The Downstate Update
The Testimony of Sandra Fluke
The Testimony of Sandra Fluke, the woman who wasn't allowed to speak at Darrel Issa's all male hearing on contraception.
You Don't Need a Hearing to be Heard
Wondering what would have been said about contraception today if Republicans let women talk at hearings? Here it is:
Proposed Redistricting Plan is BS
Downstate Young Democrats' Statement on the Proposed State Senate Redistricting Plan
NEW YORK, NY, January 27, 2012: The Downstate Young Democrats, an organization that comprises the New York State Young Democrats chapters of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens and Staten Island, released the following statement regarding the proposed redistricting plan for the New York State Senate released yesterday by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR).
"We vehemently oppose the proposed State Senate maps released yesterday. This is gerrymandering at its absolute worst, a petty and cynical attempt by the Republican-controlled Senate to maintain its majority at all costs. There was clearly no care given to the goals of reform that countless legislators pledged to uphold in the 2010 election cycle. This proposal tears apart neighborhoods, ignores demographic trends and actively seeks to diminish the voice of young progressive voters. Furthermore, through blatant manipulation of district size, Republicans have weakened the voting power of New York City residents in comparison to their upstate counterparts. This transparent charade threatens to undermine the progress Albany has made in the last year of restoring the public's faith in our democracy. We applaud Governor Cuomo for stating publicly he will veto these proposed district lines, and it is our hope that he will keep to this promise for the good of New York State. We as Young Democrats will not stand idly by during this debate. We will continue to fight for an independent redistricting commission that will ensure fair and representative voting for all New Yorkers, regardless of party affiliation."
And Then We'll Do it Again!
Remember Keep the Change? Well here's what it was like - Biggest Young Democrats Fundraiser in NY. Ever. And we're doing it again. Bigger. Just click the pic.
The Danger of American Fascism
From Henry A. Wallace, VP to FDR and a Republican turned Democrat. Of several, prescient points of what constitutes fascism in America, this is only 11. You can read his full essay, written in 1944 about the subject here.
"The American fascists are most easily recognized by their deliberate perversion of truth and fact. Their newspapers and propaganda carefully cultivate every fissure of disunity, every crack in the common front against fascism. They use every opportunity to impugn democracy. They use isolationism as a slogan to conceal their own selfish imperialism. They cultivate hate and distrust of both Britain and Russia. They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."