As I said at yesterday's rally to protest the Court of Appeals ruling denying marriage equality rights to same-sex couples, I can smell discrimination a mile away. And this ruling simply extends discrimination. It cannot be tolerated in our society--ever.

It was amazing how quickly the crowd grew at Sheridan Square with just hours notice of the rally--I guess this is one benefit of the Internet, though I also think that people in the community just know to flock to Sheridan Square when the time is needed to stand up for the struggle for gay rights.

As Judge Judith Kaye noted in her strong dissent, "Simply put, a history or tradition of discrimination--no matter how entrenched--does not make the discrimination constitutional. As history has well taughts us, separate is inherently unequal"

In my brief remarks to the defiant crowd, I also said that battles against discrimination are not won in the courts or the legislature but in the streets--judges and politicians will not do anything until people demand action and change.

I pledge, win or lose in this race, to be in the streets on this issue.

I can't help but note, finally, that my opponent Hillary Clinton was not at the rally. She supports the continued discrimination against gays and lesbians because she does not support same-sex marriage and she supports the right-wing Defense of Marriage Act.

Discrimination is discrimination is discrimination. What side are you on?

Before going off to campaign among voters, I spent a little time ruminating about July 4th since it will be on peoples’ minds in between a swig of a beer and a bite of a burger. I turned to my trusty dictionary to find the definition of “patriot.” It says here, among other things, that a patriot is a person “devoted to the welfare of one’s country.” Aha…

The patriots of our country, then, must be those who opposed the Iraq war and now work to end the endless occupation of Iraq because how can the welfare of our country be anything but improved when we prevent the killing of our young men and women and the utter waste of hundreds of billions of dollars? Patriotism does not mean you send our men and women to die in Iraq because it will make you look tough.

The patriots of our country are not determined by the number of times they salute the flag or how many times a person mechanically mouths the words “I support the troops,” a slogan that increasingly loses any meaning because it is used so cravenly to manipulate and obfuscate what a politician is really doing. Patriotism is having a clear vision of what is good for the country, a moral compass that is not guided by poll numbers and expressed in media sound-bite slogans.

The patriots of our country, who are devoted to the welfare of our country, believe that our country should never attack countries that pose no imminent threat to the United States, certainly not in the face of widespread international opposition to a war of choice, not necessity.

If you are visiting here today because of The New York Times article today, consider this: would you like to vote for a Democrat who actually shares your values and principles? If the answer is "yes," read on (and, then, make a donation to our campaign to offset our opponent's support from Rupert Murdoch).

I have been opposed to the immoral and illegal Iraq war from the beginning. Hillary Clinton voted for the war and, as Bob Herbert previously wrote in The New York Times, "you still need a magnifying glass to locate the differences between Mrs. Clinton and the Bush administration on the war."

I am for single-payer health insurance ("Medicare For All"). My opponent has never supported single-payer health insurance because that would mean having the spine to stand up to the drug and insurance industries.

I support fair trade and have always opposed so-called "free trade." Hillary Clinton still says NAFTA was a good thing and supports trade agreements that will send good-paying jobs abroad.

I am 100 percent against the death penalty, 100 percent pro-choice and 100 percent for marriage equality. The incumbent SUPPORTS the death penalty, SUPPORTS the right-wing Defense of Marriage Act and her position on choice is...you tell me?

Hillary Clinton wants to make flag-burning a crime. I believe that, while some people find flag-burning objectionable, it is a part of the First Amendment, a principle that we must protect.

So, it's up to you. What kind of Senator would you like to see represent you? If your answer is a Real Democrat, join us--and support us with whatever donation you can make.

Now, I'm off to talk to people in the streets--come say hello in Manhattan's Union Square today.

Today, the Senate will begin debate on the Iraq War. The Democratic Party has two proposals to offer, neither of which, in my opinion, is acceptable because they both allow the war and the unneccessary killing to continue for far too long.

John Kerry's proposal is the "best" of the two but it still leaves the U.S. military in Iraq for another entire year--until July 31st 2007. I'm glad John Kerry has a clear position on the war--isn't that an improvement?--but our men and women who are putting their lives at risk for an immoral war should not have to endure another year of peril. And the Iraqis should not have to be subjected to the occupation of their country through the middle of next year.

And, yet, Kerry's proposal apparently has very little support among Democrats who are meekly rallying around the second proposal, which is far more weak and unacceptable--and, not surprising, it is apparently supported by my opponent. The Levin-Reed amendment would offer no specific timetable for withdrawal of the troops but "urge" the president to begin some unspecificed withdrawal by the end of the year (1,000 a year, 5,000 a year? who knows?)

I favor legislation proposed by Rep. Jim McGovern which calls for an immediate cut off of funding for any offensive action in Iraq and allows funding only for safe, rapid, immediate withdrawal from Iraq; replacement of the U.S. military with an international security force; and reconstruction of Iraq.

Let me say this: be optimistic about the work that you have done to bring this war to an end. My opponent is losing support every day in our state: her favorability ratings have now dropped to just 54 percent in a new Sienna poll--the lowest in 18 months--primarily because of her immoral support for the war. Our campaign and your work--the work of CodePink, the Grannies Against The War and others--have educated the voters in our state.

And our campaign has just begun.

Last night, I received the endorsement of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, a wonderful, lively club. The club also endorsed Mark Green for attorney general and Eliot Spitzer for governor.

Lasy night was my second visit to the club. During both visits, I was asked about my position about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. So, let me be as clear as I can be about my position(and you can check out the full position in our issues section):

My father was born in Palestine and fought in the Israeli underground. I lived in Israel for seven years, during which I was involved, as a teen-ager and young man, in the fledgling peace movement. I went through the 1973 Yom Kippur war—a cousin was killed in the war and his brother was wounded. Half my family lives there now, some within a few miles of the occupied territories.