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New York State Senator Doing What He Can To Sabotage Marriage Equality
06/06/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
This is not a surprise. In fact, it should not be a surprise at all that one New York Republican is busy doing his best to derail same-sex marriage in that state with the usual run of stall tactics that show that he is very much out of touch with the people of New York. Ostensibly, State Senator Greg Ball is undecided, but that does not seem to really be the case. He seems to actually be against it entirely. He just does not want to say so.
Ball pitched this weekend a push for civil unions followed by a voter referendum on the issue of marriage equality. At a time when it is being shown that LGBT youth engage in risky behavior precisely because of the exclusion of their futures from what people like Ball enjoy, he wants to shove marriage back as far as possible and take up the marriage destroying institution of civil unions. Ball said “I believe we could immediately pass the most comprehensive civil-union bill in the country and at the same time find a way to constitutionally [...]
“He uses and has used this forum as a pro-Gay site, and has literally placed dozens of posts (my staff has them all outlined and catalogued [sic]) on this site supporting rabid and extreme Liberal issues (including supporting extremist homosexual… [...]
If you’re gay and want to visit your partner in the hospital, New York law considers you as good as married.
But if you are called to testify against your same-sex partner in court, New York law says you might as well be strangers. You have to be married to get spousal protection.
For the second time in as many years, same-sex marriage is being considered by the state Senate. It was approved by the Assembly last month. The Senate count is close. Eight senators are undecided; to pass it, six of them would have to vote yes.
But they’ve already passed pieces of it, quietly. Instead of approving same-sex marriage — an emotionally charged political stand — they have parceled out marriage piece by piece.
And some gay couples have resorted to contracts to secure the rights that flow automatically to married couples.
Many gay couples don’t know that New York law now allows them the same rights as spouses get for hospital visitations and making medical decisions. It also allows them control of their partner’s remains after death.
And under Gov. David Paterson, the state began to treat same-sex marriages performed out of state like any other [...]
Deceptive e-mail practice leads to cover-up attempt by senator’s office
Written by Ken Mastro
Sunday, 05 June 2011 15:51
UPDATED: Sunday, 6:25 p.m.
A state senator’s office letter mishap has revealed public statements that apparently contradict comments caught on tape and the deceptive practice of creating e-mail addresses in residents’ names.
In state Senator Greg Ball’s 40th District, which includes Lewisboro and Katonah, the questionable handling of a letter from a constituent by a senator staffer has led The Ledger to discover the senator’s office set up e-mail accounts in other people’s names — in at least one case without their consent — to give legitimacy to congratulatory letters the office receives in order to send them to newspapers to be published; admitted they did not have that consent in a taped phone conversation but publicly released a statement claiming the opposite; and then promised “anything you need … you have it” to a resident in order to suppress the story from the press, saying the request came from Sen. Ball.
Dan Branda, the Republican senator’s deputy communications director, created an e-mail account in the name of a resident who had written the senator thanking him for helping her [...]
Final push for marriage begins in New York state
by Anthony Glassman
Albany, N.Y.–With just a few weeks left in the legislative session, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and gay civil rights supporters are cranking up efforts to pass a full marriage bill, after it failed in the state senate two years ago.
The measure has easily passed the state House for several years. But the Senate, now controlled by Republicans, is the major obstacle. The legislative session closes on June 20.
Since the 2009 effort, there has been turnover of legislators, including several Democrats, who voted against the measure, and other senators are considered “up for grabs” to lobbying by supporters. Much of that support is coming from wealthy Republican donors, who hope to sway moderate Republican senators.
Among them is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a multi-millionaire who is actively promoting marriage equality in the state. He switched from Republican to independent, but still donates heavily to Republican candidates.
The Albany Times-Union names some of the senators who are in play: Republicans Roy McDonald, Andrew Lanza, Greg Ball, Jim Alesi, and Hugh Farley, and Democrats Neil Breslin, Joe Addabbo and Shirley Huntley. In the 2009 session, a number [...]
Section 152 Applications of article is added to include the provisions of this article shall apply only to the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester, and to no other counties in the state. [...]
In 2009, the last time same-sex marriage took center stage in Albany, proponents made poignant, personal and sometimes highly emotional pleas for passing legislation legalizing such unions in New York. Tears flowed and voices choked, but the bid for ch… [...]
In 2009, the last time same-sex marriage took center stage in Albany, proponents made poignant, personal and sometimes highly emotional pleas for passing legislation legalizing such unions in New York. Tears flowed and voices choked, but the bid for change fell miserably short: the measure passed the Democratic-controlled Assembly, but inequality won in the Senate, where eight Democrats joined all 30 Republicans in defeating the bill, 24-38. The lawmakers had a chance to chart civil rights history; instead they came up small and small-minded. In the concluding weeks of the current legislative session, they should seize the opportunity to make amends and stand up for marriage fairness.
Proponents of same-sex marriage are hoping for better in 2011, inasmuch as public opinion, along with the political and legal landscape, have changed since lawmakers last considered the issue. Public support for gay marriage in New York has shown a steady creep in the direction of fairness: a recent Siena Poll had proponents leading opponents, 58 percent to 36 percent; supporters led 56 percent to 37 percent in a recent Quinnipiac Poll. About the time the Senate came up short two years ago, the margin was 51 percent to 42 percent favoring [...]
![200666_10150129988565798_688385797_6443220_138090_n[1]](http://www.planputnam.org/ntm/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/200666_10150129988565798_688385797_6443220_138090_n1-150x150.jpg "200666_10150129988565798_688385797_6443220_138090_n[1]")
Here’s what’s really happening: The fossil fuel companies gouge the shit out of you to earn massive profits and everyone, from them to the talking heads to the government blames some outside, unseen force to deflect responsibility away from the gougers… [...]
Republicans are lining up behind Marriage Equality in New York State and not just the rank and file, but the Big Funders are finding it important too, as Mayor Bloomberg ($900,000 donated to the NY Senate Republican fund) said, to be on the right side … [...]
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Deceptive e-mail practice leads to cover-up attempt by senator’s office
Deceptive e-mail practice leads to cover-up attempt by senator’s office
Written by Ken Mastro
Sunday, 05 June 2011 15:51
UPDATED: Sunday, 6:25 p.m.
A state senator’s office letter mishap has revealed public statements that apparently contradict comments caught on tape and the deceptive practice of creating e-mail addresses in residents’ names.
In state Senator Greg Ball’s 40th District, which includes Lewisboro and Katonah, the questionable handling of a letter from a constituent by a senator staffer has led The Ledger to discover the senator’s office set up e-mail accounts in other people’s names — in at least one case without their consent — to give legitimacy to congratulatory letters the office receives in order to send them to newspapers to be published; admitted they did not have that consent in a taped phone conversation but publicly released a statement claiming the opposite; and then promised “anything you need … you have it” to a resident in order to suppress the story from the press, saying the request came from Sen. Ball.
Dan Branda, the Republican senator’s deputy communications director, created an e-mail account in the name of a resident who had written the senator thanking him for helping her [...]