For a change, I am not the guy from the Albion area that wrote the latest column that ticked somebody off. That honor belongs to a columnist for the "other" paper in town, and inasmuch as I appreciate his predicament, a highly personal attack on a fireworks event organizer or fellow musicians is not always a good idea. Sure, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and most of the piece was the writer's opinion, but sometimes it is wise not to express it in certain terms.



Thanks to the internet, you can go online to look up the article in question; however, since I do not want to direct people to another publication's website I will summarize the contents to the best of my ability. A local band was contracted to open for a regional band at the Albion Fourth of July celebration, they essentially sub-contracted part of their set to another local band-which included the "other" columnist-that did not get to play a full set. Afterward, the event organizer winds up becoming the target of the "other paper's" columnist, as did the regional headliner, The Kid Kurry Band.



I am hardly an impartial observer in this scenario, because I consider the event organizer a friend, and the "other paper" has targeted and labeled me in the past. I realized it comes with the territory, but that did not mean I liked it. Of course, I was a candidate for public office, not a musician or volunteer organizer for an event. In addition, at least two of the members of Kid Kurry played at a Rochester club I worked at almost twenty years ago, I remember them as nice guys and the band is made up of seasoned veterans to say the least.



I also have a unique perspective, as a musician and music writer and an op-ed writer, or at least two out of three of them. Hence, on the night of the Albion fireworks I was in Lockport covering Our Lady Peace's concert. There was some question about whether Albion should have hired a local band for their celebration; after witnessing a crowd of over 25,000 for a Canadian band on July 4th weekend,( and it was their second year in a row playing Lockport on July 4th weekend) I can say that local bands usually are relegated to the opening spot at outdoor events. It is just the nature of the business.



Of course I understand the frustration of not being able to play, once this last year my musical partner and I prepped for a short set at a local club that we had been invited to play at, only to sit there with our friends and family for almost two hours and then never getting called to the stage. At least the columnist from the other paper got to play. He should also feel fortunate that the other paper lets him promote his band week after week after week after week. I mean, I write for the smaller paper and I tick people off, he writes for the paper that presents Albion as Pleasantville.



A long time ago, an English teacher of mine told me that angry letters are not meant to be sent. If people saw half the columns I've buried they would really think I was a raging lunatic or maybe they would get the wrong impression about some people I wrote about in the heat of the moment. Occasionally I have had to issue an apology, either in person or in writing, and I think that people respect that. Nevertheless, even if they don't, I do it because it is right.



If the other guy does not want to issue an apology then I will, on behalf of musicians, writers, parents and citizens everywhere. I apologize to Kid Kurry and the event organizer and I hope neither of them allow one incident to mar their work, whether it be in music or organization. As for Kid Kurry, I hope you see them at the Elks Lodge in Albion on September 24. That is a show I won't miss, no matter who is opening.

Over the next few weeks, there will be many high school graduation parties. In an era when some parts of the state still have graduation rates well below fifty percent, graduating from high school is still an accomplishment that should be celebrated. Graduating from high school is the beginning of a new phase in a young person's life, and after high school, it is a time when an individual must make important decisions that will likely influence the rest of their life.

In my case, I made my share of boneheaded decisions in my youth. I certainly should have gone to college after high school rather than wait until I hit my mid-thirties. I think that is one reason why I have been so insistent that my son Thomas went right into college and lived on campus. His making the dean's list every semester at SUNY Brockport tells me that it was a good decision, and as a parent, I am blessed to share in his success.

Nonetheless, college is not the only path to happiness, nor is it for everybody. One of the alternatives is to enter the armed forces, like my nephew Josh Zeliff decided to do. Even though he is not my child, I have come to love and respect Josh and his family (I have been blessed with not only a wonderful supportive wife, but a fantastic set of in-laws as well). When Tracy and I found out he was going into the Marines we were both proud and concerned, after all, we are still a nation at war.

That concern still exists, but it is tempered by the realization that our country needs intelligent young men of high moral character to defend its freedoms. Without our armed forces we would have no way to defend the liberties we cherish, like the freedoms of speech and the press which allows me to write this column every week.

This nation has so many celebrations to honor those who serve this country in war and in peace, and rightfully so. All of the military veterans were once young like Josh, and had to decide what path to take and they made the choice that they felt was the best. Those who entered the military bring honor to their families and to their community.

As is the case with many young people that enter the service, one of Josh's most enduring traits is his humility. I almost think that being humble and selfless is a prerequisite for military service because so many veterans never ask for anything in return in spite of their sacrifice to the nation. I have no doubt that Josh will do very well in the Marine Corps, and yet he will never brag of his accomplishments.

