Peter King Watch

Peter King Watch Returns

2010-08-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

After a too-long absence, we will be back this week once again putting King under the microscope so voters know exactly who Pete King really is.

King Snubbed at Republican Dinner by Newt Gingrich

2009-04-16T09:35:00.001-07:00

Last night the NYS Republicans brought out Newt Gingrich at their annual dinner. Newt spoke and had this to say about the NY GOP future "If we had Mayor Giuliani for governor and we had Gov. Pataki for senator, we would be a large step towards the tidal wave which will make 2010 comparable to 1994," he said, referring to the GOP electoral sweep in '94. "That should be our goal."

Hmmm... isn't Peter King the one that has been trumpeting his name as a potential winning senate candidate?
This is one heck of a slight.
Is Newt still holding a grudge against King for calling him "political road-kill" back in the 90's?

King Goes to Gitmo Part 1; Apples and Oranges Edition

2009-02-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

King has an op-ed in today's NYPost extolling the virutes of the Gitmo facility and attacking President Obama for preparing to close it. There are many points to look at in the op-ed so I'll do them bit by bit.

King says that at Gitmo "Detainees at Guantanamo are treated far better than most American prisoners in the US jails and prisons I've inspected over the years."

Umm.. Peter..... the prisoners in US jails have all faced a judge and jury and have been found guilty of a crime. The detainees at Gitmo have not had a trial. That is the problem.
It's fairly simple; have a trial and either find the detainees guilty of terrorist acts or send them back to thier own countries.

Here is a scenario King ought to think about:
When King went to Northen Ireland years ago as an IRA supporter and agitator, he stayed with and spent time with murderers and assorted criminals. If the British forces did a sweep and arrested King along with the other terrorists would King think that it is okay for the British to hold him indefinately without trial?
Would King feel good about languishing in prison for 4 or more years without contact with family and friends or a lawyer to represent him?

Wavering King May Lose Chance to Run for Senate

2009-02-20T00:50:00.000-08:00

According to an AP story, Republican Senate Campaign Committee head John Cornyn is looking to former governor George Pataki to run for Senate against Gillibrand in 2010.
King has consistantly performed extremely poorly in match-up polls against Gillibrand. And he hasn't been as gung-ho to run as he was against Caroline Kennedy.

"A person who spoke to George Pataki says national Republicans have approached the former New York governor about running for the Senate in 2010.
The person confirmed Tuesday's meeting in New York City between Pataki and Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who heads the party's national Senate campaign committee. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he isn't authorized to comment.
The person says Pataki, now in private law practice, hasn't yet accepted or rejected the idea. The race would be against Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who was appointed to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton and said she will run.
Pataki didn't respond to a request for comment.
Cornyn's office referred questions to the committee, which didn't comment."

The Journal News gives a reason why Pataki would be the better choice...
"A Marist College poll last month found Gillibrand and Pataki in a statistical dead heat in a hypothetical matchup, with Gillibrand at 44 percent and Pataki at 42 percent.
"What he brings to a candidacy in a very blue state is name recognition, a proven statewide vote-getter, an ability to raise money, candidate experience. And those are many of the ingredients for success," Marist pollster Lee Miringoff said."

King can always run against Schumer..... Nah..... he doesn't have the guts to try.

Business Paper Calls King a 'Loser" on His Vote Against the Stimulus

2009-02-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Crain's New York listed 'Winners and Losers' from the Stimulus Package vote.
"CONGRESS IS CLOSING IN on a stimulus package. Last week, the House passed a bill worth $819 billion. The Senate still has to pass its own version, and a compromise bill must be drawn up. But the differences are not vast, and the legislators have reached consensus on many of the main elements. Here are some early winners and losers

"LOSERS
Rep. Peter King The Long Island Republican toed the party line and voted against the stimulus package—even though it included $80 billion in new Medicaid funding, something Mr. King has long pushed for. The vote could hurt him in 2010, when he may challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand or make a run for governor."

King and Rush

2009-01-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

King has voted with Rush Limbaugh 100% of the time so far.
Why is Rush more important that King's constituents?

King Doesn't Much Believe in Fair Pay for Women

2009-01-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

King seems to have a misogeny streak running lately in his attacks on Caroline Kennedy and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Yesterday King capped it all by voting against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
The supposedly "pro-worker" King who revels in his almost half-century removed blue collar background voted against a bill that gave recourse to women who find out that they make 1/3 less than thier male counterparts.
From Thomas.gov
"Title I: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Allows liability to accrue, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid."

Another Day, Another Poll Shows King Losing Badly to Gillibrand

2009-01-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

King can't seem to catch a break. In today's Siena Poll, Gillibrand crushes King like she did in the Marist poll a couple of days ago.
Siena poll conducted 1/25-1/27/09
Gillibrand 46%
King 23%
Gillibrand beats King in every age group and every ethnic background and both genders. The ONLY sub-section besides republican party King wins is "suburbs" but that is a close 38%-33%.

Worse yet, if their were a Republican primary for the Senate race in 2010, republicans prefer Giuliani over King 69% - 16%

Chances of King actually running: 30%

Bad Signs for King; Gillibrand Beats Him in New Poll-

2009-01-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

A Gillibrand second term unknown congresswoman beats six term media-whore King in a new Marist poll.
King has done his best to get his face in every newspaper and on every political talk show he can. He has been grandstanding on immigration and homeland security for 7 years.
Kirsten Gillibrand is a big unknown outside of her district but she tops King 49% - 24% in the new Marist poll.
Looking at the polls matching King against Kennedy and Coumo, if we are looking for a pattern, it's that King is not liked.
This poll proves that King is not popular outside of his district.
At all.

King Looked Real Happy at President Obama's Inaugural

2009-01-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, no he didn't.

He could be shooting lasers with those eyes.

King Involved in Pay-to-Play Scandal?

2009-01-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

Just as King is making the rounds talking about how Governor Paterson's choice of Kristen Gillibrand for Senate was somehow underhanded or breaking the law "There was a whole strange series of events," King told TheAssociated Press. "There is a crisis of confidence in the state. There is a cloud over Kirsten Gillibrand's appointment. To me, it's essential that the governor give a full explanation as quickly as possible."
Newsday reported that King "variously called her selection by Gov. David A. Paterson a "fraud," "payoff" and a "backroom" deal."
Strong words from King.
The NY Daily News is reporting that King may have been getting campaign contributions for steering $3million in taxpayer money to local companies. "U.S. Rep. Pete King funneled $3 million in taxpayer money to a campaign donor for custom manhole covers that Con Ed said could be dangerous, a Daily News probe found.
"The Long Island Republican sponsored federal dollars to pay for about 5,000 locking manhole covers designed to thwart terrorists. They would cover only about 2% of Con Ed's manholes in the city...
"Con Ed was approached to cover its 250,000 manholes with the devices, but the utility decided they would pose an obstacle not just to terrorists - but also to firefighters in an emergency.
"We said 'no,' it's impractical," said a Con Ed official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "What are you going to do? Have 250,000 keys for these things?
"Manhole Barrier did better with Congress than with Con Ed, with the help of a few timely campaign contributions.
The company CEO, his wife, some relatives and lobbyists contributed $16,700 to King as he was trying to earmark funds for the firm, records show.
CEO Michael Manoussos first gave $4,000 to King beginning in August 2006. In March 2007, King requested money for the covers. That year, the effort failed.
Manhole Barrier tried again last year. This time, Manoussos got relatives and lobbyists to kick in as well, records show.
He and his wife, Dawn, each gave the maximum allowed, $4,600, on Feb. 7. Two company lobbyists donated on the same day, and two other Manoussos relatives gave another $1,500 shortly after."

And that's not the only instance.... "Still, campaign donations were also present when King got taxpayer funding this year for another Long Island company, American Defense Systems Inc.
Last spring, King sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting $1.2 million for development of a new ballistic helmet to protect soldiers. ADSI was the beneficiary.
Before December 2007, ADSI employees never donated to King. That month, they began writing a total of $16,800 in checks for his 2008 re-election campaign.
"I never asked them for anything," King said, adding that he didn't know why ADSI decided to start contributing.
ADSI turned out to be King's top donor this election cycle, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics says.
In a March 17 letter, King submitted his funding request for the company. Most of the donations from ADSI executives came May 9, less than two months later.
ADSI's chief operating officer, Fergal Foley, gave four separate donations totaling $5,300 - $700 more than legally allowed. King's campaign sent a refund check after The News asked about the donation.
Executives of ADSI thought so much of King that they gave him an award for outstanding public service, The Golden Eagle of Freedom, at a Jan. 9 dinner."

King of course will deny this and attack the Daily News for being a "liberal newspaper."
There needs to be an invesigation into the process and the contributors, especially the employees, questioned under oath.

King Don't Know Much About the Constitution

2009-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

King is demanding that Governor Paterson explain how he chose Rep. Gilbrand to fill the vacancy left by Hillary Clinton. King spouts off alot of BS "There was a whole strange series of events," King told The Associated Press. "There is a crisis of confidence in the state. There is a cloud over Kirsten Gillibrand's appointment. To me, it's essential that the governor give a full explanation as quickly as possible." There is no "cloud" over Kirsten Gillibrand. It's just that King really wanted Caroline Kennedy to run because he thought that would be an easier race.
King of course has no idea that Paterson doesn't have to tell anyone how he made his decision. So says that CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. King should read the 17th Amendment "When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct."
Paterson as Governor is empowered to appoint anyone he wants.
Kirsten Gillibrand is great choice.
And that is what scares King.

Chicken a la Peter King

2009-01-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

For a guy who had so much tough talk on Caroline Kenndy's possibel appointment to the US Senate, he sure back the heck off when Rep. Kristen Gillibrand was named.
King was itching to get into a fight with Senator Caroline Kennedy but has instead toned down his rhetoric on running. “If he appointed Caroline Kennedy, I was ready to file papers right away because she’s a superstar and you can’t let her build a head of steam – and she was totally unqualified in my perspective,” King told Politico. “With Kirsten, she’s entitled to be given an opportunity to build a record for the state.”

So King isn't ready right away to file papers against Gillibrand?
Of course not, because King knows Gillibrand will be a tougher candidate.
I mean if King REALLY wanted to run for Senate, he could have delcared to run against Schumer.... but he didn't.
King is all talk and nothing more.

How Does King Run Against A Moderate Democrat?

2009-01-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

Democrat Kristen Gillibrand won her congressional seat where the registration favors republicans by about 80,000 voters. She was endorsed by the NRA. She also has an 87.56% Lifetime Progressive Score. As a comparison, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has a 83.44 score and Rep. Carolyn Maloney has a 89.9% score.
Gillibrand is a fiscal conservative with progressive/liberal social stances in line with most New York Democrats.
Gillibrand's stances neutralize anything King can bring to the table. King won't be the "moderate" in the race. He can't throw the "LIBERULLLLL!!!!!!" label at her.
Does this mean King will decide not to run?
I think so.
Gillibrand represents upstate New York where there hasn't been a
King spent so much time bashing Caroline Kennedy hoping sh was the choice, he didn't think he'd have an opponent he can't easily label.
Gillibrand will have almost 2 years to make a name for herself - which she will do with Schumer's help- and she will be a formidable candidate in 2010.

Peter King to Run Against New Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

2009-01-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

According to WPIX, Governor Patterson has chosen upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
"PIX11 News has learned Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the choice of Governor David Paterson to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Two Congressional sources tell PIX News that the Governor will make his announcement in Albany at noon tomorrow. He has invited members of the state's Democratic Congressional delegation to join him."

Another Poll Shows King Still Losing Senate Race

2009-01-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

Another day and another poll for the NY Senate seat being vacated by new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A Research 2000 poll conducted for the Daily Kos website doesn’t offer any more good news for Peter King or even Rudy Guiliani who would be the so-called “top-tier” GOP candidates.
Under Approval, King gets 39% Approval, 41% Disapproval, and 20% No Opinion.
Guiliani fares much worse with 38% Approval, 56% Disapproval, and 6% No Opinion.
In the head-to-head match-up, Cuomo beats King 45% to 32%.
Cuomo beats Giuliani 48% to 33%.
Kennedy still trounces King 47% to 31% and does the same thing to Giuliani 49% to 32%.

