Thank Eliot Engel for Health Care Reform

While the Health Care Reform Bill that passed last night is but a shadow of what it could have been, it is a small step in the right direction. The new laws outlined in this bill will open up health insurance many that had no access to it, do away with yearly and lifetime maximums, ending denials of care, ending denial of coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, putting medical decisions back in the hands of the patient and the doctor, and all while making health care more affordable for all and extending tax credits to small businesses that insure their employees.

While I heartily disagree with Congressman Engel on many subjects (and I will continue to do so), he stood by his constituency on health care reform and should be applauded for it.

This has been a career-long battle for Congressman Engel, and it's one fight that is probably not over. However, I think it's time that we all thanked him for his role over the years at trying to get comprehensive health care reform passed. Let Congressman Engel know you will remember his vote come November. Call him at (202) 225-2464. Read More......

Congressman, civil rights icon and health care reform proponent to speak in Pearl River

Congressman John Lewis, one of the protagonists of the 1960s civil rights movement, will speak at the Pearl River Hilton on April 8 at 6 pm as part of the Nyack NAACP's Freedom Fund Dinner.

Lewis became nationally known during his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches, where he marched side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King. During the first march, Lewis and other peaceful protesters were beaten mercilessly by the notoriously racist Alabama police. Lewis's skull was fractured and his wounds are still visible today.

In 1986, Lewis was elected to Congress where he serves as one of the House's lions of civil liberties. He was the first member of Congress to call for the impeachment of George W. Bush and he is a staunch opponent to the Iraq War. Congressman Lewis has also been a strong proponent of health-care reform.

Also honored at the dinner will be several local educators, NAACP mentors and the Haverstraw Town Board. More details to come.

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Iggy Pop croons for Harold Ford, Jr.

The site of proto-punker Iggy Pop performing "Search and Destroy" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" to a crowd of austere stuffed-shirt types at the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom is ridiculous and ironic in itself. What's even more absurd is the near terrified look on the face of erstwhile Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr. in this picture from Monday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. While his wife, Emily, stares quite approvingly at the agless rocker's pectorals, the former Tennessee Congressman—who once backed a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage—looks decidedly distressed by the pansexual implications of being serenaded by a sweaty, shirtless, 63-year-old gym rat. Read More......