As I wrote earlier, everyone has to choose the path that is right for him or her. For those young people who are going in to the armed forces, I thank you in advance, for I know that our nation's freedoms are being well protected.

On Monday, the Justice department announced the arrest of ten Russian agents that were part of a spy network. The group had established deep cover, even having children while residing in the United States. The children reportedly had no idea that their parents were spies, and why should they considering the Cold War has been over for a long time now.

A part of me read the story and pined for the old days when we hated the Russians. They were much better enemies than these suicide-bombing terrorists we have to contend with now. I mean, can anyone from my era imagine Rocky Balboa fighting an Al-Qaeda operative? Of course they can't, but Rocky beating the snot out of that evil Russian in Rocky III made me feel darn good about being an American.It also made me appreciate how underrated the band Survivor is.

As if Rocky was not good enough, what about Rambo? He was a true patriot from an era when we were fighting with the Afghan rebels against the Soviet Union. In fact, in Rambo III Stallone is fighting with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviets. Fact is, when we hated the Soviet Union everybody loved us, especially those Soviet citizens who had to wait in line for six hours for a roll of toilet paper.

Now it turns out that while we are eating hamburgers with the Russians, they are infiltrating our government and media with spies. According to early reports, their mission was to obtain information by becoming part of the Washington establishment and getting information from policy insiders and think tanks. They were especially interested in information about U.S policy regarding nuclear weapons in Iran and the development of bunker busting nuclear weapons.

The Russians have denied that the ten people arrested were spies, and I respect the Russians for doing that because that is what every government does when their spies are caught. This may mean that U.S and Russian relations sour, and that can only mean good things for the video game and movie industry and maybe James Bond will get back to doing what he did best, fighting Russian spies and courting lots Russian women.

Of course, there may be a downside to renewed Cold War hostilities. A whole new generation of kids will have to learn how to jump under their desk in case of a nuclear strike. We may also have to dust off some of those old "Fallout Shelter" signs. Then again, if the Russians stole the bunker busting nuclear technology, fallout shelters may not do much good.

It just goes to show you that one should never let their guard down. Just when you think somebody is your friend and you want to treat them to a burger and fries, it turns out they only want to use you for your military secrets. Sounds like the story of my life!

Yesterday marked the thirtieth anniversary of one of my all-time favorite films, The Blues Brothers. It is one of those movies people detest watching with me because I say all of the lines, like the famous sequence where Elwood tells Jake "it's 600 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

Evidently I am not the only one that sees the intrinsic value of the movie and it's message of redemption for the "semi-official" newspaper of the Vatican, L'Osservatore Romano ( English: The Roman Observer)published an editorial commending the message of the movie and declaring it to be a "Catholic" Movie.

Of course, the editorial has caused a lot of controversy- as a good editorial should- amongst some Catholic observers that think that the newspaper is delving too deeply into pop culture. In recent years, the newspaper also weighed in on the Beatles, commending the band for their "beautiful melodies" and for "changing pop music forever." Keep in mind that this is the same group that caused a stir when John Lennon claimed the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus."

The Blues Brothers main theme is that two brothers with a troubled criminal past try to make good on a vow to the Catholic nun who raised them that they will raise $5,000 to save the orphanage from foreclosure. The movie is set in Chicago, but with Orleans County's property tax rate, it could have been set here. The foreclosure theme was way ahead of its time as well.

In order to raise the money, the Blues Brother, Jake and Elwood, attempt to get their band back together to play a one off show. Sadly, while Jake was in jail his brother Elwood had lied to him and told him the band was still together when in fact they had all taken "straight jobs." Thus, the Blues Brother set off on a "mission from God."The movie was made before PG-13 so because of the language and some gratuitous violence it earned an R rating.

Knowing and loving the movie, I understand the editorial and its purpose. As is the case with many comedy movies, there is an underlying message that is hidden beneath the laughs, The Blues Brothers movie is no exception to that rule with its message of redemption and its ridicule of "Illinois Nazis" and tax collectors, and I know that I am not a big fan of either of those groups.

As for the newspaper and its editor, I am sure this "controversy" will sell some newspapers but more importantly, it will make some people think outside the box and that is what a good newspaper is supposed to do.

Even if The Blues Brothers is not "holy," the movie has taught me many lessons. It's ok to trade a Cadillac for a microphone, find out if the beer is free before you start the gig, and always keep your gas tank full and keep a half pack of cigarettes in the glove box, because you never know when God will send you on a mission to Chicago.

