Please Help! (Sidney, N.Y.) - Democratic Underground

H2O Man

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Fri Oct-01-10 12:00 PM
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Please Help! (Sidney, N.Y.)

“Simply because a man is appointed to a position, or through the drudgery of years has followed the Peter Principle and risen to his level of incompetence, does not mean he is immortal. There has never been a system yet that would not gladly sacrifice one of its own for a moment's peace, no matter how brief. If the system is to be changed, then those who would change it should pinpoint its weak spot, its blockage points, and place all the pressure on that one point until the blockage is cleared.”
--Vine Deloria, Jr.; We Talk, You Listen; Dell Publishing; 1970; page 66.

The Town of Sidney, N.Y., has received national attention, as the result of Town Supervisor Bob McCarthy's attempt to force a tiny Islamic settlement to remove all bodies from its cemetery. Although the leaders of the community have provided the media with its permit for the cemetery, and McCarthy has told reporters that he has no idea what the laws are, the Town Board voted unanimously in favor of the Supervisor's proposal.

The Huffington Post's Andrew Reinbach reported on this recently. Keith Olbermann followed on MSNBC's Countdown, naming McCarthy the “worst person in the world.” Stephen Colbert, CNN, and numerous other media sources have since been reporting on the controversy.

I've taken an interest in this case, in part because it is such an obvious example of prejudice, fear, and hatred. More, I grew up in Sidney, and as a young adult lived on the rural road where the Islamic settlement is today. I maintain contacts with numerous people from in and around the town, and understand that the vast majority of citizens there are outraged by McCarthy's ugly actions.

From what I've been told, McCarthy and a small group of Tea Party associates are behind the effort to remove the Muslims from the community. McCarthy, his son-in-law, and his best friend won offices on the Town Board, under the guise of being republicans. However, the cemetery conflict is but one example of conflicts they have caused, even within the republican party. In fact, republicans have joined with democrats and independents in an effort to remove McCarthy from office.

The cemetery conflict came about as a result of the effort to build an Islamic community center near “Ground Zero.” McCarthy & Co were intent upon making their own contribution to the anti-Islamic diseased thinking that is infecting too many Americans. Apparently, among the “leadership” of the Tea Party, there is concern that McCarthy is a “loose cannon,” who is making their group look foolish. Indeed, he is, though that problem should belong to them, alone.

The Sidney Town Board will next meet on Thursday, October 14, at 7 pm, at the Sidney Civic Center, on Liberty Street. It is expected that there will be a large crowd, including reporters. While it is not possible that many forum members can attend this meeting, the good news is that you can all help.

One of the activities that Sidney residents are asking for help with involves having as many people as possible contact New York Governor David Paterson. You do not need to be a resident of Sidney, or New York State. Below is the link to his office. Please write, call, and/or e-mail his office. Ask the Governor to intervene on this issue. Request that he send a high-ranking representative to the next town board meeting.

http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html

Thank you,
H2O Man