This is the first, last and only post that I will write specifically about Eric Massa’s departure from Congress.

Eric is a hero, politically.  He took on a race in the GOP stronghold of NY’s 29th Congressional District which we were told couldn’t be won by a Democrat, and won.  He, for the most part was on the right side of wrong.  He had the intelligence and the fortitude to take on those who screamed at him at town-halls. His counter points were progressive, but respectful of other’s points of view.  He was respected, even by those who disagreed once they had met and talked with him.  He was a truly progressive voice where few are found today.

I believe Eric when he states that the administration wanted him out.

But now he is having a breakdown for all the world to see and from Charles Karel Bouley at HuffPo comes this insightful look into Eric Massa’s world.

Massa deconstructed on TV, including going on Glenn Beck, a move so ridiculous that the man is obviously having a breakdown and no one stopped him. Truly, when one is in a room with Glenn Beck and Beck appears to be the sane one, something is wrong.

His family must be in such an uproar, and his life is unraveling. The one thing this man has probably never dealt with, the fact that he obviously wants to explore men sexually on some level, has been ground in to grist for the media mill and he is literally falling apart under the glare of the spotlight. He is unstable, in huge denial, struggling internally to hold on the “self” he thought he had and the “self” that everyone now sees. He can’t reconcile the two and he’s come unglued in some areas. I’m no psychologist, I’ve just been gay my entire life and have seen this over and over again.

And the media, including liberals on liberal radio started screaming for him to come out, bringing more salacious details about past allegations to the foreground. Everyone began the horrible news cycle of replaying his rantings, the obviously unstable talk from a man trying not to drown. I feel nothing but pity for him. He has lived a closeted life and now the door is wide open. Not that he’s gay, he may not identify as such. There are 307 million Americans and 307 million different sexualities. But why the media is on a gay witch hunt is beyond reason at this point. Why they insist on not stopping until he is outed or outs himself even after he has resigned is just malicious. HE DOESN’T KNOW WHO HE IS YET, give him a minute to find out. And then, really, it’s none of our business unless he wants it to be.

I agree, can we leave him alone and move on?  Stop providing a spotlight for Eric to walk in front of.  He needs our well-wishes, not our admonishments.  He was a hero when we needed one.  He stood up to the powers-that-be for us.

Leave the marshmallows at home and grab a bucket of water.

Just saw this in an email.  Shawn Hogan has decided DC is not for him, per Hornell’s Evening Tribune:

“After much consultation with family, friends and friendly political allies and prayerful contemplation, I have decided not to pursue the 29th District Congressional seat that will become vacant with the resignation of Congressman Eric Massa at p.m. this day,” said Hogan in a prepared news release.

“I choose not to run, not because I am afraid of the challenge, I still have a great desire to serve. However, the atmosphere in politics today is toxic, fueled by extremism on both sides of the isle.  Americans deserve and want leadership from our elected officials not 30 second sound bites and destructive behavior. We need honor and common sense in Washington and Albany,” said Hogan.

Looks like Hogan will not be our Hero.

The search goes on for a likely candidate to replace Eric Massa.  Any takers?

We knew it was coming, but nobody can ever, really be prepared for this:

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is already making moves to run for the upstate New York seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, and plans to make a final decision about a campaign by next week.

A spokesman for the Republican official told POLITICO that Brooks has met with the National Republican Congressional Committee and party leaders in New York since Massa announced his plans to vacate the seat on Wednesday.

“She is seriously considering a run, and will be making a decision in the next several days,” said Noah Lebowitz, Brooks’s communications director.

These are dark days, indeed.  Although a Democrat from Monroe County would have a very difficult time winning this seat, A Republican could easily pull this off.  The lovely and talented Ms Brooks (removing tongue from cheek now) is a formidable candidate for anyone.

Progressives, we have our job cut out for us.

The Corning Leader reports this morning that David Koon has stepped up to the plate in lieu of Eric Massa’s run for a second term as NY’s 29th.

Assemblyman David Koon, D-Perinton, said Thursday he would be willing to run for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, D-Corning.

[snip]

Koon said the decision whether he runs ultimately lies with the Democratic chairmen of the eight counties in the 29th Congressional District. Cindy Emmer, Chemung County Democratic chairman, said the county chairmen will discuss possible candidates in a conference call today.

