On the West Coast, in Everett Washington, the anti-gay group known as the "Watchmen on the Walls" is convening for the weekend to brainstorm with other homophobes, hoping to come up with new and more effective measures to bribe lawmakers into enacting legislation that denies legal rights and protections to the LGBTQ Community.
If these folks were just some wing-nut fringe group that the mainstream media and politicians ignored, a gathering such as this may not be worth reporting.
Unfortunately, the "Watchmen" are just one of many other organizations with a similar purpose who largely control the Republican party and hold sway over many Democrats as well.
On the East Coast, (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) the Values Voter Summit (also known as the Religious Right's Super Bowl weekend) is expected to help the wing-nuts hone in on which candidate best represents their convoluted and hypocritical pro-war, anti-stem-cell research, anti-contraceptive, anti-choice, anti gay adoption, anti-Marriage Equality, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, anti-children's health care, anti-welfare, anti-science, stance.
No wonder these people are having a hard time finding a candidate that is able to twist himself into such strange positions that he will be un-electable in the general election.
In order to woo these crazies, Republicans have to lie about supporting issues that will turn off all of the rest of us.
Take Romney, for example, who made the following statement when he was running for the Senate in Massachusetts against Ted Kennedy:
"I had a dear, close family relative who was very close to me [who died from an illegal abortion] and I promise I will not force my beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that.”
Oh, really?
How interesting... since Romney recently proclaimed:
“I am pro-family on every level, from personal to political... as President, I will oppose abortion in military clinics, oppose funding abortion in international aid programs and I will work to ban embryonic cloning.”
He's not only a liar, he's a flip-flopping liar.
Even though Romney and the other candidates are willing to lie through their teeth to win the Republican nomination, the wing-nuts are still not satisfied with the field of candidates.
Of the Democrats, only Kucinich and Gravel are in support of full legal equality.
Hillary, Obama and Edwards all say they oppose our right to be treated as full citizens.
What a sorry state we are in today!
As 50+ year old women, we are disgusted that we are treated like children -- forced to beg abusive adults for rights and privileges that should be ours simply by virtue of our citizenship!
It is humiliating and degrading to be put in this juxtaposition against a gang of thugs who claim the Earth is 6,000 years old, that God created the Earth in 6 days, that dinosaurs lived on the Earth with humans, and that Global War and Global Warming are all necessary precursors to the second coming of Christ at which time the believers will be raptured up and the rest of us will be "left behind."
We say, good riddance. Why wait for the rapture?
If these crazies really hate social and legal progress, they should flock together like the sheeple they are and found another country where they can create their Earthly utopia.
If that ever happens, we give them 2 years before they start to create cliques which eventually turn on others....
The way we see it, there are (generally speaking) three primary factions in the LGBTQ equal rights debate:
For total and utter legal equality;
Against any rights, protections or benefits that “reward” sinful (i.e. homosexual) behavior;
On the fence or for some but not all rights, benefits and protections for LGBTQ people.
A. If you are in the pro-equality camp you probably:
Are a happy and emotionally healthy LGBTQ person; or
A straight ally who has LGBTQ friends, neighbors and/or loved ones; and/or
Are generally progressive leaning regarding your political and spiritual pursuits; and/or
Believe the Constitution guarantees equal treatment of all citizens.
And more than likely you believe:
Homosexuality is a trait that is determined at birth (or in the uterus) and that environment and experiences have little, if anything,0 to do with it;
Homosexuality is anormal, human trait that is also found in many animal species;
That LGBTQ families – partners and children – deserve the same rights and benefits that are currently available to every other American citizen;
That laws that protect the rights of LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace, in housing and in the military are necessary and just;
That schools, medical facilities, businesses and other institutions must be free to educate the public about LGBTQ people in order to undo the legal and emotional harm caused by false and negative stereotypes about gay men and lesbians;
You are now and probably will always be an ally.
B. If you are in opposition to rights for LGBTQ people, you probably believe homosexuality:
Is a sin that God abhors (although “He” loves the sinner);
Is a behavior that one may choose or not choose to engage in;
Is caused by poor parenting or a bad sexual experience-- rape, child molestation, etc.;
Is a Demonic Possession;
Is unnatural, abnormal and deviant;
Is not a class of people whose members are discriminated against and/or specifically targeted for violence or ridicule and therefore not deserving of “special rights”;
Should not entitle couples to equal marriage rights for fear that doing so will weaken or is threatening to “Traditional Marriage”;
Should not be tolerated and that those who “choose” the “lifestyle” should not be allowed to parent or to teach children because they may recruit or molest them;
Should result in an automatic expulsion or prohibition from military service
Then chances are you are one of the following:
A right-wing, so-called “christian” conservative;
A politician using fear of a despised and misunderstood minority group to get or keep power and influence;
A religious “leader” who knows that preaching hate against LGBTQ people is the best way to yourself;
A self-hating LGBTQ person who feels trapped in a closet of their own making and therefore is determined to punish other LGBTQ people for having the audacity to live out in the open and proud;
Someone who just does not know a LGBTQ person.
You may never be free from your own narrow world view to open your mind to other possibilities.Even so, to some extent we will never give up on the idea that someday the truth might break-through.
C.And lastly maybe you are on the fence or unsure about whether all rights should be extended.Perhaps you have had so much misinformation thrown at you that you are just not sure what is and what is not true.If so, there is hope you may be open to seeing things from our perspective.
Wherever you stand, here are a few facts to ponder:
1.The Constitution prohibits a governing system based on any particular religion;
The framers of the Constitution were well aware of the dangers of a religious based legal system and so they designed a constitutional protection that creates a wall of separation between political and spiritual or religious pursuits;
Justifications for the institution of slavery and the notion that women were the property of men with no citizenship rights were also based on Biblical principals yet we now understand those concepts were abhorrent to a free and open society;
Any law that is written and/or enforced strictly because it adhere to an interpretation of Biblical principals is more than likely unconstitutional on its face.
