The Crackdown Continues In Syria

Syrians continue streaming into Turkey to evade Syrian forces hell bent on cracking down on the opposition. Turkey is closely monitoring the situation along the border, particularly as Syria continues sending more and more troops into the border provinces.



Despite months of crackdowns, Syrians continue protesting against Assad's brutality. 15 protesters were killed yesterday.



Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Assad's media outlets are claiming that the extent of the protests and opposition are fabricated and exaggerated. Assad's so far removed from reality and insulated from the everyday lives of Syrians who toil under his harsh regime that he doesn't understand the full extent of the protests and how his regime has lost what little support it maintained.

Barbaric Terrorists Attack Afghan Hospital; 60+ Dead; 120 Wounded

Terrorists targeted an Afghan hospital in Eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 60 people. The Taliban denied responsibility, claiming that they don't attack hospitals (even though they've had no problems attacking schools or civilians in any other locale.

This wasn't the only terror attack in Afghanistan, as a bomber blew up an explosive in a bazaar, killing at least 10 people in northern Afghanistan.

New York State Senate Passing Marriage Equality Act: UPDATE: Passed 33-29

The political maneuverings are over and the State Senate finally appears to be on the cusp of passing the Marriage Equality Act. It appears that the measure has sufficient votes to pass after Republican Stephen Saland said he would vote to approve the measure. (Watch it as it happens).

Watch live streaming video from nysenate at livestream.com

If the vote goes as expected, it would appear that the vote will be 36-26 in favor of the bill that would legalize gay marriage and provide protections from liability for religious groups that object to gay marriage. 32 votes are necessary for passage.

The Senate took up the measure just before 10 p.m., and the Senate galleries were packed with gay couples in support of the bill and religious opponents of it.

Senator Stephen Saland, a Poughkeepsie Republican, became the critical 32nd vote, telling his colleagues in an emotional address that he believed the issue came down to a question of equality.

“I know my vote is a vote of conscience,” he told a hushed chamber. “I am at peace with my vote. It was a struggle. It was an extraordinary deliberation.”

The measure was to be the final act of this year’s legislative session, and lawmakers earlier Friday barrelled through a variety of votes on university tuition, rent stabilization, and property taxes.

“After many hours of deliberation and discussion over the past several weeks among the members, it has been decided that same-sex marriage legislation will be brought to the full Senate for an up or down vote,” the majority leader, Senator Dean G. Skelos of Long Island, said in a statement. “As I have said many times, this is a very difficult issue and it will be a vote of conscience for every member of the Senate.”

Mr. Skelos, whose caucus had been criticized over the last week for not scheduling a Senate vote on the same-sex marriage measure, said in an interview, “The days of just bottling up things, and using these as excuses not to have votes — as far as I’m concerned as leader, it’s over with.”

The marriage measure, which was proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and approved by the state Assembly, has been publicly endorsed by 31 of the 62 senators — leaving the measure one vote shy of the votes needed for passage in the Senate. The announced supporters include 29 of the 30 Senate Democrats and 2 of the 32 Senate Republicans. Supporters and opponents alike said that anything could happen when the Senate takes its vote.

So, while there are some Republican faithful who are threatening to vote Republicans who approve this measure out of office, Republican leadership sees that as the lesser of evils as denying this measure would likely cost them control over the State Senate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already expressed his intention to sign this bill into law.

UPDATE:
The bill passes 33-29, which means that the bill will now go on to Gov. Cuomo for his signature. It will make New York the sixth and largest state to enact gay marriage in the US.

EU Calls On Hamas To Release Gilad Shalit On Eve of 5th Anniversary of Capture

In just a few short hours, it will have been five years since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit. The two Israeli soldiers killed were Lt. Hanan Barak, 20, of Arad and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, 20, of Dimona. They were attacked by a Hamas cell that infiltrated into Israel through a tunnel originating from the Rafah area, passing under the security fence to the area between the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings. The terrorists, operating under cover of mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, attacked an armored personnel carrier, an IDF tank and a watchtower. IDF forces returned fire, killing at least two terrorists. Shalit was captured in that raid.

