The Trumansburg Democrats held their village caucus this afternoon. Allen Carstensen and Marty Petrovic were both nominated with strong approval by the Democrats at the meeting. No opponents to Petrovic were suggested.
One possible rival to Carstensen was offered nomination, but she did not accept the nomination. The date of the general election is March 18th.
It’s just a little bit over a week now until New York State’s Democratic presidential primary election, and whether you support Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, there’s a lot that you can do to get involved in your current campaign over the next nine days.
The following are the events and activist opportunities being organized in the area around Trumansburg on behalf of the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, between today and the February 5th primary:
Monday, January 28th 7:00 PM: Geneva for Obama, we can! meeting, Geneva Public Library Community Room
Tuesday, January 29th 6:30 PM: Phone Bank, Fayetteville Town Centre
Friday, February 1, 7:00 PM: Barack the Vote Concert, State Theater, Ithaca
Saturday, February 2, 4:30 PM: Phone Bank & Training, Welles-Tostanoski Home in Corning, New York
Sunday, February 3, 12:00 Noon: Rally for Obama, Binghamton Courthouse
Monday, February 4, 4:00 PM: Rush Hour Rally, 12 Corners gazebo in Brighton
Monday, January 28th, 6:45 PM: Tioga for Hillary - Awakenings Coffee House in Owego
Thursday, January 31st, 11:15 PM: Debate House Party - Townhouse 30 SUNY Geneseo Campus
Friday, February 1, 10:00 PM: House Party for Hillary - 6 Scudder Mls, Victor
For more information on any of these events, visit the campaign web sites of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
So far, these events are as close to us as it gets. All of these are within driving distance of an hour or so. Nothing’s listed for Trumansburg or anywhere else in Ulysses so far, but it’s not to late to plan an event yourself. Feel free to announce it here if you do.
Ulysses Democrats, and for that matter, all residents of the Town of Ulysses, ought to be aware of what Senator Hillary Clinton did not do this week.
Just a few days after she blasted Barack Obama for not voting yes or no on a few pieces of legislation during his time in the Illinois state legislature, Hillary Clinton did the exact same thing. She did not show up.
It was just the second roll call vote in the United States Senate for 2008, and it was a very important one. It had to do with legislation that would extend the Protect America Act, a terrible law that allows the Bush Administration to develop immense dragnet electronic surveillance programs that target the American people. The law allows the government to read our emails, listen to our telephone calls, and watch where we go and what we do on the web - and to do it all without a search warrant or any other judicial supervision or meaningful congressional oversight. No independent review of the electronic spying against the American people is allowed either, and any citizen who refuses to help the government conduct the spying can be thrown into prison. Furthermore, the extension that is now being proposed would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications corporations who helped George W. Bush conduct these kinds of electronic spy operations against American citizens before the Protect America Act made the spying legal.
In short, this legislation is just about as rotten as legislation can get.
Last week, on January 24th, there was a crucial vote regarding this legislation. Some Senators attempted to substitute less corrupt legislation for the extension of the Protect America Act, so that at least the retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications corporations would not be granted.
The measure failed. In part, that’s because Hillary Clinton did not show up to vote. She was too busy campaigning for President to do the job in the United States Senate New Yorkers elected her to do just 14 months ago.
I’m not intending this as a dig particularly against Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. I’m not a Democrat. I’m registered independent of all political parties, so I don’t have a pony in this race. Besides, Barack Obama didn’t show up to vote on January 24th either.
This is about what Hillary Clinton does as our senator. Her first priority should be to do the job that she’s already got, and represent us in the United States Senate. I understand if Senator Clinton does not show up for every vote. However, this was not just any vote. Senator Clinton had a duty to be there, and she shirked that duty.
The issue is not done. The extension of the Protect America Act, which you’ll hear talked about as FISA “reform” (since when is allowing government spies to watch our every move without any constitutionally required legal restraints reform?), will be up for a final vote some time soon.
Please, call the office of Senator Hillary Clinton. Tell her staff that you expect Senator Clinton to be present and voting every step of the way on this legislation.
People who have children in the Trumansburg Schools ought to go on over and take a look at the new web site of the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation.
The TCSDF is not the same thing as the Trumansburg Central School District. TCSDF does not administer the schools, but exists as a separate non-profit organization with the mission of supporting education in the Trumansburg Schools. Think of it as an educational boosters group. They offer grants to teachers and administrators and work through a New Technology Initiatives to support the best use of technology in the classrooms.
There is already an impressive collection of people behind the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation, but the group is by no means closed. The Foundation is looking for people to help them in their work, by volunteering, through donations, and by spreading the word about the work of the Foundation.
The news is filled with stories of primaries and caucuses in far away states, as if the earlier states could genuinely wrap up the presidential race before Super Tuesday, February 5th, when people here in New York and in most other states will have their chance vote for their party’s nominee. I’m seeing almost no sign of organizing here in New York for one candidate or the other on the Democratic side. Most of the lawn signs and bumper stickers I’ve seen travelling across the state have been for Republican candidates. On a certain level, that’s understandable, given that Hillary Clinton has home state advantage, but unlike the Electoral College in the general election, the Democratic presidential primary in New York is not winner-take-all. Even if Hillary Clinton takes the majority of New York delegates, other candidates can bring something to from New York to the presidential convention in Denver this summer - if their supporters here work to get out the vote.
This Saturday, Democrats are having their primary in South Carolina. The day after, Trumansburg Democrats will be able to talk about the results of that election and to have a caucus of their own. Here’s the announcement from the Ulysses Democrats:
We have one more important local election this year for one Mayor and Trustee, Village of Trumansburg held on March 18, 2008. THIS Sunday January 27th 4pm Village Hall, Ulysses Democrats will seek and take nominations for candidates in each position at our Village caucus.
If you’re a Trumansburg Democrat, please attend. It’s one of the few chances you have to directly shape the course your political party sets on issues in your community.
This Friday evening, at 7:00 in the Trumansburg Fire Hall, Back To Democracy is holding a meeting for the discussion of a campaign by Citizen Action of New York to promote fair and open elections through the regulation of campaign finance.
Mary Clark of CANY will be there to discuss the organization’s attempt to reform campaign finance through the institution of full public funding for campaigns for public office.
Mary Ellen Salmon sent me a note this morning on behalf of the Trumansburg Chamber of Commerce, asking me to relay the following message:
The Trumansburg Chamber of Commerce is seeking photographs of the following subjects, for inclusion in a brochure:
- Grassroots photos
- Inside of Taughannock Farms or another dining experience (interior shot)
- Library with kids walking in or attending event
- Kids playing on the school playground or the community built village down town by the creek
- Farmer’s market w/ people with partial view of the sign
- Kids getting on the school bus
- 4H—or horses—local farms
- Concert at Taughannock incorporating the people and the lake
- Fireworks
- Parade
- Main Street shot (without cars)
- Sheldrake w/ catered event (could include lake and/or grapevines too)
- Historical society
If you want to contribute a photograph, it needs to be emailed to emailed to nicole@nicolesellsithaca.com by January 20, 2008.
Kicking off its 2008 Sunday Afternoon speaker series, the Ulysses Philomathic Library welcomes the Trumansburg Writers’ Group, with Readings from Our Writing.
Gordon Bonnet, Mary Blake, and Leslie Knight will read their works at 2:00 p.m this afternoon in the library’s Melvin Community Room on Main Street in Trumansburg. There is no charge to attend, and refreshments will be served.
People here in Ulysses who have been paying attention didn’t need a study by Elizabeth Burakowski to tell us that our winters are getting warmer. Still, thanks to her for doing the work to confirm our suspicions.
Burakowski, a graduate student at University of New Hampshire’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, found that winters in the Northeastern United States have been especially sensitive to climate change. Of all our seasons, our winters - the particular character of which make our region so distinctive - have warmed the most. The amount of snow we get during the winter has decreased as well.
I was born and grew up in Central and Western New York, and I don’t remember such long stretches of balmy winter weather when I was a kid. This year, we didn’t even get a frost until almost November, and though we’ve had some very nippy days, the winter has been mild on the whole so far, like last year’s.
My winter play as a child was made of snow forts. My kids are practicing riding the bicycle, climbing trees or playing with a ball.
(Source: Associated Press)
From Jan Zeserson of the Black Diamond Trail group comes the following urgent message:
It’s now or never!THIS TUESDAY (1/15) is the deadline for submitting comments to NYS Parks about their proposed plans for the Black Diamond Trail.
We are assured that ALL MESSAGES WILL BE READ by Parks officials. Then ALL substantive comments will be summarized in a report that must be considered before the Master Plan can be approved. This summary report will also be made available to the public.
This is your LAST CHANCE to get your opinions into that summary! You’re not writing to a black hole. Parks staff WILL read your letters.
Send letters to:Daniel.Davis@oprhp.state.ny.usThomas.Lyons@oprhp.state.ny.us AND we’d love to post your letter on our website to inform and inspire others to write, so if you’re willing, please cc:info@blackdiamondtrail.org with your letter.
WONDERING WHAT TO WRITE? For example:
How do you hope to use the trail? Do you want snowmobiles and horses on the trail? Do you want the trail to be as narrow as possible? Do you live near a trail now, and if so, has it been a bonus or a headache for you? Do you want Parks to construct and repair all the bridges first so that we can walk the whole stretch as soon as possible?
A sample of the letters that have already been written in support of the Black Diamond Trail is available at the Black Diamond Trail web site.