PRESORTED

STANDARD
PERMIT #3036
WHITE PLAINS NY

VOL. IV NO. X THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009

Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly

Unfit To Be D.A.
DiFiore Conceals Loss Of Her Gun;
Falsely Reports Theft Of Her Car
Page 5

This Week...
Northern Westchester, p2: A .38 Cal. Special Mod. 60
Should Fat People Pay More?
In Our Opinion, p4:
How Cozy!
Living Latino, p10:
Latino Health
Shimmering Stars, p14:
Christopher Columbus

westchesterguardianonline.com

Sworn Affidavits Reveal

Jose Alvarado / Wilson Terrero
Election Fraud Page 3
PAGE 2 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
Catherine Wilson, Bureau Chief

Should Fat People Pay More for Health Care?

The health care crisis has re- rometer for medical issues, raised bate in the Clinton Administra- obligation to preserve one’s own
cently provoked raucous meet- this question in August, 2006 in tion. Even in 1977, when obe- health – a public duty if you will.
ings in many communities, pit- an article entitled “Imposing Per- sity levels in the United States The individual then has the “right”
ting neighbor against neighbor in sonal Responsibility for Health”. were considerably lower than to expect help with information,
arguments over what constitutes According to research reviewed today, personal responsibility accessible services of good quality,
reasonable and affordable health by the authors, in July, 2006 an was proposed by the late John and minimal financial barriers”.
care. The usual issues of what ex- estimated 53% of Americans be- H. Knowles, the director of the Knowles, in his lifetime, also advo-
actly is health care and medical lieved that it’s “fair” to ask people Massachusetts General Hospital cated for U.S. involvement in the
insurance, who should be covered, with unhealthy lifestyles to pay and President of the Rockefeller health problems of the developing
what procedures and care should higher insurance premiums and Foundation, and staunch advo- countries in the world. (emphasis
be provided, and how should this higher deductibles or copay- cate for the problems in health added).
be paid for are still part of the ments for their medical care. care delivery and social welfare. It took another two decades
overall debates, but added to this In November, 2003, that per- In his article in “Daedalus”, for the concept of personal re-
volatile mix is a growing issue, that centage was only 37% indicating Knowles wrote that “the cost of sponsibility in health care to take
of personal responsibility for one’s that a growing number of the sloth, gluttony, alcoholic intem- hold in government. In May, 2006,
own health. Or, in other words, populace is unhappy with sub- perance, reckless driving, sexual West Virginia, the first state to ad-
one of the bottom-line questions sidizing individuals who exhibit frenzy, and smoking is now a vance the concept of personal re-
now being asked by the talking unhealthy lifestyle habits such as national, and not an individual, sponsibility in health care, allowed
heads, think tanks, pundits, and smoking, excessive weight gains, responsibility. This is justified children and adults to receive
professionals is “Should fat peo- and lack of exercising. as individual freedom, but one greater benefits under Medicaid
ple pay more for their medical The concept of personal re- man’s freedom is another man’s only if they signed and adhered to
care since they probably caused sponsibility for health care is not shackle in taxes and insurance a “Medicaid Member Agreement”.
their own problems?” new: a group of Republican sen- premiums. I believe the right That agreement proposed that
The New England Journal of ators attempted to introduce this to health should be replaced by members had to:
Medicine (NEJM), the nation’s ba- concept into the health care de- the idea of an individual moral
Continued on pg. 16

Index
The Advocate:
The Case Against Janet DiFiore ................................................................................................ 5
Classified ......................................................................................................... 26
Community Calendar ..........................................................................22, 23 2 William Street, Suite 406 White Plains, NY 10601
The Court Report: Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Sworn Affidavits Reveal Alvarado/Terrero Election Fraud ................................3, 6, 7
Design Inspirations: Publisher: Editor-in-Chief:
Sitting Pretty .........................................................................................................8, 9 Guardian News Corp. Guardian News Corp.
Horoscope: Shimmering Stars, Oct. 8 - 14..............................................14, 15 Sam Zherka, President Richard Blassberg, Vice President
editor@westchesterguardian.com
In Our Opinion:
How Cozy! .......................................................................................................4 Graphic Designer/Newspaper & Advertising Design:
Jeff Deskovic: John Tufts
Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner In Sing Sing
Sing............................................ 20, 21
Living Latino In Westchester: Editorial: 914.328.3096 • F. 914.328.3824 • editor@westchesterguardian.com
Latino Health: Su Medico Latino Habla ..........................................................10, 11
Advertising: 914.576.1481 • F. 914.633.0806 • advertising@westchesterguardian.com
Northern Westchester:
Should Fat People Pay More For Health Care?.................................................... 2, 16, 17 Published Every Thursday
Our Readers Respond: ....................................................................4, 12, 13
This Week in History: Oct. 8 - 14 .........................................................24, 25 www.westchesterguardianonline.com
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 

4. Four candidates appeared on the ballot for the 2d Council District race: (i) Virginia Perez;

(ii) Wilson Terrero; (iii) Eulogio Santiago; and (iv) Jose Roman. Ms. Perez and Mr.
The following affidavits, with personal information redacted toTerrero
protect privacy, are but three of several that
were the leaders in a tight race, and Messers. Santiago and Roman were minor

were never heard in Westchester Supreme Court last Tuesday, September 29. Their content is self-explanatory.
candidates in the race.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 5. Two candidates appeared on the ballot for the 17th County District race: (i) challenger,
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER
------------------------------------------------------------------------X Sandy Annabi, currently Democratic Majority Leader on the Yonkers City Council and 2d
In the Matter of the Petition of :
: Council District representative; and (ii) incumbent, Jose Alvarado.
JOSE ALVARADO, an aggrieved candidate, : Index No. 21336-2009
: Hon. Gerald E. Loehr 6. I was a poll watcher for Virginia Perez at 15 Hamilton Place in Ward 4. Voting machines
Petitioner, :
: for Election Districts 4, 6 and 7 were placed there. A woman named Rosie (telephone

Photo: Richard Blassberg

- against - :
: AFFIDAVIT number 407-923-2169) was there as a poll watcher for Eulogio Santiago.
THE WESTCHESTER BOARD OF ELECTIONS, :
CAROLEE SUNDERLAND and REGINALD : 7. A man named Ishmael and a woman named Magali, whom I understand are related, were
LAFAYETTE, Commissioner constituting the Board, and :
; the Board of Elections poll workers who greeted voters, examined voters’ registration
SANDY ANNABI, Candidate, :
: cards, compared voters’ signatures with the Board of Election registration books, and
Respondents. :
------------------------------------------------------------------------X Yonkers
directed voters toresidents procedurally
the voting machine situated barred from
behind the testifying
registration table where they

STATE OF NEW YORK ) were sitting.

: ss:
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER ) 8. Magali is described as a Puerto Rican woman, 5'4", dyed light brown hair, weighing

ROSA GOMEZ, being duly sworn, deposes and says as follows: approximately 150 pounds.

1. I reside at 47 Northfield Avenue in Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522. My telephone 9. Ishmael and Magali were clearly partisans for Alvarado and Terrero. Ishmael tried to

number is (347) 776-3304. I am a realtor, and currently, work as a referral agent for force me to leave the vicinity, and falsely claimed I was not permitted to be there as a poll

Better Homes and Gardens Realty in Dobbs Ferry. watcher for Virginia Perez. I stood my ground and refused to abandon my post which
2. The Democratic Party primary election took place on Tuesday, September 15, 2009. Two upset him.
races in Yonkers appeared on the ballot: (i) the 2d Council District for the Yonkers City 10. In the morning, Magali left Ishmael at the registration desk and announced she was going
Council; and (ii) the 17 County District for the Westchester Board of Legislators.
th

to vote in her home precinct. She returned,

-2- and then, sometime around 12:30 P.M., went
3. I am advised the Yonkers 2d Council District and Westchester Board of Legislators 17th
inside the voting machine behind the registration desk and voted.
County District are nearly congruent, and cover mostly southwest Yonkers, a heavily
11. Both Rosie and I were shocked. Another poll worker, described as a mixed
Hispanic area within election wards 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8.
black/Hispanic woman, asked Magali why she did this when she is not registered to vote
4. Four candidates appeared on the ballot for the 2d Council District race: (i) Virginia Perez;
-1- at that location and left earlier to vote at her own precinct. Magali angrily responded
(ii) Wilson Terrero; (iii) Eulogio Santiago; and (iv) Jose Roman. Ms. Perez and Mr.
“mind your own business.”
Terrero were the leaders in a tight race, and Messers. Santiago and Roman were minor
12. Later, a Board of Elections worker arrived to write down numbers from the voting
candidates in the race.
machines and asked Ishmael : “Why are there so many votes on this machine when there
5. Two candidates appeared on the ballot for the 17th County District race: (i) challenger,
are hardly any votes on the other machines?”
Sandy Annabi, currently Democratic Majority Leader on the Yonkers City Council and 2d
13. I followed this man outside and told him Rosie and I witnessed Magali’s illegal vote. He
Council District representative; and (ii) incumbent, Jose Alvarado.
promised he would report it to his employer. Shortly thereafter, a Yonkers police officer
6. I was a poll watcher for Virginia Perez at 15 Hamilton Place in Ward 4. Voting machines
came in and sat near us to observe Ishmael and Magali at that voting machine.
for Election Districts 4, 6 and 7 were placed there. A woman named Rosie (telephone

number 407-923-2169) was there as a poll watcher for Eulogio Santiago. ____________________________
Rosa Gomez
7. A man named Ishmael and a woman named Magali, whom I understand are related, were
Sworn to and subscribed
the Board of Elections poll workers who greeted voters, examined voters’ registration before me this September 27, 2009.

cards, compared voters’ signatures with the Board of Election registration books, and ________________________
Notary Public
directed voters to the voting machine situated behind the registration table where they

were sitting.
Continued on page 6
8. Magali is described as a Puerto Rican woman, 5'4", dyed light brown hair, weighing

approximately 150 pounds.