In case you missed the news, a married woman in Batavia was recently charged with the crime of adultery. Inasmuch as most normal people might have been shocked at the alleged incident - two people having sex on a picnic table in a park where children were playing nearby - most of the controversy surrounded the charge of adultery.

Some comments I have heard or read suggest that outlawing adultery is archaic and that the law should be off the books. Mind you, the crime of murder has been around since Cain killed Abel but nobody seems to think that the crime of murder is outdated. Granted, a lot of people cheat on their spouses, but I imagine a lot of people cheat on their tax returns as well, and yet nobody wants to get rid of that law.

One of the main reasons that so few people are charged with adultery is that it is hard to prove. Most adulterers do not have sex on a picnic table in full public view - even after they have been drinking. Cheaters may parade around town in the open but they tend to do the deed in private; at least, that is the case with the adulterers I have known.

Adultery is still grounds for divorce in New York state, but because of the same problems associated with the burden of proof, plaintiffs in divorce cases usually have to come up with other grounds for divorce, like cruel and inhuman treatment.

In addition, adultery has gained an amount of social acceptance. I once attended a church where the pastor was caught having an affair with a member of the congregation, but since he was popular, there were many members of the church who thought the pastor should not resign. Of course, few people took into consideration the impact on both families - both of the adulterers had children in their teens.

As far as sexual crimes go, adultery certainly has the potential to be as damaging as prostitution, if not more so, and yet if a person simply solicits a prostitute and does not engage in sex, they can be charged with a crime. If a person actively pursues a married person, they have not committed a crime at all. The same concept applies to rape and child molestation; the mere attempt to commit either act is a serious crime.

It is doubtful that the adultery law will be stricken from the books any time soon, because the lawmakers who vote to decriminalize adultery could be perceived as supporting adultery. Nonetheless, it will likely not be prosecuted very often, possibly out of fear that there is not enough jail space to house adulterers. If the adulterers I have known in Orleans County were prosecuted, we would have to double the capacity of the county jail to house them and hire more prison guards. We would probably have to replace a lot of politicians as well.

With regard to the alleged adulteress in Batavia, I fear that she will be rewarded for her crime instead of punished. I would not be a bit surprised if talk shows aren't already making offers to pay for her to appear. At least we don't have to worry about Disney making a movie out of her story.

In case you missed the news, a married woman in Batavia was recently charged with the crime of adultery. Inasmuch as most normal people might have been shocked at the alleged incident - two people having sex on a picnic table in a park where children were playing nearby - most of the controversy surrounded the charge of adultery.

Some comments I have heard or read suggest that outlawing adultery is archaic and that the law should be off the books. Mind you, the crime of murder has been around since Cain killed Abel but nobody seems to think that the crime of murder is outdated. Granted, a lot of people cheat on their spouses, but I imagine a lot of people cheat on their tax returns as well, and yet nobody wants to get rid of that law.

One of the main reasons that so few people are charged with adultery is that it is hard to prove. Most adulterers do not have sex on a picnic table in full public view - even after they have been drinking. Cheaters may parade around town in the open but they tend to do the deed in private; at least, that is the case with the adulterers I have known.

Adultery is still grounds for divorce in New York state, but because of the same problems associated with the burden of proof, plaintiffs in divorce cases usually have to come up with other grounds for divorce, like cruel and inhuman treatment.

In addition, adultery has gained an amount of social acceptance. I once attended a church where the pastor was caught having an affair with a member of the congregation, but since he was popular, there were many members of the church who thought the pastor should not resign. Of course, few people took into consideration the impact on both families - both of the adulterers had children in their teens.

As far as sexual crimes go, adultery certainly has the potential to be as damaging as prostitution, if not more so, and yet if a person simply solicits a prostitute and does not engage in sex, they can be charged with a crime. If a person actively pursues a married person, they have not committed a crime at all. The same concept applies to rape and child molestation; the mere attempt to commit either act is a serious crime.

It is doubtful that the adultery law will be stricken from the books any time soon, because the lawmakers who vote to decriminalize adultery could be perceived as supporting adultery. Nonetheless, it will likely not be prosecuted very often, possibly out of fear that there is not enough jail space to house adulterers. If the adulterers I have known in Orleans County were prosecuted, we would have to double the capacity of the county jail to house them and hire more prison guards. We would probably have to replace a lot of politicians as well.

With regard to the alleged adulteress in Batavia, I fear that she will be rewarded for her crime instead of punished. I would not be a bit surprised if talk shows aren't already making offers to pay for her to appear. At least we don't have to worry about Disney making a movie out of her story.

