This message is for Caroline Kennedy, who’s vying to become our new Senator, replacing Hillary. Everyone else, please skip this post. Go read about Crystal Castles or some shit.
Ok, now that we’re alone, Caroline Kennedy, why didn’t you stop by to check out my apartment yesterday?! You realize, I literally live RIGHT NEXT DOOR from Cono’s O’Pescatore, where you met with Vito Lopez, the “old-school Democratic boss of Brooklyn”, to talk about your new job (you hope). Don’t you realize I have some sweet XBox games? I’ve also got a couple half-opened bottles of white wine that we could’ve killed before you drove/flew back to wherever you came from. Also, my girlfriend’s got a sweeetz salt water fish tank that you would’ve loved. Do you like starfish? I bet you do. But if not, I also had Goldfish that we could’ve snacked on while watching day-time TV. I freaking love Goldfish.
Ben Smith is also reporting that Vito said, “I found Ms. Kennedy to be very knowledgeable and committed to many issues that are important to me. These issues include housing, education, environmental protection, and economic development.” Yea? Well guess what Caroline. I would’ve found you knowledgeable and committed to many issues too! Like, don’t you think we should get that Kent Ave. bike lane approved? Totally. And how about term limits for Mike? He should chill out, right? And tax the bridges?! Please. Caroline, we’d get along just fine, cause you had those freaking fantastic homemade noodles that Cono’s makes.
And in case you’re wondering what else Vito said, here you go:

“Ms. Kennedy was extremely personable and displayed a great understanding of these important issues, as well as a strong commitment to work on them as a U.S. Senator. Based on our meeting and a prior brief discussion, I am endorsing her candidacy for U.S. Senate and will be soliciting support throughout the City and State on her behalf. I look forward to working with Ms. Kennedy as the next U.S. Senator from New York.”

Boom! Consider yourself endorsed.

img via animalvegetable
A big THANK YOU to Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D‚ÄìWilliamsburg) who is “outraged” about the recent news that Paterson is closing East River State Park. He told the Brooklyn Paper recently that he “promised to fight to keep the tiny green space open ‚Äî especially considering that other parks upstate are facing less severe service reductions, like the cancellation of snow plowing.”
Everyone go email Joe and tell him thanks and good luck: lentolj@ assembly.state.ny.us, and to please work to make that happen. We have very little green space in Williamsburg, so every little bit counts.

If you’re free at 6:30pm tonight please go protest Proposition 8 tonight outside the New York Manhattan Mormon Temple at 125 Columbus Ave at 65th Street. For a bit more info, check out the organizer’s interview with Gothamist.
And in case you’re like, “but why are we protesting the Mormons?”, he has your answer:

“The anger is not towards Mormons, but rather towards the leaders of the Mormon Church, who purposely spread lies about gays and lesbians to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred.”

FREEwilliamsburg founder Robert Lanham is sounding off on Proposition 8 over at Huffington Post. Here’s a taste:

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Californians voted to overturn same-sex marriage. But it is disheartening that they’re getting all the blame. After all, by collectively rubber-stamping the Obama campaign’s “politically safe” pro-civil unions stance, democrats were inadvertent enablers.
Consider, for example how unfriendly the Obama camp was to same-sex couples during the Biden/Palin debate:
GWEN IFILL: Let’s try to avoid nuance, Senator. Do you support gay marriage?
BIDEN: No. Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage…..
PALIN: Your question to him was whether he supported gay marriage and my answer is the same as his and it is that I do not.
IFILL: Wonderful. You agree. On that note, let’s move to foreign policy.
I don’t remember if Palin winked for effect, but I’m assuming she didn’t. She’d already knocked it out of the park. This could have been the “gotcha moment” the drooling, caddish pundits had so eagerly awaited. But since America long ago concluded that no candidate in his/her right mind could ever confess to supporting gay marriage, it failed to deliver. Instead, the “gotcha” intended for Biden came at the expense of same-sex couples striving for what the Constitution promises: equal rights.

