Nicks NotesNicks NotesPolitics, Entertainment, Sports, and the rest of the world, seen through the eyes of a New York Twentysomething Articles
NJ Senate Votes To Repeal Death Penalty
2007-12-12 02:12:00 By a 21-16 bipartisan vote;Aye (17 Democrats, 4 Republicans):John Adler (D-Cherry Hill)Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park)Wayne Bryant (D-Camden)Barbara Buono (D-Edison)Richard Codey (D-West Orange)Joseph Coniglio (D-Paramus)Sandra Cunningham (D-Jersey City)Nia Gill (D-Montclair)John Girgenti (D-Paterson)Ellen Karcher (D-Marlboro)Bernard Kenny (D-Hoboken)Raymond Lesniak (D-Union)Robert Martin (R-Morris Plains)James McCullough (R-Egg Harbor Township)Joseph Palaia (R-Deal)Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)Bob Smith (D-Piscataway)Stephen Sweeney (D-Thorofare)Shirley Turner (D-Ewing)Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge)Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck)Nay (13 Republicans, 3 Democrats):Nicholas Asselta (R-Cape May)Martha Bark (R-Mount Laurel)Anthony Bucco (R-Denville)Gerald Cardinale (R-Cresskill)Anthony Ciesla (R-Brick)Lenoard Connors (R-Forked River)Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton)Thomas Kean Jr. (R-Westfield)Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown Township)Leonard Lance (R-Flemington)Robert Littell (R-Franklin)Fred Madden (D-Tu... More About: New Jersey , Senate , Death , Death penalty , Penalty
CIA Agena: Torture Is Bad, But Saved Lives...You Decide
2007-12-11 23:30:00 Begin the endless bickering and name calling;You pussy-headed liberal morons want to protect the rights of people who want to kill you. You should die or move to Canada.And you terrorist war criminals who are no better than the people you are waterboarding should be put in chains and thrown in jail for war crimes for eroding the moral highground America has long stood on.America at it's best! More About: War on Terrorism , Lives , Torture
Congress Reminds Us Christmas Is A Christian Holiday
2007-12-11 21:27:00 Just in case we were too busy buying our children poisonous toys from China and forgot, Christmas is in fact a Christian holiday, says Congress .So now back to your shopping with all you holy rollers. More About: Holiday , Christian fundamentalism
Special Elections Today
2007-12-11 15:08:00 Two special elections today, one in Northwest Ohio, another in Eastern Virginia, for Congressional seats left open by the deaths of two Republicans.In Ohio, Democrat Robin Weinrauch has a shot at picking up the seat of the late Republican Paul Gilmor, but she faces Bob Latta, son of the guy who represented the district before Gilmor. Latta's internal poll yesterday showed him trialing Weinrauch in a district Bush won over 60% of the vote in.In Virginia, Democrat Phil Forgit, an Iraq war vet is running against Republican Bob Whitman for the seat of the late Jo Ann Davis who died in October. Forgit is an underdog. The seat was won by Bush in 2004 and Republican candidates for Governor (Kilgore) in 2005 and Senator (Allen) in 2006.If you're in one of these two districts, GO OUT AND VOTE TODAY! More About: Elections , Today , Special
The True Meaning Of Christmas
2007-12-11 00:14:00 It's only commercialized when you buy crap that doesn't shove Christianity down your throat. More About: Christmas , Meaning , Christian fundamentalism , True
Huckabee Takes The Lead
2007-12-10 22:04:00 Has the GOP found their candidate? Probably not, but the Southern Baptist anti-gay, anti-choice, misogynistic ex-Governor of a red state likely to be won by Hillary Clinton sure is attractive.The other guy, America's mayor? Yeah, we're done with them. More About: Rudy Giuliani , Mike Huckabee , Huckabee , Lead
Rudy: I Made Big Mistakes, But Only A Few
2007-12-09 18:14:00 Karma's a bitch and so are you. More About: Rudy Giuliani , Made , Rudy , Stakes , Mista
LA-04: McCrery To Retire