Shalit has been held for the past five years somewhere in Gaza and Hamas refuses to provide humanitarian aid groups any access for fear that it might tip Israel off as to his whereabouts. It refuses to allow the ICRC or Red Crescent access to Shalit so as to affirm his physical condition and well-being - all in violation of international law and conventions, to say nothing of human rights.

The reason for Shalit's capture - and that Hamas infiltration operation was simple. Hamas wanted to trade Shalit's life for the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists sitting in Israeli jails. That calculus remains in effect, and repeated efforts to secure his release have faltered over the numbers of terrorists that Hamas demands be released as well as which terrorists are to be included.

Two years ago, Hamas and Israel agreed to the early release of several hundred Palestinians in exchange for video showing that Shalit was still alive. That was a propaganda victory for Hamas, who gets to trot out the prisoners to cheering adulation and big crowds that call for Israel's downfall.

Sadly, nothing has changed this past year, which is the same as it was the year before only that Shalit is yet another year older and another year deprived of his rights and freedom.

Hamas refuses to release Shalit unless Israel releases hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, which is suicidal for Israel to contemplate. Hamas will not release Shalit as a humanitarian aid gesture so as to induce Israel to reduce its blockade against Gaza because it would lose its primary pawn in its ongoing war against Israel.

However, this time the EU is calling on Hamas to release Shalit, and France has said that we should not foresake Shalit (Shalit is a dual-citizen with France). Earlier this year, the G8 also called for Shalit's release, but that will all fall on deaf ears; the only thing Hamas cares about is maximizing the bounty paid on Shalit - maximize the number of terrorists Israel has to release to buy Shalit his freedom.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 142

This is a photo of 4WTC getting its glass curtain wall along Liberty Street. The builders have built sidewalk sheds along the south side of Liberty following an accident where a piece of metal fell through safety netting on 4WTC and caused minor injuries to a pedestrian.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Meanwhile, work continues on the Freedom Tower and it has now reached the point in steel erection where the 8 triangular segments are equidistant as the tower torques 45 degrees from above the pedestal base to the roofline.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

It's pretty remarkable how close the Freedom Tower appears to follow the mockups for the tower once this design was agreed upon, although the base will end up being a different design due to technical issues with the glass that was intended to be use to wrap the base.

Also, the Freedom Tower is now taller than 7WTC, which sits adjacent to the tower and was the first building rebuilt following the attacks. When completed, the Freedom Tower will be nearly twice as tall as 7WTC and other Lower Manhattan buildings as it becomes North America's tallest skyscraper.

Marriage Equality Act Will Pass In New York; IF It's Ever Brought To a Floor Vote

This is where things stand with the Marriage Equality Act (gay marriage) proposal in New York. Everyone recognizes that if the bill is brought to a floor vote in the State Senate, it would pass - and Gov. Andrew Cuomo would sign it into law, making New York the sixth (and by far the most important) state to do so.

The problem is that it's still mired in procedural actions and haggling over various terms, and it's stuck with other proposals including a property tax cap and mandate relief that the Legislature has yet to address. The Senate Republicans are caught between a rock and hard place:

As soon as today, the New York Senate’s majority party could decide whether to duck out of Albany without voting on same-sex marriage or risk allowing a vote.

If there’s a vote, all it would take is one more Republican to vote yes, and same-sex marriage will become legal — something sure to anger the GOP’s conservative wing and expose Republican senators to primary election challenges next year.

But walking away from the issue without a vote could prove the riskier political strategy as the nation waits to see whether New York becomes the sixth and largest state to sanction same-sex marriage.

Thursday, the Senate adjourned for the night at 11 p.m. without even talking about same-sex marriage. Senators will resume work today, but it remains unclear whether they will vote on the issue. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has not agreed to allow a vote.

The Senate's Republican majority is scheduled to meet behind closed doors at 10 a.m. today then go into open session.

But a backlog of other more ordinary yet important bills for New Yorkers must be dealt with first.

