No Country For Sane Men

/"Hmmmmm, you have not written anything in two days. I hope you are busy having a wonderful life and not just sick of us.I miss you in the morning!" BD
/

Good Monday Morning,

Yes, I'm sorry I took the weekend off from this unpaid, volunteer labor of love. And yes, I was having a wonderful life, one that began on Saturday evening at the cabaret show at Arts on the Lake and ended last evening in Danbury at a David Rovics concert. (/Actually, it ended at Cousin Larry's pub down the road from the Rovics venue, but that's another story.../)

*Lightning strikes twice*

Doug Coates and Nancy JohnstonWhen the houselights dimmed on Saturday night over a full house at the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel <http://www.artsonthelake.org>, a thunderstorm raged outside the theater while *Doug Coates* and *Nancy Johnston* took the stage in a cabaret style Broadway review directed by Blue Horse Repertory's Peggity Price. From Sondheim to Bernstein to Jones and Schmidt and everyone in between, using advanced lighting cues, complex staging and dialog to connect one number to the next, the storms outside were forgotten by the lightning storm of talent and musical harmony on the stage in what is rapidly becoming our county's most successful theatrical and arts venue. That was until near the end of the first act *when lightning struck the building* with a flash and a !clap! that set our ears to ringing - but the performers and crew never missed a beat. The audience laughed, and the audience cried and, in the second act when *Mr. Coates* performed the piano arrangement of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", they cheered. I mean, *they really cheered*! And, at the end of an encore, "Glitter and Be Gay" from Leonard Bernstein's excellent, yet under appreciated theatrical version of "Candide", the audience erupted from their seats giving soprano *Nancy Johnston* a long, enthusiastic and well deserved standing ovation which over shadowed the raging storm outside.

** <http://www.davidrovics.com/>*David Rovics <http://www.davidrovics.com/>David Rovics*, a native of New England, brought his musical tour of topical protest songs back to the northeast last evening in the Danbury Music Center, housed in the historic old Library building on Main Street in that fair, and vibrant city. *Pete Seege*r once called David '/the Phil Ochs of our time/.' David pulls no punches with his sentiments and his audiences wouldn't expect less. He touches on subjects such as the destruction, some say intentional, of New Orleans from hurricane Katrina. He sings about the infamous raids on the Jenin refugee camp. He sings about how this current war against Iraq was - for a very short time - called "Operation Iraqi Liberation" whose acronym, O. I. L. was quickly changed by the Bush administration to hide the real meaning of the war. He also sings about love, life and all that goes around us. I've known David personally and professionally for many years and over that time his voice still holds true, his convictions have strengthened and matured and his message is still dead-on sharp.

While we're talking about music, if anyone attended the *Tompkins Corners Country Music Festival* on Sunday, please drop us a line and let us know how it went.

PlanPutnam reader Beth Coursen, supervisor for the Town of Pawling, sent me a link to a blog page <http://littlechapelontheriver.blogspot.com/> about the now closed *Guinan's Pub* on the shores of the Hudson River at Garrison Landing. Attempts to reuse the space have overwhelming support from old fans of the pub as well as those who think there should be an active commercial establishment at that location as there has been for decades. The blog is a good read. Beth writes:

/"Humans have been making land use decisions since we first took
refuge in caves. We have made some poor decisions and nature lets us
know; buildings, roads and bridges fall under the forces of nature
when they are poorly placed or constructed. In some regards number 7
Garrison Landing seems poorly placed. There is nothing remarkable in
its construction. The packed backroom here has often defied the
forces of physics. The only explanation is that a greater force,
that of human spirit has kept this humble structure intact. Number 7
Garrison Landing wants to be a gathering place. Its real foundation
is the human spirit. This is all that keeps her perched above the
Hudson."/

*There's a rumbling from the left-of-center political camp* in the 19th Congressional district. Community activist Don Debar has thrown down the gauntlet <http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34136> to incumbent Congressman John Hall. Debar says, "John Hall was elected in 2006 to end the Iraq war and bring the troops home. In his two years in Congress, he has instead voted to send the Pentagon and George Bush more money than they had before he entered Congress," Debar says that if Mr. Hall votes for additional funding for the war he will seek the Green and Working Family Party's nomination to challenge Mr. Hall in November. It looks like this race is heating up!

