Bloomberg Steamrolls Legislation To Make Cigs Illegal For Adults

He just couldn't leave well enough alone, could he? Outgoing NYC Mayor Mikie Bloomberg, with six weeks left in office, is having one more festive stomp on individual rights before he calls it a day on his endless 12 years of Nannying the metropolis.

This time, he is banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21—making New York the first municipality in these United States to prohibit sales of a 100% legal commodity to adults.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg also signed legislation today that will keep the price of tobacco sky-high by prohibiting coupons and other discounts and setting a minimum cigarette price of $10.50 per pack. Really? Tell me where you can purchase a pack of smokes for under $12 in the city? (That's why smokers have the Internet!)

Mind you, while it is technically still legal for those over the age of 18 to smoke, they cannot purchase cigs at retail—making the new law all the more asinine. So let's see: You can vote, you can be called upon to sacrifice your life amid America's ongoing wars, but smoking... Hell no! That shit'll kill you.

Mercy, mercy me, Bloomie, haven't you done enough damage in NYC: turning the city from a pedestrian-centric metropolis into one giant bike lane, your silly (failed) soda ban, mandating that high-rise buildings make stairs more accessible than elevators, calorie counts, dumbass recycling of food waste (like paper & plastic), a push toward breastfeeding... and so many other failed notions, including Prohibition 2 and prohibiting bodegas from displaying "junk food" or cigarettes. Oh, and let's remember his repulsive campaign featuring "fat in a glass."

For god's sake, is this man EVER going to stop?

So Long, Nanny Bloomberg! 'The New Yorker' LAST STRAW Cover

January 1, 2014 will be a day of celebration in New York City, as Democrat and Brooklyn resident Bill de Blasio becomes the new mayor, putting Emperor Mike Bloomberg's endless 12-year tirade of squashing individual's civil liberties at rest, at last. The New Yorker pays tribute to Nanny Bloomie with a keen cover this week titled "The Last Straw," an obvious stab at his most ridiculous waste of time in trying to outlaw 20-ounce sugar sodas. Good riddance, Mike! Sip on this!

Meanwhile, I have to admit, this New York mag cover of the de Blasio family is a little "precious" to me. Come on, yeah, I know you're a loud and proud mixed marriage dude, but those kids... the extreme (not in the least hip) afro and your daughter's constant "flowers in my hair" hippie tribute... a bit nauseating. Let's hope you take the office of Mayor more seriously than your hipster fam, dude.

As Polls Close In Governor's Race, Virginians Appear To Play It Smart

Among the most DANGEROUS elections today is occurring in my home state—and soon-to-be home state again—of Virginia, with freakazoid Tea Party Christian conservative zealot Ken Cuccinelli running in a venomous race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

I've been keeping up with the race via my fave "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, who has repeatedly reported about just how frighteningly out of touch Cuccinelli is with mainstream social moors—not to mention running a campaign that is utterly packed with LIES about his opponent's views.

The polls closed at 7 p.m., and as hoped, Virginians seem to understand that this man is as close to a modern-generation Mephistopheles as has ever practiced politics in Washington.

The Atlantic offers a thoughtful piece on all that this madman did wrong in his bid for Governor, as an anti-abortion zealot, immigration reform foe, anti-gay everything, anti-Obamacare, support for school abstinence-only policies, on and on and on...

Here's hoping that we'll know for certain within the next few hours that America continues to recognize Tea Party fanatics as the nation's worst political disaster since... George Bush.

Meanwhile, the Illinois House approved marriage-equality legislation this afternoon, and the measure appears on track to become state law!! Federal equality is coming, I tell you!!

UPDATE: As we now know, of course, McAuliffe ultimately triumphed, thanks to voters in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. But it was frighteningly close, with a 48/46% win for McA. All the same, Virginia now has the opportunity to join the rest of the nation as a progressive state—instead of what it might have become under Cuccinelli: Texas, V2.

President Barack Obama Reelection Mag Covers

Some of the best magazine covers acknowledging President Barack Obama's historic reelection win...

And two mags that were prepared for the horror of a Romney win... Scary notion... *Time mag's iconic online pre-election gif... very clever... *

States Petition To Secede Following Obama Win: Have At It!

This is just too good to be true. In the wake of last week's presidential election in which President Barack Obama won his bid for reelection—becoming the first President since FDR to win more than 50% of the popular vote consecutive times—thousands of sulking Americans have signed petitions seeking permission for their states to secede from the United States.

