Hysteria about Proposition 1 is misplaced
"Never" Elise signs popping up around the region
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On the back of your voting ballot this year you will find two propositions.
This is what Proposition 1 says:
"This proposal would protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. It also protects against unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy.
A "YES" vote puts these protections in the New York State Constitution.
A "NO" vote leaves these protections out of the State Constitution.
Seems pretty simple.
If you vote for Proposition 1, you are against "unequal treatment."
If you oppose Proposition 1, you are for "unequal treatment."
It's a no-brainer really, especially when you consider some of the laws being passed in other parts of the country against reproductive healthcare.
Like many, I had not paid much attention to this proposition, better known as the Equal Rights Amendment, because it seemed to protect what was already protected.
You can argue it is redundant.
But while attending a Town Board meeting in Queensbury two women spoke - Jean Lapper and Mary Enhorning - urging the Town Board to support Proposition 1. In response, Supervisor John Strough said he would draw up a resolution for the board to consider.
He introduced resolution at the Town Board meeting this past week.
Fireworks followed.
So let's a take a moment and review.
Let's go back to the top of this story and read Proposition 1 again. When you are finished, continue reading and ask yourself what Proposition 1 is asking.
From the above Proposition 1 language some Queensbury residents concluded their rights as parents would be usurped, that transgender males would be taking the spots of girls on sports teams and hurting other girls because they were bigger and stronger, that illegal migrants would be granted state benefits, and, the weirdest of all, that children would be sexually assaulted in school rest rooms.
Where did these ideas come from?
Coincidentally, the New York State Republican Party provided a "Fact Sheet" online that mirrored much of the hysteria raised at the meeting in Queensbury this week about parents rights, illegal migrants and boys being allowed to participate in girls sports.
Actually, the Republican document goes farther in some cases, saying that children will be "indoctrinated" in schools while removing parents from any decision-making in their lives.
Does anyone know anyone this is happening to locally?
Republicans claim that the wording is deliberately ambiguous so that it can mean anything to anyone.
So as I'm driving along Aviation Road, not far from the roundabout, I saw one house sporting "Protect Girls Sports" signs that asked people to vote no to Proposition 1.
According to Post-Star Editor Steve Thurston's account in the newspaper, people said they "feared that boys would go into the girls restrooms and attack girls and that trans girls would play on girls sports teams."
This was like deja vu all over again.
It wasn't that many years ago, that people were saying the same things about those who were gay.
Trent Sano, a Queensbury parent speaking on Zoom, responded, "Don't scapegoat an already marginalized group."
"No one is coming for your kids in the bathroom," another speaker said.
But I'm sure parents who believe this will not be persuaded, especially if they already have a sign on their front lawn.
If the Republicans are right about anything with Proportion 1, it is is that most of what it assures are rights already protected in the state Constitution. But then again, most women thought the same about their reproductive health care.
Finally, Lapper, who ran for the state Senate against Dan Stec in 2022 and urged the board to take up the issue last month, took her turn at the microphone.
"I've heard a lot of falsehoods. I've heard a lot of lies. I've heard a lot of fear," Lapper said. "The proposition is about equal rights."
That's the way I read it.
The Queensbury Town Board then voted 3-1 against endorsing Proposition I with Republican representatives Tim McNulty, Tony Metivier and Michael Dixon voting against "equal rights" as required by their party.
I guess that isn't surprising considering that McNulty is chairman of the county Republican Committee - how is that not a conflict of interest? - and actually chastised Supervisor Strough for even bringing up the vote to the floor when he knew it would be defeated.
Isn't that what democracy is all about?
Shouldn't town residents know where there representatives stand on the issues, especially if they are against - as Jean Lapper reminded us "equal rights."
The question now is why they are against equal rights?
Chapman lights
If you are in downtown Glens Falls at night, make sure you get a chance to check out the Chapman Museum's new lights.
Electrician Tony Derrick has been upgrading the outdoor lighting of the old DeLong House hoping to get some orange glow in time for Halloween.
Tony has been working with our decorating committee as the museum upgrades its holiday decorations this year.
Tony is still tweaking the lighting, but it is looking good.
More on Collins
One final thought on Democratic candidate Paula Collins. While it was nice to hear her views on important issues - we have not heard any from the incumbent - I still believe the best way to make headway with voters is to remind them of the constant barrage of lies that Rep. Stefanik has perpetrated during the past decade from the fictional account of growing up and working in Willsboro to regularly taking credit for local federally-funded project which she voted against.
I'm no professional operative, but I still think most people disapprove of lying, but I may be wrong about that
Haunted tour
Nice to see the Chapman Museum's Haunted Walking Tour for tonight is sold out, but if are still interested there is another one scheduled for FRiday, Oct. 18. Just vall and register today at 518 793-2628.
Another Stefanik sign
Saw another couple of anti-Elise signs in Queensbury as residents repurposing their old Elise Stefanik signs. I’m hoping we will see more and more in the coming days.
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.
This is what the combination of Trump's relentless fear and hatred campaigns, social media on the Internet, AI, and the legacy media pillorying Harris while sane-washing Trump will do. And the idea of listening to others, seeking out views from different sources with different agendas, even engaging in a thought process that includes a brake system for stopping the fear and hatred arising within from taking over - these are important. This is creeping fascism. If this stuff doesn't frighten you and make you think that maybe somebody will come after you with some bogus story about how you will destroy them, then start there, because fear and hatred are a forest fire that takes way too long be be stopped. I hope Harris wins and Trump/Vance are sent packing but the problem is that their potion for winning based on fear and hatred will take time to be tamped down.
As for the "Never" appendix to Elise's signs, this is refreshing. If I had a car, I'd go searching for that breath of fresh air.
The hysteria against Prop 1 at Monday's meeting is part of the pre election exponentially increasing flood of disinformation. Sadly , one speaker at the meeting repeated a Trump generated false talking point that FEMA is running short on disaster relief funds due to the Biden administration using FEMA disaster funds for illegals, a debunked and untrue statement but one that echos what Trump actually did himself back in 2019 redirecting FEMA funds "to transfer $155 million to create temporary facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border for holding hearings with the aim of moving asylum cases through the system faster.” . In double checking myself on this I went to factcheck.org----"https://www.factcheck.org/2024/10/trumps-false-claim-of-stolen-disaster-relief-funds "/ which printed this following statement in rebuttal to Trump's recent inflammatory and untrue accusation re: Harris and Biden:
"As FEMA has said , that money was not rerouted from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is funded by Congress separately. The money for migrant support came from the budget of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, another DHS agency."
This is the kind of manipulative and politically motivate lie which gathered enough momentum perhaps to sway speakers petitioning the recent Queensbury Board vote to turn down the proposal to support Prop 1.