From the Daily News:Several readers have now forwarded this rather stunning piece of mail that slams Bob Friedrich, who will face off Tuesday against David Weprin in a special election to fill the Queens Assembly seat vacated by Weprin's now-councilman brother, Mark.
The mail features a Swastika superimposed over a generic photo of police tape. It arrived in mailboxes in Glen Oaks, a 10,000-person co-op on the Nassau/Queens line that is heavily Jewish.
As you can see from the mailer that appears in full after the jump, Friedrich himself was on the mailing list.
The piece accuses Friedrich, who, like Weprin, is Jewish, of being an "extremist" who is "out of touch with our community's values." According to Friedrich's campaign manager, Jay Golub, this stems from comments Friedrich made that murder should carry a heavier penalty than hate crimes.
Weprin's campaign manager Corey Bearak confirmed the mailer is indeed from his side of the fence. He sent the following statement:
"It's not offensive to make sure people know just home extreme Republican-Conservative Bob Friedrich is; this extremist opposes hate crimes legislation - it's offensive that Republican Bob Friedrich actually opposes hate crimes legislation."
"Crimes driven by anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and other prejudices deserve special attention and warrant extra-tough penalties. As a Jewish community leader who speaks out against anti-Semitism and other hate and it’s outrageous that an extremist like Friedrich, who is also anti-gun control and against Roe v. Wade, would run for office in our community. He will be rejected on February 9th."
Ok, well then I guess I must be a Nazi, too, because I don't think hate crimes deserve special punishment, either. If you got your head bashed in by a mugger, who took your wallet, he'd get a few months in jail at most. If you got your head bashed in by a mugger who took your wallet and then called you a derogatory name, he'd get years behind bars - for doing the exact same thing to you. What the hell is the difference? A word that was said? You're still injured and lost whatever he stole from you.
Hate crime prosecution is usually politically motivated and used to protect specific populations but not others. Even if we continually expand the designated special classes of people that are to be protected by hate crimes legislation, it will never apply to all people and we are supposed to have equal protection under the law.
For example, rape is a crime motivated by hate, and committed mainly against women. A rapist goes out specifically looking for a woman to rape. However, women are not a protected group under hate crime legislation.
Bob Friedrich is Jewish. It appears that Weprin therefore committed a hate crime by sending out a flier mentioning Bob's name and putting a swastika on it.
See how stupid this legislation is? Just stiffen the penalties for all crimes and cut down on the plea bargains that end up insulting victims.
This flier actually makes me want to vote for Friedrich, and I would if I lived in that district. Big time backfire, here. One thing's certain - Someone with a dynastic name must be quaking in his boots if he felt it necessary to resort to this.
45 comments:
Weprin's campaign manager Corey Bearak ...
----
Is this the same Corey Bearak who is president of Queens Civic Congress?
If so, was this approved by QCC?
Great to hear rational commentary on this subject.
I have to agree. It seems like this hate crimes legislation is something that gives certain people more importance under the law. We shouldn't have separate laws and punishments for the same crimes. Calling someone a derogatory name is not a crime in and of itself and neither is disliking a certain ethnic or religious group. It's one thing to say you want to "exterminate" members of a certain race and go on a killing spree and it's another thing to mug old ladies (because they are easy targets) and end up convicted of a hate crime, as a guy in Queens was recently. He was most likely a junkie loser, not an ageist. It's gotten a little out of control.
hate crimes laws = feel good legislation.
same thing as making assaulting a bus drive or brownie equal to assualting a cop.
hey! they got special attention now i want special attention!
crybaby losers!
Times Ledger has this:
Bearak stood by the piece.
“I think the intent was to focus on this extremist Republican-Conservative, totally out of touch with the community ... who opposes hate crimes,” he said.
“They could say whatever they want,” he said of Friedrich’s supporters. “The record is clear: He opposes hate crimes.”
He opposes hate crimes? Well don't we all?
Hey Friedrich, if they're going to play dirty, the gloves are off . . . Doesn't Weprin support Osama Bin Laden?
so, btw, Freiedrich does not support hate crime laws, right. so the piece is honest. Just checking.
The single funniest thing is Padavan, touting Friedrich by saying he is pro-choice and against gun control.
atta boy Frank, democrats will vote for you cause your running friedrcih, the democrat, as a republican, who is also anti choice, just like you.
man, avella, is going to be giving you a whipping.
Friedrich has my vote. Weprin is a weasel. happy he lost the comptroler' race but now he want his brother seat and his brother has his seat. vice versa. Can't rid ourselves of these fake dynasties.
Equal protection not special protection. Do you know that if you assault a homosexual then you would serve double the time if you assaulted a heterosexual person. Why is the homosexual victim more important than the heterosexual?
No doubt Weprin feels that toupee wearers deserve special protection under the law, too.
Godless George is right again!
My family's known Bob Friedrich for years. He's not a politician motivated by ego. He's not a politician at all. He's a thoughtful guy who really wants to do the right thing. So of course, I thought he didn't have a chance.
I am aware of party regulars (I used to be a member of his club) who still don't understand they can't look down on us anymore.
This year is different. We can vote for a guy who actually cares -and this year he can win.
Weprin's not the worst. But he's definitely part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Gary Ackerman's day is coming, too.
Not political family should have a seat as long as the Weprin's have. Scratch that.. there shouldn't be political dynasties period.
I went to high school with Bearak's daughter, was Mark Weprin's sons camp counselor... We can really make this dirty if we wanted too.. but for now I'll keep my mouth shut..
I agree. Why are some people protected people, more important people than others? Equal,not MORE equal under the law - what is going on?
And how come Weprin is not being prosecuted for his hate crime?
Weprin should be charged with a hate crime. So should Corey. And yes, Corey is the President of the Queens Civic Congress, a group that many civics are opposed to. Corey also sent out emails ordering civic leaders to publicly support Weprin. He implied a threat that if civic leaders don't action may be taken against the civics. 13 civics stood together and said 'no' to his bully tactics. Weprin also recently passed a widely controversial bill, #967, just before he left the City Council.
"...for now I'll keep my mouth shut." Why?
former CM Sheldon Leffler of Bayside was convicted of election campaign fraud in the 1980's .
is this the same Cory Bearak,who was his staff member ?
Is this the same Corey Barak that dissed all the western Queens civics so City Planning and EDC (with a handful of locals in DK) could thumb their nose at the rest of the community of Long Island City?
Nice way to run QCC.
Where is Sean Walsh when you need him?
Doesn't matter whether we agree with his political stance or not, the mailer is inappropriate. Associating someone with Nazism shows a total lack of understanding of the Nazi era. Friedrich is a politician expressing his views in a Democratic system (and who can be voted for or against), which is completely unlike National Socialism.
A political campaign is not the place to monger " Nazi " hate, especially when it is totally false. 3/4 of my family were murdered by them. David should have apologized for releasing this piece of garbage. David, in the recent politcal debate, said that his constituent staff is among the best. This cannot be further from the truth. When David first became NYC Councilman this may have been true, but as the years passed, members of his staff left because of the ineptness and unresponsiveness of David and his staff. As a political stategist once said, " Tell a big enough lie and people will believe it." Well, David, like Pinocchio, your nose is getting longer!
Yeah and my family is not Jewish but a good number of them fought Nazis in WWII and they are none too impressed by this hit piece.
Vote Friedrich!!!!!
End the useless, aged, self-serving, failing machine.
Send a message that we the American people will no longer stand for these useless smear merchants taking our money.
The time for change is now. Get out and vote. It can happen, think Scott Brown!!
Most of Weprins supporters are in Florida right now, this is a great opportunity. This is why Weprins campaign is so desperate. They know we can win.
Everyone who opposes "the machine" is a nazi in this district. You think these people would change their playbook after fifty years. Its so predictable, they are so desperate they are calling a fellow Jew a Nazi. You can smell the absolute desperation of the Weprin campaign.
They are resorting to demonizing a fellow Jew in order to win. I really dont think that to many Jews would support such vile tactics.
The backlash will be enormous against Weprin, as it should be.
Is it true, that Weprin at a local area co-op community council meeting called his former opponent Singh an anti-semite? For distributing a flyer.
Sounds like a pattern of behavior. But calling a fellow jew a Nazi. Weprin and his supports sound like the lowest form of do anything to win slime around.
Shame on them!!!!!!!!!!
To the last anonymous poster: David Weprin and Singh were never opponents. You may be confusing David and Mark. But unless you know for sure, don't start rumors by asking loaded questions.
so this is going to be Freidrichs third or fourth time he is losing ?
and Padavan in the papers saying, no, no, he is pro-choice ?
whats that about ? what exactly is that about ? Bob needs to think about that long and hard.
i mean Frank may as well pull his pants down and take a dump on the guys head. Is Friedrich that dumb to be used by Frank ?
I guess Bob hasnt been around that long.
Corey Bearak is little more than a clubhouse zhlubb...a pinhead of mediocrity.
Following in the footsteps of Multi Media's (Michael Nussbaum) mud slinging style of campaigning they did for Kevin Dukun Kim...Corey has struck a new political low point.
He should be fired from his position as president of Queens civic Congress!
I can't stand that pompous blowhard Bob Friedrich...nor do I intend to vote for him...but Corey's piece is the pits!
You've just lost the many years of respect that I had for you Mr. Bearak!
I think you all are Nazi loving communist racist scum. How dare you forget the hatred that hatey hate mchate. My father fought in some war, and I'm never going to forget the hatred that he instilled in me, a hatred of hatred. And I'm going to stand up in favor of standing up to hate. Don't be a hater; be a participater. Or a participant. And you're all Nazis. And I think you're using code words like "is" and "group." We all know what you mean.
Please forgive Jeremy, he's off his meds again.
Damn it, who put tic-tacs in place of my Xanax?
Oh yeah. It will backfire.
All the people who read the Crapper and the Daily News blof will run to vote for Freidrich.
The truth is, the Democrats are fighting back and telling voters what the Republicans voted for.
Padavan came with 200 voters of losing once his record was out there. Wait till the anti-immigrant stuff drops this year.
And BTW, Obama didn't help Gennaro. The district is 95 percent white. Voters are just not far to the right.
See ya Bob. See ya Frank. And the pagan wacko is out nect time as well.
And Bob Friedrich is a Democrat who ran on the Republican line because the sheep voted for Weprin to run on their line. The guy isn't all that conservative. It's interesting how this hit piece only targeted his co-op, which is expected to turn out in large numbers to vote for him. Weprin is scared - and he should be.
Does the candidacy of David Weprin really excite or inspire anyone? I'd have to say no. He has a nasally monotonous voice and rode his father's name into office. He has nothing else going for him.
David Weprin and his family are obviously very, very, very scared of losing their grip on what they consider to be their personal Assembly seat to resort to these vile tactics. I can only wonder: Is the late Saul Weprin turning in his grave? Is "matriarch" Sylvia Weprin proud of her boy now?
Truly repugnant. Time to oust the Weprins once and for all!
Bob Friedrick will get beat next week. And now forever and ever and ever he is tagged as a Republican. And without matching funds he is no one.
Another clown used by Frank Padavan, the greatest phony of all time.
Is Friedrick gonna claim he was a veteran too like Frank.
This little dispute reminds me of the political insight of George Wallace upon losing an election in 1958:
"I was out-niggered, and I will never be out-niggered again."
Substitute "nazi" for the other n-word.
its good to see Freidreich is spending the last three days of the campaigns on the blogs and running around organizing protests about someone supposedly calling him a Nazi in a Jewish district.
Sucker !
im a civic leader and im for weprin and corey told me to keep this guy busy on the phone so i spoke to him yesterday for almost an hour.
is D.Weprin not the CM who enabled the Bay Terrace Chabad to buy the 26th avenue property, with $1.5 million dollars of n.y.c. taxpayer money ?
what a thrifty pol, just the kind we need in Albany.
spend ,spend,spend. and did he help Bloomberg to increase our property tax 25.5% since 2002,while in the city council?
how stupid can FreidReich be ?
He spent the last three days working on a press conference, for weekly newspapers that wont come out till after the election, pointing out that somehow he is affiliated with hate crimes and swastikas.
Ha,hahahahahahaha.
what a fuckin clown. the real joke will be if Padavan was stupid enough to show up and get tagged with "extremist Republican agenda against choice and hate crimes."
I assume Frank aint that stupid.
Anonymous said, "...how stupid can FreidReich be?"
Thank you. Starting off a comment by playing immature games with someone's name allows the rest of us readers to put the remainder of that posting in context. Thanks for making it so easy.
Maybe Weprin's hacks though Friedrich was German. Oops, turns out he's Jewish, too.
Negative campaigning failed to defeat Halloran. It will fail for Weprin, too.
It's time the Dem clubhouse learned that this is not New Jersey. Queens will not tolerate hateful campaigns.
The Welp-rins seem about to lose their franchise...handed down from pappa Saul.
Well...they've had their turn at the trough too long anyway.
Now it's time for them to pull their snouts away and open up a place for the next incoming bottom feeder.
Glad I don't live in that district.
Frank's got more friends than you think bub.
Avella would do far better to run for Ackerman's seat than take a beating (even if it's a slim one) from Padavan.
Poor Tony got schlonged in the mayoral race.
He should take a lesson from that experience.
Mark Weprin appointed his brother as the Democratic nominee for the State Assembly. This knocked out the chances for Bob Friedrich, who is still a registered Dem. Bob, who truly believes that our community needs someone in office who knows what we need, had little choice but to run on the Republican ticket. Why are the Weprins so angry with Bob? Corey Bearak and his 'gang' of neighborhood thugs are willing to compromise their reputations in order to hurt Bob Friedrich. As a civic leader, I took great offense at the recent threats Corey implied through emails to most of the civics in the 24th AD. This is the world of politics? Why are we settling for this? Isn't it time to get these bums out of office? Hey David: you didn't get elected as City Comptroller. Get the picture??? People don't like your politics!
Great article! I agree with you Queens Crapper 100%!! I am Jewish and my whole family voted for Bob Friedrich!
In terms of Bob Friedrich, there is NOTHING extreme in protecting free speech, the right to life, traditional marriage and the right to bear arms! The extreme ones are those who speak out against these moral and rational ideas! They are the dangerous ones who are withering the stability of our society.
Furthermore, I will speak my mind in public whether it is considered a "hate crime" or not because the U.S. Constitution is the ultimate law of the land and permits me to. I have the law on my side! Not these radical idiots!
A REAL hate crime is when an individual's free speech is not protected under the law! I will not let the leftist, socialist, fascist, communist bullies tell me what I can and cannot say in public!
We all deserve equal protection under the law as is stated in the U.S. Constitution. I am of Jewish heritage like Bob Friedrich and this is what I sincerely believe! We need more politically sane, conservative Jewish people to set an example for our community that these are the values that hold true to anyone who adheres to our faith!
One fairly local person who I admire has run for office in NYC. His name is Rabbi Yehuda Levin. We need more principled and articulate people to run in local elections. We need people to run for office who are not afraid to speak the truth, who will counter the backward thinking liberal democrats, their barbaric self-serving nature and the hypocrisy they wish to impose on society!
David Weprin is the one out of touch with this community's values! When I asked him a simple question at a civic meeting last fall he ignored my question!! I don't call that representation. I call that a slap in the face!
The electorate in the 24 AD needs to finally wake up and smell the coffee!
Post a Comment