2007-12-08 01:23:00 This is a pretty shocking announcement out of Northwest Louisiana. Rep. Jim McCrery (R-Louisiana), who is the ranking Republican member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, will retire next year. The district, the fourth district of Louisiana, includes the entire Shreveport area, 3/4 of the Louisiana/Texas border, and the west half of the Arkansas/Louisiana border.McCrery has represented the Shreveport area in Western and Northwestern Louisiana for nearly 20 years. McCrery won 55% of the vote in 2006 against two Democrats who received a combined 43% of the vote.The seat leans Republican, but a strong Democrat, such as former Shreveport mayor Keith Hightower, can pick off this seat. More About: Congress , Retire , Tire
Happy Hour
2007-12-07 23:33:00 Turns out the Page program is like any other high school in the United States."Nobody gets anything until the we make the Democrats look as bad as we possibly can"The President not a criminal, just dangerously incompetent.George W. Bush and Kim Jong Il, BFF!Dana Perino gets thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to tell the nation daily that she doesn't know a damn thing about anytihng.Barack who? I just want to see Oprah, she's my girl!Bush seeks tax cuts for fives, tens of people...otherwise, all of you are getting taxed like you've never been taxed before.It's not a problem that needs immediate attention until a couple hundred people die.Dick Cheney is a jerk, Speaker Pelosi seems surprised.Eliot Spitzer is giving everyone high-speed internet access...that should make everyone forget about the whole giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants thing.Mitt Romney won't take orders from the Mormom church, but he'll gladly take orders from any other church that will vote for... More About: Happy Hour , Happy , Hour
Will It Really Kill Him?
2007-12-07 18:02:00 All this brouhaha about Mike Huckabee and his appealing for the paroling of a rapist who later killed someone when he was Governor of Arkansas is of little interest to me.The story goes that a relative of Bill Clinton was raped and her rapist went to jail. Anti-Clinton forces in Arkansas, where they were more ferocious than anywhere else early on, thought the convicted rapist got an unfair deal because his victim was a relative of the Clintons. The pressure put on Huckabee to push for his parole was obvious from anti-Clinton forces, but whether or not Huckabee's pleas for parole were political or just his Christian sympathetic personality is up for question. Perhaps this is the unintended consequence of his Christian beliefs, sort of like his sympathetic stance on illegal immigration and his reluctant support for the death penalty.Even if Huckabee's support for parole was politically motivated, I cannot see how it would hurt him in the primary. Rather, it may actually help him. Re... More About: Hillary Clinton , Iowa Caucus , Kill
Flowers For Hillary
2007-12-07 02:40:00 The former first lady may have the support of someone VERY interesting.When your mistress and wife get together, well, it's a Lifetime movie in the making. More About: Flowers , Hillary Clinton , Bill Clinton , Hillary
House Passes Energy Legislation
2007-12-07 00:18:00 The House of Representatives passed an energy legislation that will cut tax breaks to oil companies and requires the automotive industry to increase fuel economy 40% to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.The bill will also mandate that electric utility companies generate 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources of energy such as wind, biomass or solar power by 2020. That mandate, and the tax breaks, were dealbreakers with the White House, who threatens to veto it. The bill got the support of 14 Republicans;Mary Bono (R-California)Mike Castle (R-Delaware)Jim Gerlach (R-Pennsylvania)Robin Hayes (R-North Carolina)Tim Johnson (R-Illinois)Mark Kirk (R-Illinois)Ray LaHood (R-Illinois)Frank LoBiondo (R-New Jersey)Jim Ramstad (R-Minnesota)Dave Reichert (R-Washington)Illeana Ros-Lehitnen (R-Florida)Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut)Chris Smith (R-New Jersey)Greg Walden (R-Oregon)7 Democrats opposed the bill, mostly from Southern oil states;John Barrow (D-Georgia)Dan Boren (D-Oklahoma)Allen ... More About: Congress , Energy , Big Oil , Legislation
Presidents and Religion