9. Ishmael and Magali were clearly partisans for Alvarado and Terrero. Ishmael tried to
PAGE  THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
In Our Opinion...
How Cozy!
W hen news that Andy Spano & Company had gotten the hom-
eowners and taxpayers of Westchester into a terrible situation,
one that will cost $65 million, and possibly much more, including
bond interest and overhead, not to mention the surrender of home
rule to a federal monitor, and our wrongful loss of reputation, Dan
Schorr, Republican Candidate for District Attorney, called upon Janet
DiFiore to open an investigation.
Mr. Schorr, of course, was quite right. DA Janet DiFiore had every
good reason to open an investigation into where $52 million had been
misappropriated between 2000 and 2006, and why it was that Andy
Spano and members of his administration had accepted federal block
grant money under specific terms and conditions over and over again,
making false claims about the use of those funds, and, repeatedly po-
tentially subjecting taxpayers and homeowners to significant penal-
ties and loss of local autonomy.
However, when confronted with the choice of protecting the People’s
interests, or those of her pal Andy, the nearly one million residents and
taxpayers, as always in Janet’s calculations, were made to take a back
seat. The simple truth of the matter is that she owes her “election” to the
Office of District Attorney as a Republican in 2005 to Andy Spano, Lar-
ry Schwartz, Nick Spano, and Reginald LaFayette, acting in concert.
An independent prosecutor, one who was not tied to the political ma-
chinery, would need no urging to protect the People’s interest. She
would have opened a comprehensive investigation into why such a
huge sum of money, $52 million in federal block grants, nearly nine
million dollars a year for six years, was doled out by Andy Spano out
of compliance with the terms and conditions of the grants, yet repeat-
edly vouchered for as though in compliance.
Of course, if Janet DiFiore were a principled, independent prosecu-
tor, she would be seeking “reelection” as the Republican she truly is,
and her campaign operatives wouldn’t be going around, all over the
County, cozying her signs up close to Spano’s.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
Our Readers Respond...
My Son’s Been Kidnapped
Dear Editor:
My name is Joshua Askew of Mt Vernon. Having been
unable to reach my son by telephone I searched the inter-
net to find my ex wife. She had moved to Pennsylvania and
placed my son into a residential treatment facility, Hoffman
Homes, in Gettysburgh, without my knowledge.  She refused
to provide me with any information. I contacted the facility
and spoke to a case worker, a Ms. Barnes, and set up a visit.
She informed me that my son was being medicated with Ris-
peridal. I checked the drug on the internet to find out what it
was for and what the side effects might be for an 8 year old. To
my surprise the drug hadn’t been approved for children and
causes sterility. When I got there I saw he didn’t look well. His
face was swollen and he had a lost look on his face. He was
glad to see me.
The counselors gave me a tour to assure me that my son
was in good care.  They were also very vague as to why he
was there. I asked them why they would have my son taking a
drug that isn’t approved for children and causes sterility. They
told me my son had been diagnosed Bipolar and ADHD. I
filed for custody immediately. I received custody of my son
March 11, 2005.
On April 12 2005, due to an incident at school caused a
CPS [Child Protective Services] investigation was commenced.
Case worker Nina Nelson/WCDSS [Westchester County De-
partment of Social Services] came to my home with blank dis-
closure forms for me to sign.. I refused. She advised me to have
my son evaluated at Mt. Vernon Hospital. I cooperated, being I
wanted to help my son get the care he needed.
At the hospital while I was registering my son Ms. Nelson
was speaking with a nurse, the same nurse checked my son’s
vitals. We were escorted to a small room in the back.
After almost three hours my fiancé went to get us all din-
ner. We ate and waited a few more hours. I asked Dr. Bartow
(the one who blew himself up)  if he knew how long it would
be before my son could be evaluated. He told me “We have a
bed for him”. I asked him how could he have a bed for him
without an evaluation? He called the police on me.
The police that were sent were threatening and used vul-
gar language. My fiancé called 911 to request to have a ser-
geant come to the hospital. She called three times and was
told “The police are already there.”
Finally a Dr. E. Walsh came and evaluated my son. He
rectified the whole situation and sent us home. This trau-
matic event was not over. I received a call from Susan Berger
and Terry Richard both of CPS. They requested that I apply
for welfare to get “services” for my son. I asked them about
the legalities on page 14 of the Welfare intake form which is
needed to apply for services. They were unable to answer my
questions. I went to DSS to ask them about the application.
They called the police on me and had me BANNED from the
Continued on pg. 12
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
The Case Against Janet DiFiore:
A District Attorney Who Failed To Report Her Reckless Loss Of Her Gun
And Falsely Reported The Theft Of Her Car Containing Confidential Files
For openers, Janet speaks about
integrity and experience, and yet,
from her very first run for public of-
fice against Judge Les Adler, she dem-
onstrated that she lacked both. She
told the Journal News that she had
prosecuted more than 2,000 cases as
an Assistant District Attorney. How-
ever, that newspaper’s investigation
turned up the fact that she had actu-
ally prosecuted a grand total of 12, all
misdemeanors.
Janet has a serious problem with
the truth, and is constantly engaged in
covering up and lying about her mis-
conduct. Her close relationship with
Peter Viviano, a man with family ties
to the late Mob boss Vinnie “The Chin”
Gigante, is a good case in point. Insid-
ers have told us that when her expen-
sive Porsche, containing lists of confi-
dential informants and investigators,
was stolen outside Mr. Viviano’s house
in White Plains in the wee hours of the
morning, she filed a false police report
that it was taken at the Cross County
Shopping Center in Yonkers.
Reliable sources have revealed that
when she was out on the town in New
York City with Viviano, she lost her
purse containing her .38-caliber Spe-
cial Model 60 revolver and her badge,
and then turned to Tom Belfiore, for-
mer New York City Police Department
brass, to keep her reckless loss a secret.
But nothing remains secret forever.
Here is the whole sordid story
about Janet DiFiore’s .38 caliber Spe-
cial Model 60, serial number R172036.
Following the loss of her handgun, on
June 12, 2006, Janet filed a false report
with Westchester County Public Safety
Commissioner Tom Belfiore not report-
ing the loss of the handgun but, rather,
her New York City Pistol Permit No.
0100237478, which she never needed
because she had a New York State “Un-
restricted, Full Carry Pistol Permit”.
Tom Belfiore accepted her false
report without notifying any other
agency of the loss of her handgun.
She was then issued a new State Per-
mit No. 61311 without the missing
unreported gun listed on it. A check
of the new permit on November 19,
2008 showed no gun listed.
Who knows what crimes have
been committed with that unreported,
missing gun; the gun
that originally appeared
on her “Unrestricted Li-
cense To Carry”, but is
no longer listed on the
new license.
Janet seems to have
problems properly re-
lating to police. Surely
everyone who watched
Yonkers Police Officer
Wayne Simoes bodyslam
Irma Marquez like a rag doll onto that
tile-covered concrete floor without
provocation, or just cause, aired over
and over again on News12, knew that
he had done something outrageous,
all but killing her as her face and head
crashed against the floor.
Yet, Janet DiFiore, having been
shown the security videotape by Ms.
Marquez’ attorney, Gary Certain, pro-
ceeded all the same to prosecute and
bring the victim to trial on trumped-up
charges, none of which were supported
by the videotape, but which were never-
theless leveled against her in a corrupt
attempt to cover up a bad cop.
Similarly, when Rui Florim, a 22-
year-old from Yonkers, was attacked
by six off-duty Yonkers cops, driv-
ing two unmarked police cars in the
Village of Hartsdale, Town of Green-
burgh, she prosecuted Florim, who
required 72 stitches and staples to his
face and head, and nearly five days in
the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s
Hospital, during which time his par-
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
ents and his attorney were barred
from seeing him by the Yonkers Po-
lice Department.
In refusing to prosecute Simoes
in the Marquez case, and six of his fel-
low rogue officers in the Florim case,
DiFiore demonstrates the lengths she
will go to to protect bad, brutal cops
when she has been endorsed by them;
a very incestuous relationship that
continues to trample
the Constitutional
rights of citizens.
On the flip side,
DiFiore, unable and
unwilling to tolerate
any criticism, no mat-
ter how constructive
and accurate, put pres-
sure on the police com-
missioner and Village
Board of Pleasantville
to get rid of a highly-decorated, 27-
year veteran of the Pleasantville Po-
lice Department, Stephen J. Bonura,
for having criticized her for repeated-
ly releasing a thief with more than 30
arrests, some involving guns and vio-
lence. Her vindictiveness intimidated
the Police Chief, Anthony Chiarlitti,
into lodging bogus charges against
Officer Bonura, resulting in his pre-
mature retirement.
Bonura, married and the father
of five children, was a great asset to
his department and, particularly,
to the youth as well as seniors in the
Pleasantville community. Hundreds
of residents, as well as police officers
from several departments, attended
the series of hearings held by the Vil-
lage Board in their cowardly response
to pressure brought to bear by DA Di-
Fiore through the police chief.
As a result, the services of a good
cop were lost as he was pushed into
retirement, as well as the services of
his partner, Michael DeMaio, who was
PAGE 
squeezed out following DiFiore’s com-
plaint to the Chief, and has gone to work
for the Ossining Police Department.
Then there was the unnecessary
trial of Mount Kisco Police Officer
George Bubaris, who Janet DiFiore
charged, and indicted, with having
caused the death of Guatemalan home-
less immigrant, and hopeless alcoholic,
Rene Perez. Under pressure from His-
panic advocate Fernando Mateo, Janet
DiFiore, without adequate investiga-
tion, and without a scintilla of material
evidence linking Officer Bubaris to the
injuries which caused Mr. Perez’ bleed-
out and death, brought Bubaris to trial
for inflicting internal injuries that may
very well have been self-inflicted.
As the trial opened, The Guard-
ian indicated that DiFiore was com-
ing to trial “with her tank on empty,”
and the jury quickly arrived at the
same conclusion, finding Officer
Bubaris innocent on all counts. Of
course, Bubaris, who was married to
a Latina, would never work again as
a police officer and spent every penny
he had, or could beg or borrow, to
fund his defense.
Janet DiFiore is a counterfeit,
calling herself a “Democrat” for polit-
ical expediency, yet having run three
times, against Democrats, as a Re-
publican and Conservative; and, con-
tributing large sums of money to the
Conservative Party. No self-respect-
ing Democrat would treat innocent
civilians and hard-working, dedicated
police officers the way she continues
to. Quite simply, she does not have the
moral authority to be the District At-
torney of Westchester.
Her lack of leadership and moral
fiber have clearly contributed to the
largest exodus from the DA’s Office in
memory, with more than 75 Assistant
DAs and criminal investigators hav-
ing left over the past four years. n
 5. She told me I could not vote because my name was not in the registration book, even

though she did not check the book.

6. She told me I must go to Locust Hill School to vote. I went there and was turned away by

a white man in his mid-50s with glasses. He said my name was not in the registration
PAGE  THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
book and directed me to the voting precinct at 15 Hamilton Avenue.

Court Report, continued from page 3 7. I went there and met a poll worker named Magali who was at the registration table with

her relatives, Diana, Janet, Ishmael and his wife, Elizabeth. I know these folks because I
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER worked with them around ten years ago as a poll worker.
------------------------------------------------------------------------X
In the Matter of the Petition of : 8. Magali informed me that I was not registered at that location and directed me to go to 334
:
JOSE ALVARADO, an aggrieved candidate, : Index No. 21336-2009 Riverdale Avenue and Post Street to vote.
: Hon. Gerald E. Loehr
Petitioner, : 9. I went there and the man at the registration table asked for my address. He then said I
:
- against - : was not registered at that location. I refused to leave, and insisted on looking at the
: AFFIDAVIT
THE WESTCHESTER BOARD OF ELECTIONS, : registration book myself. The moment I did so, I found my name clearly listed in the
CAROLEE SUNDERLAND and REGINALD :
LAFAYETTE, Commissioner constituting the Board, and : book. He knew I had caught him in a lie.
;
SANDY ANNABI, Candidate, : 10. I tried to vote for Virginia Perez on Line 9A but the lever was jammed. I had to press it
:
Respondents. : repeatedly, and finally, after applying intense pressure, the lever went down.
------------------------------------------------------------------------X
11. I work with a bus driver named Angel Bautista who lives at 289 Nepperhan Avenue in
STATE OF NEW YORK )
: ss: Yonkers. This building was a voting precinct. Mr. Bautista’s brother, Primitivo Maria
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER )
Bautista, is a campaign worker for Alvarado, and poll workers at that location were
CARMEN MARRERO, being duly sworn, deposes and says:
telling voters they must vote for Alvarado and Terrero.
1. I reside at 161 Beech Street, Apartment 2, in Yonkers, New York. My telephone number
12. In addition, Mr. Bautista told me his son, also named Angel, who resides in Staten Island,
is 914-562-5873. I am employed as a bus monitor for Mile Square, a school bus company
received a form from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“BICE”)
in Yonkers.
requesting references for the son’s application for a green card, i.e., permanent residency.
2. The Democratic Party primary election took place on Tuesday, September 15, 2009. -2-
Primitivo gave the form to Alvarado who signed it, and promised to provide a letter to
3. Four candidates appeared on the ballot for the Yonkers 2d Council District race: (i)
BICE on his official letterhead in exchange for Mr. Bautista’s vote.
Virginia Perez; (ii) Wilson Terrero; (iii) Eulogio Santiago; and (iv) Jose Roman.
13. I have a co-worker named Marina. I overheard her conversation with another co-worker
4. I went to my designated polling place at the Enrico Fermi School. I met a young woman
in which she said she was voting for Alvarado because he promised that, if she registered
at the registration table using a laptop computer. She is described as 5',4", dark skinned
to vote and voted for him, he would bring her orphaned grandchildren in Equador to this
and I believe of Dominican origin.

5. She told me I could not vote because my name was not in the registration book, even country.
-1-
though she did not check the book. 14. Before the election, I was approached by a light skinned Hispanic man about 5',6" who

6. She told me I must go to Locust Hill School to vote. I went there and was turned away by identified himself as a campaign worker for Alvarado and Terrero. I recognized this man

a white man in his mid-50s with glasses. He said my name was not in the registration because I have seen him walking his dog in the neighborhood previously. He told me

book and directed me to the voting precinct at 15 Hamilton Avenue. that, if I voted for Alvarado and Terrero, they in turn would help me with my rent and get

7. I went there and met a poll worker named Magali who was at the registration table with me qualified for Section 8 subsidized housing.

her relatives, Diana, Janet, Ishmael and his wife, Elizabeth. I know these folks because I
____________________________
Carmen Marrero
worked with them around ten years ago as a poll worker.
Sworn to and subscribed
8. Magali informed me that I was not registered at that location and directed me to go to 334
before me this September 24, 2009.
Riverdale Avenue and Post Street to vote.
________________________
Notary Public
9. I went there and the man at the registration table asked for my address. He then said I

was not registered at that location. I refused to leave, and insisted on looking at the

registration book myself. The moment I did so, I found my name clearly listed in the

book. He knew I had caught him in a lie.

