Author: Rock Hackshaw

The race for the 40th City Council District: Rock Hackshaw gets the endorsement of the Independence Party. Is this an epic of things to come? 

By now most of you know that I am running for the New York City Council, in the 40th District. That’s one of many reasons why I haven’t been writing much here lately. I have been so busy with this race -and the requirements of campaigning, etc. – that I have been writing very few columns lately. And yet -despite my busy schedule- I hope to intermittently keep you up to date on my campaign and other political developments. So do stay tuned-in folks. 

Everyone knows that I worked on the re-election campaign of congressman Ed Towns last year; and most of you on the blogging scene also know that I have had a long friendship with him, which has helped shield him from some of my wicked political slap downs.  Although I have taken one or two parting shots at him whenever I felt he wasn’t on the right side of an issue or political race (Ken Evans v. Diane Gordon or Inez Barron /for examples), I have been pretty easy on Ed, when compared to say Charles “Chucky B” Barron, Al Vann-winkle or Darlene Mealy-mouse. In some Brooklyn political circles, I have taken big flack for not going after Ed much harder: and probably rightly so. But there are things I do know that are about to show. I suspect that Ed won’t be around in this seat too much longer. For years now there have been forces wanting to replace him. The forces are gaining momentum folks. 

Let me preface this column by stating (again) that I am a not only a passionate fan, avid supporter and effusive admirer of Barack Obama, I am also one of his honest critics. I hope my past writings on the man have proven this enough. And yet, as I write this column, more than 1.1 million black males are languishing in jails, prisons and penitentiaries all over the U.S.A.; this is about half the number of black males incarcerated worldwide. And as I write this column, President Barack Obama has been in office for more than one hundred and one days. After I post this column, I would like to hear Mr. Obama talk more than 1.1 times, about what’s really going: relative to the state of black males in the USA. His silence on this issue is deafening.  

Politics makes for strange bedfellows they say, and maybe they are right. During the past few weeks I did find two politicians -Charles Barron and Mayor Michael Bloomberg- apparently sleeping in the same bed (politically speaking, of course), and pensively it was a mini-orgy of sorts; one of convenient morality, one lacking in common sense, an immolation of political principles, a flagellation of standards, a confusingly strange devaluation of ethics for self-serving reasons, an unnecessary questioning of professed values, and of course too many meaningless words for radio, television and newspaper reporters -willing be manipulated (and unrepentant too). 

Some historians say that the Organization of American States is presently the oldest functioning regional organization in the world. That may be true. As a history buff, I generally hate to accept things as gospel; however there is evidence that this claim could be legit. If so, it is something to be proud of. 

Somewhere around 1826, Latin-American nationalist Simon Bolivar called for the creation of a regional body, with a multi-national parliamentary assembly, a mutual defense pact and a co-operative military arm. His vision was to unify Latin America against external aggressors and world powers (including the USA). 

Dear Tony: 

Let me get straight to the point and not beat around the george bush; my reputation -quite rightly earned- is that of a person who gives it straight with no chaser: so here goes.

Although I am personally going to wait for your announcement next month -as to whether or not you will run for mayor this year- many others are not going to afford you that luxury. Let me emphatically and unambiguously state that if you run, I will endorse you immediately. And yet, I still think you may have messed up with all this calalloo stuff, about waiting till the end of May to decide what to do (run for mayor or not). 

Since I have gotten so many calls for a platform; and since many of you want to get my rationale for running; and since many of you have been using my lack of a public platform, as a basis for withholding your support (and money/lol) for my campaign for the New York City Council (District#40); I have decided to submit a first draft on some of the issues I feel strongly about. Do note that is not the finished product. Note also that I have deliberately withheld some aspects of my platform for some personal and minor tactical reasons. 

I haven’t talked about my view on term limits in the platform because I have written extensively about it. I am a supporter of term limits for ALL electeds (federal, state, city/local). I believe that the voters have spoken twice on the issue. If the immoral extension passed by some cowardly council members last year isn’t overturned by the courts soon, then we have to take it to referendum for the ratification of a 12 year (3 terms) limit in the next council (2010). We must also put into law that the methodology for overturning term limits in future has to be referendum (plebiscite). 

There are many people in New York who believe that the public defender’s office is antiquated and in need of repair: I concur. One of those working to change the status quo is a young community/political activist named Keith Kinch. Keith is well known in Brooklyn’s political circles (and all over the city for that matter), as one of those up and coming black under-30 activists that you should keep your eyes on. He is a hard worker for his cause. He also deals with politics from a hands-on place: he is unafraid to get directly involved in political races. He is intelligent, competent and personable. He is also a likeable chap (as they say in London/lol).