It is official: Andrew Cuomo and Robert Duffy are the choice of the Democratic Party in New York state to run for governor and lieutenant governor. They are both great men with great records of service, but if they win the election, they will lord over a house of horrors filled with politicians who do not have the one thing that makes a politician effective - accountability.

This is becoming more evident with the latest state budget process. Gov. David Paterson makes a threat to legislators and they do not even blink. Why should they? The sad reality of New York state's Assembly and Senate is that a candidate stands a better chance of losing their seat from dying than voters ousting them in their gerrymandered districts.

It rather reminds me of the situation I have at home with two of our dogs. The one we recently adopted is a Chihuahua mix, a teeny dog that likes to bark loudly at our Labrador mix who is much bigger. The Lab looks at the Chihuahua like, "are you kidding me," and shoves the Chihuahua across the room with his snout.

Sadly, the little dog is the governor - lots of bark and no bite. The big dog is the Senate and Assembly, both groups knowing that they have nothing to worry about and that even if the little Chihuahua bites them, they can simply shove it across the room.

Very simply stated, there is no democracy at the state level, and lawmakers know it and nobody has the money or the power to change the system, which is run by the people who benefit most from its dysfunctional ways.

In local news, one of the proposed designs for Albion's new library has the main entrance facing away form Main Street at a side angle. I know many people in the community are afraid of taking on this issue because the library board is a virtual who's who of Albion, but facing away from Main Street defeats the purpose of purchasing the Main Street location. Many people I have spoken to were aghast when they realized the old Dale's building was being razed rather than retrofitted; this latest idea of a library that does not face Main Street is simply perplexing.

One of the things I read said that the planners wanted to avoid a "strip mall" look. If that was the case, then cheaper property could have been purchased rather than taking prime real estate off the tax rolls for an unconventional design. Having a business next door that faces Main Street means the contrast between it and the library could create an aesthetic nightmare, but I will reserve final judgment until the preliminary plans are released to the public - which probably should have been done already.

This does not mean I do not support the library project, which I am sure for political reasons some people will try to spin my take on the design issue. I am just not sold on a design that does fully showcase the front of a building on Main Street.

It is official: Andrew Cuomo and Robert Duffy are the choice of the Democratic Party in New York state to run for governor and lieutenant governor. They are both great men with great records of service, but if they win the election, they will lord over a house of horrors filled with politicians who do not have the one thing that makes a politician effective - accountability.

This is becoming more evident with the latest state budget process. Gov. David Paterson makes a threat to legislators and they do not even blink. Why should they? The sad reality of New York state's Assembly and Senate is that a candidate stands a better chance of losing their seat from dying than voters ousting them in their gerrymandered districts.

It rather reminds me of the situation I have at home with two of our dogs. The one we recently adopted is a Chihuahua mix, a teeny dog that likes to bark loudly at our Labrador mix who is much bigger. The Lab looks at the Chihuahua like, "are you kidding me," and shoves the Chihuahua across the room with his snout.

Sadly, the little dog is the governor - lots of bark and no bite. The big dog is the Senate and Assembly, both groups knowing that they have nothing to worry about and that even if the little Chihuahua bites them, they can simply shove it across the room.

Very simply stated, there is no democracy at the state level, and lawmakers know it and nobody has the money or the power to change the system, which is run by the people who benefit most from its dysfunctional ways.

In local news, one of the proposed designs for Albion's new library has the main entrance facing away form Main Street at a side angle. I know many people in the community are afraid of taking on this issue because the library board is a virtual who's who of Albion, but facing away from Main Street defeats the purpose of purchasing the Main Street location. Many people I have spoken to were aghast when they realized the old Dale's building was being razed rather than retrofitted; this latest idea of a library that does not face Main Street is simply perplexing.

One of the things I read said that the planners wanted to avoid a "strip mall" look. If that was the case, then cheaper property could have been purchased rather than taking prime real estate off the tax rolls for an unconventional design. Having a business next door that faces Main Street means the contrast between it and the library could create an aesthetic nightmare, but I will reserve final judgment until the preliminary plans are released to the public - which probably should have been done already.

This does not mean I do not support the library project, which I am sure for political reasons some people will try to spin my take on the design issue. I am just not sold on a design that does fully showcase the front of a building on Main Street.

An ad in a local trade publication noted that the Orleans County Legislature will hold a public forum and "progress report" this evening at 7:00 pm at the Trolley Building located at the 4-H fairgrounds. When I think of a progress report, I usually think of it as negative, but not everything the OC legislature has done of late has been negative, in fact holding an evening forum and a session at the nursing home are both very positive developments and indicative of better leadership.

