By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
Divide and Conquer
You should know that even though
it is impossible to say for certain, it is Julius Caesar who has been attributed
to the quote "Divide et impera" which translates from Latin to
mean "Divide and Conquer."
You should also know that New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo – one more
time – has proven to be a very Machiavellian and skillful politician.
This time, using that old tactic of “divide and conquer" to
pit the Hispanic community against the non-Hispanic community , especially
the Republicans in the New York State Senate to secure the nomination of
Miss Jenny Rivera, a “Puerto Rican,” to the State of New York’s top
Court, the Court of Appeals.
I am a Puerto Rican, born and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and I have
to agree with those who are of the opinion that Jenny Rivera does not have
the necessary experience, due to the fact that she has neither been a judge
nor a litigator, and now she has been appointed to the Court of Appeals,
the highest judicial system in New York State.
Do not misunderstand me. I am very honored and glad that the Governor is
appointing a Hispanic. However, to me, it is disrespectful and offensive
for the Governor to jump over so many men and women who have been serving
in the judicial system for many years and have vast experience.
I have to question why it is that judges such as the Honorable Luis Gonzalez,
"of Puerto Rican descent," who is the Presiding Justice of the
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department and
has a wealth of experience in the Supreme Court, was overlooked. He
seems to be the most qualified and has been considered the next in line
to serve in this capacity. He has served as a New York City Housing
Court Judge, a New York City Civil Court Judge, and a New York State Supreme
Court Justice.
Also, a person like the Honorable Rolando Acosta could have been appointed.
He is an Associate Justice of the New York Appellate Division of
the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department. He has additional judicial
experience as a New York Supreme Court Justice, 1st Judicial District;
a member of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct; and a Judge
on the New York City Civil Court.
There are many more qualified Judges and Justices who were not selected
and whose experience deserve mention:
• The Honorable Sallie Manzanet-Daniels is an Associate Justice
of the New York Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial
Department. She has additional judicial experience as a Justice on
the New York Supreme Court and a Judge in the Civil Court of the City of
New York.
• The Honorable Faviola Soto, "first Judge of Dominican
descent to sit on any court of the State of New York," is a Judge
in the New York City Court of Claims in New York and serves on the Bronx
County Supreme Court, Civil Term. She has additional judicial experience
as an Acting Justice in the Supreme Court, New York County and a Judge
in the Civil Court of the City of New York.
• The Honorable Doris Gonzalez is an Acting Justice in the
Supreme Court, Bronx County. She has additional judicial experience
as a Judge in the Civil Court of the City of New York, Bronx County;
• The Honorable Lizbeth Gonzalez is a Judge of the New York
City Civil Court of Bronx County, New York. She has additional judicial
experience as an Acting Justice of the Bronx County/12th Judicial District
Supreme Court.
• The Honorable Nelson Roman is an Associate Justice of the
New York Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department.
He has additional judicial experience as a Judge of the New York
City Civil Court, and as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in Bronx
County.
• The Honorable Lucindo Suarez is the Statewide Coordinating
Judge for Summary Jury Trials, and a Justice for the Supreme Court, New
York County. He has additional judicial experience as a Judge in
the Civil Court of the City of New York.
• The Honorable Charles Ramos is a Justice in the Supreme
Court, New York County, and a Senior Justice in the Commercial Division,
New York County. He has additional judicial experience as a Supreme Court
Justice in New York County; a Supervising Judge in the Civil Court of the
City of New York, New York County; an Acting Justice in the Supreme Court,
1st Judicial District; and a Judge in the Civil Court of the City of New
York.
• The Honorable Ruben Franco is a Judge in the Criminal Court
of the City of New York, Bronx County, and a Judge in the Civil Court of
the City of New York, Bronx County.
• The Honorable Manuel Mendez is a Justice in the Supreme
Court, New York County, and a Judge in the Civil Court of the City of New
York.
Apparently Governor Cuomo knew that this tactic of divide and conquer could
be used with skill to appoint one of his friends, knowing that she is not
the most qualified and does not have the necessary experience compared
to others, but knowing that any non-Hispanic who would vote against her
would create the perception that he or she was Anti-Hispanic. Governor
Cuomo could win points with the Hispanic community and Hispanic media by
defending her nomination.
You should know that I believe that if Governor Cuomo wanted to appoint
a Hispanic and not create the mess as he has done now by bringing more
division to the Senate Floor, he should have spent some time with the Senate
Leadership and Hispanic Senators. If he really wanted to appoint
a Hispanic, the least he could have done was to select the Honorable Luis
Gonzalez – or any of the other judges who I have previously mentioned
, who all have more court experience and judicial experience than Jenny
Rivera.
