Here is a sampling of people who have endorsed Mark Green for Public Advocate of NYC with statements:

Bobby Kennedy
Environmental Law Attorney

"My Uncle Teddy finally felt that, after the death of his brothers, the election of Barack Obama was the fulfillment of his life. That he had fought. That America had ultimately come around. And there is one other guy who has been there that long, with him, and that's Mark Green.

The post that he running for is the conscience of the City. It is the post that is supposed to remind all of us how democracy is supposed to function, how the little guy should have as much power as the big powerful wealthy voices. There is nobody who understands it better than Mark. "

Gloria Steinem
Feminist Icon and Activist

“Mark Green’s record of real progressive reform and his successful fights for women in particular – helping domestic violence victims in the workplace, changing divorce laws, stopping discriminatory pricing based on gender – show the kind of outspoken Public Advocate he was and should be again.”

National Organization for Women – New York City Chapter

"NOW-NYC is proud to endorse Mark Green, who clearly stands out as the candidate with the most skills, accomplishments and vision. New York City needs a Public Advocate who understands the struggles women in our city face on a daily basis. Mark Green is that person.”

National Latino Officers Association

"We've know Mark well for years and know his record on security and policing issues," said Miranda. "His courage in taking on Mayor Giuliani over the urgent issue of police misconduct and racial profiling is a perfect example of the type of leadership Mark has provided this City. His lawsuits and investigations led to better discipline and better police-community relations, which is essential to successful law enforcement."

"Especially during difficult times for our City, Mark's unequaled experience as Public Advocate is just what struggling families need to get effective city services and just the kind of watchdog a mayor must have."

Local 2507: Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors FDNY &
Local 3621: Uniformed EMS Officers Union

"There was a traumatic and tragic event eight years ago this week that deeply affected our City, our emergency medical service personnel members and Mark Green. He was running in a mayoral primary September 11 and our members recall his courage and grace that day and the difficult days that followed. He showed a real knowledge of what the City was going through and a real empathy about what our members were going through.”

"Like so many New Yorkers, Mark's a fighter and a survivor who doesn't quit when the chips are down. So we're endorsing him now because of his years of proven accomplishment and potential to do even more.”

"Our jobs involve the health of New Yorkers under stress. Mark in his way has been a champion of consumer health issues his entire public life. Look at how he exposed how HMOs were violating the state's HMO Bill of Rights by shunning patients when they needed care, how he exposed how major hospitals were ignoring the ‘Libby Zion Law’ to avoid overworking doctors and interns, how hospitals weren't disclosing adverse incident reports.”

504 Democratic Club (disabled rights group)

"We don't have to guess what Mark will do for our community because we saw what he did do -- especially his federal petition that forced Access-a-Ride to reduce its automatic 'denial rate' in picking up the frail elderly and disabled. Mark's an aggressive progressive who's always on our side."

Tomorrow NYC votes in a primary election that will determine, in many ways, the political landscape for NYC for the next 4 years. Sadly, it will be a low voter turnout primary which means it is desperately hard to predict.

Public Advocate is one of the positions up for grabs tomorrow. It is one race that could go into a runoff if the few polls I have seen are any indication.

There are four candidates running: civil rights attorney and former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union Norman Siegel, former Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Mark Green, and City Council candidates Eric Gioia and Bill de Blasio. All polls show Mark Green in the lead but without the necessary votes to avoid a runoff. So it is likely to come down to Mark Green vs. one of the other candidates.  read more »

A friend emails over an invite to a fundraiser for Mark Green, the once and maybe future Public Advocate, in support of his current run for office.

Thursday, June 18 from 6-7:30 pm

Tickets can be purchased at: www.MarkGreen.net/events/June18

And let me take this opportunity to point out that, if we post these things, we don't imply any endorsement, and that we generally prefer it when campaigns just buy an ad.

The Jewish morning prayer service ends with the Psalm of the day. Psalm 82 concludes the service on Tuesdays, which is also Election Day in this Country. I find it an interesting coincidence that the Psalm, written more than two millennia ago and admonishes hypocritical leaders who favor the powerful over the poor, is read on Election Day. When I read it, I always imagine a biblical era prophet chastising contemporary Republicans.

The Birnbaum Siddur or Prayerbook reads right to left with the odd pages written in Hebrew while the even pages contain translations of the Hebrew text in archaic King James style English. I choose to pray with Birnbaum when it's an available option, over books with easier to understand English, because I'm used to its liturgical translation. Although I know how to read Hebrew and recite some prayers in that ancient tongue, I understand little of the language and pray mostly in English. Using other English translations throws me off.

Containing just 8 sentences, Psalm 82 is among the Bible's shortest chapters. Below is the Birnbaum version of the Psalm.  read more »