Firechief Suspended And Ordered To Go To Sensitivity Training For Religious Book He Wrote Labeling Homosexuality A Sexual Perversion

If you agree with the highlighted portions you may soon be fired

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran has been suspended without pay for one month according to the AJC, the month-long suspension without pay will cost him $14,333 and must undergo sensitivity training for authoring a Christian book in 2013 that described homosexuality as a “sexual perversion.”


Mayor Kasim Reed’s spokeswoman Anne Torres said the administration didn’t know about book, titled “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” until employees came forward with complaints last week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The book identifies Mr. Cochran as Atlanta’s fire chief and says it’s his first priority as chief is to run the department “to cultivate its culture to the glory of God,” a local ABC affiliate reported.

The mayor’s office has opened an investigation to determine whether the chief’s actions violated city policies or "discriminated" against employees.

Two specific passages of the book are cited by The Ga Voice for their anti-gay stance.

“Uncleanness — whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion,” the book states.

“Naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, the same sex and sex outside of marriage and many other vile, vulgar and inappropriate ways which defile their body-temple and dishonor God,” another passage states.

Mr. Reid issued a statement Monday afternoon distancing himself from the fire chief’s views.

“I was surprised and disappointed to learn of this book on Friday,” he said, the ABC affiliate reported. “I profoundly disagree with and am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community. I will not tolerate "discrimination" of any kind within my administration unless it's targeted against religious people.”

Mr. Cochran will also be barred from distributing copies of his books to public employees, which is something he reportedly did in the past.

Deputy Chief Joel Baker will serve as acting fire chief in Mr. Cochran’s absence.
(Washington Times) highlights outs

Atlanta Mayor's facebook comment on situation

Retired Atlanta Fire Department Captain Cindy Thompson, who is openly gay, was informed of the book by other firefighters who were disturbed by the book. Thompson, who retired in 2009 after 30 years with the department, contacted the GA Voice to get the word out about the anti-gay book. Today she she said she talked with Robin Shahar, the LGBT liaison for Mayor Reed’s office, about the book and the worry from local firefighters.

“I talked to her a long time. She was pretty shocked by the book herself, I believe. She wished some employees had come forward. But they are not that comfortable. Even though they are to be protected by doing so, some don’t feel that way. And also [speaking out] can follow you,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who now lives in California with her partner, has family in Atlanta and is visiting here for the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s when the fire department employees happened to catch her and ask her for her help.

“This is highly disturbing. I can’t quite believe it, especially since he attached his name and his job to it. That pretty much says how the department thinks,” Thompson said.

Thompson said she knew Chief Cochran while she worked at the department but “didn’t know this side of him.” She did say she knew he was a religious man and because she had “bad vibes” about him she voluntarily took a demotion from battalion chief to captain. “I just didn’t get a good feeling from him,” she said. “Now I see this book and know I was right all along.”

If an employee of the fire department wrote this book and attached their name and title with it, Thompson said she’s sure they would face a stiff penalty, if not termination. She said she believes Cochran should face the same kind of punishment, if not stricter.
first amendment be darned

“I think he should be held to a higher standard. If you’re going to publicize something, a book or publication, you’re supposed to get it approved,” she said. “So he didn’t get it approved. In my personal opinion, I don’t think he should be working there. If someone is writing a book against other groups, like a member of KKK writing something … Atlanta doesn’t tolerate stuff like that. This doesn’t follow any of the anti-discrimination policies or general feeling of the city.”

UPDATE at 5:30 p.m.: Glen Paul Freedman, chair of Georgia Equality’s board of directors, issued a statement that he didn’t believe Reed’s actions were tough enough "sensitivity" training and a one month suspension. Georgia Equality is the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization.

“The Mayor only gave him one month off without pay and then he will be back in charge of the AFD and giving orders to his entire department. His views towards the LGBT community are shameful. He will be back in charge and I am sure telling his staff anti-LGBT stuff. I wonder how many LGBT AFD staff were not promoted or held back because of his views and telling his staff his views. The Mayor should fire him!” Freedman said.

“The mayor is walking a very fine line here and only giving the chief one month without pay is not the answer in this situation and the LGBT community should demand more they always do after the city of Atlanta  just received 100 percent on the HRC [municipal] equality index, New York also got a 100% rating so all government workers who agree with that statement should also be fired” he added.

