Awhile back I wrote about Marty Markowitz decline from popular Brooklyn Clown to a vindictive, rampaging creep. Markowitz was shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU, at the vehement opposition to his becoming Bruce Ratner's Rat. He blamed extremists who don't understand him for the opposition (myself probably included). Now he has another group of "extremists" who just "don't understand" the clown. Brooklyn's Gay and Lesbian community is outraged at Marty Markowitz's endorsement of the unqualified, homophobic Noach "Call Me Noah" Dear for judge. From The Brooklyn Papers:

A Civil Court race pitting firebrand former Councilman Noach Dear against a lesser-known judge has been thrust into the spotlight by gay and lesbian activists because of Borough President Markowitz’s endorsement of Dear, who was rated as unqualified for the bench by the City Bar Association... Dear is also backed by the Brooklyn Democratic Party boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, in the race for the Civil Court seat against Karen Yellen. The Fifth District covers Dear’s stronghold of Borough Park, plus parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, and the very southern edge of Park Slope... “I think Marty has made a terrible mistake,” [Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles club] said. “I don’t know what he was smoking. Endorsing Dear is unconscionable. It’s despicable. I can’t see him being able to qualify for the endorsement of a gay club after this...”

I am sure Marty feels that these gay people just don't understand him. Surely they can see Noach Dear is a dear person. Let's see what Dear is like (from same article):

Dear’s tenure in the Council — which includes angering blacks by traveling to South Africa on an Apartheid fact-finding tour sponsored by the whites-only Johannesburg City Council, and being sued by a group Sri Lankan Tamils who claimed he stole $170,000 from them — is drawing fire. The Village Voice reported last month that when Dear ran for Congress, his campaign staff forged 47 sequentially numbered money orders in other people’s names to hide a donation of $40,000, which was then 20 times the legal limit.

But here is the kicker. The candidate for civil court judge endorsed by Marty Markowitz and Vito Lopez isn't just accused of homophobia and corruption, he is also flat out unqualified. That is the assessment of the New York City Bar Association: Noach Dear is NOT QUALIFIED to be judge. On the other hand, Dear's opponent, Karen Yellen, is not only rated as "qualified" by the bar assn., but already has ten years experience as a Civil Court Judge, and currently tries cases in Family Court as a Referee. Yellen also stood up to the corrupt Clarence Norman machine, testifying against Clarence Norman and helping send him to jail. We all should be asking Marty Markowitz why we can't get qualified, compassionate, anti-corruption judges in Brooklyn. Sorry Marty. As you slowly alienate your strongest supporters (I hear he even was booed at Prospect Park this summer), it's you who just don't understand. We prefer QUALIFIED judges, not homophobic, unqualified judges. Funny that you can't understand that. Brooklyn doesn't like you as Ratner's Rat and we CERTAINLY don't like you holding Noach Dear so dear. When I first broke the story of Marty Markowitz's rampage against Community Board 6, I had people actually tell me they questioned Marty's sanity. Not sure if he has lost his marbles, but he sure is losing support he would dearly need if he wants to (you've got to be kidding!) run for mayor. I keep saying it and I will continue to say it: it is people like Marty Markowitz, Vito Lopez and Noach Dear who give Brooklyn Democrats a bad name.