2007-12-06 23:11:00 Here's an interesting list of the religions of our past Presidents ;George Washington- EpiscopalJohn Adams- UnitarianThomas Jefferson- DeistJames Madison- Deist/Episcopal (disputed)John Quincy Adams- UnitarianAndrew Jackson- PresbyterianMartin Van Buren- Dutch ReformedWilliam Henry Harrison- EpiscopalJohn Tyler- EpiscopalJames Polk- MethodistZachary Taylor- EpiscopalMillard Fillmore- UnitarianFranklin Pierce- EpiscopalJames Buchanan- PresbyterianAbraham Lincoln- unknownAndrew Jackson- unknown, probably BaptistUlysses S. Grant- MethodistRutherford B. Hayes- MethodistJames Garfield- Disciples of ChristChester Arthur- EpiscopalGrover Cleveland- PresbyterianBenjamin Harrison- PresbyterianWilliam McKinley- MethodistTheodore Roosevelt- EpiscopalWilliam Taft- UnitarianWoodrow Wilson- PresbyterianWarren G. Harding- BaptistCalvin Coolidge- CongregationalistHerbert Hoover- QuakerFranklin D. Roosevelt- EpiscopalHarry Truman- BaptistDwight Eisenhower- Jehovah's Witness/PresbyterianJohn F. Kenn... More About: Religion
The Religious Litmus Test
2007-12-06 20:05:00 It's sad that in this country we need to have a religious litmus test for a Presidential candidate, at least in the Republican Party.Mitt Romney 's presidential campaign should be judged on his ideas, his stances on policies and his record as Governor of Massachusetts from 2003-2007, not on whether or not he worships at a temple or a church. Today's speech by Mitt Romney, where he almost seemed desperate, is a sad event in our history.I found this part of Romney's speech especially titilating;Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin. As governor, I tried to do the right as best I knew it, serving the law and answering to the Constitution. I did not confuse the particular teachings of my church with the obligations of the office and of the Constitution - and of cou... More About: Christian fundamentalism , Test , Mormons , Religious
NY-20: Gillibrand Pregnant
2007-12-06 01:01:00 The Albany Times-Union has reported the freshman Democratic Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, who defeated John Sweeney to be the 15th, and majority clinching, seat on election night, is pregnant with her second child.Gillibrand, 40, and her husband, Jonathon Gillibrand, have one child, Theodore, who is four years old. The congresswoman will continue to do her duties until her doctors tell her otherwise.Gillibrand is due in May. She will be the second woman to give birth this session. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Washington) gave birth to a baby boy, Cole McMorris Rodgers, last May.Only four other members of Congress, including one other New Yorker, have given birth while in Congress. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (D-California) was the first in 1973, followed by Enid Greene (R-Utah) in 1995, Susan Molinari (R-New York) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), both in 1996. McMorris Rodgers was the fifth this year. More About: Pregnant
The Boy Who Cried Weapons Of Mass Destruction
2007-12-05 13:05:00 They charge that liberals and the left are flip-floppers who change their views on an issue based on what's popular. Well, sometimes they do, but sometimes changing your views is warranted when it turns out you were wrong all along.Today we learned that Iran perhaps isn't as great a threat as the President had let us to believe. Are we supposed to be shocked? He insists they're still dangerous and still wants nukes, but his insinuations are just plain assumptions at this point. It is dangerous and counterproductive to make allegations based on assumptions. It destroys our credibility as a nation, not that we have any credibility anymore. We were wrong on Iraq, we were wrong on Iran. We are 0 and 2 in that region as of now.Only six weeks ago, this President was invoking World War III, all the while his administration, and perhaps even the President himself. knew there was no immediate risk from that country. Europe, Russia and China aren't excited at all about pressuring an impo... More About: Bush , Destruction , George W , Bush administration
Bush: Iran Still Dangerous
2007-12-04 22:06:00 "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, Iran will be dangerous"-George W . Bush Replace Iran with President Bush and the statement still rings true. More About: Dangerous
OH-05: Are Republicans Worried?