And, while we're on this subject, Congressman Hall's other announced opponent, *Kieran Lalor's* signs are still up all over the district. If *Walt Thompson* of the rather excellent "Keep Putnam Beautiful <http://www.putnamcountyny.com/kpb>" program is reading this, get *that* litter cleaned up! Putnam County recently passed a tough new littering law. If the law isn't just window dressing and the Legislature means what it passed, this should be their first target.

Reader Evelyn Charito of Dover Plains wrote in to tell us about a press release <http://www.planputnam.org/documents/crgdpressrelease.pdf> from the *Coalition for the Responsible Growth of Dover* <http://www.crdg.org/> (CRGD) which has rallied around the proposed "Dover Knolls" development at the old Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital, the largest development proposal in that valley - ever. Original plans painfully hammered out between past Supervisor Jill Way and the developer were scuttled when the developer spent thousands of dollars to unseat Jill's board, the one that demanded that "Dover Knolls" be an environmentally sensitive, walkable community with local services built in. The developer just wants to slap hundreds houses all over the place, in and on the uplands of the Great Swamp. Now with the new town board, bought and sold, he's close to achieving that goal so support of the Coalition is essential. *If you are at all concerned about traffic on lower Route 22*, this is something that should make you sit up and pay attention!

*Several weeks ago I wrote about the lack of bats in the area*. The reasons are now well known - they're dying by the millions in their hibernation caves from a disease we know little about. PlanPutnam <http://www.planputnam.org> reader *Doreen Tignanelli* sent this in late last week:

/"...I attended a presentation at Stonykill Farm given by DEC bat
expert, Al Hicks. The talk was both fascinating and depressing. In
the past year, there has been a dramatic change in bat population in
New York as tens of thousands of cave bats are dying due to "white
nose syndrome". It gets its name from the white fungus appearing on
the noses of many of the dead bats. At this point, scientists
donâEUR^(TM)t know if the fungus is killing the bats or some other
ailment is killing them. The bats are basically starving to death,
leaving their caves in the middle of winter when they should be
hibernating. New hibernaculums are being found due to the presence
of bats dead or near death at cave entrances. In Hailes cave, it was
the first time since surveys started in the 1930's that no Indiana
Bats were observed. The cave had 15,584 bats in 2005 and in 2008
there were 1,400 which is a 91% decline. There are similar stats in
other caves. It is killing >90% of bats in affected sites within 2
years. The irony of the situation is that until this year, Al was
working on getting Indiana Bats off the endangered species list as
their numbers had increased significantly since the 1960's."/

Lastly for this Monday morning, I know many of you have heard the rumors, and they're true! I'm holding a little gathering on *Saturday July 12th at 3PM* in the afternoon, to which you are all invited. And you really should come, too. The *Summer Garden Party* is back. This is an event I used to organize years ago and have yet to hold one since coming to Putnam County in what will be ten years this fall. Visit this web page <http://www.bongoboy.com/gp2008.htm> to find out more and to RSVP. (/Address and directions will be sent after you RSVP/.) If you're not here you're going to be really sorry you missed out, I can promise that. The gathering is child, dog, and even Republican friendly. A live music, pot luck, picnic in beautiful Kent Cliffs, NY, the heart of the Hudson Highlands. Please carpool, hike or bike over. Special parking arrangements will be made for those with physical handicaps.

There are other news events happening out there in this great, wide world of ours but from my desk this cloudy Monday morning, this is the News That Matters.

JmG

Good Friday Morning,

* <http://www.planputnam.org/images/picoftheday/061207_thunderstorm.jpg>An early morning thunderstorm or two is an ideal way of welcoming the first hot weather of the year*. Reports say <http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/iwszone?sites=:nyz068#t1> that heat indexes of upwards of 100 degrees are in the offing for the weekend and into early next week. So, get the shades up, check up on the elderly, get your fans in the windows and chill... it's gonna be a hot one.

If it's too hot for you tomorrow evening, check out Arts on the Lake's "*Project Mercury*" show at the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel (the old firehouse on Route 52). Hudson Valley Magazine called Project Mercury a "Best New Band". They will serve up a musical mix of original modern folk and acoustic rock. Project Mercury's live sound <http://www.projectmercury.net/> is rich in vocal harmonies, haunting violin, mesmerizing cello, and acoustic guitars. The music kicks off at 8PM and yours truly will be working sound and lights. Admission is $10 ($ for AotL members) So come on out!

