Could New York Elect an Anti-Semitic Mayor?

 

As of this writing, New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is leading former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City Mayoral Democratic Primary.

With 86% of the vote tallied, Mamdani leads Cuomo by 7.5%. 

Of course, this is ranked choice balloting so official results will be known by next week. However, given that Mamdani and third-place candidate Brad Lander (NYC's current Comptroller) cross-endorsed each other earlier this month, I'm not sure how Cuomo can overcome this alliance.

In which case, it would appear that Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in New York City.

This means there is a chance New York, the capital of American Jewry, could elect an anti-Semitic Mayor. 

I shudder at the thought. If Jews aren't safe in New York, then Jews aren't safe anywhere.

In which case, it would be Eric Adams vs. Zohran Mamdani. Voting for the crook has never been so important since Edwin Edwards defeated David Duke in the Louisiana gubernatorial race in 1991. 

Yes, I know Mayor Adams didn't have his day in Court. President Trump saw to it and now Adams is beholden to him. 

But a re-elected Adams is infinitely preferable to a Mamdani who wishes to "globalize the intifada."

This means Mamdani wants dead Jews whether be they in Beersheba or in Brooklyn. If you don't believe me then you can ask the parents of slain hostages Omer Neutra and Hersh Goldberg-Polin what "globalize the intifada" means. 

I am also appalled that mainstream outlets such as The Bulwark and Stephen Colbert see fit to give anti-Semites like Mamdani a platform. If Mamdani is elected and Jews are murdered, then they have blood on their hands.

I can only hope there are enough decent New Yorkers who will be sufficiently appalled by Mamdani's hatred of Jews to provide Adams with a second term in office.

Did Trump Even Bother to Tell Israel & Iran There Was a Ceasefire Before Announcing One?

 

Only hours after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Truth Social which he vowed would last forever, President Trump blasted both countries claiming "they don't know what the fuck they are doing" after Iran launched another attack with Israel threatening to retaliate. Trump told Israel, "Don't Drop Bombs!!!"

Frankly, I doubt Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire much less knew that one existed until Trump typed it into his phone. Who knows? Maybe Trump was on the toilet when he declared the ceasefire.

Wherever Trump was situated, this is a foolish and stupid way to conduct foreign policy.

Given Trump's propensity for lying, one cannot discount the possibility that he just decided to claim Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire without letting them in on it. After all, after Trump ordered the U.S. military to attack nuclear installations in Iran on Saturday, he claimed the Islamic Republic's nuclear program had been "obliterated". However, it would appear that Iran's nuclear program has only been set back a few months. In which case, Israel will face the same choice by the end of the year as it faced earlier this month.

In which case, I think Trump's priority will be to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran which bears his name and, along with it, a Nobel Peace Prize. Should he achieve the former then he will demand the latter. Even if turns out that Iran has a nuclear weapon and uses it against Israel, or possibly, against American interests.

A Brief Thought for a Couple of Oklahoma City Thunder Fans Dad & I Met in NYC

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Final 103-91 to win their first NBA Title since 1979 when they were known as the Seattle Super Sonics. 

On Friday afternoon while Dad and I were on NYC's High Line we ended up sitting down a bench overlooking the corner of 10th Avenue and West 28th Street. Dad began speaking to a brother and sister visiting the city who soon informed us they were from Oklahoma City. I asked them if they were looking forward to Game 7. The brother said he had wished they had won Game 6 but were confident of the Thunder's chances in Game 7. I wished their team luck and hope their city would enjoy a championship parade.

Now had we run into a brother and sister from Indianapolis, I would have wished them the same luck. But as it happened, we crossed paths with folks from Oklahoma. I hope they get back in time to partake in the parade. From this day forward, when I think of the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA Title, I shall always think of this brother and sister.

The Wonders of Wheeling, West Virginia (With a Couple of Stops in Ohio & Pennsylvania)

 

(Wheeling, West Virginia overlooking the Ohio River)

Following my first official business trip to New York last April, I mentioned that I would be traveling to Wheeling, West Virginia for my first ever business conference.

