With attacks coming from both the Right and the Left, gayfolk need to band together more than ever before. With Barry’s defense of DOMA and DADT this week, we are seeing the wolf in sheep’s clothing that Obama really is.
Barack Obama is an enemy of the gay community and should be treated as such. While there are hugely pressing issues facing the country right now, he has made the wrong decisions to file briefs upholding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act. In the case of DADT, he could have issued a moratorium stopping the law from taking effect and appointed a commission on the issue to get the ball rolling on creating a plan to deal with it while Congress repeals it. With DOMA, he could have declined to defend the law, as other administrations have done with other federal laws in the past (Clinton’s Communications Decency Act non-defense comes to mind, thanks to Aravosis.)
Yes, there are very pressing issues facing the country right now: economic problems, wars overseas, but civil rights are the foundation of American society. There are still 38 states where you can be fired for being gay. There have been at least 200 competent, dedication U.S. servicemen and -women who have been fired for being gay. To be honest, marriage equality isn’t anywhere near as high a priority to me as employment and housing discrimination, but since that seems to be the big battle that the right-wing is throwing at us, we have to fight back.
But what can we do? The HRC is way too timid in fighting – they seem more interested maintaining Joe Solmonese’s mega-salary than actually doing anything for us. Other groups like Marriage Equality USA with their carefully scripted non-protest protests designed to be media friendly rather than government unfriendly are just as bad, if not worse. We need someone who is willing to take our fight into the streets, to disrupt the status quo, to demand, loudly and forcefully, our civil rights. That’s the only way to achieve them.
But also, no money for Obama and the Democratic Party. No more money for MoveOn until they support us as well, and the same with other “progressive” organizations. That’s the other thing they respect. Give money to the Greens, or the Socialists, anyone but the big two parties. The Republicans and the Democrats are both controlled by their money wielding masters – the big corporations and lobbying organizations. Until we make it unprofitable for them to ignore the rights of the people, we will not get any change.
Civil rights are the most important thing there is.
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