So we have to give Governor Cuomo a special prize for creating this mess
and bringing chaos to the New York State Senate and getting away with his
will, and using the Hispanic community and Hispanic media – this time.
You should know – and the world should know – that we in New York State
have many Puerto Rican, Dominican and other Hispanic Judges with a lot
more experience and better qualifications than Jenny Rivera. She’s
not - and I repeat, not the best we have, and the Governor knows it. But
it’s a lot better for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s presidential ambitions
to use the Hispanic community and the Hispanic media to create a “divide
and conquer” crisis.
This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Senator Klein's Free Flu Shot Event
Senator Jeff Klein will be having a Free Flu Shot event this Thursday between 6 - 8pm at Vladeck Hall located at 74 Van Cortlandt Park South in the Van Cortlandt Park area of his district. To be eligible you must RSVP by calling Senator Klein's office at 718-822-2049.
Click on the image below to enlarge it.
STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ: RE: Passing of CB#4 Chair Pastor Wenzell P. Jackson
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued the following statement upon learning of the death of Community Board # 4 Chairman Pastor Wenzell Jackson.
“I
am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Pastor Wenzell P.
Jackson, a good friend and partner who served as chairperson of
Community Board #4 and as Bishop of the Mount Hermon Baptist Church in
Highbridge.
“Pastor
Jackson’s passing is a big loss for the Bronx and the community he so
strongly and passionately served as both a public servant and clergy
leader. While we mourn his loss, his commitment and work in our
community will forever live in our hearts. I would like to extend my
most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends and will keep them
as well as Pastor Jackson in my prayers,” said Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr.
LIU, PENSION FUNDS TO EXXON: RELEASE YOUR FRACKING DATA
Funds Holding $1 Billion Call for Largest Natural Gas Producer To Come Clean on its Protections for the Public and the Environment
City Comptroller John C. Liu and the New
York City Pension Funds today announced they have filed a shareowner
proposal calling on Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) to release
quantitative data on its efforts to safeguard the
public and the environment from its hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)
operations.
“Fracking
carries significant concerns about poisoned drinking water, toxic
chemical leaks, and explosions,” Comptroller Liu said. “Exxon Mobil
says, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve
got it covered’ and asks us to take it at its word. Until the company
shows us hard data on what it has done to protect the public and
environment, shareowners cannot be confident that the necessary
safeguards exist.”
The
risks that fracking poses to water and air quality have led to bans and
moratoria in the U.S. and around the globe and could directly affect
Exxon’s long-term value. The shareowners’ call for quantitative
measurements is consistent with the U.S. Department of Energy’s
recommendations on shale gas production. The U.S. Department of Energy
recommended in 2011 that companies “adopt a more visible
commitment to using quantitative measures as a means of
achieving best practice and demonstrating to the public that there is
continuous improvement in reducing the environmental impact of shale gas
production.”
Exxon
has repeatedly resisted calls that it provide investors with detailed
information on its safety measures. The data that Comptroller Liu
and fellow shareowners are requesting includes, but is not limited to:
the air emissions from fracking that Exxon has reduced per region per
year; the number and kinds of community complaints or grievances and
whether they remain open or resolved; the goals
and systems used to reduce potentially harmful chemicals in fracturing
fluids.
Comptroller
Liu and the NYC Pension Funds filed the first-time shareowner proposal
jointly with As You Sow, a nonprofit environmental advocacy
group that has been engaging Exxon on its fracking practices and
disclosures on behalf of the Park Foundation since 2010.
“As
every top-rate business knows, what gets measured, gets managed,” said
Danielle Fugere, As You Sow President and Chief Counsel. “Exxon
has repeatedly failed to measure the harms its fracking operations
cause to air, water, and nearby communities, or any progress it is
making towards reducing those harms. Exxon shareholders need this
information to make sound investment decisions.”
This
resolution is part of a nationwide investor initiative calling on 11
major oil and gas companies to improve the way they manage and measure
the risks associated with natural gas fracking operations.
New
York City Comptroller John C. Liu serves as the investment advisor to,
custodian and trustee of the New York City Pension
Funds. The New York City Pension Funds are composed of the New York
City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System, New York
City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund,
and the Board of Education Retirement System.
The New York City Pension Funds held 11,377,013
shares of Exxon (NYSE: XOM) valued at $ 1,010,694,708.95
as of 2/4/2013.
