Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
When I became homeless the first time, I chose family.
The second time, I chose friends.
Left alone the third time, I had no one else but myself.
I decided to choose the version of me that would be a hero to the younger me.
A brave transgender woman fighting for justice, speaking truth to power, and bravely taking the knocks for it.
Because the important decision in that was to fight for others, not just for myself, but as a reflection of where we are, fight for what my younger self needed, what I needed, what I still need, and do so by striking for others. String and deep, strike at the heart of the issues.
That decision has been ever-unfilding since then, and before then when similar decisions were made. But it has forever changed my life to give it to others. Because when all else fails, choosing yourself means choosing the humanity that you share with others.
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New York, NY — Yesterday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to force through pipeline permitting.
By doing so, Trump attempts to block states’ decision-making power on greenhouse gas projects.
This move affects New Yorkers who have been working on issues related to climate change and the need for a Green New Deal.
For instance, the coalition to stop a pipeline from being built in the harbor of New York City. Opposing the proposed Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked gas pipeline, was hard enough for women like Kim Fraczek.
On Wednesday, Trump reminded activists like her the importance of protecting every win. Victories such as the Clean Water Act have to be protected from bad actors.
Stop the Williams Pipeline Coalition, the one Kim works with, is organized by 350Brooklyn, 350org, Food and Water Watch, New York Communities for Change, Rockaway Beach Civic Association, Sane Energy Project, and Surfrider NYC Chapter
This comes the week before New Yorkers gear up to march over the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday, April 18, demanding Governor Andrew Cuomo stand up for New Yorkers and stop the pipeline ahead of Earth Day.
In response to the executive order, Stop the Williams Pipeline Coalition issued the following statement: “Trump’s latest executive order attempts to trample states’ legal right to prevent toxic projects like the proposed Williams NESE Pipeline from turning protected waters into corporate dumping grounds. New Yorkers are proud to have intervened to stop these unneeded assaults on our health and communities in the past. With the Williams Pipeline, Governor Cuomo has the chance to do that again. He can either stand up to Trump by denying the permits while proving he’s truly committed to a Green New Deal, or he can give in and let this unspeakably reckless administration have its way. The choice is his.”
As for clean water, those in the southwest can attest to the importance of it.
Earlier this week the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Act. With the country’s two largest reservoirs of clean water, Lakes Mead and Powell, less than 45 percent capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Reclamation, the need to engage in “pain-sharing” is, without a doubt, absolutely necessary.
Both reservoirs are fed by the Colorado River, which in turn serves millions of acres of farmland and millions of people from Denver to Palm Springs.
For years the contingency plan was being held up by Arizona Republicans.
New Yorkers urge Governor Andrew Cuomo not to act in line with Trump and the Right-wing. But will it be enough to be good for business in the Empire State?
Democrats were looking forward to a Blue Wave. Progressives were hoping for progressive candidates. Right-of-center? A redder political map.
Well, we can delve into that later on, but here’s what we got for the most part last night.
The Big Progressive Wins
First, a list. Next what we can expect policy-wise from the new Democratic U.S. House of Representatives.
Candidates outside the status quo:
Jared Polis (D-CO) – the country’s first openly gay Governor
Sharice Davids (D-KS) – the country’s first Native American, openly gay Congresswoman
Deb Haaland (D-NM) – the country’s second Native American Congresswoman
Ilhan Omar (D-MN) – the country’s first Somali-American, Muslim Congresswoman, a Somali refugee
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) – the country’s second Muslim Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) – the country’s youngest Congresswoman, at 29 years old
Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) – the country’s second youngest Congresswoman, also 29
Young Kim (R-CA) – the countries first Korean-American Congresswoman
Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) – Massachusetts’ first black Congresswoman
Janet Mills (D-ME) – Maine’s first woman Governor
Letitia James (D-NY) – New York’s first black woman Attorney General
Progressive ballot measures that passed*:
San Francisco, CA – raised taxes on big corporations to fund homeless services
Florida – returns voting rights to over a million people that served time for felony charges
Louisiana – requiring felony convictions to have a unanimous jury conviction ruling
Massachusetts – an affirming transgender bathroom anti-discrimination protection
New Hampshire – affirms freedom from governmental intrusion in private or personal information
Missouri – legalizing medical marijuana.
