UPDATED BELOW

Its halloween! And I'm sure the first thing you think of when you think of halloween is voting, right? No? Well, perfect, that's why the smart folks at Chicktellectual.com have asked me to do a voter guide.

I’ll be covering statewide offices and ballot questions, but the state board of elections makes the complete ballot available, as well as info about where to vote.

We've previously written about the new, controversial types of airport scanners. One of the important policy decisions about these scanners is that you have the right to refuse being scanned, and instead accept a, possibly enhanced, pat down.

There is a Primary on Tuesday September 14th, and frankly I could understand if you did not want to take the time to figure out who deserves your vote. I hate clichés like, “the lesser of two evils,” but in this state’s politics it is a hard one to avoid. Although, sometimes even calling these folks evil is giving them too much credit. While I am a lefty, I have discovered that in this City, just going with the person who sounds the most liberal can cause you to vote for some real SOBs.

The good news is that there are not a lot of races.

-You are right, Mr Sarkozy. They are ugly. Shall I begin the ethnic cleansing operation now?

-No, France is not quite ready just yet. Let's just deport them.

 If this were happening anywhere else in the world, with any other ethic group (well, almost any other ethnic group) western Europe would surely snub its nose. But this week, in France, hundreds upon hundreds of Roma immigrants, (known, in English, as Gypsies) were expelled from France. The Government of Nicolas Sarkozy says they were in the country illegally, arguing that by EU law they can be evicted if they are there more than three months and have no job and create a burden or are there less than three months and represent a "threat to public safety".

The pope, French churches, a UN committee and even several ministers in Mr Sarkozy’s own government have voiced opposition to no avail. France is dealing with them much as some small towns deal with the homeless, only instead of buying them a bus ticket, he sends them off to wherever they came from (presumably eastern Europe) with three hundred euros and claims that many are leaving of their own free will, by which he means that they are leaving of their own free will now to avoid leaving by force later.

Dear Mayor Michael Bloomberg,

You didn't have to speak out in defense of the mosque, but you did. Not only was this the right message for non-Muslims to hear, that we must extend the same freedoms to others that we wish to have extended to ourselves, but it is also the right message to send to the Muslim world: that we are not as intolerant and hateful as we seem.

There are extremists out there who call themselves Muslim that want us to be hateful and spiteful towards Muslims. Who want you to reject the Mosque. By painting the US as intolerant of Islam they are able to gain new recruits willing to commit acts of suicidal terror. But when you defended the Mosque, you sent a clear message of tolerance and openness. You made it that much harder for terrorists to recruit and for the hate to multiply. By defending the Mosque, you defended our country against terrorism.

It takes bravery to break this cycle of hate. Thank you for being brave.

bjorn

Correction: it seems that the "Mosque" is actually a community center. There is a small Mosque about four blocks from ground zero that's been there for years that has no association with the current controversy.

Friends don't let friends fly naked.
(Unless they are trying to make a buck)

 There's been a lot of controversy over the new "full body scanners" going in at airports across the country because they reveal a ghostly image of your naked body to the someone, in a different room. Even the american association for nude recreation has had their say. Not too long ago, a fight broke out between security officials because one walked through the scanner and the other saw enough to make fun of him. Whether they even work is another question, but clearly, these images are pretty revealing, no? How revealing? And do we need to protect ourselves from having these images seen or posted on the internet?

 Well, of course, there's a facebook group for everything. May they have the answer? Their mantra, in all caps, is this: "SCRAP THE CHILD PORN LAW VIOLATING, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSING, CANCER-CAUSING, ELECTRONIC STRIP SEARCH AIRPORT SCANNERS!" Interestingly, those under 18 aren't allowed through these scanners in the UK, so they may have a point there. I haven't seen any evidence that the radiation exposure is worse than existing scanners (which also use x-rays) but you are allowed to request a pat-down. But it's really the super freaky image they use that group scares me, so I won't be looking there for answers...

 Of course, whatever side you are on, there is always an an intrepid entrepreneur with the answer. In this case the answer is in the form of pasties! Flying pasties! Pieces of Rubber you stick in your clothes to protect your "dignity"!

But don't carry it twice.

 Isn't it convenient when you find one shred of evidence -- however small -- to support your beliefs? It's even better when you can distort it using questionable or downright bad math so that it seems more supportive than it is. That's what Rich Karlgaard just did in his recent blog entry, The Millionaire Cop Next Door, where he argues that government workers, like cops, firefighters, teachers (yes, teachers) and other hardworking Americans are the fastest growing class of millionaires, simply because they work for the government. No that's not a misprint, he's calling them millionaires. Not long ago, these folks were the heroes of the right. These were the hardworking Americans -- the "real" Americans -- who helped keep the fabric of our country together. Remember their heroic efforts on 9/11? I guess not.

Sent to us by Allegra Gordon in Philadelphia, PA, just in time, coincidentally, for Gay Pride Day in many Cities across the country

Earlier today:

Me: Let me get this straight. Last month you gave me the brand name prescription.

Duane Reade: right.

Me: But this month, you can't give me brand name because a generic version just became available...

Duane Reade: ...and your doctor didn't write dispense as written...

Me: but you don't have the generic in stock, even though yesterday you said you would have it in stock.

Duane Reade: ...er, right...

Me: So you can't give me anything.

Duane Reade: Right.

Eventually they concluded they could give me a smaller dose that I could take twice as many of to tide me over for a few days until I could come back for more, and, presumably, pay again.

        I was watching Sesame Street videos with my adorable 15-month-old neice, Ava, when she started calling out for "mama." Nothing unusual there. Except that on closer listen, her excited and even borderline agitated cries sounded more along the lines of "O-mama." In case my suspicions needed confirming, my brother-in-law explained that Ava was calling out for Mr. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, and apparent baby rock star on par with the likes of Elmo. It turns out my niece had seen snippets of Mr. Obama's first televised press conference the previous day, and was so moved by his speech that she was demanding a Youtube replay. Precocious little tyke. My brother-in-law, being the dutiful father, complied with her request, and the high-pitched furry red muppet who had been singing the wonders of going potty was abruptly replaced by our cool-demeanored President discussing the significance of bipartisanship.