Letters and Opinions

These are opinion pieces that I have had published in a variety of newspapers and magazines. I have been writing letters-to-the-editor since 2006, and have had over 160 published since then. I also play guitar and sing in a musical revue called The Loser's Lounge. With a cast of guest singers, we perform tributes to great songwriters and bands. The show is in its 24th year, and we perform at Joe's Pub - The Public Theater and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011



Metro published an entire issue devoted to causes supported by musician Lady Gaga, and many of the articles dealt with gay rights. Happy to see so much exposure for issues such as marriage equality, I took the primary theme and sentence from my letter published that day in the Daily News and built a second letter around it commending the efforts of Gaga and Metro. I figured my positive message was worth repeating. The opinion was published as Metro's lead letter on May 18, 2011.
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Your Lady Gaga issue, with its focus on gay rights, reflects the growing support of equality for gay Americans and, specifically, marriage equality. The United States has, generation by generation, slowly but consistently moved away from past discriminatory practices in favor of protecting the civil rights of its citizens. Thank you, Metro and Lady Gaga, for helping push things along.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011



"State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.," wrote the Daily News on May 16, 2011, "held a massive rally yesterday outside Bronx Supreme Court against gay marriage - only to prompt a counterprotest by his lesbian granddaughter." This kind of irony needed a letter, and the Daily News published an edited version of my observation on May 17. My original submission reads:
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It is significant that the granddaughter of marriage equality opponent Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. has spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage. In some ways, this unintentional passing of the torch represents the direction of the country. From a legal standpoint, the United States has, generation by generation, slowly but consistently moved away from past discriminatory practices in favor of protecting the civil rights of its citizens. The senator's granddaughter represents the coming world, in which marriage is no longer an issue of gender or religion but is instead a matter of love and commitment.




On May 2, 2011, a United States special forces military unit killed Osama Bin Laden in his compound in Pakistan while on a mission ordered by President Barack Obama. On May 11, 2011, I made this observation in Metro:

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I find it ironic that some are complaining that President Obama is receiving too much credit for the successful mission to hunt down Osama Bid Laden. I don't recall the commander-in-chief's detractors having any problem laying all of the nation's economic woes at his feet early in his presidency.