Michigan –
confirming automatic & Election Day registration
confirming an independent redistricting commission
And last but pot least — had to. legalizes recreational marijuana. Making Michigan the tenth state to do so. The others? Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
*Not a complete list
Although there were a lot of wins, there are some big losses to note before we move on. Before we touch on the bad though, let’s do a quick “good wrap.”
Kim Davis (R-KY), lost her election. She was the county clerk who refused to sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples. The Neo-Nazi GOP candidate renounced by his party lost to Illinois Democrats.
This is where the positives end here. In races across the country, Republicans made wins, losses for progressives. Electing racists wasn’t their only win on election night. In Alabama, voters stripped rights from pregnant people. They gave those full legal rights to fertilized eggs, instead. Republicans went so far as electing to Congress Steve King (R-IA), denounced by his party as a Nazi.
Moving forward, nonetheless.
What to Expect from the new Democratic U.S. House of Representatives
Eight (8) years since the last time Democrats controlled the House, there’s a new image for Congress. A woman’s image. Over 100 women**, are new and returning to the House of Representatives. About one quarter (1/4) of the 435 seats. These are the Policy Positions shared by those women listed above, as per Vote Smart:
Healthcare to cover pre-existing conditions and protecting the ACA
Pro-choice rights
To balance the budget, income taxes rising, particularly for the wealthy and top 1%
Campaign finance reform
Increasing federal spending to spur economic growth, not cutting corporate taxes
Ensuring education has proper federal standards
Government funding for renewable energy
The federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions
Gun control legislation
Pushing back against “The Wall.” Protecting immigrants and ensuring asylum and an easier path to citizenship
legalizing recreational marijuana use
**A similar look at the Top Priorities of these women at a later date.
***Rashida Tlaib offered the most to Vote Smart. She made very clear her political stances and postions.
**** Notable mention. Kate Brown (D-OR) – the countries first openly bisexual governor is re-elected in Oregon.
If you’ve known me for a few years, especially in person, you may be familiar with a monthly habit that I have. And no, I don’t mean my time of the month habits… I mean the habit that I have had since 2015, on the first of every month.
Monthly Horoscope Readings!
I live in the Hudson Valley. It’s New York, USA’s most reputable river valley and has been home to many of the country’s greats: Jimmy Fallon, Billy Joel, FDR, Willem DeFoe, Liam Neeson, Emma Roberts, and maybe even Snooki in addition to so many more. I don’t know about them, but living here makes me a little more interested in reading local publications. One such publication, which I’ve been reading since 2015 is Chronogram.
Chronogram is a culture, news, art, etc. magazine that comes out once a month. In the summer of 2015, I was introduced to it through it’s groundbreaking horoscopes section. My good friend Elizabeth and I, at the time, travelled the Hudson Valley working as canvassers for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), trying to save the environment, we enjoyed stopping at local, organic, and vegan cafes around the region for our lunches.
We weren’t alone, as our team at any time consisted of two or three other people about our age, so we would sit at a table together and read our horoscopes aloud.
They were ALWAYS on point and breathtaking.
Up until recently, June, the horoscopes were written by Planet Waves’ Eric Francis Coppolino. (Planet Waves, not to be confused with the album by Bob Dylan, another prominent figure of the Hudson Valley.)
Coppolino wrote brilliantly about the stars, moons, and planets, and how they interacted with each constellation of the zodiac. Every. Single. Time. We would read those horoscopes aloud, each one had it’s own weight in each of our chests. They spoke directly to our own experiences and feelings either at the time that we were reading them, or sometime down the road during the month.
They became a ritual for reflection, not only for myself, yet, very likely, many others. And while it was possible to reflect over the words being viewed on a screen, there really is nothing like feeling the large pages of a magazine, and reading them, and keeping them chronologically on a shelf for later annual reflection.
What happened in June?
That’s the question now, isn’t it? In June, Eric Francis Coppolino fell off the Chronogram map. Not on pages, as far as I could tell online, I had to turn to other methods of monthly horoscope such as Horoscope.com or Astrosofa. While these were wonderful, they certainly didn’t have the power in their words that Coppolino had in his.
This month, August 2018, a new writer has taken up the mantle left by Coppolino in Chronogram: Lorelai Kude. With her, less artistic representations of the twelve signs have also been installed. Read your horoscope in Chronogram here.
We’ll have to investigate further for next month’s post, what happened to Coppolino and why the post was left vacant by the writer.