*I'd like to thank those of you who wrote to the County Legislature this past week encouraging them to pass a bill which would create a Domestic Partner Registry*. As expected, Tony Hay voted against the bill, claiming he was representing religious interests and probably thanks to your urging Anthony Fusco voted to abstain. In his view he believes unmarried couples can obtain legal protections through contracts and wills but he fails to understand the complexity of such and that too often courts negate those under pressure from high paid attorneys representing family interests that may not be in the best interest of those we're trying to protect. The resolution now goes to County Executive Bondi for a *public hearing on June 25th* <http://www.planputnam.org/county_calendar.htm> and we'll organize support as the date nears - if it seems necessary. But write to Bob anyway... it couldn't hurt.

Don't let religious interests cloud the discussion and if they make an attempt to do so, just point them to the nearest divorce lawyer and a copy of the Constitution. The former reaps immense profit by intentionally undermining marriage and the latter cleanly separates religion from government.

While we're talking religion here, you've all seen the bumper stickers, "/In case of Rapture, can I have your car?/" Well, in case the Rapture does come while you're on the road, how will god know which cars hold the true believers? The state of South Carolina has a solution <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/06license.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>, putting crosses on license plates.

*Midtown NYC was all a twitter yesterday afternoon* and the police were out in force protecting life and limb as two climbers (Clarke and Robert) scaled the NY Times building individually. Both men were charged with disorderly conduct and having fun, an act made illegal since Ed Koch was mayor. Manhattan Assistant DA Heather Pearson implored the judge to set a high bail because the city felt that climbing a building was "extremely dangerous to other people". Police took Mr. Clarke to Bellevue hospital for psychiatric examination, ostensibly standard protocol when people decide to do fun, interesting and personally challenging things. However, in an act that is clearly delusional the *NY State Assembly has voted to change the name of the Triborough Bridge to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge*. The bill takes effect the moment tourists remember that "*Avenue of the Americas*" is really just plain old *6th Avenue*.

Do you remember when NYC was a fun place to be? When it was a tad dangerous, gritty and mean? I miss those days.

As always, stay in touch at planputnam.org

Good Thursday Morning,

*The moment I head off into the wilds actual news happens*. Perhaps it's
best I just stay away, living like a hermit in a leanto somewhere within
the 300,000 acres of wild forest and wilderness inside the Catskill's
blue line? If someone would just feed the cats...

Beaver Meadow*I just spent the past few days alone within thousands of
acres of old growth wild forest on the edge of a long-ago abandoned
beaver pond* that has now become a meadow, one of three set amid a high
valley. A mere two miles and a half from a popular day use facility, not
a sole ventured up the mountain on the well worn trail and the kid, the
dog and I had miles of mountain and thousands of acres alone and to
ourselves.

I have rarely been in a place with so much bird life. The meadow
attracts the birds which like open spaces and wet areas such as the red
winged blackbirds which flew threateningly near us each time we'd
venture too close to their nests and the woodcocks who "beep" rapidly as
they fly, silencing themselves as they drop to the ground like a rock,
only to be heard again as a weird "pzeet" sound to let females know
they're ready, about and raring to go. The meadow also attracts the edge
species like hummingbirds, one of which visited the campsite attracted
by a bright red wrapper from a granola bar, and bright orange orioles,
which build nests that hang from high tree limbs. As a weather front
moved in we watched two hawks and an eagle casually ride thermals higher
and higher until they were but specks in the sky. Up the mountainside
where the forest thickens, and amid cherry and maple trees hundreds of
years old, you can hear the woodland birds, owls, thrushes, woodpeckers
and the like, identified by their calls and the deep, far off drumming
of ruffed grouse attracting mates.

We watched the ISS cross the night sky at 10:30 the other night, a star
which moves so slowly and bright it would be impossible to miss and
meteors leaving a trail of gold sparks in their wake. As the night
darkened the rich fabric of the milky way became more and more apparent,
giving the sky a three-dimensional velveteen depth.

Though the trilliums and trout lilies were finished, this part of the
Catskills was still about 3 weeks behind us as far as spring goes. Oaks
hadn't yet leafed out and in the valley, homes still had copious lilacs
in bloom.

