If Reed Gusciora has his way, Vice President Al Gore will be represented by a statewide slate of delegate/alternate candidates on New Jersey's February 5, 2008 Presidential primary election ballot whether he is actively running or not, because there is no reason that NJ's voters shouldn't have the opportunity to vote for Al Gore just because he has his priorities in order and has determined that saving the world from an environmental apocalypse is more important than running for President.
Draft Gore NJ has been launched to recruit supporters of Al Gore to run as Uncommitted delegate/alternate candidates in each of New Jersey's 20 delegate districts, who are committed to voting for Al Gore at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Back in 2005 -- when Asm. Gusciora's "voter paper trail" bill became law -- the long view was for every vote in every precinct in every election to produce a paper record.
Today's primary election marks an important step in the law going "primetime" and statewide in time for the 2008 presidental primary elections next February. Today's primary in Warren County will provide a test case.
Gusciora:
Warren County residents tomorrow have a chance to blaze a paper trail for all New Jersey citizens who are now casting ballots with electronic voting machines. Voter-verified ballots are the only efficient means of ensuring precision, integrity and security in this age of computer-software-aided election machines.
Having a paper record just makes sense. I figure it's the same courtesy you might expect at an ATM machine?
-Speaker Roberts' bill (A200) to reconfigure the Ethics Committee (to eight public members) moved through the Assembly State Government committee. The current lineup is an unwieldy one that includes eight current legislators which may or may not be a huge conflict of interest. I'm guessing it is.
-The same committee also advanced a bill by Reed Gusciora, leader of the Progressive Caucus, that would require random audits of election results in selected election districts. In this new era of electronic voting, anything we can do do ensure voter confidence is a good thing.
Also today...
-The Senate Judiciary Committee made a few nominations. Edward De Fazio was named to be the new Hudson County prosecutor. De Fazio was also on the Death Penalty Study Commission back when. He testified that he originally supported executions, but changed his view after sitting on the commission. He ended up voting to ban the death penalty.
-Also, Stephen Hyland was nominated to serve on the Civil Union Review Commission. For the next three years, the commission will meet every six months to determine how civil unions are (or aren't working.) News of this civil unions commission was new to me.
This weekend former House Speaker and potential Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called Spanish "the language of living in a ghetto." Assemblyman Reed Gusciora responded:
"In essence" said Gusciora, "Gingrich talks the language of stupid."
Closer to home, Gusciora also pointed to recent remarks by a Freehold Borough Councilman that segments of the Latino population were "promiscuous" and expected society to "subsidize their mistakes."
"It is alarming that elected officials or persons in power wish to resort to demagoguery instead of leading a dialogue on how to better assimilate legal immigrants into the American fabric," he continued.
Gusciora charged that collectively, such comments are racially insensitive and inappropriate. The Assemblyman also pointed out that historically, various ethic cultures were singled out for attack, which has escalated to episodes of violence in our country.
"The Latino community, on the whole, is comprised of law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working citizens. Public figures such as Gingrich should engage the public in constructive debate and not rants about hate."
When was the last time you gathered petition signatures and people actually lined up to sign their names? That's what happened at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School on Thursday after former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman finished presenting the case for Bush and Cheney's impeachment. Holtzman didn't merely say the "I" word, she trumpeted it loud and clear as only a seasoned, passionate prosecutor could. Had her remarks been the closing arguments of a trial, and audience members the jury, an immediate verdict to convict would have been reached without anyone leaving their seats!
Holtzman, a graduate of Harvard Law School, sat on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings, and wrote one of the articles of impeachment. One of the points she stressed was that it took a groundswell of public outrage for Congress to initiate proceedings against him. Bush and Cheney have already egregiously violated their oaths of office and our laws: what further damage to lives and our system of government must they do before this Congress rises up to stop them? As Holtzman writes in her February 12, 2007 article in "The Nation" linked at the end of this diary:
Legislation opposing the escalation in Iraq just passed in the Assembly by 43-0 with 0 abstentions.
Not one Republican had the guts to take a stand on this critical issue.
Speaking in favor of AR-246:
Reed Gusciora (D-15), Craig Stanley (D-28), Patrick Diegnan (D-18), William Payne (D-29), Jim Whelan (D-2), Herb Conaway (D-7), Jeff VanDrew (D-1), Linda Stender (D-22)
* David Mayer had health issues and was not in Trenton for the vote. Assemblymen Bodine, Caraballo & Steele were not in Trenton as well.
Statement from AR-246's sponsor, Reed Gusciora:
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora today blasted his Republican colleagues for their utter failure to go on record - even with a formal abstention - on legislation he sponsored opposing President Bush's policy of a "troop surge" in Iraq.
"Our nation's involvement in Iraq is the most important moral issue of our time and New Jersey's Republicans suddenly have gone AWOL," said Gusciora (D-Mercer). "It is incomprehensible that not one member of the Assembly Minority could be bothered to have an opinion on the President's foreign policy. The GOP's inability to speak up in any fashion is just about as troubling as the President's inability to listen to the American people on this issue."
Gusciora added his disappointment that several Republican members turned their backs and carried on conversations while their Democratic colleagues spoke on the Assembly floor. [...]
"The Assembly Republicans had never been shy about letting the world know their opinion on anything, until now," said Gusciora. "The people of New Jersey have spoken loud and clear that they disapprove of the way the President has conducted this military effort and want our fighting men and women back on American soil. It's shameful that the Republicans failed to hear any of it."
Bonnie Watson Coleman also issued a statement:
"It's alarming that Republicans chose to sit on their hands rather than stand with the overwhelming numbers of New Jerseyans opposing the President's planned troop surge," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). "Our service men and women are showing courage every day by putting their lives on the line while Republicans can't even muster the courage to say where they stand on Iraq."
Watson Coleman said that we have little but chilling statistics to show for our four-year war in Iraq. She pointed to the current commitment of 132,000 troops and the $5.6 billion cost of a 21,500 troop escalation, that military experts agree will do little to end the civil war in Iraq. According to the majority leader, with 83 New Jersey service men and women killed, hundreds more injured and 159 to be affected by escalation, it was reprehensible to see no Republican legislators rise in support of the legislation (AR-246).
"Republicans should stop defending Bush in Washington through their silence here in New Jersey," said Watson Coleman.
The Assembly will vote tomorrow on legislation opposing Bush's fourth Iraq escalation in as many years. AR 246 is sponsored by Assemblymen Reed Gusciora (D-15) and Craig Stanley (D-28) and simply concludes:
1. This House expresses its strong opposition to President George W. Bush's surge in United States troops in Iraq.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the President George W. Bush and every member of Congress elected from New Jersey.
Find your legislators and contact them today to tell them to support this legislation opposing the escalation.
That was Assemblyman Reed Gusciora speaking about Al Gore. Today, Gusciora announced "he will lead a movement in New Jersey to draft Al Gore" to run for president. PoliticsNJ has the story:
"He didn't vote for the war, didn't apologize for it, and is more seasoned than the rest of 2008 prospect," said Gusciora, a six-term Democrat from Princeton. "Now he has an Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. How do you not want this guy running our country?"
Gusciora was the first New Jersey elected official to endorse Howard Dean in 2004 -- almost a year before the state political establishment jumped on board.
There are few things I am more manic about than recycling. In fact, I have been known to go through my friends' broom closets and sort their trash into managable, recyclable bits. That's why I am thrilled to hear that state legislators like Reed Gusciora are attempting to enhance the states preexisting programs to recycle a wider range of stuff.
The crux of the plan is to include household appliances into the mix of recyclables along with the usual stuff like cans, bottles, cardboard and mulchable kitchen scraps.
Said Assemblyman Gusciora (D-Mercer), "Many people don't realize their televisions, computers and even their cell phones are veritable compendiums of the periodic table."
Philadelpha Inquirer:
The EPA considers electronic waste the fastest-growing piece of the nation's trash stream. Specifically, it defines electronic waste as televisions and computer monitors, computers, audio equipment, VCRs and DVD players, video cameras, telephones, cellular phones, fax and copy machines, and video-game consoles.
Naturally the electronics industry is crying foul claiming that taking initiative puts them at a "competitive disadvantage." Or so says David Thompson, Panasonic's corporate environmental director.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora introduced legislation last Thursday that calls upon Congress to oppose an escalation in the Iraq War:
1. This House calls on the Congress of the United States to stop escalating the war in Iraq unless the President first seeks Congressional approval for sending more American troops and increasing funding for the war.
2. This House calls on each member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 and any identical resolution in the House of Representatives.
Though state legislatures don't have any direct control over foreign or military policy, we do have a stake. So far New Jersey has lost 52 service members in Iraq, and our state's national guard units have recently had their tours extended by four months as a result of the escalation.
To date, the President has ignored public opinion, military experts, the Iraqi public, bi-partisan commissions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, almost all Democratic and many Republican-American congressmen, and practically the entire world. Given that history, it's unlikely this will change his mind, but it's entirely appropriate for our elected officials to speak out when our state and country are being driven into a ditch.
Take Action
The bill is currently in the Military and Veterans Affairs committee, which is chaired by Assemblyman Jack Conners. Tell him you support AR-237 and encourage him to schedule a hearing and vote to clear the committee.
From Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15) and primary sponsor of the Civil Marriage and Religious Protection bill.
While I am disappointed that this bill does not go far enough in making marriage available to all committed couples, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The distance from nothing to civil unions is far greater than the distance from civil unions to full marriage rights. The passage of the "Civil Union" bill should be viewed as a very large, but not final step in the quest to provide equal rights to all New Jerseyans. I am sure that in the near future, this issue will be revisited and you can be confident that I will continue to do everything within my power to fight for full marriage rights for every person in New Jersey.
There is only one sponsor of the Civil Unions bill in the Assembly: Wilfredo Caraballo, who in the past has been a staunch advocate of marriage.
Meanwhile, the Civil Marriage bill has six sponsors and may have more by Thursday: Reed Gusciora, Mims Hackett, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, William D. Payne, Brian Stack, and John McKeon.
In the Senate, Civil Unions has a ringing endorsement with two sponsors: President Dick Codey and Loretta Weinberg, who was for marriage before she was against it.
The Civil Marriage bill doesn't have a sponsor in the Senate yet, but it is telling that the Democratic leadership with all their arm-twisting can only find 2 non-ledership sponsors for civil unions.
Civil unions in New Jersey is a sinking ship that hasn't even left port. A recent editorial expressed dismay that everyone testifying at the committee hearings were against civil unions. It said they "represented te extremes of opinion," and, "Missing was the majority in the middle."
Wrong. The families this bill affects are not extremists, and if the so-called majority in the middle had to hear their testimony, they'd stand with them, too.
Our state legislators have heard their stories, and they know how wrong and ineffective this bill is. No wonder they don't want any more to do with it than vote on the floor and move on. Civil unions aren't a quick fix to the NJ Supreme Court's decision; it's an embarassment to everyone who puts their name on it.
Violating the Geneva Conventions with human rights abuses, waging an illegal war and lying to the American public about its justifications, violating the U.S. Constitution with illegal wiretapping and domestic spying, detaining suspects indefinitely without any charge, eliminating the writ of habeas corpus -- these are all par for the course in for one of the worst presidencies in American history and are stark reminders of why we, as responsible citizens, must seek the impeachment of George W. Bush.
This Sunday, 10 December, is National Impeachment Day, and events are being scheduled throughout the state and the country. For this, forums and films are being schedule to inform voters about the constitutional violations of the Bush presidency. In Voorhees, for example, at the public library, 3rd floor, on 12/10 at 1:00:
Dave Lindorff, award winning author and investigative reporter for over 33 years, will lead a discussion based on his recent released book , co-authored with Barbara Olshansky, "The Case for Impeachment"
More events are scheduled around the country, including in Wayne, NJ. Scoop, Impeachment News
And, because of his resolution on gay marriage, our now-favorite Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, is also considering introducing an impeachment bill through the NJ state legislature, as a recent email from democrats.com attests:
NJ General Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Reed Gusciora: "You may also be happy to know that I support a New Jersey legislative resolution urging Congress to investigatge grounds for impeachment."
People should begin now to communicate thanks and encouragement to Reed Gusciora, and imploring his help in passing the Resolution to Impeach in the NJ Legislature:
email: AsmGusciora@njleg.org
226 West State Street Trenton NJ 08608
Phone 609.292.0500 FAX 609.633.2179
Hence, if you live in Gusciora's district, please let him know that you support this resolution, and call and write your own legislators to vote for and introduce an impeachment resolution. You can also get impeachment on the ballot in 2007 by following township resolutions (usually involving gathering signatures) for your particular city.
It is absolutely the time to push for investigations and impeachment of the Bush White House, and tomorrow's national impeachment day and the N.J. legislative bill can provide the catalysts for this movement possibly to succeed.
Jim Hooker, who is a white NJN News correspondent, hosted a discussion on the debate surrounding marriage equality and civil unions in this week's "On the Record." His guests were Assemblymen Reed Gusciora, who is gay, and Michael Patrick Carroll, who is married with several children, and statistically speaking, is probably straight, though Mr Hooker did not state this explicitly, so we're not sure. Both assemblymen, like Jim Hooker, are also white. We have no idea if Jim Hooker is gay or straight. He claims to have been married in New York.
Do you believe in human dignity? That government should be a force for good? And do you want to do something about it?
If you're reading this, it's likely that you do. Part of the reason I'm a Democrat is because I believe in the value of every human being and that by working together, we can make each others' lives better.
For the past year or longer, you all worked so hard on keeping Senator Menendez and sowing House campaigns whose benefits we will certainly reap one day. Your efforts are truly admired, and we all look forward to the exchange of ideas and tactics in the months to come, as we gear up for the next races. This same re-tooling is happening all across the country and will emerge with stronger, more experienced supporters on our side.
But we here in New Jersey have been given an unique opportunity today, not two years from now. We have the chance to raise the level of human dignity for our family, friends, neighbors, and in some cases, ourselves.
Here we have the opportunity to extend marriage equality to families that are considered lesser based on their sexuality. They are discriminated against not because of what they do, but because of who they are. I think that's wrong. How about you?
While it is easy to fall into post-election lethargy (I'm just pulling myself out now), the legislature was given just 180 days to decide: does the state want marriage equality or does it want discriminatory civil unions -- a lot like the laws we have today that many choose not to enforce. (Don't believe me? Ask Lt. Hester).
Right now, the polls would have us believe that marriage equality will fail, and that civil unions are somehow preferable. I believe that most of the people who prefer the word 'civil unions' to marriage want equality but do not understand the grave differences. I believe that by pronouncing those differences -- by educating the public -- we can do a great deal to promote equality.
Some of our leaders disgree. They do not believe themselves capable of making the case for equality and would rather settle for lesser, discriminatory civil unions.
Others are trying to make a difference. If you haven't read about Assemblyman Reed Gusciora's bill proposing a "Civil Marriage and Religious Protection Act," please do so. And if you're not signed up with Garden State Equality, take a few moments to do that now -- you are a very valuable asset.
Together, we can promote dignity and equality. But we have to work hard and we have to start today. What do you say?
As Tom Moran reports in the Star Ledger today, legislators in Trenton are running scared from "the M-word" whether they believe in marriage equality or not. Let's face it, doing the right thing isn't always easy. But, now is no time to get cold feet.
Right after Wednesday's decision, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora pledged to join with Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Caraballo and Assemblyman Brian Stack as a co-sponsor of a marriage equality bill. They were quickly and publicly joined by Assemblymen Jerry Green and Mims Hackett, as other legislators have begun to line up behind the scenes for marriage equality.
But today, Gusciora is quoted in the New York Times as saying that "When you talk about civil rights, sometimes you have to do things incrementally." I can only hope he was misquoted, because if not, it's reason for progressives to be disappointed.
The time for incremental change was 1999 in Vermont - before Massachusetts (and Canada and Spain and others) took a stand for full equality, before polls revealed strong support for marriage equality in New Jersey, and before our Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples are entitled under our constitution to equal treatment.
Separate is not equal. Chief Justice Deborah Poritz made it about as plain as it could be when in her dissent, she asks us to imagine if the response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1967 decision striking down laws banning interracial marriage was as some propose today. Tom Moran again:
Imagine if we told those couples they were entitled to all the legal rights, but that states were free to label their unions as something less than marriage
It would have been outrageous then, and it is absurd now.
Now is not the time to repeat mistakes from the past - when we used to pretend that "separate but equal" was ok. Now is the time for our elected leaders to do the right thing, because they know it's right. That's what defines leadership.
Rather than give the Democratic majority 6 months to establish marriage equality, the progressive community should give them 6 weeks. As far as I am concerned, the clock is ticking on Trenton Democrats.
If marriage equality has not been established by Wednesday, December 6, and/or our State Senators or State Assemblypersons have not at the very least stood up and been counted as supporters of marriage equality by then, progressives need to begin shopping around for alternative representation.
I don't know when the filing deadline is for the 2007 legislative primaries, but I do know that April 25 is definitely too late to begin launching primary challenges.
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