Syndicate and Hague

Oh hell, I can’t even comment on this it’s so asinine. My goodwill for you, Hillary, is gone. Out the window. Adios.

Way to use fearmongering to try to get people to vote for you.

So there’s an open letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT community that he released today. You can see the letter in its entirety on Wonkette. I’m going to post it here too, but I’m going to interrupt it with commentary.

I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all - a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Change! Actually, I rather like this opening statement. It’s not subtle. He comes right out and says that we’re second-class citizens. It’s great–but I’m not so easily impressed. I mean, we’ve been teased with hope before…

Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation.

Moral imperative. I like it. Actually, I think this section addresses part of that “he doesn’t have enough experience kind of thing.” He talks about the work he did for us in the Illinois senate. That he also addressed gender identity in this older bill is of interesting.

In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees.

YES! Taxes! You know, this might not seem to be such an exciting thing…but let me tell you…as I’ve started trying to figure out economic issues for the future it has become brutally apparent that our economic lives is vastly more complicated and punished because all the tax structures of married folks are denied us. Throw in survivor pensions/benefits and I’ll be in a pool at your feet.

And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Well. Sounds good to me.

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.

This is a line that many on the blogs claim is him saying to the conservative states “I’ll ask you to do this, but I don’t really care–do whatever you want to them.” And I can’t blame them–anything “states rights”-like immediately rankles me because it’s often anti-woman, anti-gay, etc. However, I think he’s saying something else in this. He’s saying that the rights are the baseline. Equal treatment includes the things he’s spoken of–tax benefits and such–but that he’s not going to force the word “marriage.” Domestic partnership, civil union, civil marriage–states, call it what you would like. That’s just my interpretation. I don’t see this line as undercutting his argument.

Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate.

Reminder: Bill Clinton signed DOMA. Just refreshing your memory about who put that in place.

While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does.

Thanks, Bill.

I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

Again, hey, thanks Bill Clinton for DADT. Rockin.

The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.

The abstinence line rankles me–but I see what he’s doing here…when I see an action plan for what it means, I’ll have more to say. It could be good (develop body positivity and develop conscious choice-making) or bad (here’s how you use a condom IF YOU’RE A WHOREDEVILHELLBOUNDSLUT!)

We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma - too often tied to homophobia - that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones - and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign - from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.

I’ve seen video of this. It’s impressive. I blogged about it before. Really impressive, bringing a sore topic up in a room that is not only skeptical, but largely hostile to our struggle. It’s, as I said, impressive.

Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.

Again, some in the blogosphere are saying “What? Listen to the bigots?” Well…you never know what arguments will work with people if you don’t talk to them. Just sayin.

Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.

Damn straight, Obama.

Working full-time + one graduate class + planning a conference + my women and money class + social life = a sadly lagging blog.

I’m not going to go off on any current events right now–there are oh so many, from the stupid sex thing in the Times about McCain to Bill-O’s “lynch” comment about Michelle Obama–I promise that I will soon, but I’m just plain tired.

Right now I just want to say that I’m coming to New York in early June with Megan and I’m so excited for my NY people to meet her because she’s just so very lovely and you’re going to adore her. Yay New York! I’ve missed you, you drunken, dirty city, you.

I promise to come back soon with snark…

It’s time to stop mocking Ron Paul and Huckabee and take McCain seriously as the Republican candidate.

Don’t believe the spin. McCain is not a moderate. He has an incredibly conservative record. While he has the ability to reach across the aisle on some issues, his core beliefs are NOT moderate. Here is a great video/audio example:

File under: seething, smoke coming out from my ears.

I am so fucking sick of the sexist bile that is spewing forth from people criticizing Clinton in this race. My particular issue is about this (Via Feministing):

This is bad enough in and of itself. Lending credence to gross sexual harassment (calling Clinton “frigid” in high school–and may I point out that we’re a long way away from that era) by bringing it up during a campaign for PRESIDENT?!?!?! This is why Katie Couric annoys the crap out of me.

