overheard: “You want TAP, you sons a bitches, then respect property.”

—an older Assembly staffer, upon finding the Legislative Office Building elevator littered with “Restore TAP” lapel stickers.

Who’s the Sore Loser?

Republican State Sens. Nancy Larraine Hoffman and Olga Mendez lost fair and square last November, but someone in the Senate isn’t taking the loss lightly. Constituents of both districts (Central New York, and East Harlem/the Bronx) are seeing previously promised grant money disappear. A spokesman for Majority Leader Joseph Bruno claims the grants are simply under review, but locals say they’ve been notified of denial. Graceful loser Hoffman has asked Bruno to reinstate the funds.

Creating the Friendly Crowd

The presidential bubble of agreement made a stop in Fargo, N.D., last week, as more than 40 people were refused tickets for a Feb. 3 taxpayer-funded speech by President Bush. Local ticket distributors received a list of barred audience members beforehand, including one librarian, two high-school students, several university professors and the city commissioner—all outspoken opponents of some presidential policies. Ticket distribution is under the oversight of the White House, but the current administration has denied any knowledge of the blacklist.

Conservativism Over Common Sense?

Across the country, some parents are keeping their kids home on big drinking nights like New Year’s Eve and letting them drink at home, to keep them from driving home drunk from a bar, or party. But now, as with one case in Rochester, parents who allow their teens to have parties at their homes are being arrested and are facing jail time and fines. Meanwhile, recent AARP polls show that 67 percent of Texas Republicans support medical marijuana.

Love Lost for the Lackey

Presidential buddy Alberto Gonzales was confirmed as attorney general last week, despite sidestepping questions about a 2002 memo in which he called the Geneva Convention “quaint.” Gonzales received a record 36 “no” votes in the Senate (35 Democratic, 1 Independent). John Ashcroft actually received more support from Democrats during his confirmation. Many attribute this high level of opposition to Gonzales’ close ties with the current administration and a perceived willingness to bend rules intended to protect war prisoners—including Americans—from torture.

A judge in New York City has ruled in one of the several lawsuits filed in New York state by same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses [“First Comes Love, Then Comes. . .” April 8, 2004]. State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan ruled that the provision that limits marriage to heterosexual couples violates the equal-protection promises of the state constitution. As marriage-equality advocates celebrate, Mayor Bloomberg has said he will take the case to the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. . . . After five months, all charges were dismissed against David Oehl [“Ripples of Protests Past,” News-front, Feb. 4], who was arrested while protesting the Republican National Convention last summer. This frees Oehl to join a civil suit against the city, which he says he plans to do. . . . Gov. George Pataki has again [“Call Off Your Dogs,” Newsfront, June 17, 2004] proposed in his executive budget to cut mandatory inspections of pet dealerships and breeders. He last proposed it around the time of a high-profile arrest of a couple who had been breeding dogs for animal cruelty, but the Legislature rejected it. . . . Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton has backed down from his proposed ban on slaughtering livestock in the city [“Got Your Goat,” Looking Up, Jan. 13], but he has introduced a new one that would ban the keeping of livestock in city limits, which he says would have the same results. . . . Albany County is joining other counties and New York City in a lawsuit that accuses pharmaceutical manufacturers of overcharging counties for drugs they purchased through Medicaid [“Health Gouging,” Newsfront, Nov. 18, 2004].