Tuesday, June 30, 2009

AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE BY MICHAEL ROWE

This is an excellent article entitled, "Why It's Time for LGBT Democrats to Get Over Their Battered Wife Syndrome," that I strongly urge you to read.

This article speaks for itself, and I strongly urge you to read the whole thing, but part of it reads as follows:

In a dizzyingly short span of months, Defense Secretary Robert Gates would tell war colleges he didn't have a position on LGBT troops revealing their sexual orientation; America would meet Dan Choi and Lt. Col. Victor J. Fehrenbach, one a brilliant West Point graduate and Arab-language expert, the other a superstar fighter pilot in whom the Air Force had invested $25 million in training, both being expelled from the services under Don't Ask, Don't Tell; Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morell would admit that there were no plans in the works to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, nor had there been any serious discussions between the White House and the military about repealing it; the Justice Department would file a spectacularly ugly brief on behalf of the Obama administration in support of the Defense of Marriage Act (a rancid cigar from another Democratic president, Bill Clinton) comparing gay marriages to incestuous unions; and Obama would sign an order granting a minuscule number of benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, which somehow only served to illustrate how many benefits they still didn't have, compared to their heterosexual counterparts--notably health or retirement benefits--highlighting the inequality with bolder strokes than usual.
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9 comments:

Unknown said...

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Thanks!

genevieve said...

A thousand dollars a plate for a fundraiser? That money could have been used o keep some worthy programs from shutting their doors. The 'leadership' of mainstream LGBT organizations can be questioned about their contributions to improving the lot of GLBT people.

With soldiers being discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the military will rue the day, I believe. As a vet myself, this is disgraceful.

I soured on politics several years ago. Too much same old, same old and too many of the same bad actors in critical positions.

Jerry Maneker said...

Hi genevieve: Politics aren't restricted to politicians in Congress and the Presidency. The "politics" that would have "professional Gay activists" and others continue to apologize for Obama, and keep drinking Obama's Kool Aid, are even worse, in that Obama has nothing to lose in selling out his LGBT constituency, whereas LGBT people who make excuses for him are hurting themselves and their sisters and brothers. I know that "Hope springs eternal," but when it comes to shaking off the shackles of second-class citizenship, it doesn't pay to wait interminably, hoping against hope, that things will change, unless there is anger and revulsion expressed in no uncertain terms, and that meaningful grassroots and organizational activism occurs to put pressure on the politicians in Congress and the President to see to it that LGBT people have full and equal civil rights. Take care, Jerry.

Jerry Maneker said...

Hi Ephilei: I'm going to do that very thing now. Best wishes, Jerry.

DC HAMPTON JACOBS said...

That little get-together yesterday was pathetic. Obama offered nothing concrete to LGBT Americans, and of course, he let Lt. Victor Fehrenbach know to his face that he wouldn't stop his DADT discharge, and of course, his administration has never withdrawn that disgusting legal brief comparing Gay committments to incest and pedophilia. Yet the attendees (including Fehrenbach) gave him ovations and are praising him to the skies. When you brown-nose, aren't you at least supposed to get something for your trouble?

Unknown said...

Thanks!

Jerry Maneker said...

Hi Don Charles: "When you brown-nose, aren't you at least supposed to get something for your trouble?"

Yeah, Don Charles! A brown nose, and the contempt from people whose approval these people are desperately and pathetically seeking. Best wishes, Jerry.

genevieve said...

Jerry, grassroots organizations are the way we need to go. One thing about young people is they are aren't tainted by the system.

Jerry Maneker said...

Hi genevieve: Grassroots organizations in and of themselves can serve to stimulate LGBT rights organizations to become more aggressive and less accommodating to politicians in their desire to gain "access." However, grassroots organizations must learn from the activists of the 1960's and 70's and see public events as venues for demands for full and equal civil rights.

All too often what public events have occurred, such as Pride Parades, have had more to do with emphasizing a Mardi Gras atmosphere rather than seriously tackling being consigned to second class status, and that emphasis must change if parades and other public displays are to help in gaining equal rights. Best wishes, Jerry.