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Why the U.S. military is ignoring its own regulations and permitting white supremacists to join its ranks.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/06/15/ne...
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So Lt. Dan Choi is expendable to the US military, but white supremacists are welcome? And my gay tax dollars pay for this, even though I'm not allowed to serve?
It is time for us to fight back!
I have written the President, my senators, my congress people, and on. I have informed all of them that I will not support anyone that does not support 100% civil rights for all LGBT people. No more money. No more volunteer work. No more votes. No More Mister Nice Gay.
Instead, I will be funneling my resources to politicians and organizations that can show a proven track record of accomplishments. I don't buy promises any more.
Every person needs civil rights. PERIOD.
Those of us who are straight need to step up and join with those of us who are gay and say ENOUGH!!!
I will be letting Mr. Obama know how outragous this is. I will also be letting Harry Reid and Nanci Pelosi and my own representatives and senators know how I feel about this issue.
Why am I, as a liberal, continually disappointed by democrats??
Can the corporations help us? Can the capitalists help us?
I'm starting to think they got together and said "What are the top 10 ways we can stick it to the GLBT community?"
I'm kind of joking, but what other major constituency of the Democratic party has gotten such shit from the Democrats and Obama on such a consistent basis?
They've been nicer to the GOP, anti-choice nutballs, the religious right, etc. than they have to the people who worked so hard to put them in office.
I now renounce my affliation with the Democratic Party. No more money and votes from me. Fuck this shit. I've had it with that bullshit from them.
And then he helped them hold me down.
Obama is a fraud. That writing has been on the wall for a long time now - remember during the campaign when he wouldn't lower himself to interview with The Advocate? (As though they would have done anything but fawn over him anyway.) Remember that?
Create all the conspiracy theories you want about right wingers trying to secretly undermine Obama. The fact is, Dick Cheney supports marriage equality. Look at the Republicans in the NY state legislature who have come around and now support marriage equality. More than 60% of the public supports repealing DADT. On and on and on the examples mount of conservative Republicans who are more progressive on the issue than BARRY "hope" OBAMA.
He duped all of you true believers. And guess what? Our progressive straight allies who said "Oh no, he can't really be against gay marriage, he's just sayin' that" are about 2 seconds away from telling us to "shut up - there are more important things right now. wait some more!"
He's a fraud. The sooner we accept this as a community, the better. He's not going to GIVE us anything. And we're on our own in this - kiss your progressive allies goodbye.
Gavin Newsom? Antonio Villairagosa? They'll criticize Obama's hate brief, but won't criticize Obama. COWARDS, both of them. If they don't have the guts to call Obama directly out on his DOJ's hate brief, they're no better.
Volunteer in OUR community. Give money to OUR community organizations. Support OUR gay/lesbian politicians. And withdraw support from EVERY Democrat who offers up lip service.
OH, no no no. I am one of those straight allies. And I am not the slightest bit about to say anything of the sort. I am quite upset about this issue. Personally I believe EVERY SINGLE PERSON deserves the FULL RANGE of civil rights. Including marriage.
Even if Obama is a fraud, and I am not sure he is (I am VERY VERY disappointed in Obama but....fraud? or standard politician? is there any difference?) but even if he is we must pressure him (and all democrats) with protests, letters, phone calls until we get a full range of rights for gays and all other people.
Oh bullshit. Cheney believes nothing of the sort, he's being politically expedient right now. He said he believes in "freedom" for everyone (The Cheney version of freedom we had for the last 8 years of no habeas corpus and torture?), he didn't say he believed in gay marriage. Nor were there any mention of RIGHTS in his little shpiel. Even if he DID believe in it, he said he'd defer to the states to decide, so at best a patchwork quilt of discrimination.
You actually BOUGHT that shit? Good god, wake up call.
no, dick cheney isn't a crusader for marriage equality. criticize him all you want, he certainly deserves it, but dick cheney said the SAME thing in 2004. he's far more consistent on the subject than obama has ever been. the truth hurts, doesn't it?
torture, huh? the torture that obama was gonna investigate and prosecute and expose? thankfully he's stopped the torture, but his current plan is to wish it all away - no investigations, no prosecutions. why expose and prosecute the torturers? might hurt his popularity with people who count (i.e. not the gay community).
I'm talking take our rights by force since clearly none of the levels of government are going to lift a fucking finger until they have a metaphorical bayonet to their throats.
SHUT DOWN DC.
This would do more for us than anything, withholding money included.
How's that Obama Recession working for everyone?
You may have missed my comment yesterday--this fiasco is where the slack stopped, so this is now the Obama Recession. That's my constructive contribution. Obama doesn't want to have gay support, great. Let's help rebrand the defining issue of 2010 and 2012 into an albatross around his neck. It's been long enough, this is the Obama Recession now. Unfair? So's not being able to get married. Suck it up.
This personally, affects me possibly more than many others who have not had the chance to marry yet. My partner of more than 28 years and I married in Oregon, along with 3,000 other gays and lesbians a few years ago only to have it snatched away from us one year later by the swipe of a justice's pen. At least those who were married in California before Prop 8 are still married.