Rain came slowly the other night and we watched for hours as the weather
moved in. High clouds from the west, then lower clouds moved in under
them from the southwest. The cloud decks thickened over the course of
the afternoon and evening and just before dark the first few drops of
rain began to fall. It rained lightly all night bringing a wet, cool,
and foggy morning, the kind that makes a forest look ancient, mysterious
and wondrous. So, while we were away...

*Oros is out, Hillary is out, Degnan is in. Hillary wants back in.
*She'd make the beds in the Lincoln Bedroom if she had to, anything to
get back into the White House. Reports have it that she will endorse
Senator Obama in a day or two finally ending a grueling and expensive
primary season that /began a year too early/. Next time around I would
suggest to the major political parties that they start their primary
season on April 1st and end it - mercifully 6 weeks later in the middle
of May. Give us a few months to catch our collective breath, then come
back for round-two in September. None of this 24 hour a day, 365 day a
year marathon which taxes the voter and becomes nothing but white noise
in the end. And to prove how we've lost sight of what's important in all
this noise, here's a quick quiz: say out loud the difference in health
care plans between McCain, Obama and Clinton and when they plan to bring
our troops home from Iraq. *You have 60 seconds.* I'll bet you can't and
you know what, at this point, neither can they.

As you all know by now, *the Suozzi Commission has come back with a
soft-core plan for property tax relief*, one that does nothing to alter
the status quo, that allows the rich to continue paying virtually
nothing in taxes and maintains inequality in education and education
funding across the State. The Commission, backed by taxpayer groups
across the state, remarkably claim this as a victory. You know what I
have to say and Hudson Valley Assemblyman Kevin Cahill had this to say
about it, in part:

/"The realities laid out in the report point ineluctably toward full
state funding of a basic quality education -- a policy that I have
long advocated -- as the one equitable solution to this crisis.
However, the Commission has fallen short by opting to advance a soft
local levy cap. If enacted on its own, this proposal will lock us
into this regressive system, limiting future increases to a
cost-of-living index. The report has missed a great opportunity to
call for the reversal and gradual elimination of school property
taxes in favor of a progressive education income surcharge as
proposed in my legislation (A.4746), which is also co-sponsored by
nineteen Assemblymembers, both Democrat and Republican, from all
over New York."/

*Yazmany Abroleda <http://yazmany.com/>, an artist in NYC* was detained
and interrogated the other day while installing two art exhibits
called, "The Assassination of Hillary Clinton" and, in a neighboring
gallery, "The Assassination of Barack Obama". NYPD and Secret Service
agents stopped work on the installations. They detained, then questioned
the artist asking him if he owned any guns or if he had ever been
institutionalized. But while both the Secret Service and the NYPD
insisted they had no intention of shutting down the show, one must
wonder how they missed the point that the show was about the
/assassination of character/ and not the physical persons themselves.
And besides, it's art... why would it matter one way or another? We live
in an open society where ideas can flow freely... right? Perhaps had
they taken a look at the art before forcibly detaining the artist they
might have saved themselves a lot of angst. _The show is open today at
264 West 40th Street in Midtown._

In the meantime, *High School students in Hernando, Florida, *mimicking
a similar hoax in Oregon just a few weeks ago, sent a letter allegedly
from the school to the homes of 400 members of the Sophomore class. The
letters claimed that since abstinence education was not working and that
because of budget cuts, sex ed classes would no longer be offered in the
district. And remarking that all students are probably sexually active
regardless of what we think, asked parents to begin to take
responsibility for teaching their own children about safe sex. Okay, so
they broke into the school's database to get the addresses and used the
school's postal machine to send the letters (which included a condom by
the way,) but damn, if they weren't right about the whole thing. Put me
down for a donation to their legal defense fund.

*New York instituted the highest cigarette tax in the nation yesterday*
in a paradoxical attempt to bring in additional revenue so millionaires
won't have to be fairly taxed and to cut cigarette use at the same time.
In the meantime, heart attacks and other pulmonary diseases top the
charts sending tens of thousands of New Yorkers to their graves each
year but, heck... do you see a tax on McDonalds? Did they misspell
"duplicity" somewhere?

*The Marijuana Policy Project <http://www.mpp.org/nyad> is once again
pushing New York State to pass a medical marijuana bill*, something that
State Senator Leibell has proposed in the past. Legislation was passed
by the Assembly last year (95-52) and the Senate is being encouraged to
make NY the 23rd such state in the nation.

*The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's public newsletter
for June 2008 is now available* online. You can access the main table of
contents at DEC's website
<http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/newsletter.html> and it's well
worth your read.
King of Hearts - film Screening

*King of Hearts*: For one day, Private Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates)
becomes, rather against his will, the mock king of a group of lunatics.
This motley crowd has escaped from an asylum to take possession of a
deserted town in Northern France between the front lines of WW I. The
screening of this classic antiwar film will be followed by an audience
discussion led by two veterans of World War II, Jay Wenk and Jim Mearns.
This program is part of the "/Give Peace a Film/" series sponsored by
the Dutchess Peace Coalition <http://www.dutchesspeace.org>. The film
will be shown tomorrow night, June 6th at 7:30 PM at the Muddy Cup
Coffeehouse at 305 Main Street in Poughkeepsie and *there is no
admission charge*.

Good Monday Morning,

*The Big News this past weekend is that, um... nothing happened*.
Hillary refuses to gracefully exit the Presidential race, Joe Bruno
supports equal rights - but not for gays, the war in Iraq rages on and
the Putnam County Legislature is talking about banning bull riding. Huh?

A report in the Journal News
<http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20080601/news04/806010352/1020/news04>
says that the Leg may consider a ban on bull riding due to reports
of animal abuse in that business (can you guess how they get the
bull to buck?). But let's put these things into perspective... It's
seemingly acceptable to treat animals badly when we're going to eat
them but not when we want to ride them for sport and for anyone who
has ever /visited a commercial chicken farm or a slaughterhouse/ you
know exactly what I'm talking about. Should we discuss veal? No,
I'll leave the horror stories for others.

Instead, let's get the County Legislature to *consider a ban on
commercially available meat* - if we want to be fair to animals
about all this. The upside would be a significant decrease in heart
disease for Putnam residents and the animals will be happier all
around, too. I do have to say there is a strange paradox in those
who would ban bull riding and rodeo sports and yet who still eat
meat. A cattle prod to the testicles for recreation is one thing. A
steel rod fired directly into the brain is somehow different? At
least with the former the animal has an opportunity for revenge!

*Tomorrow night (Tuesday) the County Legislature will vote on a domestic
partner registry*, an important move in bringing equal rights to
citizens of Putnam County. Write the Legislature
<cid:part2.01080709.04050900@gmail.com> and tell them you support the
idea and urge them to vote in favor. Mention that those who might vote
against could instead vote "present" or "abstain" which are both legally
valid options to show they disagree where a "no" vote comes with baggage
that may be hard to discard come election time. A unanimous vote in
favor of this small step in the right direction is the goal. Write the
Legislature <cid:part2.01080709.04050900@gmail.com>!

*Dan Bern at the Tarryotwn Music HallOn Saturday night I drove down to
the Tarrytown Music Hall for the Dan Bern show* with some friends. Dan
is one of those artists who is hard to place in a specific genre. A
rocker? Sure. A folker, of course. Singer/Songwriter? Yeah, that too.

For whatever reason, the sound technician decided to play it like a rock
concert with the tenor turned way up, the guitar and cellocaster (played
by Paul Kuhn) overwhelming the vocals. Dan's got one of those "high
lonesome" singing voices and it came across as whiny and squeaking most
of the time, not the clear, high sound he does have. When the set was
done Dan came back to play an encore but stayed - alone with his
acoustic guitar - for what amounted to a full second set which was much
better received. It was this 'second set' the audience came to hear and
it was not lost on the performer. All in all, it was a great night and
seeing Dan live, in a rare east coast tour, was worth the journey to the
crowded jungles of Westchester County. (/He also autographed my buddy's
chest
<http://a918.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/21/l_1a2aa2c56dacea9165e3e4ce71b554b5.jpg>
after the show. Don't ask.../)

*On June 3^rd , at 7 pm in the Horace Greeley High School Academic
Commons*, the Amnesty International Student Chapter at Greeley High
School will be hosting *Jeff Deskovic* at their annual Ethnic Dinner.