“I want to run,” Koon said. “I’ve told them, if you want me to run, I’m your man.”

Also in the running is Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan, who was personally asked by Massa to succeed him. Hogan serves as the Steuben County Democratic Chairman and was unavailable Thursday for comment.

Although an admirer of David’s, I would be ignoring the truth to believe that a Democrat from Monroe County could pull this off.  If we must lose Eric, then another candidate from the Southern Tier must take his place.

Eric chose wisely.  I’m behind Shawn

And so it begins…

Tom Reed, mayor of Corning and NY29th Republican  congressional candidate has already stooped to campaigning, Joe McCarthy style.  From WETM TV comes this commentary by Dr Stephen Coleman:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE TWIN TIERS…I AGREE WITH JOE DUNNING OF THE LEADER…REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE TOM REED IS GUILTY OF MCCARTHYISM.

HIS CAMPAIGN RECENTLY PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE NOTING THAT DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN ERIC MASSA WAS APPLAUDED BY THE COMMUNIST PARTY FOR OPPOSING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN. CONNECTING ERIC MASSA WITH THE COMMUNIST PARTY IS A CHEAP AND PATHETIC POLITICAL TRICK TO SMEAR ERIC MASSA…A MAN WHO SERVED AMERICA WITH HONOR AND DISTINCTION AS A NAVAL OFFICER.

Yes, with honor and distinction for 24 years.  How long did you wear a uniform, Mayor Reed? 

Funny, my new, other favorite blog, The Rant was just talking about how McCarthyism is alive and doing well in the United States.  The likes of Mt Rushmoron and O’Reilly are brandishing that sword and now we have Tom Reed joining in.

Well done, Mr Reed, you have now solidified the liberal base around Eric Massa, and we will work to defeat you with everything we have. Just this week, I said to Stlo7 that I was not out to destroy you and crush you, as I was out to destroy Kuhl.  That has just been altered.  Your thoughtless comment is the game changer and we will be loaded for bear.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Last week we visited the issue of Chesapeake’s proposal to create a waste water well near Keuka Lake.  Hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale has become a hot-button issue in the Southern Tier for those on both sides.  Eric Massa has come down on the side of conservation to preserve our precious fresh water as climate change makes this, more and more, a scarce resource.  From Eric’s press release, yesterday:

PULTENEY, N.Y. - Today, Rep. Eric Massa applauded the recent news that Chesapeake Energy has removed their application to put a hydrofracking waste water dump next to Keuka Lake in the town of Pulteney. This victory came after a full week of intense grassroots opposition to this proposal. In letters to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the US Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake formalized their decision to remove their application following Rep. Massa’s formal request for them to do so in a letter dated January 19th. While this request may have had some impact on Chesapeake’s decision to pull their permit application, Rep. Massa today gave full credit to the families of Keuka Lake who built a grassroots movement to lead the way and deliver this victory.

I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from Chesapeake, but for the time being we can celebrate this victory.  Our congressman has our back.  We have his.  Together we will navigate through this impending shoot-out, as I’m sure it will become.   It’s good to have Eric on our side.

From Politico, last week comes this story about our indomitable congressman, Eric Massa, whose work ethic precluded him from taking time off because of inclement weather.

While most lawmakers are back in their home district, one member made it to the Capitol, albeit by accident. Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) was in the air on the way to Washington when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that Tuesday night votes were canceled.

He said he hadn’t seen any colleagues Wednesday and could “pretty much ride a bicycle in the hallways.”

About five Massa aides who live close to the Hill trekked through the blizzard-like conditions Wednesday to join him in his Longworth office, he said. The group looked like Arctic explorers when they arrived, bundled up with snow goggles and walking in a single-file line, he said.

He spent Wednesday bunkered in his office, reading the president’s budget. And he said he found “horrific things” in the defense budget, including $1 billion to buy Russian-made helicopters.

Massa, a lifelong Navy man, said one of his “standing orders” is if his staffers can walk to work, they will.

“We’ve got constituents calling us,” Massa said. “We’re New Yorkers! I come from upstate! This is not a bad weather day; this is sunshine.”

