The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act but with without protections for trans-workers after more than five hours of debate, wrangling, maneuvering and lobbying. …
. . .
After a brief debate on the [trans-inclusive] amendment in the House on Wednesday [Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.] pulled it before a vote. It allowed Baldwin to speak in favor of trans rights on the record, but without a recorded vote Republicans will not be able to use transgender rights as an election issue in 2008. …
. . .
Democrat Jerrold Nadler (NY) disputed [its sponsor, Rep. Barney Frank]’s assertion that ENDA without trans protections was the best that could be done and said he could not vote for ENDA as long as it failed to include gender identity. …
. . .
Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinich also voiced his concern that the Baldwin amendment had been withdrawn without a vote. …
. . .
On Wednesday, following the vote, HRC president Joe Solmonese was all smiles. …
“‘If we do not have the votes to go forward (with the bill including trans-people) do we do away with the bill altogether?’” Frank asked the House.”
Yes, that’s exactly what you should have done, this session!
Notice who (besides Kucinich, of course) gets it right: Jerry Nadler, as usual. The straight congressman from New York’s Upper West Side has been a greater friend to the LGBT community than the spineless gay rep from Massachusetts. (It was Nadler, remember, who introduced the Uniting American Families Act, originally the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, in 2000, and who has re-introduced it every year since.)
And: “Even if a final version is approved by both houses it is likely to be met with a presidential veto.” We KNOW THAT — so if you’re going to push it through this term, why not go for the whole enchilada? It’s GOING to get vetoed, assuming it even passes the Senate.
And: To get ENDA passed in the House, they had to reassure the bigots it wouldn’t touch their precious DoMA:
Two other amendments to specifically address White House concerns were passed.
One would tie religious exemptions to the same wording as currently in the civil rights act. The other would specify that ENDA does not negate any section of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
P.S. Solmonese, we just don’t have the words for you. How can you sleep at night?
In a case that has drawn intense scrutiny to the legal meaning of hatred, the last of four young men charged with selecting a gay man as a robbery target and chasing him to his death in traffic pleaded guilty yesterday to manslaughter and attempted robbery as hate crimes.
The defendant, Ilya Shurov, 21, agreed to serve 17 1/2 years in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of felony murder as a hate crime, which could have meant a life sentence.
“If there was no life sentence,” said a defense lawyer, Hermann P. Walz, “we would have rolled the dice.”
. . .
One defendant, Gary Timmins, 17, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery as a hate crime and accepted a sentence of four years in exchange for testifying against his friends. Two others, Anthony Fortunato, 21, and John Fox, 20, were accused of selecting Mr. Sandy as a robbery target. They were convicted of manslaughter and attempted robbery as hate crimes last month in a joint trial before separate juries. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 20.
. . .
Of the four defendants, only Mr. Shurov was accused of physical violence. In the first trial, witnesses said he had hidden behind a dune, run out, thrown punches, chased Mr. Sandy in front of a moving car on the Belt Parkway and then rifled his pockets. …
. . .
“He might have had a reasonable chance of beating the hate crime, but he had less of a chance of beating felony murder,” Mr. Walz said. “He’s definitely culpable of the actual death. His actions, more than anybody else, caused this person to die.”
The only one accused of physical violence, and he got off with a plea bargain?
There ain’t no justice.
Well, at least one more scumbag is off the streets for a while. Too bad he’ll probably be paroled well before 17-1/2 years are through.
Obama’s speech in South Carolina Friday — with commentary by a lesbian reacting to each line as it comes.
A Challenge for Our Time
What you mean “our,” Kemo Sabe?
It’s a special honor to be here in Clarendon County. Because Clarendon County is the place that showed me and showed America that when ordinary people come together, they can do extraordinary things. That’s the Clarendon County I know. I know how sixty years ago, the NAACP’s James Hinton dared to ask why white children could ride buses to school but black children had to walk.
Now, when do the gay children get to ride the bus — instead of being thrown under it?
I know how Reverend J.A. DeLaine, a preacher and teacher in Summerton, heard that call and joined with Levi Pearson, a father who was sick and tired of seeing his children walk nine miles to school, and with Harry and Eliza Briggs and more than a dozen other Black parents to challenge unequal education.
George Wallace blocked the doors in 1963. Can we talk about the inequality of civil unions now?
I know that because of that challenge, Harry Briggs lost his job at the local service station, Eliza Briggs lost hers at a local hotel, and Reverend DeLaine’s home was burned to the ground while the fire department stood by and watched.
It would have been easy for them to stay home. To heed the voices of caution and convenience that said, “wait,” “the timing isn’t right,” or “the country just isn’t ready.” It would have been easy for them to give in to the fears that no doubt kept them awake some nights.
… “wait,” … “the timing isn’t right” … “the country just isn’t ready” … Gosh, where have we heard that before?
But I know that because they were willing to overcome their fears and reach for a larger dream, the Supreme Court overturned “separate but equal,” and Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
Yet “separate but equal” is still OK when it comes to queers, right?
And I know that I stand on their shoulders…
As you stand on the heads of the LGBT Americans.
…that their courage and sacrifice six decades ago makes it possible for me to run today for President of the United States.
. . .
I know South Carolina has the worst high school dropout rate in America. I know that all across this nation, one out of every four children go to schools just like J. V. Martin, and take away the same message that we don’t care enough about their education to do better by them.
Well, I’m getting the message that you don’t care enough about LGBT Americans to do anything for us, other than maintain the status quo.
I know that America today is still blind to the poverty in our midst, and that we still tolerate Jena justice for some and Scooter Libby justice for others.
Just like “we” tolerate privilege for heterosexuals, and sloppy seconds for queers.
I know that Black parents in Clarendon are still having to go to court to give their children an equal education – fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education.
I guess we have to wait another ten years before we can say: “And same-sex couples are still having to go to court to demand equal rights fifty years after Loving v. Virginia.”
There is another side of Clarendon County, another side of America, still waiting for what Harry and Eliza Briggs hoped and struggled for. The hope that our children’s destinies aren’t written before they are born.
Our children’s destinies are written before they are born; if they turn out straight, everything’s ducky. But if they turn out gay, bi, or transgendered… not so much. But then, you don’t really believe it’s inborn, do you, Barry?
The hope that one day the world as it is and the world as it should be might be one and the same.
That is why I stand before you today as a candidate for President of the United States of America. I am running because I refuse to accept that the way it is, is the way it has to be. I refuse to accept it when I hear adults say things like “these kids can’t learn” or “these kids come from tough backgrounds” or “these kids are too far behind.” We need to start treating “these kids” like “our kids.”
How about treating LGBT people as if they were Good As You?
We know why this matters. It’s not just that a good education is essential to helping the children of today compete more effectively as the workers of tomorrow. It’s that the promise of a good education makes it possible for every child to transcend the barriers of race and class and background and achieve their God-given potential.
You don’t have to tell us how hard it is to transcend the barriers of bigotry. And stop bringing God into it.
That’s why Harry and Eliza Briggs put their names on that lawsuit. That’s why so many others risked so much to give their children an equal education. That’s my story. That’s what the American story is supposed to be about.
So glad your story has a happy ending. Ours has not.
. . .
Now, I’ve heard that some folks aren’t sure America is ready for an African-American president…
I’m ready for an African-American president. The problem is, he or she has to be the right president, not the right African-American president.
…so let me be clear: I never would have begun this campaign if I weren’t confident I could win.
Imagine a President who was raised like I was by a single mom who had to work and go to school and raise her kids and accept food stamps for a while.
I don’t have to imagine such a president — we had exactly that in Bill Clinton.
. . .
Imagine a President who fought each day to narrow the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.
Yeah, imagine. Too bad I can’t imagine you being that president.
. . .
So today, sixty years after James Hinton issued his challenge, I want to issue a challenge of my own. If you’re tired of the politics of fear and division…
To which you have contributed, categorically.
