Month: May 2012

Equality, Dignity, Hope, Acceptance: The Effect Of Barack Obama On Gay Americans!

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What Barack Obama did on Wednesday, May 9, will reverberate in history as much as when Lyndon B. Johnson called for passage of civil rights laws, and the Supreme Court declared interracial marriage constitutional, in the 1960s.

Just as for African Americans back then, today gay Americans and those who love and support them, see equality, dignity, hope and acceptance, part of what every human being desires as part of being human!

Yes, there were critics then, and even today, of civil rights laws for African Americans and interracial marriage, as there are, today, critics of gay rights and gay marriage.

But in the long run, these critics, past and present, will be part of the “dustbin of history”, who are, and will be, condemned and deplored, and future generations will wonder how we could call ourselves a democracy, and deny equality, dignity, hope, and acceptance to ANY minority!

Just as it did not matter whether all people accepted civil rights and interracial marriage in the 1960s, it does not matter whether they accept gay rights and gay marriage today.

It is not a question of whether something is popular, as no one should have the power to deny equality to anyone else!

This is not something where ordinary people, many of them ignorant and prejudiced, should be voting on other people’s rights.

This is where the Supreme Court should, as with Loving V. Virginia in 1967 mandating Interracial marriage as constitutional, declare gay marriage constitutional, and make it clear that it must be accepted in all states and territories of the United States, no matter what anyone’s personal feelings are regarding the matter!

Organized Religion, Parenthood, and Gay Rights: Time To Do What A Jew Named Jesus Would Advocate!

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Today is Mother’s Day, and in five weeks, it is Father’s Day.

Today also is the first Sunday since President Barack Obama declared support of gay marriage, part of his continuing agenda to promote legal rights and human rights for people who are lesbian, gay, bi sexual and transgender.

And what do we already see occurring?

We see hate, discrimination, prejudice, bias, anger, fury and narrow mindedness emanating from many Catholic Mormon, and evangelical Christian pulpits as priests, pastors, and ministers declare “war” on gay Americans, and use the Bible to back up their campaign, rather than demonstrate humanity, open mindedness, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of people who are different than they are.

Instead of promoting compassion and acceptance, we see the issue of gay rights being used as a political football by the haters, and this sadly includes many moms and dads who will refuse to accept their children who are gay, will throw them out of the house, will banish them from family gatherings, will declare them “dead” rather than understand that they have feelings and desires to love someone of the same sex, and wish to be understood and accepted for who they are.

The question anyone with an open mind has is how can men and women reject their own children, provoking depression and suicide in many cases?

And how can those who claim to be spokesmen for God advocate hate and violence against people who would certainly find it easier to deny their own sexuality if they could, but face constant repudiation by religious leaders who are true hypocrites that set out to divide people and deny that these people’s loves are based on their natural, innate selves?

The sad reality is that ANY clergyman or parent who rejects people of GLBT orientation is promoting the kind of hate which makes a mockery of parenthood and of organized religion!

These are not “good Christians” or any other faith, and should be denounced for what they are, peddlers of hypocrisy, who should be called to account and rejected by all decent people!

Just a reminder: Jesus, who these haters say they follow, was a Jew, and his people, the Jews, have faced prejudice and hate from Christian groups throughout history by those who profess to believe in Jesus. Time to stop the phoniness of what these people preach and follow the true, compassionate views of Jesus, which includes acceptance of LGBT orientation!

The Second Most Important Election Of 2012: The Recall Election In Wisconsin On June 5th

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Obviously, the most important election of 2012 is the choice between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for President in November.

But a likely forecast of what will happen in November is the Wisconsin Governorship recall race to be held on June 5, five months earlier.

Republican Governor Scott Walker, who has warred on the citizens of Wisconsin, set out to destroy labor unions, and cut education funding dramatically, while giving tax breaks to the special interests, and accepting campaign help from the Koch Brothers and other wealthy conservative interests, will face Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, his opponent in the 2010 gubernatorial race, who he defeated by about five points.