Once those bills are passed, the Senate Republicans could start what would likely be a lengthy debate over the gay marriage bill in a closed-door caucus. They could then send the bill to the floor, or kill it.

No vote would unleash a continual stream of questions and backlash from gay rights advocates, Democrats, and national and local media that could linger through campaigns in 2012, a presidential election year.

Avoiding the vote would fly in the face of a popular governor who has made gay marriage a core agenda item. The Republican senators could count on the same issue waiting for them in Albany next January, when the Legislature re-convenes.

“Whether it’s this year or next year, at some point it’ll go on the floor,” said Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, who opposes same-sex marriage but is open to allowing a vote.

Senators, especially those opposing same-sex marriage, get the conundrum. That explains why they are working to amend legislation they may ultimately vote against.

“I think the best case scenario for us is to have an up or down vote and move on to our core issues, jobs and taxes,” said Sen. Greg Ball, a Republican from Putnam County who has spent days working to insert more religious protections into a bill already passed last week by the Assembly.

If the Republicans, who control the Senate punt this year, it will come back at them with a vengeance next year during a Presidential election season, and their thin majority in the Senate could be at risk. That's why getting this off their plate makes sense as it would let them deal with other pressing issues, including mandate relief.

This should have been included in the "framework" agreement between the Legislature and Gov. Cuomo (aka 3 men in a room - Gov. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and Speaker Shelly Silver), but it wasn't. That was a mistake on Skelos' part although he has to keep his caucus in line on the other issues.

So, while the legislature could potentially end its session today, it has to deal with several important outstanding bills, including the gay marriage bill and we could be looking at a marathon session once again before the weekend. Either that, or the legislature will be back next week to pass what is still left on the calendar.

NEC Commute Screwed Again Due To Power Problems

For the second time today - both occurring during the height of rush hour - all traffic in and out of Penn Station in New York is cancelled due to power problems.

Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct service is temporarily suspended due to an Amtrak power supply problem. NJ TRANSIT passes and tickets will be accepted on NJ TRANSIT Bus and Private Carrier Buses. PATH is cross honoring rail tickets/passes at Newark, Hoboken and NYPS.

These delays are separate from weather related issues today affecting other parts of the NYC metro area.

This is an intolerable situation, and for those who think that NJ Transit and Amtrak should spend billions on building a new tunnel across the Hudson River, they ought to get their priorities straight. First and foremost is a dire need to replace and upgrade the electrical systems along the NEC, which cause regular problems and delays that affect the busiest rail corridor in the nation.

FBI Links Reservist Arrested Outside Pentagon To Shooting Incidents; Including Video

A string of mysterious shooting incidents, including where shots were fired at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, the Pentagon, and several other military-related locations around Virginia have been tied back to a reservist who was arrested outside the Pentagon (HT: Killgore Trout).

FBI officials who arrested 22-year-old Marine reservist Yonathan Melaku outside of the Pentagon during a security scare last week say he recorded himself shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and have linked him to a string of five shootings in October and November.

Federal prosecutors charged Melaku on Thursday with destruction of property and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Virginia. He's accused of shooting at the Marine Corps museum two times as well as the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting sub-station in Chantilly and a Coast Guard recruiting office in Woodbridge between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.

Authorities said in an affidavit that they found bomb-making and explosives documents on Melaku's computer, according to a preliminary FBI review. They also found a digital video tape of one of the shootings in his desk.

"I've already... that's the military building... last time I hit them, they turned off the lights for like four or five days," Melaku allegedly said in the video, according to an FBI affidavit. "So now here we go again; this time I'm going to turn it off permanently."

He allegedly shouted "Allahu Ackbar" before firing the rounds, and from the sound of things, it appears that he's another lone wolf jihadi who has caused at least $100,000 in damage due to his alleged firing on a total of five military buildings, including the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly, VA, a US Coast Guard recruiting station in Woodbridge, VA, and the museum twice. He was taken into custody while fleeing into Arlington National Cemetery.



Melaku, a naturalized US citizen from Ethiopia, was out on bail on unrelated grand larceny charges at the time of his arrest. The same gun was used in all the incidents. The Marine Corps is in the process of removing him from the service on those larceny charges.

