I started out last night at the Eden Prairie High School, for the GOP's SD 42 Caucus. Asking for Media Credentials, The Nice Lady turneded me down - only true believers "those supporting the GOP" would be allowed in; when I asked her if ALL media would be denied entrance, suddenly A Nice Young Man produced an "observer" sign-in form. The Nice Lady still grilled me for my Media Card; fortunately Senator (and candidate for Gov.) Hann vouched for me. Personally, I like Sen Hann - and for that matter, Rep. Emmer, too. Disagree with their politics, but like 'em as people. Emmer's speech to the crowd gave 'em the red meat they crave. As I watched the crowd lapping it up, I noticed once again at this GOPer event: lilly white. COMPLETELY. As usual, at almost every GOPer event I've attended, not a single person not white.
Which, of course, contrasts sharply with what I saw at both the IP Caucus at the Eden Prairie Library and the DFL Caucus at the EP Middle School.
(Yesterday, I did my seventh year of candle vigil for peace. I am committed for life, no matter what happens. Yet everywhere I hear the anger and disappointment of the unfulfilled expectations of President Obama. - promoted by Grace Kelly)
Patience became the 2009 mantra of the gay rights movement, which generally supports Democrats. Many activists believe that in his heart Obama supports their flagship issues: the ability to serve openly in the armed forces, to be protected from employment in the workplace, and the right to marry (even though he's on record as favouring civil unions over marriage). But they've received almost nothing for their troubles. What the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community has learned this year is that the president is ultimately a pragmatist. Although his very presence in the White House is the stuff of culture wars, Obama himself is reluctant to wade into one. Moreover, if socially divisive policies have the potential to compromise his legislative agenda, Obama has proven that he simply won't pursue them. Expect this tension to become more acute as the 2010 elections loom-and for gay rights to be shunted aside again. The last thing this pragmatist president will do is hand election-year ammunition to an already energised conservative base that's venomously opposed to gay marriage.
Indeed!
The GLBT dream sheet from the 2008 election has been burnt shortly after it was revealed that HRC Chair Joe Solmonese threw the GLBT agenda under the proverbial bus shortly after Obama's inauguration. In fact, by April 2009, even the GLBT community's "patron saint" Barney Frank (D-MA) was alluding to a repeal of DADT in 2010 as a piece of burnt toast offered to the starving family dog.
Here's a tough question for a progressive: How do I balance the fact that I'm still pleased as punch to have Barak Obama as President with my displeasure about his Administration's stances on secrecy, torture, indefinite detention and gays in the military. This has come up recently with Sen. Scott Dibble's visit to the White House and Mark My Word's reaction.
On the one hand, we have our first African-American President. We have a Democrat in the White House. He speaks English and he speaks it well. Aw heck, his speeches make me glad to be an American again. Sometimes even bringing a tear to my eye. With him in the White House, the chances for universal health care are real. There is hope he'll be the dynamic leader who can clean up the disasters that the Bush Administration had left on just about every front.
On the other hand, the Obama Administration has defended the Bush Administration's torture policies. In defending it, they've even asked for more secrecy than even Bush dared ask.
Obama gave a particularly frustrating speech recently. On one hand, it was breath-taking. It was the kind of language and directness that I love in an Obama speech. He repudiates the Bush Administration's indefinite detention policies. However, in the next breathe, in the same speech, he makes proposals that are even worse.
He's made innumerable promises to the GLBT community which promises an end to the discrimination against them. Unfortunately, he's done nothing. Yet. To make matters worse, the DOJ's defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, was disgusting.
I had the honor of attending a gathering with President and Michelle Obama at the White House on Monday, June 29, at an event marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, commonly cited as the modern beginning to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equal rights movement, alongside about 250 other LGBT citizens, allies and families. I was especially encouraged to see so many young people there.
This was a unique opportunity to remember those who began fighting for equal rights so many years ago, and honor the work that has been done since that time. It also was an opportunity for members of the LGBT community to speak with President Obama about how much work is yet to be done, and how we would like to work together to ensure equal rights for everyone in our country.
Because it was important for the President to know the thoughts and feelings of those from across the country the about the state of our movement and the pace of change, I brought two letters with me. I personally delivered each to the President's Senior Advisor, David Axelrod.
