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Nassau County Legislature Votes Down Anti-War Poet for Poet Laureate. Poetry Community and Peace Community Offer Support for Free Speech.
A letter from Paula Camacho:
Dear Poetry Community,
First I want to thank the poets who stood up to speak in the legislature yesterday. You were all wonderful. So moving, the love in your voices.
I also want to thank the poets who emailed me with your wonderful supportive comments. (more below)
This poetry community showed an overwhelming response to the disappointing vote yesterday against Maxwell Wheat. If you feel you would like to join us at Cedarmere for the celebration of Long Island poetry and the proclamation of Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr. as Nassau County’s Poet Laureate by the acclamation of the poetry community, please come June 24, 2007, at 3 PM in support of Max. We do not need a piece of paper from the legislature to tell us what we already know. In our hearts Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr. is the Nassau County Poet Laureate.
In addition, if you would like to contact any of the legislators who were on the Government Service Committee and voted against Max, please email them or phone them at the sites given below to express your opinions.
Diane Yatauro (D) (she headed up this committee) (516) 571-6218 fax (516) 571-6158 dyatauro@…
Francis Becker, Jr. (R) (516) 571-6206 fax (516) 571-6133 fbecker@…
Dennis Dunne, Sr. (R) (516) 571-6215 fax (516) 571-0641 ddunne@…
Norma Gonsalves (R) (516) 571-6213 fax (516) 571-6746 ngonsalves@…
David Denenberg (D) (516) 571-6219 fax (516) 571-3907 ddenenberg@…
Joseph Scannell (D) (516) 571-6205 fax (516) 571-0291 jscannell@…
[All of these end in “nassaucountyny.gov]
The only legislator who voted yes might like to know how honorable we think he is.
Wayne Wink: [WWink@nassaucountyny.gov] wwink@…
You do not have to be a resident of Nassau to voice your opinions. We are all part of the poetry community here on Long Island. Please send this email on to everyone in your groups.
Sincerely,
Paula Camacho
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A Laureate to Remember – by D. A. Ksimakis
The day was set.
The time was right.
We had the seat within our sight.
We thought we knew all would agree,
Nassau would take it’s place in HISTORY.
Instead they baulked, they turned and ran.
They should have held the public’s stand.
To buckle under at the end, they proved to be
NO poet’s friend.
Who cares what all the cronies think?
We’ll smite them, public opinion will sink.
POET LAUREATE is the name we’ll claim for Maxwell Corydon Wheat’s fame.