Syrian Troops Continue Push Towards Turkish Border In Ongoing Crackdown

Syrian forces continue moving through villages in northern parts of Syria in an effort to quash the ongoing opposition movement. They're moving towards the Syria-Turkey border, where many have sought refuge from Bashar al-Assad's thugs if they haven't already crossed over into Turkey.

Witnesses said Thursday the troops entered Khirbet al-Jouz, continuing a government crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising that began in March.

Turkey has set up tent camps to house 10,000 Syrians who have fled to escape the violence.

EU diplomats say the 27-nation bloc is due to adopt new sanctions Thursday against seven individuals, including three Iranians, which would then come into force on Friday.

The diplomats said Wednesday the seven individuals will be added to a list of 23 people and entities already under an EU asset freeze and travel ban. The list includes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Iranians and other newly-targeted individuals are suspected of providing military equipment and support to the Syrian government in suppressing the opposition movement that began in March. The crackdown has killed at least 1,400 people.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem denounced the EU action Wednesday, saying it is hurting the livelihood of Syrians and represents an "act of war."

Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, he said Syria "will forget Europe is on the map" and rejects foreign interference in its internal affairs.

Assad continues his insular rule and scoffs at the notion that outsiders can influence how he crushes the opposition:

Syria has rejected foreign intervention over its deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged a united response from the Security Council charging that President Bashar al-Assad lacked "credibility.

Ban was on Wednesday echoing the disappointment expressed by many foreign governments over a keynote speech delivered by Assad on Monday in which he insisted there could be no reform amid the "chaos" of three months of anti-government protests.

"No one outside can impose on us their point of view," Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told a Damascus press conference, when asked about the mounting diplomatic pressure on his government.

Russian Plane Crash Victims Included Major Russian Scientists Involved In Iranian Nuclear Effort

Among those killed in that Russian plane crash earlier this week were several scientists working on the Iranian nuclear plant at Bushehr.

Five Russian scientists who assisted in the design of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant were among the 44 fatalities of Monday's Russian plain crash, Moscow's International News Agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

The Tupolev-134 plane broke up and caught fire upon making an emergency landing outside the northern city of Petrozavodsk. A preliminary investigation ruled out the possibility of a technical failure.

Russian aircraft, particularly the TU-134 have been notoriously prone to accidents, so it isn't all that surprising that the plane went down. That will be cold comfort to not only the Russians, but the Iranians, who were relying on the Russian assistance for completing an Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr.

This will be a setback to the Iranian nuclear ambitions since these were among the top scientists working on the project. It will also hamper Russian nuclear energy initiatives around the world, since these were major figures in the Russian nuclear community.

Energy Department To Release 30 Million Barrels Of Oil From Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The US Energy Department is set to release 30 million barrels from Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That sounds like a lot until you realize that 30 million barrels is equivalent to 3 1/3 days of transportation use.

The justification is that the ongoing situation in Libya has reduced production by 1.5 million bbl a day.

I see this as a measure to help Europe and specifically to continue the NATO mission against Mumar Khadafi. Europe gets imports from Libya and the lost production is affecting the economy in Europe with higher energy costs. So, while the SPR drawdown will not affect prices here in the US, it is meant to assist the Europeans deal with the ongoing fighting in Libya and ongoing unrest in the rest of the Middle East and oil-producing countries.

Prices at the pump in the US have moderated and even started to slide down despite the ongoing unrest overseas. Demand has moderated as people have adjusted to higher energy costs and people are shifting their spending to compensate for the higher costs.

The Problematic End of the Afghan Surge

President Obama is set to announce that the Afghan surge, where 30,000 additional US troops were stationed in Afghanistan, will come to an end in 2012. 10,000 troops will be pulled back this year, and 20,000 more will be pulled out by the end of 2012.

This doesn't end the US commitment to Afghanistan and the troop levels will be as they were when President Obama took office - 70,000.