Criticisms
Planet Waves
While you can sign up for Planet Waves’ newsletter, read the weekly and monthlies online, and maybe even still read some of Coppolino’s work in other publications such as the Daily News, Marie Claire, Harper’s BAZAAR, and others, there’s still something missing when it no longer appears in local print. The feeling simply isn’t the same.
Chronogram
Although it’s a really great thing to have someone back in the horo-sattle, I’m not impressed with the work of Kude. In comparison there’s a lot to be desired — call me spoiled by Coppolino.
For instance, my horoscope begins cute: “Fun fact: Virgo is the largest constellation of the zodiac, and the second-largest (next to Hydra) constellation in the Milky Way galaxy!” By the end however, it feels as if you’ve been listed at.It’s not so much cold and calculating as it is a drag in comparison to the almost personal style of Coppolino, that felt as if he knew more about you than sometimes you did. It’s scientific to the point of boring. There’s no story that goes with it suggesting more of a scientific approach and less of a writer’s touch out drawing out a reader’s interest.
After looking at other horoscopes, it’s possible that, after this or next month’s, readers may start losing intrigue and yearning for their Chronogram horoscopes. Readers want the story of their lives, not recommendations or matter-of-fact advice from their horoscopes. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed in groups, with friends, and in myself.
Let me know what you think about your monthly horoscope from Chronogram in the comments!
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Public Schools were open Wednesday as a nor’easter arrived in New York City. The storm was set to turn up notch just for when the kids get out of school. It wasn’t exactly the news P.S. 154 elementary students in Mott Haven section of the Bronx wanted to hear when they…
NORTHEAST, U.S. — Another blizzard is hitting the northeast. Snowfall began early yesterday to the dismay of tens of thousands of local residents that lost power during the last one. A State of Emergency has been called in many places so — if possible — try to stay off the streets during this snow storm that is expected to accumulate more than a foot, similar to the last one, in the next day and a half.
PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — Yes you read the tile correctly. Viking Hatchet Hurling, Inc. is coming to the city of Port Jervis. At least it hopes to make Jersey Avenue its home.
The proposed B.Y.O.B. event venue is planning to make the former Port Jervis Marketplace its home. The vacant old Save-a-Lot by Family Dollar is in a mainly residential area, but optimistically diagonally across from the Venture Inn.
Sounds like an adventure waiting to happen. We’ll see how the new Open Container law in progress fits with this plan as well as the new promenade by the Fox N Hare Brewery.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – The New York Liberty women’s basketball team is heading for a new home. The WNBA team is leaving the city and will now play in Westchester County. As CBS2’s Dick Brennan reported, the move has some young hoopsters fired up. The New Rochelle Junior Huegonats playing at Albert Leonard Middle…
PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — On a chilly Monday evening, as cold wind found scarce passage through the council chamber’s windows, the meeting began.
The building’s heating, whether being either not up-to-date or simply with a thermostat in the wrong person’s office, did little to make it any better.
Kristin Trovei, one of the Third Ward’s councilpeople, pulled a coat over her arms, “a Maria [Mann].”
This, the public was informed, is the room now slated to be the polling location for the Second Ward. The, perhaps only, upside to this is that because Port Jervis will not be able to recycle sooner than hoped, continued global warming could make November, hopefully a small fraction closer to melting people all over the ballot.
Since the last Common Council meeting Mayor Kelly Decker received a single piece of correspondence from the office of the governor of the state of New York, Andrew Cuomo.
The high school teacher and former police officer, following Regis Foster’s report on last month’s Police Department statistics, spoke very grimly of the policy’s effect on the drug war at home, combating Representative Sean Patrick Maloney’s opioid epidemic.
Well, of course, the wooden cars used to go “thirty miles an hour” down Sussex Street!
The grade of the hill at Church Street with other changes They’re down to 24-5 miles an our with a hill which has a gradient of only
Port
Home of the World’s Largest Soap Box Derby.
Jervis
Coincidentally, the separate entity presented plans.
The vision for the future of the Derby was read to the council and public by mother and Derby-er, Tanya Addy, whose proposal included a summary of a new schedule and the expectations of a welcoming community on Church Street rather than its home, for the past eighteen years, on Sussex Street’s hill.
The new hill is designed to cut costs, make the event easier for everyone and help busy families in a fun way.
Stanley Siegel, Fourth Ward’s Councilperson commented that the adjacent hill, Seward Street, was a mid-50’s “sleigh riding” joy created by community.
