Commentary on happenings relating to greater Sunnyside-Woodside-LIC from the unconcealed POV of the writers. Agree or disagree? Send comments to SmallTownComment@ gmail.com Volume 2, Number 2
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
FREE
New: Coverage of the monthly NYPD 108th Precinct Community Council Meetings
(See page 7)
New: Cultural Review: The Movie “Vice”
by Jason Greenberg (See page 5)
by Berk Koca
(See pages 2,3 )
(See page 7)
PUBLIC ADVOCATE ENDORSEMENTS Op Ed by Patricia Dorfman
Sunnyside, the IRA & the Gunrunners of Yesteryear by Martin Scanlon (See page 3)
What is so important about the special election for NYC Public Advocate, a watchdog position without substantial power? Especially if Tuesday brings bad weather, estimated by some to attract perhaps as few as 6% of registered voters? Because if for some reason the Mayor leaves office, the Public Advocate becomes Mayor. Because after the Amazon exit, which we christened Amexit last week, it will be a chance to see if there’s a shift in the direction of the city’s mood.
Because the election is non-partisan for candidates and voters, with candidates asked to create their own party name. Because whoever garners the most votes citywide wins, even if the vote count is small and widely distributed, so the result is truly democratic. For instance, there is only one Republican in the race, Eric Ulrich, so if all the Republicans in the city get to the polls and other voters don’t, he wins. Because some people are in the race who have not held political office. Because the position, created 26 (Continued, page 2)
See back page for Build the Block Sector Map
Sunnyside Woodside Mourns Loss of Beloved Community Member (See page 4)
Amazon Exit: Post Mortem One Week Out (See page 6)
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL of the real estate lobby. Yee emphasizes his wish to return power to communities and teaches people how to do that. O’Donnell is relentless in all of his battles and led the fight for gay marriage before it was fashionable. If they are elected, we hope that Williams and O’Donnell change their stand on the need to close Rikers and build five prisons. Why not rebuild and make the radical changes in decency and fairness necessary, without more gifts to big real estate?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE ENDORSEMENTS ((contintued from page 1)
years ago, launched Bill de Blasio into the mayoralty and Letitia James as NY State Attorney General, which is why the seat is vacant. Small Town Confidential Editor | Publisher Patricia Dorfman V.P. | Sales Manny Gomez Cell 718-909-4806 V.P. | Writer Berk Koca Contributing Writers Jason Greenberg Christopher D. LeGras Gabriel Nihas Chris Robin Martin Scanlon Advisory Committee Mary Caulfield Toni Dorfman Richard Drake Debbie George Farley Rani Kinane Christopher Whalen 45-06 Queens Blvd. Sunnyside, NY 11104 SmallTownComment@gmail.com ©2019. All Rights Reserved
Because the position becomes what the office-holder makes it. The election has been estimated to cost us $15 million for an office with a budget of $3.5 million.
WE FAVOR: We endorse David Eisenbach, because of his unwavering advocacy of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, without which small business in NYC will not survive, his knowledge of American history, his positions such as letting communities have more say in the design of bicycle lanes, not supporting the mayor’s plan to eliminate the specialized high school test, the protection of NYCHA, and energy. We also endorse Jumaane Williams, Benjamin Yee and Daniel O’Donnell, based on their positions similar to Eisenbach in bringing more power back to communities, and their ability to fight when fights are needed. Williams wisely voted again Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and is not a darling
Though they have many fine ideas, according to Spectrum NY1, Nomiki Konst, Michael Blake, and O’Donnell support the Mayor’s proposal to get rid of the exam for students to qualify for NYCs eight hard-to-get into high schools, which seems the wrong solution for the problem of segregation. On the bright side, of the 16 candidates running, out of 17 on the ballot, no one is grossly unqualified. No one person is going to please any one voter on all the issues. Some are more ambitious than others. According to AMNY, Melissa Mark-Vivertito said she has not yet decided on a run for mayor 2021, and Republican Eric Ulrich said he will, with the rest all saying “no.” Sadly, the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) means well but has determined that only seven of the 16 quality for the next debate, based on money and number of endorsements from large voting organizations, which is disappointing for a position as the people’s “advocate.” The CFB says Michael Blake, Rafael Espinal Jr., Ron Kim, Nomiki Konst, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Dawn Smalls and Jumaane Williams met the thresholds to qualify for the “leading contenders” debate. Of those, we worry about Mark-Viverito not allowing the SBJSA to come to floor for a vote when she was speaker, and the rezonings that occurred under her and Rafael Espinal, Jr. Nomiki Konst is strong, but her main platform is for $30 per hour minimum wage, which would be rough on small business right now.
