The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled by a 4-3 margin that gay couples must be afforded the right to marry, joining Massachusets and California.

Moral disapproval alone, however, is insufficient reason to benefit one group and not another because statutory classifications cannot be ‘‘drawn for the purpose of disadvantaging the group burdened by the law.’’ Thus, just as ‘‘a bare . . . desire to harm a politically unpopular group’’ is not a legitimate basis for a statutory classification; so, too, is moral disapprobation an inadequate reason for discriminating against a disfavored minority. As the United States Supreme Court has stated more than once, ‘‘[p]rivate biases may be outside the reach of the law, but the law cannot, directly or indirectly, give them effect.’’

Mayor Mike and his friends in big business think we should abandon Democracy and let him serve another term but let me ask you, do we really want to go through hard times with a mayor who governs by memo? I want to give Democracy a real try, I want democracy to be my leader, especially now that the Capitalism everyone confused it with is withering like a tired old strangling vine.

There is nothing like a fire to expose the integrity of a building. Lets hold our breath and have a real look at what we are actually made of. If all we get at the end of this killing blaze is a bloated corporate hand strangling our most basic civic commitment, a petit tyrant trying to save us from ourselves than the amazing work of our ancestors is for nothing and the many lives they took on the way even more senseless. So New Yorkers! Study these visionary words before you succumb to your anxiety and nod Bloomberg onto his throne.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Jersey City team captain Tracey L sent wisdom from Walt Whitman today:

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem…

In the midst of Monday’s market meltdown there is great progress in the fight against the Atlantic Yards development- check it out here and always more at No Land Grab and Atlantic Yards Report

BROOKLYN, NY— A State Appellate Court panel has rejected the Empire State Development Corporation’s (ESDC) motion to dismiss Goldstein et al. v. Empire State Development Corporation—the Atlantic Yards eminent domain lawsuit filed by nine property owners and tenants with properties in the footprint of Forest City Ratner’s foundering megaproject proposal. The case was filed on August 1st of this year. Read the rest of this entry »

photo: John Quilty

photo: Alex Nathanson

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photo: John Quilty

We had a great time in Union Square Thursday, handed out about 2000 flyers, talked to hundreds of people and completely drowned out Adrian Benepe’s speech to the early VIP crowd–by the time those who could afford the 115 dollar ticket came we were done with the chef brigade though the excellent M and M team managed to infiltrate the party and make a speech from the cabaret stage. The police were thick and Both Reverend Billy and B were arrested. I must say the NYPD did seem unusually sympathetic to our cause. I guess the whims of the rich are a little unpopular right now.

Amazing leadership from Monica Hunken who’s made up chants were taped to the inside of her skillet! Cooking up some change indeed.

We are still looking for the picture that captures the glorious sight of all 50 chefs banging pots and pans, if you took it please send it! Especially the mustached and the very young. Thanks everyone for coming out.

footage of the first part of the action by our friends at TEAM SPIDER

from the rev

The Flash Fry Mob was so much fun and seemed so effective, I find myself pausing today and looking back at it wondering if I’m kidding myself. What are the measuring methods for success? The police and the security surrounding the wealthy persons’ event was not enough to stop a significant interruption. The pots and pans were loud, the chanting roared through the trees, Mark and Marisa even got into the tent and addressed them from their own podium. Meanwhile the dozens of chefs and waiters that kept coming through the greenery at them - must have been a kind of nightmare - cuz they rich folks, as they chewed, they were bugeyed - they couldn’t look away!

The statement that the Pavilion cannot be turned into a white tablecloth restaurant is continuing to reach citizens, including Danny Meyer and other perpetrators of the scam. As always, the feeling yesterday was that anybody who gets the general facts of the case very quickly opposes the take-over of the Pavilion. And Union Square continues to give us energy. The place gives us energy. It still creates the Speakers’ Corner. Maybe our justice-loving ancestors are still laughing and shouting with us. –rev

Yesterday we did an action known as “Expanding the Universe” in the parking lot of the future DESTINY USA. After we expand the universe sufficiently we collapse into a black hole of infinitely dense ecstatic hope. This action also served as a simple parking lot reclamation–when is the last time you saw 100 people running through a parking lot shouting “this is not our destiny!” ?
It was surprisingly liberating, inspiring too, in that mysterious we danced the sun up way.
Here is a shot of the first burst of expansion.

photo John Quilty

We have spent so many years shouting Stop Shopping at unreceptive crowds of shoppers who regard us as maniacs with a really bad idea that we are almost confused when we go out to Coney Island and EVERYONE we meet is in TOTAL agreement that Coney Island is the playground of the people and NOT a profit venture for a predatory developer. Astroland is closing in spite of the nearly total community opposition we felt amongst the thousands of people present there three days ago.

And I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about all those heartbroken people I saw-parents and children, visitors and locals—-Lola and The Great Fredini and Mayor Dick and our Spanish teacher Bernardo Polumbo– it was just awful! 500 jobs in the park will go away and untold peripheral jobs and Damn! because Coney Island is one of the last places in this city where a person can make an honest, independent living on a scrap of concrete the size of a t shirt.

I guess a lot of us have history there, and a lot of us want to have history there, can imagine something happening to us, a love affair, a big fight, a perfect street party, a Christmas walk. We know Astroland isn’t all those things, but we all of us fill the chill wind its closing blows—like in August when I noticed the wild lot on our street being plowed under, and a few hours later the cement truck pulled up and lo and behold it was a fully operational parking lot by the end of the week. Astroland closing is that first bell ringing across the hills..

But now is not the time to be sentimental so at least write the damn mayor-Bloomberg at City Hall, New York, NY 10007 and reclaim some turf wherever you are, we can’t watch our magic disappear and just feel sad about it.

What to do when everyone in a community wants one thing and the single landowner wants something else?

Welcome Ida, daughter of Anna Sara Malmgren (tenor, philosopher) and William Moses (basso, guitar, music director) The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir is a proud petri dish! AMEN. Changallujah!

Ida, may all your dreams come true, and may all your dreams be your own, and may your wonderful parents harness the magical power of the earth and may you live in the shelter of all our love. Welcome to Earth! Welcome to the Resistance!

Remember! Astroland once only existed in the future.

Check out video of the last rites we performed Sunday