…if you’re tired of a government that stands idly by while our schools go underfunded…
Are you promising to end this faith-basedschool-voucher business, which is only helping to gut the public school system? Unless that’s what you’re swearing to do, there’s not much you can say to someone in a state where voters consistently support nearly every school bond measure on the ballot (83% of all measures submitted between 2001 and 2006, if you’re interested).
…our children go unemployed…
Our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered citizens can be fired from their jobs in 37 states just for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered… and/or — even if the “new and improved” ENDA passes — just for being perceived as “lesbians and gay men” — and heteros — “who may not conform to their employer’s idea of how a man or woman should look and act.”
…and our communities are neglected…
And our young people are thrown out of their homes…
…or maybe that should be: “Just when you thought Obama’s campaign had run out of feet to stick in its collective mouth,” or maybe: “Just when you thought Obama’s campaign’s virtual mouth wasn’t big enough to stick any more feet into…”
Oh, never mind. The point:
This is the most ludicrous “attack line” yet, coming at the worst possible time — for Obama, that is:
Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is launching a new line of attack on Sen. Hillary Clinton, accusing the Democratic presidential frontrunner of mimicking Obama’s votes.
For the first time, Obama aides have publicly charged that Clinton waits for Obama to weigh in on controversial issues before taking the same stand, often to avoid creating disagreements that could be used as campaign ammunition.
“Democratic leaders are starting to count on Barack Obama for delivering two votes in the Senate - his and Senator Clinton’s,” Obama’s spokesperson Ben Labolt told the Huffington Post on Thursday.
The comments echoed remarks on Wednesday by Obama’s communications guru David Axelrod, who was asked on Hardball whether the senator would have voted for the contentious Kyl-Lieberman resolution — which designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization — had he not been on the campaign trail.
“Absolutely not,” Axelrod declared. “He made that clear that day. And I venture to say that had he been there and voting on that perhaps Senator Clinton would not have voted that way either because, you know, Chris, lately every time he votes, she seems to vote after him, and seems to vote the same way. So maybe we could have spared her some of the difficulties.” …
. . .
It’s not certain that Obama influenced Clinton’s stance on any of these topics. And on the Lieberman-Kyl amendment as well as a resolution condemning MoveOn.org for their critical ad of Gen David Petraeus, Clinton cast a vote while Obama didn’t.
CNN is finally recognizing Barack Obama’s appalling missed-vote record, leading the coverage with the fact that Obama has missed more votes than any of the other congresscritters running for president, and pointing out that while he’s all over Hillary for her IWR vote, he missed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment vote because — you guessed it — he was out campaigning, in New Hampshire.
His handlers are saying he didn’t know about the Kyl-Lieberman vote in time to get back to D.C. — which is funny, since all the presidential candidates in Congress are notified of upcoming votes in advance, and somehow everybody else managed to get there in time, including Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.
What’s also funny is that we found, via Travelocity, no less than 29 regularly-scheduled commercial flights Obama could have taken from New Hampshire to Washington, D.C., or one of its nearby airports — including three nonstops, none lasting more than an hour and 44 minutes.
But that point is completely moot, since:
A few candidates, including Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, both Democrats, have decided not to take corporate flights at all, opting instead to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars more each year to charter their own jets.
In other words, Obama has a private aircraft — that, judging by the arrival times of many recent commercial flights (thank you, FlightAware!) on the same route, could have made the trip in as little as an hour and a half — at his disposal, yet his campaign is saying he still couldn’t drag himself back to Washington “in time.”
Failing that excuse, Obama’s flunkies are now saying that it’s a matter of deciding which Senate votes are “crucial”…
Lou Dobbs (of whom we are no fans) remarked yesterday, voice dripping with sarcasm: “Well, it’s so nice to believe these people can decide what is crucial, and what is not,” and then opined that maybe we should cut back the time Congress is in session by 20%, so it will be more convenient to the candidates.