Page 2 With all of us so busy, we know that many vote not at all, or according to name recognition, ethnicity, gender, national original, or birthplace– but if you are reading this, you are not the problem. Let us all keep learning more before Tuesday, so that we can make our decisions based on issues that affect us deeply, and as Martin Luther King dreamed, about the content of the character of our representatives. ◆ ________________ On Tuesday, Feb. 26 Ballot: Fix the MTA Melissa Mark-Viverito, 211 East 111 Street 2 NY, NY 10029 For The People Michael A. Blake, 837 Washington Ave., Bronx, NY 10451 No More Delay Dawn L. Smalls,14 West 17 St.. NY, NY 10011 Common Sense Eric A. Ulrich, 133-46 Hawtree Creek Rd. South Ozone Park, NY 11420 Unite Immigrants Ydanis Rodriguez, 100 Arden St., NY, NY 10040 Equality For All Daniel J. O’Donnell, 611 West 111 St., NY , NY 10025 Livable City Rafael L. Espinal Jr., 52 Hale Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11208 Latrice M. Walker, (no longe running) It’s Time Let’s Go Jumaane D. Williams, 860 East 18 St., Brooklyn, NY 11230 No Amazon Ron Kim, 140-70 Ash Ave., Flushing, NY 11355 Community Strong Benjamin L. Yee, 115 East 9 St., NY, NY 10003 Better Leaders A. Manny Alicandro, 85 John St., NY, NY 10038 Pay Folks More Nomiki D. Konst, 25-74 33 St., Astoria, NY 11102 Stop REBNY David Eisenbach, 201 East 12 St., NY, NY 10003 Jared Rich for NYC Jared Rich, 93 Bergen St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 Residents First Anthony Tony Herbert, 1656 East 93 St., Brooklyn, NY 11236 Friends of Helal Helal A. Sheikh, 93-02 103 Ave., Ozone Park, NY 11417 ◆
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
President Jimmy Carter to crack down on the gunrunning from the US to Ireland; Carter was unwilling to do so. However, after Ronald Reagan was elected in November of 1980, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, elected one year earlier, made the same request. Reagan complied and set a plan in motion.
Sunnyside, the IRA & Gunrunners of Yesteryear by Martin Scanlon (Editor’s note: Some were not around during “The Troubles” in Ireland, 1968 - 1998, taking 3600 lives, half of whom were civilians, and injured many thousands. The struggle was between the Irish in Northern Ireland who favored British Protestant rule and those who did not, who were generally Catholic. But the disagreement was not essentially religion-based; the issue was who was in charge in Northern Ireland, and local groups were in disagreement.) Coverage of the conflict was substantial in the Unites States. With the large Irish populations, even among those from many generations earlier, in Boston and New York, there was great interest here and some involvement. But while some anti-British acts were popular, over time news of a British crackdown or a guerilla bombing filled most with gloom. In the more anti-British Irish immigrants here in Sunnyside, the fight took on glamour, as a David and Goliath story, which continues to a degree to this day. But few want to return to the grim daily life of the 30-year “Troubles.” Civilians death and civil disorder had taken their toll.) Not the fellow of Beatles fame, George Harrison (1965- 2004) was a Brinks guard by profession who immigrated to the US from the small village of Shammer, Kilkelly, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1938. He emerged as the leading gunrunner worldwide for the Irish Republican Army. The rich history of the Irish in New York City is well known, and this area is well known for attracting many generations of people from the old country, including George Harrison. Harrison had a storage problem for his weapons, as he lived in a onebedroom apartment in Brooklyn. Two Irish taverns in Sunnyside were happy
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to help him out. One Irish bar was named for stadium in County Cavan. The other was (redacted) on Skillman Avenue. Patrons there enjoyed saying that it was the only bar where the “empty” beer cases stored in the basement weighed three times what the full ones did coming in. These taverns would allegedly hold the guns for Harrison until the stately cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth II, came into port, where they could be passed onto Irish crewmembers for transfer to Ireland. One might hear around town, as one quaffed beer at any pub here, said in a respectful tone, “Hey, I just saw George Harrison on Queens Boulevard.” In his 2005 book “The Pope’s Children: Ireland’s New Elite,” Irish economist David McWilliams talks about the emigration back to Ireland in the mid-1990s of those who had fled Ireland’s horrible economy of the 1980s to America. These returnees had acquired valuable skills and experience in America and helped to create the Celtic Tiger wealth in the mid 1990s on their re turn. “Tiogar Ceilteach, “ is the name in Irish of the direct foreign investment economic boom.
