BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A 44 UGUST 16-22, 2019 BTR
Action
Association
HONORED FOR SERVICE
AnaMarie Murphy, administrative assistant at Preston High
School, was honored by the Preston Center of Compassion, run
by Sr. Patricia Warne,r for her 13 years of dedicated service to the
Preston community on Thursday, August 2. Murphy has been a
staple of both Preston High School and PCC for many years and
was praised for her positive attitude, hard-working nature, and
warm smile she shares with everyone she meets.
Photo courtesy of Preston High School
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
Has the U.S. Progressive/
Left reached its Fort Sumter
moment?
Signifi cant confl icts in history
rarely spring forth from
a singular incident. Rather,
what is seen as an incendiary
event is in reality the accumulation
of disputes that have led
to a fl ashpoint. Firing on Fort
Sumter, which began the Civil
War, was the end result of a
century-old debate on human
bondage. Similar to the newborn
Confederacy’s advocacy
of that horrible practice, the
Left’s disdain for individual
rights and American sovereignty
has led to the current,
stunning split in U.S. politics.
For most of American History,
apart from the terrible
aberration of slavery that precipitated
the War Between
the States, the concepts of
personal freedom and the nation’s
national dominion over
its own territory reigned supreme.
The trend had consistently
been towards enhancing
individual liberty, from
the ideas expressed in the
Declaration of Independence,
to the adoption of the Bill of
Rights, the ending of slavery
and segregation, and the extension
of voting rights to all
adult citizens.
Despite substantial disagreements
between Democrats
and Republicans, liberals
and conservatives, broad
agreement on those topics prevailed.
But a new and rather
alien infl uence has entered
national politics, one which
threatens to rend the nation
apart and disassemble the
Constitution. Progressive/
Left actions over the past several
years constitute a political
assault, a Fort Sumter
moment, against the United
States both as a physical nation
and as a Constitutional
government.
Consider the totality of
what Progressives advocate,
and what they do. As reported
in the Free Beacon, Democratic
National Committee
chair Tom Perez has called
the extremist radical Congresswoman
from New York,
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
“the future of the party.” If so,
her views on the issues are a
source of deep concern. She
opposes free enterprise, believing
that “Capitalism can’t
be redeemed because of the
profi t motive.” She wishes to
endanger national security by
slashing U.S. defense spending
to dangerously low levels, and
bringing all U.S. troops home.
She essentially advocates
open borders, and the misuse
of American tax dollars to provide
benefi ts to those entering
the nation illegally.
Leftist politicians in “sanctuary
cities” openly seek to
prevent the enforcement of
federal laws on immigration,
even against thse illegals who
have commited crimes against
American citizens. Progressive
judges, particularly in
the Ninth Circuit, have frequently
placed their left-wing
views above Constitutional
or statutory law. Throughout
universities and the educational
establishment, students
with centrist and conservative
views are openly penalized and
intimidated for their beliefs.
Constitutional protections
and the Bill of Rights
are openly disdained. Senator
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
introduced legislation to
limit the application of the
First Amendment. Presidential
candidate Kamala Harris
claims she will use “executive
power” to override the Second
Amendment.
The problem isn’t limited
to politicians. Robert Knight,
writing in the Washington
Times, explains: “…cultural
Marxists advance their doctrines
and silence any dissension…”
A senior social media
manager has called for imprisoning
President Trump, apparently
for merely having beliefs
that differ from the Left. Facebook,
Twitter, and Google have
all, to varying degrees, suppressed
non-Leftist users.
It’s more than just words.
The Washington Post notes
that Missouri Democrat State
Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal
has called for the assassination
of President Trump (under
pressure, she later relented.)
Across the nation,
many on the left consider it appropriate
to physically assault
individuals for expressing
contrary opinions. Progressive
elected offi cials, such as
Portland, Oregon’s Mayor Ted
wheeler, have discouraged police
from protecting those assaulted
by Antifa, a recent example
being journalist Andy
Ngo.
Antifa supporter Willem
Van Spronsen, armed with
incendiary devices and a fi rearm
attacked an Immigration
and Customs Enforcement
Center. The attack itself
is only part of the issue. The
praise and support he has received
for his assault on a law
enforcement agency is the key,
and vastly disturbing, issue.
The initiation of violence
and rioting by those who disagreed
with the election results
of 2016 was condoned and
excused by Progressives and
leftists. Those acts were not
the results of any particular
policy or act of the President.
I was in Washington, D.C. just
before the inauguration, before
Donald Trump was even
sworn in. The violence was already
underway.
This is not politics as usual;
it is far darker. This is insurrection,
a replay of the attack
on Fort Sumter.
BY JO ANN SOHMERS
We will be hosting our annual
block party on Saturday,
August 17.
The block party will take
place on Rohr Place from 2 to
9 p.m. (setup time is 1 p.m.).
Rohr Place residents
please remove your cars from
the block at the time posted
on signs provided by the 45th
Precinct.
There is no rain date,
so let’s hope for pleasant
weather.
In the fall we will be resuming
our meetings together
with the Throggs
Neck Homeowners Association.
I encourage our Ferry
Point residents to attend
these monthly meetings.
For your information: In
New York City, property tax
represented Forty-four precent
of all the city tax dollars
collected in fi scal year
2018, which ended on June
30, 2018.
Ninety percent went to
uniform agencies (police,
fi re, sanitation, corrections).
Thirty percent went to education.
Nineteen percent went
to health and welfare and
twenty-one percent to other
agencies (transportation,
housing, parks, etc.)
To all military veterans,
the bill has finally been
signed to allow all military
veterans with at least one
day of active service and
an honorable discharge to
join the American Legion.
This is something that we
have been working on for
some time. Glad it has finally
came to pass, welcome
aboard, we have quite
a few very good posts in the
neighborhood. Pick one and
join a great team, be a part
of something great again.
We were honored to host
the renaming of the street
outside the post in the name
of Sgtm. Paul ‘Doc’ Golluscio
Way, everyone that new
Doc would know why he was
deserving of such an honor,
we miss him every day.
We can not again thank
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
enough for what he does for
the veterans, refreshing to
see a man that stands behind
his words.
We are planning a 50th
Woodstock celebration Saturday,
August 17, live music,
hotdogs, cash bar and
the screening of the Woodstock
biography on our
great lawn. Donations welcome
to support the post,
bring your folding chair’s
and take a step back to the
good ole days.
September is right
around the corner, all components
of the post will be
starting meetings, I cannot
stress enough the importance
of making the time
to make your meetings and
getting involved, this belongs
to you and we need the
help to do it. That’s all for
now.
We are stronger as one.
Let’s work together.
God bless America.
You can contact me, Jo
Ann Sohmers, at JSohmers@
gmail.com. The civic association
also has a Facebook page
under Ferry Point Civic Association.
/gmail.com