Jeff was arrested at the age of sixteen and was convicted of rape
and murder on a coerced confession after 7 ½ hours of grueling
interrogation. He was sentenced to fifteen years to life despite the
Judge's comment, "Maybe you are innocent." The Innocence Project
heard his pleas and took up Jeff's cause. DNA evidence proved to be
crucial; after more advanced methods for DNA analysis were developed
it became clear that Jeff was unconnected to the crime. Another man,
already serving a prison sentence for another murder, confessed to
the crime. Amnesty International is very grateful to New Yorkers
Against the Death Penalty, whose support made it possible for Jeff
to join them. Admission and food are free, but donations are
welcome. They look forward to seeing you there: 70 Roaring Brook
Road, Chappaqua, NY.

*Putnam County opened a Veterans Museum at the County Park in Kent the
other day*. Denis Castelli has posted a photo album of the event which
you can find here
<http://picasaweb.google.com/deniscastelli/20080531veteransmuseum>.
Officiating at the ceremony was Town of Kent Councilman Karl Rhode (see
image).

According to a legal notice, it's going to be a busy night tonight as
the Town of *Kent Town Board holds a public hearing on their proposed
blasting ordinance*. The meeting will be at 7PM at the Town Center on
Route 52.

*The race in the 19th Congressional district* is about as exciting as
watching your tomatoes grow. Actually, the tomatoes are a better show.
With John Hall facing down Kieran Lalor and with George Oros undecided
about his future as a candidate I'm not sure whether we should be
laughing or crying. Mr. Lalor brings little to the race and the only
reason he was endorsed was his "active veteran" status which, if that's
the best they can do, is pretty weak. But the blogs are slowly coming
awake pitting the *War Hero against the Anti-War Hippie* though terms
used on the pro-Lalor sites are predictably a bit more caustic. If Lalor
does get any traction, this should be one humorous race. But be
forewarned, Lalor will likely wrap himself so tightly in the flag that
he chokes himself well before election day - and that would be just fine
with me. Patriotism, scoundrels and all that jazz...

*Lastly, thanks to all those who offered to allow me to borrow a
backpack*. I'm trying to get away for a few days now that I'm in-between
jobs. The idea was to bushwhack into the Gulf of Mexico Brook basin at
the foot of Graham Mountain in the Catskills and explore that little
known terrain. But the weather is calling for thunderstorms and heavy
rain for tomorrow evening into Wednesday and the kid is balking. "We'll
be stuck in the tent!" he moans. "Yeah," I say, "but there'll be no
internet, no phones, no radio, no politics, no nothing... just bears and
coyotes. Bring a book." But he's still resisting. So, I offer a
different trip, a stay at the Beaver Meadow leanto just west of Alder
Lake, not nearly as remote, but offering better protection against the
elements and still providing miles of unexplored mountains and valleys.
We'll see if I can twist his arm a little... If so, see you all on Thursday.

As always, visit PlanPutnam.org for more.

Dan Bern


/"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act." -
Truman Capote/

Good Friday Morning,

*To celebrate the end of a long and complex job*, the kid and I took the
day off yesterday to hike Mt. Taurus, the highest singular point in
Putnam County.

Breakneck Ridge from Mt TaurusComing in from Fishkill Road in
Nelsonville, you climb for about an hour and a half from a cool, green
maturing forest to a xeric landscape of stunted oaks and blueberries.
Once atop the mountain the vistas stretch northwards to the Catskills
and southwards to the office towers of New York City with the Hudson
river, Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Ridge hard below. We could not
think of a better way to spend an afternoon than on a high rock slab
with the world at our feet, bathed in an oak-leaf dappled light, in
contemplation of an altered sky of a blue hue that only the gods could
create. I'll have the hike posted to PlanPutnam's Outdoor Recreation
Guide <http://www.planputnam.org/highlands/tourism/recreation.htm> in a
day or two for those of you who would like to try it out.

*The race in the 19th Congressional District is slowly heating up*. This
coming Monday, John Hall will officially kick off his campaign with an
afternoon opening of his 2008 campaign office on Main Street in Beacon.
Indications right now show the Republicans are heading into a primary
with Westchester County legislator George Oros taking on Kieran Lalor
who, for reasons I cannot fathom, was endorsed by the party at their
meetings last week.