Congressman Steve Israel who is new to the polls and is very much an unknown compared to any of the other possible candidates beats King 34% to 31% and does the same to Giuliani 35% to 32%. That isn’t much but no one knows Israel.

King and Giuliani pull the same low number against well-known Dems and a virtually unknown Dem.

New New Poll Shows King Losing to Kennedy Big-time

2009-01-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Polls don’t mean all the much this far out with very little information, they are just snapshots of fleeting opinion. Last week we had a poll that showed Caroline Kennedy barely beating Peter King 46%-44%. This was jumped on by pundits who said “See, she can’t be a serious candidate.”
That poll is now made irrelevant by a new poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports.
In the poll conducted January 6, 2009 Caroline Kennedy trounces Peter King 51% - 33%.
Also in this new poll King takes a beating in the favorability column with only 39% “Very to Somewhat Favorable” while Kennedy is 63% “Very to Somewhat Favorable.”
King gets 37% Very-Somewhat Unfavorable.
So this would all mean something if Kennedy was chosen to replace Hillary and Kennedy ran in 2010. But none of that is happening yet.
I think though the Kennedy doom-sayers from the last poll should take this one just as seriously and trumpet her new numbers.

King Picking the Easier Race

2009-01-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

With all this talk from King about running for the Senate in 2010, there is one 800lb. gorilla just sitting in the corner. Chuck Schumer.
Schumer is up for re-election next year and the ballot will have Schumer name right before whatever Dem is running. Not much of a chance of a down-ballot drop-off of votes unless the candidate is Zombie Hitler. Not many Dems are going to switch lines right after Schumer or stop voting after Schumer.
King is trash-talking Caroline Kennedy secretly hoping she gets appointed because he feels he can beat her.
The question is if King really wanted to go to the Senate, why didn’t he float his name as a challenger to Chuck Schumer?
Why did he wait until he would face an unelected 2 year incumbent?
Seems to me that tough-guy King doesn’t want a tough fight like he would have against Schumer who won 71% of the vote in 2004.
Last time King ran state-wide it was for Attorney General against Robert Abrams and he got 36% of the vote.

Umm.. Peter... So Far, You Lose; New Poll Shows King Losing Senate Race

2009-01-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

King is doing his best to raise his profile by going on as many news shows as possible and bashing Caroline Kennedy, the possible replacement for Hillary Clinton. Problem is, not only does King look like a jerk, in a new poll his unpopularity is only matched by his anonymity amongst New York Voters.
A Public Policy Polling poll(opens as .pdf) shows "King has decent favorability numbers for someone who’s not a major statewide figure. 34% of voters see him positively while 26% have a negative opinion. A 40% plurality has no opinion at this point in time."

After being in the news so often not just Caroline-bashing but hogging as much spotlight on Homeland Security issues for years you would think King would be better known and have higher favorability numbers.
King gets clobbered by Andrew Cuomo in the poll and Kennedy beats him too. "Cuomo, it appears, would be an easy winner against King. He leads him 48-29 in a hypothetical pairing, and that’s with only 35% of black voters pledging to support him at this very preliminary stage. Kennedy only edges King 46-44. She loses a full quarter of the Democratic vote at this point in time and also has a 15 point gap among independent voters."

Two things... Obama comes in for Cuomo, Cuomo takes 99% of black vote. Cuomo wins NYC and surrounding areas plus a few upstate counties. Game over.
For Kennedy, Democrats won't be pulling the lever for King no matter how much he flogs his almost 40 year old "blue-coller" background.

Peter King for U.S. Senate

2009-01-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Here's a letter I wrote a few years ago to the Massapequa Post and I make note of why he is unsuited for the Senate.

"As we teeter on the precipice of war, a healthy debate is necessary. Opposing views must be aired and be heard. Our elected officials have a duty to listen to their constituents whether they agree or not. Here on Long Island all the representatives voted for the Iraq resolution. All but one are willing to listen to voices of opposition. A national effort was undertaken a couple of weeks ago by antiwar groups to have people lobby their representatives to choose peace over war. Rep. McCarthy invited her constituents into her office to explain her positions and listen to theirs. While they may have had differing opinions, a civil, courteous discussion resulted.

There was a different story at the Massapequa Park office of Rep. Peter King. Instead of meeting with his constituents who offered an opposing view, he called the police to make them leave. Let me repeat that: Peter King called the police on his constituents. He claims that he does not want to be a part of "undermining the president." I would like to know how airing opposing views on the reasoning behind war is "undermining." How does meeting with constituents do any harm? Peter King serves at the pleasure of his constituents. They are to be heard, not ignored or arrested for trying to speak with him in the office they pay for. Cowering in his office from opposing views and hiding behind a skewed idea of patriotism is not serving his district well. King has said he is interested in gaining a seat in the senate which is, above all, a deliberative body. His inability to consider opposing views is not well suited for that job."

Peter King Wanted McCain to Bring Up Ayers; Let's talk About King and his Terrorist Friends.

2008-10-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Peter. Thank You. Thank You. Thank you.
In a Newsday story about tonight's debate at Hofstra, we get his gem "Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said he believes McCain shouldn't shy away from raising the Ayers connection, to raise questions about Obama's judgment."
Obama barely knew William Ayers and was 8 years old when Ayers was involved with the Weather Underground.
Let's talk about "judgement" and REAL paling around with terrorists shall we?
Peter King is an unrepentant supporter of IRA terrorism. He tried topublically step back from his terrorist past after 9/11 but he always comes back to who he really is.
Let's go over some of Peter King's greatest hits.
Most recently he wants an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT and IRA gunman who escaped from a British prison 25 years ago to be allowed to stay. Is that AMNESTY? For a criminal? The Department of Homeland Security wants to deport him.
Then there are his past statements in FULL SUPPORT of the IRA "King was not so much an appeaser of terrorism, but an active aider and abetter. In 1982 he told a pro-IRA rally, "We must pledge ourselves to support those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry." Two years later what he called this "legitimate guerilla army" came close to successfully assassinating Margaret Thatcher."
And he makes excuses for the MURDER of civilians by his terrorist friends "And while there were murders, atrocities and human-rights violations on all sides, the security forces and the loyalist paramilitaries caused more civilian casualties than did the IRA."
Here is King from a BBC interview:
"King: To me terrorism is always wrong, but I think the IRA was a legitimate force that had to be dealt with.

BBC: A legitimate force? It wasn't a terrorist group trying to bomb and blow-up the democratically elected government of a sovereign state? That wasn't terrorism?

King: No, I would say it was a legitimate fight going on in Northern Ireland. Any time a civilian was targeted that was wrong. If you look back over the record, there was probably a greater number of, percentage wise, of civilians killed by the security forces in the world by the IRA. …To me terrorism is if you target civilians.

BBC: That's not the definition of terrorism. Terrorism is using violence to gain political ends."

According to the NY Sun "In 1984, the Secret Service listed him as a threat when President Reagan made a trip to Nassau County to watch a Special Olympics event."
And
"He forged links with leaders of the IRA and Sinn Fein in Ireland, and in America he hooked up with Irish Northern Aid, known as Noraid, a New York based group that the American, British, and Irish governments often accused of funneling guns and money to the IRA. At a time when the IRA's murder of Lord Mountbatten and its fierce bombing campaign in Britain and Ireland persuaded most American politicians to shun IRA-support groups, Mr. King displayed no such inhibitions. He spoke regularly at Noraid protests and became close to the group's publicity director, the Bronx lawyer Martin Galvin, a figure reviled by the British.
Mr. King's support for the IRA was unequivocal. In 1982, for instance, he told a pro-IRA rally in Nassau County: "We must pledge ourselves to support those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry."
By the mid-1980s, the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic were openly hostile to Mr. King. On one occasion, a judge threw him out of a Belfast courtroom during the murder trial of IRA men because, in the judge's view, "he was an obvious collaborator with the IRA." When he attended other trials, the police singled him out for thorough body searches."

And just to make a real connection with terrorists who targeted Americans, King's terrorist buddies were supplied with weapons from Libya. Yes, Libya.
It is well-known and documented that the IRA got weapons from the terrorist-lead nation of Libya.
Libya was behind the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 which killed 259 people of which 180 were US Citizens. Gaddafi also paid for multiple bombings around the world that killed US servicemembers.

So let's talk about connections to terrorists, Peter.
Let's make sure every voter in your district knows you are a supporter of terrorism.

More on King, Rangel and Palin

2008-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

The kerkuffle over Rangel calling Palin "disabled" is really a little stupid.
Interviewed by Marcia Kramer of WCBS-NY, Rangel said "You got to be kind to the disabled" and followed up with "There's no question about it politically. It's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy is based on their ability to look at Russia from where they live."
Clearly Rangel was saying there is something wrong with Palin for saying proximity to a foreign country makes you an expert on foreign policy.
That didn't stop King from jumping all over the statement when Kramer raced to his Massapequa Park to show it to him "We should be sensitive to her or any woman who has a child or family member who has any affliction at all. And so to use the word disabled in the context of a female candidate for vice president who has a child who is disabled really is wrong. Charlie owes her and the entire disabled community and apology."

No Peter, the CONTEXT was Palin making a ridiculous claim. It has nothing to do with her child.
Maybe Rangel needed to be a little more politically correct (he didn't call Palin retarded which is good) but his point is vaild.
Maybe he should have called Palin a dumb-ass. But that would have brought the ire of King too since he belongs to a political party full of dumb-asses and he suffers from that affliction himself.

Rangel shot back at King and his detractors "Governor Palin is an obviously healthy person who in no way fits the description of disabled. I meant to say then, and I am saying now, that she entered the campaign with a disadvantage in the area of foreign policy."
"Any inference that my words were in any connected to her son, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome, is a real stretch -- and, I would have to think -- a way to make political points out of my poor choice of words."

Of course King is the very last person to demand apologies. King has no problem verbally attacking people.
Kinda like when he attacked opponents of privitization of social security. He said of a Rabbi, a Quaker and a leader of The Long Island Council of Churches "I base my decision on facts, reason and informed social conscious and not left-wing pseudo-theology."
Is the Quaker belief a "left-wing pseudo-theology?"
Is Judism?
King never apologized for that.
And let's not forget Kings assault on The Islamic Center of Long Island and saying there are too many mosques in this country.

The long and short of it is that King is full of fake outrage and what Rangel said was not politically correct.
Palin is a dumb-ass for her silly resume padding. That can't be argued.

King Says Palin Running for President - Now with Video Goodness

2008-09-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Peter "Chicken Little" King

2008-09-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Congress Daily reports "House Republicans and Homeland Security officials sounded alarm bells Wednesday about the prospect of the Homeland Security Department operating under a continuing resolution in the new fiscal year, citing the impact that such a move would have on several programs."
"Without an appropriations bill, DHS can't move forward on plans for the border, new cybersecurity programs, grants for states and locals [and] the list goes on," King said in a statement. "It's unacceptable to have DHS in a holding pattern just because Democrats can't get their act together."

Well, that isn't exactly true now is it, Peter?
"But after the hearing, the department was unable to provide a list of specific programs that could not be started or would be seriously disrupted if the department has to operate under a CR."

Right, so it's a crisis but no specifics.
Sounds like DHS to me.

"The only effort the official could cite that might be affected is the department's ability to begin construction on a new headquarters facility in Washington, D.C."

Who is Running For President, Peter?

2008-09-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

King went off spouting on WCBS-TV about Rep. Charlie Rangel's comment about Sarah Palin and said "This is just another liberal Democrat who can't accept an independent woman running for president."
Well.... Sarah Palin is running for VICE-President.
And...ummm.... "liberal Democrats" were behind Hillary Clinton for President to the tune of 18million votes.