(Peace, single payer health care, honor for gays in the military, no torture, civil rights - these are the issues that we worked for. How are we doing? - promoted by Grace Kelly)
I've become a cynic on the entire subject related to President Obama's ovations he made towards the GLBT community while he was running for president.
In fact, I've become skeptical to the entire Democratic Party's views towards the GLBT community. The GLBT has been ferociously loyal to the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party has reacted to that ferocity by turning the GLBT's support into nothing short of a cliche'.
The other day, I had a volunteer call me from the DFL looking for my husband life-partner, and when I identified myself as his partner, she identified herself and wanted me consider a donation.
Mega-mistake. Oh boy...
She got an earful. When I said my partner wasn't available, she said; "Then maybe his wife is around?!"
Oh boy....
I said: "ummm... It's illegal for him to get married. I'm his life-partner. We're a gay couple. Is there something that I can help you with?!"
That's when she told me that she was from the DFL and was looking for some cash.
Oh boy...
The DFL is clearly out of touch with the GLBT.
Short version of that conversation: She agreed with me 100% and she admitted that the DFL and the Democrats have treated the Gay Voter as a free meal ticket. Her tone was pretty queasy, you could hear a couple of tears in her tone. She apologized twice I think, but I lost count after I got to the part where the DFL simply walked away from bills in both the state House and the Senate in hopes that they would just go away.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) signed a letter asking President Obama to stop any further Don't Ask Don't Tell discharges. This is why I like Keith so much, he stands up for the things he says he will.
He was also interviewed by The Jewish Journal. Can you hear the neo-con heads exploding over the concept?
The questions are good and Keith provides thoughtful answers:
TML: When you're in the Middle East, you spend a lot of time with Israelis, you spend a lot of time with Palestinians; you go to Sderot, you go to Gaza. You speak to both sides, occasionally in terms they don't want to hear. Yet, you go back to Washington to the land of "yea" and "nay" and it seems that as a representative, you're required to be either pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian. Is there room to embrace both people back in Washington?
KE: I think the only sane solution is to embrace both people in Washington. Washington does have this very strong mannequin element to it; you're either for or against: yes or no. That does not lend itself to American national security nor does it lend itself to the benefit of people who are in the Holy Land - whether they be Israeli or Palestinian. We've got to break this framing of "you're either on this side or on that side"; we've got to be on both sides. We've got to say that we are for a two-state solution in which Israel can live in peace and security and Palestinians can have a state of their own where they can grow and prosper. And then over time, we can really drill-down over issues that everybody really needs to be focused on, like water, energy and how to really make some economic prosperity.
That means you've got over two minutes of stuttering and stammering from the President's Press Secretary trying to gather his thoughts and respond (homophobically) to Ana Marie Cox, or:
You've got Robert Gibbs and the Pentagon admiting the obvious: The Gays are easly Punked!
From Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell:
"I do not believe there are any plans under way in this building for some expected, but not articulated, anticipation that don't ask-don't tell will be repealed," Morrell told reporters at the Pentagon.
"They're [the Pentagon] aware of where the president wants to go on this issue, but I don't think that there is any sense of any immediate developments in the offing on efforts to repeal don't ask-don't tell,
Who needs the proverbial Clue-Phone? The President, or the GLBT community?
Mark My Words
Updated: The link (re: "Pentagon has no plans...") was broken and consequently repaired.
The GLBT Community turned our back on Rick Warren and his homophobic message long before Barack Obama, the obscure Illinois Senator threw his hat into the Presidential Ring and decided to embrace Warren as his personall ally. (As if the Democrats, the Republicans and Barack Obama expected the GLBT Community to be that politically dense.) Warren's mega-church was influential in California's Prop 8 and destroying our marriage vows and considering gay-relationships equivalent to cases related animal-husbandry.
Face it; Who needs to answer the Clue Phone?
But, I digress.
Last week, Lt Dan Choi, of the U.S. Army, an Arabic-English translater, went front and center to appear on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC and announced openly that he was gay. (Footage of the event is available here.)
According to Wiki: The first US military criminal tribunal was held during the Revolutionary War:
During the American Revolutionary War, the armed forces treated sodomy (then broadly defined as oral or anal sexual conduct) as grounds for being dishonorably discharged. The first such recorded discharge was in 1778, when Lieutenant Frederick Gotthold Enslin was (with the approval of General George Washington) dishonorably discharged following a conviction of homosexual sodomy and perjury.