This morning, I came back from that conference. My stay in Boston will be brief as I will head down to NYC tomorrow morning for the Juneteenth weekend.

I would be remiss if I didn't share a few words about my experiences. Not about the conference, mind you. What happened there could have taken place in any city.

Rather I just wish to give you my general impressions of the area.

To get to Wheeling by air, one must fly to Pittsburgh. From Pittsburgh, it is about a 75-to-90-minute drive to Wheeling. Before arriving in Wheeling, our group stopped for lunch at a Dairy Queen in Washington, Pennsylvania. Although technically part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area, it could be easily mistaken for the rural South for all of the Christian religious symbols visible to the naked eye. Yet amid the religious symbols, there was a vape shop directly across the street from the Dairy Queen. 

Not long after we would cross into West Virginia. Our arrival in Wheeling came less than 48 hours after flash flooding killed 8 people after 5 inches of rain fell in the space of 30 minutes. There was a great deal of mud on the roads and sidewalks. Here is an image from Fox Weather of the flooding on Saturday night on National Road. Below it is an image of the sidewalk I attempted to navigate only to get a great deal of mud on my shoes.

In the back of the Fox Weather picture, you can see a sign which reads TJ Sports Garden Restaurant. I stayed across the street from that establishment at the Hampton Inn. TJ Sports Garden Restaurant is very distinctive because of its mural of athletes who either are from West Virginia or went to school there. With regard to baseball, the mural included 19th Century legend Jesse Burkett, 1960 World Series hero Bill Mazeroski and the Niekro brothers.

All things considered, I am grateful we didn't arrive sooner. I am also grateful that we left today as more rain is expected to come and with more rain comes more flooding. But people are quietly carrying on going about their business with some raising money for those who lost loved ones or sustained property damage. 

Amid the sudden loss of life and residue of destruction, there were some wonders to behold. On Monday night, a group of us had dinner at the Alpha Tavern. Off in the distance, someone noticed a deer grazing in the grass on a residential street.

As one might imagine, the pace of life in Wheeling is much slower than in Boston or New York. When we checked in for the conference yesterday morning, the security guard took 20 minutes to check us all in and repeatedly asked us to say and spell our names. Let's just say that process could not happen in Boston or New York without a lot of commotion. 

Downtown Wheeling has a great deal of charm. Our company's HQ is located directly across the street from the Capitol Theatre. Many of the buildings are well preserved nestled in the heart of Appalachia. One can look across the street and see Ohio. 

This morning, we actually passed through Ohio on our way back to Pittsburgh International Airport although not by design. As a result of a couple of missed turns, we ended up in Steubenville, Ohio which was the birthplace of Dean Martin (and just completed celebrating the Dean Martin Festival), Rollie Fingers and the 1970's band Wild Cherry. I would have enjoyed it more had we not all had a plane to catch back to our respective homes. Nevertheless, it was my first time back in Ohio since August 1999 when I attended ballgames in both Cleveland and Cincinnati while passing through Toledo and Columbus. 

As with most of these trips there were some annoyances and inconveniences. After landing in Pittsburgh, my luggage arrived late and damaged with a broken handle. Fortunately, a JetBlue representative was kind enough to give me a $35 discount for my next trip. When that will come to pass is anyone's guess.

Despite our detour into Ohio, we made it to Pittsburgh International in a reasonable amount of time. What was unreasonable was the TSA shooing us from the check-in gate which was intended for first-class passengers only. We had to go across the street to "Alternate Check In". It isn't clear that "Alternate Check In" is intended for everyone except for first-class passengers. 

 

But these annoyances and inconveniences, like most annoyances and inconveniences were temporary. The same cannot be said for those in West Virginia who not only have to deal with the aftermath of last Saturday's flood but might have to deal with far more carnage to come. 

I do hope I will get a chance to go back to West Virginia. I can see why John Denver described West Virginia as "almost heaven" in "Take Me Home, Country Roads." At this point, I am not certain such an opportunity will come to pass. If it doesn't come to pass, then I am glad I had the opportunity to see a different part of America and take in as much of it as I could. But I am also glad to be back home in Massachusetts.

