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Editorial
7 years after 9/11, it’s time for change
This Sept. 11 marks the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As we saw in the recent Democratic and Republican conventions, that day’s events still loom large in our country’s consciousness — though no more so than here in Lower Manhattan, where two of the four hijacked planes struck, and where the most death and destruction was wreaked.

Letters to the Editor

TALKING POINT

Palin’s book-censoring bent is blast from the past
By Jerry Tallmer
Here we go again, as Ronald Reagan might put it.
I used to, God help me, have to write editorials betimes for a daily newspaper in this city. And every so often — almost every few months — the need for the same old obligatory edit would come round when somebody (or bodies) out in the sticks somewhere was/were hot to ban this great book or that great book or all books altogether.

Koch: Palin is the deal-breaker in my endorsement
By Ed Koch
The time has come to declare whom I will be voting for. When I made my decision four years ago and supported the re-election of George W. Bush, I said at the time that the overwhelming issue for me was international Islamic terrorism, including Al Qaeda. The goal of Islamic terrorists was then and still is to re-establish the Caliphate, encompassing most of the Muslims living in a host of nations from Spain to Indonesia and placing them under a single religious leader with full authority over the civil affairs of the countries, in the style of Iran.

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75THLOGO

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Villager photo by Nick Brooks

A St. Paul police officer blasted political demonstrators with a canister of Mace as he dragged off a protester to arrest him outside the Republican National Convention last week.

Getting bashed by Sarah Palin and shot by police at the R.N.C.
By Nick Brooks
I never saw the policeman that shot me. Neither did I feel the hit directly. What I felt were the pieces of my camera that exploded in my face when the 40-millimeter, crowd-control round struck it.

East Villagers warn Starrett City about Westbrook
By Gerard Flynn
Tenants from rent-stabilized buildings and their supporters took to the streets at the end of last month in the most vocal show of force yet against so-called predatory lending in the East Village.

Nothing doing on St. Brigid’s yet, except in court
By Albert Amateau
A demolition permit for St. Brigid’s Church on Avenue B was still in effect last week, despite the promise in May of this year of $20 million from an anonymous benefactor to restore the 1849 building and the East Village parish that the Catholic Archdioceses of New York dissolved in 2004.

‘Respect for All’ is message of mayor’s anti-bullying rules
By Andy Humm
After more than four years of refusing to deal comprehensively with bullying in schools, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced a major new initiative to combat the problem that they have minimized in the past, but now acknowledge impedes “our students’ ability to learn.”

News
Squadron beats Connor while Silver holds seat
By Josh Rogers, Julie Shapiro and Sisi Wei
If Martin Connor ever kissed a baby named Daniel Squadron on the campaign trail it would have been when he had already been in the state Senate for two years. On Tuesday night, 28-year-old Squadron ended Connor’s 30-year run in the Senate with a 54-to-46-percent victory in the Democratic primary.

1 tased, 5 arrested in Tompkins ‘Donut Riot’
By Jefferson Siegel
Following a court hearing on sound levels, an East Village concert went off pretty much without a hitch last Friday night. But an impromptu gathering afterward turned ugly, resulting in five arrests, including of Scott Sturgeon, a.k.a. Sturgeon, the lead singer of the group Leftover Crack. In addition, police used a Taser on one man.

Fans pay ‘RENT’ loving respect after historic run
By Lincoln Anderson
As a sendoff to the legions of devoted fans of “RENT,” the hugely successful Broadway rock opera that closed on Sunday, Life Café hosted a joyous farewell bash last Friday evening.

Police question Crack manager, defend zapping punk with Taser
By Lincoln Anderson
Following the arrest of Scott Sturgeon, 32, lead singer of the punk-rock band Leftover Crack, and four of his fans in the East Village last Friday evening, three men identifying themselves as Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau officers paid a surprise visit to Bill Cashman, the band’s manager, Monday afternoon.

Vinyl still plays big in South Village record shops
By Gabriel Zucker
It’s not a big deal to see a “No Tapes” sign in the increasingly digital music industry these days. It’s not even surprising to find a “No CD’s” sign, what with the advent of electronic downloading that has already put Tower Records out of business.

Pile o’ 9/11 petitions
The 9/11 Truth group has so far collected more than 30,000 petition signatures, shown at right, for its NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative.
Villager Arts & Lifestyles

The lady doth protest, and so may others
By Will McKinley
If you’re perturbed by the plague of political correctness that threatens to paralyze this country, you’ll enjoy Brian Parks’ new play, “The Invitation.” The dark comedy about a dinner party gone wrong has some of the most gloriously un-P.C. dialogue I’ve heard since “All in the Family.”

Choking on Antonia Quirke
By Will Mckinley
I just read the memoir of a British film critic. Sounds about as exciting as a Merchant Ivory film festival, right? Well, what if I told you the critic was a randy blonde who dishes about the actors she has loved—on screen and off—with such phrases as, “I like my drinks like my men. All over the bathroom floor when I get home.”

Martha Wainwright finds new confidence
By Adrienne Urbanski
As the daughter of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright spent her childhood in the shadow of the spotlight. Now 32, the Brooklyn-based singer wasn’t eager to leap into stardom.

Koch on Film
By Ed Koch
“Elevator to the Gallows” (+) This French film noir made in 1958 is absolutely terrific. I saw it at Film Forum, which is running a collection of French movies devoted to crime. If it leaves before you have a chance to see it, make an effort to watch it on video.
“Band of Outsiders” (+) Another older French crime picture being shown at the Film Forum. This 1964 movie was given four stars by a New York Post reviewer. It is good, but I would not rate it that highly.

How’s he doing?
By Lori Ortiz
Performance Space 122’s freewheeling spirit has only been fast-forwarded by its newish artistic director Vallejo Gantner. There’ve been changes in programming. The Avant-Garde-Arama showcase is nearing 30 and a family-friendly version was recently added.

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