What Democrats and most intelligent people can't accept is that the serial liar Sarah Palin could be vice-president.

King Suddenly Concerned About "Privacy"

2008-09-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

The hacking of VP candidates Sarah Palins private e-mail account need to be investigated and the "anonymous" hackers need to be prosecuted.
That being said, I had a chuckle from King's remarks to the NYPost about this "Hacking strikes at the heart of our democracy. You can't go invading someone's privacy that way."
Yes, "hackers" can't invade someones privacy by the government can according to King.
King supports warrentless wiretaps. He believes that the government does not need to follow the law and have just cause to listen in on your phone calls. King also supports provisions in the so-called "Patriot" Act which allows the government to find out what library books you check out.

What "strikes at the heart of our democracy" Peter is the attack on the constitution in the name of "homeland security." An attack you fully support. Don't talk about "privacy" when you have shown little regard for it.

King Voted Against Unemployment Insurance

2008-09-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

How do King's union supporters feel about King voting against the "Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008"?

The Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act would provide economic relief for Americans looking for work.
Extends Unemployment Insurance for 13 weeks nationwide and for 26 weeks in high unemployment states - those with 6% unemployment or higher.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, this would provide relief for 3.8 million Americans.
49,000 American jobs were lost in May, the fifth straight month of job losses.

The vote was 279 For, 144 Against.

King doesn't think the little people need help.
It's great to be the King when you use campaign funds to pay for your car. Everyone else has to pay for their own cars out of their own pockets.

King's Campaign HQ 2008

2008-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's right across the street from last years HQ on N. Broadway in N. Massapequa.

Republicans Politicize 9/11 at Convention as King Stands By Silently

2008-09-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

During last weeks republican convention, just minutes before McCain was to accept his parties nomination a "Video Tribute" to 9/11 was played. Far from being a "tribute", it was the most disgusting use of 9/11 for political purposes to date.
The New York Delegation to the convention which included Peter King did not raise one objection to the video and that is a testimony to who they really are.
As we remember the victims tomorrow, let's also remember that playing politics with tragedy is dirty business.
Here is MSNBC's Keith Olberman's "Special Comment" from his show this evening....

King on Hardball

2008-09-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

King was on MSNBC's Hardball Tuesday night. He faced off with Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz who got him all riled up. Host Chris Matthews even tried to get King to tell the truth but King would have none of that.
I'll have the transcript up and video clips of choice comments shortly.
In the meantime, here is the entire segment...

Ptere King WIns Primary

2008-09-10T03:30:00.001-07:00

UNOFFICAL ELECTION RESULTS AS OF: 10:57 PM
REP IN CONGRESS-DST 3-REP CAND
418 EDS COUNTED 418 EDS IN RACE

ROBERT PREVIDI .............................491
PETER T KING ...................................4,976

Primary Day for Peter King

2008-09-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

Perennial republican primary candidate Robert Previdi challenges King once again.
And I thought I was tenacious.

Here are the past King vs. Previdi Primary results
1996
King 7,345
Previdi 979

1998
King 6,521
Previdi 1,819

2000
King - 8,651
Previdi - 2,495

2002
King - 22,696
Previdi - 6,442

2004
King - 6,642
Previdi - 918

2006
Peter King: 10620
Robert Previdi 2064

King Calls Presidential Candidate "Self-righteous"

2008-09-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

And it's not Senator Barack Obama.

From The Hill newspaper in 1997, "He has a tremendous sense of self-righteousness and moral superiority."

King said that about John McCain.

McCain responded "I have never met a single other Republican who felt that Mr. King spoke for the party or for any Republican other than himself. Indeed, the only 'Republican' organization I have ever noticed Mr. King represent is the Irish Republican Army."

and

"... there is little in Mr. King’s singularly unimpressive legislative record to suggest that he is motivated by anything other than a compulsion to utter provocative sound bites."

Update: Appeals Court uphold IRA Terrorist being Held Without Bail

2008-09-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

We reported back in July that King was trying to get an IRA thug out of jail on bail. This guy escaped from a British prison 25 years ago and was caught and is to be deported by the Department of Homeland Security finds a friend in Peter King.
The Belfast Telegraph reports "An American immigration appeals court has upheld Maze escapee Pol Brennan's bail denial, just weeks after three US Congressman wrote to the Department of Homeland Security calling for the Ballymurphy native be freed on bond.

In its ruling this week, the Board of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Virginia, agreed with a Texan judge's April ruling that Brennan is a danger to society.

The court said his 1984 entry into America using an alias, and his subsequent purchase of a targeting pistol using the alias, proved that he has criminal tendencies. The court also cited his 2005 misdemeanor assault conviction after a builder allegedly refused to pay Brennan $1,000 in back wages."

The guy was here ILLEGALLY back in 1984.

I thought King opposed amnesty.

Never Forget Peter King is a Terrorist Supporter

2008-09-06T20:11:00.001-07:00

Don't be fooled by Peter King's tough anti-terrorism talk.
Don't let him talk his way out of it.
From the Sunday Times March 2, 1997 "Here, on the one hand, was a Republican congressman on record as supporting terrorists. After the IRA killed nine police officers in Newry in February 1985, King issued this statement: "I support the IRA, though I do not support everything they do. Politically, it would be safer for me to simply criticise the vices of the British security forces. But if I am to be true to my conscience, I have to say that I am a supporter of the IRA."

King at the Convention: Dumb and Dumber Part 1

2008-09-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

King is so wrong so many times it's hard to keep up. He had this gem about the choice of Palin as reported by the Daily News "She will tap in to a lot of the disaffected Hillary Clinton voters who are still angry about how she was treated by the Democratic Party."

WHAT???? Can King be that dumb or is he just shoveling more of his usual BS.
I'm trying to figure out how Hillary voters who are pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-equal rights, and support just about every Democratic liberal platform would vote for Palin who is anti-choice, pro-guns, anti-gay, and just about every far right position you can take.
Yeah, they'll flock to Palin.
Sheesh.

Got Me Some McCain/Palin Swag

2008-08-31T03:04:00.001-07:00

And you can have some too....

Katrina Redux

2008-08-30T00:10:00.001-07:00

So Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on the Gulf States the week of the GOP convention. Today was John McCain's 72nd birthday and the anniversary of Bush and McCain sharing birthday cake in Arizona while an American city drowned.
With Gustav poised to make an impact on the GOP convention, King had this to say "If it does work out well, it will probably be a small plus for us," said New York Rep. Peter King, top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees federal disaster response operations. "Obviously, if it doesn't work out well, then the Republicans are going to have a problem."

Here is a post from this site post-Katrina about King and his committee chairmanship "From 9/16/06: What the FEMA is up with Peter King?
We've been going over King wanting to be the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee during the past few weeks here at King Watch Central and with each passing day, more questions arise about his qualification. Right now, he is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, and Technology.
Notice the words "Emergency Preparedness."
What just recently occured that showed us we are NOT prepared? A devasting hurricane.
Before we go any further though, we have to throw some history in here...
Back in the day - before Bush - FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was made a Cabinet level position by President Clinton. Clinton appointed James Lee Witt, a man with a decade of Emergency Management experience, as head of FEMA.
After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security was created and Bush drop-kicked FEMA out of the Cabinet and into DHS. Bush then took a man with no emergency management experience and put him on charge of FEMA. Director Micheal Brown is a political hack with a patronage job
Back to today... DHS and FEMA are answerable to congress. The Homeland Security Committee has oversight of the department. FEMA is now deep in the bowels of a department created to protect us from terrorism.
Do you see the emerging problem?
FEMA which deals with all sorts of crisis from natural to man-made disasters is placed under the control of a department charged dealing with only man-made disasters.
So where are we going with this and what does King have it do with it?
King's sub-commitee over-sees "Emergency Preparedness."
BUT the problem seems to be the focus is only on terrorism. From the sub-commitees website:"Preparedness for and collective response to terrorism, including federal support to first responders; terrorism-related incident management and response; consequence mitigation; Department of Homeland Security-administered homeland security grants to first responders; conduct and coordination of exercises and training relating to mitigating the effects of and responding to terrorist attacks (including nuclear, biological, radiological, and chemical attacks on civilian populations); federal government coordination of terrorism-related emergency preparedness and response with and among state and local governments, the private sector, and the public; research, development and deployment of technology for combating terrorism; adaptation of existing technologies to homeland security prevention priorities; coordination and enhancement of Department of Homeland Security interaction on science and technology matters with the private sector, federally funded research and development centers, educational institutions, the National Laboratories, and other scientific resources; Department of Homeland Security-based science and technology entities and initiatives; conducting relevant oversight; and other matters referred to the Subcommittee by the Chairman."
See the many uses of the words "terrorism" and nothing about "natural disasters?"
That is a big issue.What is the sub-commitees role in over-seeing FEMA and natural disaster preparedness?
Go through the full commitee website and the stated mission for each sub-commitee is all about "terrorism."
Now King's sub-commitee should be dealing with the over-sight of FEMA disaster plans right?
What exactly was the sub-commitee's role in making sure FEMA natural disaster planes were up to snuff?
If King wants to be chairman of the full Homeland Security Commitee he needs to show he was an effective sub-commitee chairman."

Back from Vacation

2008-08-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Much on Peter "Archie Bunker" King coming right up.

The King of Forgetfullness

2008-08-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

King spoke to Newsday about declining republican fortunes and says “I think they’re two separate [problems] that came together at the same time,” King said yesterday. “There were local issues, going back to the late 1990s, in Nassau County with its budget problems. And Suffolk has had a disunited Republican party. Even just taking the congressional seats on Long Island, we didn’t lose any of them due to national issues,” he said, as some local losses came in otherwise flush GOP years."

Just in case King forgot, Carolyn McCarthy ran on Gun Control which is a national issue and she won and keeps winning.

And FYI Peter, the Nassau County budget problems existed in the early 1990's when YOU were the County Comptroller.

King Forgets Who He Supported for President, Takes Completely Opposite Position

2008-08-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

I think it is because King likes to hear himself talk that most times he just says dumb things. In a comment to the NYSun about Senator Joe Lieberman being picked as McCain's VP, King says Lieberman is the right choice "Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, said social conservatives are making a mistake by opposing Mr. Lieberman, arguing that the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee could help deliver Mr. McCain the election in November. While ardent abortion foes have said the "pro-life" principle is too important to give up for the sake of political pragmatism, Mr. King turned the argument on its head, saying that electing an anti-abortion president in Mr. McCain outweighs the risk of a more conservative vice presidential pick that would ultimately lose to Senator Obama in November.
""They would be the ones morally responsible for electing a pro-choice president," Mr. King said of Mr. Lieberman's right-wing critics in an interview with The New York Sun yesterday."

So, King is OPPOSED to elected a pro-choice president.
So why did he support Guiliani for president. Rudy has always been pro-choice.
King wants his party that has very few principles give up on it's remaining principle just like King does just to get elected.

King Supports Off-Shore Oil Drilling.. on Long Island

2008-07-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

I knew King supported off-shore drilling but like his support for Nuclear Power plants, I figured he'd be against it here.
Surprise, surprise.
King supports drilling in the waters off Long Island.
He appeared Friday on FOX News' 'Your World with Neil Cavuto.' Here is King in his own words:
"ASMAN: Let me ask you specifically, personally, there's the NIMBY factor here, not in my back yard. Are you even for drilling off the coast of New York?

KING: Absolutely.
And, listen, we can't be saying somebody else always has to do it. I have absolutely no problem at all, because today's drilling is so environmentally sensitive and safe, and what's at stake here is far too important.
We're talking about, really, taking on Islamic terrorism. We can't allow ourselves to be held hostage to countries which could become enemies tomorrow."

Yeah, today's drilling is so "environmentally sensitive and safe." Just ask Norway which had it's second worst spill in history a few months ago; "...the spill was estimated at 3,840 cubic meters of oil, which corresponds to 24,154 barrels of oil."