Considering that about a million votes were gathered to force this recall race in the middle of the term, only the third recall election in US history, it is inspiring people to believe that Walker can be kicked out of office by Democratic nominee Barrett.

The money flowing is amazing, with much of it coming from outside for Walker, as Republicans see this as a chance to validate their approach toward public affairs, and Walker has become a rallying point for other “Bully” Governors, including Chris Christie of New Jersey, Paul LePage of Maine, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Rick Scott of Florida, John Kasich of Ohio, and Rick Snyder of Michigan, among others.

Labor and progressive forces are fighting to retire Walker, and put Mayor Barrett into office, and if this effort fails, it would be a major dampening of hopes of progressives to overcome the Tea Party influence, which has seized control of the Republican Party in a deleterious manner!

Michelle Obama And Mitt Romney Give Commencement Addresses: The Massive Difference!

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May is the season for commencement addresses at colleges and universities, and famous people, often political types, are recruited as a symbol of stature for those colleges and universities.

Today, Michelle Obama, the First Lady, gave the commencement address at Virginia Tech, the university which suffered through the worst murder rampage in the history of higher education, five years ago, with 32 students and faculty murdered.

Now, five years later, Mrs. Obama visited, and applauded the students who came to Virginia Tech since the massacre, and told them to be proud of their university, and how the school should never forget what happened, but continue to promote higher education and advancement as the best way to commemorate the tragedy. Her presence was inspiring to all who attended, a positive step to overcome hate and violence.

Tomorrow, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, will deliver the commencement address at Liberty University in Virginia, the school founded by television evangelist Jerry Falwell, and now operated by his son, Jerry Falwell, Jr.

It would be great to say that Liberty University keeps the tradition of its name, and is an open minded, tolerant place, but it was not under Jerry Falwell, and is no more so under Jerry Falwell, Jr.

Instead, it promotes censorship, including the banning of a student Democratic Party organization on campus.

The school will not accept or keep students in residence who are declared homosexuals, and just as the father preached, the son and his school preaches that being gay is a guarantee of entrance into hell as a sinner.

The school also is vehemently anti abortion, and preaches strict sexual morality, and treats women as second class citizens, attacking, as Jerry Falwell did, the whole feminist movement, and the promotion of equal rights for women.

This is a propagandistic, narrow minded university, a disgrace to the concept of a liberal arts education, and instead promotes an intolerant view of Christianity, no change since the first Jerry Falwell riled many people with his prejudices, and hate filled sermons!

The question is WHY Mitt Romney would give ANY dignity to a university which is a mockery of the purpose of higher education!

Does he not realize that this bigoted university dislikes the Mormon beliefs that he so zealously advocates?

Does he not know that this university gets federal funding despite its violations of the Bill of Rights, including freedom of speech and press, banning free discussion and debate?

What kind of message does Mitt Romney think he is sending? Can he not understand that his presence at this university, which can only add status and stature to this so called place of higher learning, makes his public image among independents, women, minorities, and intelligent young people, look all the worse?

What is it about Mitt Romney that he cannot understand that his actions and words do matter, and that he is sowing defeat by his refusal to abandon the hateful right wing wingnuts in his party?

Mitt Romney is an embarrassment to himself, to his party, to his nation, and to decent human behavior!

JP Morgan Chase Loss Of $2 Billion Demonstrates Need For MORE Regulation, More Dodd-Frank Legislation!

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One of the biggest banks, JP Morgan Chase, which happens to be, unfortunately, my bank by default, has engaged in a manipulation of their depositors and stockholders, which has caused a loss of $2 billion.

This just proves further the need for MORE regulation, not less, as Mitt Romney advocates, and his party endorses!

The Republicans want to destroy the Dodd-Frank legislation of 2010, designed to promote regulation, as a result of the abusive financial practices of the big banks and insurance companies on Wall Street, which led to the Great Recession, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s!

How can the American people not get the point that our big banks, “too big to fail”, are undermining any hope of economic revival, with their reckless and arrogant practices, all endorsed by the GOP, and the spoiled, arrogant, nasty, mean spirited, bullyish Mitt Romney, who does not give a damn about the harm to average middle class Americans, let alone the poor among us?

