BONUS: How will Stec, Tedisco vote on assisted suicide bill?

Preston Jenkins leave long legacy of service in Town of Moreau

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Twice I've watched loved ones die.

And while I cannot speak for the experiences of others, neither death was particularly peaceful, and I've come to believe that dying quietly in your sleep is a fantasy. The human body's desire to survive is mind-boggling. For days I watched my unconscious mother fighting for every last breath.

Struggling to breathe.

For days.

In my wife's final days, I often found myself sprinting from the bedroom to the kitchen in the middle of the night for that emergency dose of morphine to keep her comfortable. On her final night, I got her over on her side in the middle of the night and she was sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to turn her later as I was instructed to do to prevent bed sores.

The next morning, the nurse found an enormous black and blue bruise on her side and explained that was why I needed to turn her.

I hope that Sen. Dan Stec or Sen. Jim Tedesco never have to go through that in their lives.

But I hope they think about it this week while considering the Medical Aid in Dying Act. In the past, both have opposed the legislation.

Gallup reports that just over 7 in 10 Americans believe doctors should be "allowed by law to end the patient's life by some painless means if the patient and his or family request it."

So far, 12 U.S. jurisdictions have legalized assisted suicide including our neighbors in Vermont and New Jersey. Delaware is close to passing a law, too.

So is New York.

Oregon passed the first law 30 years ago so there is a lot of research and understanding to ensure these laws are not abused.

Patients have to have less than six months to live.

Two doctors have to sign off on that reality.

The Patients has to be of sound mind.

And here is a fact I had never heard before: In 2022, Oregon found only 57 percent of the patients prescribed the life-ending drugs went through with it.

But they had a choice.

If there as ever a bill that should be be politicized, it should be this one. Republicans describe these bills as "assisted suicide" while Democrats describe them as "death with dignity."

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who always finds a way to politicize everything, issued a brutal condemnation of what she called "this disgusting assisted suicide bill." and lashed out at anyone who supports it.

She then blamed Gov. Kathy Hochul for it instead of the 7 of 10 citizens who support it and called the legislation "immoral shortcut that devalues human life."

Neither my wife's nor my mother's lives were enhanced by their end-of-life suffering over those final few days. That's why we all should be given the choice.

The Democrats believe they have 25 votes, but they need 32 to pass the bill.

So I'm asking Stec and Tedesco to vote with the 70 percent of the public who believe in this legislation.

To show they can vote with some humanity instead of along a party lines.

I called Stec's communication director Monday to ask where he stood on the bill. It went to voice mail, so I left a message asking for a call back. I emailed last night.

I still have not heard anything.

I also emailed Tedisco asking him where he stood on the bill without hearing anything.

The Assembly passed the bill 81-67 last month with Republican Assemblyman Matt Simpson voting against. I hope he never has to watch someone die, too.

So if you believe in this legislation, I urge to you to call Stec:

- Albany office - 518 455-2811.

- Glens Falls office - 518 743-0968.

Or Jim Tedisco at:

- Albany office - 518 455-2181.

- Clifton Park office - 518 885-1829.

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Remembering Preston

The Town of Moreau lost a formidable public servant this past week in Preston Jenkins.

When Preston was running for re-election as town supervisor years ago, he met with The Post-Star's editorial board and made a big impression.

Let's just say, Preston was not the most exciting candidate we ever met, but his command of the town's financial situation and how to keep it going in the right direction - after all he was an accountant -was unparalleled.

I saw Preston a couple times when he attended my book events. Even then, he was hoping I might write something about Moreau's ongoing environmental battles.

People like Preston leave office, but they never stop fighting for what they believe when it comes to their communities.

It said in his obituary, "As one of nature’s gentlemen, Preston was always willing to offer assistance, whether through a listening ear, a helping hand, or dispensing advice."

Not a bad legacy.

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Congrats NCPR

North Country Public Radio makes me smarter.

I regularly point out stories that are important to the region because, no one else is doing those stories.

I saw this week that the NCPR team won nine regional radio awards.

Journalism awards don't mean a lot to most of us, but when you make a score like that, it means you are making a difference in your community with your journalism.

NCPR's awards included two for overall excellence in 2024. They included two awards for the investigative podcast, "If All Else Fails," about far-right extremism in Upstate New York, and the newsroom’s ongoing coverage of climate change.

“These awards demonstrate that despite all the challenges facing local journalism, NCPR’s investment in news and public service to the North Country pays dividends,” said NCPR Station Manager Mitch Teich.

Congrats to NCPR.

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Not surprising

It's easy to miss important stories these days, but New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd pointed out two that will shock and maybe anger you.

Dowd called it "sickening" that the Justice Department is considering settling a wrongful-death lawsuit by giving $5 million to the family Ashli Babbitt. You will remember her as the young women who was shot to death trying to break into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Dowd writes: "If Babbitt was trying to help Trump claw back a “stolen” election by breaking into the Capitol, then breaking into the Capitol must be a good thing to do, and any police officer who tried to stop her and protect lawmakers cowering under desks must be in the wrong."

Yes, people who say the 2020 election was stolen is still a thing.

Dowd Pointed out that House Republicans have so far refused to put up a plaque honoring police officers and others who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Dowd went on to write: "I take it personally because my dad spent 20 years as the D.C. police inspector in charge of Senate security. He would run to the House whenever there was trouble. So if on Jan. 6 Mike Dowd had been preventing insurrectionists from assaulting lawmakers, he would now be, in Trump’s eyes, not a hero deserving of a plaque, but a blackguard who was thwarting `patriots,' as Trump calls the rioters he pardoned. It is a disturbing bizarro world."

Perhaps, the next round of phone calls to Rep. Elise Stefanik and defending the Blue should be to ask why the House Republicans have not put up that plaque to honor the police who helped save their lives.

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Death of DOJ

Marc Elias, who founded the "Democracy Docket" newsletter in 2020, wrote last week, "The Department of Justice no longer represents the best interests of the American people. Under (Attorney Genereal Pam) Bondi, it has been transformed into little more than a cog in the authoritarian machine doing Donald Trump’s bidding. It has abandoned independent judgment and fealty to the law and replaced it with unquestioned obedience to the White House."

Elias pointed out that Trump has transformed the office into an an instrument for voter suppression.

He pointed out that last week the DOJ filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections to disenfranchise 60,000 North Carolina voters after Republicans had lost their case in court.

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Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.