Monday, December 18, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Politicize Gun Control Now
(Author: Glenn Geher)
Immediately after I found out about the horrific shooting in Las Vegas earlier this year, I posted a statement on Facebook about it. I was absolutely horrified by what had happened. I have become sick and tired of this. Sandy Hook. Orlando. Texas. Las Vegas. Enough already! This is not the America that I know and love.
Here is that post in its entirety:
The gun lobby is largely to blame for Las Vegas. WE ALL KNOW THIS. By electing officials who will stand for sane gun control policies, such as the policies in the many nations where things like this do not happen, we can take steps to make our nation safer. This is not an option - after yesterday's unnecessary tragedy in Las Vegas, which will adversely affect thousands of families for generations, this is an obligation.
I was surprised to see how divisive this post was. Some people seemed genuinely offended by this post. I honestly don't get it. At all. And usually I am pretty good at seeing both sides of an issue.
As stated in this article in the Guardian, "No other developed nation comes close to the rate of gun violence in America. Americans own an estimated 265m guns, more than one gun for every adult."
Can an educated person truly read this, see the data presented in that article (spoiler: An extraordinary and disproportionately high number of people are killed by guns in the US each year), and not see a problem? I really truly genuinely do not understand.
More recently, there was an incident when a shot went off in a local mall, injuring a mother and son outside the American Eagle that my wife and son shopped at exactly one week prior. Enough! Already! Enough. We are the people of the United States of America and we can do better.
Of the many facets of this issue, I'd like to address the topic of politicization. When someone "from the left" raises gun control issues after a mass shooting, you can bet full well that someone "from the right" will say something along the lines of this:
* We should not politicize this issue.
* Polticizing this issue does nothing productive.
* It's not the right time to talk about gun control.
Respectfully, I fully and unequivocally disagree.
When our laws allow there to be more guns in this nation than there are adults, we have a problem.
When mass shootings take place in our nation on a near-daily basis, we have a problem.
When churches, concerts, and elementary schools are all potential targets of horrific murderous rampages - using legally purchased weapons, we have a problem.
In a democracy like ours, there is a clear way to fix a societal problem. We need to elect officials who prioritize the safety and welfare of the people.
In other words, we absolutely MUST POLITICIZE THE ISSUE OF GUN CONTROL. Keeping this issue on the political table when it comes to electing officials and when it comes to supporting laws and policies at all levels of government is not only appropriate - it is essential. It is, as I see it, a moral obligation. Refusing to "politicize gun control" is equivalent to turning a blind eye to a national crisis with fatal consequences. In a time of national crisis, each and every one of us is obligated to take steps to do our part to help toward the greater good. And make no mistake about it: We are in the midst of a national crisis.
Gun control in the United States is a problem, no matter how you slice it. Politicizing gun control is, thus, a moral imperative for the citizens of this country at this time.
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
#PoliticizeGunControlNow
****************************************************************************
If ever there was a time to become politically active and rise up, that time is now. Here is to the uprising.
Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org
Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org
Note
that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are
not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity.
Friday, September 1, 2017
We Agree to Disagree: Move Forward's Town Hall with Congressman John Faso
by Glenn Geher, a founding member of Move Forward New York
As indicated in our formal press release (thanks to Move Forward member Melissa Servant for her intensive and efficient work on this), Move Forward New York hosted an impassioned town hall event with Congressman John Faso of New York's 19th congressional district last night in Esopus.
This post is designed to elaborate on and complement our press release - providing some highlights of the event from this author's perspective.
The Setting
The setup of the event was met with much anxiety from various parties. Many progressive activists questioned whether this event was an appropriate event for several reasons. Folks questioned if the venue (the Esopus Town Hall) was large or accessible enough. People questioned whether the process of allocating seats was sufficiently fair and open. In short, people questioned whether this event was a good idea.
So a protest of our congressman was organized and held right on the grounds of the Town Hall. This counter-event was, by all accounts, well-organized and was done in a civil manner. And without question, peaceable assembly to fairly criticize our government is one of the most basic rights that is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Further, as was made clear by the nature of the questions inside the Town Hall, constituents in the 19th district have a broad array of concerns regarding the Congressman's record - so a protest only made sense in this context.
From the perspective of the members of Move Forward New York, we are, of course, always pleased to see citizens participating in the democratic process via peaceable assembly and similar means. I commend the protesters for their dedication and effort to help hold our elected official accountable.
Highlights of the Town Hall
Going into the event, I will admit that there was a splash of anxiety. Was this event really going to be a "sham" town hall like so many of the protesters were saying? Was there going to be some attempt to have the "tough" questions taken out of the mix? Was this event going to be a free advertisement for the Congressman's platform?
As things played out, I think that everyone in the room would agree that this was a legitimate town hall and, without question, lots of tough questions were asked and there were consistent opportunities for the constituents of the 19th to express their concerns - and to follow up when necessary to underscore these concerns in their communication with their congressman.