Councilperson for the Third Ward and Recreation Committee liaison to the Common Council, Gina Fitzpatrick, stated that the presentation was not initially made to the Recreation Committee for any sort of city assistance although the Derby will be aided by DPW, the Department of Public Works. Vehicles included to be made clear.
WASHINGTON — The Senate’s two top leaders put on a show of camaraderie as their chamber launched its immigration debate, but also laid down markers underscoring how hard it will be to reach a deal that can move through Congress. “We really do get along, despite what you read in the press,” Senate Minority Leader…
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Some people on the East Coast got a push alert on their phones about a tsunami warning, but the National Weather Service says it was just a test. Meteorologist Hendricus Lulofs said there was a glitch Tuesday during a routine test, meaning some people received what looked like an actual warning on…
PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — Less than a week after his hopeful State of the City Address for a Port Jervis “that still needs nurturing to succeed,” Mayor Kelly Decker has, as many in the city would characterize, came out of his face.
Monday, in a letter-made-public-rebuttal on his Facebook Page, to a Sunday piece by the Times Herald-Record under the editorial tagline “Our Opinion,” entitled “A methadone clinic is not a crime scene,” Decker not only calls out the Record’s editor, Barry Lewis but also calls the newspaper in.
While plausible arguments are made by the Port Jervis Mayor, he goes on to completely flout arguments such as this one:
—
“Numbers, percentages, and statistics can be skewed in many different ways depending on the presenter’s angle.”
Mayor Kelly Decker
By leading with this aside before what should be the meat and potatoes staple of his argument, Decker builds up a strawman, an easy target to set ablaze. A simple reframing to make the dominoes fall easier, per se.
Nonetheless, those dominoes fall in both directions.
As Decker goes on to “assert that [Lewis’s] math is wrong” he has already given readers contrary to his viewpoint an out. Whatever math he cited, became all methed up, when he cast doubt upon mathematics as a whole prior to playing the Texas sharpshooter. He lost those that he needed on his side as he attacked the publication.
Yes, the letter was “a response” to the editor of the Times Herald-Record, Lewis, regardless, here a few factors that make this more of a political attack:
It was an opinion piece, and as such, didn’t necessarily merit such an official response as taking to the Elected Official Page that his Facebook is. Perhaps simply a letter-made-public-rebuttal on his personal page would have sufficed.
Decker’s political, elected official position put him at a disadvantage for a fair fight against the editor of a counterbalance of government.
Decker’s logical argumentation in his letter is riddled with fallacies.
Lewis, the editor of the Times Herald-Record deals in a world of changing opinions and changing headlines. It’ll be perceived as a political attack from the Mayor’s office not only because of these three factorss but most of all because of public opinion.
One: Opinion
In the end, shouldn’t matter to the Mayor, as many who read opinion pieces have already made up their minds, they’ve already voiced their own opinions and they have already signed their positions’ petitions.
—
“Once formed,” the researchers observed dryly, “impressions are remarkably perseverant.”
Now the inseparable quality of their positions immediately puts Decker at a disadvantage: Mayor of Port Jervis versus Editor of the Times Herald-Record. Not a pretty fight. Nor a fair fight.
Though it didn’t have to be a bout.
The majority of Port Jervis constituents would likely agree, that Donald J. Trump as President could teach mayoral successors a thing or two about responding to the media:
When put into a defensive position, don’t show it: Deny, deny, deny.
When refuting statements, as there’s no option for denial: use keywords that fire up your base and monosyllabic words and arguments that are guaranteed to win public opinion.
Don’t do as Decker did. But don’t do any of the above either. The media is wise to it all. Readers, listeners, and viewers, too.
Not responding at all, would have been the denial. Yet, Decker chose to tear off his suit, snap his Port Pride singlet and dive headstrong into the muddied ring for a political King-of-the-Hill match.
Three: Logic
Although the location has already been ruled out, there were, and still are, three positions available in the methadone clinic debate. As a reporter, here not discussing either of the former, being of the latter position: for the clinic, against the clinic, and neither for nor against the clinic.
This writer puts aside the journalist hat now and dons the hat that she studied in college: philosophy and linguistics. Mostly philosophy as logic is delved into here past the Texas Sharpshooter data cherrypicker argument. This is the writer’s playground, and those in politics could learn from this and avoid unnecessary future debate and compunction.
Editor of the Times Herald-Record, Barry Lewis: making positions for the cure of addiction, for the clinic.
Mayor of Port Jervis, Kelly Decker, coming from a position of the war on drugs: on record, against the clinic.
While most readers opposite to Decker’s view may stop at his first paragraph, they’re surprisingly not alone. Even those that agree that a methadone clinic is unnecessary in the city stop at the argument that he presents. It’s a no true Scotsmanargument that precedes a genetic argument.
Paragraph-by-paragraph
A genetic argument is one that means most of the following logic relies upon the first clause. That first clause here is an argument similar to an ad hominem, or an attack on one’s character rather than their argument: it’s a no true Scotsman argument. It’s an argument that focuses on the purity of one’s position, which sounds a lot like Nikki Minaj.
That’s not even including the child-human shield appeal to emotion argument ending the tu quoque “Let’s begin with this question” paragraph where the critique is turned 180 from Decker to Lewis.
—
“What do you know about Port Jervis? Clearly, you hardly know nothing about us at all! Except for one public forum about the opioid epidemic in our community, you have been non-existent in this community for at least the last 4 years. You didn’t even have the decency to respond to an email that I sent to you back on June 12, 2017 that said how dismayed I was with your paper and their lack of coverage for our Soap Box Derby. This is a kid-friendly event that brings thousands of people to our city each year and there was not one mention of it in your paper. However, now you feel compelled to write about a free or reduced pay clinic that wants come to our city? Your priorities are clearly miscued.”
Mayor Kelly Decker
To the point within the no true Scotsman argumentation by Decker, I have to insert my agreement. Indeed, the newspaper requires more coverage of the “city that is on the move.” If it’s of any solace to either party in this regard, I offer my services as a freelance writer and reporter.
Paragraph Two
Again, Nikki Minaj. Since she’s so relevant here, enjoy a video:
The following paragraph is the foremost example of the Texas Sharpshooter logical fallacy. The one referenced above is a muddled example to heat up the conversation about logic. Decker would have been better off simplifying this letter down to, or at least, leading with this second sentence in his fifth paragraph:
—
“I have never said ‘No.’ I said put it in a medical facility, especially one with detox and mental health.”
Mayor Kelly Decker
Decker may have also done very well leading with the knowledge that he personally has. Rather than trying to chop up the data that was served against him. For instance, without condescension:
—
“… your [claim] that I am making the situation more dangerous. […] it’s called Mens Rea, or the guilty mind of criminal intent, and then acting on that criminal intent is Actus Reus. The majority of Cornerstone’s clientele are heroin attacks. Heroin is illegal. [….] Therefore, these patients not only have Mens Rea but also Actus Reus and those are the people I don’t want invited to our city […]”
Mayor Kelly Decker
The next few paragraphs are called a bandwagonargument. It’s not that critical and really only acts as a public support rallying cry. Trump is great at using this, however, Decker should steer clear of it, and stick to the simplest of facts. He doesn’t need to reassert his position as an elected official in this way, especially not so deep into an already messy argument, but perhaps could have opened with some of his own facts rather than refuting those offered by Lewis.
Before his closing paragraph, he sets up a nice strawman argument against the Editor. The alcohol and criminality strawman. If the Mayor had used alcohol and criminality statistics, along with his own facts, in a second paragraph, he would have solidified a solid logical argument.
In closing, Decker uses another purity, or, no true Scotsman argument. He follows it with my favorite logical fallacy: the loaded question. This writer is going to do him a service, free of charge: reorganize and rescue what can be in a whole new letter:
Letter to the Editor: re: “A methadone clinic is not a crime scene.”
For starters, “I have never said ‘No.’ I said put [the methadone clinic] in a medical facility, especially one with detox and mental health.”
“Your [claim] that I am making the situation more dangerous [is unfounded…] It’s called Mens Rea, or the guilty mind of criminal intent, and [to then act] on that criminal intent is Actus Reus. The majority of Cornerstone’s clientele are heroin [addicts]. Heroin is illegal. [….] Therefore, these patients not only have Mens Rea but also Actus Reus[,] and those are the people I don’t want [to be] invited to our city[.]”
“[I invite you to hire more reporters for our growing city to see that there’s more than only an] opioid epidemic in our community[. For instance, there could be more coverage of city revenue-driving events, such as] our Soap Box Derby. This is a kid-friendly event that brings thousands of people to our city each year[.]”
Brienna Parsons 