The public is invited to join a new online discussion forum for all residents of Red Hook (including Tivoli and Bard). The group aims to become a wide-ranging forum for use by the local community. Possible topics include political debate, local issues, advice on local resources, announcements, events, reviews and items for sale. Membership is open to everyone, and postings will not be moderated.
     "I belong to Red Hook Moms, and I love it." says Charlie Rubin, village resident and founder of the group. "But it's really designed for parenting issues, and membership is restricted. I found myself wishing there were a larger forum with hundreds of active members, where people could duke out the political issues that are on everyone's minds right now."
     So the idea of Red Hook Rooster was born, with the goal of becoming the go-to place for all kinds of local discussion. The group hopes to attract equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, in order to get a wide range of opinions on a wide range of topics.
     "We won't be censoring anyone," says Rubin, "although we might delete something that was profane or blatantly offensive. And I'll be happy to share the moderator's role with others as it grows, for the sake of accountability."
     The group can be located by going to Yahoo Groups and typing "Red Hook Rooster" (the direct URL is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/redhookrooster). Joining is immediate, although a Yahoo ID must be created if you don't have one (Yahoo requests name, birthday & zip code, but it does not verify them). ¶

We applaud Charlie Rubin's community contribution with the Red Hook Rooster. Thank you for the service. - Red Hook Bugle