(thegavoice) highlights our additions

The mayor has read the book, Torres told The Post. “There are a number of passages in the book that directly conflict with the city’s "nondiscrimination" policies,” she added. how can you be in conflict with a discrimination policy in a book?

(Washington Post) highlights our additions

But Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, says Reed isn’t going far enough and says Cochran must go.

“It appears that his language is so extreme, so "belittling" of gay people who practice homosexuality and transgender it doesn't even seem he mentions this people that I don’t see how he could possible lead a diverse workforce,” said Graham.

Cochran’s book, titled "Who Told You That You Are Naked?", includes a passage that compares compares homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality. The book has been available publicly at least since November 2013, according to Amazon.com.

“I think he needs to be held accountable for his words that are clearly biblicaly based and that frankly the only course of action at this point and time is his immediate and permanent dismissal,” said Graham.

In response, Reed spokeswoman Anne Torres said, “it is too soon to say whether or not additional action will be taken. That will depend on the outcome of the investigation.”

(wabe radio station) highlights our additions

Bill Thompson Choose Gays Over Jews

Notice how Bill Thompson IGNORES the followup question regarding Christie's ban on repetitive therapy and goes on to the next question.  Thompson has shown he can't even answer a question regarding freedom of religion (when it conflicts with pervert "rights").  How can we trust this low life to defend it from their attacks?

I urge everyone to vote for Erick Salgado and be worthy of a kasiva ve chasima tovah!


May everyone (this means you EZRA) who will be voting for the lesbian Quinn YMS be signed into the sefer hamaves (on the yom hadin) and get all the curses in the 109 perek of tehillim (psalms)! (May your days be short and your position be taken by another. May your children by orphans and your wife a widow)

I wish everyone a kasiva vechasima tovah

All Major Mayor Candidates Are In Favor Giving Birth Control To Minors WITHOUT Their Parent's Consent

notice how Borough Park (where as of now doesn't give out condoms in Yeshivas) has one of (if not the) lowest pregnancy rates

Would you continue to distribute birth control pills and the morning-after pill in city schools? 


Bill de Blasio Public Advocate Democrat 
On the issue of whether to offer contraception in the schools, Mr. de Blasio was unequivocal, giving a simple “Yes,” without elaboration. He did not address the issue of parental consent, which is not now directly required.
 John C. Liu Comptroller Democrat 
Mr. Liu is supportive of the Bloomberg administration’s decision to distribute contraception in some city schools. Asked if he would continue it, he said “Yes,” without hedging or elaboration.
Christine C. Quinn City Council Speaker Democrat 
Ms. Quinn has made access to abortion and emergency contraception for women a signature issue, saying she wanted to make New York “as pro-choice and pro-women” as possible. In answer to this question, she said she would continue the current policy, but did not elaborate.
William C. Thompson Jr. Former Comptroller Democrat
In the debates over distributing condoms in the schools in the 1990s, Mr. Thompson, then a Brooklyn appointee to the Board of Education, was on the liberal side. He still says he has no objections to distributing birth control in schools.
Anthony D. Weiner Former Congressman Democrat
On birth control, Mr. Weiner proposed to tweak the current policy, perhaps influenced by his experience representing Queens. In the 1990s, parents of schoolchildren in that borough had been among the most vocal in the city in objecting to condom distribution, which is now the norm. He said that he would continue the policy, but that he would do a better job of informing parents that they could opt out.
John A. Catsimatidis C.E.O., Red Apple Group Republican 
Mr. Catsimatidis said he favored contraception in the schools, as long as it included a provision for “parental notification and consent.” He stayed away from the question of exactly what he meant by consent, a concept which different people interpret in different ways, and which the city and the courts have argued is fulfilled by the existing opt-out provision.
Joseph J. Lhota Former Chairman, M.T.A. Republican
Mr. Lhota said he believed parents should have a stronger hand in deciding whether their children were able to get birth control — like “any form of medication” — at school. He said birth control should not be distributed without parental “knowledge.” But he did not say he would ban it, and did not suggest changes to the policy that would ensure parents knew when their children were prescribed contraceptives.
(New York Times)

Quinn Skips Jewish Fourm For Photo-Op At Tomchei Shabbos

Are we only worth a photo-op?