in Dublin, a reputation that was well earned in the 1970s. When “The Troubles” broke out in Northern Ireland in 1969, the IRA, which had been managed out of Dublin at that time, had few weapons in their arsenal. The Official IRA “Stickies” (they sold stick-on lilies to commemorate the Easter Rising), as they became known following the split into the Provisional IRA in 1970, had dumped their weapons in 1962. They had adopted a Socialist/Marxist strategy to unite Ireland.
Harrison was ensnared by the FBI in a sting entitled “Operation Bushmills” in 1981. Harrison’s trial was most notable for the defense offered by his attorney, the late Frank Durkan; when the prosecutor claimed that Harrison had been running guns for the IRA for the last six months, Durkan claimed that “his client was insulted by that remark as he had been running guns for the last 25 years at a minimum!” Even with this admission, Durkan was able to win acquittal for his client by claiming that the US government had given tacit approval to the operation since Harrison had been buying guns from a CIA connected arms dealer named George DeMeo.
“...Durkan claimed that “his client was insulted by that remark as he had been running guns for the last 25 years at a minimum!” Thus, when the sectarian rioting began in mid-August, 1969, in response to the Catholic/Nationalist community’s demand for civil rights; the Catholic/Nationalists were defenseless against the attacks of the Protestant/Loyalists, aided or ignored by the predominately Protestant police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).
The boom continued until the 2008 crash that we also experienced here in the US. But interestingly, McWilliams mentions that these Irish lived in the gentrifying neighborhoods of Manhattan’s West Side and Lower East Side and didn’t frequent Sunnyside, home of the “IRA Heads.”
It was at this time that Irish Catholics in America began collecting for “Irish relief ”, ostensibly aid to Catholic families in the North who had been burned out of their homes or had their breadwinners killed or imprisoned in the struggle. But many, including the Irish, British and US governments, believed that Irish relief was code for money to buy guns to be sent over to Northern Ireland to aid in the struggle for Irish freedom.
Such was the reputation of SunnysideWoodside, Queens among the media
In 1977, Irish Taoiseach (head of government) Jack Lynch asked US
Despite his acquittal, and that of those tried with him, George Harrison was then no more a gunrunner or a frequent visitor to Queens Boulevard as he had been in the 1970s. He went to stay full time in Brooklyn. A radical activist at heart, he went on to advocate for Puerto Rican nationalists, the African National Congress, and the Sandinistas. He supported Mayor David Dinkins and made no secret of his disagreements with the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Harrison died in his home in 2004, of natural causes. If anyone has any memorabilia on this interesting saga from the neighborhood, please let us know! An archive will be forthcoming from local notables soon! ◆
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
• Fire Relief Update: Sunnyside Shines/BID’s Jaime Faye-Bean said the latest tally was 103 people entitled to share the $164,000 gathered, and all received two checks for a total of approximately $1600 each. The BID will release results of an independent audit in the Spring. • Chamber president Melissa Orlando told us that that Zen Yai which was burned out, has found space in Brooklyn. Owner Bryan Chunton told reporter Nathaly Pesante of the Sunnyside Post that he vowed also to return to Sunnyside. • Sunnyside Shines invited all who helped with fundraising to a group photo Feb. 9 at the arch and many local helpers braved the bright sun but frigid temperatures to “say cheese.” Joseph O’Sullivan’s family, dancing with his mom, and a sentiment at right from his sister, Mary, posted on Facebook. (Continued on page 5)
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL • 108th Precinct Twitter page, 2/16/19: “Busy night! While on routine patrol our anti-crime team observed 2 males standing over a mailbox at 47 Ave and 35 street trying to fish the mail out. The males were arrested and in possession of sticky mouse traps and a shoe string attached to a water bottle. “ • • Road Diet Update: We are checking out information mentioned at Community Board 2’s monthly public meeting in January, that the FDNY wrote that the equipment does reach the roofs from nearby firehouses, such as near St. Raphael’s. We find that unacceptable because seconds count. No word on community request comparing response times between pre-andpost DOT Road Diet.
CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, JOKES • A local sage who says his girlfriend wants to support STC. He suggested subscriptions. We are getting a mailing price and will offer in next issue. • Apologies to artist Nick McManus who sent some cool Polaroids of Center Cinema and small story, mementoes, on what happened to the interior seats; will appear in next issue. Joke: Why did the shopper say who bought a new TV with its volume stuck on high? “I couldn’t turn it down.” of this proposed deal. What I found most troubling about it was the hubris of Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. They alone decided it would be beneficial to the city and state and had no need to inform the City Council and the city’s residents (especially those living in LIC) when the deal was being finalized.
• During the recent snow day, the city plowed and salted the bicycle lanes twice using a new narrower snowplow purchased for the task. We saw few cyclists. • Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan met in Albany with college-attending members of Fostering Youth Alliance, which assists college students after they have aged-out of foster care. The organization helps those who are at risk of falling through the cracks in their college years, having no family to assist them or even notice them in their college journey.
Page 4
Didn’t we deserve a say on such an important matter? Were we not intelligent enough to consider its advantages and disadvantages and convey our views to the Mayor, the Governor, and to members of the City Council?
Commentary: 1. City/State is overtaxing the public. We need Amazon. But what we needed was openness and inclusion from our Mayor and Governor. 2. The bike lanes are dangerous, little used, causing congestion, delays with first responders, and causing accidents such as a neighbor being hit while crossing Queens Blvd. People will utilize autos. This is not Europe. 3. Finally, your paper is great. Keep it up. Thank you, Tony Rosasco Dear Editor: Like most New Yorkers, I was surprised when Amazon pulled out of Long Island City. And like everyone, I’ve read about the pros and cons of
What was also surprising to me was the hubris of Amazon when the company didn’t receive overwhelming love from the politicians representing LIC, as well as from the people of Western Queens. It folded up its tent and left town. No negotiation on the $3 billion in city and state subsidies. Would the company have considered far less? Google came to Chelsea, and the city didn’t provide it with any sweeteners. I’m familiar with the expression, “too many cooks spoil the soup.” But on an issue so consequential to Western Queens and New York City, this decision should have been made not by two cooks but by the entire restaurant staff. In my mind, the blame for the failure of this deal lies with Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, and in Amazon’s uncompromising position. Selvin Gootar Sunnyside Gardens
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
(Continued from page 4)
New CO, NCO & BUNKO The Monthly 108th Council Meeting
Joseph Patrick Sullivan 1973 – 2019
by Jason Greenberg On Tuesday, January 29th, the first 108th Precinct Community Council meeting of the year was held at it’s typical location, Sunnyside Community Services, on 39th Street just north of Queens Boulevard, at 7PM, the last Tuesday of the month, except for December, July and August. At these meetings, the public is welcome to attend and voice their concerns directly to the Commanding Officer and 108 officers. The “Cop of the Month Award,” sponsored by the Times Newsweekly, is also presented. For January’s meeting, the award was presented to Officers John Deluca and Steven Mercaldo for intercepting an alleged robbery on 69th Street and Queens Boulevard. The two police officers were able to use “grid-search tactics“ to track down the suspects. They caught one of them, and he revealed the location of the other participants. In contrast to previous meetings, crime statistics weren’t shared with the public. (They may be accessed online at www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/ bureaus/patrol/precincts/108th-precinct.page). The new Commanding Officer (CO) of the precinct, Captain Michael J. Gibbs, presented his track record. He spoke of his work at Citi Field, the 104th, 44th, and 110th precincts, and Transit District one. The newly-appointed Gibbs has worked for the NYPD for nearly two decades and this is his first post as the officer in charge. Before taking questions from the attendees, the CO presented some ongoing problems along with suggestions for solutions. “Mailbox fishing” was among these, a crime plaguing the precinct for a long
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Cops of the Month: P.O. Steven Mercaldo (left) and P.O. John Deluca (third from the right) New C.O. Captain Michael J. Gibbs (second from the left), 108 Council President Diane Biallek (second from the right)
time. The CO, along with the rest of the NYPD, urges everyone to use the mailboxes inside of US Post Offices. But the good news is that 20 mailboxes have been retrofitted to contain narrow slots to make mailbox fishing nearly impossible. Grand Larceny Auto was another topic Captain Gibbs addressed. He cautioned, “Do not leave your vehicle unattended. Please lock your doors. And do not leave your keys in your car.” And as for motorcycles, he advised, “Don’t park them on the streets.” The Captain said that if people adhere to these admonitions, there is a much higher chance that grand larceny auto will cease to be such a re-occurring crime. Since it’s tax season, the captain also reminded everybody to be wary of scams in person, on the phone and in the mail. A flyer was available for all and it included tips on how to determine if you or your area is being scammed. If an IRS, INS, utility company (Con Edison, especially) law enforcement officer, or hospital demands payment via a prepaid merchant gift card or debit card, it’s a scam. Here are some tips to be safe: Government agencies will NOT contact you demanding immediate payment on a prepaid gift/debit card. If you do share your card the scammer has instant access to your cash, and it’s virtually impossible for law enforcement to trace or help get your money back.