Happy Fourth of July and 'Why I Do This"

2008-07-04T12:11:00.001-07:00

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.

I am often attacked and derided by those I post about on my websites. They don't like that I am watching what they are doing and letting others know how their elected officials are doing or not doing the people's work.
To those who believe that Freedom of Speech should not extend to factual criticism of the government, I will continue like The Albany Project and Daily Kos and so many others do and use my voice and my right to speak up.

I offer the poem 'First they came...' written by Pastor Martin Niemöller:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

King Gets Hypocritical on Illegal Irish ex-IRA fugitive

2008-06-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

King is all about protecting the borders, no amnesty for illegals and taking a hardline on law-breakers... unless of course they are ex-IRA gunmen here in the US.
The Brownsville Texas Herald reports that IRA fugitive from justice Pol Brennan was arrested at the Sarita checkpoint. Border Patrol agents caught him with an expired work permit. He was denied bail and held at a detention facility.
King comes to Brennan's defense "My experience dealing with (Irish) republicans is that they don't jump bail in this country. They honor their commitments. Based on my experience, and also the republican movement's commitment to the peace process, I think he should get bail."

Brennan already proved himself untrustworthy when he BROKE OUT OF PRISON 25 years ago!!!!!
Exactly what "committment" did Brennan "honor" then?????

And what does the peace process in Ireland have to do with a former IRA gunman here on an expired work visa?
Brennan "had been serving a 23-year sentence at the prison after being convicted of possessing a bomb and a firearm." when he broke out of prison 25 years ago.
Just an innocent Irish lad trying to get by in this world right Peter?

Why was Brennan allowed to stay here in the first place? He was a terrorist.
Why is King once again defending a terrorist?

"In April, Texas immigration judge Howard Achtsam rejected Brennan's bail petition because he deemed Brennan a flight risk and a danger to society."

More background from the article "For much of the 1980s and ‘90s, while being pursued by British authorities, Brennan lived quietly under the name Pol Morgan, and worked in the construction industry throughout the United States. He was arrested in 1994, and fought a lengthy battle against extradition. During the fight, he spent three years in Bay Area prisons.
But in 2000, the British government withdrew requests for Brennan and other participants of the 1983 Maze prison break as a part of the Belfast Agreement. The agreement normalized relations between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom."

The Belfast Telegraph reports "US authorities have known about Brennan’s whereabouts since the FBI arrested him in Berkley, California in 1993.
Although Britain dropped its seven-year drive to have Brennan extradited in 2000, Department of Homeland Security prosecutors now want him deported because he entered the US using a phony name months after the escape."

Peter King is Lying to You... Again and Again

2008-06-21T06:44:00.001-07:00

This is really getting old. King seems to have a running battle with the truth.
In his new "Special Report from Washington" mailing, King writes about him fighting "gas price increases." In this he just plain lies to his constituents that got the mailing last week.
King writes "Drill for oil in Alaska. This can be done without damaging the environment and would provide us with as many barrels of oil as we currently buy from Saudi Arabia."

First lets start with the fact that it would take a few years before we see any oil from Alaska with new drilling. This does nothing to gas prices.
Second, and most importantly the lie, King wants you to believe that the drilling will provide the same amount of oil as we get from the Saudi's. That of course is completely false.
The US uses about 20 million barrels per day at current usage levels. Drilling in Alaska would yield about 2 million barrels per day and provide ZERO barrels in less than 25 years at that level. Increase production and the window shrinks.

King also wants off-shore drilling. How would you feel with an oil platform off the coast of Long Island?

Oh and for a point of fact, we get a larger percentage of oil from Canada than we do Saudi Arabia.

King Gets Beat Up in the Post Letters Page

2008-05-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last week King wrote a delusional attack on the media for reporting on Vito Fossella.
The letters page in the Post is usually far-right friendly. Not this time.
"May 23, 2008 -- THE ISSUE: How the media covered the Fossella scandal and news that he won't run for reelection.

'Do you mean to tell me that Mark Foley, David Vitter and Larry Craig shouldn't have gotten strict press scrutiny ("Vito Fossella and the Press," Peter King Post Opinion, May 21)?

They all violated a sacred trust.

Leading a duplicitous second life, Vito Fossella has embarrassed his poor wife and family.

Peter King, ever the lawyer, tries to mitigate the damage Fossella has done by blaming the press.

Maybe if his friend had acted like an honorable human being, King's article wouldn't have been necessary.

Bob Jennings
Larchmont'

--------------------------

'Is King for real? Does he honestly expect the public to feel his pain because his good friend, Fossella, was not only busted with a DUI but also had a spare family stashed away in Virginia?

King whines about unfair media coverage, but he was quite vocal in expressing his displeasure when Eliot Spitzer and Bill Clinton's extra-marital shenanigans dominated the headlines for weeks on end.

If Fossella had been a Democrat, King would be demanding his head on a plate.

Sharon Rutman
Far Rockaway'

--------------------------

'The Post and the other newspapers are covering this story because it's news, and people are interested.

Build a bridge and get over it.

William Beran
Norwalk, Conn."

Peter King for Vice-President?????

2008-05-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I wasn't drinking anything when I read this.
The National Review Online blog 'The Corner' has this from contributor John J. Miller:
"I recently asked a prominent House Republican who should be McCain's running mate. His answer, without a moment of hesitation: Rep. Pete King of NY. The idea is that the election will hinge on Midwestern Catholic blue-collar voters of the type who reject Obama, are willing to vote for Hillary, and are of mixed mind about McCain. They'd love King, a 64-year-old pro-lifer who would connect with them far better than just about anybody else who is likely to end up on either ticket. He also supported McCain in 2000 and McCain values loyalty. So that's the theory. I'm not saying I'm for it or against it. But it was the most interesting veep suggestion I've heard in a while."

Why do I get the feeling that the "prominent House Republican" was Peter King in glasses and a fake mustache?

When the Midwestern Catholic blue-collar voters find out King was a supporter of terrorism for years prior to 9/11 there won't be any 'love."

Peter King is Truly the King of Hypocrites

2008-05-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

It's simply amazing that someone like Peter King with his past ties to terrorists and his almost innate ability to speak out of both sides of his mouth gets elected.
King writes an op-ed for the New York Post today going way off the rails in his defense of his buddy Vito Fossella.
Lets start with the simple fact that King was the first out of the gates attacking Eliot Spitzer and calling for him to resign. With Vito the drunk driver, King wanted everyone to shut up and give Vito some space.
King writes in the Post "... it's time to examine how the media conducted themselves during this entire matter."
So it's the medias fault for Fossellas legal and moral problems???
King always LOVES to blame the media.

"... did Fossella's transgressions really warrant endless days of front-page coverage with color photos? Was this saga that much more newsworthy than the more than 100,000 innocent people who were killed in Myanmar or whatever number of New Yorkers who were murdered, raped or robbed during this time?"

Yes Peter, it did. A member of congress who is "Mr. Family Values", Fossella turns out to be a drunk driver and the father of his girlfriends child.
That's not news?
You bet it's news and FYI, the local papers DID cover Myanmar and other news.

King says of the DWI "The DWI charge against him, though a first offense, is a serious matter and must be dealt with by the courts."

I'm going to go with "first time he got caught." It is highly unlikely that Vito one day decides to get smashed and beyond recognition and then drive. He has undoubtedly done it before and would have done it again if not caught.

King rails at the media "Objective journalists would look at the entire person and not present a trivialized, prurient caricature."
Kinda like how King treated Spitzer???

And King tries to be a character witness "... I went with Vito and his wife Mary Pat to a low-income Catholic neighborhood in West Belfast, where we met with a bunch of Irish kids who'd never before encountered a guy called Vito. He couldn't have been more gracious or cordial - talking, smiling and posing for pictures with kid after kid."

So?
A few years later, Vito went on taxpayer-funded trips with his girlfriend and got her pregnant.
And isn't a little insulting to say that the West Belfast kids are so backwards, the name "Vito" is something to marvel at?
But seriously, what does this paragraph mean?

King concludes this the only way he knows how: Arrogant Hubris with a HUGE helping of Hypocricy.
"Bottom line: Vito Fossella is a good man - and far better than many of his self-right- eous detractors."

No Peter, Vito Fossella cheated on his wife, lied to his girlfriend, was not going to ever publically acknowledge his daughter and used taxpayers funded trips for romantic getaways.
Fossella is not better than anyone else and he certainly is not a "good man."
And neither are you.

King's Drunk Driving Buddy Fossella Will Not Seek Re-Election

2008-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Fossella has decided not to seek re-election.
This is still a far cry from resigning like King demanded Spitzer do.

From the Staten Island Advance..
"May 20, 2008
To the Constituents of the 13th Congressional District:

After a great deal of consideration, I have made the decision not to
seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives this
November. This choice was an extremely difficult one, balanced
between my dedication to service to our great nation and the need to
concentrate on healing the wounds that I have caused to my wife and
family.

For over 10 years, I have had the distinct privilege of representing
the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn. I have been humbled by their
support and honored to represent them in Congress. Over the years, we
have achieved many great things that have helped make our community
and this country a better place to live - from closing the Fresh Kills
Landfill, to saving Fort Hamilton, to helping New York cope with the
pain and recover from the 9/11 attacks. I am extremely proud of these
and other achievements and the fact that our work has made a positive
difference in the lives of so many people.

It is for this reason that I will continue to serve you and our
community for the duration of my term, which will expire on January 3,
2009.

Despite the personal mistakes I have made, I am touched by the
outpouring of support and encouragement I have received from so many
people. Their kind words and prayers during this difficult time mean
more to me than I can express. And while many have urged me to run for
re-election, I believe this course of action is best for my family and
our community.

Representing the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn has been the
most rewarding professional experience of my life. I am forever
grateful to all those I have had the honor to serve.

Sincerely

Vito J. Fossella
Member of Congress"

Gee, I guess to Vito his daughter is now a "mistake." He's in the running for Father of the Year.

Is King Playing Stupid about Fossella's Girlfriend?

2008-05-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

King tells the Staten Island Advance "No one knew anything about this child or this woman."

That kinda contradicts the NY Post story "Rep. Vito Fossella's Air Force mistress was so distracted by their affair that she couldn't perform her official duties on a junket they attended - so the top aide to then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert reported her to the Pentagon, he claims."
"At the end of the trip, it became obvious that . . . they were doing something more than briefing each other," said another staffer on the trip."

And Vito's best-buddy Peter knew absolutely nothing.
Right.

Is King Lying About What He Knew About Fossella?

2008-05-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

King has said that "I'm certainly pretty close to Vito. I had never heard of Laura Fay. I certainly didn't know anything about the child. We would be with each other a lot. I never saw him drink too much, I never heard him talk about other women, I never heard him say anything but positive things about his family."

Really?

The NY Daily News is reporting that Vito's romance was not a big secret "They were spending a lot of time together, and they had just met," a source who traveled with them said. ". . . . All of a sudden, they were inseparable."

The source said their attraction was obvious, and they soon become more daring, sneaking off together in the after-hours and skipping official functions when the delegation moved on to Italy and finally Portugal."

It was in Granada, Spain, the last stop of the trip, that the lovers began flaunting their affair, sources said.

Several top congressional officials first noticed the couple snuggling and kissing there, according to a source who was on the trip, once again led by Hastert.

"We had a weekend in Granada at the end of the trip," the source said. "That's when people began to notice Vito and Laura acting very affectionately.

"They showed up late together for a tour of the [Moorish fortress of] Alhambra, and they were walking together," the source said.

Word about the affair spread, and Republican officials soon became concerned, fearing it would be exposed, sources said."

Oh and here is the "good guy" as King calls him... "Fossella repeatedly lied to Fay, telling her he had separated from his wife, Mary Pat, his former high school sweetheart and the mother of his three children in Staten Island, a source said.

Fay only realized the extent of his deception when he confessed to fathering a love child last week, but made no mention of leaving his wife."

Is King lying to cover for his pal Vito?
Was King covering for Vito for years?

King the Hypocrite Just Keeps Going - Support for Fossella Sends King Over the Edge

2008-05-12T14:34:00.001-07:00

It's just amazing what comes out of Kings mouth. In the Washington Post, King comes out swinging against the media for reporting the story "The media in New York has become Vito's enemy," he said, singling out the New York Daily News and the New York Post. He says while he acknowledges there are serious issues, they "don't warrant eleven days of front-page stories with color pictures of his kids and his wife."

Drunk driving, mistress, hidden child is not worth eleven days of stories? What is he kidding?
Fossella was a moralizing asshole, standing atop the "family values" soapbox attacking others lifestyles. Of course this is news.

And King's reasoning for Vito not resigning? "despite all that's swirling around him right now...Vito could win in November. He's extremely popular there. He has to decide what that could do to his family."

I guess King is missing the bigger story now where it looks like Vito and his goomah went on taxpayer paid trips together. "Democratic and GOP congressional officials are scrutinizing Rep. Vito Fossella's mysterious and pricey January 2003 trip to France, the Daily News has learned.
He was the sole lawmaker authorized to go - and his mistress is suspected of joining him. The Staten Island Republican visited La Hague, France, supposedly on a "fact-finding" mission."

When it all comes down to it, I think King doth protest too much.
If you know what I mean.

King Stands Behind Fossella the DWI Adulterer

2008-05-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

It was no suprise that King would come out and demand the resignation of DEMOCRAT Eliot Spitzer but support REPUBLICAN Vito Fossella.
King was up in arms over Spitzer and was one of the more vocal and vicious attackers. Now with Fossella, he is in a very forgiving mood. King is even angry that other republicans are ready to cut Vito loose... "To me, it's putting a knife in the back of a good guy who's made a mistake."
Yeah, "a mistake."
Which "mistake" is King talking about?
1) Drunk Driving with a .17 BAC
2) Adultery
3) Out of wedlock child

King who was relentless about Spitzer is a big cuddly bear about Fossella "King said Republicans "who are supposed to be his friends" should be giving the Staten Island-Brooklyn Republican "the time and opportunity to make that decision" -- whether to resign, to serve out his term but leave afterward or to stay in office and seek another term -- "himself."
"He's entitled to an interval of decency without having this constant pressure coming from his own party," King said of his friend charged with drunken driving in a Virginia suburb."

King has been trying to split hairs saying Spitzer "broke the law" by hiring a prostitute... so what exactly is blowing a .17 BAC? Oh yeah, "a mistake."
And FYI, Adultery is illegal in Virginia.
And how is Vito a "good guy" when he cheated on his wife and had a child with his girlfriend?
Where was Vito going to be when the child grows up? Would he have been a part of her life? Would he ever have publically acknowledged her as his daughter?
No Peter, Fossella has not been a "good guy." And I doubt if he hadn't been caught, he would never have been a "good guy" to his daughter.

Remember, Fossella whole-heartedly supported the Defense of Marriage Act and then voted for a Constitutional Amendment that would enshrine anti-gay legislation denying same-sex couples from getting married. Because, you know, he wants to defend the "sanctity of marriage" and all that.

King tells NewsRadio880 "When he is trying to put things back together, trying to alleviate some of the pain, there is no need for people in his own party to be adding to that. He doesn't need them to tell him he has to make a decision. He knows he has to make a decision,"
What is the "pain?" That he now has to acknowledge his child?
And last week, he was feeling no pain as he partied hard and decided he was okay to drive.

And King's defense of Vito on WCBS "I'm certainly pretty close to Vito. I had never heard of Laura Fay. I certainly didn't know anything about the child. We would be with each other a lot. I never saw him drink too much, I never heard him talk about other women, I never heard him say anything but positive things about his family."

So what we get from this is that either King is lying or Fossella spent no time with his daughter and one night last week decided for the first time ever that after drinking all night he would drive drunk.

King is also saying that Rep. John Boehner, the republican leader in the House is suddenly NOT not supporting Fossella "He goes, 'no, no, I didn't,' " King said, referring to Boehner. He said Boehner added: "That's not at all what I meant."

In the end, King can't even say if he has an opinion on his DWI friend "I probably do but I'm not going to say it now."

King Votes Against Mothers

2008-05-10T01:10:00.001-07:00

So much for Happy Mothers Day from Peter King and the House Republicans..

H RES 1113 Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day

House Vote #275 --- May 7, 2008

Ayes: 237 (55%)
Nays: 178 (41%)

Nay King, Peter [R]

King is Being a Hypocrite... Again.

2008-05-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

A few months ago when news broke that NY Governor Eliot Spitzer hired a call-girl, King was one of the first out of the gates with a call for resignation. "He's going to have to resign...At one level, it has to do with his integrity and his personal morality, but I don't even want to go into that. Without even touching on that, he has to resign.
One of the reasons "To leave himself open to blackmail — putting himself and the state in a compromised position like that — it's just awful."

Today after we learn that Fossella not only had a BAC of .17 double the legal limit, drove almost 10 miles drunk, and lied to the police officers but he was headed to the home of the mother of his child. That mother not being his wife.
What does King say about Fossella? "Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who said he was one of Fossella’s closest friends in Congress, said the political future of his New York colleague can be dealt with in due time. “What happens politically can be decided later,” King said. “Right now all we should be thinking about is what is best for him and his family.”

How very forgiving of King. Another line of attack on Spitzer from King was that Spitzer was "self-righteous or unforgiving."

Here is Vito on his support for President Clintons impeachment " . . Earlier today, one of my colleagues said that this would be the most divisive issue since the Vietnam War. While he may believe that to be true, I take strong exception with that, and I'll tell you why. Men and women were sent overseas like every other war or military conflict since our nation's birth, to defend the rule of law, the notions of personal freedom and individual liberty.

And in the case before us today, we're asking a simple question: "Did the president of the United States violate any of those rules of law that we cherish and that so many men and women have died for and are willing to die for at every point around the globe?"

I don't want to be here today, like so many of my colleagues. But the generations of Americans yet unborn must look back on this day in this matter, in this situation, and see this as our finest hour. . . . Reluctantly, I am here. I proudly, though, support this resolution."

Peter King Wishes You an English-Only Happy Fifth of May

2008-05-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

yes he does.

Governor King..... wait for it... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

2008-04-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been hugely remiss in updating this site. I'm way behind on some stories I'm working on but starting tonight this blog will be updated regularly.
The somewhat big news is that King is interested in running for Governor... the problem for him is that he's in the minority of people who believe he should run in 2010.
Here is a new Marist poll on a possible 2010 gubernatorial race...

Question Wording: If the 2010 election for New York state governor were held today, whom would you support if the candidates are: [Questions and choices were rotated]

Registered Voters
Paterson (D)....59%
King (R)..... 23%
Undecided 18%
--------------------------
Cuomo (D).....59%
King (R).....31%
Undecided.....10%

So basically, King would get his ass handed to him by HUGE margins.

Kings Border Fence is Very Popular in Conservative Texas.. Oh Wait, It's Not.

2008-02-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

Controversial border fence hot issue in Texas primary

"Environmentalists, farmers and elected officials have been complaining about the project, and allegedly heavy-handed tactics by the Bush Administration, for months. The US Department of Homeland Security has filed lawsuits aimed at expropriating land from dozens of landowners up and down the border.
Even the University of Texas at Brownsville could lose access to buildings and grounds on the other side of the fence and is facing a potential legal battle after refusing to allow authorities on campus to survey the land.
The Loop family has also refused to sign a release allowing the government to survey their farm.
Ray Loop and his brothers are fourth-generation Texas farmers, growing produce and grain on a 2,000 hectare (5,000 acre) spread along the banks of the Rio Grande.
He's prepared to leave it all behind if the fence goes up as planned, as the bulk of his land will be a dangerous swath of riverfront property on the Mexican side of the barrier.
That could make him a target of smugglers and drug traffickers, he said.
"That's just not a risk I'm willing to take," said Loop, who has three young daughters.
It's a heart-breaking scenario for his father. Leonard Loop, 70, never had the money to buy the soil his family tilled as tenant farmers, but his boys finally did a few years ago.
"Every time I think of this stupid fence going up out there and ruining this place, it just makes me sick," the elder Loop said as he looked out across his soon-to-be worthless farm"

King Ignores Bush Budget Failures That Affect Your Taxes

2008-02-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

I know that Peter King could really care less about education so this comes as no suprise. The new Bush Budget short-changes New York State by $955million by underfunding the No Child Left Behind mandates.
So what does King do? He praises the "good things" in the budget. From Newsday: "While acknowledging Bush's budget needs work, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said funding increases - such as $219 million for the East Side Access Project, a mass transit link between Queens and Manhattan - shouldn't be ignored.
"Gov. Spitzer hurts himself by not acknowledging that there are some positive benefits for New York in the president's proposal," King said. "I don't think it helps to be blindly partisan and condemn the whole budget."

The missing $955million directly affects taxpayers in Kings district. Because of the unfunded mandates from the worthless No Child Left Behind, our local school taxes will go up again.
The East Side Access Project isn't as important as education. Maybe King should be fighting for the young people and taxpayers in his district to get NCLB fully funded.

Where in the World is Osama?

2008-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

I doubt Peter King cares.

Maybe No Endorsement of McCain from King?

2008-01-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well, McCain did say in the past that King was just a blow-hard making provacative statements so Kings recent statement about McCain isn't suprising. But how does King suck it up if McCain is the nominee?
Here is King attacking McCain on torture - "The way Senator McCain has equated waterboarding with torture, the way he seems to equate it with what was done to him in the Hanoi Hilton - to me, it hurts us in the eyes of the world... It shows, really, a lack of familiarity with just how tough this enemy is.”
“I strongly supported John McCain in 2000,” adds the House Homeland Security Committee's ranking Republican. But “what John McCain has said about Guantanamo and waterboarding made me stand with Rudy Giuliani.”

Nice. Tell a guy who was tortured that he doesn't know much about torture and what can be done with torture.
Is King saying that the terrorists (lumping them all in as one) can withstand waterboarding?
If waterboarding is no big deal, maybe King should be strapped down and have water poured into his mouth and then tell us that it isn't torture.

King is far removed from reality and needs to be kicked out of office.

How Does King Spin the HUGE Giuliani Loss in Florida

2008-01-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

So far it looks like most republican voters want "America's mayor" to just be the ex-mayor of NYC.
Giuliani losses Florida big tonight after King and his other minions praised the strategy to concentrate on Florida. How will King explain this away? We'll see later tonight or tomorrow morning.
So for now it's Bye, Bye Rudy.
I guess King goes to his old nemesis John McCain who once said of King "..there is little in Mr. King’s singularly unimpressive legislative record to suggest that he is motivated by anything other than a compulsion to utter provocative sound bites... "
and
"...Indeed, the only ‘Republican’ organization I have ever noticed Mr. King represent is the Irish Republican Army."

BFF for sure.

King in Florida to Help Giuliani Lose Republican Primary

2008-01-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

From the NY Observer Politicker:
"Rudy Giuliani's heavy hitters have arrived to help his make-or-break effort to win the Florida primary.

Getting off the plane here, I just ran into Representative Peter King of Long Island and Giuliani inner-sanctum stalwarts Randy Levine and Denny Young."

King Makes List of Top Ten Mailers

2008-01-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

According to the Quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House for 2006 Congress sends mail to the tune of $20.3 million in 2006 alone.
We've all gotten the glossy full-color PR photo-op mailing from Peter King. King spent $164,156 taxpayer dollars on 733,005 pieces of junk mail to constituents.
That's alot of mailings.
To be fair, Rep. Tim Bishop from Suffolk spent $131,979 but sent out 26,000 more pieces than King.
How is Bishop getting more for less?
So much for King the fiscal watchdog.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, of North Carolina got 52,000 more pieces of mail for the same price of King's mailings.

