Category: News and Opinion

Beacon Concordance on Combating the Politics of Hate

By Michael Boyajian

“What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding.”  — Written by Nick Lowe and as performed by Elvis Costello

A group of elected officials, candidates, community leaders and concerned citizens gathered on the shores of the Hudson River at the BEAHIVE in Beacon, NY on August 25 to discuss how to combat the politics of hate and the inducement of fear.  What came immediately to mind was the film Contact where the Jodie Foster character is told we begin with little steps that is how it has always been done.

Chutzpah Award of the Day

Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum:

“Opposition to the building of the mosque is not an issue of religious intolerance or a matter of us versus them…People of all faiths should be appalled by the Imam’s remarks and very frightened at the possibility of terrorist monies funding this endeavor.”
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Rabbi Tannenbaum is Director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America. The Head of the Rabbinical Alliance, Rabbi Abraham Hecht, was the Rabbi who issued a fatwa against Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shortly before his assassination The Yeshiva World Hikind Calls On Bloomberg To Withdraw Support Of Ground Zero Mosque « » Frum Jewi www.theyeshivaworld.com

The Thundering Silence of a Straight Ally

By Michael Boyajian

The New York Times recently produced an investigative report on how gay cadets were living a lie at West Point denying their sexuality for the sake of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  Straight allies have also been forced to live a similar lie no less devastating.  Case in point, when I was in publishing I hired a new editor.  He was from a good sized New Jersey newspaper and he had good credentials just what we needed to lift our magazine back to its former glory.  It never occurred to me nor did I care that he might be gay.  He had excellent credentials.

I don't know if one could call it ethnic pandering, but Congressional candidate Reshma Saujani has gone out of her way to show she knows the meaning of the word "chutzpah," by criticizing her opponent, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, for being insufficiently supportive of the Young Men's Islamic Association proposed to be located at the Holy mother Coat Factory.

On August 4th, when asked about the Park51 facility Saujani said, “I think we need to make sure none of the funding is coming from any terrorist organization, I think we need a process to do that.”

This is a position that puts her to the right of GOP Attorney General Candidate Dan Donovan.

Further, Saujani then upped the ante, proving she's not only a panderer, but totally ignorant of how local government operates. Her answer to who'd conduct such a complicated investigation: “This is where I think the community board can get involved and get engaged in doing that.”

As I pointed out previously, thanks to the efforts of the boyfriend of Saujani Supporter and former Pataki Administration Banking Commissioner Diane Taylor, NYC's Community Boards barely have enough money to evaluate local zoning and monitor City services in their areas, yet Saujani wants to saddle them with national security investigations unjustified by probable cause.

March On Film to Debut at Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

By Michael Boyajian

March On the monumental documentary directed by Laura McFerrin will debut at the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival September 12.  The film features coverage of five families along with 250,000 participants as they march on the nation’s capital in support of marriage equality.

For Democrats, liberals, “progressives” and reformers, this year’s elections for New York State Senate usually are thought to involve achievement of three goals:

1) keeping the Democratic Majority

2) Actually making the Democratic Majority Democratic (with a large “D,” though small “d” would be nice too).

3) Ensuring the passage of same-sex marriage.

There are surely other aims as well, but (4) general liberal public policy goals (provided we can agree what they are, and (5) process reforms, get talked about far far less, though they are usually thought to go part and parcel with goals (1) and (2).

Carl Paladino wants to send the poor to prison to learn personal hygiene.

Query: will there be soap on a rope? Carl Paladino Will Teach Poor People to Stop Being So Dirty nymag.com

Maybe Espada didn't report the cost of the food he gives away because he grows it himself; he certainly has an ample supply of fertilizer. Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada runs afoul of state Board of Elections over food giveaways – NYP www.nypost.com