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Friday, January 16, 2015
Dear Father:
The below letter was submitted to a Newsday column but did not receive a response. I wanted to discuss same with you after hearing you speak at the Casino Forum on Thursday.
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What is your reasoned opinion about whether Nassau OTB, a public
benefit corporation, may close on Roman Catholic Easter Sunday and
Palm Sunday in preference to Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday and Palm
Sunday?
What is your reasoned opinion about the merits (legal or
otherwise), if any, of NY PML Sec 109?
I also present the following arguments for your consideration:
1. The rights of Nassau County Bettors secured by NY Const. Art. 1,
Sec. 3 are violated by NY PML Sec 109
2. NY PML Sec 109 is vague, indefinite and/or overly broad in that
the terms Easter Sunday and Palm Sunday do not define one and only
one Sunday respectively in all years. The Gregorian and Julian
Calendars do not define the same holy days in all years.
3. When a bettor walks into Nassau OTB, to bet a race being run
without the State of New York, NY PML Sec 109 does not apply as the
race is without the State of NY and the bet is within the State of
New York.
You can play the slot machines and buy NY State Lottery tickets to
be drawn every day of the year.
Employees of Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, of any or no
religious persuasion are free to take vacation any day of the year
that they wish.
I wish to work on Easter Sundays and Palm Sunday and be off on
Christmas and Christmas Eve, even though I am not a Christian.
Employees of Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, that work on
any Sunday are paid time and half. Employees that are on vacation or
sick time are paid straight time.
Christmas is the only religious holiday recognized by the US for US
employees. I am of the opinion that the US is a "Christian Nation"
since its inception.
Sincerely yours,
Nassau OTB Cashier
Background material and references are set forth below for your
convenience.
HI-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy
to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York
State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue.
Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on
holidays. New York State Racing Law
bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the
state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even
though they could easily broadcast races from out of state. “You should be able to bet whenever
you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes
an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is
the business going to make money if you’re not open to take
people’s bets?” Elias Tsekerides, president of the
Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York,
said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday. “I don’t want discrimination,”
Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for
the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.” OTB officials have said they lose
millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as
Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running. One option: OTBs could just stay
open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just
that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB
was fined $5,000. Easy money.
Apr 14, 2003 - New
York City Off-Track Betting made history
yesterday, taking bets on Palm Sunday. ... New
York State, race tracks have been allowed to operate every
Sunday except for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
... BY Jerry Bossert ...
§ 109. Supplementary regulatory powers of the commission.
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the commission
through its rules and regulations or in allotting dates for racing,
simulcasting or in licensing race meetings at which pari-mutuel betting
is permitted shall be authorized to:
1. permit racing at which pari-mutuel betting is conducted on any or
all dates from the first day of January through the thirty-first day of
December, inclusive of Sundays but exclusive of December twenty-fifth,
Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday; and
2. fix minimum and maximum charges for admission at any race meeting.
§ 3. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and
worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed
in this state to all humankind; and no person shall be rendered
incompetent to be a witness on account of his or her opinions on matters
of religious belief; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall
not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify
practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this state.
Nov 25, 2011 - DRF
Login Loading. ... It's only 126 days until Palm Sunday
and seven more until Easter, more than enough time for New
York to repeal its ...
Mar 30, 2012 - There
is no horse racing allowed in New York this Sunday, which is
Palm Sunday in the Christian world, because of laws
dating back to 1695.
ISTANBUL—
Pope Francis met with refugees fleeing
violence in the Middle East and issued a strong call
for Christian unity in the face of Islamist
extremism, ending a three-day visit to Turkey that
has focused on a message of interreligious tolerance
and outreach.
On the final day of a visit to a country that has
taken in more than 1.5 million refugees, the pope
met with 100 Christian children and teens who fled
Iraq and have taken refuge in Turkey.
Pope Francis has spoken often of the plight of the
region’s refugees and sent a personal envoy to
northern Iraq this summer with money from the
pontiff’s own charitable fund to assist relief
efforts. “The degrading conditions in which so many
refugees are forced to live are intolerable,” he
told the young refugees Sunday.