Kool-Aid Kid King Spins Guiliani

2008-01-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

After getting his ass handed to him in the first couple of rounds of the primary season, King insists that Rudy is "well positioned" to win in Florida and that it is a smart move to concentrate on Florida.
I'm not sure what King means because Guiliani is slipping in the polls all over the place. Including Florida. Guiliani has been alone on Florida for a couple of weeks but a recent poll puts him in 2nd behind McCain.
If the rationale is that there are alot of New York transplants in Florida to boost Rudy, then he will definately lose. New Yorkers who left for Florida don't like Rudy much.

Here is the video of King spinning wildly..

King and Guiliani Co-Chair Two Peas in a Archie Bunker Pod

2008-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

Remember when King said that there are too many Mosques in this country? Well, he has found his soul-mate in John Deady, co-chair of 'New Hampshire Veterans for Rudy Giuliani, who wants to "get rid of" Muslims.
Deady doesn't stop there "We need to...keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them." (video here via TPM)
Oh wait, he could just be talking about the terrorists right?
Wrong.
"I am talking about the Muslims in general. I don’t subscribe to the principle that there are good Muslims and bad Muslims. They’re all Muslims."
Uh-oh.
"When I say get rid of them, I wasn't necessarily referring to genocide,"
Well thank goodness for small favors.
Although the "wasn't necessarily" isn't a complete disqualifier.

King Gets called Out by Fellow Republican

2008-01-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

King went after an amendment by Texas Sen. Hutchison that would give residents and local law enforcement a voice in where the fence is needed.
From the Star-Telegram.. "In an uncharacteristic display of public frustration with party colleagues, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday sharply criticized two Republican congressmen who accused her of a stealth effort to derail the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative blogs and pundits have attacked Hutchison since Reps. Peter King of New York and Duncan Hunter of California accused the Texas Republican of essentially repealing Congress' mandate to build 700 miles of fencing. "This was a midnight massacre," King said of an amendment Hutchison shepherded into law last month. "It was absolutely disgraceful."
After being labeled "Panderer to the Criminal Invader" and called a traitor to border security, Hutchison fought back Friday. "There is misinformation, and I think the congressmen who should know better exactly what has happened have been a little loose with the facts," she said in an interview."

What the new law does, Hutchison said, is require that the government consult with landowners and local elected officials, many of whom have felt bulldozed and ignored by the federal government.

The Department of Homeland Security echoed Hutchison's view that her language does not put the fence in jeopardy. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's pledge to build 370 miles by year's end is "full steam ahead," spokeswoman Laura Keehner said."

Hutchison tells the San Antonio Express-News "Border patrol agents reported that coyotes and drug-runners were altering their routes as fencing was deployed, so the amendment gives our agents discretion to locate the fence where necessary to achieve operational control of our border,"

An editorial from the Houston Chronicle "In attacking Hutchison, conservative U.S. Reps. Peter King of New York and Duncan Hunter of California have joined columnist Michelle Malkin in misstating the facts. Rather than gutting the border fence, the amendment maintains a requirement for 700 miles of barrier, but allows law enforcement to decide what works best and where.
Rather than being slipped in the back door and catching lawmakers unaware, the legislation was approved in four different votes in the Senate and is backed by the eight senators who represent the four border states. In fact, before Democrats won control of the House in 2006, then-Speaker Dennis Hastert sent four committee chairmen, including King, a letter explaining that an amendment was necessary to provide more flexibility and discussion with locals in constructing the fence.
According to a statement from Hutchison's office, the senator found it troubling and unsettling that King claimed to be unfamiliar with language in the omnibus bill for which he voted. Hutchison told the Chronicle, "I think the congressmen who should know better exactly what has happened have been a little loose with the facts."
The original legislation was a billion-dollar boondoggle that would have taken decision-making authority from border security officials and stifled input from local authorities and landowners.
The fence legislation still has major flaws, but it is a much better law because of Hutchison's efforts."

So King once again gets exposed for lying. It's too bad we don't hear about all his actions in our local news.

The so-called border fence is a contentious issue for the country but a more important issue for land-owners and residents in South Texas. I covered the Texan response to Kings wall here.
Yes there is a need for real border security but the idea of a wall along our southern border being effective is a pipe dream. The Berlin Wall was only 96 miles in length. On that 96 miles, there were 302 watchtowers and 20 bunkers. That is one watchtower every half mile. Plus there were roaming patrols, land mines and traps. With all that, almost 5000 determined East Germans escaped. The fence King wants is 700 miles long. The southern border is 1,950 miles long. What I am saying is that the fence will be about as secure as the Maginot Line.

U.S. Hit with Multiple Terrorist Attacks!!!

2007-12-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

That should be the headline but is isn't.
Is this front page news? Nope.
It's buried because it's not Muslims. (h/t Lambert at Corrente)
Read on.... "A rash of attacks on abortion and family planning clinics has struck Albuquerque this month, the first such violence there in nearly a decade.

Two attacks occurred early Tuesday at two buildings belonging to Planned Parenthood of New Mexico, according to Albuquerque police and fire officials. An arson fire damaged a surgery center the organization uses for abortions, and the windows of a Planned Parenthood family planning clinic 12 blocks away were smashed, the officials said."

On Wednesday, agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with local arson investigators, arrested two suspects in the fire at Dr. Boyd’s clinic, which has provided abortions to women from throughout the region and Mexico since 1972.

The suspects, Chad Altman and Sergio Baca of Albuquerque, both 22, were arrested on arson charges after the authorities received a tip, said Jake Gonzales, the agent in charge of the firearms agency’s Albuquerque office."

"“I’m going to have to accept the fact that I’m going to die before the rights of women are secured, and the violence against providers and staff comes to an end,” Dr. Boyd said.

A study issued last year by the Feminist Majority Foundation, which monitors attacks on abortion clinics, concluded that the most serious anti-abortion violence had declined since 1994, when federal legislation gave greater protection to providers and patients. According to the report, 18 percent of clinics experienced severe violence in 2005, compared with 52 percent in 1994.

Still, the report said, many clinics are still targets of extreme violence."

This is clearly terrorism. Homegrown, "christian" terrorism.
Where is DHS in this?

King's Flunky Trying to Pull a Fast One

2007-10-25T20:34:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I pointed out that then executive vice-president of the Nassau County Young Republicans Alex Vassallo wrote scathing (and factually challenged) letters to the Long Island Press and Newsday without bothering to mention his position with the republican party. That is called being dishonest. See here and here. I also caught their First Vice-President doing the same here. Both young men went on to become Presidents of the Nassau County Young Republicans.

Two weeks ago the Long Island Press did a cover story about Long Island "Citizen Journalists" and featured Peter King Watch as one of the sites.

Last week, a letter appeared in the Press bashing the site and me...
"Zinging King Watch
Dear Editor,
I have to question your recent article on one of the “citizen journalists,” the gentleman who runs the blog King Watch [“Citizen Journalists: Long Island Blogs,” Oct. 4]. Journalism used to be something revered, but people like [the bloggers on] King Watch, along with those who covered the King/Mejias election for Newsday last year, showed their true colors-that they are interested in substantive issues but would rather make cheap political points by relentlessly attacking the congressman’s son and daughter for alleged ties to lobbyists. They even went to far as to allege both his children influenced his decisions without a shred of evidence. I am sorry, but this is not what my definition of journalism is and the last thing we should be doing is encouraging such behavior. Dissent is a part of political discourse and while it’s a fallacy to believe in the term “clean election,” the spew that came from King Watch was shameful and uncalled for. We all know that there are certain things that Mejias couldn’t say directly, so rather, he had his hatchet man at King Watch do it for him - that’s not journalism.
Sincerely,
Michael Kaplan, Freeport"

I read that and chuckled.
Why?
Because Michael Kaplan is trying to pull a fast one.

Here is my letter in this weeks Long Island Press...
"This is in response to the letter about my website Peter King Watch featured in the Oct. 4th issue. Letter writer Michael Kaplan takes issue with my website alternately calling me a “gentleman” and a “hatchet man.” Here comes the inconvienent truth; far from being “relentless,” the posts on my site about Sean Kings lobbying ties consisted of four posts out of hundreds. My site deals with issues and facts that Kaplan and King cannot refute or rebut. I work for no one but myself and post what I feel needs to be known by voters. Simply put, the facts.
What is most disturbing is that Kaplan stands on his soapbox pontificating about what he believes is journalism and tries to make what he himself calls “cheap political points” without disclosing his own background. Michael Kaplan is the past president of the Nassau County Young Republicans, interned for Peter King and now works for King’s committee in Washington . He boasts of being called “Mike the Machine” by King on his MySpace page. If Kaplan wanted to be honest he would have included that information which would put his attack on me and King Watch in better perspective."

So we have the former president of the YR's and a current employee of King making like he's just a regular guy writing a letter to the editor.

King Tries to Scare Religious Right into Supporting Rudy

2007-10-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

James Dobson of the right-wing group Focus on the Family is one of many religious-right leaders who are considering supporting a third-party candidate if the twice-divorced, abortion-rights supporting, gun-control extolling Guiliani gets the GOP nomination.
In response, King pulls the Hillary-Hate card and says that if the religious right doesn't support Rudy, Hillary Clinton will be president.
The New York Observer has more...
"Peter King: Dobson Could Elect Hillary

by Jason Horowitz

Peter King thinks the religious right wing might end up guaranteeing a Hillary Clinton presidency.

"It would do more harm to the religious wing of the party," said King, a Giuliani supporter and Republican congressman from New York. "If they are successful it would mean they would be responsible for Hillary Clinton being president."

Ultimately, he doesn't think it's going to happen.

"They're not going to be successful," he said of Giuliani critics like James Dobson. "I think they are going to do very poorly."

But King also said he thought the prospect of President Hillary would be the very thing that would rally disparate parts of G.O.P. behind Giuliani.

"He is the one Republican that has the best chance of beating Hillary Clinton," said King. "Because having Hillary there makes the Republicans realize how serious this election is next year - that this is not just a theoretical debate. This is for real and he is the only one right now who can match her toe-to-toe as far as television ability or even the super-status that she has."

Blogger Cover Story in Long Island Press

2007-10-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Long Island Press Editors and Staff for choosing this site.

"Citizen Journalists
Long Island Blogs Tackle Topics From Politics To Sports To Rude Behavior In The Hamptons...And Beyond

Peter King Watch

www.kingwatch.blogspot.com

What's the deal? Arguably the most high-profile individual politician-watchdog blog for LI, the Peter King Watch keeps tabs on the headline-prone, lone-Republican U.S. representative in the LI caucus. With no shortage of material, this blog has been recapping and editorializing on the congressman's often eyebrow-raising public statements since posts started in 2004.

Why should you care? The blog has commented on everything from King's rise and fall from chair of the Homeland Security Committee, to protests at his district office in Massapequa, to his skirmishes with the Muslim community (not to mention the angry letter-writing community). Latest entries go beyond King's controversial recent interview when he made his "there are too many mosques in America" comment. Posts also track the congressman's latest votes on important bills in the House. As a sign of the blog's success, there are even anti-King souvenirs for sale on the website. It's not all negative, though. In a show of concern, the blogger posted that he hoped those responsible for placing a pipe bomb outside King's district office would be arrested.

Quotable: "I thank God every night that George Bush is our president."-A King classic that the blogger seems to take joy in reminding readers about regularly"

More Condemnation of King's Bigotry

2007-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Letters From Today's Newsday:

King should stop bigotry

One cannot help but get an uncomfortable sense of deja vu reading the remarks of Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) that there are "too many mosques in this country, there's too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam" ["King: 'Too many mosques,'" News, Sept. 20].

Once again flying boldly in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, King seems unwilling or perhaps unable to abandon his crusade against his fellow Americans who happen to be of a faith other than his own.