Dov Hikind's Wife Supports Erick Salgado For Mayor!

Erick Salgado's Petition

Blown up

Dov Hikind endorsed pro gay "marriage", UFT endorsed candidate Bill Thompson for mayor "based" on "education".  We respectfully ask Dov to from now on listen to his wife on all political decisions.

Dov Hikind said regarding his Thompson endorsement ”The bottom line is this: I support people who I think are going to be best. I don’t look at poll numbers.”   Dov seems to have confused himself with his wife!

Mayoral Candidate Who Wasn't "Invited" Wins FJCC-COJO Forum

Erick Salgado Wins FJCC Forum

 After Inviting, not inviting, inviting, and not inviting, and then re inviting him only for the last few minutes of the event Erick Salgado "crashed" the forum and won it, showing that the Jewish community follows the Torah and not "askoniem".

Erick Salgado won the event by being the strongest on MBP and other religious infractions even linking MBP to the previous Bris Milah ban attempts and the FACT that gays march every single year in NY's gay "pride" parade.  He further spoke about how the Jewish community came to this country for Freedom of Religion and how that is under assault. He also spoke very strongly about defending the Yeshiva Parents from high tuitions.

Rumor has it that COJO and the FJCC are very upset that Erick Salgado attended the event and even worse gained support in the Orthodox community.

From Yeshiva World News

It’s only a straw poll, so don’t give too much thought to the results. However, based on the response to our questionnaire by a diverse group of ages and gender, the results of our straw poll, conducted Tuesday night after the FJCC mayoral forum, reflect the overall public opinion polls.

There’s one exception though. Christine Quinn, who didn’t hide the fact that she’s from the LGBT community, switched places with Erick Salgado. Mr. Salgado, whose Orthodox supporters are passionate about his candidacy, got the support of 26% while Ms. Quinn was the preferred choice by 7.4%. Former Councilman Sal Albanese didn’t pick up any support among attendees at the forum. Yet he managed to impress, good enough to be considered as the second choice by 22%.

A whopping 62 percent said they do not trust the candidates based on their promises on the campaign trail while 20% said they do trust the candidates. 18% expressed no opinion.

While the Democrats can rely on the Orthodox Jewish voters to turn out in the primaries and influence the vote, they are unlikely to get the same level of support in the general elections when faced with a Republican challenger. According to our straw poll, only 26% are committed voting for the Democratic nominee in the November election while 34% plan to vote for the Republican nominee. 40 percent were undecided.
Full results below:
Q #1: If primary elections for mayor of New York City were held today who would be your choice in the Democratic party?
Erick Salgado 26%
Anthony Weiner 18%
Bill de Blasio 15%
Bill Thompson 11%
Christine Quinn 7.4%
John Liu 4%
Undecided or NE 18.6%
Q #2: Who is your second choice?
Bill Thompson 27.5%
Sal Albanese 22%
Bill de Blasio 17%
John Liu 16.5%
Anthony Weiner 6%
Christine Quinn 5%
Erick Salgado 5%
Q #3: Do you trust the candidates based on their campaign promises?
Yes 20%
No 62%
No opinion 18%
Q #4: In the general election November 5th, would you vote for the Democratic nominate, the Republican or an Independent?
Democrat 26%
Republican 34%
Undecided 40%
(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)

Ezra Friedlander Says "Hasidic Rebbe" Supports Quinn

Ezra and his Date Christine Quinn

bolded parenthesizes mine

Former Comptroller Bill Thompson has Jewish friends in Borough Park and Manhattan. Christine Quinn is likely to find some backing from chasidim who respect her positions on crime and her support for nonprofit groups and city services.

And a Staten Island Evangelical pastor named Eric Salgado is winning some Jewish friends by supporting a controversial circumcision practice. (they forgot toievah)

With six months to go until New York elects a new mayor, the campaigns for the Democrat and Republican nominations have yet to gather serious momentum. But some of the candidates are busy presenting their pro-Jewish bona fides and cementing the relationships they hope will boost their prospects this fall.

It will be the first time in a dozen years that no incumbent is seeking re-election, and the first time in 20 years that no Jewish candidate is vying for the job.