The pope had pressed his advisers to find a way for
him to visit a refugee camp during his visit but
said it wasn’t possible. On the flight back to Rome,
he said he would still like to visit Iraq but won’t
do so at the moment because “it would create serious
problems for the authorities in terms of security.”
On the second of
a three-day trip to Turkey, Pope Francis joined
Grand Mufti Rahmi Yaran in a tour and prayer
inside Istanbul’s historic Blue Mosque. Photo:
AP.
The decision by Pope Francis to visit Turkey was
viewed as significant given the sectarian strife
along its borders in Iraq and Syria, where Islamic
extremists have killed and persecuted
religious minorities, including Christians. On
Sunday, the pope called the violence by Islamist
extremists is “a profoundly grave sin against God.”
Speaking to journalists during his return flight,
the pope said Muslim leaders should issue a global
condemnation of violence by Islamist extremists.
But, he added, “no one can say that all followers of
Islam are terrorists, any more than you can say that
all Christians are fundamentalists.”
Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim country, has long
served as a bridge between East and West but is
under pressure to contain the conflagration on its
borders and cope with huge flows of
refugees. The pope expressed “deep gratitude”
for Turkey’s efforts and called on the international
community to help Ankara.
The pope also celebrated a liturgy Sunday together
with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for
the feast of St. Andrew, the patron saint of the
Eastern Orthodox church. Patriarch Bartholomew is
the spiritual head of the 300-million-member
Orthodox Church. Earlier in the day, the pope also
met with the Grand Rabbi of Turkey.
The pope and the patriarch are pushing hard to
create stronger ties between the Eastern churches
and Rome—which split nearly 1,000 years ago—in the
belief that they can press their common concerns
more effectively when united, particularly on the
defense of Christian minorities.
“It seems that the value of human life has been
lost” in areas of the Middle East, the pope and
Patriarch Bartholomew said in a joint declaration.
Orthodox Christians make up a large portion of the
Christians in many countries in the Middle East.
When extremists kill Christians, they don’t ask
which church they belong to, the pope said on the
flight. “The blood that is shed is mixed,” he added.
The pope invited Orthodox leaders to an important
meeting of Catholic bishops in Rome in October to
discuss problems facing the family. The two sides
are holding talks to overcome differences in liturgy
and tradition, such as dates for holy days, although
full reunion of the two branches of Christianity is
unlikely soon. The pope assured Orthodox leaders
Sunday that closer ties don't “signify submission of
one to the other,” addressing a fear of some Eastern
leaders wary of dominance by the Vatican.
The pope’s trip saw him reaffirm his belief in
interreligious dialogue, despite rising
tensions over the treatment of Christian minorities
in many Muslim-majority countries. The symbolic
highlight of the trip came Saturday, when the pope visited
Istanbul’s 17th-century Sultan Ahmet Mosque,
also known as the Blue Mosque. He faced Mecca and
prayed shoulder-to-shoulder with a senior Muslim
cleric.
“I came as a pilgrim,” the pope said afterward. “I
prayed above all for peace.”
Pope Francis, left, kisses
Patriarch Bartholomew I after they signed a
joint statement at St. George church, Istanbul,
on Sunday. Agence France-Presse/Getty
Images
But the pope also heard calls from Muslim leaders
denounce more forcefully discrimination and violence
against Muslims in the West. On Friday, he met with
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a pious
Muslim who has encouraged a more visible role for
Islam in a country that has for decades been highly
secularized.
“We see increasing prejudice and intolerance
against Muslims living in Western countries as well
as in Muslim countries,” Mr. Erdogan said at the
meeting with the pope. On Sunday, the pope decried
the “barbaric and senseless attack” against a mosque
in Nigeria that killed scores on Friday.
The trip to a country with only 53,000 Catholics
deprived the pope of the large masses and contact
with crowds that visibly energize him. He next
travels in January to the Philippines, which has one
of the world’s biggest Catholic communities, and Sri
Lanka. Write to Deborah Ball at deborah.ball@wsj.com
Mar 29, 2011 -
By Jackie Nash. 1 2 3 4 Next
page >. Jackie Nash/Herald ...
More people go out of state on Palm
Sunday than on Christmas or Easter to
place ...