While we're talking about Mr. Lalor, who thinks his electablity rides
solely on his being an Iraqi war veteran, someone should start fining
him for the illegal signs he has up all over the district. Mr. Lalor's
campaign seems to be focused on capturing veteran's votes but I can't
see too many veterans who would seek to replace Congressman Hall due to
his intensive work on veterans affairs since being elected in 2006. He's
done more for war veterans, especially those coming home from our foray
in the Middle East, in this past year and a half than most members of
Congress have done in their careers. Take it from me, being one of
Congressman Hall's more vocal critics - on veteran's issues the guy has
done it right. Mr. Lalor is going to have to come up with something
else, something tangible.

*Governor Paterson has directed state agencies to recognize same-sex
marriages officiated elsewhere*. This, he says, will protect NYS from
lawsuits based on the findings of an Appellate Court decision from last
February. Senator Bruno is fit to be tied and the regular opposition is
making gurgling noises again, choked by the fear that stable
relationships made outside the Church might become a reality.

Sandy Galef has been silent so far, being one of a small handful of
Democrats who voted against this important civil rights issue and I
cannot imagine the vitriol Greg Ball will put out in his next press
release. To make Greg and his gun-toting right wingers happy I propose a
new organization, "*Gays With Guns*". Their motto will be, "We'll give
you our marriage certificates when you take them from our cold, dead
hands! <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/from_my_cold%2c_dead_hands>"

As I've said in the past, if you want to "protect the sanctity of
marriage", *target divorce lawyers*, not those who believe in it.

Along the same lines, *the Putnam County Legislature will vote this
coming Tuesday night* to set up a Domestic Partner registry and the
scuttlebutt says the votes are there. Expect some grandstanding from the
regular quarters based most likely on alleged technicalities. In a
statewide poll released before the Governor's executive order, a
majority of New Yorkers support the concept. It's good to see our county
Legislature at the forefront of civil rights issues which affect a
goodly portion of our residents.

*Am I the only one who thinks that the recent mailers from Senator
Leibell,* paid for with taxpayer dollars, cross the line into that of
political campaigning?

Tonight, two Lake Carmel boys, the *3B Band* will open for The Kennedy's
at the Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling. Show time is at 9PM.

Tomorrow night, Saturday, May 31st, *Singer/songwriter Dan Bern
<http://www.danbern.com/>* makes a rare local appearance when he
performs at the Tarrytown Music Hall
<http://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=759&c=52&pg=>.
Tickets are on the expensive side ($25-$40) but will be worth every
penny. I'll be there.

On Sunday, June 1st, *Michelle LeBlanc* will be performing at the
Mahopac Public Library from 2-3PM as part of a talk by author Linda Dahl
on her new book, "Haunted Heart" the biography of singer Susannah McCorkle.

*The Brewster Theater Company's fifth annual Evening of One-Acts*,
"Slices of Life", will commence on June 6 at 8 pm and June 7 at 2pm and
8 pm at St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Brewster, NY. Visit their website
<http://brewstertheatercompany.org/> for more information.
*
On Saturday, June 7, at 8 pm Arts on the Lake* presents the band
/Project Mercury/, a prize-winning group in a musical mixture of
original folk and acoustic rock. Tickets are $10 ($9 members).
Reservations: rsvp@artsonthelake.org
<mailto:rsvp@artsonthelake.org?subject=project%20mercury%20%5bplanputman%5d>
or (845) 228-2685. More information on the band is available at:
www.projectmercury.net <http://www.projectmercury.net/>.

The following Saturday, June 14, in partnership with /Blue Horse
Repertory/, *Broadway veteran Nancy Johnston ("Secret Garden;" "Music
Man") and musical director Doug Coates* inaugurate "It Takes Two." At 8
pm. The Arts Center will be transformed into a cabaret via the songs of
Sondheim, Rodgers and Hart, Kander and Ebb, Irving Berlin, George and
Ira Gershwin and Stephen Sondheim. Tickets: $12 ($9 members).
Reservations: rsvp@artsonthelake.org
<mailto:rsvp@artsonthelake.org?subject=it%20takes%20two%20%5bplanputnam%5d>
or (845) 228-2685.

As always, visit PlanPutnam.Org <http://www.planputnam.org> for more and
enjoy your weekend.