10. I tried to vote for Virginia Perez on Line 9A but the lever was jammed. I had to press it

repeatedly, and finally, after applying intense pressure, the lever went down.
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 

Court Report, continued from previous page

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER
------------------------------------------------------------------------X
In the Matter of the Petition of :
:
JOSE ALVARADO, an aggrieved candidate, : Index No. 21336-2009
: Hon. Gerald E. Loehr
Petitioner, :
:
- against - :
: AFFIDAVIT
THE WESTCHESTER BOARD OF ELECTIONS, :
CAROLEE SUNDERLAND and REGINALD :
LAFAYETTE, Commissioner constituting the Board, and :
;
SANDY ANNABI, Candidate, :
:
Respondents. :
------------------------------------------------------------------------X

STATE OF NEW YORK )

: ss:
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER )

JENNIFER CASTILLO, being duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. I reside at161 Beech Street in Yonkers, New York.

2. The Democratic Party primary election took place on Tuesday, September 15, 2009.

3. Four candidates appeared on the ballot for the Yonkers 2d Council District race: (i)

Virginia Perez; (ii) Wilson Terrero; (iii) Eulogio Santiago; and (iv) Jose Roman.

4. Two candidates appeared on the ballot for the 17th County District race: (i) challenger,

Sandy Annabi, currently Democratic Majority Leader on the Yonkers City Council and 2d

Council District representative; and (ii) incumbent, Jose Alvarado.

5. I went to the Enrico Fermi School to vote. I intended to vote for Virginia Perez and

Sandy Annabi.

6. I was turned away by a poll worker who was clearly partisan for Alvarado and Terrero. I
-1-
was told that I was a registered Republican, and could not vote in the Democratic

primary.

7. I have never been a Republican, and always have been a registered Democrat.

Nonetheless, I was not permitted to vote for the candidates of my choice.

____________________________
Jennifer Castillo

Sworn to and subscribed

before me this September 27, 2009.

________________________
Notary Public
PAGE 8 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Every room in your home
has its own unique character. The
charm that you are attempting
to achieve develops with when
you place items with every step
you take. Furniture should be
arranged, not dropped in a spot
and forgotten about. Your seating
arrangement is where your living
is, so it’s critical that you develop
a good flow and comfort within
the room. Placing items along all
four walls is a “No No”. Arrang-
ing them in a configuration that
will be warm and inviting for
relaxation and conversation is
what you should be attempting to
achieve.
Knowing the various sizes of
the items you are working with
is essential. The length, depth,
and height of your sofa and
chairs should be your number
one concern. If you are buying
new items, consider purchasing
the “chair and a half ’ instead of
a loveseat; it will measure about
fifty-two inches across and you
should allow for forty-two inches
in depth.
This is a perfect addition for a
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
Veronica Imperatrice
Sitting Pretty
family room, living room, and if a wider space.
possible, a bedroom. What could Another
be more cozy than sitting with a myth is that you
youngster in one of these chairs shouldn’t use
and sharing a bedtime story? dark colors in a
Loveseats overall are a waste small area. The
of money, unless you have a lot truth is that if
of it to throw around. The “chair you paint two
and a half ” is perfect for individ- walls in a dark-
ual comfort. Some even feature er shade, and
a reclining element that is to die two in a lighter,
for! contrasting
Let’s discuss some of the every shade, you will
day issues that most of us face at have accom-
one time or another. The shape of plished, once
the room, not just the size, but the again opening
actual shape can sometimes make the space so that
it challenging when placing fur- they will appear
niture. If you are working with a larger.
When a room has three inte-
narrow room, a common mistake What about a room that is
rior walls, and just one exterior,
is placing items against the walls in lacking windows and/or a view?
you must play up the exterior wall
the length of the room. This could be a boring, and un-
by adding very eye-catching win-
Try to visualize seeing a skinny interesting area that no one will
dow treatment, nothing heavy or
person wearing a vertically striped enjoy being in unless you have the
dark. You want to help bring the
outfit. It doesn’t look very good, and key in transforming it into a place
outdoors in, the best way you can.
that is what you would be seeing if of interest.
you were to place all of the items in
a vertical direction. You must cross
over the narrow space with some
horizontal pieces of interest. This
will actually give the appearance of
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Next, paint the walls in two
shades rather than one. Since the
interior wall space will not be an
issue, select larger pieces of art
work rather than many small in-
significant ones throughout the
room. Placing a mirror on the op-
posite side of the exterior wall will
help open up the area and reflect
your one wall with windows. Even
the best decorator faces challeng-
es; it is up to the individual to find
their own solutions to eliminate
the problems.
When it comes to adding accent
chairs to your room, once again,
you need to keep size in mind. A set
of two smaller chairs well in a room
that already has a sofa, “chair and a
half”, and club chair. Don’t overfill a
room. Space is important for an easy
walk thru and for the overall visual
feel of a room.
All chairs do not have to be
fully upholstered, if anything, hav-
ing exposed wood on some items
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 
and a skirted bottom on others is
more attractive. Interesting seat-
ing arrangements are not only
meant for the living room or fam-
ily room.
Bring some chair items into
your bedroom if space permits,
especially the master bedroom. A
set of two chairs and small table
will be a wonderful addition in
your bedroom. Create a cozy cor-
ner that you can retreat to for a
little peace and quiet.
Guest rooms can also be
adorned with a simple comfy
chair with table and lamp. Coor-
dinating the upholstery with the
bedding and window treatment
will add a cheerful touch which
will be appreciated.
Seating is a necessity, but it
should also be a pleasure to see
and enjoy. Make this a priority the
next time you are decorating your
living room or family room. n
PAGE 10 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Latino Health: Su Medico Latino Habla
I am so excited about this new
segment that we have created just
for you. I am sure that you will find
this piece, and others that follow,
that will address Latino health issues
generally, here, and in upcoming
pieces more specifically, will be use-
ful and beneficial.
Wow … where to begin? Health.
Health is a huge topic. To begin with,
there are many health concerns wheth-
er one is Latino or not. But, as Lati-
nos/Hispanics, we face our own health
problems and risks due to our genetic
make up and/or lifestyle. In addition,
at every stage of our lives we should
be well advised of specific health risks
and recommended health care.
In my own case, this year I just
turned 40 and, as such, I am begin-
ning to think about all those exams
that usually are taken at about my
age. As a Latina woman or Latino
man there are particular markers in
our lives that should compel us to
take our health issues seriously and
act accordingly.
This will be my main thrust. I
will be discussing with our doctor
the many issues we need to con-
front in order to stay healthy. This
includes issues from disease to pre-
ventive medicine. Furthermore, it is
my goal to address our health issues
and questions in the near future.
With all those last names you al-
ready know he is a Latino. I am very
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
happy to welcome Dr. Norberto Is-
rael Torres-Otero, M.D. Dr. Torres
is a practicing internist with an office
in Elmsford, New York. I first met
Dr. Torres at a Hispanic symposium
in White Plains, where I attended as
a reporter. He addressed all the at-
tendees concerning cholesterol issues
among Hispanics. After his heartfelt
lecture I had to meet him. What
struck me was his concern, focus
and knowledge of a Latino-particular
health concerns. He truly cares about
the community and is willing and ex-
cited to help me get important infor-
mation to our many readers. This is
the Latino version of The Doctors.
To begin with, as a general ques-
tion, I asked Dr. Torres what his opin-
ions were with regard to the overall
health of the Hispanic community
here in Westchester. He shared the
following:
“Westchester has become more
diverse with an increasing popula-
tion of people from many Hispanic
cultures. Over the last 15-20 years,
immigration to Westchester from
Hispanic countries has increased
considerably with many commu-
nities such as Port Chester, Ossin-
ing, Peekskill, and Mamaroneck as
portals of entry for immigrants and
their families into Westchester.
Since I have been practicing In-
ternal medicine in Elmsford for the
last 10 years, I have seen a consider-
able growth in Hispanic patients to
my practice. Most of them are new
to the health insurance plans as they
receive there healthcare via their
employers.
Another large set of Hispanics
that I see are part of the Medicare
system as they have been working
in this country for many years and
Ioanna N. Burgos
have paid into the Social Security
system to qualify for Medicare when
they turned 65.
What are the key issues related
to health in the Hispanic commu-
nity? Unquestionably, the Hispanic
community is disproportionately
affected by chronic conditions like
cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
asthma and cerebrovascular disease.
These conditions are chronic and
require frequent monitoring and
evaluation from health professionals
to properly manage them.
The sad thing is that many His-
panics do not recieve adequate health
care to take care of these problems.
The main reason for this is that there
are barriers to health in the Hispanic
community. One of the main barri-
ers is lack of Health Insurance.
The topic of health care has be-
come a national agenda as public
costs for Medicare and Medicaid
have increased over the last several
years. Despite increased spend-
ing by government health care pro-
grams, there is still a large portion
of the population that cannot access
health insurance or find affordable
health care that meets their needs.
This has been especially true in the
case of the Hispanic population.
Although lack of health insur-
ance may present a significant bar-
rier to services, Hispanics, who have
health insurance, access health ser-
vices at lower rates then other racial
groups. That is because there are
other factors that determine wheth-
er Hispanics receive the preventative
healthcare services that they need.
Some of these reasons can be related
to low income household, lack of ed-
ucation, lack of transportation, and
probably the most common reason
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
that I find in my practice is limited
English proficiency.
Many of the new Hispanic pa-
tients that I see who have health
insurance have come to me because
they can not communicate with
their doctors properly and so are un-
able to understand how to properly
take their medications and/or what
preventative care they need to do to
ensure good health with respect to
their particular conditions.
I have made it my objective
to provide excellent and thorough
medical care to all my patients re-
gardless of ethnic group, but I also
make sure that I go out of my way
to ensure that my Hispanic patients
understand what their particular
medical condition is and how I can
help them.  It is important that peo-
ple understand what is wrong with
their health and how they can help
themselves.  That is why I am thrilled
over the idea of getting to know you,
the Westchester Guardian Hispanic
reader. Over the next few months,
I will write about some of the more
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 11
common medical health issues that
Direct Hard Money Lender
affect the Hispanic community here
in Westchester and ways that they
can help you. In addition, I will be
addressing any specific question you
may have.”
It is important that in order to 14% Interest
1-yr. Bridge Loans
address the health care problem
in the short term there should, at
least, be more bilingual health care
providers from doctors to nurses to
staff.  In the long term, the federal
government will have to address the 20k - $1 million
$
insurance problem.
I want to open up a forum where
Secured by Real Estate
we can discuss issues that are impor- Immediate Answer
tant to our community. One way we
can do this is for readers to contact Closing In 7 Days
us. Dr. Torres and I want to address
your health questions and concerns.
Please feel free to write to our editor
at the Westchester Guardian or e-
mail me at Ioanna16@aol.com with
Call: G. Morales
any of your questions and/your con-
cerns. In addition, watch for me and 914-632-1243
Dr. Torres out in our community
during Hispanic Heritage month. M-F 10am-6pm
March with us October 18, 2009. n
PAGE 12 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Readers Respond, continued from page 4
building by Iris Jenkins/Associate
Commissioner of Social Services.
In September 2006 I was charged
by CPS with medical neglect be-
cause I hadn’t applied for Welfare.
On October 5, 2006 in front of Judge
Cooney I was offered to sign a vol-
untary placement form in order to
have the medical neglect charges
dropped and my son would not have
to take medication. I agreed to a 48-
hour placement at Four Winds.  My
visits were denied. I was called for a
meeting 10/29/05. Two pieces of pa-
per were thrown across the table by
Terry Richardson/WCDSS who told
me “You are indicated for medical
neglect.”  After four months of de-
nied visits, my son was transferred
to Pleasantville Cottage, Pleasant-
ville, NY . I was denied visits for an-
other two months. In the past three
years I’ve gone to:
• DA DiFiore’s Office: unable to
help;
• County Executive Andrew
Spano: Ignored me;
• Legal Aide: They told me I have
to be on Welfare;
• Student Advocacy: Unable to
help;
•Family Ties of Westchester:
Useless;
• Urban League: Another wel-
fare program;
• NAACP Legal Defense: Can’t
help unless incarcerated or on death
row
• Brenda Smith/Mt Vernon
School Superintendent (at the time):
Useless
Joshua Askew, Mount Vernon
Reader Says Ban The Bill
Dear Editor:
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin
has again introduced a bill, along
with 52 other sponsors, called the
“Unintended Pregnancy Prevent Act”
(A627). It would allow any female of
reproductive age to buy the “morn-
ing-after” pill without a prescription
or instruction by a doctor, nurse, or
pharmacist. Instructional material
will be provided with the pills but
getting a pre-teen to read or under-
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
stand it is questionable. These pills
must be taken within 72 hours after
unprotected sex to prevent pregnan-
cy.
Unfortunately, these pre-teens
had already been exposed to numer-
ous, sexually-transmitted diseases
(STD) such as Chlamydia, human
papilloma virus (HPV) which can
lead to cervical cancer, HIV/Aids,
and genital herpes, which have been
an epidemic for decades now. Geni-
tal herpes is an incurable, contagious
disease, and condoms offer no pro-
tection from it. According to a 2008
report, one-fourth of New York City
adults have the genital herpes virus.
Assemblywoman Paulin’s press
release refers to the use of the “morn-
ing-after” pill by women but then it
refers to abortion and unintended
pregnancy statistics for ages 17 and
under, including pre-teens. It states
that abortions will be reduced by
half (50 percent) if the Emergency
Contraception (EC) pill is available
over-the-counter, in the aisle, just
like a teen cosmetic. It could be ad-
vertised on MTV or Facebook: “Just
had sex? Try the EC pill by Teva
Pharmaceuticals.”
Another study reports that EC,
the “morning-after” pill, has had
no effect on the nation’s abortion or
teenage pregnancy rates since 2006,
when it became available. Women
who had been given the pills for free
didn’t take them after sex.
The legislation does not list the
serious side effects of the Emergency
Contraception pills, such as bleeding,
stomach cramps, and pain, nor does
it list the epidemic of STDs which
pre-teens and teens face where the
odds of being infected are greater
than playing Russian Roulette.
The worst effect of this pro-
posed, radical legislation is that it
kills parental rights and eliminates
the advice of doctors, nurses, and
pharmacists. They should all be ex-
tremely angry at Assemblywoman
Paulin and every assembly person
who has co-sponsored it. Parents,
doctors, nurses, and pharmacists
should tell their assemblyperson to
withdraw this anti-family, medi-
cally-harmful bill. Tell them to stop
interfering in the family and medical
procedures that require the exper-
tise and extensive training of medi-
cal professionals.
Advise Amy Paulin and the oth-
er assemblypersons to introduce a
bill supporting the teaching of free
will, self-discipline, and the fact that
students are humans, not animals
who survive by instinct without the
ability to reason, think, and make
objective decisions. This proposed
legislation should enable the teach-
ing that every action has a conse-
quence, which each individual must
consider before making a decision.
Put God back into the curriculum,
Amy Paulin.
In the State Senate, the “Unin-
tended Pregnancy Prevention Act”
(S1410) was introduced by Sena-
tor Schneiderman with 14 other
sponsors. Tell your State Senators
to oppose this radical, anti-family,
Big Brother legislation. Also sup-
port Assemblyman Rabbitt’s leg-
islation, “Woman’s Right To Know
Act” (A2726) and Assemblyman
Barra’s bill, “Family Protection Act”
(A6242), which are pro-family and
pro-women.
Charles Roda, Mount Vernon
We’re All Entitled To Our Own
Opinions, But Not Our Own Facts
Dear Editor:
The article Democratic Party
Bandits Try to Steal Election... is mis-
leading with hearsay, speculation and
innuendo masquerading as fact.
While the article portents [sic] to
portray that in-depth investigatative
[sic] reporting “uncovered” wrongdo-
ing the facts prove otherwise.  Your 
article falsely indicates that I was at the
15 Hamilton Avenue polling site and
nothing had been done when the op-
posite is true.
Why did your article omit the
fact the Yonkers Democratic party
was the one who brought this matter
to the Westchester County Board of
Elections after one of the Democrat-
ic Party campaign workers was ad-
vised by a poll watcher at 15 Hamil-
ton Avenue of the concerns that you
mention in your article. I believe
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
the same person advised the Perez
campaign. In fact, it was the Yon-
kers Democratic Committee that re-
quested the Board of Elections send
down representatives to ensure that
the Poll inspectors were following
the written protocols when voters
requested additional instruction or
wanted to take an outside person
into the voting both.
Why didn’t the investigative re-
porting disclose that when I arrived at
15 Hamilton Avenue a meeting was
convened between the Board of Elec-
tions representatives, the “captain” of
the poll location, and representatives
of the Terrero and Perez’s campaigns to
review the procedures.
The written protocol for voter
assistance is posted at every voting
machine in English and Spanish.
The poll inspectors also have written
guidelines on voter assistance by the
poll workers and others.    You must
know by now that if a voter requests
someone to enter the booth with
them who is not a poll inspector, the
person must take an oath which ba-
sically states they will not advise the
voter who to vote for. The oath to be
administered is written in the Poll
Inspector’s manual.
You neglect to mention that an-
other candidate for the 2nd Council
District was standing as a poll watch-
er at the same election site, which is
not permitted.  It is electioneering.
Taking pictures inside a poll
site (which is also prohibited) is one
course of action, the Board of Elec-
tions should have been notified by the
Perez campaign.  The police would
also be notified.  Since there was a po-
lice officer stationed inside the polling
location AND outside the polling lo-
cation they would not have far to go.
On September 16th, I congratu-
lated all the Democratic candidates
in these two races for the outstand-
ing job they all did engaging the
electorate with close to 2000 people
voting in the County Legislative race
and about 1200 voting in the 2nd
Council District.  For the most part,
they stuck with the issues and spoke
to the potential constituents.  Al-
though the party has an endorsed
candidate, no matter who won they
would be a Democrat and would be
supported by the Democratic party
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 13
for the General election.
There were primaries for all the
Yonkers City Council seats with the
2nd District Council race having the
highest voter turnout.  This from an
area that has traditionally had the
lowest turnout.  The four Democrat-
ic candidates had a chance to bring
their message to the people and the
people decided.
The attorney for Councilmem-
ber Annabi claimed massive fraud
and requested to review the sign-
in books and compare the machine
counts to the number of signatures
in the book. According to Annabi’s
attorney he was willing to concede
there was no massive fraud.
I understand that sensational-
ism attacts readers, but it is a dis-
service to the readers to spew partial
information.  One would suspect that
in the course of attempting to gather
complete information you would
speak to the people you reference.
Ken Jenkins, Chairman,
Yonkers Democratic Committee
Editor’s Note:
While it is understandable that
Mr. Jenkins, Yonkers Democratic City
Chair, and County Legislator, would
not want readers from all over the
County to discover the horrific election
fraud tactics employed by agents for
Jose Alvarado and Wilson Terrero,
his steatement is very misleading and
really misses the point. The fact is when
Virginia Perez, accompanied by The
Guardian, arrived at the 15 Hamilton
Ave. polling site, we were immediately
informed that Mr. Jenkins had just
left, by pollworkers, poll watchers, and
voters alike, some of whom were very
upset with what Magali had been do-
ing and boasting about as reported in
our Sept. 24 issue.
To now talk about protocols and
guidelines is meaningless when the
very individuals who were supposed
to preserve the integrity and sanctity
of the election process, were reportedly
openly engaging in unlawful activities
on behalf of the so-called Democratic
Party choices, Jose Alvarado and
Wilson Terrero, and continued those
practices right up until we arrived.
– Editor
See Court Report, pgs. 3,6, and 7
PAGE 14 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
Shelley Ackerman
Oct. 8 - 14

