Dear Friend,

As an East Ramapo School District parent and a school board member who has served two terms, I am more apprehensive than ever before about the future of our district. Whether or not you live in the district, what happens to the East Ramapo students impacts all of us in Rockland.

While I am not seeking a third term, I ask you to help elect three strong candidates who are running on May 11th: Suzanne Mercer Young, Stephen Price, and Antonio Luciano. This election is nothing less than a turning point where the public school community could lose all of its representation on the school board. This would be totally unacceptable! People from the public school community understand the programs students need in order to thrive in our increasingly challenging world; they will fight to maintain the crucial instructional services which are so vital for our students. East Ramapo is the only high needs, low resource district in our county; our students who face the greatest hardship are being hurt disproportionally. Proposed cuts by the board will result in termination of proven programs, essential services, and overcrowded classrooms—not a rosy future a district where 2/3 of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. East Ramapo students must have access to the same programs that enable students in other Rockland districts to excel.

With your help we can maintain balance in East Ramapo. Otherwise we face a future where members of the private school community will occupy every seat on the board, leaving the public school without any voice. It is not my intent to suggest that members of the private school community do not have a place on the board, but with total control by the private sector, the public school community risks becoming completely disenfranchised. This is a winnable election, but only if turnout in the East Ramapo public school community is high. As with any election, getting out the vote can only be achieved with funding and volunteers.

A check for $25, $50–or more if you can–will cover the enormous expenses a campaign like this requires. Please make out checks to: “Gordon and Gordon” and mail to me, Mimi Calhoun, 36 Dogwood Lane, Pomona, NY 10970.

Your time is equally valuable. We have a record one-hundred volunteers from East Ramapo knocking on doors and making phone calls. To win we need at least two hundred more volunteers. Only one afternoon or evening to talk to voters at their doors or on the phone will make an enormous difference. The Door-to-Door campaign is taking place from now until May 9. The major push for the phone bank will be the last four days before the vote: from May 7 – 10. Anyone can sign up to volunteer on our website: www.poweroften.us I am happy to help you find the right volunteer niche and answer any questions. Please call me anytime at 845-354-8838 or email me at mkc2@mac.com.

East Ramapo students need everyone’s help in order to enable the public school community to have a voice on the East Ramapo school board. Your interest and willingness to help out will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!

Mimi Calhoun

Lewis became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches, where he marched side-by-side with martyred Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Martin Luther King. During the first march, Lewis and other peaceful protesters were beaten mercilessly by the notoriously racist Alabama police. Lewis’s skull was fractured and his wounds are still visible today.

In 1986, Lewis was elected to Congress where he serves as a lion of civil liberties. He was the first member of Congress to call for the impeachment of George W. Bush and he is a staunch opponent to the Iraq War. Lewis has been one of the strongest proponents of health-care reform in Congress.

Just yesterday, Lewis made a short, but compelling statement that Congress must act now on healthcare reform. In his speech, Lewis said:

The time is always right to do what is right. And that time is now. The spirit of history is upon us. We must pass healthcare. There are those who have told us to wait. They have told us to be patient. We cannot wait, we cannot be patient.

The American people need health care, and they need it now. Will we stand with the American people? Or will we stand with the big insurance companies? We have a moral obligation to make health care a right and not a privilege. We cannot wait a moment longer. We must pass health care and we must pass it now.

Also honored at the dinner will be several local educators, NAACP mentors and the Haverstraw Town Board. More details to come soon.

Senator Morahan disregarded the civil rights of all of his constituents by voting against the Marriage Equailty Bill on December 2 and did not explain the reasoning behind his vote when given the opportunity to do so on the Senate floor.

With Morahan’s help, the bill was defeated 24-38. While many of his constituents called, wrote, and visited to give emotional, legal, and logical pleas for its passage, Senator Morahan did not even deem the issue worthy of scrutiny or debate; he voted in lockstep with his party bloc rather than considering the wishes of those that voted him into office.

It’s time for Rockland, Warwick, and Tuxedo residents to stand together and let Senator Morahan—and 37 other members of the NYS Senate—know our displeasure with this style of legislating: One that relies on a single-minded allegiance to party leadership and a stifling of debate concerning a critical civil rights issue that most New Yorkers want righted.

We are urging those from Rockland, Orange and the surrounding areas to attend. The vigil will take place outside of Sen. Morahan’s offices on New Clarkstown Road at Airport Executive Park in Nanuet (north of Route 59).

