marriage equality again

This time I am not talking about New Jersey's marriage equality (which I plan on going to the state house tomorrow to lobby for). I'm talking about the vote in the state senate of my home state of New York. Today I was very disappointed in my home state of New York. They had an opportunity to make me proud, instead they let me down.

Even though I lived most of my life in NY, I was never very politically active there. I always voted when I was there, but I was not involved the way I am now. I never really paid attention to local, county, and state elections and simply voted straight (Democratic) ticket.

The following Democrats and all of the senate Republicans need to be ashamed of themselves. Joseph Addabbo, Darrel Aubertine, Ruben Diaz, Shirley Huntley, Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate, George Onorato, and William Stachowski are all deserting the Democratic party's platform of valuing all families. They all need to hear from their constituents (like filling their voicemails, inboxes, and flooding their snail mailboxes with hand-written letters). If that does not change their vote, they must be challenged by a real Democrat in the primary. They do not deserve to be re-elected.

One thing I do wonder is how organized New York is. When i lived there, I was not aware of any local grassroots political groups like the ones I am a part of now in New Jersey. Do they have a group like Garden State Equality that is on the ground getting supporters to call their legislators?

The one bright spot about New York is that they have a much longer window of opportunity than New Jersey does. Their unpopular incumbent governor David Paterson is in office for another year (he's not likely to be re-elected) like our governor said he would sign such a bill. The voters in NY cannot put the issue on the ballot like they did in California and Maine.

I write this as I'm heading to a marriage rally in Trenton tomorrow-- for once can both my home state and my adopted state make me proud?