2007-12-04 04:50:00 There's two special elections occurring next Tuesday. One is in the Ohio 5th District, vacant since it's Representative, Paul Gilmor, died in early September. The district leans Republican. It has been in Republican hands since 1939. President Bush won over 60% of the vote in this district.OH-05 is centered in Northwestern Ohio, including Fremont, Tiffin, Norwalk and Bowling Green, as well as the southern suburbs of Toledo.The Republican nominee is Bob Latta, an Ohio State Senator and the son of Del Latta, who held the seat for 30 years. The Democratic nominee is Robin Weirauch, who got 43% of the vote against Paul Gilmor last year. As of late, Republicans are pouring a lot of money into the special election campaign, raising flags that perhaps they believe Weirauch to be stronger than they think. An internal poll showed Latta 14 points up, but only at 50%. In response, Democrats appear to have poured a lot of their resources hoping to pull off an upset. Some insiders say the race... More About: Elections , Worried
US Now Says No Nuke Program In Iran
2007-12-03 21:28:00 Seriously, can this governmet make up their damn minds.A US intelligence report now says the Iran ian government halted nuclear development in 2003 and has not restarted a nuclear weapons program, despite what the Bush administration has been telling us.The report concluded that Iran is at least three years away from developing the technology that could be used to enrich uranium and build a nuclear bomb.The Bush Administration is not backing down on it's assesment that Iran is the boogey man of the world. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley reiterated the administration's message that Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the NIE report says may not exist at all, is a serious risk. More About: Nuke , Program
Venezuela Rejects Chavez's Reforms
2007-12-03 19:48:00 If there was any doubt in anyone's minds that Venezuela was a democracy with a bad leader, here's your proof.Chavez says he will respect the voice of the people. I have my doubts he'll go quietly in 2012, but the moral of the story is...Venezuela is a democracy and Chavez is a democractically elected leader, whether you like it or not. More About: Hugo Chavez
Iowa Congressman Endorses Edwards
2007-12-03 17:10:00 As the Democratic Iowa Caucus turns into a three way dead heat between Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and former Senator John Edwards , the first endorsement came out today from Iowa's congressional delegation.Freshman Demcorat Bruce Braley, who represents Iowa's First District centered around Dubuque, Davenport and Waterloo, endorsed John Edwards.Braley says of Edwards;?Throughout this campaign, on issue after issue, John has proposed bold ideas to end the power of special interests in Washington and restore our government to the American people,? Braley said in a statement released by Edwards?s campaign. ?John is the only Democratic candidate who grew up in rural America, and he has the most specific, most progressive and most far-reaching ideas.?The rest of Iowa's delegation; two other Democratic House members, two Republican House members and Senators Tom Harkin, a Democrat, and Chuck Grassley, a Republican, have yet to endorse.Braley's endorsement comes as Mar... More About: Iowa Caucus , Congressman
Music Memory Jar: December 3, 1984
2007-12-03 07:04:00 2,000 people were killed instantly and another 6,000 would later die from a chemical leak at a Union Carbide plant sends a toxic cloud of odorless gas through the town of Bhopal, India. Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke sees his governmet reelection by a narrow margin.British Telecomm, now known as BT, is privatized by Margaret Thatcher's conservative government.In New York City, a certain blogger was...eh, he was an 18 month old colicky baby who took a liking to the soothing sounds of Hall and Oates...especially their latest hit; "Out Of Touch" More About: Music , Memory , December
Rove's Delusional Attempt To Shift Blame
2007-12-02 19:36:00 See, Karl Rove 's biggest problem is that he is no leader; when he's right, he wants to be praised like some God, when he's wrong, he wants someone else to take the blame. In his latest WTF moment, he blames Democrats in Congress for the Iraq war, trying to convince us that the President never wanted to go to the war in Iraq, but it was Tom Daschle and the Senate Democrats who pushed the President into the war.On Fox News Sunday, Rove kept to his story, even as Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) countered his argument with a quote by former Bush Press Secretary Ari Fleischer;"It was definitely the Bush administration that set it in motion and determined the timing, not the Congress. I think Karl in this instance just has his facts wrong."Rove disagrees and one wonders...does he really believe the crap he says? More About: Iraq War , Shift , Blame
Rudy: GET AWAY FROM ME!
