Episode Nine - You're So Fine

Erik Paparozzi and I performed the Badfinger song You're So Fine at Krupa Grocery in Brooklyn, New York. The song was written by the band's drummer, Mike Gibbins, and is featured on the album Wish You Were Here.

Episode Eight - Underground Jook Joint

On today's episode, David performs Underground Jook Joint at Krupa Grocery. The song was written by Jedediah Parish.

Episode Seven

Hello, and welcome to episode seven of The David Terhune Show. My first guest today is a live video of Bootfoot performing Mrs. Monday and Cairo County. Eleanor Imster and I wrote and played songs together for many years in the 1980's. We were known as Bootfoot and, for a while, The Fraidy Cats. Actually, our first name was Harry-O, because Eleanor thought that if she named the band after her brother, he would come to our show. He didn't make the performance, so the next logical name was Bootfoot. We've been joined by many great musicians over the years (see the credits below), and our percussionist, Patty Lenartz, played tambourine at this reunion performance in Brooklyn on October 21, 2009. This date was also, coincidentally, my 24th anniversary as a civil servant for the City of New York. Staying civil that long is a feat in itself. So please, click and enjoy Bootfoot!

(dum, dum, dum.. waiting for the song to end...) Thank you, Bootfoot! That was great. Ok, now we move to my next guest, an email I sent to New York State Senators last week encouraging them to vote for the Marriage Equality Act. Governor David Paterson had called the Senate into a special session to consider his new budget and the same-sex marriage bill. I concentrated again on the 39 senators who oppose or are undecided on the issue of marriage equality. I hoped a short and sincere email would tip the scales:

Dear Senator,

I am writing to you with the hope that you will be supporting the Marriage Equality Act (S4401). In the past, New York State has proudly held aloft the banner of justice, and this bill is an opportunity to fill a glaring gap in that emblem of equality.

I am confident that your good judgment and sense of fairness will result in the passage of the Marriage Equality Act.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Well, it didn't work. My guest failed to bring the issue to a vote, and the governor is still trying to focus the Senate on this important bill. But it was great to have you on the show, and better luck next time!

Before I go, I just wanted to mention that I had my 100th letter-to-the-editor published in amNY this week. You can view and comment on it at http://dterhune.blogspot.com/2009/11/ho-ho-ho-amny-published-my-100th-letter.html. Thanks for tuning in, and safe drive!

Bootfoot credits (over the years):
Marc Fagelson (bass), Rich Grula (guitar), Eleanor Imster (vocals), Patty Lenartz (percussion), Michael Shelley (guitar), David Terhune (instruments), Kevin Terhune (guitar), Rob Terhune (bass).

Episode Six

Hello, and welcome to The David Terhune Show. Today I'd like to perform my hit song, Your Name Backwards, live from our studios in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. If you'd like to sing along, just follow the bouncing ball (ball not included).

When I first saw you, I didn't know what to do

I liked your sweatshirt, and the shape of your head

And I forgot everything that worried me when you told me your name backwards

When I first kissed you, I knew what I had to do

At your apartment we drew animals in bed

And I forgot everything that worried me as you wrote out your name backwards

We told each other the worst thing we'd ever done

But we looked at each other, and I saw the kindest women I'd ever met backwards

I kept your secret, you promised me you'd keep mine

And we walk together for lunch across the Brooklyn Bridge

And I forgot everything, and I told you everything

And you showed me everything when you told me your name backwards

When you told me your name backwards

Episode Five

The David Terhune Show comes to you today from Wellfleet, Massachusetts. My family and I are on vacation, enjoying the ponds and wildlife (see photo). Of course, there's plenty of time to relax and read the papers.

Theodore B. Olson is known for successfully arguing the case that sealed George Bush's election in 2000. A story about him in the New York Times this past week highlighted his current legal challenge - the nation-wide recognition of same-sex marriage.

www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19olson.html

I wrote this letter in response:

Theodore B. Olson's support of same-sex marriage helps explode a myth that the issue is divided along party lines. The debate over marriage equality is not a confrontation between conservative and liberal ideologies. It is not a matter of politics or religion. It is a civil rights concern, as Mr. Olson deftly demonstrates in his legal challenges. His position makes it clear that the true dividing line is between fulfilling our Constitution's promise of equality and allowing the biases of the unenlightened to dictate what rights are available to Americans.

