With All Due Respect

[Update (March 5, 2024):  It is time for me to face reality.  As the “fire in my belly” has cooled down the past few years, this “blog” has shifted its focus and is now primarily a platform for me to share photographs and the joy I get from nature, landscapes, and architecture. That being said, I hope to surprise myself and – on occasion – return to expressing concerns about the world of politics and the law.]

This blog hopes to do two things: Comment on New York State’s zoning, land use and environmental laws, and the extent to which their letter and spirit are being ignored. And ask whether our courts – intentionally or otherwise – are contributing to a world where development-related laws can be disregarded with impunity.

The goal is to provide commentary, analysis, and criticism that informs and engages the public regarding these issues, and to do so in a professional but frank manner, that is, with all due respect [and, there will be times when very little respect will be due].

This blog will strive to go beyond the print, electronic and digital media’s mere regurgitation of the self-serving press releases that are distributed by government decision-makers and project proponents, and provide what the public desperately needs, meaningful perspective and analysis. And when the residents, taxpayer groups or environmental organizations who demand compliance with land use and environmental laws are branded as NIMBYs and obstructionists, this blog will attempt to objectively assess their rights and concerns.

A FEW HOUSEKEEPING MATTERS:

COPYRIGHT POLICY: The content of this website is presented under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.  That means you may share its content for noncommercial purposes, so long as you attribute it to Arthur J. Giacalone and http://WithAllDueRespectBlog.com and distribute any resulting adaptation of the work only under the same or similar license.  [details]  No other use (beyond your limited Fair Use rights) may be made of the content of this weblog without permission from Arthur J. Giacalone, the copyright holder.

COMMENT POLICY:  Comments are encouraged, including dissent, but Comments will be removed or edited if they contain vulgarities or personal attacks or are simply commercial messages or other forms of Spam.  Because our Comment feature is moderated, there may be a delay the first time you leave a Comment, or if the webserver does not recognize you as a prior Commentor.

PHOTOGRAPHS:  Unless otherwise noted, all photographs were taken by Arthur J. Giacalone, with one notable exception – the “Spanking Nuns” photo, whose source I have not been able to identify. (Note: It was my longtime friend, Christopher Weber, Music Director of the Camerata Chamber Orchestra, who thought that I would appreciate the image.)