Racing In The Street

The murder of suburban businessman James Pipines by his scorned mistress-slash-bookeeper Cynthia Pugh happened back in the 1970's--but is still exciting Central NY gossips and scandal-mongers to this day.

Back at the time of the trial, with absolutely no evidence pointing to anyone other than Ms. Pugh, many people were convinced she was railroaded--largely because they were mad that Mr. Pipines had the gall to simultaneously break off the affair and fire Ms. Pugh.

Today, the district attorney who prosecuted the case is now the head D.A. and has worked to keep Ms. Pugh from receiving parole, largely because he considers her to be unrepentant.

I generally do not support Mr. Fitzpatrick, a rather in-your-face conservative with a holier-than-thou attitude and a bit of the bully about him. However, he is absolutely correct in this case.

In a NY Times review of his new book on the history of trials, English trial attorney Sadakat Kadri is quoted: "The trial has always operated to rebalance communities after someone has broken the rules, and whether it has allowed suspects back into the fold or expelled them from it, it has demanded that they make their acceptance of those rules manifest through humility or remorse."

An e-mail going around the local lefty/progressive listservs that I frequent argues that the anti-war folks should target Joanie Mahoney's mayoral campaign for being pro-war in Iraq. The idea is she will deny personal support, but it will open a whole front for attacks on the Republican party on the war.

As a resident of the city and someone who works on issues of concern to neighborhoods in the city, I resent people using an important city election to fight a national issue. Ending the war is important, but so are the issues of the neighborhood--street crime, deteriorating housing stock, school dropout rate, bank redlining, poverty. I do not want the mayoral campaign of Syracuse to be turned into a referendum on the Iraq War.

Several groups, Peace Action & the Peace Council, have made attempts to link the war effort and militarism with the systematic de-funding of social needs and an increase in poverty. That is a positive, if long-term, struggle. An effort was made to work with local groups in a united front against the military/industrial complex. The current "swamp Mahoney" proposal is media grandstanding, local folks concerns are considered irrelevant.

Peace & justice activists have ignored city neighborhood issues for years. A progressive meeting I attended recently featured a discussion about the fear that many supposedly progressive people have of attending meetings in certain city neighborhoods. The e-mail in circulation ends with "The War Mongers are vulnerable and it is time to exploit them to promote peace." Unfortunately, the exploitation will be of local folks and their concerns.

My sister passed away this evening. She was too young (36) to leave us. If

she's really in a better place as everyone always says about the departed,

there's got to be some waves and a cool beach.

"I'm tired of waitin' for tomorrow to come
Or that train to come roarin' 'round the bend
I got a new suit of clothes and a pretty red rose
A woman I can call my friend

These are better days baby
Yeah there's better days shining through."

--Better Days, Bruce Springsteen


In 1992, when this album came out, I had just fallen in love. This song seemed so timely. Many years up the road, that woman I fell in love with is my wife. The song just came up on random play on my iPod. It still makes my heart skip a beat. Better days indeed. . .