March 17, 2008 2:33 PM
IR 1105 is dead at last. I went over to the Suffolk Legislature at 1:15PM to see if Brian Beedenbender had secured the necessary ten signatures on a petition to revive the bill which had failed last Thursday in committee. The office of the clerk told me they had not received anything, but advised me to call the author of the bill Brian Beedenbender. I asked him if he had the petition ready and he sorrifully told me that he did not. He explained that he had only managed to secure five of the needed signatures.
So in the end, the bill had only five supporters. For a month the county had endured controversy and stigma for a bill supported by less than a third of the Leg.!
Anyway, thanks to everyone who testified, rallied, called, and wrote about this miserable piece of legislation.
Here are the Dirty Half Dozen Minus One who supported the bill, all Dems or WFP:
Beedenbender, Jack Eddington, Lou D'Amaro, Wayne Horsley and Bill Lindsay according to Newsday.
No Republicans and less than half the Dems favored bringing the bill out of committee.
Heroes were definitiely Mistal, Barraga, Browning, Rick Montano and Viv Fisher. So there were just as many heroes as goats.
More great news! A similar bill failed out west today as well!!
Find out more about this blogger See this list of all articles on Suffolk bill
Well, it died a peaceful death compared to some of our bouts out there! But let's no one get complacent--as soon as we try to get on to more pro-active efforts, either Levy or a legislator comes up with some other anti-immigrant nonsense masquerading as legislation. But until then, let's take some solace in the fact that at least occasionally decency and common sense win out! Good job everyone. Jim
By Jim Claffey March 17, 2008 03:00 PM
Jim, if we only celebrated when we had achieved final victory, the chapaigne sellers would go out of business.
By Pat Young March 17, 2008 03:10 PM
That is great news on St. Pat's Day. I believe this will mark the turning of a corner. Levy, et al will become much more circumspect when thinking about introducing an anit-immigrant bill.
This is two in a row they have lost, two bills with seemingly little interest or opposition among the electorate except it was somewhat vaguely anti-immigrant, of which they would innoculously approve so they could begin laying down some seriously punitive bills to spike his fame.
But surprise, something got derailed on its heedless careening down the hill where the even more massive weight of greater Levy visibility and national attention waiting to be unloaded.
Congrats to LIIA for your leadership, your saavy, your determination to take on the bloviators of reaction and intolerance. Their next foray out will have to be even closer to certainity, thereby limiting its scope & not chancing losing even more of their ante (anti).
More legislators will not be so shy, so reluctant stepping forward to say no, basta, nyet: this ain't smart and I don't want to be left out on a weak limb just to be blamed for undermining our a fragile economy, in a time of precarious and anxiety-producing instability with certain labor shortages that will harm our economy.
When the new person is hired, I hope you will put all the churches and clergy on a database to blast out with one click all the resources needed and to git out some more powdermilk bisquits--which give shy people the strength to get up and do what needs to be done. Heavens they're tasty and expeditious. Powdermilk bisquits, made by bachelor Norwegian immigrants.
I think it is time to have a party to properly celebrate our victory as all LI wins! --mo
By mo March 17, 2008 03:59 PM
Yup. It is a good day to lift a beer in celebration.
By Pat Young March 17, 2008 04:06 PM
And to think that Eddington is a social worker; what a disgraced to the profession. Can he be shipped out? Better idea, let's vote him and his wife out!!!
Ed, MSW
By Ed March 17, 2008 05:45 PM
It is great to see another anti-immigrant bill go down... I think that we should start thinking about what kind of pro-worker, pro-immigrant legislation we can ask our legislators to promote as an alternative. Also, how can we hold these anti-immigrant Democrats accountable?
By Nadia March 17, 2008 06:01 PM
What a great news,I believe workers have a very good news to celebrate the victory.Congrats to LIIA for your leadership,congrats to all!!
Matilde
Human Solidarity.
By Matilde Parada March 17, 2008 11:07 PM
What a great news,I believe workers have a very good news to celebrate the victory.Congrats to LIIA for your leadership,congrats to all!!
Matilde
Human Solidarity.
By Matilde Parada March 17, 2008 11:12 PM