Marching to end gun violence in NY-19. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE PAT RYAN.

Hi David,

This past weekend, Rebecca and I marched with the incredible young leaders who founded Hudson Valley Stands Up to hold our elected officials accountable for putting gun manufacturers above the lives of students. I spoke with a student who told me after seeing the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas step up and fight back, they were inspired and believed their political leaders would listen and take action.

And then, our nation faced another horrific school shooting in Santa Fe, TX. But we're still not seeing any meaningful action from our elected officials. In fact, Trump and Faso have doubled down in their support for the NRA. I joined this race to serve my country again, to tackle tough issues like gun violence head on, and to fight for real progress to protect the lives of children.

On Saturday, June 16th I'm marching 30 miles with students, teachers, and activists in NY-19 from the FDR House in Hyde Park to Rep. John Faso's office to deliver a letter demanding our congressman take action on a federal level and be an advocate for policy to end gun violence now. This year, twice as many students have died in school shootings than US military members killed in combat operations. It's time to get weapons of war off of our streets.

It’s clear that our current leaders aren’t taking gun violence prevention seriously. Our president pandered to the NRA at their annual convention a month ago, and just last week, John Faso made a joke during a town hall on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill, instead of facing this issue with the gravity it deserves. Enough is enough.

Our letter to Faso demands that he take federal action to protect the lives of students by calling for an assault weapons ban, along with a series of other common-sense gun safety measures.

More soon,

Pat

LOGIC. IT'S NOT JUST FOR VULCANS, AND VIEWERS OF "THE BIG BANG THEORY." #3.

BEWARE THE STRAW MAN.

In the following examples, we are faced with the same example of flawed reasoning:

A)  Statement-  "I think Same- Sex Couples should have the same Rights and Opportunities as Heterosexual Couples."

       

Answer-  "So I guess we have to allow Brothers and Sisters to get married, or let children get married no matter how old they are.  Even worse, such a thing as Bestiality must be legalized."

B)  Statement-  "Churches enjoy Tax Exempt Status, that is why they cannot endorse any Political Party, Candidate or Platform."

      

Answer-  "Really, Priests and Ministers can't be allowed to vote.  If they do, it would be illegal, and the State will shut them down."

The above are actual examples I took from talk radio, but this Logical Fallacy can be found all across the Media. They are both examples of STRAW MAN ARGUMENTS.

A Straw Man argument takes a proposition or assertion, and refutes it by misstating or misapplying what was said.  Often this is done by claiming to argue against something that was not part of the original content, and attempts to create a position that the opposing side never proposed, endorsed or even addressed.

In the first example, the initial statement only proposed that Same- Sex couples be given status equal to that of Heterosexual couples.  Since Heterosexual couples have restrictions that may or may not allow them to Legally Marry, ( i.e. Age, Bloodlines, Freedom of Choice without Coercion, Bigamy etc.), these would also apply to Same- Sex couples.  There is no reason to think that legalizing Homosexual Unions would exempt them from the guidelines already established for Heterosexual Couples.

The second example applies to Public Political Behavior that occurs at Church Sanctioned Activities, and behavior that is private in nature. Church officials can express their opinions freely, and legally comment on any part of the Election Process, as long as it is not done at an official event that acknowledges their Authority or Capacity within the Church.  Also, I am unaware of any Law that prevents a member of the Clergy from voting, apart from guidelines established for every citizen.

My education plan works. GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ALEC ROSS.

David, I first moved to Baltimore 24 years ago to be a teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School on Baltimore’s west side, and I saw incredible talent in my students, but not enough opportunity. Over two decades later, not much has changed, and that’s why I’ve made education the centerpiece of my campaign. This week, The Baltimore Sun declared my education proposal for the state of Maryland the “most comprehensive and far-reaching” among the candidates for governor. What will we do? We will invest in early education and expand pre-K, provide computer coding classes for ALL public school students, improve students' online access to STEM, foreign language, and AP classes, bring gifted and talented programs to underserved areas, and make Maryland the home to the country’s best apprenticeship programs. I am dedicated to ensuring that the benefits of a good education are not limited by zip code. My proposal will prepare all Maryland Public School students and teachers to succeed in the 21st Century workforce. I can’t wait to see what we do together, - Alec

A truly SUPER Tuesday for women. EMILY's LIST.

David,

Super Tuesday results are in!

We had 48 endorsed pro-choice Democratic women on the ballot, and so far 40 of them have won!

Here's a breakdown:

• House: Seven of our candidates on the ballot last night won, including four running in red-to-blue races! The results for five of our California candidates will likely trickle in this week — we'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on how things play out in the Golden State.
   
• Governor: We're thrilled Michelle Lujan Grisham won her primary in New Mexico — she's now one step closer to being the nation's first-ever Democratic Latina governor!
   
• State & Local: 31 of our state and local candidates won last night, including Lauren Arthur (MO-SD17), who won her red-to-blue special election, and Deidre DeJear who, if elected, would be Iowa's first black statewide elected official as secretary of state.

We're so proud of all of our women who stepped up and put their names on the ballot.

But there's no time to rest: There are primary elections nearly every Tuesday this month. That means more of our women are on the ballot in just six days in Maine, Nevada, and Virginia.


Thanks — and go team!

Emily Cain
Executive Director, EMILY's List