Friday, June 19, 2009

To President Barack Obama: I'm Not Giving Up On You

...YET

When the time comes for an open letter to the President, I will write it with full force and dignity. Until such time when I think he has not addressed issues adequately, I'll support him as much as possible. But I, (like a great number of people who voted for him) cannot wait long. Lawyers from Obama’s Justice Department are in court defending the Defense of Marriage Act as constitutional, and they compare same sex marriage to incest and marriage to children.

Slog, Dan Savage:
But Obama made it clear last week that he intends to defend DOMA—which he does not have to do—and he intends to defend it using the vilest terms and the most aggressive possible tactics. And on DADT the administration has made it clear that it's not going to do shit about DADT and says that DADT can only be ended through legislative action. And Congress—in the person of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid—says it isn't going to do shit to end DADT and suggests that the White House end it administratively.

Dan Savage is right. He is not necessarily right in the manner he's chosen to put his point across, but he mirrors the growing antipathy of the gay community.

President Obama:

We realize that you are burdened with more critical issues than any other President in American history. Perhaps we expect too much from you. However, in your short governance, you have not shown the LGBT community the willingness necessary to steadfastly fight for our rights. We need strong and definitive measures as soon as possible because hate and discrimination will not stand idly by and give us the luxury of time. You ask us to be patient. Then again, maybe it is YOU who expect too much from US.

(06-16) 20:28 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

President Barack Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Unfortunately, around the country, people are grumbling "too little, too late" while Howard Dean is try to patch things up by reminding people that the extension of benefits is "the first step, not the last."

Still, no matter what he says, the arch enemy of the LGBT community, Pat Robertson, must be very, very pleased.

Just a thought.


Now here's Pat Robertson's take on the deal: