Here's all the other things the Ulster County Sheriff is saying about guns

Fourteen thousand shares later— as of this writing, and counting— Ulster County sheriff Paul Van Blarcum still has ~opinions~ and so does everyone after he posted this VERY HOT TAKE.


So let's see what else the Democrat (the sheriff is elected) is saying to other media:

* "The people who are doing the gun violence aren’t using registered guns.” Daily Freeman;

* "people are getting slaughtered and nobody has a gun" Times Herald-Record;

* "when stuff hits the fan it'd be nice to know that there's somebody there that's going to stand up." WAMC;
* He said he’s “not trying to drum up a militia of any sort.” AP.

So we just got it as a letter to the editor as well, with sheriff's letterhead pic.twitter.com/aBBX7GkSkL

— Ivan Lajara (@ivanlajara) December 3, 2015

Do I have a hot take about guns? Of course I do. And so did you when I wrote that.

Note: I'm only collecting original reporting, there's a bunch of agreggations and reposts out there that simply have the Facebook post and some description, but they add nothing more, so no soup for you CBS Patch Washington Times etc.  

Related tangent: How is any of this a Business Insider story? Clicks, that's what.

Ulster County Ice-Cream Flavors

Ulster County Charter conference liveblog

Anne Pyburn of the Watershed Post is set to liveblog a conference at SUNY New Paltz  from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. about the Ulster County Charter after five years. I've kindly stolen the liveblog code after I found it hanging out naked on the Watershed Post site. After alerting the alert editors, they gave me the OK to include their coverage.

Panelists include County Executive Mike Hein, Comptroller Elliott Auerbach, former Freeman political editor Hugh Reynolds (! and ?), former charter commission head Gerald Benjamin and a hosts of other notables.
 

My Mom becomes a U.S. citizen

Disaster relief links

It's not over until it's over.

Where to keep cool in Ulster County

Ulster County has produced a very cool map that lists many areas of interest.

Particularly interesting right now is "Swimming." So click on it and bring your bathing suit.



View the map in a larger window.

Ulster County Recreation Map

Via Ulster County Government.

Ulster County Reapportionment Maps

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein to NYC: 'Stop pollutting immediately'

Video via featured blogger Clark Ritchers.
Context here:  "NYC to stop releases of muddy water, but Ulster County exec still unhappy"

A Double Rainbow conversation with Ulster County Executive Mike Hein (audio)

I received a mysterious call from the office of Ulster County Executive Mike Hein last week, saying that he wanted to speak to me. So I called back today to see what was this all about. In my mischievous manner, I decided to try to include as many quotes from the viral video "Double Rainbow".

My list included:
Oh my God;
So intense;
What does it mean;
All the way;
Across the sky;
It's full on;
Wow;
Bright and vivid;
it's so beautiful;
It's too much.

Here's what I could squeeze in, in this massively edited audio track (And yes, I asked for permission to post the audio).



...

Earlier in the day, I had announced, publicly on Twitter, that I was going to do this:

I'm going to talk to #Ulster County Exec Mike Hein in an hour and will try to say as many Double Rainbow quotes as possible #SOINTENSE! #fbless than a minute ago via TweetDeckIvan Lajara
ivanlajara

That prompted a reply from Dan Shapley of The Daily Green:

@ivanlajara Funny about #sointense! but ask him how NY layoffs are affecting Ulster unemployment, specifically at the DEC.less than a minute ago via TweetDeckDan Shapley
danshapley

So I did. Hein said that there is a disconnect at the state Department of Environmental Conservation, that there was a disproportionate number of cuts at Belleayre and went as far as questioning whether the DEC should be running Belleayre at all.

Discuss!

...

I also try to con, I mean, persuade the county executive into doing Livestreams. And although he courteously declined, he did promise to provide media for us media people. So we'll keep you posted.

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein talks about layoffs as they relate to the DEC and Belleayre

My favorite (kind-of) Freeman videos of 2010

And here are my favorite videos produced or edited by yours truly this year. This is what happens when you give a crazy camera and crazy software to a crazy person.


2011 is going to be a great year.

Videos inside.

'Ghost Hunters' at the old Ulster County Jail

Old Ulster County Jail featured on 'Ghost Hunters'

The Old Ulster County Jail was the subject of a 'Ghost Hunters' episode on the SyFy (?) channel on Wednesday.

Shortly after the show started, local tweeps shared their insights.

Super hot cat fight in Kingston caught on video

... at the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Two views of Ulster County

Both superb.