These troop reductions are both deeper and faster than the recommendations made by Mr. Obama’s military commanders, and they reflect mounting political and economic pressures at home, as the president faces relentless budget pressures and an increasingly restive Congress and American public.

The president is scheduled to speak about the Afghanistan war from the White House at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Mr. Obama’s decision is a victory for Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has long argued for curtailing the American military engagement in Afghanistan. But it is a setback for his top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, who helped write the Army’s field book on counterinsurgency policy, and who is returning to Washington to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

Two administration officials said General Petraeus did not endorse the decision, though both Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who is retiring, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reluctantly accepted it. General Petraeus had recommended limiting initial withdrawals and leaving in place as many combat forces for as long as possible, to hold on to fragile gains made in recent combat.

In announcing the withdrawals, Mr. Obama will fulfill a pledge he made in December 2009, when he coupled the deployment of 30,000 additional troops with a promise to begin winding down America’s engagement by the middle of this year. But the speed and scope of this plan is striking.

The troop withdrawals this year appears to be higher than a level that outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates and General David Petraeus were comfortable with, but it appears that budgeting and politics are trumping security.

Now is not the time to sit back and take the pressure off the Taliban and al Qaeda affiliated Islamists in Afghanistan or the frontier provinces along the Afghan-Pakistani border. It's the time to hammer home the fact that they've lost and that if they want the US to leave, it will be on US terms.

Reducing troop levels will allow the Taliban to claim victory when no such claim could be warranted and that will further allow them to recruit and regain a foothold in areas that are being held by ISAF and US forces.

I fear that this drawdown will allow the Taliban and al Qaeda to reassert themselves in these regions. It also means that intel gathering will be harder to come by in these regions as we will no longer have sufficient boots on the ground to carry out intel gathering missions to go along with fighting the Taliban where they appear.

It means that capturing foreign fighters and their facilitators will be harder as there are simply fewer US troops (and other ISAF troops) to monitor the region and take the fight to the Taliban.

Fulton Street Transit Hub Update

The Fulton Street transit hub has been oft-delayed and is well over budget, but it is reaching several milestones this year, including the reopening of the southbound Cortland Street station, which was taken out of service as a result of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent construction.

The whole project is expected to be completed by 2014, which is years later than originally expected. The project was supposed to be completed by 2009, but a lack of funds meant no work was carried out on the project for several years. At the same time, the $799 million cost is now up over $1.4 billion.

Still, it is long past time for this project to get completed since it would help untangle the maze of subway lines that were built at the turn of the 20th century when those lines were run by competing companies. It's expected to serve more than 300,000 people daily making it one of the busiest subway stops in the city.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 141

There's a pretty frenetic pace of work going on around Ground Zero these days.

The Freedom Tower continues rising. The glass exterior is keeping pace with the rising steel, and scaffolding has now appeared on the mechanical spaces from the 10-20 story level, which means that those spaces will soon get their cladding.

Fiterman Hall is getting its outer skin and windows. While the exterior appears to be glass and brick, the brick was installed in large panels so that there wasn't any actual bricklaying on site.

Even work on the foundations for 2WTC are underway.

The Port Authority is even working on leasing arrangements for the retail space that will occupy significant portions of the underground space in and around the PATH Transit Hub. It's working out a deal with Westfield Properties that began with talks in 2008 to fill the space:

These sources said the Port wants to know by mid-fall if it can seal a deal with Westfield. That would give the agency enough time to either find another partner or move forward by itself in developing a plan for the approximately 360,000 square feet of retail space that will be initially built at the site. Roughly 200,000 square feet of that space is in the Calatrava transit hub, which is slated to open in 2014.

In 2008, the Port Authority and Westfield signed a letter of intent whereby the Port agreed to provide approximately $825 million toward the $1.45 billion project, with Westfield providing the other $625 million. However, that deal was based on projections of about 488,000 square feet of retail space. That total has shrunk, in part because there are no immediate plans to build one of Larry Silverstein's three towers.