Please bring your signs, cameras, and appropriate lighting as the vigil will take place as the sun sets.

Here’s a Google Maps link to the vigil location

Please try to carpool to the vigil as we don’t want to be taxing on the local parking facilities.

This afternoon, State Senator Thomas P. Morahan (SD-38) emphatically disregarded the civil rights of his constituency by voting against the Marriage Equailty bill before the State Senate. Unfortunately, with Morahan’s help, the bill was defeated 24-38.

While many Democrats gave emotional and logical pleas for its passage, Morahan and other Republicans did not even feel they had to legitimize their reasoning, they didn’t join in the debate. The Republicans were cowards and refused to explain their votes. Perhaps they are afraid that video would be record of their bigotry and would expose them for the creeps that they are. They just voted “no.” And Morahan did so with some gusto!

They just voted “no.” And Morahan did so with gusto!

Morahan and 37 other State Senators did not bother to weigh their votes against the Constitution, nor did they didn’t legislate for their constituencies. All 30 Republicans voted no on marriage equality, as did eight Democrats: Addabbo, Aubertine, Diaz, Huntley, Carl Kruger, Monserrate, Onorato, and Stachowski.

I never thought Senator Morahan’s gay constituents wanted him to embrace the bonds that they share, but I do think that they wanted him to acknowledge what they share with their partners is at least equal to the marriage that he has been privileged to have.

Politicians like Morahan have gone to events like Gay Pride Rockland to tell you they’re for gay rights. You’ll hear the Senator say that LGBTs should have the same access to housing, jobs, benefits like health care and insurance, and equal protection of the law, but then it stops at gay marriage. The truth is, Senator Morahan was never a friend of the gay community, he was only pandering for votes as he always does.

Morahan’s basic dishonesty has made fools of many people, especially some liberal friends of mine, who believe that he is a closet liberal. I’ve been told by some of the most progressive people I know in Rockland County that he is some throwback Rockefeller Republican who’s really on our side, fighting for our values. Democratic politicians in the county like Ilan Schoenberger, Alex Gromack, and Christopher St. Lawrence have openly supported and enabled Sen. Morahan. Well, it’s time for us to email “liberal” Morahan supporters and tell them what really motivates our Senators. And it’s time call our local “Democratic” politicians and tell them their campaign and financial support of Senator Morahan must stop NOW!

Now it’s time for Rockland, Warwick, and Tuxedo residents to stand together to defeat Senator Morahan. It’s time for Tom to go!

Well, this is good news that the Putnam teabagger, Greg Ball has dropped out of the race. (Although the timing, right after the Republican ballyhooed a poll showing him within striking distance of John Hall, makes the timing slightly suspect.)

Still, this isn’t great news. Westchester Opthamologist Nan Hayworth will not have a Republican primary opponent and Rep. John Hall (D) still has a tough race ahead of him.

Ball announced Saturday that he’s abandoning his campaign for the 19th Congressional District seat held by Hall, and will run instead for State Senate in 2010.

In a press release Saturday afternoon, Ball, who is from Putnam County, said he’ll run for the the 40th District State Senate seat currently held by Republican Vincent Leibell.  The State Senate district includes parts of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties.

John Hall’s congressional district includes a portion of northern Rockland and southern Orange Counties on this side of the river.

It’s understandable that partisan politics, even and especially on a local level, can be off-putting for many. Much of what passes for debate and argument in today’s politics is driven by division and personal destruction. However, perhaps the biggest reason that people are turned off by politics is because the issues and debate often seem irrelevant to them. Many people feel that political parties manipulate them because they’re often asked to make hasty choices based upon labels such as “Democrat” or “Republican.”

But the truth is, political divisions are inherent in all political discourse. In Michigan, where I was born and lived until 15 years ago, most municipalities did away with partisan elections decades ago. This, however, did not end of partisan politics in those municipalities. The void left by political parties is now filled with alliances, coalitions, and confederations that are not transparent to the typical voter. Even worse, by their very nature, voters created their own quasi-parties based on racial, ethnic, and religious lines. Without political parties, we default to creating our own political apartheid, making local politics even more off-putting, and voters become even more confused by byzantine schisms within their communities.