Looks like he found dedicated staffers, to boot (or with boots, as the case may be.)

Via a press release from Eric Massa’s office, yesterday:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Rep. Eric Massa sent a letter to State Senator George Winner regarding his public statements on a meeting which he did not attend. On Superbowl Sunday, almost 500 citizens turned out to hear a panel discussion on a proposed plan to use an injection well as a toxic waste disposal site in Pulteney. This site is less than one mile away from and topographically above Keuka Lake, and ever since this proposal became public, Rep. Eric Massa has taken a lead role in standing up to protect our water and our land for the next generation.

In today’s Corning Leader however, Senator Winner made the allegation that at this meeting, information contained in a February 2nd letter from Chesapeake Energy to Rep. Massa was not disclosed. The truth however is that Rep. Massa provided 250 copies of this letter which were given out at this meeting. At the heart of this issue is Senator Winner’s assertion that Chesapeake is essentially walking away from the proposal to use this injection well to store the toxic waste water that results from the fracking process. However, as both Senator Winner and the Corning Leader noted, in the February 2nd letter, Chesapeake clearly stated, “it is premature for [Chesapeake] to pull the application at this time.” Translation - if Chesapeake isn’t pulling their application, then they probably are still looking to execute this plan.

We’ve discussed before, the damage that can be done to our fresh water reserves by this unproven technique, called hydrofracking (hydraulic fracturing).  Heck, we don’t even know what all the chemicals are yet that we are infusing into the aquifer.

If you would like to read the letter, you can link here for the pdf file, but here’s a little sampling of what Chesapeake Energy thinks of us:

We are aware that some in your district would like to stop our efforts regardless of the facts or the potential benefits to the economy or the prospects of improving the quality of life.  We appreciate those in your district who are more open-minded about the need to work collaboratively to balance all the stakeholders’ interest in your district.  While we realize that many of the activists are those who oppose drilling in it’s entirety, the quantitative polling shows that a majority of your constituents actually would like to see drilling begin in the southern tier.  Perhaps we could work together to convene a town hall meeting to discuss the issues, listen to the facts and see i we can find some common ground from which to build on going forward.

[Oh, those crazy activists who can't see the forest for the trees!  They would be so much better off if Chesapeake Energy could get in there and drill the shit out of the southern tier.  They just don't understand the intricacies of hydrofracking.   They should let the waste water be stored wherever we say.  It's hardly waste water at all, in fact, it's virtually pure. Those poor, close minded simpletons!  We only want what's best for them.  They should just close their eyes and relax and take a pill (preferably blue) and let the energy companies just take care of everything for them.]

Not.

Zion lives!

Eric Massa is listed on the blog www.firedoglake.com . There is a
contest to see who can get the most votes and the winner will get $10,000
and support for their campaign. Eric is in the lead early on but we need to
make sure he stays ahead. The voting will close at midnight Tuesday Feb. 9.
You can vote once. Enter Eric in all three slots.

Please vote and pass this on to others.

(Have I mentioned that Eric is MY congressman?)

That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!

Water for Oil, an archived RT piece, was commented on yesterday, and it got me thinking about something that Eric Massa had said many times throughout his campaign-

“Water is the new oil”

We absolutely require water to function as humans. It is required by all living beings and is at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  I mean, really, where are you going without water?

Maslows Hierarchy

people can live as much as 30 days without food but only seven without water. How long can a person live without oil?

More than a billion people lack access to clean water, and 2.5 billion are without water for sanitation, with 80 percent of all disease borne by dirty water.

Meaning, in the future, wars will be fought for control of water:

“If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” (1995 World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin)

And where is 20% of the world’s fresh water?

As the global water crisis increases, so does pressure on exporting Great Lakes water (20% of world’s surface freshwater; 95% of US surface freshwater).

In the Star Gazzette, this week, Eric Massa addresses the issue of Hydrofracking in the Southern Tier.

“The most precious resource we have in western New York state is our water table and our aquifer and the Finger Lakes,” Massa said. “My No. 1 priority as a representative of the people who live here is to protect that resource, especially from foreign corporations who want to get short-term profit quickly and get out of town and leave us with the problem afterwards.”