Meanwhile, a federal circuit court ruled that the Port Authority can be sued by Con Ed and its insurers over the collapse of 7WTC on 9/11. A lower court judge, Alvin Hellerstein, had precluded Con Ed's suit, claiming that the terms of the lease prevented Con Ed from suing the Port Authority on a negligence claim.

However, a portion of Hellerstein's decision was upheld, relating to Con Ed's failure to provide timely notice on certain claims.

"In short, we conclude it was error to read the parties' lease as precluding claims by Con Edison against Port Authority premised on Port Authority's negligence in connection with the construction of 7WTC or the installation of the diesel fuel tanks in the building," the appeals court order said.

But the order upholds the lower court judge on the more general negligence claim, saying Con Edison had not properly notified the Port Authority of its intention to sue on those grounds.

Overall, this ruling opens up the Port Authority to significant financial liability and stems from claims that the Port Authority had improperly allowed its tenants (the New York City Office of Emergency Management) to place diesel fuel tanks used for back-up power, and that the burning tanks had accelerated the collapse of the building late in the afternoon of September 11.

Also, the special master under the Zadroga Act has expanded the geographical area of coverage, but that doesn't satisfy all those who claim to be affected as it excludes areas in Chinatown and Brooklyn where dust and debris came down.

UPDATE:
From the Port Authority site:

1 WTC Construction Status

Steel has risen to the 70th floor.
Installation of glass curtain wall has risen to the 44th floor
Installation of concrete floors has risen to the 64th floor
Installation of podium glass will begin in 2012 to allow for construction activities and deliveries to proceed in this area.

NY Faces Budget Mess; Awaiting Action on Same-Sex Marriage; But Finds Time To Name Official Mineral

Priorities people. It is all about the priorities.

The Legislature, which has rarely found itself in a position to adopt an on-time budget, rent control extensions, or act upon controversial legislation like the Marriage Equality Act, did find time to pass legislation that would name the Herkimer Diamond the official mineral of New York.

Herkimer diamonds are interesting minerals to be sure, but it's a footnote when compared to the more momentous legislation pending in the State Senate. The Marriage Equality Act would grant gays the right to marry in New York. Passage would make New York the sixth and largest state to adopt gay marriage rights.

That legislation is still pending as a framework has been agreed to on rent control and other important legislation like tuition hikes for SUNY, power plant siting, and a cap on property taxes.

The framework, which was agreed to yesterday means that we'll once again see all-nighters in Albany as the legislature rushes to adopt the package of bills before leaving town for the year.

A Long Overdue Admission On Unsustainable Pensions In New Jersey

New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, a Democrat, has admitted what many have assumed for quite some time - pensions and health benefits were simply unsustainable at the levels promised by union officials and legislators who signed off on deal after deal. It comes as he's working on a deal with Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican to change union benefits and require workers to contribute a greater percentage towards their health and pension benefits:

To his mind, he’s exposed a family secret in Trenton: The pensions and health care plans are unsustainable, and union leaders have known it for years and said nothing.

“They lied to their members,” Mr. Sweeney said. “When I say lied, I mean it. They lied.”

That is only a slight overstatement. The labor movement has many laments and many wounds, more than a few self-inflicted. Some pension provisions were undoubtedly piled too high. And union leaders wheedled special deals and remained silent as governors, Republican and Democrat, declined to pay into the pension system.

Labor leaders and politicians, no less than arbitragers and Goldman Sachs partners, relied on magic bubbles to keep it all afloat. The line between illusion and lie grew indistinct.

But Monday offered a through-the-looking-glass moment of a sort, seen across the nation, as middle-class union members became improbable symbols of a recessionary era brought on by Wall Street financiers.

It's also quite troubling when no one who will actually be voting on these measures has any idea of what the costs are to the union members, or the taxpayers who have been bearing the ever higher costs.

The dealing on the pensions and benefits has revealed the shady side of politics in Trenton - it has kicked over a hornet's nest of conflicting interests within both parties, but particularly the Democrats who are closer to unions than the Republicans.