Needless to say, it was refreshing when I moved here and found that I could vote for individuals that I could bond with on issues that were grander than the office they sought. When I first moved here, it was good to know that then South Nyack Trustee Tish DuBow was a staunch supporter of women’s rights and that Thom Kleiner once worked advocating for consumers. It was obvious to me that these people shared my core values, and it made it easier for me to vote for them even before I got to know both of them personally.

I understand that most people don’t live their lives identifying their values as being “blue” or “red” just as most people aren’t staunchly religious or secular, pro-management or pro-union, pro-development or pro-environment; we all fall somewhere on the spectrum on many issues.

However, for the people that are politicians, I don’t believe they compromise themselves by aligning and remaining loyal to a party, whether that party be the Democratic, Republican, or Independence Party. I think they do the voters a service by defining not only how they stand on current issues, but by giving their constituents an guideline on how they will respond to matters that nobody has yet considered.

I understand, however, that many people long for a politics where we have real vigorous disagreements and debates about the issues and where party affiliation is not part of the debate. They like politicians that don’t insist on having a monopoly on what is right or wrong, and don’t demonize our political opponents and their followers.

Barack Obama has asked that politicians extend themselves beyond partisan politics by espousing a “fair minded” approach to public service. He believes in a philosophical approach to politics that understands that truth and certainty are not the same thing. It is a philosophical approach that ultimately has as its goal the pursuit of the common good. It’s politics that espouses cooperation above competition. This is how politics should work on all levels, not just the local level.

However, it is also true that President Obama has had to take up the mantle of party leadership when his “common good” politics is attacked by ideologues and hate mongers. The uncomfortable truth is that not everybody, politicians nor citizens, play by these rules and to defend the common good, a politician must often fall back on the comfortable principles and parameters of the political party.

I am joining with other New York citizens and with Senators Liz Krueger and Dave Valesky, who have called upon Senator Monserrate to resign his office in response to his conviction of a serious domestic violence crime. I agree with Senator Krueger when she said in a released statement:

“I believe Hiram Monserrate should not remain in the Senate, and for the sake of his constituents, the institution of the Senate and the Democratic party he should resign immediately based on the seriousness of his violent crime.

Being an elected official is an honor and a privilege, not a right. As a state legislator , the voters give you the power to decide what laws all 19 million of us live under. And as such we are obligated to hold ourselves to the highest standards of our laws.”

I also agree with Senator Valesky’s statement which said in part:

“Like all New Yorkers, I have followed the developments in the domestic violence abuse case against Hiram Monserrate and been disgusted by what I have seen and heard. Domestic violence is a serious matter and a violent crime that cannot be ignored or dismissed.”

This past summer, the New York State Senate reached new depths of dysfunction through its appalling disregard for the public good when it embarked upon a series of coups and counter coups while important Senate business was ignored.

If the Senate is serious about rehabilitating its reputation as a representative body and wants the public’s support, a good first step would be to insure that Senator Monserrate resigns or is removed from office. We are calling on Senator Monseratte to resign. If he chooses not to, we call on the Senate Majority and Minority Leadership to do the right thing and remove him from office.

Visit Fire Hiram Monserrate | firemonserrate.com to sign the petition.

Well I’ve got a hammer
And I’ve got a bell
And I’ve got a song to sing
All over this land
It’s the hammer of justice
It’s the bell of freedom
It’s the song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

Yesterday was a beautiful day and evening to rally for health care reform and for those who live in the Hudson Valley, there was no better place to have one than riverside in Nyack’s Memorial Park. More than 700 people attended the rally and we had many great speakers and musical acts. But when Pete Seeger showed up, it turned a great rally into a magical event.

Our rally, called “Health Care for All” was started by myself and a handful of concerned Rockland County residents who had a living-room discussion last month about having a small rally. A month later, this small rally grew into a full-fledged concert, with many great performers such as Tom Chapin, Emory Joseph, Michael Mark, and The Roues Brothers. And of course, Pete Seeger.

Yes, we expect to see the teabaggers there. Some of them had even promised to shout down “that unrepentant ’60s communist, Pete Seeger” when he arrived.

But the teabaggers were soon disarmed by the patriotism of our large audience. After a musical prelude, we began our program with a sing-a-long of “America, the Beautiful” and the singer who led us, Orangetown Councilwoman Nancy Low-Hogan, had the American flag waving next to her. Not a single “tea party” person sang with us, not a single one applauded at the end of this patriotic standard. In fact, most of them milled around and talked among themselves while the rest of us saluted our nation.