Over 100 participants wrote questions on index cards and these cards were sorted by MFNY members Miryam Antunez de Mayolo and Melissa Servant into categories (health care, immigration, etc.). The two moderators, Gerald Benjamin and Debra Clinton, then selected the questions to be asked. And about 20 people were chosen via this process to come up and ask their questions.
My role was to hold the microphone for each person asking a question, so I was right in the thick of it. And this said, I can say that perhaps the most surprising element of the evening for me was this: Not a single person who came up asking a question came out as supportive of Mr. Faso or his voting record. Check the video if you don't believe me - it was amazing to me! We set this event up so that his office allocated about 1/3 of the seats - yet for some reason, the folks who came to speak to their congressman were, seemingly without exception, members of the resistance.
While we worked to create a civil context for the event - which I believe we generally were successful at doing - I will say that there were many moments of clear disagreement between the audience members (who were disproportionately aligned with the resistance) and the congressman. People booed when he brought up the importance of the free market as critical in shaping issues associated with climate change. People cheered when he was asked to denounce his connections with the Mercer millionaires, and so forth.
Some of the highlights, for me, included the following:
* Kelleigh McKenzie pushed the congressman on the great economic divide in our nation and asked how his plans to provide tax breaks for big business was going to possibly help address this foundational issue in our society.
* Tom Kruglinski pushed the congressman on his voting record, asking how he reconciles being aligned nearly 90% with Donald Trump as a representative in a mixed district.
* Tim Hunter raised, in a highly personal plea, Faso's decisions related to healthcare, which could strip millions of Americans of the basic right to healthcare.
* Leslie Berliant raised the "dark money" issue - asking Faso to refuse to accept donations in the future from ethically questionable sources (see below).
* Marc Rider asked the congressman if he agreed that President Trump is unfit for the presidency of the United States. The congressman, as far as I could tell, dodged this question - a point that concerned many in the audience.
While the event had many other highlights, this exchange between Leslie Berliant of Cooperstown and the Congressman certainly was a real stand-out. Herein, Leslie asked the Congressman if he would publicly denounce the accepting of money from entities and individuals such as the Mercers who fund such hateful and (to my mind) Anti-American initiatives such as Breitbart. In his response, as you will see here, the Congressman "agrees to disagree."
Appreciation to the Congressman and His Staff
As I indicated in my introductory comments, as Americans, we expect everyone to agree with our ideas to our own peril. This is the United States and diversity of ideas is a foundational feature of how we run as Americans.
While I personally am terrified of the fact that Donald Trump is the president, am adamantly in support of campaign finance reform, and fully support healthcare systems that conceptualize healthcare to be a human right, I also appreciate and respect diversity of ideas and I believe that the best learning takes place when opposing viewpoints confront one another in a fair and civil context. Yesterday's event was such an environment.
I give credit to Congressman Faso for participating in this event. He was asked heated questions non-stop and faced a good bit of negativity. He had to pass a long string of protesters before even walking in the door. And as I indicated prior, question after question after question was pointed, impassioned, and concerned when it came to his voting record. It is definitely his job as an elected official to engage in such a process - but it also should be noted that this could not have been easy. So I thank him and appreciate his efforts.
I also thank the congressman's district director, Ryan McAlister, for his work in collaboratively organizing the event. This event was a big deal for Move Forward New York - and I have a feeling that it was a big deal for Faso's office as well. Ryan oversaw things on their end and I want to give him credit for his practical, friendly, and effective approach in this collaboration. Great guy to work with.
And, of course, a lesson here is that regardless of political differences, people are still people - and we need to work together - especially during this difficult time in our history.
Bottom Line
Since the formation of Move Forward New York in November of 2016, one of our goals has been to set up a public forum, or town hall, with our congressman - to help make sure that we have an opportunity to express the many concerns that we have during a time that we consider one of national emergency. After much build-up, we achieved that goal yesterday. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't easy. And the build-up to it was, regrettably, a bit more stressful than I wish were the case.
But no one said this was going to be easy. There is no free lunch - and if you want to make something happen, it's going to take hard work. And all of these truths pertain to participation in government.
In a democracy such as ours, participating actively in government is essential. During this uniquely difficult time in our history, complacency is not an option. I'm proud of the folks in Move Forward New York who helped make yesterday's event happen. I'm proud of our many brave brothers and sisters who looked our congressman in the eyes and asked him, fully in public, the hard questions. And I'm glad that a successful peaceable assembly comprised of Americans exercising their First Amendment rights took place outside of the venue.
Here is to the future. Here is to moving forward.
 |
| Move Forward Members (l-r) Joel Alfieri, Marlene Alfieri, Glenn Geher, Fabio Danisi, Debra Clinton, Jason Clinton, Patty Wilson, Melissa Servant |
*******************************************************************************
If ever there was a time to become politically active and rise up, that time is now. Here is to the uprising.
Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org
Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org
Note
that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are
not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)