State Senate votes down same-sex marriage bill, Bruno trial still deliberating, alleged elderly safe robber arrested, Albany school district considers mid-year job cuts
The state Senate voted down the same-sex marriage bill 38-24. Supporters of the bill apparently thought the vote would be closer. Eight Democrats joined every Republican in the chamber in voting "no." Here's a listing of how each senator voted. [TU] [NYT] [NYDN] [CapCon]
The state Senate passed the $2.7 billion deficit reduction bill. David Paterson criticized the legislature's cuts for falling "well short" of what's actually necessary to cover the budget gap. The Senate also passed bills that reform the state's public authorities (such as the Thruway Authority) and change the pension rules for new state employees. [TU] [Daily Politics] [NYT] [NYT]
Joe Bruno Trial: the jury is still deliberating. The jury asked to have testimony read back yesterday from Jared Abbruzzese, the Loudonville businessman who bought an overvalued horse from Bruno apparently to make up for a canceled consulting contract. Oh, no: the trial seems to be affecting Uncle Joe's perma-tan (if not his loquaciousness). [TU] [Troy Record] [NYT]
After the Saratoga Springs' police and fire chiefs announced their retirements this week, Ron Kim -- the outgoing Saratoga Springs public safety commissioner -- says he's moving to hire their replacements. That's not going over well with Richard Wirth, who become public safety commissioner on January 1. [TU] [Saratogian]
Albany County exec Mike Breslin has offered to support the construction of a new county nursing home (he had opposed building a new facility) -- if the legislature supports his budget. [TU]
The Albany school district is considering mid-year job cuts because of a gap projected in next year's budget. [TU]
Colonie police say the man responsible for the arm robbery of a Latham office building this week, in which a guard was tied up and a safe taken, is a 75-year-old Schuylerville man. Police say the man was a former security guard at the office and the man he allegedly tied up was his replacement. [Troy Record] [TU]
Albany police say there have been a string of house break-ins in North Albany recently. The robbers have made off with all sorts of stuff -- including a 42-inch flat screen TV. And Niskayuna police say there's a rash of break-ins in Old Niskayuna. [Fox23] [WTEN] [CapNews9]
The former animal control officer in Rensselaer County accused of stealing and killing dogs is expected to a get a plea deal -- without jail time, as the owner of two missing dogs had hoped. [Troy Record] [CBS6]
Authorities say a man was found lying next to the Mohawk in Cohoes, hypothermic, with a partially submerged van in the river. The how and why are unclear. [Troy Record] [TU]
A group of Skidmore students have turned a class project into an actual business. [Post-Star]
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When we give individuals rights and responsibilities above and beyond the reach of regular citizens -- like the power we give law enforcement or, say, animal control officers -- we also give them a degree of trust to use those rights in a responsible, meaningful way.
When that trust is broken, perhaps through abuse of such power and especially in direct relation to the responsibilities given to these individuals, the resulting punishment should be stronger than that which a regular citizen would suffer, in proportion to the power and trust invested in said individual.
Alternately, we could just say screw it, and make sure that people who want to murder animals understand that they're only allowed if they're on the side of the law. The law being, um... someone help me out here? I'm apparently lacking the brain tumor that lets any of this to make sense.
... said B on Dec 3, 2009 at 12:23 PM | link
if its not people its not murder. murder's a legal term and it doesn't come into play here. anyway, animals don't get human rights privileges because, inarguably, they're not human. the only way to be a non-hypocritical non-vegan american is to acknowledge that pet dogs' lives are not more valuable than any other domesticated animal's.
that said, the gentleman in question should be fired for doing a bad job, fined for the loss of property on the part of the owner, and given a job slaughtering pigs or one of the other myriad professions where it's ethical to kill animals.
a hundred years from now, wholesale slavery and slaughter of animals will no doubt be considered as barbaric as human slavery is now. unfortunately, we do not live a hundred years from now and must deal with the realities of the world that we live in.
let's talk about the ethical implications of millions of well-fed dogs and millions of starving children. let's talk about the disparity of health care between american pets and the american poor. let's talk about whether or not domestication is the callous and inhuman manipulation of something that has its own agenda. not to condemn anyone here, i'm not sure that it's even possible to. we are all guilty of the lost lives of millions of organisms just as unique as any individual human and our current success is built on the artifact skeletons of dead animals, human or otherwise. culture is human coral.
... said james on Dec 3, 2009 at 2:03 PM | link