A member of the public complained that trucks are blocking the street at night just off of the Long Island Expressway service road at night. An officer addressed the matter, informing him that they were aware of the situation and that they would continue to put effort to resolve the blockage. Another visitor noted that somebody had illegally parked on the south side of Queens Boulevard, and then realized that the “No Parking” sign had been removed. After inquiring as to whether or not it was removed by 108 personal, the Commanding Officer informed him that it is in fact the Department of Transportation that add or remove signs, not the NYPD. Students from LaGuardia Community College inquired as to how the police can help establish positive relations with the community. Captain Gibbs recommended the new community program. He referenced the former Community Patrol Officer Program (CPOP), a community-oriented system where one cop was assigned a beat, or control area. The new CO’s experience with the old program was that it was successful, and he is positive that the new program, NCO (Neighborhood Coordinating Officer) “will be very successful as well.” (You may see your sector officers at the NYPD link above.) The next meeting will be held: February 26, 2019, at 7PM Sunnyside Community Services
Many paid no attention to the request to give donations to bicuspidfoundation.com, with all three local florists working nonstop for three days. Six patrol cars had to help with crowd control and traffic the night of the two wakes at Edward D. Lynch Funeral Home in Sunnyside, as the whole community coped with the passing of the beloved member of the large extended O’Sullivan family. The gathering was SRO at St. Sebastian’s Church was as large and sad as that of a person of state. The outpouring on social media from all over the world demonstrated that the loss was vast. The tear-lined faces of his siblngs and four children was hard to take in, as they tried too accept comfort from so many. But we know the loss of a spouse, child, or parent, sister or brother is one never gotten over. The family offered this obituary: “Patrick died suddenly on February 1, 2019. Carpenter, NYC District Council – Local#257. Beloved son of Michael and Mary (nee McCarthy). Beloved husband of Natalie (nee Villacreses). Cherished father of Norah, Joseph, Maggie and Kate. Dear brother of Jeanne Martin (Sean), Mary McKnight (Thomas), Michael (Robyn) O’Sullivan, John ( Jill) O’Sullivan, Theresa Rohan (Patrick), Kathy Parra (William) and Diane Carney (Thomas). Son-in-law to Noris and Mauro Villacreses and brotherin-law to Michael Villacreses. Also survived by many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends here in America and Ireland.” The Funeral Mass was at St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church with burial February 7th at the historic Calvary Cemetery. He touched thousands of lives with his vigor, talent, music, joy and good fellowship. We send our hearts. Sheila O’Driscoll set up a GoFundMe page for the education of his four young children: https://www.gofundme.com/f/josepho039sullivan-college-fund. ◆
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Page 6 the thousands displaced? No. Is it a place with many old churches and congregations? With fucky stores? Little black dresses for $7 bucks at ABC and Colombian bakery cakes with deep blue icing? Are there many original poor or middleincome people or small businesses? No. MORAL PRONOUNCEMENTS: One successful businessman quoted, “25,000 families now will lose a way to feed their families.” Another critic compared Amexit to 9/11. People looking forward to cashing in their lottery ticket seem to be taking some sort of moral views of what did not happen, which does not make a lot of sense. A bunch of money that might have been made now will be made later. Real estate value did not plummet.