This is a major issue of the campaign of 2012, the abuse by the top one percent of the other 99 percent, who have had enough abuse, and are sick of being kicked around by Wall Street “bullies” backed by “Mr. Bully” himself, Mitt Romney!

Presidential Courage And Human Rights: From John Quincy Adams To Barack Obama

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One of the most important roles of a President is to be a moral leader, a person who sets the standard for what is moral and ethical in public affairs,

And nothing is more important than to have the courage to take leadership on human rights matters, whether in the United States or in other nations.

In that regard, Barack Obama will always stand out for what he did on Wednesday, speaking up for gay rights, including the right to marry.

Who else among our Presidents can be seen as a moral leader on human rights issues?

John Quincy Adams, as President and in his post Presidential career in the House of Representatives, campaigned against slavery and the slave trade, and was censured by the House of Representatives for fighting the gag rule (forbidding discussion of slavery in the House chamber) over and over again. He also represented the slaves aboard the slave ship Amistad, and won the court case for their freedom in 1841.

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a move many thought was unwise and might undermine the Union effort during the Civil War. But he believed that African Americans should be given freedom.

Harry Truman took the earliest steps in promoting civil rights for African Americans in the 1940s when segregation reigned in the South, and he went ahead anyway and promoted integration of the military and of the nation’s capital, Washington, DC.

Dwight D. Eisenhower alienated the white South when he sent in National Guard troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce integration of a public high school.

John F. Kennedy followed Eisenhower’s lead, in promoting National Guard intervention at the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama, to bring about integration, and also proposed a civil rights law that he had to know would be extremely difficult to accomplish.

Lyndon B. Johnson, despite his Southern heritage, became the great proponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, knowing it would turn the white South over to the Republican Party, as it did.

Richard Nixon signed affirmative action into law, which became one of the great advancements in civil rights for women and minorities.

Jimmy Carter became the advocate of promoting human rights overseas, instead of accepting violations by so called “friendly” nations, as part of the business of diplomacy. He was bitterly criticized as naive, but his human rights beliefs remain one of his great legacies.

And now Barack Obama joins this group on Presidential courage in relation to the advancement of human rights! Kudos to him!

Did Barack Obama Go Far Enough On Gay Marriage? Ted Olson Does Not Think So!

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In the midst of all the celebration and joy over President Barack Obama’s strong endorsement of the right of gay men and women to marry, he included in his statement on the issue that the matter should be dealt with on the state level, state by state.

But Ted Olson, former Solicitor General under President George W. Bush, disagrees.

He and David Boies, the two lawyers involved in the Bush V. Gore election controversy in 2000, are fighting to bring the denial of gay marriage in California, after it was first allowed, to the Supreme Court, with the idea that the Court can determine the constiitutionality of gay marriage, much as they did with interracial marriage in 1967, with the Loving V. Virginia case.

Yes, it is true that 31 states have banned gay marriage in votes of the people of those states, but why should a basic human right, the right to marry, be subjected to a vote of the people?

If this was done about interracial marriage, even today, a majority in many states would ban such a relationship, but it is not the right of anyone to tell others that they cannot have happiness, and this is the point of conservative Ted Olson and liberal David Boies!

There should be a national standard on marriage, and it should be legal and consistent everywhere in the country.

A Supreme Court decision could mandate this and end the issue for good!

And it is certain that such a decision would not prevent churches and synagogues from deciding not to marry gay people, since civil marriage is all that would be covered by such a decision.

Hopefully, sometime soon, the issue of gay marriage by civil method will be resolved in the law in favor of human rights!

Mitt Romney: A Bully, Nasty, Cruel! Character Issues Make Him Unacceptable To Be President!

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New information has emerged that Mitt Romney, when a teenager at a private boarding school, acted like a bully, and showed nastiness and cruelty toward two students who were perceived as gay, and also showed elderly abuse of a nearly blind teacher.

Of course, some will say: “Oh come on, have a sense of humor, please! Boys will be boys! You cannot hold teenage pranks and wildness against them later on in life!”

Sorry, but that does not ring for this author!