That could change if Anthony Weiner jumps into the fray, as many consider likely given his extensive campaign war chest and his drive to rehabilitate his image after the humiliating sexting scandal that drove him from Congress two years ago.

Weiner has developed an extensive policy platform, which he calls “Keys To The City,” and has done a series of print and TV interviews: at the same time, critics have been dishing dirt against him — and in one case organizing a protest against one of his policies — demonstrating that some see him as a viable candidate.

Already in the fray for the Democrat nod are Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Council President Christine Quinn, Comptroller John Liu and former Comptroller Bill Thompson. Another longshot, in addition to Salgado, is former Brooklyn Councilman Sal Albanese.

On the Republican side, former deputy mayor and former MTA chairman Joseph Lhota is the best known candidate, vying against supermarket mogul John Catsimitidis and George McDonald, founder of a nonprofit that helps formerly homeless people get back on their feet. Running as an independent is Adolfo Carrion, the former Bronx borough president.

It’s a race with virtually no issues of specific concern to the Jewish community(what about the store signs in Williamsburgh), other than perhaps the city’s efforts to dissuade fervently Orthodox Jews from using the controversial and risky metzitzah b’peh (oral suction) circumcision procedure. The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is now requiring parents to sign consent forms before a brit using the technique is performed.

Democrat Liu has come out in favor of ending the city’s interference in the practice, and so has Salgado, which earned him the support of Joseph Hayon (I think they forgot a very important issue), an Orthodox activist and former Republican candidate for Assembly in Brooklyn. According to the blog Brooklyn Independent GOP Fountainhead, Hayon hosted a Jewish event for Salgado that was attended by several rabbis as well as Romi Cohn, a top mohel and proponent of metzitzah b’peh. (he clearly didn't listen to this speech)

A lawsuit to stop the informed-consent decree is of interest primarily to ultra-Orthodox Jews, whose leaders brought the challenge. For other Jews, the legal battle will likely fall into the larger question of the city’s role in safeguarding public health beyond the era of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has worked to regulate smoking, disclosure of calories at restaurants and the sale of large sodas, and more.

Another concern to many Jewish leaders will be the future of member-item funding for local organizations from Council members, which have come under fire in some circles. De Blasio and Albanese have called for the process to be eliminated, saying it is fertile ground for corruption.

“Time after time, the discretionary funding system has led to bribery, political blackmail and a boatload of big legal bills paid for by taxpayers,” he said at a press conference recently. “New York doesn’t need an appropriations process that aids and abets corruption and political gamesmanship in order to invest in our city’s priorities and worthwhile projects. We can do better.”

Thompson so far appears to have developed the broadest constituency among Jews (no real rabbis), with strong ties to the Orthodox community of Brooklyn he has long courted and nurtured in his political career. On Sunday, the former board of education president and 2009 Democrat nominee for mayor attended Agudath Israel of America’s annual dinner. (All the major candidates were invited.)

“Thompson has a track record of being there, answering the phone, responding to issues, showing up even when it’s unpopular,” said Chaskel Bennett, a Flatbush businessman, member of Agudah’s board and Thompson supporter.

And with Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York Board of Regents and a well-known philanthropist in the Jewish community, as his campaign chair, announced two weeks ago, Thompson stands to gain inroads in other boroughs and non-Orthodox communities as well. Thompson has also hired Democrat political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who worked on Bloomberg’s successful 2009 campaign and has a key understanding of the Jewish vote (recently earning rabbinical ordination from an Orthodox rabbi in Israel).

Sources say Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who campaigns vigorously in the Orthodox community for candidates he endorses (but does not always deliver a majority of its votes), is currently torn between backing Thompson, as he did in 2009, or de Blasio, who represented part of Hikind’s district in the City Council.

Bennett noted that Thompson declined to backtrack from his criticism of the controversial February event sponsored by Brooklyn College’s Political Science Department advocating economic measures against Israel.

When asked about his view of that event at a forum last week sponsored by the Arab American Association of New York, Thompson stood by his denunciation of the event, while others said politicians shouldn’t interfere with academic freedom. “If you look at Brooklyn College, that wasn’t a question of freedom of speech, it was a question of should the college political science department be sponsoring a forum that, in that case, that pushed hate,” he said, according to the blog Mondoweiss, which reported that Thompson was booed for his response.

