an open letter to Gov. Patrick
Governor Patrick -
I was saddened this morning to hear about the passing of my Senator, someone I greatly admire and someone whose record of human and civil rights support has rarely been equaled. On my fridge I have multiple “thank you” letters signed by Senator Kennedy on civil rights legislation - causes that are dear to my heart such as the “thank you for not supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment” letter. I would be proud and honored to continue this great man’s work as a Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Why would you want to choose me? Most of my friends and family shake their head at me when I open my mouth. They all figure, I guess, that at the age of 33 I would have done away with frivolous “liberal” causes and focus on making the lives of my wife and two kids better. I say that it is because I have a wife and two kids that I need to be unselfish and support “liberal” causes - the environment, civil rights for all people, health care, education and equal employment for all. As I am writing this letter I just received an IM from a very conservative friend of mine. “You want to change the world, don’t you?” and yes, I think I do.
As a teacher for the past 12 years, I have tried to infuse a sense of justice and morality in my students. I was overjoyed to accept a job two years ago at the Arrupe Division of Boston College High School, connecting back to my Jesuit education at Regis High School in New York City and Fordham University in the Bronx (BA) and Boston College (MEd), or to put it in the words of Roger Stone, Foreign Language Dept. Chair at Austin Preparatory School (where I taught for 8 years), “all that Social Justice/Man For Others? It’s like you’re going home.”
And what better place to be a Man For Others than the U.S. Senate.
Thank you so much for your time in reading this and your consideration. I guess this is the part where I say that I write and record music (www.dannrusso.com ), speak Spanish pretty fluently and am excellent at PowerPoint and Publisher and that references are available upon request.
Peace,
Daniel T. Russo