My Friends Are My Friends WITH Their Virtues and Their Defects

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz

District 32 Bronx County, New York

Tel 718-991-3161

MY FRIENDS ARE MY FRIENDS WITH THEIR VIRTUES AND THEIR DEFECTS

You should know that back in the old days, when I was growing up in a sector called La Cuchilla in a neighborhood called Hato Tejas in Bayamón Puerto Rico, when my mother Doña Anselma Martinez use to criticize my father Don Isaac Diaz Amezquita because of the kind of friends he had, my father responded to her by saying “My friends are my friends with their virtues and their faults”

That seems to be the same philosophy being used by NYC’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio regarding his friend the Bishop Orlando Findlayter.

As we all know Bishop Findlayter was detained by members of the New York City Police Department and taken into custody to the 67th police precinct in Brooklyn and charged with driving with a suspended license and while there the police found that the Reverend has two outstanding warrants. It has been said that Mayor Bill DeBlasio placed a telephone call to the police precinct to inquire about the status of Bishop Findlayter. For this Mayor DeBlasio has been criticized by every news media as if he has committed the biggest sin of his life.

You should know that even though I did not support Mayor DeBlasio during the Democratic Primary and the general election {I supported Rev. Eric Salgado} I do admire and respect the Mayor for his courage, humanity, and friendship shown toward Bishop Findlayter during his moment of need.

As the old cliché goes “You know who your friends are when you are in time of need in a hospital or prison.” By standing true to his friend Mayor Bill DeBlasio broke away from the hypocrisy, culture and tradition of elected officials that while aspiring to become elected, use and abuse their friends and once they get elected abandon their friends. God have mercy if one of their friends finds themselves ever in trouble with the law.

Most elected officials don’t have the guts to stand by their friends and allow them the benefit of the doubt until the person is either proven innocent or guilty. Even then if the person is proven guilty this is a time when they are in need of their friends .

Bishop Orlando Findlayter, is not only a pastor and preacher of the gospel . He as many other members of the clergy dedicates many hours counseling, educating, and advising people of all walks of life. If you ask Bishop Findlayter or any other pastor in the city how many people they have rescued from a life of substance abuse, broken homes, or homeless families helping them become law abiding citizens and respectful members of our society their answer would be too enumerable to count. This they do without any public funds, or tax payer dollars contributing to well being of the city.

Ladies and gentlemen I can assure you that even though New York has the greatest police force in the world, if it were not for the contributions of the churches and religious institutions and members of the clergy such as Bishop Findalyter the crime statistics would not be as low as it is in the city.

The majority of elected officials are users. They use their friends, churches, congregations, and their families to get elected, and after elected ignore the most basic human dignity to at least respond to their friends telephone calls especially a friend in need. I know by experience how one feels when they are in the hospital or in need of a friend, and how it feels to be abandoned by those friends you expect support from.

Mayor DeBlasio has taught a lesson to all elected officials that you don’t ignore friends especially the ones who knock on doors, collect petitions, walk the streets, and distribute literature in subway stations, and everywhere . They sacrifice their personal time and time with their family to help them get elected. The least the Mayor could have done for a friend was to place a call to find out how his friend was doing. That is an honorable gesture and the mayor should be praised not criticized.

Hooray! Hooray! For Mayor Bill DeBlasio. My advice to him is to continue serving everyone without distinction, but never abandon your friends and supporters. Never allow anyone to place you on a guilt trip for being a loyal friend, and helping those that helped you get where you are. God is watching!

In the book of Galatians chapter 6 verse 10 the Apostle Paul writes “ As we have therefore the opportunity let us do good unto all persons, especially on to them who are of the household of faith.” And I add to that and also to those that are of the household of friends.

I am Senator Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.