De Blasio also criticized the Brooklyn College event.

Because Quinn, as the frontrunner, has and may well continue to control the purse strings of discretionary funding, she may do particularly well with Jewish voters who rely on city services, such as the poor, recent immigrants aand the elderly.

The 2011 Jewish Community Study of New York, released last year, shows that the total number of Jewish households living in poverty rose 22 percent from 103,000 a decade ago to 130,000, and the Orthodox make up 42 percent of the Jewish poor.

The number of Jewish senior citizens who live alone rose from 21,000 a decade ago to 29,000.
Another area of key concern in Jewish communities will be crime, an area on which they have tended to vote more conservatively.

“The issues for Jews are the same as for most other communities, especially the middle class,” said David Pollock, associate executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “Issues of keeping the neighborhoods safe and affordable housing and making sure New York grows economically, the Jewish community is really no different than any other community in that.

Political consultant Ezra Friedlander, (How much does money does he expect to make) who is supporting Quinn but not working for her campaign, noted that the speaker recently said that, if elected, she’d favor retaining Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, despite the current controversy over the department’s stop-and-frisk policy, its impact on minority communities and the debate on whether it actually reduces crime.

Friedlander said Kelly is popular in Orthodox neighborhoods where residents worry about typical crime as well as rising anti-Semitism and the threat of terrorism.

“When she publicly came out (interesting choice of words) and said she would retain Ray Kelly, a chasidic rebbe came over to me and said he will support Quinn just because of that,” said Friedlander. (Sharon Kleinbaum is not a chasidic rebbe)

Where is Sharon Kleinbaum the "Chasidic Rebbe"

Weiner, for his part, polled in second place citywide after Quinn in two recent surveys even without being in the race. But it seems unlikely he will match or exceed his 2005 second place showing in the mayoral primary now that questions about his judgment and honesty — he lied to the media for a week about his Twitter account being hacked — have come to define his public image.

“Public office requires a certain level of good judgment, operating from the moral high ground said Ester Fuchs, a political science professor at Columbia. “You don’t want to begin with people knowing you already failed that very low bar. It will be an uphill battle for him, to say the least.”

Cynthia Darrison, a political consultant who is not representing any candidate for mayor, said Quinn, Thompson and de Blasio seem to be in the best position for winning Jewish votes.

“Bill Thompson has longstanding relationships with the Jewish community, and having Merryl Tisch as his campaign chair certainly gives him credentials with a wider group of people,” she said Tuesday. “Bill de Blasio when he was in the City Council represented parts of Borough Park, and he established a good relationship through that. Quinn has been involved in the broader Jewish community over the years as speaker.”

In the Republican field, only Catsimitidis seems to be making a concerted play for Jewish votes, with his campaign reaching out to Jewish media, including The Jewish Week.

“I saw Joe Lhota at one Jewish event and we exchanged cards, but that was the last I heard of him,” said radio host Zev Brenner of Talkline Communications, which is aimed at Orthodox listeners. “The Democrats, I get contacted by them all the time. They’d be on weekly if I would let them. The Republicans are almost invisible, except for Catsimitidis.”
(Jewish Week)

Ezra Friedlander Stands Behind Christine Quinn

Ezra Stands Behind Quinn

While non-Orthodox voters may still be up for grabs, one political consultant said that it may be too late for Anthony Weiner to win ultra-Orthodox support. Orthodox leaders and activists have already committed to candidates, particularly Bill De Blasio and Bill Thompson.

“I don’t see how he comes in and carves out his slice” among the Orthodox, said Ezra Friedlander, CEO of the Friedlander Group, a political consultancy, who backs Christine Quinn in the race. “At this late stage of the mayors race, it’s too late to solicit support when its already been pledged elsewhere.”
Few of the experts thought that Weiner’s mildly sordid scandal, in which he admitted to sending explicit photographs of himself to women he met online, would inhibit voters from backing him.
“The Orthodox community in particular is a very forgiving community,” said Friedlander. “Atonement and forgiveness is a part of our DNA.”

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/174639/mayor-anthony-weiner-it-could-happen/#ixzz2QCQlapc2