This latest stab in the back by a person whom we thought was a "fierce advocate," is the last straw for me. I'm a quick learner and I do not need to have continuous puncture wounds to my back to recognize what is happening to us. I will be doing more than just sucking it up, I'm finished with the democratic party and this president. I believed in him and he is a big deceiver. He is going to have to actually start doing what he promised us he would do and do it soon to ever win my vote back. The clock is ticking and the longer he waits to do what is right, the more convinced I will be that I made the right decision to not support a president and a spineless party that would rather throw us under the bus after every election after courting us and fooling us again and again. This was it for me and I think many others. The ball is in Obama's court and he had better start making the right decisions. Less talk and more walk, if you ask me. I have also had enough of the spineless, leaderless Reid who definitely does not have our interests at hand regarding our equal rights. He is all talk and absolutely no action.
What do we do?
What are you going to say and do when Obama and Congress repeal DADT and DOMA?
The way you frame this debate with your words is that he won't ever do anything for the GLBT community and has thus lost your vote forever.
I'm just wondering if you've ever been wrong before and thought through other points of view that are more complex, constructive and don't continue to sow the seeds of anger.
Since you whole-heartedly believe that Obama would cut off the GLBT community entirely thus ending your support, as crazy as that is politically alone, I offer this ridiculous notion: that DOMA was argued in a flawed manner to be easily overturned by the courts.
Maybe I am dreaming but I don't see things in absolutes when it is politically convenient to do so only for the purpose of stirring the pot of anger and then to later find new information that makes you look a bit ridiculous in your grand statements.
My point is this, engage, understand and bring about a solution. Stop bitching and do something.
More generally, I've been politics for 20 years, the world for 45 years, and gay politics for 16 years. I kind of got over the "gosh what if I'm wrong" phase a lot time ago. You do your best to get it right, and then you fight like hell for yourself, your family and friends, and your community. You don't second-guess whether you're going to look silly. That's what Democrats do.
And finally, "politically convenient"? What pray tell am I getting out of this? Not my civil rights, not any money or clients, no hot guys are throwing themselves at me as a result.
Actually, one more thing. My years in politics have taught me that my methods tend to work wonders in getting people to do the right thing on our issues.
It is the idea of making someone "pay for it" to get your point across. This is the talk I hear everyday more and more from your site. I work with HRC and their members are upset but their language is reaching out versus a bitter rhetoric of anger and talking about Obama and politicians paying for it.
They keep trying to find a common ground. If Obama and the Democratic leaders who campaigned on these issues for the GLBT community are truly arrogant and don't care as your words and the words of many of those who have commented here suggest, then by that logic, I cannot believe anything he or they say about anything.
Many of your readers quote MLK's words and his famous letter while in prison but when did Dr. King say to those who suppressed his and all African American's civil rights and even those who threatened to murder him, that that they were "going to pay for it"?
I'm curious to know if you truly believe Obama is this arrogant to throw away an entire community, a powerful, well financed and organized block of vocal voters.
When I am speaking about it being politically convenient, I am talking the present, about what is convenient for the news of the moment – fanning flames of anger. The tone being struck here is militant, not engaging and it turns off a block of people who want to engage first before assuming a position such as making them "pay for it."
Have you personally spoken with Obama? Do you know his heart, mind and soul?
The only way to know this is to reach out and talk instead of launching an anger-laden diatribe that accomplishes nothing more than further turn off people who want to engage first, then take the next steps to correct the problem.
Carol asked "Do you think change comes from doing nothing?" No I do not but it is what you do and how you do it that will bring the change you want to see.
People have to let politicians know how they feel over and over again till they get it right.
I would move to a different state but it seems now they can take rights away and it be upheld. Where are we supposed to go?
CHANGE HAS NOT COME TO AMERICA.
Look at Obama's voting record. Look at how the different levels of government are pointing fingers at each other in blame.. it's not some brilliant secret decoder ring kabuki dance. It means gays are getting shafted and the issue is being tossed back and forth by cowards.
John is putting pressure where it belongs, on the politicians who have made promises and are now backing away from them.
www.notonenickel.blogspot.com.
It's time for a "No Time, No Money" campaign.
Stop donating time and money to all members of BOTH political parties. Period.
Stop donating time and money to all groups who consistently expect the LGBT community's support - but never offer their own to us.
Has anyone heard from the NAACP over the past few days? La Raza? Planned Parenthood? NARAL?
Cricket chirps.
EDIT: Oops, I said Monday, but I meant Friday.
this brief is way beyond acceptable.
and a few words here and there would show intent and do a world of good, without costing capital.
it's a big ass FAIL.
I will give my full support to my proven dems. The rest must earn it.
# End Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People: Outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, benefits, and child custody.
# Same-Sex Marriage: Legal recognition of same-sex marriages.
As a reminder, the Republicans started their rise to dominance decades ago when they concentrated their efforts at the local level. Progressives should do the same and in Vermont, they are doing just that.
Equal rights are too important to just sit around bitching about the Democrats. Stop waiting for Obama and company to give you what is yours. All major changes in our country have come from the bottom up--NOT from the "leaders".
Second, I agree with just about everything else in the article. Obama is hanging on by a thread with me right now, and he represents the Democratic Party, of which I have been a staunch supporter in recent years, since I've become involved in politics. I give no money, support, or votes to ANY candidate who is not completely on board for gay rights in the future. I voted for Obama even though he was against marriage equality because I thought he would get just about everything else done, but as we see, that was all a mirage. Not anymore; it's all or nothing for any candidate, and that includes the midterm elections in 2010.
Wouldn't it be great if we gays caused the savior Barack Obama to lose his re-election bid in 2012? We have to do something to show we mean business, and we should start now. We should very publicly begin our efforts to thwart his re-election bid, subject only to his getting off his ass and vindicating our rights.
Thanks too, to Malcolm ^.
We must do this together.