It is both a political and a moral tragedy for all of us when a representative, charged not only with representing all the citizens of his district in Congress but with upholding and defending the Constitution and all the rights guaranteed therein, stoops to this kind of fear-mongering and bigotry.

Muslim Americans, like Christian and Jewish and every other kind of Americans, are equal under the law and as such are equally entitled to be free of harassment because of their faith. President George W. Bush has said more than once that the war on terror is not a war on Islam. Peter King should listen to him.

Rev. Mark J. Lukens

Editor's note: The writer is president of the Long Island chapter of The Interfaith Alliance and pastor of Bethany Congregational Church.

East Rockaway

As an American, I hang my head in shame. And as a Jew with a deep sense of foreboding, I stand in solidarity with my Muslim fellow citizens to repudiate the conduct of Rep. Peter King and State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) for their prejudicial and inflammatory actions.

King's unsubstantiated claims and innuendoes are reminiscent of the defamatory tactics employed against my own faith community in Germany just before the Nazi takeover in 1933.

The same may be said of passing into law encouragement to subject to police scrutiny ordinary citizens who may be engaged in an unfamiliar ritual practice of their faith without potential consequences for defamation. It is a blatant incitement to community divisiveness and the harassment of those whose life of pious service to the divine differs from the more commonplace.

I call upon my fellow clergy of all denominations and all citizens of goodwill to denounce publicly both of these contributions to the intended discrimination that they foster toward loyal Americans.

Rabbi Paul Joseph

Long Beach

OMG! King Finally Votes for Childrens Health Insurance

2007-10-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

After voting AGAINST expanding children's health care back in August, King has come around figuring that voting against children isn't a good campaign platform.

From the Daily Gotham...
"Have you been following the fight to reauthorize and expand the State-Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP)? Tuesday, a large majority of Congress members voted for a House-Senate compromise which will make lower cost health insurance available to millions of children who are, at present, without any. UPDATE: Thursday night, the Senate voted for S-CHIP 67-29; greater than two-thirds majority. Every GOP Senator in a tight bid for reelection in 2008 voted for S-CHIP and against Mr. Bush. President Bush, that deplorable politician, has promised a veto.

The problem progressives face is that, even with 45 GOP votes, we are 24 votes away from a veto over-riding two-thirds majority. Peter King and Vito Fossella, perhaps with a wish to avoid political extinction, voted for the bill (They’d voted against earlier versions in the House). Two NYS GOP Congress Members voted with Mr. Bush against Child Health: John "Randy" Kuhl & Thomas Renyolds. A Century Foundation poll shows voters want to spend more to insure more children and oppose a Bush veto."

Reaction to Peter "Archie Bunker" King

2007-10-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

"The (Staunton, Va.) News Leader

Sept. 23, 2007

A few weeks ago, after former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had announced he was resigning, we suggested that a good way to check the qualifications of any prospective candidates for Gonzales' post might be to require them to pass the same test prospective U.S. citizens take. After all, Gonzales seemed unaware of concepts like the rule of law and the Constitution, things every want-to-be American must know.

After listening to the ravings of Rep. Peter King, R-NY, we've got another suggestion: Make it a prerequisite that any individual seeking to be elected to or currently serving in Congress be familiar with at least the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

That would be what we fondly refer to as the Bill of Rights. It's apparent King isn't even familiar with the First Amendment, at least not the part that guarantees freedom of religion.

In an interview with The Politico, a newspaper that covers - what else, politics - in Washington, D.C., King, who is the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said that there were "too many mosques" in America.

"Unfortunately, we have too many mosques in this country. There's too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully. We should be finding out how we can infiltrate. We should be much more aggressive in law enforcement," King was quoted as saying.

Later, King tried to say he was quoted "out of context." Unedited video of the interview, however, shows that not to be the case.

Every time an elected official wanders off into this kind of intellectual terra incognito, we can't help but wonder two things:

- Did they even get a basic education, and

- Wouldn't we be better off if this person was in some other line of work?

There are not "too many mosques" in the U.S., any more than there are too many Baptist churches or Jewish temples.

Sadly, there are too many people like Peter King who do not understand that one of the reasons the U.S. has grown and flourished is its ability to open its arms to people of many faiths, many nations, and many colors."

Peter "Archie Bunker" King Says There Are Too Many Mosques

2007-09-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

King is trying to dig himself out of this but this is how he really feels. And the truth about King keeps slipping out. From Politico...

Politico has more...."UPDATE: On Wednesday, the congressman said: “The quote was taken entirely out of context by Politico. My position in this interview, as it has been for many years, is that too many mosques in this country do not cooperate with law enforcement. Unfortunately, Politico was incapable of making this distinction.”

UPDATE 2: After Congressman King said his comment was taken out of context, Politico posted a fuller video so readers can decide."

King Needs to Repudiate John Boehner's Comments

2007-09-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, King was in Iraq with fellow republican Rep. John Boehner. Boehner went on CNN to talk to Wolf Blitzer and was asked this question:

"How much longer will

U.S.

taxpayers have to shell out $2 billion a week or $3 billion a week as some now are suggesting the cost is going to endure? The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?"

Boehner answered "I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We’re making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we’re making today will be a small price if we’re able to stop al Qaeda here, if we’re able to stabilize the Middle East, it’s not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids"
(h/t TPM)

Yes, the sacrifice of American servicemen and women is a "small price to pay" according to Kings travel-buddy.

Decorated Vietnam Veteran Sen. John Kerry on Huffington Post said "A single life is a large price to pay for any endeavor. Sometimes, in our national interest, we choose to pay that awful price, but we must always make sure that the policy is worthy of it.”

King needs to publically repudiate Boehner's disgusting comments.

Here is the video

Right Wing News Readers Take a Poll

2007-09-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Who is your favorite Republican congressman?
Duncan Hunter: 30%
Tom Tancredo: 20%
Other: 9%
Mike Pence: 7%
Peter King: 5%
John Boehner: 5%
Jeff Flake: 4%
Marsha Blackburn: 4%
John Shadegg: 3%
James Sensenbrenner: 3%
Roy Blunt: 2%
Jeb Hensarling: 2%
Jack Kingston: 2%
Adam Putnam: 1%
Thaddeus McCotter: 1%
Eric Cantor: 1%
Patrick McHenry: 1%
Chris Cannon: 0%
Tom Cole: 0%
Walter Jones: 0%

If I Were a Passenger, I'd Want to Sue

2007-08-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

But Kings "John Doe" law blocking lawsuits makes this ridiculous inconveinence okay...

"Passenger dispute delays American Airlines flight overnight

A conflict between passengers at Lindbergh Field Tuesday night caused the overnight delay of an American Airlines flight headed to Chicago.

Flight 590 was scheduled to depart at 11 p.m. for Chicago O'Hare International Airport but was rescheduled for Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. after some kind of dispute among customers started at the gate and continued onto the plane, said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.

"While Wagner said it is the airlines policy not to disclose any information about their passengers, televised reports claimed that the incident involved a group of six to seven Iraqi Americans and another passenger who was apparently uncomfortable that the men were speaking in Arabic.

The jet left the gate at 11:14 p.m. but did not take off and instead returned at 11:26 p.m. after a traveler with a child elected to get off the plane, Wagner said."

Gonzales Resigns, If Chertoff Becomes AG, What of Peter King?

2007-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Department of Homeland Security boss Chertoff is one of the possibilities to replace the disgraced A.G. Alberto Gonzales.
Would King like to head Homeland Security?
Would he be considered by Bush?
Is a 500 day tenure be worth it to King because after the 2008 elections, King wouldn't be asked to stay on.

It's Quiet.....Too Quiet.

2007-08-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

Congress is in recess but we have some interesting things to post shortly.
But for now, a movie...

King tries to explain Guliani flip-flops on major issues and ties himself into a knot.

A Little Movie About an Enduring Love Affair

2007-08-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

from our friends at nastyletters.

A Funny that King Won't Laugh at.

2007-08-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

8-6-01 Never Forget

2007-08-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

6 Years ago George W. Bush was presented with a security briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike IN U.S."
He ignored it.

The declassified breifing:

Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate bin Laden since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the US. Bin Laden implied in U.S. television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and "bring the fighting to America."

After U.S. missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington, according to a -- -- service.

An Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) operative told - - service at the same time that bin Laden was planning to exploit the operative's access to the U.S. to mount a terrorist strike.

The millennium plotting in Canada in 1999 may have been part of bin Laden's first serious attempt to implement a terrorist strike in the U.S.

Convicted plotter Ahmed Ressam has told the FBI that he conceived the idea to attack Los Angeles International Airport himself, but that in ---, Laden lieutenant Abu Zubaydah encouraged him and helped facilitate the operation. Ressam also said that in 1998 Abu Zubaydah was planning his own U.S. attack.

Ressam says bin Laden was aware of the Los Angeles operation. Although Bin Laden has not succeeded, his attacks against the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 demonstrate that he prepares operations years in advance and is not deterred by setbacks. Bin Laden associates surveyed our embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam as early as 1993, and some members of the Nairobi cell planning the bombings were arrested and deported in 1997.

Al Qaeda members -- including some who are U.S. citizens -- have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.

Two al-Qaeda members found guilty in the conspiracy to bomb our embassies in East Africa were U.S. citizens, and a senior EIJ member lived in California in the mid-1990s.

A clandestine source said in 1998 that a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.

We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a ---- service in 1998 saying that Bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft to gain the release of "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman and other U.S.-held extremists.

Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.

The FBI is conducting approximately 70 full-field investigations throughout the U.S. that it considers bin Laden-related. CIA and the FBI are investigating a call to our embassy in the UAE in May saying that a group or bin Laden supporters was in the U.S. planning attacks with explosives.

DISGUSTING! King Votes Against Troop Rest

2007-08-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought Peter "Baghdad is just like Downtown Manhattan" King could get any worse after voting against children's healthcare, today he votes against mandatory rest between deployments for soldiers.
You would think that "Geez, it's common sense to want soldiers to have some rest before they are redeployed to a combat area."
But for Peter King and 189 other republicans voted against HR3159 Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007.
It has become too common for soldiers returning to have very little time to rest before be redeployed - sometimes for a 3rd and 4th time - back to a combat area. It is time the soldiers who put their lives on the line every day get to spend time with their families and in too many cases get to know their newborn children or new spouses.
For King to vote against this bill just shows how little he thinks of the men and women who serve this country.
Here is the common sense idea from the bill:
"IN GENERAL- No unit of the Armed Forces specified in paragraph (3) may be deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom unless the period between the most recent previous deployment of the unit and a subsequent deployment of the unit is equal to or longer than the period of such most recent previous deployment."
Exemptions- The limitations in subsections (a) and (b) do not apply--

(1) to special operations forces as identified pursuant to section 167(i) of title 10, United States Code; and

(2) to units of the Armed Forces needed, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, to assist in the redeployment of members of the Armed Forces from Iraq to another operational requirement or back to their home stations.

Definitions- In this Act:

(1) DEPLOYMENT- The term `deployment' or `deployed' means the relocation of forces and materiel to desired areas of operations and encompasses all activities from origin or home station through destination, including staging, holding, and movement in and through the United States and all theaters of operation.

(2) UNIT- The term `unit' means a unit that is deployable and is commanded by a commissioned officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps serving in the grade of major or, in the case of the Navy, lieutenant commander, or a higher grade.

(g) Effective Date- This Act shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act."

Peter King Votes Against Childrens Health Insurance

2007-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

King and 193 other republicans voted against the`Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007'.
HR 3162 To amend titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the children's health insurance program, to improve beneficiary protections under the Medicare, Medicaid, and the CHIP program, and for other purposes is pretty straight forward with its intent on providing health care.
What does Peter King have against children getting treated by a doctor?
The stated purpose of the bill is to "... provide dependable and stable funding for children's health insurance under titles XXI and XIX of the Social Security Act in order to enroll all six million uninsured children who are eligible, but not enrolled, for coverage today through such titles."