Canada Must Wait Another Year as Oilers Lose Back-to-Back Stanley Cups to Panthers

 

(Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Canada must wait yet another year for the Stanley Cup as the Edmonton Oilers fell 5-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 making the Panthers back-to-back champions. The Panthers also prevailed against the Oilers a year ago.

The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens bested the Los Angeles Kings. The fact that the Panthers largest national contingent is Canadian does little to soften the blow.

Sure, Miami has its share of hockey fans. But hockey means more than life in Canada. In a year in which Canada's sovereignty is threatened, it would have been a boost to bring the Cup back home.

In which case, there is no guarantee there will be a next year for Canada.

Red Sox Abruptly Trade Devers to the Giants

After sweeping the New York Yankees to get back over .500 and into the AL Wild Card hunt, the Boston Red Sox abruptly traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison along with minor league pitcher Jose Bello and outfielder/first base prospect Jason Tibbs. 

During the off-season, controversy ensued when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman with the club forcing Devers into the DH role. The club then subsequently asked Devers to first base when Tristan Casas went down with a season ending knee injury which Devers declined.

Despite the controversy, Devers was having an outstanding season hitting .272 with 15 HR and 58 RBI. Devers homered during today's sweep of the Yankees. That HR was his 500th career extra base hit with the Red Sox and, as it turned out, his last.

His 58 RBI are 2nd in the AL - only two behind likely AL MVP Aaron Judge. Devers was leading the AL in walks with 56 at the time of the trade. 

Devers had been a member of the Red Sox since he was signed as an amateur free agent in 2013. He made his MLB debut with the Sox in 2017 and has been a mainstay since earning a World Series ring in 2018 and a contract extension worth more than $300 million prior to last season that was supposed to keep him in Boston through 2033. He finishes his Red Sox career with a lifetime batting average of .279 with 215 HR and 696 RBI. Those 215 HR were good enough for 10th on the Red Sox all-time list.

Perhaps Devers and the Red Sox had a short shelf life, but trading Devers makes it seem like Craig Breslow was acting for personal reasons rather than on stats or the interest of the team in 2025. After the way the Red Sox treated Devers, I doubt any Dominican free agents are going to want to go anywhere near Boston. 

Frankly, I don't think the Red Sox got much for Devers. I mean Hicks was a top prospect with the Cardinals a few years back but hasn't lived up to his potential in St. Louis, Toronto or in San Francisco where he was converted into a starter. It will be interesting to see if Hicks remains a starting pitcher or is placed back into the bullpen.

Meanwhile, the Giants who are only a game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West just got a lot better and could very well overtake the Dodgers with Devers' presence alone. For their part, the Giants have also agreed to cover the cost of Devers' remaining contract. At 28, Devers is entering the prime of his career. On the other hand, will that contract feel heavier by 2030? But at least in the short term, the Giants have grown leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, the Red Sox appear to have taken two steps back after taking one step forward back into contention.

Suspect in Assassination of Former Minnesota House Speaker & Wounding of State Senator is Still at Large

This morning came news that former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband had been assassinated at their home while Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife had been shot and wounded.

All were shot by a man evidently impersonating a police officer who has been identified as Vance Boelter. As of this writing, Boelter remains at large. Boelter was evidently anti-abortion and had a list of pro-choice targets mainly officials affiliated with the Minnesota's Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Party including Hortman and Hoffman as well as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith. 

However, this didn't prevent MAGA from trying tie the shooter to Democrats as was the case with Laura Loomer due to the fact that Boelter was reappointed by Walz to the Governor's Workforce Development Board in 2019 while others noted that Boelter had "No Kings" flyers in his car. 

Perhaps Boelter wished to do harm to other Democrats who might have present at the "No Kings" rally. Somehow, in MAGA's twisted logic, Governor Walz is somehow responsible for unleashing an anti-abortion activist upon fellow Democrats. 

If you dislike an elected official, write a letter to the editor, attend a protest and/or vote them out of office. 

One cannot claim to be pro-life and then take upon oneself to extinguish it.

R.I.P.