Christopher Columbus! The Sun Trines

Jupiter, as ‘Big Jove’ Turns Direct;
Mercury Re-Enters Libra; Venus Merges with Saturn,
Sextiles Mars and Glides into Libra
By Shelley Ackerman Full Moon in 1st & 7th (houses) raises
David Letterman: Extortion and aggravates partnership issues. A
Sting Prompts Brave Public Ad- word of advice: Don’t take the bait.”
mission of Sexual Liaisons with And now for a little public con-
Staffers fession of my own: A one-size-fits-all
Sometimes I amaze myself. horoscope has about as much to do
When the news broke of David with real astrology as Cliff Notes has
Letterman’s imminent confession to to do with real literature.
his studio audience, I immediately Okay, that may not be the best
checked his chart and the horoscope analogy but you get the point.
that I wrote for him (Aries) for the Horoscopes are written as a general
week of October 1-7: trend for each Sun sign (or rising sign).
“ARIES: You’re in demand and But an individual’s chart is extremely
your voice and energy count more intricate and multi-faceted and no one-
than ever. Your ruler, Mars, fires up para horoscope can adequately cover
your 4th house of family affairs but it. At best, all an astrologer can do is to
things need not get testy. The red plan- write about the transits in a way that
et is aided by the benevolent aspect to gives some focus and direction. Need-
Mercury in your 6th house of details less to say, I was both surprised and
making for an environment in which pleased at how on target the Aries mis-
you can work out the nastiest of prob- sive was for Dave’s predicament.
lems. Any conditions in the home that David Letterman was born on
could compromise the health of you April 12, 1947 at 6:00 AM in India-
or a family member should be looked napolis. He’s an Aries with Taurus ris-
into and rectified once and for all. The ing and the Moon in Capricorn. His
Saturn-ruled Moon (in the 8th house
of facing one’s shadows) abhors hu-
miliation. He has mercury (the mind,
speech, communication) at 25 degrees
of Pisces. That degree has been ‘hot’
lately, and has been hit by both Saturn
and Uranus. His Mars (ruler of Aries)
at 0 Aries 25 has been challenged by
Pluto in Capricorn, making for a ‘sur-
render’ of sorts.
IMO, Letterman made the best of
a very bad situation. Transiting Mars
squared his Sun and symbolically held
a knife to his throat. He didn’t panic,
he called his attorney, they worked
with 90-year-old New York District
Attorney Robert Morgenthau’s office
and he faced the music in about as
public a forum that one can imagine.
And while I feel awful for Dave’s
wife Regina Lasko, his son Harry, and
the staffers involved, I admire the way
that he met the situation head-on
(pardon the pun, but Aries rules the
head). How I wish President Bill Clin-
ton would have done the same thing
back in 1998.
Venus Conjoins Saturn in Vir-
go, Aspects Mars and Enters Libra
The week has two distinct quali-
ties:
On the one hand, Jupiter, the
planet of luck, size, and expansion,
stations direct and will begin to
move forward. The Sabian symbol
for 18 Aquarius, the degree of the
station is “A man being unmasked
at a masquerade”. As it was with Let-
terman, the theme of exposure is all
round us. How would you handle
some of your biggest secrets seeing
the light of day? Venus merges with
stifling Saturn in analytical Virgo
before entering her much lovelier
and comfortable home sign of Li-
bra. And though the first day or two
of Venus in Libra promises drama
and intrigue, the rest of the transit
(through November 7) will bring
many delightful social exchanges.

