Bronx pol: Gay groups threatening me

[meegbear]

A dissident Democrat who sought to block the legalization of gay marriage says he's being threatened by gay advocates.

Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. of the Bronx, a minister, says the gay community is jamming his office phone and making threats to him and his staff.

He also lashed out at newspaper editorial boards that have been critical of his efforts that could deny Democrats a majority and called political commentator and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch a rat.

Diaz says he will either join the Republicans, stay neutral to create an impasse, or join the Democratic conference.

Democratic senators are meeting Friday in closed door session.

The party won a 32-30 majority in November, but three dissidents threaten that.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nybronx1213,0,3052757.story?track=rss

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. How often does he order his flock to do the exact same thing to other politicians?

"My colleague wants gay marriage in New York, so call his office, send him faxes, send him emails and tell him NO!" :eyes:

Thank goodness he is a Democrat because that is all that matters. Right?

[closeupready]

2. If he doesn't want to communicate with his constituents, he should resign immediately.

A government which is not responsive to the people is a dictatorship.

[GodlessBiker]

3. Diaz is the rat.

[Fearless]

4. Oh I make YOU feel uncomfortable do I? I'm threatening YOU am I?

Get a grip! See you in November.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. aww poor baby

fucking asshole

[Deep13]

6. He needs to decide whether he represents his residents or his theology.

I submit the two considerations are at cross purposes and he cannot serve both interests.

[HillbillyBob]

7. AWwww poor baby, try having a gun shoved in your face saying I

gonna kill you queer, and the law won't do shit to me for it.
Try dealing with the grief of having one of your friends beaten to death with bricks
to the head because he worked at a gay bar and the perps walk free.
I could list any number of incidents. Even to having to defend my self, partner and home witha shotgun. and will do so again at need. Though were I live now my straight but not narrow neighbors would would likely shoot some one that attempted to hurt us here.
Their brothers were a little iffy when we moved in here, but they have come to know us a little bit and know that were are good people. We don't impinge on others.

[bluedawg12]

8. This guy threatened to withhold support for Smith in NY over g-m?

This guy has a bad history regarding gay rights.

ETA: A little info. on this douche from another thread earlier this month that I looked up:

Google this guy if you have a chance and the little dust up with money to charities going to his family?????

Here's one:

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=...
Funds followed senator's kin
Charity lost taxpayer money after it stopped employing relatives of Ruben Diaz Sr.

>>By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau
First published in print: Friday, April 21, 2006

ALBANY -- In the past three years, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. and his son Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. cut off state funding to a Bronx charity that stopped employing their relatives.
Afterward, they steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to a different organization created by the senator and directed by his wife, according to state records and interviews.


The senator and presumably his son, Assemblyman Diaz, provided $940,000 to Christian Community Benevolent Association in the Bronx from 2003 through last year, the documents show.

Sen. Diaz, a minister, may have violated Senate guidelines for use of the funds, which are so-called "member item" expenditures. Member items come from a lump sum in the state budget each year of $200 million split among the Legislature and governor. The funds are shrouded in secrecy. Earlier this month, Gov. George Pataki vetoed the latest $200 million pot and lawmakers are planning to override him next week.<<

Also:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/11/state_sen_tom_duan...

>>Tom Duane, the only openly gay New York state senator, says that Ruben Diaz Sr. is being "a little bit of a bully" by demanding that Democrats swear to him in writing that they won't try to pass a gay-marriage bill. Earlier this week, Diaz said he wouldn't caucus with them if they didn't. But Duane says that this simply is no longer the way to get things done in Albany, now that Malcolm Smith is in charge.

"It's absurd that Sen. Diaz thinks he can bully his way on this issue," Duane said. "I guess he thinks he hasn't been getting enough attention, so he feels need to bully his way to the forefront, but that's not going to fly in the Senate anymore. He'll get used to things running in a more democratic way."<<

.........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruben_Diaz

>> Opposition to same-sex marriage
In 2007, as his party, led by Governor Eliot Spitzer and Lt. Governor David Paterson, sought to recognize gay marriage and expand rights for the LGBT community, Diaz was a vocal opponent of the gay marriage bill and was highly critical of Democratic support for the bill.<9> Senator Diaz's opposition to same-sex marriage continued in 2008, when he vowed to vote against same-sex marriage legislation <10> and participated (along with hundreds of clergy) in a pro-traditional-marriage "Power in the Pulpit" rally held by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms<11> in the Legislative Office Building;<12> at the rally, Sen. Diaz was reportedly presented with over 15,000 petitions in support of traditional marriage.<13>


Gay community controversies

Opposition to Gay Games
In 1994, while on the Civilian Complaint Review Board, Diaz was critical of the city hosting the Gay Games, claiming that doing so would lead to an increase in AIDS cases and to wider acceptance of homosexuality by young people.<14> Diaz wrote that hosting the Games would lead children "to conclude that if there are so many gay and lesbian athletes then there is nothing wrong, nor any risks involved."<14> The other members of the Board issued a unanimous rebuke of Diaz’s comments.<14>


Criticism of Harvey Milk School policy
In 2003, Diaz filed a lawsuit to stop the expansion of the Harvey Milk School (a school for gay students who suffer discrimination in traditional settings), claiming that the school infringed the rights of heterosexual students.<15><16> The lawsuit was settled in 2006 after the school agreed not to discriminate against heterosexual students and not to restrict admission to students who identify as homosexual, and after the City of New York agreed that the school would be open to all students.<17><<

[IndianaGreen]

9. So in addition to being a homophobe, Ruben Diaz is an anti-Semite

Calling former New York City Mayor Ed Koch a rat is a no-no when it comes to Jews. Nazis were the ones that referred to Jews as rats and rodents. Having Diaz using the same terminology to refer to a Jew, even an asshole like Ed Koch, is very offensive to the Jewish community.