Another Times article that caught my attention concerned "prosperity preachers."

www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/us/16gospel.html

Apparently, when a person continuously donates money to these prosperity ministries, the prayers of the preachers ultimately reward the donor, who is seen, in the eyes of God, as extra-special and extra-deserving by virtue of the donations:

While reading your article on the Copelands and their fellow prosperity preachers, I was struck by their brazen appeal to greed and spiritual vulnerability. By claiming that those who give money to their ministries receive divine preferential treatment, they reduce God to a purveyor of snake oil, promising miraculous relief for a price. Perhaps their existence can be justified by the hope they provide their followers, but I think their cynical view of human nature overshadows any optimism they might offer.

Episode Four

I received three more responses to my letters to New York State Senators in support of the Marriage Equality Bill. However, one of these replies was from a senator who simply forwarded my letter to the senator who directly represents me, Daniel L. Squadron. So, I can’t really count that one. To date, of the 39 letters I mailed in May, I’ve received four serious responses, or 10%. Since then the Senate passed through an embarrassing power-struggle gridlock, with senators jumping parties and legislation put on hold. Now that a Democratic majority has again been restore (for the time being), it looks like marriage equality will not be considered until the fall.

But before I present those letters and my responses, I want to share a dialogue I heard on the radio between WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer and Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. from the Bronx. Senator Diaz is one of the most outspoken opponents of gay marriage in the Senate and held a rally the same day as the Marriage Equality Rally I attended. What was remarkable about their conversation was Sen. Diaz’s laughter as Mr. Lehrer asked a crucial question – how is anyone hurt if New York permits gay marriage?

Brian Lehrer: Why do you care who gets married? Who would get hurt by this?

Senator Diaz: Everyone gets hurt.

BL: Everyone gets hurt?

SD: Everyone gets hurt. (starts to laugh)

BL: I don't get hurt. (Diaz chuckles heartily) How do you get hurt?

SD: (laughing) Everyone gets hurt.

BL: (while Diaz continues to laugh) How do you get hurt?

SD: (laughing) How do I get hurt? (composes himself) My belief get hurts. My, my, my, my, uh, understanding of family values get hurts. My belief in the Bible get hurts.

For an issue that supposedly takes on biblical proportions for Senator Diaz, his jovial response seems to indicate that even the Senator himself cannot take his position seriously. I know that Sen. Diaz is passionate about his stand on same-sex marriage, but that moment on the Brian Lehrer Show revealed a conscious or unconscious admission that the rationale for opposing marriage equality is… laughable. Also, how can one’s beliefs be hurt? Are not beliefs based on personal convictions, despite those with contrary views? I do not believe in murder, yet people continue to murder. Is my belief then shaken and called into question? Of course not. Perhaps the senator is truly concerned because he knows, deep down, that civil rights must triumph over any credence that opposes equality. (By the way, Sen. Diaz has not responded to or acknowledged my letter to him.)

Here is the response I received from Senator Darrel J. Aubertine. Sen. Aubertine represents the counties of Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence:

Thank you for contacting me to express your view on marriage equality in New York State. I understand the importance of this issue to so many people in this region and throughout the state.

While I am not ready to vote in favor of same-sex marriage, I have listened to the stories of many affected by this issue and I take seriously all issues of discrimination. I share your view that everyone deserves equal rights and justice under the law. Though we may not see eye to eye on same-sex marriage, there are many issues where I am certain we share common ground.

I look forward to having more open and respectful discussions on this issue as I continue to work for you and my constituents.

Darrel J. Aubertine
State Senator

My reply:

Thank you for your thoughtful reply to my letter supporting the Marriage Equality Bill. Please take a moment to consider my response.

You write that "everyone deserves equal rights and justice under the law." I agree with you, but I wonder how you can reconcile that statement with your opposition to marriage equality. In New York State, gay rights are specifically protected by the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. If NYS legally acknowledges the rights of gay citizens (as well as the need to formally protect those rights), then is it not inconsistent to deny them the same privileges as heterosexuals?