Post Mortem of “AmExit” One Week Out Op Ed by Patricia Dorfman
WE ASK FOR TOO MUCH: Informed sources say that neither our Senator or Councilman were as ferociously antiAmazon as they seemed, but instead were seeking the future support of the young people who picked the Queens County lock on politics with Alexandria OcasioCortez. In their defense, elected officials can afford few actual passions, with a largely uninformed and fickle public. THE SILENT MAJORITY: The proAmazons believed all was well, with the top brass behind it and cheery flyers over the transom. After Amexit, many were angry or stunned. We posited here correctly that Bezos might kill the deal. The anti-Amazons are taking credit, but we imagine reasons were probably an Amazon businesslike “let’s not spend more resources on a deal which looks to be too much scrutiny and bad press.”
MAYOR WAS CORRECT: As the Mayor suggested, had there been ULURP, Amazon might walked up front. Jeff Bezos is Wall Street/Harvard business, “Get Big Fast.” He did not pick books to start because he loved books. He picked the Internet because it was exploding and books because that market not yet tried for mass distribution. His sentimental side has been seen recently, but one assumes that he is going to be backtracking on that soon. WHAT’S NEW? UNITY AMONG THOSE WITHOUT A BRIGHT FUTURE: The AOC voters are connected on social media as our parents were to the nightly news and enjoying their newfound power. And they have the time to go door to door. PRO-AMS: They were silent during the build up, and are suddenly are speaking out. Brokers no longer are selling via text. Owners were understandably angry at losing the doubling of value of their holdings. Entrepreneurs had envisioned new customers with money showing up. People who worked hard to gain an economic perch and were suddenly going to be able to cash out or benefit, now, will not. THE ANTI-AMS: The poor, those who rent, and those who are young do
not welcome change. The Mayor and Governor won by large majorities, got signed letters and buy in. Most would agree they had a mandate to proceed. They were acting as traditional prosperity boosters. But the newly mobilized saw not enough of a piece of the pie for them, no matter the promises of training. It became a class war. WHAT HAPPENED: Amazon can get what it wants because they already have the best hand. Amazon runs one third of the world’s online cloud, including the CIA and Department of Defense, Twitch, and more. They handle 49% of US online retail. And, let’s not forget, they can come to NYC whenever they like, renting or buying space. The concessions they elicited from us had too much baggage. DID WE LOSE OUT? No. By no, I mean we who believe in community, organic gentrification, believe we dodged a bullet. And if Amazon was interested in us, other companies will be, too. LIC won’t go from being the fastest growing city in the US to Hooterville. Those of us who feel a common cause with those here who have an uncertain future have won this round.
PARADISE: Seattle is a lovely place to visit now, much as Williamsburg, Brooklyn is, filled with wonderful food, and smart people and style. But was it nice for
QUEENS IN TRANSITION: When our grandparents were younger, they were taught civic duty, patriotism, reverence for the military, fire and police, and America for all. They saw that no matter how lowly we were that we were the luckiest people ever to live on the face of the earth. Most shared in that dream, even if not yet true. Young people still have idealism and a passion for fairness, but no Tweets coming their way show promise. They don’t see a good future. GEEZERS vs. THE DISILLUSIONED: entitlements, pensions and savings will support the old. The young have no way to save, and they face joblessness, crushing student debt, and communal living not by preference, with degrees based on college courses about grievance studies. It is good for them to understand the nature of societies, and the my-
thology used to keep order and power, but we didn’t replace it with anything but false pictures of systems that have fared no better. We are a country that has lost its love for itself. WHAT’S NEXT? A growing majority believes no one cares about them. They see rewards for the already rewarded. We have to care about the future of the young people or none of us will have a future.◆
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Vice (2018): Great Performances Worth Seeing, Not So Great Movie by Berk Koca Hollywood has been on a roll lately, pumping out films that are quite unabashed in their political viewpoints. Vice is no different, and its on-thenose politics leaves a little something
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL McKay’s intention is to put the blame shoot any aircraft “deemed a threat.” for these developments on Cheney, but the narrator certainly does. This Writer/director Adam McKay, of interruption for the narrator’s point of The Big Short financial exposé, does view is superficial and takes the audia good job in Vice of contrasting ence right out of the movie. Even at the vastly different portraits of prothe very end, Cheney himself breaks tagonist in the opening scenes. But the 4th wall and justifies his actions to the audience is left to wonder how a the viewers in the name of combatting person painted such a potential loser terrorism. and twice Yale dropout managed to become of one of the most powerful SPOILER ALERT: politicians in American history. The first half of the film, with the exception of a few forays into Cheney’s political machinations during the heated years of the Bush administration, chronicles his rise to the top. We see his struggles as a family man, his apprenticeship under Donald Rumsfeld, (played by Steve Carell), his entry into the halls of Congress, and eventually, a prominent role in the Bush 41 administration as Secretary of Defense. Until the midway point, the film operates like a typical bio-pic and is quite effective in getting the audience invested in its characters. But it’s in the second half where the film particularly falls apart. And much of it stems from the odd, I believed heavy-handed 4th wall-breaking motif of a narrator. When the audience sees him for the first time, he looks directly at the camera and speaks to the viewers. He reveals that he’s related to Dick Cheney in some way, but doesn’t reveal exactly how and saves that information for later. We were enjoying a promising movie, but after showing Cheney’s rise to political prominence, there isn’t much depth to the character’s decisions or motivations.