Now, go read the whole damn thing.

Check out these morning zoo douchebags from Tampa. They went on the air yesterday in black face. Christ, change may be coming but it’s going to have to deal with the stupidity that’s already here (and destined to get louder). Thanks Rumproast.

From the Times:

Police officers arrested three people, and issued summonses to five others, early Wednesday after a crowd of hundreds of people surged into the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to celebrate Barack Obama’s election as president of the United States, the police said.

He goes on to say they didn’t break any laws, and that most of the crowd was well behaved, but a few were getting rowdy. As for the abuse?

Mr. Browne said the officers behaved appropriately. He said the crowd included about 450 people and at times some in the crowd were acting raucous. People were drinking beer and some were apparently pouring beer from rooftops, he said. He said that most people complied with the officers’ orders, but a few did not. Five people were issued summonses for disorderly conduct, Mr. Browne said. Three others, who were not immediately identified, were arrested.

Some cops were hurt, too. I think this explains why the kinda snapped…

In addition, a duty captain at the scene suffered injuries to his face and head after being hit by a bottle and a police officer injured his back when he was pushed by crowds and fell down, Mr. Browne said. No arrests were made in connection with those two incidents.

Get the full story at City Room.

all photos by ajcranford
Sometime shortly after Barack Obama said his final “yes we can”, my friends and I turned off CNN and left the apartment over Williamsburg’s taco outpost San Loco, where we had watched the Senator from Chicago clinch this historic election. When we ventured out towards the obvious epicenter of Williamsburg celebratory politics – Bedford and North 7th – we ran smack dab into what Texas must’ve been like for every Bush win since 2004. Brooklyn kids fucking totally filled these streets.
Some would call it a riot, but even the cops tonight realized that things were cool. It was the most celebratory street take-over I’ve experienced, sans-broken shit, and up until I left there was no threat of police violence, overturned cars, broken bottles, or anything. I hope I don’t wake up and see that changed. (Ed note: When I left, there was a definite impending police presence that threatened to turn uncomfortable, should the crowd had chosen to stick around…)
The thing is, though, everybody was having a great time. There were the bongo kids, hanging just off the southeast corner of No. 7th and Bedford, with a healthy crowd of improvisers keeping things going. There were the wealthy roofians, perched out on their 50k a foot overhang porch cheering the crowd on. The bodega dudes couldn’t be missed – they sold out on tall-boys shortly after I grabbed my Bud. I spoke with a few screaming people, but in general, our conversations were drowned out by the constant refrain of “Obama! Obama! Obama!”. And who the f*k is gonna mess with that?
It was honestly, a beautiful celebration of democratic finality at the corner of Williamsburg blase (my e’s don’t accent) tonight. When I finally left the party and hit the train for the two stop ride back to Graham, it seemed like the chants came with me. In the Bedford subway, “Obama! Obama! Obama!” echoed around the station walls. At Lorimer, “Obama!, Obama! Obama!”, and at Graham, “Obama! Obama! Obama!”. Things feel freaking awesome. Politics have been rejuvenated and Brooklyn has a new President that’s worth getting behind. Expect this borough to be a staple of his most innovative, supportive demographic. Barack, Brooklyn f’n loves you.
I spoke with one dude, Andrew Perez of Brooklyn, who brought a poster of Cesar to the rally, because he felt Obama “was a Roman who overcame the odds…It’s like history repeated itself tonight.” I think that picture’s in here somewhere, but really Brooklyn, God knows because it’s 3am and Barack just got elected to be our next President and I’m f*cking so excited I can’t contain my emotions – nor my blogging skills! We wish you the best, and look forward to hearing your stories of “The Night That Barack Built”.
Check out some pictures that AJ Cranford took for us, capturing the sheer insanity that our little Williamsburg Times Square wrought.



See more pictures (via AJ Cranford) from the Obama/Williamsburg victory party, after the jump!

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We’re sure you’ve heard, but.