But it’s worse, of course, because then people grab onto this as if the douchebag assessment of Clinton as “frigid” can translate to some personality flaw–a humorlessness. Because, you know, bitch can’t take a joke. She should have been nicer when I told her she had a nice ass. Frigid whore. (Ah, if only I could say I’ve never heard that construction. Inherently doesn’t make sense. But it doesn’t matter.)

Then HuffPo has some jackass blogging this idiocy:

By asking Hillary on 60 Minutes about being known as Miss Frigidaire in high school, Couric brought out more of the real Hillary:

COURIC: Someone told me your nickname in school was Miss Frigidaire. Is that true?”

CLINTON: Only with some boys,” Clinton said, laughing.

COURIC: I don’t know if I want to hear the back story on that!

CLINTON: Well, you wouldn’t want to know the boys either.

(Apparently, the real story, as reported by Carl Bernstein, is that Hillary’s high school yearbook predicted she would become a nun, and would be known as Sister Frigidaire.)

I am guessing the “some boys” that Clinton thinks Couric would not want to know were normal intelligent people who had a sense of humor and had spotted someone who did not. I don’t remember too many low-lifes working for our high school yearbook.

Awesome. You. Are. Awesome.

I don’t think this needs to be deconstructed or elaborated upon. It just deserves a two word response:

Fuck you.

So this sort of amuses me. From the US News & World Report via Jezebel:

Not only do you have to worry about your heart while making dates online, but now your wallet is at risk, too. The Better Business Bureau reports today that complaints about online dating services are on the rise.

The most common gripe? Poor matches. Consumers said they were set up with people who did not meet their criteria, including some who were already married or who smoked despite their request for a nonsmoker.

And the bad dates came at a hefty price, with many services costing upwards of $50 a month.

To protect your money (and heart), the BBB recommends that you be skeptical of advertising for online dating, do a Web search before signing up to see if others have complained about the company, and stand strong against high-pressure sales tactics and automatic contract renewals. (And remember, you can always dispute unfair charges with your credit card company.)

Wow, $50/month?!

Crazy what people will pay when you have free things advertising your single/dating status like, oh, Myspace or OK Cupid or Friendster or Facebook…

Well, I’m going to assume that the dating “services” that are so spendy are catering to a different segment of the population….

Because, you know, as for bad matches…I’ve gotten myself enough IRL bad matches or blind date set-ups to take the online snorers or weirdos in stride. Expecting some online test to perfectly pair you with your dream-person is just dumb. It’s just as dumb as assuming the really hot person you spot from across the room is your dream-person before she opens her mouth. Dumb.

I’m just going to, for a moment, cheerlead and say that my experiences with online dating weren’t any worse than my non-online dating experiences…and that I met the girl I’m blindingly, completely, giddily in love with on OK Cupid and despite our shared interests, values, etc…I’m not sure when we would have ever met in person. I have friends who are friends with her friends, but I can’t think of a social situation where we would have been put together. Nor do I think anyone would have set us up…yet I’ve never met anyone more perfect for me.

Thank you, Internet. I heart you.

This breaks my heart. Via Feministing:

Men presidents only

I think that having a woman president would be a bad idea for our country. Women are not meant to rule countries and be in charge. They are meant to make decisions but not confirm them.

Our president deals with some countries that don’t respect or allow women in leadership positions. I wonder if the United States would have more terrorist attacks because we would be seen as weak with a woman leader. I agree that women can do many things, but leave the ruling of the countries to the men.

BRITTANY BAYLES, 13, Kennewick

You know, I wonder how many people really believe that Obama is Muslim and wants to take the oath of office on the Koran. It’s a pretty easy disinformation campaign, I suppose, preying on peoples’ inherent xenophobia and racism. Whatever.

I so didn’t grow up on the same planet as these people.

God, I hate Ron Paul so much.

He’s going to be at Northrup this evening. Because, you know, all this federal funding of educational institutions is bad…so let’s hold a campaign rally in a building that exists because of this money.

He should hold his rallies on private property only. No parks, no public spaces, no public buildings. Yeah, that might make his campaign a little harder — but isn’t it worth it to adhere to your values?

/dripping, vicious sarcasm

I mean. Really. It never makes sense to me when people veer politically towards someone who is so anathema to their best interests. But, sure, who needs education? Not the students showing up for RP rallies, I guess.