I guess with his own congressional, taxpayer-funded healthcare, King doesn't care about uninsured children.
And that is just plain wrong.

Call Peter King and tell him he needs to start caring about those less fortunate than he.
Washington Office # 202-225-7896
District Office # 516-541-4225
e-mail - pete.king@mail.house.gov
Campaign office # (516) 280-5122
fax (516) 750-5121

King and Staff Evacuated

2007-08-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

Reports are that a suspicious envelope cleared out Kings office this afternoon. The envelope was delivered with the words "ammonium nitrate" and "homeland security" written on it.
King has gotten behind the effort to regulate the sale of ammonium nitrate which can be used as a main component of a improvised bomb. Timothy McVeigh used ammonium nitrate to blow up the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. President Clinton made a push to regulate the sale of ammonium nitrate but got resistance from the republican-led congress.
The opposition to the regulation have no leg to stand on and now some wacko may be making threats.

No Art in the 3rd Congresional District?

2007-07-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

I find that hard to believe but one out of five members of congress no longer participates in the Congressional Artistic Discovery Contest.
King tells Newsday "he stopped conducting the competition several years ago because of lack of interest."
Go to the Newsday article and read about the fantastic entries from the other districts. Is king saying from Oyster Bay to Babylon and Massapequa to Long Beach there are no young people interested in the arts?
How about Art in the Park in Massapequa Park?
Maybe look to the Town of Oyster Bay Arts Council for entries?
Or any of the schools located in the district?
How about trying next year because the 3rd district is full of very talented people?

Moving on Up?

2007-07-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Is King leaving his Massapequa Park office for greener pastures?
Where will he locate his office?

Happy Independence Day

2007-07-04T07:38:00.001-07:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Exploiting Terrorism

2007-07-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Great article by Arinnna Huffington on the terror plot in England called "The Upside of Flaming Cars: Politicians and the Press Exploit the British Terror Attacks."
Here's her take on Peter King and his ilk "Also making the pitch for an unfettered president, free to eavesdrop on whomever he wants, whenever he wants, was Rep. Peter King, ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. Appearing on CNN's Late Edition, King said that the failed British attacks show that the best way to fight "the war on terrorism" is "to not allow people to cut into electronic surveillance, to stop that, to not be tying the hands of the president, neither here or in foreign policy."

The thinking of people like Lieberman and King (to say nothing of Bush and Cheney), when it comes to terrorism is as illogical as it is entrenched. It goes something like this: When someone attacks -- or tries to attack -- us or one of our allies because we are a free society, we should respond by making ourselves less free. That'll show the bastards!

This is not in any way to suggest that we shouldn't take terrorist threats seriously -- or that there aren't a lot of very dangerous people intent on carrying out attacks against us or our allies. But surely the answer isn't allowing Bush and Cheney to shred the Constitution -- and to continue making the spurious connection between Iraq and the war on terror. As Gordon Brown told the BBC on Sunday, "We are in the business of dealing with a long-term threat, a sustained threat that is unrelated in detail to one specific point of conflict in the world."

Kings Candidate Guiliani is Just Like Him

2007-07-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

We've noted in the past how King is supposed to be some great friend of Bill Clinton but then turns around and blames 9/11 on Clinton.
Now its Guiliani's turn to change his tune (h/t Town Crier)

Last month Rudy said...

"Islamic terrorists killed more than 500 Americans before Sept. 11. Many people think the first attack on America was on Sept. 11, 2001. It was not. It was in 1993," said the former New York mayor.
Giuliani argued that Clinton treated the World Trade Center bombing as a criminal act instead of a terrorist attack, calling it "a big mistake" that emboldened other strikes on the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, in Kenya and Tanzania and later on the USS Cole while docked in Yemen in 2000.
"The United States government, then President Clinton, did not respond," Giuliani said. "(Osama) bin Laden declared war on us. We didn't hear it."

But back in 2006, Rudy said....

"The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton is just wrong for many, many reasons, not the least of which is I don't think he deserves it," Giuliani said during a stop in Florida. "I don't think President Bush deserves it. The people who deserve blame for Sept. 11, I think we should remind ourselves, are the terrorists - the Islamic fanatics - who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it."

Rudy needs to fire up the republican base so he attacks Clinton. Show you what kind of "man" he is.

King Lets Slip that Bush is a Little Nuts

2007-07-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

In a Washington Post article about how bad things are going for Bush, King thinking he is helping makes Bush look like a nut.

"King, the GOP congressman, introduced him backstage to a soldier injured in one eye. Bush teared up and asked the young man to take off his dark glasses so he could see the wound, King recalled. "Human instinct is when someone has a serious injury to look the other way," King said. "He actually asked him to take them off. He actually touched the eye a little. It was almost as if he felt he had to confront it.""

WHAT??????
Seriously.
Who asks to see a wound and then wants to touch it?
Maybe a curious child?
Looking the other way is one extreme and wanting to touch a wound is another extreme.

20 years ago, I injured my eye and had to wear an eye patch for 4 months. I don't believe anyone asked other than my doctor asked to see the eye. Much less touch it.
I had a "Out of Order" sign on the patch and even that casual attitude towards my injury didn't encourage anyone to ask me to take that patch off.

On Hiatus - Enjoy The Video

2007-06-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

Taking a few days R&R.. Enjoy the BEST street performers EVER.
The song choice is classic.

UPDATE: The band is 'The Wrong Trousers.' Visit them on MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thewrongtrousers

King Assails Thompson, Boosts Rudy, Sounds Stupid in Process

2007-06-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Former Senator and current Actor Fred Thompson is poised to enter the 2008 presidential race. Our dear Peter defends his boy Rudy by saying "Rudy had 9/11, and Fred .Thompson had 'Law & Order."
Yes Peter, keep using 9/11 for Rudy. Keep using it because the more you highlight it, the worse its gonna be for Guiliani.
From the lack of upgraded radios for the FDNY to insisting on the Office of Emergency Management Command Center be located high in the sky at the Trade enter site, Rudy has a poor 9/11 record.
9/11 groups are getting ready to beat the crap out of Rudy. This is from Jim Riches, a deputy chief with the FDNY who lost his son on 9/11... “We have all the UFA, the UFOA, and the fire members are all behind us -- the International Association of Fire Fighters.... And we’re going to be out there today to let everybody know that he’s not the hero that he says he is.”
“If somebody can tell me what he did on 9/11 that was so good, I’d love to hear it. All he did was give information on the TV”
“He did nothing... He stood there with a TV reporter and told everyone what was going on. And he got it from everybody else down at the site.”

Not that I'm a fan of Thomspon but he does have a resume beyond his acting...
- Assistant US Attorney from 1969 to 1972
- Co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee
- US Senator

King is just doing what he always does, opens his mouth just to hear himself speak.

Will "The Nanny" Take on King?

2007-06-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

And I bet she knows more about international affairs than King does....

From the NY Daily News:

"Appearing tomorrow afternoon at the North-Shore LIJ Cancer Center, the liberal-leaning actress will give a keynote lecture about her 2000 diagnosis with uterine cancer and her successful struggle against the disease.

But her appearance in front of a positive audience on Long Island fueled speculation she might also announce a run against Republican Rep. Peter King.

"If she's going in 2008 and she's going after King's seat, you do it at an event in King's district," said Baruch College Prof. Doug Muzzio, a political expert. "You declare war on enemy turf."

Drescher denied the possibility of such an announcement, even if she has thought about having a career in Washington down the line.

"If I had my druthers, I'd rather be a senator" than a representative, she said. "But that doesn't mean that's necessarily where I'd start."

And the Check is in the Mail

2007-05-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Iraq funding bill compromise between the Democrats and Bush has $1Billion less for Homeland Security.

From Newsday:
Rep. Steve Isreal says "What's going on is the Bush administration has a reckless disregard for the homeland security needs of New York... The president did not ask for a single penny for homeland security ... it was the Democrats who sent him a bill that had adequate levels for homeland security. He vetoed our bill. And he has threatened to veto the bill a second time."

NYS Deputy Secretary for Public Security Mike Balboni says "These reductions add up to a billion dollars of missed opportunities to invest in a variety of crucial security programs... Continued support is essential in order to encourage states and localities to believe in a partnership with Washington and make their own investments in homeland security."

"Israel said the compromise still boosts homeland security funding. "Would I have preferred more than that?" he said. "Yes. But the administration said they'd veto it and we'd end up with zero."

Peter King... "said he expected Congress to allocate more security funds as part of its regular budget process."

And the check is in the mail.

Why doesn't Bush want more Homeland Security funds and why does King stick up for Bush?

No Peter, He Resigned from THAT Job

2007-05-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

King says "The troops need the money, and the president as commander-in-chief should not be bound by the Congress as far as strategy and tactics."

Sorry but Bush resigned as Commander in Chief of the military when he got himself a "War Czar."
Bush is no longer Commander in Chief. He gave that job up.
Even right-wing nut-job Michelle Malkin finds a "War Czar" odd.

And....... Corrigan is Out!

2007-05-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

The first announced challenger to King in '08, independent candidate Bill Corrigan of Massapequa is out. We first told you about Bill Corrigan a few months ago.
The story of Corrigan running was picked up by Newsday and then the Massapequa Post He was mentioned on The Politicker and he even started a thread over at Urban Elephants.
Corrigan started the 'Long Island Party' and according to his website began polling and reaching out in the district.
And now.... Nothing.
Corrigans blog content about his run is all gone and the 'Long Island Party' blog is now empty.
His name was on Race Tracker 2008 and that is gone too.
No announcement or reason for dropping out so completely was given.
The last post we saw was Corrigan saying he likes King and voted for King and agrees with King on issues. That didn't sound like an opponent.

King Takes Tumble on Long Island Press Power List

2007-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Each year, the Long Island Press prints as "Power List" of influential Long Islanders. This year many republicans have taken a fall down the ladder. King drops 22 places.

"27. Peter King

Last year #5"

Even Conservatives Find Kings Stance Unreal

2007-05-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our friend over at Nasty Letters has the story "Peter King: So Very Wrong on Immigration"

"Regardless, King's position is incredibly short-sighted, as illustrated by a recent study calculating the benefits of Latino immigrants for Long Island's economy:

Some of the nation's most virulent anti-immigrant proposals have erupted from Long Island's elected officials, from Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to local Congressional Representative Peter King, co-sponsor of the harsh and unworkable immigration bill H.R. 4437...

The report, which is not yet available online, finds that Long Island Hispanics contribute nearly a billion dollars a year in taxes and other revenues to local government, far more than they use in public services, producing a net benefit to the public of $202 million a year. Consumer spending by Hispanics produced an additional $5.7 billion impact on the Long Island economy, creating more than 52,000 jobs.

Even Newsday's conservative columnist Raymond Keating gets the picture:

"Locally, it's time for some groups to stop kicking around immigrants, and instead start recognizing the role they play in keeping Long Island's economy afloat. Common-sense economics and basic human decency dictate welcoming immigrants and aiding their assimilation.

Meanwhile, our congressional representatives should be pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. Yes, tighten up the borders for national security purposes, but also expand legal avenues for immigration to keep our economy chugging along. It's clear that immigrants are not an economic burden, but instead a blessing."

Keating points out "So the importance of Latinos to the local economy has expanded. Torras and Skinner found that employment among Latinos on Long Island grew by one-third from 2000 to 2004. And between 1997 and 2002 the number of Latino-owned businesses on Long Island jumped by 35 percent, with growth in Suffolk County particularly strong at 51 percent. To sum up, the authors estimated that the Latino population in Nassau and Suffolk had a total economic impact of $5.7 billion in 2004, including helping to create more than 52,000 jobs. The economic pie grew.

But what about the burdens immigrants place on local government services? Torras and Skinner estimated that Latinos directly or indirectly generated $925 million in revenue for local governments in 2004, while costing Long Island localities $723 million. That comes out to a net positive contribution to local government of $614 per Latino resident."

Elana from DMI has more at Albany Project.