Personal News - Part XVII

What a gorgeous, sunny, breezy spring day here in Brooklyn. The flowers are blooming, grass is growing and the trees are sprouting their soft little green leaves. Its all so delightfully precious to gaze upon ... but lord it do wreck havoc on the allergies and sinus. Right now I have the windows wide open to let in the fresh spring air and clean out the stale air of winter. This morning I went to the Farmers Market again and picked up another plant. [Plus other errands.] Spring and Autumn are my favorite times of the year. I'm lovin it!

After a slow day at office Monday and Tuesday ... rest of the work week was busy and productive. Yesterday I was taken out to lunch by one of the Senior Managers I support in recognition of Administrative Professional Day. Debra and I went to Arno's on West 38th Street [fine Italian dining]. We spent 1 1/2 hours dining on delicious cuisine and talking about all sorts of topics. During her freshman year in college she backpacked throughout Europe with college buddies. [I had a tuna fillet with a yummy dijon mustard sauce, green salad & glass of white wine.] Several other E&Y employees come to this restaurant and several were there entertaining their admins.

Yesterday evening was Rob Jereski's friend and fundraiser party in Tudor City [Manhattan]. Even tho I was tired after a long, busy, productive week I couldn't miss out on the party. I had a wonderful time and engaged in fascinating conversations with those who attended. [I also brought my homemade hummus and chocolate chip cookies.] I'd say about 25 showed up [even Rob's father] for the event and everyone made contributions. Group shots were taken by Harry with his digital camera and these will be shown eventually on Jereski for Congress website. Halfway thru the evening [party started at 7pm] there was some terrific poetry reading and Rob made a long speech, plus answer questions, regarding his campaign. Finally I had to leave around 10:45pm, as I was just too tired. Some folk had left at this point, but others were showing up and I'm sure the party continued until midnight. Naturally the subways don't run regularly at that time of night, so I didn't get home until 11:45pm. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going outdoors to enjoy somemore of this great weather. Peace & Solidarity!

KUCINICH STILL RESISTING THE PATRIOT ACT

In the last week, the Bush Administration has launched a public relations blitz in an attempt to improve the image of the widely-detested PATRIOT Act, arguing the act is necessary to protect American in the war on terror. Fortunately, the American people know better and the civil liberties-shredding legislation has been met with impressive resistance. Providing an excellent example of what citizens can do to better their government, resolutions opposing the PATRIOT Act have been passed in 291 communities, in 39 states, including four state-wide resolutions; representing 49.8 million people. Despite this resistance, few Democratic leaders have insisted on repealing the legislation. Kucinich, campaigning in Oregon, said "It's unmistakably clear" from his travels across the nation "that there is an almost universal rejection of the PATRIOT Act. He called on his own Party to end its silence, "show some backbone," and call for the law's repeal. Read press release: http://www.kucinich.us/pressreleases/pr_041704.php

PETITION THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Join us in our campaign to petition the Democratic Party on the PATRIOT Act and other key issues! To help align the party platform with the values of most Democratic voters, we are collecting signatures for 5 petitions, reflecting our most urgent national priorities:

Iraq
Health Care
The PATRIOT Act (Civil Rights)
Jobs/Trade (NAFTA/WTO)
A Department of Peace and Non-Violence
All at http://www.kucinich.us/VolunteerAction/petitions.php

Our goal is to present a million signatures to the Democratic Party Platform Committee when they meet at the end of June, as a complement to our efforts on the ground at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. As a Democratic candidate, Dennis Kucinich is in a unique position to be a voice for these issues inside the Convention, when they might otherwise only be seen in protest zones outside. Help us reach one million signatures! Click here to sign or download these petitions and to learn more about our petition campaign. http://www.kucinich.us/VolunteerAction/petitions.php

KUCINICH: SEPARATE BUT EQUAL, HAS ALWAYS PROVEN TO BE UNEQUAL

Congressman Kucinich has also been outspoken in his opposition to new legislation in Oregon that places a ban on gay marriage. Kucinich recently attended the wedding of Bonnie Tinker and Sara Graham in Oregon. The newly married couple said: "As one of the few lesbian couples in this country whose marriage is legally recognized, we urge you to support Dennis in carrying this vision to voters." For more info and pictures from the wedding click here: http://www.kucinich.us/lgbt/

NORTH CAROLINA AND COLORADO RESULTS ARE IN

Kucinich had an impressive showing in Colorado, garnering between 31% and 35% in Boulder, Larimer, and El Paso counties. A large percentage of the county level delegates are uncommitted and final results are not yet in, but Kucinich is expected to pull delegates. [Hurray!] In North Carolina, Kucinich beat both Senator Kerry and North Carolina's own Sen. John Edwards in three counties: Watauga, Orange, and Buncombe. In Watauga County, Kucinich received just over 50 percent of the votes, easily outpacing Kerry, who had 20.6 percent and Edwards, who had 21.2 percent. Kucinich is likely to pick up three convention delegates from North Carolina. Read press release:
http://www.kucinich.us/pressreleases/pr_041704a.php