The Constitution Vigil hosted by the Rochester Civil Liberties Coalition
I attended the Constitution Vigil at the Brighton Town hall on July 3rd. The Raging Grannies and speeches outside kicked off the event, followed byEric Massa, Democratic candidate running in the NY 29th against Randy Kuhl speaking inside and followed by a screening of the movie Unconstitutional, The War on our Civil Liberties. The event was covered by the Democrat & Chronicle: Local News and on 13WHAM-TV || Rochester. I’m sure a few interviews with organizers or participants have yet to be posted as well. Having helped organize events such as this in the past, coverage is a good thing and at times difficult to come by for local events. Hats off to the organizers for delivering a sustained and quality event. Now, my take on Eric Massa – In a word (well several words) WOW. Command presence, focused discussion, passion and personable. Eric spoke of the threat posed to our civil liberties by the current administration (and in MHO the complacency of the American people). A few things stuck out on a personal level. Eric reminded the audience of the Oath Military officers take. Having taken the same oath many years ago it was a stark reminder of what we are facing. “…do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…†You can see the rest here but what struck me was against all enemies foreign and domestic. Domestic enemies of the constitution. What a concept and sound familiar? He also reminded the audience that the constitution is not a selective document You don’t pick and choose which amendments apply or selectively apply liberties to some and not all.  It is all or nothing, meaning it allows multiple sides and opinions in our society to exist.  Finally the point of the evening – it isn’t enough to complain you have to do something about it. As Eric asked, If not you, who?, if not now, when? The stark reality is the 2006 midterms are the turning point. We either ensure more of the current administration’s policies or begin the process to restore balance to the government. The elections are but 5 months away. 5 months. What are you doing? Eric challenged every person in the room to talk to 100 friends and get them to vote. Sounds like a challenge – are you up for it?Â
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Thanks for the update StLo. I’m up for it! Does blogging count towards my 100 friends tally?