Aries (March 21-April 19): The
success of the Jupiter Station in your
11th house of friends, community,
and vision for the future hinges on
your ability to handle (and work
with) the whole truth and nothing
but the truth. Lucky Jupiter stations
and turns direct at the ‘unmasking’
degree that hints at full disclosure.
Take your cues from fellow Aries
David Letterman. With dignity and
courage, he showed us who’s boss.
Forecasts
Your ruler, Mars, is in harmony with
Venus. Seize the day and resolve
any long standing issues with family
and coworkers. The friends entering
your life now are ones you can de-
pend on.
Taurus (April 20-May 20): Jupi-
ter’s forward movement in your 10th
house gets some of that phenomenal
career mojo going again and with
plenty of support from coworkers,
there’s no excuse not to throw your
hat in the ring. The question is- re-
gardless of what the ‘group’ thinks,
what do you want the next 12 years
to look like? Before your ruler Venus
enters your 6th house of day-to-day
habits, she engages Mars in your
3rd house of siblings, neighbors and
small talk: Each and every encoun-
ter is meaningful and brings you
closer to achieving harmony where
it matters most. Refrain from gos-
siping, your innocent words may be
repeated and judged harshly.
Gemini (May 21-June 21): Your rul-
er, Mercury is a busy and overworked
bee this week and if left unchecked,
the mental gymnastics could add up
to one big fat migraine. The ‘Trick-
ster’ first conjoins somber Saturn
(don’t let the seriousness of the con-
versation get you down) and then en-
ters creative and romantic Libra. Be
careful that your words of love aren’t
overheard, read, and responded to by
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
a third party who thinks they’re the don’t spill all the beans just yet. There
only one. Generous Jupiter (ruler of are factions that want to hold on to
your 7th house of partners) turns di- the past who will need to be brought
rect in your legal 9th house of public along slowly.
relations. For what would you like to Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Okay, so
be recognized? your ruling planet, Mercury, con-
Cancer (June 22-July 22): What joins stodgy Saturn one last time
would you say (and do) if you were and you’re forced to keep it real and
guaranteed the home life, and the possibly be the bearer of bad tidings.
emotional and financial security you But your ‘message’ is not one of de-
long for in exchange for committing struction, it’s one of necessity. Re-
to the health and well being of your mind yourself (and others if need be)
neighbors? Would you recycle ev- that you always have and always will
erything? Would you give up plastic have their best interests at heart. The
bags? Never drink and drive or speak favorable aspect from the Sun and
on your cell or text behind the wheel? Jupiter in your money/work houses
Would you eliminate noise pollution? brings good news in the financials.
Would you reduce your carbon foot- Share the wealth by keeping morale
print? This is what you’re faced with. up. Small thoughtful gestures make
It will become undeniably clear that all the difference in the world.
your safety is directly linked to your Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You’ll
behavior toward others. Wow. run the gamut of emotions and ex-
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Two parts of periences this week but all’s well
your being, the generous optimist that end’s well. Your ruler, Venus,
and the conservative bean-counter, conjoins Saturn in your hidden 12th
are competing for center stage this house and one more round of thor-
week, and in order for your life to ough soul-searching is in order be-
work, they must share the spotlight fore the floodgates can open, Take a
equally. Measure twice and cut once, day or two for quiet and reflection.
and introduce your newest ideas in Energetic Mars in your 10th house is
small increments. Your ruler, the Sun, in agreement and impassioned ca-
in your 3rd house of communication reer support from a partner or BFF
is being favorably aspected by Jupiter is a shoe-in. Jupiter turning direct in
in your 7th house of partnership, con- your creative 5th house says “no more
tracts, and public affairs. And while excuses”, honor your self-expres-
you couldn’t want for a sion and do the work, or
better configuration, else!! Venus enters
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
your sign so dress the part and put
your best face forward.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): In the
film classic “Gone With the Wind”
there’s a scene in which one of the
slaves yells out “It’s quitting time.”
Big Sam, (the slave in charge) ad-
monishes him, saying, “It ain’t quit-
tin’ time until I says it’s quittin’ time”.
He then yells to the group “It’s quit-
ting time.” No matter who says it
first, the Sun is setting on an aspect
of the way your team works. Perhaps
there are new rules which must be
implemented. Either way, you will
be in accord and instrumental at
getting the new policies in motion.
Jupiter direct in your 4th house en-
ables you to think seriously about
home improvement and a possible
expansion in where you live.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ve-
nus, ruler of your 6th house of day-to-
day operations meets up with Saturn,
the ruler of your 2nd house of income
in your professional 10th house and
while a little conserving is called for,
you’ll be pleased with the result. It
isn’t often that all factions are on the
same page and ready to cooperate, so
savor the moment and go forward
with gratitude. Your ruler, Jupiter,
turns direct in your 3rd house of sib-
lings and communication. The favor-
able alliance with the Sun in your
community-oriented 11th makes you
a hero in your home town.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan 19):
Here’s a question: In what way does
your world view impact your public
image? This week, before entering
Libra, the ruler of your midheaven
(Venus) conjoins the ruler of your
PAGE 15
Sun (Saturn) in your 9th house of re-
ligion and personal philosophy. The
implication is that you must first re-
view and reconcile any moral con-
flicts you have with your position
before going public. It’s the equiva-
lent of a judge thoroughly doing his
homework before donning his robe.
Do not be shy about consulting with
all involved parties. You’re poised to
achieve a peace that was thought to
be unattainable.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’re
juggling many things, not the least
of which is the lack of consideration
on the part of some distracted un-
derlings and coworkers. And while
the legitimacy of their ‘issues’ is of
no consolation to you, know that a
resolution is at hand. Also know that
you will probably be the one mak-
ing it happen. Upbeat and expan-
sive Jupiter turns direct in your first
house but its good fortune will only
permeate your world, if you are will-
ing to be 100% up front about your
motives. It’s a fair price.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Even
if a partner or a representative of
yours is taking a more tight-fisted
approach to your affairs than you’d
like, they know what’s best and their
timing is impeccable. A little con-
servation now will serve you in the
long run. You may need a loan for a
big purchase (or a project) and the
appearance of self-control works in
your favor. Soon enough, your co-
ruler (Jupiter) will enter your sign
and the floodgates will open. For
the time being, read up on what the
economists and astrologers are say-
ing about 2010. ■

This Week’s Planets

(Times are EDT):
Oct 8: Moon in Gemini, Mercury conj Saturn @ 2:38 am
Oct 9: Moon V/C @ 9:35 pm, in Cancer @ 9:48 pm, Venus opp Uranus @ 6:01
pm Mercury enters Libra @ 11:46 pm
Oct 10: Sun trine Jupiter @ 4:38 am, Mercury square Pluto @ 2:43 pm
Oct 11: Moon V/C @ 9:37 pm
Oct 12: Moon enters Leo @ 1:02 am, Mars sextile Saturn
Oct 13: Moon V/C @ 5:21 pm, Jupiter direct @ 12:36 am, Venus conj Saturn @
Jupiter Direct 6:52 am, Venus sextile Mars @ 2:31 pm
Oct. 13, 2009, 12:36pm EDT Oct 14: Moon enters Virgo @ 3:45 am, Venus enters Libra @ 6:46 pm
New York, N.Y.
Solarfire Chart courtesy of Astrolabe Moon V/C- a time to disconnect, best for spiritual not earthly pursuits
PAGE 16 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Health Care, continued from page 2
• Keep their medical appoint-
ments;
• Receive all necessary medi-
cal screenings;
• Take all required medica-
tions as prescribed;
• Follow health improvement
plans.
Any West Virginia Medicaid
recipient under this plan who does
not follow and adhere to these
rules will have their benefits re-
duced. However, the state’s bene-
ficiaries who are children in foster
care, elderly and/or have disabili-
ties, still receive their Medicaid
benefits under the normal plans
with no agreement restrictions or
penalties. According to the West
Virginia Department of Health
and Human Resources, one of the
goals of this agreement is to “pro-
vide members with the opportu-
nity and incentive to maintain and
improve their health”.
The authors of the NEJM ar-
ticle noted that there are other ob-
stacles to patient care and health
maintenance other than the pa-
tient’s intent and proactive par-
ticipation. Even a well-meaning
patient may not correctly comply
with medical recommendations
due to poor patient-physician
communications; the patient may
not simply understand the doctor
correctly.
Patients may also experience
side effects from their medica-
tions, or may not be able to fol-
low the medical treatment and/or
recommendations for care due
to lack of funds, lack of time due
to other external responsibilities,
difficulties with transportation,
difficulties with child care or care
for other disabled/elderly family
members, or simply cultural, per-
sonal and gender barriers. A ner-
vous individual may have difficulty
self-administering shots and may
simply give up; an elderly woman
may be uncomfortable with exam-
ining her own breasts for potential
lumps, and many men don’t want
to even visit a doctor at all!
Regardless of these obstacles,
the support for personal respon-
sibility in health care has been
growing in strength and numbers
as the health care crisis worsens.
Part of this crisis is the amount
of money that is being spent on
health care in the United States at
present. In June, 2009, the Con-
gressional Budget Office predicted
that federal government spend-
ing will increase from 5% of the
Gross National Product (GNP)
to 10% in 2035, and 17% by 2080.
In addition to Medicaid spend-
ing, President Obama’s budget has
also allotted $318M to fund his
proposed health program. This
spending does not include the
federal and state mandated por-
tions of Medicare and Medicaid
costs that are passed down to local
communities and counties.
Driving up those costs are
the increasing obesity rates in the
United States, from 19.4% of the
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
population in 1997, to 26.6% in
2007. If current trends continue,
75% of all adults will be over-
weight and 41% will be obese by
2015.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), the cost
of obesity-attributable medical
expenditures alone in 2003 was
$75 billion. That equates to al-
most $600 for every taxpayer in
the United States in 2003. Add
to this number the cost of medi-
cal care and lost productivity for
smokers, another $157 billion,
alcohol abusers, another $115 bil-
lion, reckless drivers, $114 billion,
and sexually irresponsible indi-
viduals, $200 billion estimated,
and the American taxpayer is pay-
ing an average of $5,000 each and
every year to fund negligent and
medically-careless people. What
would you do with another $5,000
in your pocket this year? And is
that amount enough to entice you
to follow a healthier lifestyle?
Those estimations do not
even take into consideration the
amount of money that could be
saved in the health care system
if all patients followed their doc-
tors’ advice, took all of their med-
ications as prescribed, received
all of their necessary medical
screenings and checkups, and ate
healthier, chemical-free food.
A local advocate for healthier
eating, Dr. Susan Rubin, spoke
to the Guardian about the poor
diets of most Americans. “Our
bodies and health are the result
of ‘garbage in, garbage out’” Ru-
bin said. “Most of the ‘food’ on
our supermarket shelves is over-
processed and lacking in basic
nutrients”. Rubin noted that a
large part of the problem is the
improper distribution of food
subsidies, mostly to fast-food in-
dustry ingredients such as corn,
rather than to healthier farm
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
products such as fruit and veg-
etables. “The fast-food industry
is a powerful lobby so they get
the bulk of the tax incentives and
subsidies” Rubin said. “The small
farmer just cannot compete with
the food industry conglomerates.
And our diets and overall health
suffers as a result.”
In August, 2009, Time Maga-
zine did an investigative article
on “The Real Cost of Cheap Food”
noting how the chemicals used
in mass-producing food have
contributed to greater obesity
rates and the runoff from these
chemicals has created dead
zones in neighboring waters.
To keep cattle and pigs alive in
overcrowded conditions, the
food industry has turned to the
use of antibiotics which pass
through to the human con-
sumer, jeopardizing their health
further with increasing rates of
resistance to antibiotics. As the
public becomes more aware of
the health hazards from our na-
tion’s food, the demand for organic
food is growing, even in a global
recession.
Our right to healthier food
is slowly making inroads in the
health care debate, thanks to
pioneers like Dr. Rubin. Rubin
started her battle in Westchester’s
local schools in the early 1990’s,
confronting incredulous children
and even parents who refused to
give up soda and hotdogs in lieu
of farm fresh salads and seasonal
fruits for lunch.
But Rubin’s battle has become
easier as local schools such as Ka-
tonah have introduced “farm to
table” concepts and utilize fresh
food as much as possible. How-
ever, other local schools have
heralded changes to their cafete-
ria lunch menus but those chang-
es do little to improve the overall
health of the students.
Last year, Mt. Pleasant schools
updated their menus to include a
salad bar offering for lunch, but all
of the ingredients were over-pro-
cessed ‘vegetables’ and the lettuce
was iceberg, a variety that offers no
nutritional value whatsoever. None
of the ingredients at the school’s
salad bar were organic or “farm to
table’ fresh. While many students
immediately took advantage of a
seemingly healthier offering for
their lunches, several girls did so
“to stay on their diets”, a reaction
that may have identified their body
issues but also indicated their mis-
understanding of what a proper
diet really is. As Dr. Rubin stresses,
“it’s not about the calories. If you
used to eat 500 calories of junk and
you cut back to 100 calories of junk,
you’re still eating junk!”
Local schools and cafeterias
who switch their menus from
hamburgers and hotdogs to salad
bars filled with cellophane-pack-
aged tomatoes and iceberg let-
tuce are still serving junk food;
the only change is the junk food
has fewer calories. The chemicals
used to make the salad bar’s ‘to-
matoes’ bright red, and the chem-
icals used in shipping to preserve
the iceberg ‘lettuce’ on the shelf,
contribute to cancer and other
health problems. A steady diet of
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
such “healthy” food will still ulti-
mately destroy your health.
So when it comes to person-
al responsibility for health care,
where do we draw the line? It’s
easy to point to someone who
wolfs down a steady diet of hot-
dogs and cake, washed down with
sodas and beer, and say yes, they
are causing their own health prob-
lems. But what about someone
who eats processed fruits and vege-
tables and
super-
market-
bought
chicken
and milk
and gets
cancer
from all
t h o s e
chemi-
cals?
They
b el i e ve d
all those
Madison
Avenue lies of “Natural ingredi-
ents” and “Fat Free” and assumed
that meant they were eating
healthy. Should they be penalized
for their health problems? Or
should we start with the executives
of the food-industry for feeding us
these lies to begin with? And the
government politicians for sub-
sidizing these products that were
influenced by generous campaign
contributions?
While the health care and
medical insurance crisis is be-
ing debated on the national stage,
the Westchester County Depart-
ment of Health recently released
their day-to-day health care goals
for our communities. The Health
Department hopes to reduce frac-
tures from osteoporosis; reduce
overall cancer deaths; reduce
hospitalizations for asthma, dia-
betes, pneumonia, and influenza;
PAGE 17
increase Pap smears, colonosco-
pies, and mammograms; reduce
diabetes; minimize environmental
hazards; lower teenage pregnancy
rates and spread out multiple
pregnancies; reduce infections;
lower heart disease, strokes, and
incidents of HIV; eliminate vac-
cine-preventable diseases; reduce
the death rates due to accidents,
pregnancies and suicides; and im-
prove the overall mental, physical,
and psychological health of Coun-
ty residents. The Health Depart-
ment’s 2008 report on the County
can be found at http://www.west-
chestergov.com/health/ADB/An-
nualDataBook2008.pdf
The above list almost makes
the federal government’s health
care proposals look easy by com-
parison. But the County’s Health
Department cannot achieve these
goals alone. It takes each and every
one of us to improve the health of
our families, friends, coworkers,
and communities. Medical pro-
fessionals advise starting with such
easy steps as buckling our seat
belts when we drive, stop smok-
ing, start an exercise program, and
eat healthier. As Dr. Rubin notes
“even small changes help. A walk
after dinner instead of dessert,
drinking water instead of soda,
grabbing a banana for breakfast
instead of a muffin – it all adds up
over time to a healthier you”. And
the healthier we all become, the
less it will cost us for health insur-
ance and medical care.
As Doctor Andrew Weil, the
author of ‘Healthy Aging’ and
‘Why Our Health Matters’ notes
“You can’t afford to get sick and
you can’t depend on our present
health care system to keep you
well. It is up to you to protect
and maintain your body’s innate
capacity for health and healing by
making the right choices in how
you live”. n
PAGE 18 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 19

PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS

TAX CUTS NOW!
Two Lifelong Democrats
For Mount Vernon
City Council
Michelle Walker and Samuel L. Rivers
are committed to:
• declaring war on gangs and crime;
• building a new police station
on the south side;
• fighting to better our schools by
putting needs of our children first;
• better equipping our fire and
Vote police departments;
• downsizing City Government;
• supporting term limits

Throw The Politicians Out Of City Hall!

Vote For The Independent Democrats On Row “C”
PAGE 20 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009

A Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner Currently

Incarcerated in Sing-Sing Prison
Some time ago I wrote an article
entitled Jeffrey Deskovic Goes Back
To Prison, in which I chronicled my
experience of going back to Sing
Sing, which is a prison in Ossining
New York at which I spent my last 28
days prior to being cleared.
As I reported at that time, I found
it bizarre that people who were on
the streets immediately around the
prison went about their daily lives
catching buses, going to school and
work, totally oblivious to what was
going on in their midst at the pris-
on. This was so even though a mere
few feet of the concrete prison walls
separated life in the prison from the
free world and the sidewalk of State
Street, which is a public street in Os-
sining that people walk down and
cars pass over every day.
The objectionable activities go-
ing on in the prison as a general or-
der of the day included violations of
everyday human rights, basic human
dignity, and in some instances being
forced to serve excessive sentences.
Being wrongfully incarcerated there
is also a possibility.
Those of us in Westchester who
monitor the news, even moderately,
know that there have been a num-
ber of wrongful convictions in our
County that have been overturned.
Therefore, innocent people being
wrongfully convicted in Westches-
ter is nothing new. But the housing
of a prisoner in Sing Sing, who is
manifestly innocent, going from the
mere possibility mentioned above to
an actuality, is much more dramatic
and in your face.
For the reasons which I will
set forth in this article, Fernando
Bermudez, prisoner #92A8325, is
such a man, having been wrong-
fully convicted of murder. To date,
he has served 19 years, and has had
10 appeals thus far denied. His 11th,
in the form of a post conviction mo-
tion, is currently being evaluated by
a judge.
Expert Opinions
His case has received media at-
tention from The New York Times
both in 2007 and in 2009, The Huff-
ington Post, Court TV, and the web-
site New York Lawyer. All of those
publications have questioned his
conviction. His case has also been
featured in the book “Innocent”,
written by noted wrongful convic-
tion expert Scott Christianson. To
date, about half of the cases written
about in Christianson’s book have
later been overturned by courts.
Other prominent people who are
convinced of his innocence include
attorney Kaufman, who used to be
chief of the Criminal Division of the
Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Of-
fice; William Hellerstein who used to
run Brooklyn Law School’s “Second
Look Program” before it ran out of
money, and former prosecutor and
legal commentator Bennent Gersh-
man, who is also a law professor at
Pace Law School.
Here is a small smattering of
statements they have made. Taken
from the online publication New
York Lawyer:
“‘How can any prosecutor, read-
ing the information in this brief, think
[Mr. Bermudez] ought to be spend-
ing one more day in jail?’ asked Mr.
Kaufman. ‘Any reasonable prosecu-
tor,’ he added, ‘would have to be per-
suaded that there’s been a manifest
injustice in this case. I don’t think
that’s too strong a statement. It’s every
prosecutor’s nightmare to convict an
innocent person.’”
Also, according to New York
Lawyer, William Hellerstein, who
unsuccessfully represented Bermu-
dez during federal appeals, said “It’s
one of the biggest disappointments
in my professional career. Of all the
people I’ve represented, he’s as inno-
cent as I’ve ever encountered. There’s
hardly a day that goes by that I don’t
think of him.”
The New York Times quoted
Bennett L. Gershman as saying “The
evidence powerfully shows that Ber-
mudez is innocent.”
The Crime
Fernando Bermudez was con-
victed of shooting a 16-year-old
youth, Raymond Blount, in 1992,
in Greenwhich Village in Manhat-
tan. The following facts of the case
are taken from The New York Times,
and are not in dispute. “On a dance
floor at the Marc Ballroom on Union
Square West, Mr. Blount punched an-
other teenager, Efrain Lopez, appar-
ently after he caught the youth looking
at him the wrong way. Angry and em-
barrassed, Mr. Lopez later testified, he
approached a man in the club whom
he knew from his neighborhood and
told him what had happened. Later,
at 3 a.m. outside the club, Mr. Lopez
and his friends again encountered Mr.
Blount and his friends. People broke
bottles, ready to fight. The man from
the neighborhood asked Mr. Lopez
to point out the puncher. Mr. Lopez
pointed at Mr. Blount. With that, the
man jogged up and fired one .25-cali-
ber bullet into Mr. Blount’s abdomen,
severing an artery. He died at a hos-
pital later that morning.”
Lopez identified Bermudez,
saying that he knew him from the
neighborhood, and four other wit-
nesses identified him. Following a
trial, Bermudez was convicted.
Evidence Of Innocence
There is a mountain of power-
ful evidence of his innocence. Efrain
Lopez, who is the only witness who
said that he knew Bermudez before
the crime, has admitted, and pros-
ecutor’s acknowledge, that he com-
mitted perjury throughout his testi-
mony. He had been questioned for
27 hours, eventually admitting that
he knew the gunman. What’s more
is that he was afraid that the police
would charge him with the crime,
since they threatened him with that
since he had pointed out the victim
to the gunman.
He gave a description of a lo-
cal drug dealer whose street name
was “Wool Lou”, known as such be-
cause in street lingo crack cocaine
is known as “wools”, despite know-
ing that Bermudez was not “Wool
Lou”. He said that the police, in pos-
session of a mug shot of Bermudez
from a marijuana possession charge
and separate charge that he had
tried to sell 165 grams of cocaine
to an undercover agent. The police
encouraged him to pick Bermudez.
He clung to the false identification at
the trial, but has admitted since then
that he knew that Bermudez was not
“Wool Lou”.
The descriptions that he gave of
“Wool Lou” do not match Bermudez
in a number of ways. He said that
“Lou” was 5’ 11” and 165 pounds;
Bermudez is 6’1 and weighed 205
pounds. He said that he knew Lou
from high school and knew him
to be a light skinned Puerto Rican;
Bermudez is Dominican and darker.
The school he said that Lou went to
was P.S. 84; Bermudez had never at-
tended that school. Bermudez had
never been called “Wool Lou”.
The real “Wool Lou” has been
identified as Luis Munoz. His street
name “Wool Lou” was known to the
police because of his arrest record.
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
There is a facial resemblance be-
tween Munoz and Bermudez.
There are problems with the
identifications made by four other
people. Firstly, in violation of estab-
lished protocols designed to prevent
witnesses from influencing each
other, the police allowed the wit-
nesses to converse with each other.
Speaking to the damage that such a
violation in procedure could cause
to the reliability of the identification,
Federal Magistrate Fox said, despite
upholding the conviction, according
to The New York Times, “The police
never should have allowed witnesses
to discuss the mug shot as a group, a
blunder he called “impermissibly sug-
gestive and conducive to irreparable
misidentification.”
Secondly, all of the witness’ have
since recanted their testimony, say-
ing that they had been manipulated
by police and prosecutors, doing so
even while risking being charged
with perjury.
But that wasn’t the extent of the
prosecutorial misconduct. Accord-
ing to The New York Times, “In 2002,
Federal Magistrate Kevin Nathaniel
Fox concluded that the prosecutor’s
summation had included improper
remarks.”
Bermudez also had alibis. Ac-
cording to The New York Times,
“Bermudez told the detective and a
prosecutor, that he and three of his
buddies had spent the night of the
shooting driving around Manhat-
tan looking for girls. At 2 a.m. they
ate at a restaurant a few blocks from
the shooting, he acknowledged. But
he said they had left the area by 2:30,
a half-hour before the shooting, and
were back in Inwood by 3 a.m”.
Bermudez also did not have an
adequate defense. The prosecutor
did not turn over his file until the
last business day before the trial. The
New York Times stated that “with
only a weekend to study thousands of
pages of witness statements, autopsy
reports and grainy videotape of Mr.
Lopez’s statement, Mr. Kenyon did
little to challenge the credibility of
the five witnesses. Four of the five, it
turned out, had arrest or conviction
records. One, Michael Thompson,
had a gun possession charge that was
dropped by the district attorney just
before trial. That fact was never pre-
sented to the jury.”
A Pending Decision magistrate, Justice Cataldo wrote,
So why is he still in jail? For one
thing, courts are skeptical of witness
recantations, fearing that witnesses
may be coerced or bribed, or for
some other motivation are now ly-
ing. Another is that judges who are
reviewing challenges to a conviction
often rubber stamp deny decisions,
as opposed to carefully looking at
each case and tackling, head-on, the
issues that the defendant raises and
determining if the challenges have
merit or not when weighed objec-
tively.
Here are a few of the decisions
that Bermudez has received: Bermu-
dez’s trial judge who turned down
one of his attempts to overturn the
conviction without a hearing, stating
that he was troubled by the number
of recantations, saying, according to
The New York Times, “It strains cre-
dulity to believe that five unshaken
trial witnesses would suddenly claim
that they had testified falsely under
oath,” he wrote in a 1995 decision.
Had Mr. Bermudez presented fewer
than five, he said, it would have been
more believable.”
Federal Magistrate Fox dis-
counted the recantations as unbe-
lievable. He rejected the account of
one witness because, he said, her
testimony reflected a more precise
recollection of events than she had
exhibited at trial. On Judge Fox’s
recommendation, a judge in Federal
District Court, Loretta A. Preska,
turned down Bermudez’s appeal,
despite saying that there were im-
proper prosecutorial comments and
the police allowing the witnesses to
impermissibly talk to discuss the
mug shot.
All told, Bermudez has unsuc-
cessfully appealed his case 10 times.
In his 11th try, he may have his
best chance of freedom. In the first
week of August of this year, accord-
ing to The New York Times, State
Supreme Court Justice Cataldo said
in a 13-page decision that the 2004
magistrate’s finding that witnesses
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
had conferred before collectively
picking Mr. Bermudez’s mug shot
“cannot be ignored.” and that if he
comes to the same conclusion as the
state law would require a reversal of
the conviction and a new trial.
He further said that “The Peo-
ple’s only trial witness who testified
to having known the shooter prior
to the night of the crime, is now con-
ceded by the People to have commit-
ted perjury throughout his trial tes-
timony”
The prosecution has conceded
that if the conviction is reversed,
they have no evidence with which to
take Bermudez back to trial. There-
fore, they have vowed to vigorously
appeal any ruling that favors Bermu-
dez.
Commentary
This case is one of an obvious
wrongful conviction. There are all
of the discrepancies between Lopez’s
description of “Wool Lou” and that
of Bermudez. There is the violated
safety protocol regarding witness
discussions of mug shots that auto-
matically renders any identification
unreliable. Further more, the wit-
nesses have all recanted.
Then there was the police having
a file on the real “Wool Lou”. When
that fact is coupled with the fact that
the witnesses who recanted said that
the police and prosecutors manipu-
lated them into making the misiden-
tification, it is obvious
that witnesses are tell-
ing the truth. Why else
would they not have in-
vestigated Munoz right
then and there? The
answer seems obvious:
that as the witnesses
said, they wanted to ar-
rest Bermudez.
Courts rubber
stamp denying appeals
is nothing new, and
continues to be an is-
sue. In terms of witness
recantations, I don’t be-
lieve that they should,
in general, and certain-
ly not in this case, be
viewed with suspicion.
PAGE 21
Instead, I believe that they should be
objectively considered, the same as
any other post-conviction piece of
evidence would be.
Each case should be looked at
on a case-by-case basis, rather than
some set-in-stone formulaic judicial
policy.
Furthermore, unless there is
some piece of evidence indicating a
reason to disbelieve a recanting wit-
ness, I believe that should be enough
to overturn a conviction, in order
to be safe. The saying by Voltaire
comes to mind [paraphrased] “it is
better for ten guilty people to be let
go than to wrongfully imprison one
innocent man to be convicted.”
I still continue to be shocked,
although it is nothing that I haven’t
seen before, that identifications that
contain height and weight discrep-
ancies continue to be the basis for
convicting someone and upholding
convictions.
The prosecutor’s stubbornness is
a familiar pattern that we have seen
before by prosecutors not wanting
to admit to an error. I think that
Bermudez will obtain relief in his
latest appeal. But I would hope that
the new Manhattan D.A. Cy Vance
will consider, once he takes office,
dropping the case against Bermu-
dez, and/or that the Attorney Gen-
eral will intervene, in order to end
the wrongful imprisonment of this
manifestly innocent defendant. n
PAGE 22 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009