In the end, taxpayers - including these same union members who will be required to make higher contributions - will begin to see tax relief. For far too long, legislators in Trenton have made promises they couldn't afford, hoping that financial alchemy would solve the solvency issue. That all came crashing down when the economy faltered and the assumptions about growth simply didn't materialize.

Still No Decision on NY Marriage Equality Act or Rent Control As Session Nears End

The New York State 2011 legislative session should have ended yesterday, but it hasn't because of two of the most contentious issues remaining on the table - rent control and the gay marriage bill (the Marriage Equality Act). Right now, there's quite a bit of political maneuvering behind the scenes to get a deal done on both counts. Indeed, both issues are likely to be tied to each other to secure passage of both.



The legislature had extended the existing rent control guidelines until midnight tonight after they were set to expire over the weekend. That's given them some additional time, but the problem is that Republicans would like to see the law extended as it is currently configured, while NYC representatives and the Democratic caucus would like to see them adjusted to give a higher cap (to $300,000) on income and reduced increases in rents on 1-year and 2-year leases.

Rent regulations, which briefly lapsed last week, were last night extended for a second time and will now expire at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

Skelos would not accept demands by Silver to raise to $300,000 a year and $3,000 a month the income and rent thresholds at which landlords can strip price controls from a unit. The limits currently stand at $175,000 and $2,000.

"We're looking to protect lower- and moderate-income families," Skelos said.

"But we're not looking to protect the wealthy in New York City."

As the leaders met, the shouts of hundreds of demonstrators echoed through the halls. Some demanded stronger rent laws, some called for a ban on natural-gas drilling, but a vast majority sought to influence any vote on same-sex marriage.

Thirty-one of the Senate's 62 members -- including two Republicans -- have already committed to supporting the same-sex-marriage bill, leaving it just one vote from passage.

For now, the legislature is passing one-day extenders on rent control so that they can continue talks. This is the Albany way.

In the end, I expect deals to be cut on both the gay marriage bill and rent control so that both issues will be passed, and New York will become the sixth (and largest state) to recognize gay marriage.

A Security Observation

This past week, I had the opportunity to head north of the border to Canada and visited Niagara Falls and Toronto. It was a well deserved vacation and got to enjoy the weather and majestic scenery (as well as the great wines and icewines from Niagara on the Lake and the Finger Lakes of New York).

Going to both Toronto and Niagara Falls also gave me an opportunity to visit two of the tourist traps that everyone should visit precisely because they are the quintessential experiences for both locations. That means visiting the Maid of the Mist and the CN Tower.

There was no security to speak of for the Maid of the Mist - the fleet of sturdy boats that take hundreds of tourists to within a few hundred feet of the falling waters of the Horseshoe Falls and American Falls. It's an exhilarating experience to be on those boats, but one has more security going on the Staten Island Ferry or the PATH train.

Security at the CN Tower was a slightly different story. There, they had three of those air sensor scanners to check for explosives. It was quick, efficient, and their security guards had a sense of humor (well, sort of). After going through with my camera gear bag, the guard asked whether I had any firearms, grenades, bazookas, etc. I get the attempt at humor because of the boredom of asking the patrons to the CN Tower (the largest freestanding structure in North America). However, I didn't particularly think it was all that professional and being from NYC, I do take security a wee bit more seriously having seen my modes of transportation repeatedly targeted by al Qaeda for attack (PATH, subways, the WTC (twice), tunnels and bridges).

The experience at the CNN tower did suggest that it was possible to scan larger groups of people in a prompt manner and something along these lines could prove useful in securing Amtrak and speeding the screening at airports. After all, it took just seconds to do the air puffer. Even if you add in time to run a metal detector, it would be a vast improvement for all involved.

New York Inches Closer To Granting Gay Marriages

The State Assembly has already passed a version of a gay marriage bill, and the State Senate is considering a version of the bill that would be palatable to religious groups and the vote there hinges on one vote, Republican State Senator Andrew Lanza of Staten Island who is undecided on the bill.

If it passes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that he would sign the bill into law. It would make New York the sixth state to recognize gay marriages. Changes to the bill since it was last considered in the legislature have closed the gap needed for passage.