It is NEVER acceptable to be a bully, as we well realize today, when bullying for being gay, or short, or fat, or unattractive, or shy, or whatever, causes misery, depression, and often suicide of the victims! The scars from being bullied can last a lifetime and mar a person’s happiness!

Romney, along with others who feel guilty about what they did, held down a student and forcibly cut his hair, in one case. That is assault, and should have led to expulsion and legal action against the perpetrators, including Mitt Romney.

In another case, Romney made verbally abusive comments about a supposed gay student being a lady, and personal insults can really hurt, and should not be forgiven!

And in another case, Romney was involved in directing a nearly blind teacher into a door and wall, and having a hearty laugh after it, described as “giggly”! This is abuse of and lack of respect for a teacher, and being insensitive toward a disabled, elderly individual!

These are not laughing matters, and what is more infuriating is that Romney NEVER apologized for what he did, and just went about his life feeling no compassion or guilt, and first denied these events had ever happened. Only when a group of boys from that time all testified to the truth of these allegations did he say he did not remember, but wished now belatedly to apologize for his actions 48 years ago. Unfortunately, this is not enough!

This is an issue of character, as much as putting his dog on the top of his car for hours while traveling on vacation, leading to the dog having an “accident”, and telling us about this in a laughing matter, and saying the dog loved being on the car roof! How could he know that? Many people would call it dog cruelty!

This man is arrogant, feels privileged, has lied constantly on so many issues, and has demonstrated a lack of compassion and guilt for his actions. He is a terrible example for children with his bullying, nasty, cruel ways.

This is not just a childhood or teenage prank. It is a question of decency and character, and Mitt Romney fails the test of leadership.

This alone should be a reason to make sure we do not reward him with the office of the Presidency!

Nicholas Katzenbach Dead: Major Figure In 1960s Issues Under Presidents Kennedy And Johnson

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Another veteran of the Kennedy-Johnson era, Nicholas Katzenbach, has died at the age of 90.

Not as well remembered as others, partly because he wished to avoid the spotlight, Katzenbach was actually an extremely important figure, as Under Secretary of State, Deputy Attorney General, and Attorney General.

The author has the memory of Katzenbach confronting Alabama Governor George Wallace in June 1963, at the University of Alabama, when Wallace tried to block the registration of two black students, and Katzenbach took a firm stand, and Wallace stepped aside. Few more dramatic moments have occurred in a public place, with no one sure what would happen!

But Katzenbach was also involved in the integration of the University of Mississippi by James Meredith in 1962; the defense of the Vietnam War before congressional committees; the investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy; advice during the Cuban Missile Crisis; passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and struggles with J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, but supportive of Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General before him.

The 1960s era fades ever more in history with the death of Nicholas Katzenbach.

North Carolina’s Public Image Harmed By Vote Banning Gay Marriage In State Constitution

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North Carolina was part of the Confederate South during the Civil War.

North Carolina was part of the segregated South for a century, but the lunch counter sit ins at Greensboro in 1960 were one of the first events to draw attention to the issue of civil rights for African Americans in the South.

North Carolina started to prosper, passing its neighbor, South Carolina, in social and economic progress in recent decades, and in population as well, and gained a good reputation as a progressive state.

North Carolina has a black mayor of Charlotte, which will be the host for the Democratic National Convention this summer, and that city is the center of major banking and finance.

North Carolina is the center of high technology and excellent universities, with Durham and Duke University, Raleigh and University of North Carolina, and Chapel Hill with North Carolina State University.

Areas including Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill were strongly against the Amendment One, but the religious right, led by Billy Graham and Franklin Graham won out over the appeals of the educated ,and even of former President Bill Clinton.

So North Carolina has suffered, and will suffer in public image, and it will take a long time before North Carolina can regain the stature it had worked so hard to achieve in the past 30 years.

And to top it off, unmarried heterosexual couples will no longer be protected in their rights, either, whether civil unions or domestic partnerships. This is a heavy price to pay for ignorance, prejudice, and narrow mindedness, and provoked by organized religion, which should unite citizens, not divide them!