ongoing: Events for publication in our calendar are free and open to all. of film presentations, a collaboration
between the Yonkers Public Library
every wednesday Listings must be submitted at least two (2) weeks in advance.
and Questar Inc. in Chicago, will be
• Sahaja Meditation. Reduce stress, Email listings to: editor@westchesterguardian.com, att: John.
offering Visit America the Beautiful:
achieve balance and contentment For info call 914.328.3096. Grand Teton National Park. Free.
in your life, on every level. Free.
7:15pm, White Plains YWCA, 2pm in the Community Room, Riv-
minology, downloading picture files $8 without. 1pm, Trailside Nature
515 North St., White Plains. Info: erfront Library, One Larkin Center,
to a computer and other tips. Partici- Museum, Ward Pound Ridge Res-
914.433.8830/ronme1@yahoo.com. Yonkers. Info: 914.337.1500 x461.
pants encouraged to bring their own ervation, Rts. 35 & 121 South, Cross
• Putnam Valley Grange 841 Farm- cameras. Enrollment is limited; pre- River. Info: 914.864.7322. • “Page And Stage” Fall Discus-
ers Market. Wednesdays all-year registration required. Free. 11am- sun., oct. 11 sion Series. Professor Joy Connolly
round. Local goods, eggs, baked 1pm in the Meeting Room, 1 Library of New York University will explore
goods, green clean, cascade, cheese, Plaza, New Rochelle. Info/registra- • Dark Comedy Film Festival. Homer’s Iliad and its relevance to
vegetables & more. Free. 3-7pm, 128 tion 914.632.7878 x34. As part of this festival the White the world today. For this session,
Mill St & Peekskill Hollow Rd. Info/ Plains Public Library will show the read books 1, 3, 16, 18 and 24 of the
vendor: 845.216.1934. • Drawing Nature In Pencil. Artist 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, direct- Stanley Lombardo translation. Cop-
Bonnie Greene will offer tips on us- ed by Stanley Kubrick. Free. 2pm,
this week: ing pencil to recreate nature’s beauty. White Plains Public Library, 100
ies of the Iliad and other series texts
will be available to check out at the
fri., oct. 9 Beginners and children are welcome. Martine Ave., White Plains. Info: reference desk. Refreshments will be
• Intermediate Internet. This one- Bring an artist’s pencil and drawing 914.422.1489. served. Free and open to the General
session class teaches how to search pad. Free. 1pm, Cranberry Lake Pre-
• Malfa Archaeology Open House. Public. 2:30pm, White Plains Public
the web using a variety of tools such serve, Old Orchard St., North White
Spend an afternoon of archaeological Library, 100 Martine Ave., White
as directories and search engines. Plains. Info: 914.428.1005.
adventures with your local archaeo- Plains. Info: 914.422.1489.
Basic Internet class or some knowl- • Fall Scavenger Hunt. Bring your logical organization. Meet at the Na- wed., oct. 14
edge of computers is required. Free. family and take a walk to see some ture Center. Free. 1pm, Croton Point
10-11:30am, New Rochelle Public of the art and beauty of nature. Free. • Downtown Music at Grace’s
Nature Center, Croton Point Park,
Library, One Library Plaza, New 1pm, Lenoir Preserve, Dudley St., Noonday Getaway Series pres-
Croton Point Ave., Croton-on-Hud-
Rochelle. Info: 914.632.7878 x34. Yonkers. Info: 914.968.5851. ents Jazz From The Conservatory.
son. Info: 914.862.5297.
Flutist Harold Jones, pianist Irena
sat., oct. 10 • How The Algonquins of New York • Rain Garden Tour. Take a tour Portenko, bassist Lubima Kalinko-
• Digital Photograpy Class. The Discovered Henry Hudson. Evan with the horticulturist of a rain gar- va-Shentov, and percussionist Nick
New Rochelle Public Library is offer- Pritchard, author of the book Henry den, which are an environmentally Mangini, perform Claude Bolling’s
ing Introduction To Digital Photog- Hudson and the Algonquins of New friendly way of dealing with storm Suite For Flute and Jazz Piano. Free.
raphy. Photographer Sally Delmerico York, will reconstruct the timing of water run-off and occasionally wet 12:10-12:40pm, Grace Church, Ma-
will help participants become famil- Hudson’s journey and how the Al- areas in your yard. Free. 2-3pm, maroneck Ave. @ Main St., White
iar with camera settings/functions, gonquins might have known the Lasdon Park, Arboretum & Veter- Plains. Info: 914.949.0384.
basic photographic composition. day Hudson arrived in New York. ans Memorial, Rt. 35, Somers. Info:
Ms. Delmerico will cover digital ter- Free; $4 parking with County Pass, • Texas Gold – One Woman’s Fight
914.864.7063.
in the Most Polluted Place in Ameri-
tues., oct. 13 ca! Watch the film about Diane Wil-
homework help • Passport To Adventure. This series son, who led a fight against a toxic
• Grinton I. Will Library, 1500 Central Park Ave., Yonkers; Children’s
Dept. Grades 1-6. Monday -Wednesday when school is in session. Free. New Rochelle Public Library
4-6:30pm. Info: 914.337-1500 x306. Dedicates New Computer Center
• New Rochelle Public Library, One Library Plaza, New Rochelle; Chil- New Rochelle Public Library, One Library Plaza, New Rochelle, recently
dren’s Room. Grades 1-6. Monday - Thursday when school is in session. dedicated its new Computer Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The
Free. 3-4:30pm. Info: 914.632.7878.
much-needed Computer Center, located in a newly installed room on the
• Mamaroneck Public Library, 102 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck. library’s third floor, was made possible by state funds secured by State
Grades 1-6. Monday & Thursday only, when school is in session. Free. Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, and State
3:30-6pm. Info: 914.698.1250. Assemblyman George Latimer. The Center will allow for improved and
• White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Ave., White Plains; The Trove. expanded computer training for the entire community. It also extends the
Grades 1-6. Monday - Thursday when school is in session. Free. Mon & library’s capabilities to provide computer use for individuals conducting
Wed, 4-7pm; Tues. & Thurs. 4-6pm. Info: 914.422.1476. job searches, practicing test-taking and researching on the Internet.
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
polluter in Calhoun County, Texas,
earning the title of “unreasonable
woman”. Free. 7:30pm, Greenburgh
Nature Center, 99 Dromore, Scars-
dale. Info: 914.723.3470.
• How To Outsmart And Over-
come A Tough Job Market. Mi-
chele Wood, Executive Coach and
business consultant with The Five
O’Clock Club, focuses on helping
people navigate their way to a satis-
fying career. The organization helps
train people to job search properly
and/or make career changes. Free.
7pm, White Plains Public Library,
100 Martine Ave., White Plains.
Info: 914.422.1489.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 23
Basic Internet class or some knowl-
edge of computers is required. Free.
6-7:30pm, New Rochelle Public Li-
brary, One Library Plaza, New Ro-
chelle. Info: 914.632.7878 x34.
fri., oct. 23
• How To Scan Documents & Up-
load Pictures. Participants will
learn how to scan & upload pictures,
change resolution and size of pho-
tos, select a file format, and save im-
ages to a disk. An understanding of
Windows and keyboard and mouse
is required. Free. 10-11:30am, New
Rochelle Public Library, One Li-
brary Plaza, New Rochelle. Info:
914.632.7878 x34.

Up and coming fri., nov. 6

thurs., oct. 15
• Email Basics. This class will help
participants sign up for a free e-mail
account and teach how to compose,
send, reply to and forward messages.
• St. Andrew’s Church will be hold-
ing its annual Dinner Dance at the
Lake Isle Country Club in East-
chester from 8pm-1am. For fur-
ther information call 914.363.3038,
347.291.7487 or 914.946.7931.

Around The County

Croton-on-Hudson: Van Cortlandt Manor - 18th and 19th century estate known
for elegant antique furnishings and gardens. Was home of the Van Cortlandt fam-
ily. Tours, special events and demonstrations. Hrs: 10am-5pm daily (except Tues.),
April-Dec. 10am-5pm Sat. & Sun., Jan.-March. Admission. South Riverside Ave.
(just off Rt. 9). 914.631.8200.
Ossining Historical Museum - 19th and 20th century decorative arts, costumes
and Indian artifacts, as well as a Victorian dollhouse. The program features per-
manent and rotating exhibits. Hrs: 2-4pm Mon., Wed., Fri. and by app’t. Donation.
196 Croton Ave. 914.941.0001.
Peekskill: Peekskill Museum - Clothing from the 18th through 20th century, fur-
nishings, decorative arts, tools and products from local foundries. Hrs: 2-4pm Sat.,
Sun. and holidays, March through Dec. and by app’t. Donation. 124 Union Ave.
914.737.6130.
Sleepy Hollow: Philipsburg Manor, Upper Mills - Early 18th century farm
owned by the Philipse family; includes a fully furnished Dutch-style manor house,
barn and a restored gristmill, gardens, reception center, gift shop and orientation
film. Special events throughout the year. 10am-5pm daily April-Dec.; 10am-5pm
Sat. & Sun., Jan.-March. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Ad-
mission. Route 9. 914.631.8200.
Tarrytown: Sunnyside - 1835 Romantic/Dutch Colonial Revival-style estate once
occupied by author Washington Irving. Tours, an orientation film, demonstra-
tions, special events, gift shop. 10am–5pm daily, April – Dec.. Admission. West
Sunnyside Lane. 914.631.8200.
Yonkers: Hudson River Museum - A cultural complex which displays changing
exhibitions from its permanent collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century
American art. The Museum combines elements of art, history and science. The
modern wing houses The Red Grooms Gift Shop and the Museum Cafe. Weekly
Sun. Family Programs and workshops for families, bi-weekly Seniors and the Arts
programs, tours by appt. and many special events. Hrs: May-Sep.: Wed.-Sun. 12-
5pm, Fri. 12-9pm. Admission. 914.963.4550.
PAGE 24 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
effect to this day.

This Week In History: Oct. 8 - 14 1877 - Lieutenant-Colonel George A.