2007-12-01 06:19:00 Rudy Giuliani reminds us that as President, he will not answer questions about anything to a media that doesn't wish to paint him in a positive light.Yesterday, as media approached him to ask him questions on his controversial shifting of funds during his affair with his now wife, Rudy's henchmen got physical with the media.Seriously, if Rudy can't handle Newsweek, how is he going to handle North Korea? Oh right, blow them up while he hides in a bunker. Isn't that what Giulianis do? More About: Rudy Giuliani , Rudy
Democrats To Pass Energy Legislation
2007-12-01 01:21:00 Speaker Nancy Pelosi has struck a deal with Michigan Democrats in a new energy bill that will increase fuel economy standards by 40% by 2020;Automakers would be required to meet an industrywide average of 35 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks, including SUVs, by 2020, the first increase by Congress in car fuel efficiency in 32 years.Republicans protested the bill because it did not include funding for domestic oil drilling and production. Pelosi stated she hoped the bill would push for alternative forms of energy and renweable energy.The bill is expected to pass the House and Senate and go to the President desk, and what he does is still in question. More About: Energy , Legislation , Pass
Happy Hour
2007-12-01 00:59:00 -So a Jew and a Black man walk into a restuarant...-This wouldn't have happened if they would've just called AT&T.-Pelosi and Murtha are having a little bit of a tiff-um, Bill O'Reilly, when we say illegal alien, that is not what we mean.-Condi Rice decided the Middle East was too daunting, so she was gonna start cleaning up a smaller mess...like Africa-At Christmas, little brats cry, scream, and pout until they get what they want.-To appease fiscal conservatives, the government has decided terrorism has been defeated.-The United States, the strongest, most powerful country on the planet, got double teamed by Israel and Venezuela in the same day.-We spent all this money with which I could've purchased a Hummer or an overpriced pair of jeans, so either die or get cured dammit!-The Republican who ousted Tom Daschle is not about to get involved in THIS mess. More About: Happy Hour , Happy , Hour
Hostage Situation At Hillary Clinton Campaign Office
2007-11-30 21:06:00 A hostage situation is unravelling at the headquarters of Senator Hillary Clinton 's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire.MSNBC is reporting two hostages have been takenUPDATE: Hostage taker apparently wants to talk to the Senator, who is in Washington D.C. at the moment, not in New Hampshire More About: Office , Campaign
Kerik Defends Giuliani
2007-11-30 07:54:00 Yeah, ok, that's going to help, because nobody is more believable than Bernard Kerik . I mean look at him, big halo over his head and everything.What's next? Is Lindsay Lohan going to defend Amy Winehouse' drinking problems? More About: Rudy Giuliani , Giuliani
NJ-07: Whitman's Daughter to Run
2007-11-30 01:33:00 Kate Whitman, daughter of the only Republican to win a statewide election in New Jersey in 20 years; former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, announced that she will run for the New Jersey 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by Mike Ferguson.The district, which meanders around Northern New Jersey from Roselle, Cranford, Scotch Plains through Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, has a slight Republican tilt. Whitman, the mom, won it in both her gubernatorial races, but McGreevey and Corzine won it in the past two Governor's races.If Whitman gets the nod, she will face State Assemblywoman Linda Stender, who narrowly lost to Ferguson last year 49%-48%. More About: Daughter
Rudy Scandal Keeps Getting Better`
More articles from this author:2007-11-29 21:52:00 Apparently Judy Nathan used the NYPD as her personal taxi service.Keep it coming guys, this is getting pretty exciting. More About: Rudy Giuliani , Scandal , Rudy , Canda 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |



