Letter to the editor (Queens Courier):As a Jewish-American, I was extremely offended by a recent story in the Queens Tribune unfairly targeting City Council candidate Dan Halloran’ religion. My Catholic friends are also offended that his religion is being made into a campaign issue.
Queens is the most diverse county in the country, home of the Flushing Remonstrance, a 1657 document proclaiming religious freedom for Flushing residents, one of America’s earliest provisions for religious freedom. Indeed, the Remonstrance protects the right “to have and enjoy the liberty of conscience without molestation or disturbance.”
A person’s religion is a personal, private matter and should not be used to score political points in a campaign. Diversity of belief and freedom of conscience are at the heart of the American spirit, as millions have come to our shores to escape religious persecution and freely exercise their religion, enshrined in our Constitution’s First Amendment.
In view of the above, I respectfully call upon Halloran’s opponent Kevin Kim and Congressmember Gary Ackerman, who founded the Tribune, to condemn this unfair assault on Halloran’s religious beliefs.
Daniel Egers
Whitestone
23 comments:
Excellent letter. Well put. Thanks.
The problem, as I see it, is that Halloran's opponents want the First Amendment to guarantee their freedom of the press and speech to destroy Halloran's right to his religious belief - another guarantee in the same amendment.
The fact is, the ENTIRE amendment is to be upheld, not the useful parts that the opponents favor.
Kim, Ackerman and others who agree with them are a grave danger to our society. At the drop of a hat, when it is to their own advantage, they will just as easily savage every other right acknowledged in the US Constitution.
Look at each amendment. Which one can you do without?
If people say they are so pissed, get rid of Ackerman next go around! Who pays for his flowers anyway?
There's a cloudy situation that exists that needs some clearing up:
Did candidate Kim use Korean church groups to RAISE MONEY for him in support of his campaign?
Would that not be a direct VIOLATION of the separation of the church from state rule?
Would that not negate their federal 501C3 tax exempt status?
Not for profit organizations are NOT PERMITTED to support any political candidates under the laws of our nation!
It seems to me that it's Kim's religion...or rather his religious supporters practices in this case...that might be questionable.
Halloran's religion is a private matter and is forbidden to be injected as a political campaign issue.
It likewise seems to me that Ackerman, Nussbaum and Schenkler need some questioning for their complicity in using their newspaper to promote religious intolerance!
Perhaps "Queens Crap" might offer a re-print of the "Flushing Remonstrance" on its site to remind us all...especially a U.S. Congressman...that the birthplace of religious freedom in America began here...long before the United States ever existed!
"Did candidate Kim use Korean church groups to RAISE MONEY for him in support of his campaign?"
Yes, I'll have more on this shortly.
Perhaps "Queens Crap" might offer a re-print of the "Flushing Remonstrance" on its site to remind us all...especially a U.S. Congressman...that the birthplace of religious freedom in America began here...long before the United States ever existed!
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The Flushing Remonstance? What Remonstance? According to Bowne House its all about John Bowne.
He did not sign the remomstance. Its somewhere with the Jacob Titus Bowne documents and the rest of the 'collection'.
Great work "Queens Crapper"...looking forward to it as are many of the 19th district's voters!
Congressman Ackerman should come clean that his paper has violated the principles out lined in the Bill of Rights in a constituion that he has taken a legal oath to support.
You little doormats out there that 'hope' and 'wish' should dog him about this everywhere.
Indeed, the Democractic Organization should come out and condemn this.
Oh come on boys, you can break away from the incessent persuit of making money and at least give us the window dressing for government service - on occasion.
An open notice to the United States House of Representatives:
CENSURE CONGRESSMAN ACKERMAN FOR AIDING & ABETTING RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE through the vehicle of his newsweekly...the "Queens Tribune"!
I urge everyone to write a letter to (or e-mail) the speaker of the house requesting the Congressman's immediate censure!
Mr. Schenkler and Congressman Ackerman, I really think you owe a full front page retraction and apology to candidate Dan Halloran for the misuse of your newspaper.
I have no problem with candidate Kim hiring your Mr. Nussbaum's "Multi Media" agency to run political ads for him.
But you have clearly crossed the lines between news gathering and advertising here.
I'd hate to have to pull my ads from your publication.
I for one WILL NOT be doing any business with ANYONE who advertises in the "Queens Tribune" until Mike Schenkler prints a retraction on the FRONT PAGE of ALL of their issues for the political smear job they did on candidate Halloran.
It was a disgusting low point!
I urge all of you to follow me in my personal boycott!
And Congressman Ackerman...I sincerely regret...that I will not be voting for you the next time you run for office as I have for many years.
For you have betrayed my trust by allowing your newspaper to persecute someone on the basis of their personal religious beliefs.
You, sir, also owe a public apology
for your shameful behavior to candidate Halloran.
Totalitarian governments often indulge in religious and racial condemnation practices but this is America!
What does it matter who wrote the "Flushing Remonstrance" Titus Tit-mouse or John Bowne and his cohorts?
They are stirringly great words!
You are interjecting minutia that has absolutely nothing to do with the issues being discussed here at the moment.
We suggest that you indulge in your personal historical gripes on your own time please.
Halloran's "religion", Theodism, from my research, is a variant of Asatru of which certain members engage in the belief of white supremacy. Is this the reason that Halloran is ducking under cover?
Who said Halloran is ducking under cover?
And you need to understand more about Asatru.
Whatever credibility the Tribune had is completely gone, if they had credibility at all.
mr.halloran was not "ducking" wednesday night at the college point civic meeting. he scored a "knockout". halloran(rep.) and kim (dem.) debated for CM,district 19. kim dwelled on the trucking routes to and from the area. he "ducked" the questions concerning the outrageous 25.5% property tax increase,since 2001. when the democratic label was
linked to n.y.c. council tax increasers,by the audience,the chairman censored the audience ?he stated "no politics"??? mr.kim would not commit to voting against higher property taxes.
mr.kim did say that overdevelopment would decline,if close circuit
cameras were installed at construction sites.(increased spending?)
just what the city council dems.,who are the recipients of developer's donations, will vote for!! bloomberg (lib) must be laughing.
mr.halloran was sharp,articulate and expressed a no-nonsense
approach to representing all citizens in district 19. he promised to
vote against high property taxes. the audience gave him a resounding approval.
why aren't the queens weekly's printing when and where the debates
are being held? do you think they are aiding democratic candidates
"duck"(as cong.g.ackerman did on healthcare),so that public disapproval of their spending policy's is buried ?
George...you could use a dose of prune juice to clear your bowels.
It's beginning to back up to your mouth again.
And your mastery of trivia fails to impress us.
Though he tries to present himself as a clean cut candidate...Kim's got an awful lot of dirty laundry that needs airing.
To begin with he belongs to Ackerman despite what he's said of his independance from Gary.
Ackerman got loads of money through Asian sources (overseas...who knows?) over the years for his campaigns!
We should be very concerned with the strong possibility that Korean "church" groups raised most of Kim's campaign money.
What are those "churches" real agendas?
If Kim gets in Ackerman will have northeast Queens looking like North Korea in a very short time!
Yeah...."churches" and whore houses on every corner!
Look at the way Ackerman, Manes, Tommy Huang, etc. destroyed downtown Flushing!
DUMP KIM or the same happens here!
The Halloran family has lived in the area , I believe, for 5 generations!
Kevin "come lately" is a carpetbagger out to clear the woods for the creation of a whole new colony.
Up-zoning will ensue.
Trees will be cut down!
R1-2A etc. will be dumped!
Your fine quality of life will become just fading memories!
Don't be "tweeded" by the mild mannered appearance and controlled low key temperment of Mr. Kim.
There's a hungry wolf beneath his disguised exterior.
"...you mastery of trivia..."
God lies in the details.
If Halloran isn't ducking how come he sent a private "not for mass distribution" explanation of his "I believe in God" editorial to Pagan and Asatru groups?
Why is he telling the mostly Christian constituency of the 19th District one thing and his Pagan buddies another?
Also he claims Ragusa and company knew about his Paganism before he ran yet they are on record saying they had no idea. Who's lying? Halloran or Ragusa?
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