Nancy Pelosi has announced that there will be no movement on efforts to pass ENDA until the Senate acts of the so-called "repeal" of DADT. Which, given the fact that there's no guarantee of when the Senate will take up DADT much less pass it, means that there's no guarantee that ENDA will see movement this year. Meanwhile, the Uncle Tom like suck ups at HRC and other alleged LGBT rights organizations continue to act as if they were paid cheerleaders for the Obama administration. It's a sad state of affairs and - at least for me - extremely demoralizing. Personally, I am using the November elections as my cut off mark. Either the Senate has passed DADT repeal - which isn't even really repeal - and ENDA has been enacted, or all bets are off in terms of me voting for Democrats in November. The boyfriend is pretty much of the same mind and equally disgusted. Glenn Nye, we live in your district, are you listening?? *
While Joe Solmonese and others gush that Obama is the best pro-gay president ever, the reality is that it takes almost nothing to win that title given the abysmal track record of Obama's predecessors. And while Obama may have appointed more gays to federal positions than any predecessor, for the vast majority of us in the LGBT community, in most states we still have no employment non-discrimination protections, our relationships are not recognized, we face religious based bigotry and cannot serve openly in the military, and in numerous other ways we are clearly second or third class citizens. Yes, the passage of federal hate crimes legislation was nice, but actually impacts only a few in the LGBT community. As a result, I'm not sure what there is to gush about if you are not part of the inside the beltway professional gay rights clique like Solmonese. Here are some highlights from the Washington Blade of Nancy Pelosi's disingenuous double speak:
*
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday said that a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act wouldn’t take place until Congress completes legislative action on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” During her weekly press conference, Pelosi said in response to a Blade inquiry on ENDA’s prospects that lawmakers “still have to finish ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”
*
Referencing the successful House vote May 27 to attach repeal to Defense Department budget legislation, she said, “And now, of course, we’ll go — after the bill passes in the Senate — we’ll go to conference. But our work is not finished in that regard, so one thing at a time.”
*
It could take several months for Congress to finish legislative action on repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The full Senate has yet to vote on the defense authorization bill, and differences in the House and Senate versions would have to be hammered out in conference committee before the measure is sent to President Obama’s desk.
*
Still, Pelosi said, “we’re very proud” of the House vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the House, calling it a “historic” action.
*
Never mind that the House version of "repeal" leaves the military brass in a position to kill DADT repeal or that there are serious questions as to the one-sidedness of the Pentagon "study." A study that isn't even needed were the U.S. military to bother looking at how our military allies successfully repealed their bans on gays serving openly in those nations' military. John Aravosis sums up the situation well at America Blog:
*
70% to 80% of the public, in poll after poll, support the full and immediate repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The President, however, is fighting for piecemeal legislation that won't guarantee repeal ever. And note how the White House has never said, even once, when they plan to actually repeal DADT, to actually lift the ban entirely. It's hardly a profile in courage to play this fearful with something so popular with the American public.
*
Has Barack Obama really caught up with the times? I don't think so. I think he's still living in 1992. And so is the Democratic party. So he, and they, think that whatever would have placated us in 1992 - OMG he spoke at our dinner! - will make us happy in 2010. It won't, and it shouldn't. When I was a kid all I wanted out of life was a Major Matt Mason doll. Now I'm a bit older and I expect a bit more. We all do.
*
Democrats need to stop striving to be marginally better than truly awful human beings. We voted for better, they promised better, and we expect better.
*
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday said that a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act wouldn’t take place until Congress completes legislative action on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” During her weekly press conference, Pelosi said in response to a Blade inquiry on ENDA’s prospects that lawmakers “still have to finish ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”
*
Referencing the successful House vote May 27 to attach repeal to Defense Department budget legislation, she said, “And now, of course, we’ll go — after the bill passes in the Senate — we’ll go to conference. But our work is not finished in that regard, so one thing at a time.”
*
It could take several months for Congress to finish legislative action on repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The full Senate has yet to vote on the defense authorization bill, and differences in the House and Senate versions would have to be hammered out in conference committee before the measure is sent to President Obama’s desk.
*
Still, Pelosi said, “we’re very proud” of the House vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the House, calling it a “historic” action.
*
Never mind that the House version of "repeal" leaves the military brass in a position to kill DADT repeal or that there are serious questions as to the one-sidedness of the Pentagon "study." A study that isn't even needed were the U.S. military to bother looking at how our military allies successfully repealed their bans on gays serving openly in those nations' military. John Aravosis sums up the situation well at America Blog:
*
70% to 80% of the public, in poll after poll, support the full and immediate repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The President, however, is fighting for piecemeal legislation that won't guarantee repeal ever. And note how the White House has never said, even once, when they plan to actually repeal DADT, to actually lift the ban entirely. It's hardly a profile in courage to play this fearful with something so popular with the American public.
*
Has Barack Obama really caught up with the times? I don't think so. I think he's still living in 1992. And so is the Democratic party. So he, and they, think that whatever would have placated us in 1992 - OMG he spoke at our dinner! - will make us happy in 2010. It won't, and it shouldn't. When I was a kid all I wanted out of life was a Major Matt Mason doll. Now I'm a bit older and I expect a bit more. We all do.
*
Democrats need to stop striving to be marginally better than truly awful human beings. We voted for better, they promised better, and we expect better.
No comments:
Post a Comment