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Democracy For The Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
 
Tricounty DFA Update: Thanks, Reports, Transgender Day of Remembrance

Hello Everyone;
 
First, I want to apologize for not getting this update out sooner -- I was simply too exhausted after Election Day to do so.
Second, I want to offer my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked on this election.   Thanks to you we did great things, and the political scene will never go back to what it was.  It was an honor to be part of you and this great effort!   
 
In This Update:
 
1.  A Message Of  Thanks From Den Tarantino
2.  Election Report
3.  Meeting Report
4.  Transgender Day Of Remembrance, Sunday, Nov. 18th, Crandall Library, 3:30pm
 
 
1.  A Message Of  Thanks From Den Tarantino
 
Following the election, Dennis Tarantino sent out the following message:
 
"Congratulations to the victor, his family and volunteers. Many thanks to my Committee and to my numerous supporters for their hard work and dedication. We are so fortunate to live in a country where free and open elections determine our future. It was an honor to be part of that process and to make my best effort to provide a choice to the voters of the 114th Assembly District. Thank you all for sharing that journey with me!"
 
 
2.  Election Report
 
Locally, we lost races close to our hearts -- Den Tarantino and Carrie Woerner.  These are hard losses.   But much was gained here, too.  
 
Consider what Matt Doheny said in his concession speech:  "“If you look at the results today, I don’t know how Republican this 21st Congressional District is today...”
This is a remarkable article on how the area is changing and well worth a read:
http://poststar.com/news/local/election-raises-doubts-about-area-s-political-lean/article_7ae2c03c-291b-11e2-8a76-001a4bcf887a.html
 
We also gained an understanding of the area that our party has never had before.   I cannot understate what a big deal this is,  but it will become apparent in time.   We also gained in institutional maturity, technical skill and organizational sophistication.     Next time we will win.
 
And there are many victories to celebrate:
 
• We reelected a Democratic President!
• We saved the Supreme Court from being destroyed for the next 50 years!
• We reelected our Senator Gillibrand!
• We extended our lead in the Senate!
• We shifted the Senate decisively to the left with new Senators like Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin!
• We reelected Bill Owens!
• We increased our House delegation!
• We defeated a series of right wing nuts -- Allen West is gone, Alan Grayson is returned to the House, while others like Tammy Duckworth beat Joe Walsh!
• Christine Clark is going to the State Supreme Court!
• The threat posed by the Citizen’s United ruling proved to be a dud -- right wing billlionaries spent $850 million and got nothing to show for it!
• We may have taken back the NY State Senate!  
•In California the Democrats now have a supermajority in both houses of the legislature!  Republicans can no longer block reform, nor will progressive issues have to go through the voter initiative process.  The legislature can now simply pass them, just the way Vermont passed single payer healthcare, which is on the agenda in California.   This is huge because California for so long has pioneered the national agenda.
 
 
3.  Meeting Report
 
We held our usual monthly meeting the day after the election.
We were privileged to have Warren County Chair Lynne Boecher in attendance.  Lynne came in good measure to thank everyone in DFA for the big role we played locally in this year's election, and talked at some length about how we are a key part of the Democratic Party in our area.   This was greatly appreciated by everyone, and we want to thank Lynne for everything she has done for Democrats here in Warren County!
 
 
4.  Transgender Day Of Remembrance, Sunday, Nov. 18th, Crandall Library, 3:30pm
 
The Greater Glens Falls Area will have its first Transgender Day of Remembrance this Sunday, November 18th, from 3:30 to 5pm at the Crandall Library in downtown Glens Falls.  There will be a vigil and program followed by refreshments.  It is locally sponsored by the Empire Pride Agenda, LARAC, Planned Parenthood and Interfaith Impact of NYS.  The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a nationwide event that has been growing for several years.
 
Just before the election Vice President BIden called Transgender rights "The civil rights issue of our times."    No group of people are more likely to be a victim of a hate crime than a transgender person, or more likely to be a victim of discrimination in housing, employment or healthcare, among a number of issues.  Not only are transgenders more likely to be a victim of violence, but because of pervasive discrimination and lack of support they also have the highest suicide rate of any group in our or any other society — one in four will actively attempt to commit suicide or commit suicide in their lifetimes.  This despite the fact it is now known, despite attitudes prevalent in the past, that transgenders and transsexuals no more choose their gender orientation than anyone else, or any more than one chooses their race or ethnicity.   The American Psychiatric Association recently removed being transgender from the list of mental disorders, just as it removed homosexuality thirty years ago— just another normal human variation, like hair color or being right or left handed.    The goal of the Day of Remembrance is to commemorate those who have died at the hands of others, or their own hands, and raise public consciousness and support for new civil rights legislation.     
 
Thanks again, everyone!   See you all soon,
 
Larry
 
 
 

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:55 PM 0 comments

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