Happy Birthday Norman Siegel: Birthday Bash Monday Dec. 1st
From the Norm Siegel Campaign:
New Yorkers for Norman Siegel will be holding a birthday bash for civil rights attorney Norman Siegel as we rev up the campaign to elect him NYC Public Advocate in 2009. The celebration will take place at Azza Restaurant & Lounge on 137 East 55th Street (between Lexington and Third Ave) from 6:00-8:30 PM on Monday, December 1st.
The program for the evening features guest speakers State Senator Eric Adams, former ACLU Director Ira Glasser, Vanessa Ramos, Deputy Director for Policy at the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and Connie Steensma, Chair Emerita of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. There will also be a performance by the New York Granny Chicks of the Granny Peace Brigade. The event has already attracted a wide array of hosts and sponsors from all five boroughs, reflecting the diverse, grassroots, citywide campaign that New Yorkers for Norman Siegel is ready to wage.
In addition to campaigning for Public Advocate, Norman has lately been very active in a number of lawsuits, including one against the City Council’s legislative extension of term limits. Tom Robbins of the Village Voice cited this in naming Norman to his Thanksgiving Honor Roll, “When Bloomberg's term-limits bill passed the council, a clutch of lawyers loudly vowed to sue. But by the time the papers were ready, only two were left standing. Norman Siegel is always there. A veteran anti-poverty and civil rights lawyer, Siegel has long been the city's steadiest defender of civil liberties and an innovative advocate for the powerless.”
Norman welcomes New Yorkers to come to the party and join his campaign, saying, “I strongly believe that the office of Public Advocate can make a real difference in the lives of all New Yorkers. That’s why I want to be the next Public Advocate. Working in concert, we do not have to accept the status quo. We can bring together all those New Yorkers who still dare to dream of how it should be, not merely how it is.”
Personally, I have considered Norm Siegel our unofficial Public Advocate for years now. When Bloomberg illegally detained the Democratic protesters against the Republican Convention in 2004, it was Norm Siegel who defended them. When Bloomberg decided to start a vendetta against Critical Mass, Norm Siegel defended them. When 9/11 widows needed help, they got help from Norman Siegel. When New Yorkers wanted to challenge Bloomberg's dictatorial reversal of term limits, Norm Siegel joined in to file the lawsuit. The list goes on. So he has my support!
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Civil Liberties | Public Advocate | Norman Siegel
Behind Making the people's advocate the Official Public Advocate
Regardless of your issues, your views and your opinions, Norman Siegel fights fairly across the board for your rights as a citizen of the US and New York.
This makes his supporters happy as long as he fights with all his might for what THEY believe in but if he fights for the alternative, like the KKK, people get annoyed.
This may hurt him because he can't be bought! He'll fight for you regardless if his views are different.
Currently there are five (with more blurring the lines) candidates. Four men and one woman. What do all of these people have in common? A desire to make a difference and be an advocate for the citizens of NYC.
What is the one this that sets all of them apart from one human being (Norman Siegel)? he's been doing this very task for over 40 years. Scared opponents say that NYC shouldn't put a bulldog in this position but if you ask every ordinary citizen that would call on the office to help them (not the affluent and politically connected who are simply accustomed to calling "a friend" to help them when they have an issue) then a BULLDOG who knows what they are talking about IS EXACTLY what we need in the position.
It should not be a fluff people like it became within the last eight years, it should not be marginalized by uncertainty by the holder of the office before that, who by the way may want a second stab at it now.
What do you think Mr. Siegel is? A fighting Robot? The man is a cool dude that recites poetry in the park every year as he recites the Constitution.
He isn't retro when he speaks and refers to the sixties, the era of the birth of equality - MAN, HE IS THE SIXTIES! Who else from that era is still doing on the ground public service? In the trenches with the blue color workers, the homeless, the immigrants, the displaced, the veterans, THE CHILDREN????
It's not about politics when you think about the Public Advocate - or at least it shouldn't be. So any "politician" will fall short of the qualifications list when compared to this man. He's not a superhero, he's a Civil Rights icon, he's flesh and blood, he's here NOW and he is the TRUE CHANGE in NYC.
Don't be scared. If you're not corrupt then you have nothing to worry about. If you are, Rod the Blog has space for a cellmate because Norman will make sure that is where you will end up. Norman Siegel is the CHANGE in 2009!