DINOSOURS OF LEGISLATURE PAST

Can any of you remember way back in the mid 90's when a small group of entrepreneurs re-opened that nightclub at the old Tropical in Port Ewen?  Yeah, those were fun times.
 
They had plenty of obstacles thrown in the way during the process. The Esopus town board, the local minister, and building inspector all leading the charge against. Well The place did open and run without much incident for about four years before business dropped off.
 
The fiscal drain on the partners at the onset made success a struggle. Eventually, a church bought the property, thus eliminating a much needed source of property taxes. That's a big chunk of commercial property too!
 
I bring this up in these last days before we head to the voting booth once more, because one of the lowest points in our County Legislature's history was also about this time.

Remember 1993? Yeah, It was only two years earlier when gay residents petitioned for a bill outlawing discrimination in employment and housing and the Ulster County Legislature refused even to debate it. One legislator, Attilio Contini, told his colleagues that homosexuality was "an illness and handicap." He added, "We don't pass laws giving special privileges to people who are retarded, criminally insane or demented." 
It's not really that long ago folks.

This Contini is running for the same position once again. His views on equality are no different today than they were back in those "Good ol Days". Ironically, he is running in District 19 (consisting of Rosendale and part of Marbletown) against incumbent Robert Parete, one of the Legislature's hardest working Democrats.

Let me say, in the short time I've been on the sixth floor, Rob has impressed me the most. As issues come up for review in committee, successful programs and past reforms have Rob's fingerprints all over them. The more I research, the more I appreciate the amount of work he and a select few accomplished in the 4 short years the Democrats held the majority.

The idea that someone like his opponent, who still harbours such regressive ideals, would feel his place is back on the Legislature is somewhat surprizing. However, after watching those GOP debates in recent months, maybe not.

DADT CLOTURE VOTE PASSED 63-33

Well, it happened. 

The last hurdle that blocked the repeal of DADT has been passed. After two votes in the House and two in the Senate, seventeen years of hiding while serving, and traitorous lobbying from unembarrassed hate groups, the Congress is set to repeal this ill advised compromise signed by President Clinton. 

I haven't the words to describe my disgust for McCain and the other 32 Senators who chose their darkest nature to oppose the repeal vote. I can see McCain railing against letting non-whites serve in the military all those years ago, claiming lives & limbs would be lost if we did so. No difference.
 

Does anyone feel there havent been enough discussions on this issue? Raise your hands....I thought so.
Republican lawmakers who will stop at nothing to stop this vote for Equality to Serve, actually claim they haven't talked about this enough. I'm sorry if you dropped your coffee cup when you read that.

With only the START treaty and First Responders Coverage on the horizon, the two years of Democratic dominance in both houses has been quite successful, with hundreds of significant changes to detrimental maneuvers during past administrations. There are websites devoted to the two year time-line of what the Democrats have fixed since taking control of DC. Reid and Pelosi have done phenomenally well considering the obstacles. 

With the vote to repeal DADT poised to succeed this Monday, we allow the Military to implement the changes according to their ability rather than through a court order. That would be an overnight change that our commanders really wanted to avoid. Will we see the rapid enlistment of new recruits? Will we see a drop in re-enlistment? Those two answers are hard to answer and might cancel each other out to show no change over all.
 
All I can say is this day has made an estimated 66,000 currently serving gay & lesbian service personnel breathe a little easier.

Update: Repeal vote passed with 65-31 rendering the discriminatory policy dead the minute President Obama signs it. Ding-Dong the wicked witch is dead!

WE GIVE A DAMN

OPENLY GAY EPISCOPAL BISHOP

In response to the flack that Obama has gotten from equal rights advocates for his Rick Warren Inaugural Invocation, he has asked Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop to deliver the invocation at a kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, two days before the inauguration itself.

Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. His consecration in 2003 set off a firestorm in that church’s parent body, the Anglican Communion.

Will his inclusion in the inaugural events heal some of the pain that Mr. Warren’s selection has caused?

Robinson told the AP: “They called up and said this has actually been in the works for a long time and that they understand that people in the LGBT community have been somewhat wounded by the Warren selection. It’s their hope that my selection will go a long way to heal those divides.”

I only saw this in the news links yesterday, while the transition team had this in the works for several weeks.

The event is on Sunday, January 18^th. This is the first day of formal inaugural festivities in DC. It will be broadcast live by HBO free so the masses who don’t have HBO can also watch it. Which of their many channels, I don't know.

Obama and Joe Biden are scheduled to be there and the event will have hours of entertainment to celebrate the day's significance.

Those of us who have heard of Bishop Robinson already know he is a world historical figure at this point. He is at the center of the Episcopal Church’s embrace of human equality and inclusion. Obama has made a very powerful statement by inviting him to open the three day procession.

I, for one, have already forgiven Obama for the Warren stumble. So this is a pleasant surprise for an already terrific maturation of America. [now if only I could talk to him about illegal immigration]

Enjoy the show everyone!

HATE CASE FAILS NY COURT

Last week, I got an Email from a woman I know expressing jubilation that the lawsuit aimed at restricting Paterson’s executive order to recognize out of state same-sex marriages, had failed.

It was the first direct legal challenge to Gov. Paterson's action, and with it’s defeat, presents the policy as a legally allowable stand for fairness.

Judge Lucy Billings, of the Bronx, wrote “The decision to wed represents a personal expression of emotional devotion, support and interdependence and a public commitment. With that validity, they expect equal treatment with other married couples."

Her ruling comes as thousands of gay and lesbian New Yorkers are expected to make use of Massachusetts' recent decision to let out-of-state gay couples marry there.

Don’t think for a second that the fanatics that brought the New York case won’t fight it. As civil-liberties groups hailed the ruling as supporting equality for same-sex couples, they are expected to appeal the ruling.

Our Governor called it "a wise and fair determination." This allows state agencies in NY the ability to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere.

These radical groups are involved in numerous cases around the country that concern same-sex marriage, abortion, school prayer and other social issues. Let’s call it the Palin Initiative. They already have several ongoing cases over attempts to extend spousal rights to gay couples in New York.

Several Republican state senators in tough re-election bids throughout the state, signed onto the latest suit. Including our local good ‘Ol boy Bill Larkin. It seems Bill and his colleagues still bring out the three G’s (guns, gays & god) during a tough election cycle.

No surprise that the group who proposed the lawsuit is based in Arizona. We can only assume, Presidential hopeful McCain and the snow queen would agree with the equal rights opposition.

Taken from the AP: Judge Billings called Paterson’s executive policy of equal recognition, a "permissible, if not mandated, step toward the objective of equality for a group for whom legal as well as practical barriers to equality persist."

She also said refusing to respect a same-sex marriage conducted elsewhere is "antithetical to family stability."
Since I know couples who have been together and raising families for over 30 and 40 years, I would have to agree.