I should clarify a few things regarding my post yesterday about Peter Hort's campain for Congress.

1. I do not have a problem with anyone running against Jerrold Nadler. I would love to have a ballot with many possible candidates for each position when I vote.
2. I deplore the way the Democratic and Republican parties in New York State have created a complex election law system designed to keep qualified candidates off the ballot unless they are part of the machine. I have seen legal challenges kick many people off the ballot who deserved to be there
3. I still have a problem with Mr. Hort's campaign literature not stating that he is a Republican. I also believe that anyone running as a Republican these days in a place like New York City needs to explain why a vote for them is not a vote to keep Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay in power. I think it is the hurdle any Republican running for the House has to get over before they can be considered a candidate that any proponent of gay rights, abortion rights, or the health of urban centers like New York can support.

I probably should have used a kinder tone in my previous post, but I am outraged by what the GOP is doing to my city, to my country, and to the rest of the world. I fail to see how why any reasonable person is willing to begin a political career in that party.

I have been meaning to write about this subject for several weeks, but today's Newsday article on Peter Hort reminded me to do it. Peter Hort is running for Congress against Jerrold Nadler, the incumbent. Nadler is one of the most liberal members of Congress, and I rarely bother to contact him on any issue, because I agree with his position on nearly everything. The only disagreement is that I think he is a bit too ready to give Israel's government the benefit of the doubt when it comes to its behavior vis-a-vis the Occupied Territories.

Peter Hort is running as a stealth Republican. His campaign literature doesn't mention it, and barely appears on his web site unless you read fine print like the mention of his appearance on WNYC. He pretends to be an "independent." New Yorkers need to realize what happens when they vote for a Republican. I don't care if he marches in the annual gay pride parade. A vote for a Republican in the House is a vote for the House leadership, unless the candidate is promising to work to defeat the current leadership. That leadership includes:

• Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House
• Tom DeLay, Majority Leader

Mr. Hort's parents are contemporary art collectors, whose taste I respect, and who support very edgy artists, including ones that make sexually explicit art. How their son can be a member of a party that thinks those people should be in jail, if not worse, is beyond me. I have written to Mr. Hort's campaign to ask his position on the current GOP House leadership team.

krupsjustsayin has a link to a great video of Bush's speech at the convention from Loop TV & Film. You only have to watch a 3-minute video, and you get all you need to know...

'It struck me as I was speaking to people in Bangor, Maine, that this president sees America as we think about a 10-year-old child," Card said. ''I know as a parent I would sacrifice all for my children."

Boston Globe

Wietold Riedel is well aware of the history of the part of the world where he was born. Read tonight's post.

Scooter Goons.

Also, can someone explain why I still have helicopters flying low over my apartment building at 23rd and 8th at 12:10am?

The NY Daily News, not exactly a left-wing paper -- they talk about Bush's hard-knuckled approach after 9/11 rather than mention his hiding out all day -- has this today:

Demonstrators also complained about the use of plainclothes cops on scooters during a Monday protest on Eighth Ave. Video shot by legal observers shows several scooters driving directly into the crowd and running into people.

A detective on one of the scooters was pulled off and badly beaten.

Last night, cops on bicycles plowed into demonstrators at W. 28th St. and Broadway, and at Herald Square, hitting people as they went. A News reporter was jabbed in the ribs with a handlebar at Herald Square. The officers then used the bikes as barricades.

Mayor Bloomberg defended the aggressive tactics yesterday.

"This isn't something like it's supposed to be a fair fight. We have laws," he fumed. "You break the law [and] you're going to find yourself arrested. Period. End of story."

I can't find a better description of this, so I'm stretching fair use a bit to give you the whole blog post from Salon. You can click on a day pass to see it on their site.

Fernando Suarez del Solar wasn't very political before his son, a 20-year-old marine named Jesus, was killed in Iraq last year. Since then, though, the 48-year-old has left his job to spend all his time agitating against the war, and last night, he took his message to Madison Square Garden.

A friend lent him a media pass, and at around 9 p.m., as Arnold Schwarzenegger began speaking, he unfurled a three-foot-wide sign with his son's picture and the words "Bush lied, my son died."

A group of delegates immediately called security, which ushered him into Madison Square Garden's lobby. There, he says, he gave a few interviews while some passing Republicans jeered, saying, "Get out of here. You're unpatriotic." More security showed up, including members of the FBI and the Secret Service. "I say to them, 'I pay with my son's life for my freedom of speech, but you can arrest me, it's OK.' The police said, 'no sir.'"

"The surprise for me," says del Solar, "is some people, Republican people, say to me, 'I'm sorry for your loss, you are right.' About seven, eight persons say, 'I am Republican, but you are correct, this war is not necessary.'"

Here is another article about the same protest. When people filed out after watching Schwartzenegger's speech, he was still in the lobby with his sign.

As delegates, fresh from Schwartzenegger's pro-Bush speech, marched into the comparatively fresh air, they were greeted by Fernando Suarez del Solar, who silently held a pink sign showing a young man's face and the reading, "Bush Lied, My Son Died," Suarez's son Jesus was killed in battle on March 27, 2003, at the age of 20. His was one of the first fighting deaths of the war. Fernando Suarez, who traveled from San Diego to protest the war in Iraq, encountered few problems while making his statement. "Most people don't say nothing. Some people say, 'I'm sorry.' Only one person has said 'Get Out of Here.' People give me respect." Suarez and his pink-clad protest partner Nancy Mancias eventually attracted the attention of security, who circled the two and began questioning them on the specifics of their press credentials. At that moment, a member of a Spanish language television network claimed the two as part of their network and escorted them upstairs to be interviewed. After the interview, security escorted Suarez and Mancias out of Madison Square Garden.

They are promoting a book (on Islam) by the spokesman for Bosnian Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic. Yes, the one who is being tried for genocide of Muslims in the former Yugoslavia.

James and I have seen the level of discourse the National Review provides. Perhaps they're preparing to drop the "crypto" prefix from crypto-fascists.

Via Laura Rozen.

I bet the security people are embarrassed...

AP story with video.

Watch ACT UP's site for further updates. It should appear at the bottom soon.