2.The New Testament is silent on the issue of homosexuality and in fact the subject was never mentioned by Jesus.
The Old Testament has been interpreted from many ancient languages and to this very day Biblical scholars are still arguing over the true meaning and translation of words and phrases;
In addition to sanctions against a man lying with another man, the Bible also says that God abhors and will punish those who wear clothing made of different cloth or who commit adultery;
Why cherry-pick the Biblical law that mentions homosexuality and not other, equally abominations or sins?
4.Granting rights especially marriage – to homosexual couples poses NO threat to “traditional” marriage, nor does it destabilize society.
Marriage has been evolving since the dawn of time and has only recently been available to the unwashed masses;
Divorce rates are at an all-time high;
The same argument was made to justify laws that prevented bi-racial couples from marrying;
If society benefits from marriage by creating stable family units upon which society and the economy depend, then it is in the best interest of society to encourage the establishment of these stable relationships for all citizens;
5. Civil Marriage in America is now and has always been a contract, regulated by the laws and ultimately enforceable by the state, that spells out property relations between the spouses, as well as their inheritance rights and those of their children.
Therefore, marriage is intrinsically a governmental concern;Religious organizations have always had and will always have the constitutional right (see the first amendment) to determine who may or may not benefit from a religious wedding ceremony.
6.Politicians, some religious leaders and people in power generally love to use fear to control people.If they can keep us busy fighting amongst ourselves they can get away with almost anything.And, if they get you scared enough, maybe you’ll vote for them or send money to them so that they will keep you safe from all those mean and scary gays and lesbians.
The negative stereotypes used by politicians, religious leaders and the media often deal with effeminate gay men and butch lesbians running around molesting children and having sex with as many strangers as possible.Nothing could be further from the truth;
When you understand how mundane and ordinary our lives really are, then you might not be afraid and therefore they might not get your vote or your money;
Thus it benefits those seeking power and money to use images of half-naked drunken men on a gay pride parade float rather than focusing on the boring, middle-class couple, living in the suburbs raising 2 kids;
When you see images of wild heterosexual men and women celebrating Mardi Gras, chances are you do not believe that these people live their everyday lives acting like a bunch of crazy lunatics;
7.Equal marriage rights is not about sex.
It is about love, commitment and caring for your family;
When you get invited to a wedding, you go to celebrate and witness a promise of a life-long commitment between two people in love.If they are married in a church or at the office of a government official, the legal results are the same.The couple is automatically honored with rights, benefits and protections that did not exist before they uttered “I do.”
Chances are, while the vows are being spoken, the last thing on your mind is sex;
And, when you celebrate your Grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary, you are absolutely NOT thinking about them having sex!
That’s because you are celebrating their years together, as a married couple.You celebrate this because they have (hopefully) kept their promises to each other throughout the years;
We do not celebrate the number of years we’ve been having sex, do we?
So, stop thinking about sex when you think about gay and lesbian couples wanting to honor and respect their significant other!
Remember, we have much more in common than we have differences.
If you already support our rights for legal equality, thanks!We really depend on our straight allies because there are not that many of us! Please sign the petition and let your voice be heard!
If you were on the fence, we hope this article has helped you see things just a little bit differently.
And if you were firmly in the opposition, we hope you will consider what we have said here with an open mind.
State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, is a Federally funded, State operated children's health care program. It is not now nor was it ever intended to provide health insurance to cover poor children who are already covered by Medicaid.
Tomorrow (Thursday), the House is set to vote on whether to override President Bush's earlier veto of SCHIP.
SCHIP has and is an insurance program to help working class families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private health insurance coverage for their kids.
This is not the socialized medicine bogey-man -- unlike Medicaid, SCHIP insurance is purchased from privately owned insurance companies.
His advisers saw the polling data and knew that opposing health care for children was a losing position and so he finally and reluctantly capitulated (or flip-flopped) on the issue.
After being appointed as President by the Supreme Court, Bush first tried to gut the funding for SCHIP (a move that would lead to fewer children -- even those currently enrolled -- being covered) and now that the American people have voiced their support for the program, he has decided to maintain it with as little funding as he can muster without losing a veto-proof margin of Congressional support.
As usual, both the Dems and the Repugs are out in full force spinning and weaving, basically creating confusion over what the program is, who is covered, and why.
Fabricated fears of wealthy kids and undeserving adults spending your hard-earned tax dollars on health care are reminiscent of the Reagan era welfare queen driving a Cadillac -- which never really happened...
But false images like these are powerful and they do work -- as of this past weekend, polls show that a majority of Republicans -- not Congress, but regular sheeple -- want Bush's veto to stand.
Will you PLEASE call or send an email to your Congress-person -- especially if he or she is a Republican -- and ask them to override the President's veto on SCHIP?
It is frustrating to see elected officials trying to have it both ways; not wanting to "seem" overly supportive in order to be unoffensive to the wing-nut bigots while at the same time, throwing out scraps to "the gays" so the official we will be more acceptable to their saner constituents.
Especially when you consider that a law granting us the right to marry would end the need to create a complicated tapestry of benefits and protections that only highlight our difference and create a legal purgatory.
If you want to send Schwarzenegger and your own state's elected officials a message that you can see through their little facade, please sign the marriage equality petition and we will pass it on!
On the West Coast, in Everett Washington, the anti-gay group known as the "Watchmen on the Walls" is convening for the weekend to brainstorm with other homophobes, hoping to come up with new and more effective measures to bribe lawmakers into enacting legislation that denies legal rights and protections to the LGBTQ Community.