to be desired if filmmakers wish us to sell us on their point of view. The film starts off with Dick Cheney in his younger years, drinking too much and getting pulled over for drunk driving. We soon cut to an older Vice President Cheney during the 9/11 attacks, secure in his position as he authorizes the military to
The story does tackle Cheney’s promotion of what was later called the “Unified Executive Theory.” There’s a scene where he instructs legal scholars in government to come up with ways to constitutionally justify the expand ing powers of the presidency and with it ,the rising national security state. The narrator chimes in again to explain how the theory permits politicians to circumvent the law and do anything they want. It’s not clear if
Page 7 fully finds its ground on what kind of movie it wants to be. From my point of view, the filmmakers are not grasping that the growing threat of an imperial presidency is something that cannot be placed on the doorstep of any one man or group. It would be better to portray it as a long developing historical trend that has its roots in the cycle of human history. Vice’s main goal is not to entertain but to preach; a documentary would have more appropriate than a movie starring such a great cast.
The narrator is later revealed to be a soldier who fought in Iraq, came home, only to be killed by a hit and run van, and it is he who eventually becomes the donor that provides Dick Christian Bale is phenomenal in the Cheney with a life-extending heart main role. Not once did I feel that transplant. he was watching Christian Bale on screen. Rather, it was a full-blown To make matters even more off-putpersonification of Dick Cheney. The ting, the narrator continues speaking mannerisms, the facial expressions, directly to the audience, even though the voice, everything was near pitch he’s dead and on a hospital gurney, perfect. complaining how displeased he feels that his heart went to Dick Cheney. The other performances are also very good. Amy Adams is convincing as There are various pauses throughout Lynne Cheney, and Sam Rockwell the movie where Dick Cheney has does an even better job as George W. heart attacks, timed perfectly to coin- Bush than Josh Brolin did in Oliver cide with specific political decisions, Stone’s W. several years ago. But to display his darkening soul. even such strong performances are not enough to salvage a disjointed, There are some graphic shots of the uneven story. surgery taking place with the heart being placed in, and that too was a little Vice is not a bad film by any means, unsettling at least for me for a film of but given the source material, it can this type. be best summed up as a movie with unfulfilled potential. ◆ McKay seems to be telling the audience that Cheney is, in his innermost core, a heartless man. Depending on your political leanings, that may be true, but the imagery and dialogue are too overt in our faces. But that is exactly what’s wrong with Hollywood today. The constant political and virtue signaling is put before plot, character, drama, art. Yes, at the end of the day, many films are propaganda, but better propaganda is l less noticeable with more respect for the viewer. This movie’s message could have been subtle, shrouded in metaphor, and left to the viewer. Vice doesn’t do that, unfortunately. Tonally, the film becomes inconsistent, and most of the attempted comedy falls flat; it never
Drop by Flowers by Giorgie for your floral needs – on Greenpoint near 46th St. Here Jorgie whipped up some springtime with scads of daffodils for someone special’s bithday!
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
To find out the officers assigned to your sector, and which of the four sectors you reside or work in, if not clear from map, VISIT: www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/ precincts/108th-precinct.page
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SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
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