Queens residents can turn to community boards, civic groups and elected officials to help solve their neighborhood woes, but their first stop may be the Internet following the recent creation of two competing blog sites that often feature fierce attacks against borough leaders at all levels.
Queens Crap, which went online in early December, and the recently created Juniper Park Patriots blog sites, have become hot Internet spots where Queens residents can anonymously discuss everything from their most hated neighborhood eyesore to vitriolic slams against local elected officials, civic group leaders and even residents.
Queens Crap, which is operated by a blogger known only as The Queens Crapper, boasts more than 122,000 hits since its first threads took shape in late 2006. The site's first posting Dec. 9 was a mission statement of sorts, saying the blog would "examine architecture that is just what the title says - crap in the borough of Queens."
In an e-mail, the Crapper said he was not interested in taking part in a story about Queens blogs, but insisted that the content of the Patriots site had nothing to do with his blog's content.
The Patriots site, which has recorded more than 4,700 hits and is operated by a blogger who calls himself Patrick Henry, boasts a mantra that the blog is "dedicated to providing the truth rather than executing a vindictive, narrow-minded agenda." On the site, Henry writes that Patriots is designed to "provide you with the FACTS to navigate you through the CRAP."
Despite this avowed commitment to the truth, the Juniper Park Patriots took a series of questions submitted by the TimesLedger and posted them on their Web site practically verbatim without attributing the queries to the newspaper. The blog did not indicate to readers that it had asked the TimesLedger to e-mail the questions after a reporter requested an interview about the site.
Henry posted the answers to the questions on the Patriots site after e-mailing them to the TimesLedger.
In the e-mail, he said he wants "to remain anonymous because of obvious reasons." He describes himself as a veteran and dog owner. Henry said he founded the site because he was dismayed about "unchecked rhetoric" on other borough blogs.
"Like any independent source of information, I agree with some of (Queens Crap's) opinions and disagree with others," he said.
Both bloggers contend their sites are dedicated to fighting overdevelopment and addressing concerns in Queens neighborhoods. But both blogs also contain numerous attacks on elected officials, civic leaders and other community figures.
Favorite targets on Queens Crap include Council members Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village), Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) and Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city Department of Buildings. Patriots has taken aim at the Juniper Park Civic Association's leadership, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Queens Crap.
Juniper Park President Robert Holden said he did not want to comment on the blog sites. Gallagher said he believes both bloggers use their sites for political propaganda.
"I don't spend a lot of time looking at them, but it seems there are a lot of people who comment on politics," he said. "They do it in a very cowardly fashion by posting anonymously."
Readers can view Queens Crap at http://queenscrap.blogspot.com and Juniper Park Patriots at juniperparkpatriots.blogspot.com.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
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In an e-mail, the Crapper said he was not interested in taking part in a story about Queens blogs, but insisted that the content of the Patriots site had nothing to do with his blog's content.
The Patriots site, which has recorded more than 4,700 hits and is operated by a blogger who calls himself Patrick Henry, boasts a mantra that the blog is "dedicated to providing the truth rather than executing a vindictive, narrow-minded agenda." On the site, Henry writes that Patriots is designed to "provide you with the FACTS to navigate you through the CRAP."
Despite this avowed commitment to the truth, the Juniper Park Patriots took a series of questions submitted by the TimesLedger and posted them on their Web site practically verbatim without attributing the queries to the newspaper. The blog did not indicate to readers that it had asked the TimesLedger to e-mail the questions after a reporter requested an interview about the site.
Henry posted the answers to the questions on the Patriots site after e-mailing them to the TimesLedger.
In the e-mail, he said he wants "to remain anonymous because of obvious reasons." He describes himself as a veteran and dog owner. Henry said he founded the site because he was dismayed about "unchecked rhetoric" on other borough blogs.
"Like any independent source of information, I agree with some of (Queens Crap's) opinions and disagree with others," he said.
Both bloggers contend their sites are dedicated to fighting overdevelopment and addressing concerns in Queens neighborhoods. But both blogs also contain numerous attacks on elected officials, civic leaders and other community figures.
Favorite targets on Queens Crap include Council members Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village), Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) and Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city Department of Buildings. Patriots has taken aim at the Juniper Park Civic Association's leadership, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Queens Crap.
Juniper Park President Robert Holden said he did not want to comment on the blog sites. Gallagher said he believes both bloggers use their sites for political propaganda.
"I don't spend a lot of time looking at them, but it seems there are a lot of people who comment on politics," he said. "They do it in a very cowardly fashion by posting anonymously."
Readers can view Queens Crap at http://queenscrap.blogspot.com and Juniper Park Patriots at juniperparkpatriots.blogspot.com.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