Tom Reed, on the other hand, had this to say:

“We have to be concerned about what we do with our water supply because we don’t want a situation where we contaminate it for generations to come,” he said.”But meeting with many gas producers, many landowners, talking with people down in Pennsylvania where they are fracking into the Marcellus shale formation, the technology and the environmental concerns can be readily addressed,” Reed said.

Sounds like Palin-speak to me.  (I’m surprised that he didn’t finish with, “Also, too.”) This guy actually thinks that the companies who want to drill will look out for the people’s best interest.

The freshwater of New York State needs to be protected against those who would despoil  it for the sake of  short term gain.  It’s time to re-invoke Bush’s “abstinence only” propaganda phrase, only with a bit of a twist.  When it comes to hydrofracking in the Marcellus shale: “Not here.  Not now!”

After Bill Owen’s win in NY’s 23rd Congressional District, the Republicans have set their sights on winning 3 seats back from Democrats who had unseated Republicans in the 2008 elections.  From yesterday’s D&C:

Owens’ win followed three Democratic victories a year earlier in the Southern Tier, the Rochester-Syracuse area and the New York City borough of Staten Island, districts previously represented by Republicans.

As a result, Republicans now hold just two of the state’s 29 House seats and neither Senate seat.

But that will change in 2010, the National Republican Congressional Committee says.

NRCC officials are spotlighting an ophthalmologist from Westchester County, the mayor of Corning and a businessman from Eastern Long Island as the party’s best bets for regaining congressional seats next November.

It’s pretty sad when the GOP has to pin it’s hopes on the likes of the Mayor of Corning,  Tom “I’m not a politician” Reed.  Ignorance reigns in the Republican party, but we Homo sapiens are not a smart bunch, and you know every trick in the tea-bagging, birther, 9-12ing book will be used to unseat our progressive congressman in the 29th.  So, put on your boots (although waders might be more appropriate) and prepare to do battle.

Two days before Christmas, Eric Massa wrote this piece for HuffPo discussing our continued presence in Afghanistan and including a video, which highlights the similarities between our current military action and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 30  years ago.  I want to share that video with you here:

Interesting how “hubris” was used so often when describing the Bush Administration.  It saddens me that it is now being used in the same context for the Obama administration.

Change?

Eric invites us to make an impact:

This is where you can help

If you agree that the American people deserve an up or down vote on the escalation in Afghanistan, then I urge you to call your member of Congress and Senators to tell them to support an Up or Down vote on this issue.

Nothing gets the attention of a member of Congress quite like returning from the holidays to discover 500 voicemails demanding action.

You can find your Congressman or Congresswoman by visiting house.gov.

You can find your Senators by visiting senate.gov.

Let’s declare that enough is enough on this 3,000th day of the war in Afghanistan. It’s time to bring our troops home.

When I compare the Democratic party to the Republican party, I often suggest that the basic premise of the Democrats is, “What can I do for you?”  as opposed to the Republicans, who’s philosophical question is, “What’s in it for me?”  At no other time has this been illustrated as succinctly as last evening’s Glenn Beck912 meetup at Mickey Finn’s in Victor where we attended a “Meet and Greet” with Eric Massa’s opponent- Mayor Tom Reed of Corning.

Mayor Reed was introduced by the group leader and gave a 10 minute long synopsis of who he is (long time resident of Corning, comes from a big family, father died when he was 2 years old) and why he is running (what is happening in Washington is “bad” and he can make a difference).  And then he fielded questions from the audience.  We will have video up for you shortly (and that’s technically not a lie, because shortly can mean different things to different people)

I would just like to address 2 different issues where Mr Reed gave his position.  The first, stem cell research: I would like to applaud him for his support.  The reason that he supports it rests with his young son who was diagnosed, at 3 years old, with diabetes.  Stem cell research may hold a potential cure.  The second, DOMA- Mayor Reed believes that marriage is between a man and a woman.  When asked if that doesn’t deny people their rights, he stated, “We’ll just have to disagree on that.”  You see, he doesn’t have a dog in this race.

So, here’s my question, When this young son grows up, if he should one day say to his parents, “This is my boyfriend, Lance, we’re in love and we’re going to get married.”  Will Mr Reed change his position on marriage equality?

My guess: Yes.