Wednesday, December 17, 2008

You know, I've kept my mouth shut for a while

But now I gotta say something. You know, I didn't say anything when Obama picked Gates to stay on for a year or so at Defense, and his choices overall aren't that much to write home about, but yes, they are better than Bush.

That's not saying a hell of lot, now, is it? But I digress.

It's one thing to make mostly lackluster Cabinet choices, but, I have to ask, Mr. PEOTUS, did you have to openly piss on one of your largest constituencies? WTF? Rick Warren? He looks like he's less Dobsonite than Dobson, but he openly supported Prop 8, fer crissakes! And HE'S going to give the invocation?

Seriously, Mr. PEOTUS, WTF? Ted Haggard wasn't available? Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick, this is stupid and unneccessary.

I fully expect a Christian minister, so that's not the issue, but why did you pick a HOMOPHOBE?

Look, people, Civil Rights are Civil Rights, and they should apply to ALL. You didn't have to be black to march in Selma, and you need not be queer to support equal rights for all, regardless of orientation. Do NOT hand me that utter and contemptuous bullshit that being gay is a choice; if you knowingly have any gay friends, you KNOW better.

You can choose your orientation about as much as you can change your eye or skin color, which is to say not at all, Michael Jackson notwithstanding. With that said, we need to make homophobia something of which one should be ASHAMED, not celebrated or even accepted.

Again, Civil Rights is Civil Rights, and I don't care if that statement harelips everybody in Bear Creek, as an old friend of mine used to say. I haven't spoken up enough about this myself, and that shows an appalling lack of guts on my part. I apologize to the gay community for being quiet in the past; you'll hear more about this from these quarters in the future.

I may be straight, but I'm not narrow by a damn site, and I'm NOT just talking about my weight, either.

CIVIL RIGHTS IS CIVIL RIGHTS.

President-elect Obama, whoever told you this was a good idea was horribly mistaken, and you need to reverse this in whatever manner you can. Pick Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, or pick local Catholic Bishop Terry Steib, or pick someone, ANYONE, who's not a homophobe.

It may take a little longer, but it sure as hell ain't THAT difficult.

One last thing, Mr. President-Elect. We certainly don't expect perfection, and we're willing to let a lot slide because we're glad to be freed from the Bush-Cheney cabal, but that doesn't mean your base will allow itself to be pissed on and told it's rain.

Look how well that worked for John McCain.

Just sayin'.

Hell, go read DIGBY, she says it even better than I do!

3 comments:

captainkona said...

That sloshing sound you hear when Barack moves would be his spine turning to jelly in classic Centrist fashion.

And yeah, he's not Bush, McCain or Clinton. But I'll be damned if I'll sit by and be silent as he makes a mockery of the "change" motif and slaps each and every sector of his combined base in the mouth.

His good moves thus far have been far less good that his bad moves have been bad.
Ya know?

Now we find that Billary are knee deep in the blood spattered, child murder money of Blackwater and have been for some time.

Barack has no balls.

But hey, this is why I backed Kucinich.


I'm tellin ya, LWC. If Obama doesn't come with some major effort to give back to those who worked so hard to put him where he is, I will vote third party for the rest of my life.
I'm just about through with these cowards that make up the Democratic Center.

callmeishmael said...

I knew you'd write about this. It's too easy and, from your vantage point, too necessary to overlook, avoid or downplay. I'm also not surprised that Olbermann led with the story, but was somewhat taken aback when Rachel Maddow didn't spend the majority of her show dissecting Obama's choice from 666,665 different angles (chickened out on leaving the first three numbers alone).
Did Obama do the right--well, left--thing? No, of course not. You might have seen this sort of thing coming, however, when he backed away from Jeremiah Wright saying the prayer at his campaign kickoff in February, 2007. Does Obama's choice today reflect his feelings about gay and lesbian issues? Of course not. He believes and will express those through his court appointments, public policies and general demeanor. As you say, civil rights are civil rights and he'll do just fine.
That's finally what matters more than a silly preacher mouthing a few theologically-watered down platitudes (and I've said as much to some of my former Vanderbilt Divinity School colleagues who think Warren is wonderful) who then returns home to do-gooderism in California.

Jim Maynard said...

I'm so sick of wimpy "liberal" Democrats that I'm about ready to join the Socialist Party finally..

As a gay progressive, I'm tired of Democrats screwing us...

If Obama and the Democratic Congress do not keep the promises they made to the gay community, I will not be voting for Obama or any Democrat in the election..

I have more to say on my blog Queer Notes