States include many of those you would expect, including Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. A webbie called We the People is launching the initiative so that cry baby citizens from these states can "create their own government." So far, Texas has the most signatures, which still isn't saying much, logging more than 23,000. So what!

Sadly, the odds of the American government granting any state permission to go its own way are nil. In addition, a University of Louisville political science professor explains that such petitions aren't uncommon. They were also filed following the 2004 and 2008 elections. However, if the 2012 petitions garner 25,000 signatures in a month, they will require an official response from the Obama administration. I hope he will be laughing through his tears.

I firmly believe this is one helluva boffo idea. Let Mississippi and Alabama retreat back to their roots, where "coloreds," "queers," "womyn" and the rest of those weirdos are banished from the state so that ancient white men can live in peace, by themselves, until they all die off... one by miserable one. *

Best Post-Election Front-Page Newspapers

Here's a look at some of the nation's best newspaper covers following the triumphant reelection of Barack Obama Tuesday night. *

Election Night Merrymaking

Tuesday night I didn't stray too far from home. Spent the evening at The Custom House bar along Brooklyn Heights' Montague Street, just 5 minutes from my apartment...

Pals Suzanne & Ralph joined me at 6:30 p.m., for the first shift, and stayed until about 8:30... just as bud Tracy and her San Fran bestie Christine arrived.

They headed out around 10:30 as the news started to slow down about the electoral count... and within 15 minutes, I decided to head home... I walked in the door, kissed Abby & Spencer, turned on my muse Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and within 60 seconds heard the words, "We're calling the election. With Obama winning the state of Ohio, he has earned a second term as the 44th President of the United States."

I simply couldn't believe it, expecting—like most of us—that the election might not be settled until the wee hours of the morn. At that point, I rushed in to give the doggies another kiss, made a sizable bowl of ice cream and proceeded to watch MSNBC coverage until 3:30 a.m. Ouch!

This morning, I was stunned to see that my home state of Virginia rallied for Obama a second time... It was too close to call when I at last retired... while Maryland, Washington and Maine won same-sex marriage referendums when put up to a public vote, after 32 successive failures in other states.

This afternoon, learning that the youth vote leaned heavily toward Obama (60% to 37%), I am thankful that the next generation of voters is strongly in favor of leading this nation forward, recognizing that equality matters as much as the economy. It may be snowing outside, but the future looks so very bright. *

Obama Carries Youth Vote: 60% to Romney's 37%

Interesting factoid: Obama won 60% of young voters to Romney's 37%. This definitely shows a divide in the nation's youth, which holds social issues, universal healthcare, civil and women's equality, climate change, stem cell research and other scientific priorities with equal balance to everybody's focus on the economy.

Obviously, young'uns are looking to insure that the clock wasn't turned back decades with a Romney win and everything the Republican party intended to strip away among the President's accomplishments over the past four years. Hey, these kids today are smarter than they look! *

PRESIDENT OBAMA WINS A SECOND TERM: God Bless America!

I created this graphic just after 6 p.m. Tuesday night with hope in my heart. God bless the USA!

Photo Of The Day: If Judy Were Alive...

This is utterly genius! *

Voting Is A Nightmare In Brooklyn Heights

I went to my local polling site in Brooklyn Heights at 9:30 this morning, where I found lines 100+ deep, as well as the added confusion of three separate lines depending on one's District. If you didn't happen to know what District you belong in, you're shit out of luck. Volunteers outside were not only hostile as hell, but offered not one iota of helpful information. This is a nightmare. I'll go back in a few hours... but there has got to be a better way. *

It's Tuesday November 6. Do You Know Where Your Polling Place Is?

NY Gov. Cuomo Responds To Crackpot That Blames Sandy On Gays

Last week Rabbi Noson Leiter, head of the Rockland County-based Orthodox Jewish advocacy group Torah Jews for Decency, said that Superstorm Sandy was God’s response to same-sex marriage in New York. This crackpot said: "The Lord could punish particular areas with a flood, and if we look at the same-gender marriage recognition movement that's occurring, that certainly is a message for us to learn."

Adding that lower Manhattan is "one of the national centers of homosexuality," the homophobe claimed, "We have to learn that if we don't shape up the Lord will deliver divine justice.”

On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement in response to the rabbi’s letter: "The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state’s embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as they are ignorant. 