Now people may have thought that I forgot about the county government because my topics of late have included genetic test kits, underwear laws, and open meetings. This is in addition to the fact that- as a local newsstand owner can attest to-my wife and I have recently adopted the world's cutest puppy, which has made me a little less ornery. Honestly, who can be mean when you have a puppy around?

I have been keeping an eye on some county business and following things as best as I can, and still get the occasional "hot tip" from my county insider, including the passage of a resolution dealing with gun control laws. On another positive note, the county provided me with the resolution without having to FOIL it, and it was received very quickly, much faster than the time a FOIL request would take.

The resolution in question is 169-410, entitled " Opposing Various Proposed New York Sate Legislation" states the county governments opposition to a slew of gun control bills proposed at the state level including harsher penalties for the possession of "cop-killer" bullets (A2881-S2379) and requiring the safe storage of guns in households with children under the age of 18 (A5844B-S3098A). Some of the other proposed laws are harsher and on the surface appear to be an invasion of privacy-like the establishment of an ammunition-coding database (A3200 and S2953) but the gun lobby certainly has enough power to kill it and it has not come up for a vote on the floor for well over a year.

The Shooter's Committee On Political Education (SCOPE) has issued extensive policy statements regarding many of the bills included in the county bill, and have not summarily rejected the cop killer bullet legislation, just elements of it. This leads me to question what purpose does this county legislation serve?

The answer seems to be our local Tea Party leader and sometimes guns rights advocate, Paul Rusin, who spoke at the county legislature meeting on April 29. Mr. Rusin celebrated April 15 by going to a Republican political function attended by many of our local legislators. Imagine that, the organizer of the local branch of the "Taxed Enough Already" movement rubbing elbows with elected officials of the county with the highest property tax in the nation as a percentage of home value.

I have long been one of the few voices calling for fiscal conservatism at the local level and had hoped on some level that the local Tea Party's agenda included fiscal reform at the local level. Instead, it appears that they are just another group that is cozy with incumbents; it is the equivalent of the participants of the Boston Tea Party having tea and crumpets with the King after their "protest."

Also, voting to not support these bills without an explanation is a vote against the intent of the bills, which was to protect law enforcement and children, even SCOPE policy statements offered reasonable explanations for their stance so that people could make an informed decision. Besides, we have much larger problems on the local level that need to be dealt with, and that is what our county elected officials were elected to take care of.

Starting tomorrow, Walgreen's will begin selling a kit that tests your genes. For a mere $30 you can mail a vial of saliva to a genetics testing firm and they claim to be able to determine risk factors for certain diseases, including the risk of spreading a disease to unborn children. The company also offers expensive, detailed reports about you genes as well.

Of course, since the report only deals with "risk factors" it is safe to say that the report only needs to be as accurate as your daily horoscope. It is not as if you can sue the company because you did not come down with cancer or some other disease you are genetically pre-disposed to get. This is supposed to help a person make better decisions so they can reduce some of those risks, so I imagine they may tell a person something a doctor may tell them like, "cut down on the fatty foods, quit smoking, exercise more and don't consume so much alcohol." That is if you are pre-disposed to certain diseases, maybe the test will come back and say, "Drink a lot of booze, smoke, sit on the couch and consume a lot of red meat and potato chips because your genes are fantastic!"

The company responsible for this breakthrough, Pathway Genomics, claimed in a press release in July of 2009 that they," can trace the path of a person's maternal and paternal ancestry back more than 150,000 years." I may not be a genetic scientist, but I am thinking that over the last 150,000 years somebody in my family has had every disease there is. Besides that, I don't even know the names of my relatives from 200 years ago or their ancestry so how could I prove they are not just making the whole thing up.

The other issue this raises is confidentiality. Do I really want some record of my health hanging around some office in California? For all I know somebody will leave their laptop at the airport one day with all my personal information on it and it will wind up in the hands of a marketing firm that will try and sell me snake oil to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Moreover, what happens if people start basing big decisions on this testing, like whether or not to have children? The next thing you know, instead of a pre-nuptial agreement, women will ask men to spit in a vial to make sure they produce healthy babies. When asked about a breakup a woman might say, "he has a history of diabetes on his mother's side during the Paleolithic period, I just could not take a chance."

I realize that people are convinced by TV shows like CSI that genetic testing is infallible, but there have been plenty of cases where material has been contaminated or just plain mishandled. I'm thinking that sending a vial of spit in the mail even if it is labeled "handle with care" is not such a good idea. Plus, if this company is getting thousands of vials a day, they are not going to take a lot of time to care for the material. Nonetheless, I am sure they will handle one thing with extra special care, your money.