They may have been discussing among themselves what went wrong. They thought they were going to take the field, but they were quite clearly in the minority. There was about 30 of them standing in back and at the time we had well over 400 people enjoying the festivities and support universal health care. My wife and a few friends kindly engaged them. One teabagger told us he was only carrying a sign because his boss told him to and he was afraid of being fired. Some teabaggers didn’t even have a grasp of what they were protesting.

“I believe that health care has to be reformed, but I don’t want it to become the way of socialists ,” [Mary] McCabe said. “I don’t like the idea that we are going to end up with the Canadian or British system.”

McCabe said people should not confuse health insurance and health care, saying that although she didn’t have health insurance at this moment, she has health care because she could go to an emergency room if she needed medical attention.

I had the opportunity to speak on stage for five minutes as did seven other speakers, including Congressman Eliot Engel (D, NY-17). Congressman Engel and me don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on many things (which we won’t get into now), but yesterday we were brothers in arms. I have to say that the Congressman, who preceded me on stage, gave one of the more rousing speeches I’ve heard a politician give in years. He won over many of the skeptical progressives in the audience and was rewarded to a standing ovation, which was well deserved.

I much prefer blogging to speaking, but I had the confidence to boom into the sound system:

Some one hundred years ago, a former President, a former Republican, a man with his face carved on a mountain, Teddy Roosevelt, formed the Progressive Party and ran, once again for the Presidency. High on his agenda was a “social and economic justice” plan which would have created a Social Security-like system and universal health care for Americans. Are we to believe that Roosevelt was a Marxist?

This and my other comments were directed a the teabaggers, but I’m not sure if I got across to any of them.

Pete Seeger was due to arrive at 6:50 p.m as he finished his last performance in the city at 6 pm. (Pete did a concert in the New York City in the morning, another in Beacon, NY in the early afternoon, and a set at EcoFest back in the city late in the afternoon, imagine that!) Time ticked by and there was no Pete Seeger. The teabaggers went home at 7 pm, almost in lockstep.

About 400 faithful people remained. One of the local bands took the stage again to keep the audience entertained as we waited. Some of us watched the moon rise over the Hudson River. Soon after dusk gave away to night many of us began to give up hope. Then a thin shadow appeared on the hill at the park. It was soon evident that this figure was carrying an old bango and a guitar strapped over his shoulders. A collective gasp and then applause went through the audience. Pete Seeger walked on stage.

Before he played his first note, it became dead silent, and we collectively held our breath. And then he started into a set that included “If I Had a Hammer,” “Goodnight, Irene,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” As my colleague Alan Levin put it in a letter to Seeger that he wrote today:

[It] was a transcendent experience for us all. You are, for many of us, a hero and an inspiration. That you continue to work so hard, as you did that day, to go so many extra miles in support of the people and causes that bring positive change to this world, moves us all to do more. I feel in my heart that the hundreds who waited to see you and sing with you will be braver in their commitment to continue the struggle. Certainly, I can say this is true for myself.

Alan is right, it was nothing short of spectacular. And when Pete told us from the park’s gazebo that he believed that “something good is going to happen, I know it,” we all knew that he was right. And then he said we’ve got to do more than just vote, we’ve got to act. And we agreed with him.

After a nice long set, Pete had everyone join him onstage and he signed autographs, talked with his fans, and ate pizza. And when it was time for him to go, we serenaded him with our own rendition of “This Land is Your Land.”

The beauty of this event was that so many people in our area were intimidated to come out and rally for health care reform because we felt threatened by the mob-like tactics of the teabaggers. It took Seeger, Chapin, et. al to drag us out into the open, but now that we all know we’re not alone, we feel so much more empowered. It was a magical night and I feel the momentum of this debate changing in my town.

Photo Courtesy of Brian Jennings, brianclayjennings@gmail.com

“I understand both sides,” he said. “I prefer civil union, as opposed to traditional marriage.”

Someone should explain to Senator Morahan that “separate, but equal” is unconstitutional.

“Maybe I’m a traditionalist,” he said. “I know my community is divided. If you can accommodate both sides, why not do that?”

Nobody is being accommodated here. Are we to believe that gay couples will somehow feel empowered by Morahan’s belief that what they have is not equal to what he has with his wife?

More from the Journal News:

He explained that he understands and empathizes with the arguments about “inheritance rights, spousal rights,” and believes that civil unions will accomplish those goals of equal rights for same-sex partners.

