Happy New Year New York, From Connecticut...

This year will mark the 100^th anniversary of the large ball dropping in Times Square, a revered and joyous New York tradition. However, like many other New York traditions, the Times Square festivities are a shadow of what they once were. Visiting midtown has become an over-regulated morass of police power and inconvenience. Preparations have been going on for months.

While there will still be large crowds in midtown Manhattan to ring in the New Year, the very circumstances of being in Times Square this New Year’s Eve undercut the whole point of celebrating New Year’s Eve. Revelers will face a fascistic litany of regulations that will hamper any good times. People who turn up in Times Square for New Year’s Eve will not be allowed to bring bags or backpacks with them, nor will they be allowed to bring alcohol. Also, they will stand in the cold for hours without access to a public restroom.

It was once my goal to be in Times Square when the year 2000 came into being. I wisely abandoned that enterprise and instead celebrated nearby at Connolly’s at a Black 47 show. It was a good time. It was crowded and overpriced to the point that I refuse to see a show at Connolly’s again, but it was still a good time and a good show.

This year, like last year, I will be with friends in Connecticut. The beer will be cheaper, there will be a place to sit and go to the bathroom, and I’ll get to see some good friends; that’s the best way to ring in 2008, or any year.

Happy New Year!!

Ho, Ho, Ho...

A New York City police officer recently admitted to helping protect a brothel in Queens. While I’m against police corruption, I think this again calls for us to legalize prostitution.

Think about it: why should a woman not be allowed to sell her body for sexual favors? I agree that it’s unseemly, but how are porn stars, models or politicians on a higher moral plane? In fact, I would argue that a prostitute does less damage to society than an anorexic model or a politician. A politician who sells his or her vote (which is pretty much legal) is hurting all who are governed. An anorexic model helps destroy the self esteem of a generation of young girls.

A friend of mine was arrested a few years ago in a sting operation when he picked up what he thought was a prostitute on the street. “I knew she was too hot to be a real prostitute,” my friend told me, “but I couldn’t pass up the chance if she was for real.” He was arrested and was allowed to call his father to retrieve his car so it would not be impounded.

Like our “war on drugs,” keeping prostitution illegal helps pimps and other assorted scumbags. I’m well aware that legalizing prostitution will not eliminate the seedy element from an essentially seedy business, but not having to dodge the law would allow prostitutes the leverage to organize themselves and create a better environment for everyone.