"This kind of hateful rhetoric has no place in our public discourse, and is particularly distasteful in times of tragedy. Our state is proud to offer equal rights to all our citizens, and we will never tolerate the use of a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy to promote a divisive and bigoted agenda. I call on Rabbi Leiter to apologize immediately for his hurtful comments."

Thank you, Gov. Cuomo, who continues to show leadership in our state and is one of few politicians who truly stands by what he believes. *

VOTE Tuesday! Unless...

Tuesday is the all-important day that the United States continues on a positive path toward recovery... or turns the clock back on itself 40 years. Please vote... unless you're making the uninformed choice.

If you are a young person, a gay, a woman, a minority, earn less than $250,000 a year or have been impacted by severe weather anywhere anytime, there really is only one candidate. If he's not yours, please... just stay home and keep watching Fox News. *

At Long Long (Long) Last... Election Night Tuesday

I've never been much of a newshound, instead combing the headlines online like most of us... that is, until this Presidential election has persistently (and inexplicably) become closer and closer between our Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama and his flip-flopping foe Mitt-Wit Romney.

For the past couple months, I have Tivo'd Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN every single night, as well as Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and then back to CNN for Piers Morgan... watching obsessively as the truth continues to be revealed that the Republican candidate leans toward whatever the polls drive him to say in a given week... or whatever the given state he's visiting stands for. That is, of course, except for social issues, where his point of view is clear: women and gays should be second-class citizens, backing up the nation's civil rights and social agenda a good 40+ years.

I gather that in the coming week, I'm likely to remain sequestered in Brooklyn as NYC subways continue to work their way back post-Hurricane Sandy (currently, there's no service between Brooklyn and Manhattan), so Friday night I began exploring options. Thankfully, there's a joint just up the street from my apartment that will be airing election results all night long... Custom House, an Irish bar that's open until 4 a.m.

I hope to god Obama adds up his 270 electoral votes long before the bitter end, but as the results come in state by state, I'll at least be amid a crowd of New Yorkers to celebrate—or commiserate—through the long haul. My pal Jimmy who works there has already reserved a table for me at 7 p.m. Tuesday. I'll be sitting tight as the first states roll in...

I'd love to think it's going to be a short, precise evening... but so many U.S. states still seem to be potentially duped by the Mitt-Wit... and god, it could be close. Or it might not. Or this nation could decide to take a frightening step decades into the past. In any case, I will fueled by plenty of gin to endure the drama.

Hopefully, I'll be skipping home... and not crawling on my knees, drowning in tears. *

Brooklyn Heights Rez Lena Dunham Films 2 Pre-Election Political PSAs

Brooklyn Heights' rez and HBO's "Girls" creator Lena Dunham participated in two political PSAs as the Presidential election looms large. The first is an Obama-sponsored minute-long video titled "The First Time," in which she muses about her first time... voting... in 2008 for Barack Obama.

Second, Dunham is among more than a dozen celebs who took to their webcams and lip-synced Lesley Gore’s 1964 hit "You Don't Own Me" in a pointed political anti-Mitt Romney PSA. Spinner.ca notes, "The lip-syncing is interspersed with messages about (Presidential hopeful) Romney and the Republican Party's plans to defund Planned Parenthood and overturn Roe vs. Wade, among other threats to women's rights."

Others participating in the clip that's housed at Vimeo and has become a webbie sensation include Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Karen Elson, Leah Siegel, Alia Shawkat, Zoe Kravitz—and Gore herself, who says in a narrative after the video, "I recorded 'You Don't Own Me' in 1964 and it's hard for me to believe we're still fighting for the same things we were then. Yes, ladies, we've got to come together, get out there and vote, and protect our bodies. They're ours. Please vote."

G**GLE SCREWS BLOGSPOT BLOGGERS

Whoa! For the past four years, I've loaded photos at will on Blogger's The Smoking Nun here. As I attempted to add a half-dozen pics to a post about my birthday party last Friday, I was informed that G**gle has decided I've used more space than I'm entitled to—requiring me to pay a monthly fee to continue posting images "across all G**gle products."

While I own this same domain on Wordpress, I've always found Blogger (owned by G**gle) simpler and more user-friendly to use for a simple blog such as The Nun. Now I will reconsider my options. This is another example of how too much power by a single entity crushes the little guy. I'm incensed, and the idea of paying $5 a month (with no annual plan as an option) is utterly demonic. *