(On the other hand, maybe we’re overlooking something here: It’s entirely possible Obama missed the Kyl-Lieberman vote deliberately; after all, he’s on record as being open to bombing Iran. Could it be that he couldn’t afford to be accused of flip-flopping if he voted against Kyl-Lieberman now — and then made the decision as president to attack Iran later? That’s a very disturbing thought — which is exactly what makes it worth considering.)
But here’s something we didn’t know: Obama has missed nearly 80% of all Senate votes since September!
And, overall:
Barack Obama missed 137 of 1040 votes (13%) since Jan 6, 2005 (Very Poor relative to peers).
Sen. Barack Obama has missed the most votes of any Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate over the last two months, including a vote on an Iran resolution he has blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton for supporting.
The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September.
. . .
Obama’s campaign argues that looking at the last two months is arbitrary.
Obama missed a vote on a resolution that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an elite part of the Iranian military, a terrorist organization. He has criticized Clinton for voting for it, saying it would give President Bush a “blank check” to invade Iran. …
. . .
Obama was campaigning in New Hampshire when the vote was taken. His campaign blamed his absence on the short notice given when the vote was scheduled. But two senior Democratic Senate aides said senators were advised the night before that the vote would occur the next day.
A spokesman for Obama, however, was adamant Obama did not have enough time to return to Washington for the vote.
Obama has also missed votes on a Democratic priority, the expansion of the federally funded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)…
. . .
With the mounting fight with the White House over key bills, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is putting all the contenders on notice. …
“Obama’s campaign points out that Biden missed the most votes if the whole year is considered, followed by Dodd, then Obama.” = “They do it tooooo!”
What’s more, a shocking number of Obama supporters we’ve encountered on the Web are scrambling to justify this ugly blot on Obama’s “flawless” voting record — which appears to be their pattern: When they find a comparable situation to rag on any other the other candidates about, they treat it with equal gravity; i.e., Hillary’s two anti-gay SC chairs = just as bad as the Donnie McClurkin fiasco; Joe Biden missing 68% of Senate votes = just as bad as Obama missing 80%; and so on and on, ad nauseam.
And we’re not buying the argument that Obama’s statement of opposition to Kyl-Lieberman — nor his statement of support for SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) — as just as good as a vote. Talking the talk without walking the walk does not have any effect on whether legislation is made or broken.
But Kyl-Lieberman was hardly the only “critical” vote Obama missed. To illustrate the breadth of votes Obama didn’t consider “critical” enough to show up for, this very abbreviated look at his no-shows is illuminating:
Nov 1, 2007 5:15 PM No Vote H.R. 3963: Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 64-30, 6 not voting Senate Roll #402
. . .
Oct 31, 2007 3:48 PM No Vote Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider H.R. 3963: Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 Cloture Motion Agreed to 62-33, 5 not voting Senate Roll #400
. . .
Oct 3, 2007 2:00 PM No Vote Feingold Amdt. No. 3164, H.R. 3222: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2008 (On the Amendment) Amendment Rejected 28-68, 4 not voting Senate Roll #361
. . .
Oct 1, 2007 5:59 PM No Vote H.R. 1585: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 92-3, 5 not voting
. . .
Sep 26, 2007 12:44 PM No Vote Kyl Amdt. No. 3017 as Modified, H.R. 1585: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 76-22, 2 not voting
. . .
Sep 24, 2007 5:51 PM No Vote H.R. 1495: Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (On the Conference Report) Conference Report Agreed to 81-12, 7 not voting
. . .
Sep 10, 2007 3:30 PM No Vote Murray Amdt. No. 2792, H.R. 3074: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 60-33, 7 not voting
Sep 10, 2007 11:29 AM No Vote Confirming Janis Lynn Sammartino, of California, to be U.S. District Judge Nomination Confirmed 90-0, 10 not voting
Sep 10, 2007 11:06 AM No Vote Confirming William Lindsay Osteen, of North Carolina, to be U.S. District Judge Nomination Confirmed 86-0, 14 not voting
Sep 7, 2007 10:15 AM No Vote H.R. 2669: Higher Education Access Act of 2007 (On the Conference Report) Conference Report Agreed to 79-12, 9 not voting
Sep 6, 2007 9:46 PM No Vote H.R. 2764: Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 81-12, 7 not voting
. . .