Morahan went on to tell the Journal News editorial board that his reasons for getting married were for love, not for spousal rights.

So, it’s obvious to me that Senator Morahan either doesn’t understand this whole movement for gay marriage is really about one thing: love. And his implication that the love that he shares with his wife is greater than the love that is shared by the lesbian couple in Nyack or the gay couple in Nanuet is mind boggling.

I don’t think Morahan’s gay constituents want him to embrace the bonds that they share, but I do think that they want him to acknowledge what they share is at least equal to what he has been privileged to have.

Politicians like Morahan have gone to events like Gay Pride Rockland to tell you they’re for gay rights. You’ll hear the Senator say  that LGBTs should have the same access to  housing, jobs, benefits like health care and insurance, and equal protection of the law, but then it stops at gay marriage. Why is that? Is it Morahan’s Catholic religion that keeps him from supporting gay marriage? Nobody is forcing the Catholic Church to perform gay marriages and I don’t think they’d excommunicate the Senator from the Church for voting in the side of love. No, I don’t think that’s the problem.

Is it that Morahan really believes the stereotype of gays being promiscuous and incapable of forming long-term relationships? Does he, like many of his Republican allies, believe that homosexuality is merely a perversion? No, I think that Morahan has seen enough from the gay pride events that he has attended to know that this isn’t the truth.

The fault, I believe lies in Morahan’s unwavering allegience to the Republican Party. Many people, especially some liberal friends of mine, like to believe that Morahan is a closet liberal. I’ve been told by some of the most progressive people I know in Rockland County that he is some throwback Rockefeller Republican who’s really on our side, fighting for our values. Democratic politicians in the county like Ilan Schoenberger, Alex Gromack, and Christopher St. Lawrence openly support Sen. Morahan and hardly anybody blinks. I admit, Morahan has been good with marketing and with that “member items” slush fund he uses to insure his incumbency.

Now the truth is out: Morahan was never has been the progressive or “moderate” that Rockland voters thought that he was. In fact, he has rarely stood up for anything that didn’t sound like apple pie Americana. He’s got a great formula for getting elected: sponsor some no-brainer legislation about children in need and talk it up, keep your mouth shut about everything else, smile, and everyone will think you’re just like them. This worked for a long time, but now it’s over. The upcoming gay marriage vote will expose Morahan’s real values. And all these years of kissing babies and handing out obscene checks just before election time won’t work anymore. We know what our State Senator is made of.

Thank you, Sen. Morahan for finally coming out. Now we can make more informed choices at the polls.

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The news and diaries posted on the Rockland Progressive Dems site are the individual opinions of the members of the Rockland Progressive Democratic Caucus. They appear on this Web site to provide a progressive forum for Rockland County residents. While the Executive Committee of the caucus may edit some of these posts for clarity, length, and accuracy, it does not necessarily endorse the contents of each post. All members of the Rockland County Democratic Caucus are invited to share their viewpoints and comment on those viewpoints on this site.

1) A person is allowed to own as many firearms as current law will allow as long as the weapons are within the owners home and are stored in an appropriate place. The assumption that law enforcement will operate under is that if a person takes a weapon outside of its storage container or outside of their home, the person intends to use the weapon. This also means that weapons must be transported in approved containers. No open gun racks.

2) In order to use a firearm, a person must have a license. In order obtain a license, a person must be trained to use the weapon by law enforcement personnel or groups certified by law enforcement to train people on how to use the weapon. Training will involve proper safety procedures, gun maintenance, and marksmanship. Essentially, to use a firearm, a person will have to qualify on the weapon just like the police and the military do. In addition, the license will only be valid for limited period of time (12-24 months) and a person must re-qualify on the weapon in order to renew the license to use the weapon.

This idea is not perfect by any means and I am hoping that people like my local assemblyman, with whom I have discussed this, or others such as hunting or gun sport associations will research this further and maybe propose or advocate for some legislation that will incorporate this idea.

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The news and diaries posted on the Rockland Progressive Dems site are the  individual opinions of the members of the Rockland Progressive Democratic Caucus. They appear on this Web site to provide a progressive forum for Rockland County residents. While the Executive Committee of the caucus may edit some of these posts for clarity, length, and accuracy, it does not necessarily endorse the contents of each post. All members of the Rockland County Democratic Caucus are invited to share their viewpoints and comment on those viewpoints on this site.