mayor de Blasio has ful lled an incredible
Mayor amount Bloomberg of his promises continues in a very to push short
a
fantasy time.
that, if he had more power,
everything would be okay. When so
much is at stake, it is not the time to
make political statements or play
games”.
County Memorial Day Parade was
The line of march was one of
years with literally thousands
The Conservative Party’s 31st
consecutive POW/MIA ceremony
held at Look Out Point at 81st
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condimentum nec, laoreet at dolor. Sed
consectetur ac, suscipit quis
vulputate id ante. Nulla varius,
congue euismod, eros odio
vulputate nisi elit eu mauris.
condimentum, erat eget posuere
varius arcu, a rutrum mi
Quisque ac massa nunc, id lacinia
metus ac lacus fermentum
tincidunt ligula non velit
vel nibh condimentum eu
tempus orci pretium. Donec facilisis, odio et iaculis
iaculis, sem arcu rutrum mi, a vulputate erat
lorem porttitor metus. Mauris sagittis interdum
feugiat. Fusce laoreet vehicula laoreet. Nam
id accumsan magna. Vivamus a felis at lacus
tincidunt sodales quis sed nisl. Donec vitae dui
purus. Quisque eu nisi eros, et venenatis eros.
Proin non lacus
orci, eu ultrices tellus.
Vestibulum nec
nisl magna. Duis
tincidunt gravida
lorem, a dictum
leo imperdiet ut.
Sed eu massa in
leo eleifend viverra.
Proin eros sem,
convallis quis adipiscing
pulvinar,
mattis vel purus.
Fusce sapien sem, aliquet vitae tempor sit
amet, auctor id ante. Pellentesque vel vestibulum
sem. Cras lobortis lorem at lectus pretium
feugiat vel quis libero. Praesent consectetur
consectetur tortor vitae lacinia. Mauris turpis
nisl, rutrum ut condimentum eu, elementum
non neque. Vivamus eget vulputate mauris.
Vivamus elit tellus, euismod ut condimentum
vitae, molestie a lectus. Donec molestie, ligula
consequat venenatis lobortis, libero eros porttitor
diam, ac malesuada purus ligula nec mauris.
Donec eleifend magna non justo fringilla fermentum.
Suspendisse potenti. Quisque eros arcu,
fringilla a blandit et, pellentesque sit amet risus.
Fusce iaculis magna vel felis scelerisque nec
suscipit nibh lacinia. Suspendisse potenti. Proin
sed interdum justo. Sed sollicitudin tristique
suscipit. Sed mattis, odio a imperdiet tempus,
orci tortor pellentesque nibh, sit amet aliquet
enim magna nec ligula.
Curabitur suscipit enim sed metus adipiscing
imperdiet. Praesent commodo scelerisque tellus
nec ornare. Integer sit amet volutpat turpis.
Integer congue condimentum urna, sit amet
aliquam ligula mollis sit amet. Maecenas odio
quam dapibus lectus sit amet arcu tempor
imperdiet.
Nullam porttitor posuere mi, fringilla laoreet
lorem semper idm ornare congue arcu, non interdum
mauris dapibus id. Aenean feugiat ultrices
metus a vulputate. Praesent luctus venenatis
purus sed viverra. Nulla rhonmentum tortor.
Aliquam tincidunt molestie mi, tincidunt vestibulum
sem rutrum bibendum. Integer malesuada
elit commodo vel vehicula quam ultrices. Sed at
massa sed lorem facilisis ultrices.
Brian Kieran is a community activist who works
for the State of New York and is a Democrat.
Double decked headline
fit alloted space
“Mayor Bloomberg continues to push a
fantasy that, if he had more power,
everything would be okay. When so
much is at stake, it is not the time to
make political statements or play
games”.
COMMON
Double decked headline
fit alloted space
SENSE
us never forget
BY BRIAN KIERAN
The Bill of Rights should protect
all people including gun owners
and unarmed citizens.
The New York City Board of
Elections by a unanimous vote
of the bipartisan group of commissioners
referred the Grimm ballot
fraud case that I had discussed in
previous columns to the Brooklyn DA,
Manhattan DA, Staten Island DA, U.S.
attorney for the Southern District and
U.S. attorney for the Eastern District.
The charge is that the Michael
Grimm campaign filed a false document
which, if accepted, could have
knocked Donovan off the Reform
Party line. It also would have disenfranchised
Reform Party members
and anyone desiring to vote for Donovan
on that line.
For there to be a criminal referral,
intent to knock Donovan off the ballot
would be needed. And the Board of
Elections apparently believed that was
intent of the 11:56 p.m. filing, four minutes
before the closing of the petition
period on the last day to file.
I guess now it is out of the hands of
campaign operatives and the like. It
is now all about the prosecutors, the
laws possibly broken by the Grimm
campaign, the push by the agency and
evidence. Hopefully this will all move
ahead quickly.
* * *
I was happy to read on social media
(Twitter) Councilmember Justin
Brannan’s commitment to the Second
Amendment. He mentioned that was
always his position and he could not
understand how I did not know that.
His actions and statements over the
past few weeks are what confused me
and so many other Second Amendment
supporters in our community.
His support of the Second Amendment
does have conditions, but that would
be expected.
I am glad Justin and the Brooklyn
Conservative Party which I chair can
share some common ground on the
right to bear arms.
Now, we should put this issue behind
us and move onto the many other
important community issues such as
stopping a likely homeless hotel being
built across the street from a school
and fighting for more classroom seats.
* * *
I have yet to find a single Mets fan
who is sorry to see Matt Harvey gone.
The prima donna of starters had one
good year followed by varying degrees
of bad ones. And whether good
or bad, the fans had to put up with an
unusual level of arrogance.
Sports reporters are even saying
that Harvey had no friends among his
team mates and was a loner.
No one is even concerned that he is
not being traded. He is essentially being
excessed, so the Mets were willing
to give up on any value he might retain.
That level of distaste for a player is
very unusual.
* * *
As previously mentioned, the
Brooklyn Conservative Party will
be holding a Tax Freedom Day event
on Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the
Hughes Council of the Knights of
Columbus at 86th Street and 13th
Avenue. Councilmember Kalman
Yeger and Attorney General candidate
Manny Alicandro will be joining
us and will make remarks. The free
event is open to all. We will be serving
a celebratory cake in honor of this
important day.
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