Sep 6, 2007 12:16 PM No Vote H.R. 2642: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 92-1, 7 not voting
. . .
Sep 4, 2007 6:08 PM No Vote Confirming Jim Nussle, of Iowa, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget Nomination Confirmed 69-24, 7 not voting
. . .
Jul 30, 2007 5:32 PM No Vote Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 976: Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 Cloture Motion Agreed to 80-0, 20 not voting
. . .
Jul 26, 2007 10:49 PM No Vote H.R. 2638: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 89-4, 7 not voting
. . .
Jul 26, 2007 11:39 AM No Vote H.R. 1: Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (On the Conference Report) Conference Report Agreed to 85-8, 7 not voting
. . .
Jul 24, 2007 4:44 PM No Vote H.J.Res. 44: Joint resolution approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, and for other purposes. (On the Joint Resolution) Joint Resolution Passed 93-1, 6 not voting
Jul 24, 2007 12:46 PM No Vote S. 1642: Higher Education Amendments of 2007 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 95-0, 5 not voting
Jul 24, 2007 12:22 PM No Vote Kennedy Amdt. No. 2381, as Modified, S. 1642: Higher Education Amendments of 2007 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 93-0, 7 not voting
. . .
Jul 20, 2007 12:36 AM No Vote H.R. 2669: Higher Education Access Act of 2007 (On Passage of the Bill) Bill Passed 78-18, 4 not voting
. . .
Jul 13, 2007 9:29 AM No Vote Dorgan Amdt. No. 2135, as Amended, H.R. 1585: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 87-1, 12 not voting
. . .
Jul 9, 2007 6:12 PM No Vote Confirming Janet T. Neff, of Michigan, to be U.S. District Judge Nomination Confirmed 83-4, 13 not voting
Jul 9, 2007 5:43 PM No Vote Confirming Liam O’Grady, of Virginia, to be U.S. District Judge Nomination Confirmed 88-0, 12 not voting
. . .
Jun 12, 2007 5:46 PM No Vote Bayh Amdt. No. 1508, H.R. 6: Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 63-30, 6 not voting
Jun 11, 2007 6:16 PM No Vote Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider H.R. 6: Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 Cloture Motion Agreed to 91-0, 8 not voting
. . .
Jun 5, 2007 7:46 PM No Vote Feingold Amdt. No. 1176, S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 67-26, 6 not voting
. . .
May 22, 2007 5:47 PM No Vote Dorgan Amdt. No. 1153, S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (On the Amendment) Amendment Rejected 31-64, 5 not voting
May 21, 2007 5:43 PM No Vote Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 Cloture Motion Agreed to 69-23, 8 not voting
. . .
May 7, 2007 5:09 PM No Vote Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Committee Substitute as Modified and Amended to S. 1082: Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act Cloture Motion Agreed to 82-8, 10 not voting
May 7, 2007 4:05 PM No Vote Cochran Amdt. No. 1010, S. 1082: Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act (On the Amendment) Amendment Agreed to 49-40, 11 not voting
Are these, or are these not, “critical” votes? Does Obama not consider these issues “critical” enough? Not even a bill which could lead us into war with Iran? And for all his chatter about the importance of healthcare for the some nine million children without health insurance in this country, failing to show up for a “critical” vote on the SCHIP bill reveals all that chatter as just so much empty rhetoric.
This week was another key week in the battle to re-authorize and expand the vital S-CHIP program. After the Bush veto of the first S-CHIP re-authorization bill, it was extremely important for Congressional Democrats to let the President know that they aren’t backing down when it comes to providing access to health care for America’s children.