Custer was given a West Point funeral,
with full military honors, a year after his
By John Leo Tufts, Jr. death at the Battle of Little Big Horn. He
had graduated from West Point in 1861,
The New World Is Discovered at the bottom of his class. His status as a
Oct. 12, 1492 - Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted Watling Island in the Bahamas, believing it national hero began to wane in the 1960s
to be East Asia. Later that same day his expedition went ashore, claiming the land for Spain’s King Ferdinand and, since then, has been portrayed as
and Queen Isabella, who had sponsored his trip. Columbus had left Palos, Spain with three ships, Nina, a vain and glory-seeking man whose
Pinta and Santa Maria, in an attempt to find a western ocean route to China and India. After his first landfall, ineptitude was the explanation for the
the three ships continued on their voyage, sighting Cuba, which was believed to be China, then another massacre at Little Big Horn.
expedition landed on Hispaniola, which was believed to be Japan. Columbus and his ships returned to Spain Oct 11
with gold, spices and “Indian” captives in March 1493. 1776 - An American squadron of
The U.S. Navy Is Launched 15 gunboats, under the command of
Oct 13, 1775 – The Continental Navy was created when the Continental Congress, receiving Brigadier General Benedict Arnold
reports that a British naval fleet was on its way, authorized the construction and administration of was defeated at the Battle of Valcour
a naval force. A month later the navy was formally organized and, in December, Esek Hopkins was Island on Lake Champlain by a British
appointed its first commander-in-chief. The fleet initially consisted of seven ships: two 24-gun frigates fleet commanded by Sir Guy Carleton.
Alfred and Columbus; two 14-gun brigs, Andrea Doria and Cabot, and three schooners, Hornet, Despite the destruction of nearly all
Wasp and Fly. During the Revolutionary War the navy successfully attacked British merchant of Arnold’s ships, it took more than
shipping and won several victories against British warships. Following the end of the war the fleet two days for the British to subdue the
was disbanded. In April 1798 it was reinstated as the United States Navy with the creation of the American naval force. This delayed
Department of the Navy. Carleton’s invasion campaign and gave
American ground forces time to prepare
Oct 8 three other pilots. chief of the British Army in America, a crucial defense of New York.
replacing Lieutenant General Thomas 1942 - The United States Navy
1871 - A combination of dry weather, Oct 9 Gage. Permanently appointed to his intercepted the Tokyo Express, a fleet
wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks, 1936 - Hoover Dam, on the Colorado of Japanese ships carrying supplies to
post the following April, his first major
and an allegedly clumsy cow in Patrick River between Arizona and Nevada, began their troops, off the northwest coast
battles against the Continental Army
and Catherine O’Leary’s barn resulted operating. Hydroelectric generators started of Guadalcanal Island in the Battle
under General George Washington
in the Great Chicago Fire. The two-day sending electricity through transmission of Cape Esperance. The battle, fought
were disappointing failures; British forces
blaze, started when the cow kicked over lines stretching over 266 miles of desert entirely between surface ships, cost the
were forced to retreat from Boston in
a lantern, destroyed 17,450 buildings, and mountains to Los Angeles. Originally Japanese the heavy cruiser Furutaka and
March 1776 during the colonial siege of
killed between 200 and 300 people and known as Boulder Dam, work had begun three destroyers while the United States
Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
left 100,000 homeless, resulting in an under the administration of President suffered one destroyer sunk. Cross-fire
Although the British were victorious
estimated $200 million (in 1871) in Herbert Hoover, and was completed between opposing ships killed 48 men
at the Battle of Long Island in August
damages. Despite the devastation, much of as a public works project under the on the destroyer Duncan while one
1776, General Howe missed a valuable
the city’s physical infrastructure, including administration of President Franklin D. American cruiser, which had turned
opportunity to deliver a crushing blow
its water, sewage and transportation Roosevelt. In addition to the electric power, on its searchlight to better illuminate
to General Washington by not pursuing
systems, remained intact. Reconstruction massive aqueducts channeled millions of its target, lost an unknown number of
the Continental Army during its retreat
spurred great economic development as gallons of water from the Colorado River to sailors. For the next few months the U.S.
from New York. Blame for the British
well as population growth. At the time of California. Navy continued to harass the Tokyo
defeat at Saratoga was placed on Howe
the Great Fire the city’s population was 1967 – The day after being captured Express; Japan quietly evacuated their
by General John Burgoyne, whose forces
approximately 324,000; within nine years by United States-back Bolivian forces, forces from Guadalcanal at the end of
had depended upon Howe for support.
it grew to 500,000. In 1997 the Chicago Che Guevara, Socialist revolutionary and February 1943.
Howe, instead, had launched an attack
City Council exonerated Mrs. O’Leary and guerilla leader was killed. Born Ernesto on Philadelphia. In 1778 Howe was then 2002 - For his untiring effort to find
her cow. She had become a recluse after Rafael Guevara de la Serna in 1928, he replaced by General Henry Clinton. peaceful solutions to international
the fire. studied medicine at the University of An investigation into Howe’s military conflicts, to advance democracy
1919 - The first transcontinental air Buenos Aires and traveled around South conduct in America was opened by and human rights, and to promote
race, between New York and California, America. He received his degree in 1953, Parliament upon his return in 1779; they economic and social development,
was held. Fifteen aircraft departed the continuing his travels and becoming cleared him of any wrongdoing. former President James Earl Carter
Presidio in San Francisco, bound for New involved with left-wing organizations. He received the Nobel Peace Prize. One his
1845 - The United States Naval
York, while 48 planes left Roosevelt Field joined Fidel Castro, playing a key role key achievements was to mediate the
Academy in Annapolis, Maryland,
on Long Island, bound for California. in Castro’s revolution, ousting Cuban peace talks between Egypt and Israel in
opened with 50 midshipmen students
Lieutenant Belvin Maynard, flying a de dictator Fulgencio Batista from power 1978. In 1982, a year after leaving office,
and seven professors. Originally the
Havilland-4 with a Liberty motor, won In 1959. Following Castro’s takeover, Carter and his wife Rosalynn created
Naval School, the curriculum had
the 5,400-mile race across the continent Guevara became Minister of Industry. He the Carter Center to advance human
consisted of mathematics and navigation,
and back. He reached the Presidio in just left Cuba in 1965, traveling first to Africa, rights and alleviate human suffering.
gunnery and steam, chemistry, English,
three days, rested and serviced his plane then to Bolivia, where he was captured The former President and First Lady
natural philosophy and French.
for another three days, then returned to and killed. have worked with Habitat for Humanity
Upon becoming the Academy a new
Roosevelt Field in just under four days. since 1984, building homes and raising
He won for the lowest total elapsed time Oct 10 curriculum went into effect which
1775 - British General William Howe required midshipmen to study at the the awareness of homelessness. He
but his actual flight time was 24 hours, 59 has also helped to fight disease and
was named the interim commander in Academy for four years and train aboard
minutes and 49 seconds, more than at least improve economic growth in developing
ships each summer, which remains in
 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
nations, and has served as an observer
at numerous political elections around
the world. Carter is the third U.S.
president to receive the award; the others
were Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and
Woodrow Wilson (1919).
Oct 12
1776 - During the Revolutionary
War, British Generals Henry Clinton
and William Howe led a flotilla of 90
flat-boats carrying 4,000 troops up
New York’s East River towards Throg’s
Neck peninsula in an effort to encircle
Continental forces commanded by
General George Washington. After
the British landing, Washington sent
troops from the Pennsylvania Regiment
to destroy the bridge connecting the
peninsula to the mainland and prevent
the British from coming across. The
British were stranded for six days before
being loaded back on their vessels and
continuing up the East River to Pell
Point. Washington withdrew all but 2,000
of his men north to White Plains before
they could be surrounded on Manhattan
Island. After landing, the British
continued north and, on October 28, they
confronted the Continental Army and
fought the inconclusive Battle of White
Plains. Three days later Washington
withdrew to New Jersey before Howe
could make another attack.
1810 - Oktoberfest has its origins in
the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince
Louis, later King Louis I of Bavaria,
and Princess Therese von Sachsen-
Hildburghausen. Festivities, to which the
public was invited, were held on fields
in front of Munich’s city gates. Horse
races in the presence of the royal family
concluded the popular event. The event
was such a success that it was decided to
be held at the same time every year.
Oct 13
1792 - The cornerstone for the White
House was laid in the newly-designated
capital city of Washington, D.C. The
neo-classical building was designed by
Irish-American architect James Hoban,
and based on Dublin’s Leinster House.
On November 1, 1800, President John
Adams became the first Chief Executive
to reside in the mansion with his wife
Abigail. The name White House is
derived from its white-gray Virginia
freestone construction which differed
from the red brick of nearby buildings. In
1814 the mansion was set afire by British
troops during the War of 1812 and the
burned-out building was subsequently
rebuilt and enlarged. Work was
completed on the building’s restoration in
the 1820s.
1845 - A majority of the citizens of the
Independent Republic of Texas approved
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
a proposed constitution which, accepted
by Congress, would make Texas the 28th
American state. Under its first president,
Sam Houston, Texas had proclaimed its
independence from Mexico in 1836 and
indicated a desire to be annexed to the
United States, which Congress initially
refused. President John Tyler secured a
congressional resolution calling for Texas’
annexation in 1844. On December 29,
1845, President James K. Polk signed the
legislation making Texas a state.
Oct 14
1944 - German General Erwin
Rommel, implicated in an assassination
plot against Adolph Hitler, was given the
option of either facing a public trial for
treason as a co-conspirator or commit
suicide by taking cyanide. He chose
cyanide. Rommel was born in 1891 in
Wurttenberg, Germany, and during the
First World War proved to be a natural
leader with unnatural courage, fighting
in France, Romania and Italy. Following
the war he taught in German military
academies, and wrote a book on infantry
tactics. Following the outbreak of World
War II he was given command of the
troops that guarded Hitler’s headquarters
but shortly thereafter, in 1940, took
command of the 7th Panzer Division. In
1941 he was given command of the troops
that had been sent to North Africa to help
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PAGE 25
Italy maintain its position in Libya. After
winning significant victories against British
forces, where he earned his reputation as
the Desert Fox he returned to Germany
and was assigned to German forces in
France to guard against a possible Allied
invasion. He was approached by friends to
head the German government in the event
of Hitler’s overthrow, to which he agreed,
though there was no talk of an assassination
attempt. After his death the German
government gave him a state funeral,
claiming his death was due to war injuries.
1964 - Civil rights leader Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance
to racial prejudice in America. At age
35 the Georgia-born minister was the
youngest person ever to receive the
award. In 1955 King had organized
the first major protest of the civil
rights movement, the Montgomery
Bus Boycott. He advocated nonviolent
civil disobedience to racial segregation
and even though the protests he led
throughout the South were often met
with violence, King and his followers
persisted. He donated the prize money,
valued at $54,600, to the civil rights
movement. King was assassinated in
Memphis, Tennessee, by escaped convict
James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968.
  
PAGE 26 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009

Mission Statement CLASSIFIED

The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events and de- For Rent
velopments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employed in, Westchester County.
The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise. Our office space for rent
Prime Ossining loc - Rt. 9.
first duty will be to the People’s Right To Know, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no 950 sq. ft. & 500 sq. ft.
matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of Freedom Of The Press.
The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westches- 917.363.4366
ter County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily Investment Property
journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step Unimproved
accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate. Mount Vernon - Commercial
From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how bldg lot, 9500 sq. ft. Corner
will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and bldg. Apts with stores. Must sell.
‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. $875K. Make offer.
We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. 914.632.1230
To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And, furthermore,
we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of
relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living
and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.

Cardshark, LLC Articles of

Org. filed NY Sec. of State
(SSNY) 3/26/2009. Office
in Westchester Co. SSNY
design. Agent of LLC upon
whom process may be
served. SSNY shall mail copy
of process to THE LLC 411
Rushmore Avenue Mamare-
neck, NY 10543. Purpose:
Any lawful activity.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009 PAGE 27
PAGE 28 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009

Top 10 Reasons to elect

TONY CASTRO
Our District Attorney
Tony Castro...
10. will mean it when he raises his right hand and swears to uphold the Constitution of the
United States (all of it)...
09. will hire professional prosecutors, instead of political hacks...
08. will work with the police with mutual respect while remaining independent of them...
07. will end special treatment for special interests...
06.
6. will prosecute the guilty, not the innocent, and know how
to tell the difference...
05.
5. will work to prevent crimes, instead of just dealing with
the aftermath...
04.
4. will stop scammers, especially those who prey on the elderly and will
be an independent prosecutor, not an indebted politician...
03.
3. is a REAL lifelong DEMOCRAT, not a Democrat-of-convenience
like Janet DiFiore...
02.
2. is an experienced, up-by-his-own bootstraps former prosecutor who
CONDUCTED many SUCCESSFUL TRIALS himself -
01.
1. will make Westchester SAFER FOR OUR FAMILIES AND
CHILDREN because, like us, he loves his, too.

For An Independent Prosecutor

Vote
Row C or Row E
Paid for by Friends of Tony Castro