Negotiators are working on final provisions of a bill to soothe some Senate Republican concerns over how the bill might affect religious institutions, including church-run adoption agencies, and hope a deal will be in place for a vote Monday when the State Senate returns to Albany to wrap up the 2011 session.

Fence-sitting Senate Republicans, including Buffalo Sen. Mark Grisanti, who met with Cuomo in private Friday, say there are still outstanding issues that are keeping them from becoming "yes" votes.

The final version expected to emerge Monday is not expected to be dramatically different than what already passed the Assembly earlier this week. Cuomo said religious groups have raised "legitimate" concerns over religious freedom issues.

The Catholic Church has said the way the bill is written would force them to recognize same-sex marriages for the purposes of church-run adoption agencies, and other religious groups want protections against being penalized by the state -- either losing certain state licenses for various social agencies or their tax-exempt status -- if they do not perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Proponents were cautious, though confidence that gay marriage will become legal has been growing in a week that has seen five senators change their positions on the issue, as well as the Assembly's passage of the bill and increasing acknowledgment privately by many Republican senators of the bill's passage. Approval is shy by one vote in the Senate, and any changes made in the coming days can be adopted by an amendment vote in the Assembly instead of a full debate all over again.

Conservative religious groups were pulling out all the stops and hope to pressure Senate Republicans in their districts this weekend.

Protesters are out in force on the Third Floor in the Capitol as they are doing their best to let the legislators know their views.

A legislative adoption of gay marriage rights is preferable to a judicial imposition and if New York enacts a gay marriage law, expect other states to follow suit and model their statutory language on the New York wording.

The bill is A8354. The bill authorizes the granting of civil marriage, while leaving the religious institution of marriage to its own separate, and fully autonomous sphere. It also addresses benefits received by spouses in such gay marriages and puts them on the same footing as those received in heterosexual marriages.

It is interesting that New York, which had lagged on domestic relations law for so long (it was among the last to shift to a no-fault divorce), is now on the cusp of granting gay marriages.

Assad To Again Address Syria As Security Forces Continue Brutal Crackdown

For the third time this year, Bashar al Assad will make a national address in an attempt to remain in power. Assad has twice before made promises that turned out to be empty gestures; in both instances he claimed that he would make reforms and provide amnesty, but immediately thereafter the crackdown intensified.

It's little wonder that Syrians simply don't trust him. They've seen his handiwork first hand and know the kind of thing that Assad does to his opponents. At the same time, Syrians trying to flee from northern areas into Turkey are being intercepted by Syrian forces:

Assad first addressed parliament on March 30, two weeks after the start of the anti-regime demonstrations, calling the deadly unrest a "conspiracy" fomented by the country's enemies.

In a televised address on April 16, he announced that the emergency law in force in Syria for nearly 50 years would be abolished, expressed his sadness at the deaths of protesters and called for a national dialogue.

Opposition activists announced on Sunday that they were setting up a "National Council" to spearhead the struggle against his regime.

Syrian opposition activists have created a "National Council" to lead the battle to oust Assad's regime, their spokesperson Jamil Saib said on Sunday.

"We announce the creation of a National Council to lead the Syrian revolution, comprising all communities and representatives of national political forces inside and outside Syria," reporters near the Turkish-Syrian border were told.

The activists urged opposition forces "to co-operate in all cities and provinces of Syria to achieve the legitimate goal of overthrowing the regime and bringing it to justice".

"The purpose of this council is to bring together opposition forces to support the revolution" and ensure that they are heard by the international community, Saib told the AFP news agency.

Refugee exodus

Meanwhile, Syrian forces swept through a northwestern border region to stem an exodus of refugees to Turkey that is raising international pressure on Assad, witnesses and a rights activist said on Sunday.

Syrian human rights campaigner Ammar al-Qurabi accused pro-government forces of attacking people who were helping refugees try to escape from a widening military campaign to crush protests against Assad's rule.

War crimes charges are now being considered against Assad, as word of his brutal crackdown becomes more known as refugees recount their harrowing tales.

Niagara Falls Panorama