Notes from the Fief

Just when I was thinking of chucking it all and moving to Paris, where I might pitch a tent on the street, political razzle dazzle sparked back to life in Albany. If you are a reader in a location far from Albany, you might think this post holds no merit for you. You're wrong. The story of our Albany County District Attorney David Soares and his rise to political power is a Cinderella story for the Working Families Party. Many Americans are concerned that the line is blurred between Republicans and Democrats and that politics is more controlled by Liberals and Conservatives. David Soares is against the antiquated Rockefeller Drug Laws. He made some comments this week at a drug conference in Canada that rubbed local officials the wrong way.

First, let this humble serf dare to say that anyone who does not have a friend or family member imprisoned thanks to the Rockefeller Drug Laws has NO CLUE as to how unjust and difficult these laws are. Imagine buying a small amount of, say, marijuana for personal use, and having a bit leftover to sell to make a little extra money for groceries or gas. Next, imagine being caught by police doing this, and sent off to a 10 to 20 year jail term. That's not good! Look at Sex Offenders: they commit crimes, they go to jail for a short time, then they are back on the street, many eventually committing more crimes and even murdering innocent people. So how about taking Drug Offenders, make them register (the way sex offenders must) and leave it at that. Perhaps just knowing they are constantly being watched will be enough of a deterrent to keep them "clean." The most serious offenders these days are the coke and crack heads, who turn up in the news almost everyday because their habit is so expensive to feed. These characters are the real threats to society, not the kids who pop a pill once a week or smoke a joint once a day, and certainly not the political leaders (here via Albany Eye) and [here via Michelle Malkin] who sometimes ingest questionable substances.

You may want to stop for a moment and read "Rockefeller Drug Laws: An Ex-Prisoners View" by Anthony Papa (March 31, 2006).

By the way, a caller to Mayor Jennings' weekly radio program claimed to know cops who use drugs and said he would name names. Jennings is to have a private sit-down with the caller next week.

Back to Albany now, where, as a result of David's statement in Canada, battle lines have been drawn. I see two mile markers here: the Soares lawsuit and the death of Albany Police Detective Ken Wilcox. Wilcox and David Soares' right-hand man, former Police Cmdr. Chris D'Alesandro, had a troubled history.

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Tale of the tape, Team Soares Vs. The Lawmen:

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Team Soares

• David Soares, District Attorney
• Chris D'Alesandro
• Soares' Staff
• The Working Families Party
• People Opposed to the R'feller Drug laws
• The Albany Times-Union Newspaper*

* I put the TU on Team Soares for TWO reasons:

#1- Police vs. Paper, the TU has been heavily criticized by the Albany Police for the way it handled the death of Ken Wilcox. From the May 4th edition of Metroland: "...the head of the police union...told a TU reporter that he could attend a press conference held by the (Wilcox) family 'at their own risk'... Any threat, even a vague one, carries more weight when the person making it has the meqans to follow through..." [more from Democracy In Albany]

#2 -Paper + County: The Times Union has won naming rights for the Pepsi Arena, which becomes The Times Union Center on January 1st. The paper hasn't just put its name on a building, they've put their name on a building owned by the (Albany County) government. And except for the Sheriff, Albany County government is Team Soares. From the TU: "What neither Mr. Tuffey nor Albany County Sheriff James Campbell nor any other aggrieved party can do is muster much of a counterargument to Mr. Soares' larger point. The facts are on his side when he says, 'My advice to Canada is stay as completely far away from U.S. drug law policy as possible.'" [X]


The Lawmen

• Jerry Jennings, Mayor of Albany
• Jim Tuffey, Albany Police Chief
• James Campbell, Albany County Sheriff
• The Democratic Party

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I was there election night when David Soares gave his victory speech. I was there when the Working Families Party members launched their "You're Next!" chant at Mayor Jennings. When I looked beyond the pomp and politics, I saw HOPE in peoples' eyes. Hope that they really could change things, shake 'em up and make a difference! No matter which side you're on, the Awakening has begun. Embrace this opportunity to rejoice: the political system is far from dead; there are issues to be debated, candidates, choices and solutions to consider in the months to come.

Jerry Jennings has been Albany's greatest Mayor ever. He's done a lot for the city, but a few stubborn pimples mar the Albany landscape: the school system is one of them. Actually, the school system is more of a blackhead, nah, make that a 'crater,' in that it has existed in such a sorry state as long as it has. And then there are those Rockefeller Drug Laws. [see also The Power of Fusion Politics] Bottom Line: If you haven't registered to vote, now is the time!

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CANADIAN PRESS - Governments in Canada should steer completely clear from adopting or emulating any current drug policies in the United States, an outspoken New York state prosecutor said Tuesday. "My advice to Canada is stay as completely far away from U.S. drug law policy as possible," said David Soares, the district attorney for Albany County in the state of New York. "You (Canada) are headed in the right direction."

In a blunt and scathing condemnation of his state and country's ineffective drug war, Mr. Soares said lawmakers, judges and prosecutors in the U.S. know their system is ineffective. But they support it anyway because it provides law enforcement officials with lucrative jobs.

The vast majority of people incarcerated as a result of drug laws in the U.S. are young African-American and Hispanic males, he said after a speech at the 17th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm. . .

Mr. Soares was elected in his state on a ticket to fight what he termed the "Draconian" drug laws that call for long prison sentences for drug crimes that in Canada would be considered minor. . .

He suggested that the heavy-handed drug fight in the U.S. is perpetuated by authorities' need to "give people a wonderful living" by hiring more police, more judges and more prosecutors. He said, not sarcastically, that the U.S.'s well-known penchant for building more and more prisons was an accepted "economic development strategy."

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