Statement By Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz During The New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedom 2006 Breakfast

Statement By Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz During The
New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedom 2006 Breakfast
Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and as I say in church, God bless you all.

Once again it is my honor to speak at the Americans for Constitutional Freedom forum and to welcome so many pro-family and pro-life Americans to the New York State Capitol.

Thank you, Reverend Duane Motley for inviting me here today.

I would like to start by praising the efforts of Mr. Matthew Staver, and the Liberty Counsel for their tireless efforts to defend the sanctity of marriage and the unborn children in America.

It is well known that if it were not for the Liberty Counsel, our efforts, struggles and challenges would just be ignored. I take my hat off to Mr. Matthew Staver, and I ask you all to give him a great round of applause.

There are two things that I would like to bring to your attention this morning.

First, I am sure that all of you are aware that in August 2003, the good Mayor of the City of New York, Mr. Michael Bloomberg, the wonderful New York City School Chancellor, Mr. Joel Klein, and the magnificent New York City Department of Education – the three of them together - created the first school for homosexuals and lesbians funded by public money.

With the immediate help of the Liberty Counsel and Ms. Rena Lindevalsen from their legal department, I commenced a lawsuit against the barbaric use of public funds to create a special school for gays and lesbians while thousands of children in my district and in other areas of New York City suffer and continue to be denied access to a safe environment and the quality of education they deserve.

We presented the lawsuit for the following reasons. The Harvey Milk School is illegal because it violates the policies of the New York City Department of Education which states that there should be no bias based on sexual orientation, religion, nationality or gender.

By creating this school, New York City set up a special class of students – creating something we call illegal segregation and also it only benefits 100 children - - while the rest of the 1.2 million students, including the ones in my district and other areas of the City suffer and are denied the same kind of education.

Since July 27, 2004, we have been awaiting a decision by New York State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan to rule on my lawsuit.

While my lawsuit remains in limbo, Judge Ling-Cohan has found time to write a 62-page decision ruling in favor of homosexual marriage in New York City.

While she refuses to rule on my lawsuit, Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, in February 2005, ruled that the New York State Constitution does not forbid the right of same-sex couples to marry. She has also ruled that marriage licenses must be given to same-sex partners who apply for them.

The second issue I would like to talk with you about is a letter written by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and cosigned by 55 Catholic Democratic Members of the US Congress. The majority of the Congressmen who signed this letter are the same people who support late-term abortion.

I was shocked and amazed to receive a letter from Kristen Day, the President of the National Democrats for Life Organization in support of the letter written by these people.

Our goal, as pro-lifers, is to promote a culture of life. The purpose of those 55 Congressmen in writing the letter was to attack the President and to promote pro-abortion, to promote a liberal agenda, and to promote all of them in an election year.

Ladies and gentleman, brothers and sisters believe me, this letter was not written to promote respect for the dignity of each human person at all stages of development.

I have to tell you that I am a Democrat. And a pro-lifer. As such, I endured great pain, tribulation and agony by pro-abortion officials and political activists from my own party.

I am also a Pentecostal Christian Minister. A Pastor of a Church in Bronx County. And the President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, an organization composed of more than 150 ministers in New York City.

Fighting for a good educational system, good health services, job creation, affordable housing, and other important social services equally available to all human beings, are some of the reasons that I am a public servant.

However, I would like to make it clear to all of you and to anyone who would like to listen, that an aborted baby will never, never – I repeat – never be able to enjoy these social services.

Therefore, it is the duty and responsibility of every good Christian and any pro-lifer to defend the sanctity of life and not allow the sagacity of the letter written by those Member of Congress to distance us from our goals that should be – and I repeat – to respect all human life.

Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, to me it has been an honor, a privilege and a pleasure being here with you today. May God bless you all, and may God Bless and Protect America.