As you may know, on October 25th the U.S. House voted 265 - 142 to send another S-CHIP bill to the President’s desk. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate followed suit and voted 64 - 30 to send House Resolution 3963 to the White House for another anticipated Bush veto.
Over in the House, America’s children were 25 votes away from gaining increased access to health care. In the House, every Democrat save one voted for the revised S-CHIP bill. Over in the Senate, America’s children fell 3 votes short of overriding the Bush veto against their health and well-being.
Three votes, ladies and gentlemen; and one of those three votes could’ve been supplied by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois if…
…he had even bothered to show up and vote.
The only “critical” vote Obama made in the past month was a nay on the Southwick confirmation — but perhaps he just happened to be in town that day.
In any case, Obama’s inexcusable pattern of missed votes is only more proof of how Barack Obama is more focused on recruiting supporters for his presidential campaign — at any cost — than he is about doing the right thing, which, in this case, is his job.
If you missed that many days of work because you were out looking for another job — and your boss knew it — you’d be canned in a New York minute.
Clinton supporters downplay ties to anti-gay ministers
Just one week after criticizing Sen. Barack Obama’s ties to an “ex-gay” minister, supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) are downplaying her connection to anti-gay figures.
Obama was assailed last week for allowing gospel singer Donnie McClurkin to appear at a South Carolina campaign event, but the endorsement of Clinton by at least two anti-gay black ministers has so far not generated similar outrage.
“I don’t know if that’s the same as, ‘Here’s a microphone — you can speak for my campaign,’” said Ryan Wilson of the South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement.
Some of Clinton’s gay supporters, along with unaligned gays such as Wilson, said they’re generally unconcerned that anti-gay ministers Bishop Eddie Long and Rev. Harold Mayberry are supporting the campaign.
. . .
In interviews this week, Wilson and others said they were not concerned that Clinton had accepted a $1,000 donation from Long or that she recently thanked Mayberry for “fighting for civil rights and equality,” because she has not allowed either minister to speak for the campaign.
. . .
“There is a very big difference,” said Peter Rosenstein, a Washington political activist who is on Clinton’s gay steering committee. “This doesn’t impact at all what I think about Sen. Clinton’s campaign.”
Alvin McEwen, 36, a gay man who led an opposition vigil Sunday outside Obama’s campaign event in South Carolina, agreed.
He said “there’s a whole big difference” between Clinton accepting a $1,000 donation from Long and Obama allowing a man who espouses “ugly things about gays and lesbians” to speak during a campaign event.
I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Obama’s duplicitous stance on gay and lesbian rights circa the Donnie McClurkin controversy has given me something of an appreciation for George W. Bush’s no-nonsense approach to politics. I may not agree with a thing that comes out of curious George’s mouth, but at least he doesn’t piss in my cornflakes and tell me that he filled the bowl with whole milk. No sir. If there is a good thing to be said about President Bush it’s that he will tell you he’s going to piss in your cornflakes, then he will actually piss in your cornflakes and then he will hold a press conference defending his right to piss in your cornflakes. There’s no deception. It’s honest and clear… whether you like it or not. With Obama that is unfortunately not the case.
. . .
Clearly the senator from Illinois could have done with a bit of the sage advice my grandmother gave me when I was growing when she said, “you can’t please all of the people all of the time” and that “you got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
. . .
What Obama is balancing is the fundamental recognition of the rights of an entire slice of America that cuts across all racial, social and economic boundaries. There is no quid pro quo. Either Obama believes that gay and lesbian Americans deserve the same rights and privileges as all Americans or he does not. It’s a simple choice and Senator Obama has blatantly shown that he does not value gay and lesbian voters as much as he does his Christian constituency in the south…
. . .
By denying our humanity and our equality, Barack Obama spat in the face of gay and lesbian America this past weekend and then put out his hand and begged us to shake it. That’s one peace offering I will gladly decline because I don’t think he should have a place at our table or be welcome in our homes or in our community any longer.