I am somewhat encouraged by your statement that you are “not ready to vote in favor of same-sex marriage,” suggesting that at some point you may be prepared to take that position. Perhaps you already understand the inevitability of marriage equality. As we have seen with other civil rights causes, including the struggle of women and African Americans, arguments that oppose basic rights ultimately break down logically and morally. I hope that your commitment to equality and justice convinces you to not only vote in favor of gay marriage but to also persuade your colleagues who oppose this bill to join you.

I would be interested in your thoughts on the relationship between the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act and the Marriage Equality Bill.

Senator Brian X. Foley is from Long Island:

Thank you for contacting my office regarding the issue of marriage equality. Citizens who keep in touch with their elected officials play a crucial role in our legislative process.

As your senator, I am pleased to take your views on the issue of marriage equality into account. I am proud of my legislative record in support of enhancing rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community and your input is part of my deliberative process and will aid me in making a responsible decision on the issue.

I sincerely hope that you will continue to communicate with my office on this and other important issues throughout the year. From reducing property taxes to delivering aid to our schools, to ensuring that my constituents have access to quality, affordable healthcare, I am committed to improving the lives of working-families through Suffolk County.

If my office can be of any further assistance to you on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (631) 360-3365.

Brian X. Foley
Senator

My reply:

Thank you for your thoughtful reply to my letter supporting the Marriage Equality Bill. Although you did not commit yourself to a position on same-sex marriage, I am encouraged by your pride in your legislative record concerning the LGBT community and your openness to deliberation on this issue.

Some of the senators I have written have responded by offering civil unions as an alternative to gay couples. This solution is one that satisfies the contractual necessities of marriage, but does not address the emotional necessities. The Marriage Equality Bill is as much about expressing love as it is about guaranteeing civil rights. Marriage is in many ways a public pronouncement of a couple's love and commitment. That marriage becomes an identity for the two, forever joined and facing the challenges of life together. Of course, that is when the marriage works out. But all loving couples should have the ability to marry, because when marriage does work, the union makes our society stronger.

Perhaps you already understand the inevitability of marriage equality. As we have seen with other civil rights causes, including the struggle of women and African Americans, arguments that oppose basic rights ultimately break down logically and morally. I hope that your commitment to LGBT issues convinces you to not only vote in favor of same-sex marriage but to also persuade your colleagues who oppose this bill to join you.

Please keep me informed of the status of your position on this bill.

Senator Vincent L. Leibell, representing counties between Rockland and Columbia, thought he could pass along my letter to another senator:

Thank you for your letter concerning the Marriage Equality Bill.

As is customary for the New York State Senate to have the representing senator respond to his or her constituents, I have forwarded your letter to Senator Daniel L. Squadron for his consideration.

Sincerely,

Senator Vincent L. Leibell, 40th Senate District

And my response:

I was disappointed in your reply to my recent letter supporting the Marriage Equality Bill. You wrote that “it is customary for the New York State Senate to have the representing senator respond to his or her constituents,” and forwarded my letter to Senator Daniel L. Squadron. However, I have received four letters to date engaging in a discussion of marriage equality from senators who do not directly represent me. You are the only senator who evoked this practice.

While I appreciated receiving a response from Senator Squadron, I was already aware of his stand on same-sex marriage. I am interested in your own thoughts on the issue and how you plan to vote when the bill is presented to the Senate.

Although Senator Squadron represents my specific location in New York State, all state senators represent the interests of my family. I would appreciate the kind of response that you would provide to one of your own constituents.

Sincerely,

David Terhune

(I took the photo above at the Marriage Equality Rally, NYC, May 17, 2009)

Episode Three

Episode Three of The David Terhune Show was supposed to be a thought provoking discussion of the complex reaction to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to The Supreme Court. But for some reason I have been receiving text messages, phone calls and faxes asking for The Gramma Show. The request itself is somewhat puzzling, as I am not aquainted with this program. Yes, my mom appears from time to time on my show as a guest or a mother or what have you. But I would hardly characterize her cameos as a bonafide show. Okay, she has a theme song, but that's it. A theme song does not a show make, as they say.

So, instead of grappling with a weighty issue of social and political import, or maybe even learning the identity of the latest senator to respond to my marriage equality letter, The David Terhune Show presents something my mom did with a camcorder that has a theme song but isn't a show. Enjoy.