__________________________
TEXT OF SHAREOWNER PROPOSAL:
Quantitative Risk Management Reporting for Natural Gas Extraction Operations
Whereas,
Extracting
oil and gas from shale formations using horizontal drilling and
hydraulic fracturing technology has become a highly controversial
public policy issue.
Leaks,
spills, explosions, and adverse community impacts have led to bans and
moratoria in the United States and around the globe. These include
New York State, the Delaware River Basin, the Province of Quebec, and
France. Certain Exxon Mobil operations in Germany, for instance, have
been subject to a local moratorium on drilling.
The Department of Energy’s shale advisory panel recommended in 2011 that companies “adopt a more visible commitment to using
quantitative measures as a means of achieving best practice and
demonstrating to the public that there is continuous improvement in
reducing the environmental impact of shale gas production.” (emphasis in
original)
Investors
require detailed and comparable information about how companies are
managing risks and rewards from natural gas extraction operations.
A 2011 report, “Extracting the Facts: An Investor Guide to Disclosing
Risks from Hydraulic Fracturing Operations,” outlines best management
practices and key performance indicators. Publicly supported by
investors on three continents ($1.3 trillion in assets
under management) and by various companies, the guide emphasizes
quantitative reporting on key performance indicators.
Talisman
Energy has published “Shale Operating Principles,” stating “We will
measure our progress by setting quantitative performance metrics
[and] … disclose …progress…via publicly available reporting.”
BG
Group states it “will provide regular updates on … progress against the
targets” set out in its “Operating Principles for Unconventional
Gas.”
Exxon Mobil does not provide such quantitative reporting. Its
Operations Integrity Management System
is a
generalized framework for companywide operations, but lacks criteria
specific to shale energy operations. Exxon Mobil’s subsidiary, XTO
Energy, signed onto the “Appalachian
Principles” which specify what companies “should do” rather than what
they currently do or commit to doing.
Resolved:
Shareholders request the Board of Directors
to report to shareholders by October 30, 2013, and annually thereafter,
using multiple quantitative indicators, the results of company
procedures and practices, above and beyond regulatory requirements, to
minimize any adverse environmental and community impacts
from the company’s natural gas extraction operations associated with
shale formations. Such reports should be prepared at reasonable cost and
omit confidential information.
Supporting Statement
Proponents suggest the reports include the percentage of wells using “green completions;”
total amount of air emissions reduced annually on a categorical
and regional or site basis; percentage of drilling residuals managed in
closed-loop systems; percentage of recycled water used in each regional
operation; quantity of fresh water used for
shale operations by region, including sources; numbers and types of
community complaints or grievances, and portion open or closed; goals
and systems for reducing the use of potentially harmful chemicals in
fracturing fluids; and enforcement statistics, including
numbers of violation notices or administrative actions alleging
violations with potential to harm health or environment, and aggregate
value of all penalties during the year.
__________________________
In addition to Comptroller Liu, the New York City Pension Funds trustees are:
New York City Employees’ Retirement System: Janice
Emery, Mayor’s Representative (Chair); New York City Public Advocate
Bill de Blasio; Borough Presidents: Scott Stringer (Manhattan),
Helen Marshall (Queens), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), James Molinaro
(Staten Island), and Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Bronx); Lillian Roberts, Executive
Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; John Samuelsen, President
Transport Workers Union Local 100; Gregory Floyd,
President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.
Teachers’ Retirement System: Janice
Emery, Mayor’s Representative; Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, New
York City Department of Education; Mayoral appointee Freida Foster and
Sandra
March, Melvyn Aaronson (Chair) and Mona Romain, all of the United
Federation of Teachers.
New York City Police Pension Fund: Mayor
Michael Bloomberg; New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel;
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (Chair); Patrick Lynch,
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives
Endowment Association; Edward D. Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent
Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, Roy
T. Richter, Captains Endowment Association.
New York City Fire Department Pension Fund: Mayor
Michael Bloomberg; New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano
(Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel;
Stephen Cassidy, President, James Slevin, Vice President, Robert
Straub, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair,
Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; John Dunne,
Captains’ Rep.; James Lemonda, Chiefs’ Rep., and James
J. McGowan, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association;
and, Sean O’Connor, Marine Engineers Association.
Board of Education Retirement System:
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott; Mayoral: Rosemarie Maldonado,
Jeanette Moy, Ian Shapiro, Tino Hernandez, Judy Bergtraum, Freida
Foster,
Allison Rogovin, Dawn Walker, and Milton Williams; Patrick Sullivan
(Manhattan BP), Kelvin Diamond (Brooklyn BP), Dmytro Fedkowskyj (Queens
BP), Robert Powell (Bronx BP) and Diane Peruggia (Staten Island BP); and
employee members Joseph D’Amico of the IUOE
Local 891 and Milagros Rodriguez of District Council 37, Local 372.
Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov
Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter. To
receive Twitter updates via text message, text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on YouTube
Monday, February 4, 2013
Valentine's and Get Tough, Get BAAD in February
BAAD! - THE BRONX ACADEMY OF ARTS & DANCE PRESENTS
GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!
A FREE SERIES WHICH INCLUDES A DANCE AGAINST VIOLENCE, COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS, AND A FILM SERIES CELEBRATING QUEER POWER, DIVERSITY, VISIBILITY AND DEFIANCE
GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!
A FREE SERIES WHICH INCLUDES A DANCE AGAINST VIOLENCE, COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS, AND A FILM SERIES CELEBRATING QUEER POWER, DIVERSITY, VISIBILITY AND DEFIANCE
February 14-17, 2013
(Bronx,
NY) - BAAD! - The Bronx Academy of Art & Dance presents a V-Day
dance, community discussions, and a series of films celebrating queer
power, diversity, defiance and visibility in its GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!
series. GET TOUGH, GET BAAD! was originally initiated in
2010 to combat reports of criminal homophobic attacks in the Bronx and
New York City and to counter the negative and victimized images of queer
people in the media and to take a stand against violence. The series
presents films and events that celebrated queer strength and value. The
next installment of the series will run from February 14-17, 2013 at
BAAD!, 841 Barretto Street in the Hunts Point section of the South
Bronx. All events are free. For reservations, directions and further information call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.
The events are as follows:
Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7pm/FREE
RISE UP AND DANCE: V-DAY ONE BILLION RISING
BAAD!
joins up with One Billion Rising, a global event where ONE BILLION
women, transwomen and those who love them will WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP,
and DEMAND an end to this violence. BAAD! is hosting a
community "love-in" and dance which begins at 7pm with a potluck dinner,
followed by an open speak out against violence, a presentation of Eve Enlser's new monologue, "Rising" (read by award-winning Bronx writer and actress Desi Moreno-Penson),
then the music will be turned up and everyone will dance. One in three
women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime, according to the
UN and violence against transwomen has risen year after year according
the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Pograms. That is ONE BILLION
WOMEN violated. On February 14, 2013, V-Day's 15th Anniversary, ONE
BILLION women, transwomen and those who love them around the world will
rise up!
Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8pm/FREE
LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR
When
Brad, a black gay youth, is thrown out of his home, he discovers the
Los Angles ball scene and gets involved with the ragtag members of the
struggling House of Eminence led by the indomitable house mother Queef
Latina, herself an aging ball-legend. Laughter, tears, sex sirens, and
butch queens up in pumps ensue. Directed by Sheldon Larry.
Saturday, February 16, 2013 - 5:30pm-7:30pm/Free
MEN LOVING MEN: WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT DO I WANT?
Dr. Alfredo Burnett
(social worker) will lead this interactive workshop for gay and
transpeople to explore a foundation to having successful relationships.
This frank and open discussion brings awareness to how we communicate
our wants/needs in romantic relationships, friendships, and to the
people in our lives. Some struggle with asking another, especially those
we feel close to, for what we want and we equally have difficulty
hearing and responding to what the others want from us. Light
refreshments will be served.
Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8pm/Free
ELLIOT LOVES and CRUSH
CRUSH, an award-winning short film written by Bronxite Dominic Colon, is about a young gay Bronx man finding the courage to come out to his high school crush at the senior prom. Directed by Gloria LaMorte.
ELLIOT LOVES spans two stages of a Dominican-American's life; first as a
boy trying to bond with his young mother, then a 21-year-old gay man
looking for love in New York City. Funny, sexy and poignant this film shows that one can survive anything life throws -- just "keep it cute, papi." Directed by Terracino.
Sunday, February 17, 2013 - 5:30pm-7:30pm/Free
WOMEN LOVING WOMEN: SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Eva
Yaa Asantewaa is a native New Yorker of African-Caribbean lineage and a
spiritworker, maintaining a private practice that includes sacred
symbolism, meditation coaching, dreamwork, and other healing and
transformative modalities. She brings her experience to this interactive
talk for queer women and transpeople to have healthier relationships
and the role of spirituality in living powerful lives.
Sunday, February 17, 2013 – 8pm/Free
MOMMY IS COMING
Pioneer filmmaker Cheryl Dunye returns
with a sassy, raunchy, romantic sex comedy set in the edgy underground
of Berlin where love and taboo affairs collide! Cute power femme Dylan
(Lil Harlow) and studly hotel clerk Claudia (the sexy Papi Coxxx, Crash
Pad Series [aka Ignacio Rivera]) are suffering from monogamous
relationship blues. Claudia sets out on a gender-bending rollercoaster
now as Claude through a subversive Berlin sex club but everything comes
to a climax when Dylan’s mother (world-renown sex educator Maggie
Tapert) arrives in town hellbent on releasing some tension. Fun,
provocative and interwoven with personal interviews, Mommy Is Coming is filled with sheer delight.
Crowned “a funky and welcoming performance space” by The New York Times,
BAAD! is a performance and workshop space that presents cutting-edge
and challenging works in dance and all creative disciplines that are
empowering to women, people of color and the LGBT (lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender) community. BAAD! is home to Arthur Aviles
Typical Theatre (AATT) and the Bronx Dance Coalition.
BAAD!/AATT
receive support from The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The
Lambent Fund of the Tides Foundation, Union Square Arts Grant, The Simon
Bolivar Foundation, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The New York State
Council on the Arts, Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo, JPMorgan
Chase, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and private donations.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
Look Who's Talking
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
Look Who's Talking
You should know that Senator Jeff
Klein, the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference in the New York
State Senate has made the following statement – and I quote: “If
you are a real Democrat, a real New York Democrat, then you must defend
a woman's inherent right to choose."
Apparently, for Senator Jeff Klein,
a “good” Democrat is only one who supports the killing of unborn babies
– even through dismembering those creatures even up to 9 months when they
are a full living being. (Never mind that there are Catholics, Jews, Muslims,
Evangelicals and thousands of other Democrats in New York State who oppose
the killing of babies.)
You should know that there is an
old saying in Puerto Rico, and maybe here too: “Las palabras se cojen
segun quien las dice”, or “Look who’s talking now.”
You should also know that a person
like Senator Jeff Klein, who has gone against the will of the people of
State of New York who elected 33 Democratic Senators, giving the Democrats
the opportunity to be the leaders in the New York State Senate – cannot
be talking about how to be a good Democrat!
You should know that a Democrat
who has joined with the Republicans and who has taken away the command
and mandate given to the Democrats by the voters of New York State to lead
the New York State Senate, has no standing to dictate who is a real Democrat,
who is a good Democrat, and who is not.
I never heard Senator Jeff Klein
criticize or condemn Governor Andrew Cuomo, the leader of New York State
Democratic Party, when the Governor publicly supported Republican Senator
Steve Saland against Democratic candidate Terry Gipson for the New York
State Senate. I believe that what Governor Cuomo did is an indication
of being much less of a Democrat than anyone who opposes the killing of
babies. By the way, the people did not listen to the Governor and
Senator Saland was defeated by Gipson.
You should know that the message
Senator Klein is sending to all those good, honorable and decent people
who oppose abortion in New York State is that they are not good
Democrats.
So to all those Catholics like Cardinal
Dolan, to all those priests and parishioners, to all those Jews, to all
those Muslims, to all those Evangelicals, to all those Pentecostal Ministers,
and to every elected official and every Democrat in New York State, Senator
Jeff Klein is sending all of us a message: If you don't support the
killing of babies, you are not a good Democrat.
I would like to give my advice to
Senator Jeff Klein and to those who think like him: A real Democrat
caucuses with Democrats – not with Republicans.
This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz
and this is what you should know.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Quinn Visits S.I. Chuck This Groundhog Day
It was mayoral candidate Christine Quinn not Mayor Bloomberg that came to see Staten Island Chuck this year. In the New York Post photo above you can see a bit of fright in Speaker Quinns face as she faces the varmint that one year took a bite out of Mayor Bloomberg's finger. The Post article says that Quinn was the first politician to skittishly embrace SI Chuck
The Post article has Quinn saying when asked where the mayor was "Who Cares I'm here". Quinn is also quoted as saying that Chuck will get to have a pretty good deal today being with her, and what more could he want than to be with a cute redhead early in the morning. The Post continues with the facts that no other mayoral candidate was on hand, the Staten Island Zoo home to SI Chuck relies on City Council funding, and that other attendees were Manhattan Borough President and candidate for City Controller Scott Stringer, and Councilman Dominick Recchia Chair of the Council Finance Committee who is eying a run for congress according to the Post. Click here to view the entire Post article