Where Everybody Knows You're Numb

Nightowlhoot3 wrote:

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Man. This guy just can't catch a break, can he? He does the "right" thing, but not on the anniversary of Roe, and not before the six o'clock news. Of course if he had done that, it would have been just because he likes to see himself on TV. But he didn't. Pretty damn sinister, if you ask me.

OK.

I'm done arguing the issue.

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hmmm. i dont think sinister is where i was going with my comment. one of this presidents talking points was to be the transparency of his and his administrations actions. while i laud his actions both the refunding and the inclusion of rev robinson. and to his credit he did remedy the removal of the latter from the hbo programming.  that said i dont think the timing of those things was accidental. i dont think its sinister either, well not in the conspiracy theory way. i do think its politics the way that its often done in washington choosing to announce unpopular or polarizing things after the news broadcasts are finished for the day or sliding them thru on a day where other bigger items might take precedence as a way of holding down the reaction to those things. i think everyone but rush limbaugh wishes the man well in his task and i think everyone is aware of how much the man has on his plate and how hard hes working to make it so.  so far  the  public is behind him whole heartedly. todays  approval ratings overall give him 2/3 approval which is pretty good especially when you consider that some of what hes done in the last few days might have met disapproval by a lot of republicans.

i was watching book tv this evening. heck i planned the evening around it because i wanted to hear david sanger speak about his new book the inheiratance.  im looking forward to reading the book. he seems to have a really good grasp on what obama is dealing with and the context of all of that. its going to be on a few more times.

http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=10189&SectionName=

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Nightowlhoot3 wrote:

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The policy has become a symbolic and substantive football in Washington politics over the years. President Ronald Reagan first imposed the ban in 1984 when it was announced at a conference in Mexico City. President Bill Clinton lifted it a couple of days after taking office in 1993. Mr. Bush restored it a couple of days after he took office in 2001, and advocates on both sides expected Mr. Obama to lift it again.

this is interesting, the back and forthness of it. there was talk in  bushs final days about him issuing executive orders that could not be rolled back. i wonder why there arent more of those orders given that would prevent future presidents from overturning previous and future administrations possible changes?  i think this is a victory for poor women everywhere.

The only surprise was that Mr. Obama acted a day after the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion, rather than on the day itself as the last two presidents did. Mr. Obama did little to call attention to his move, issuing his comments only in writing and releasing the order after 7 p.m. Friday.

im thinking theres a lot of this kind of thing. release after the 6 pm news, try and slide it under the rug and that leads me to wonder about where his head is at here. sort of the same as the rev gene robinson, lets add him but psst have him do his thing 5 min before the televised show happens? dear pres obama, if you believe in what youre doing, do it with strength and true conviction.

Abortion opponents condemned Fridays order, calling it an unnecessarily divisive way for a president preaching unity to start his administration.

isnt it amazing how those who are now on the losing end of policy now speak up and speak of divisiveness. where was their concern for unity when bush was jamming this stuff down our throats for years.  it reminds me of the rev warren calling for civility in response while comparing us to pedophiles etc. can you be a bit more polite as i crush your head with my boot?

 

President Obama will be remembered forever not just as a smart, savvy, gifted and eloquent leader but as the Abortion President, Representative Christopher H. Smith, Republican of New Jersey and co-chairman of the House Bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, said in a written statement.

oh i doubt it.  i noticed there was an attack on an abortion clinic on the anniversary of roe v wade. i suppose well see more of this now and all without the sense of the ironic that comes with the idea of blowing up buildings and killing people to show how pro life you are.

BoxDog wrote:

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Owl:
So... IYO, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell would be a bad thing, or something he shouldn't do "right now?"

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Not sure that I implied that at all. I have never supported the notion. If the Armed Forces can't manage to fight side by side with it's own due to sexual, faith, color ethnicities and any other distinctions I wouldn't expect the world in general to conform to our hypocritical and oppressive "democracy".  I think ask, tell, embrace and serve is long overdue. If we asked, told and were rejected along with that would obviously go the higly trained intel, interpretors, engineers, foot soldiers, pilots, cooks, mechanics, medics and on and on. I never said such a thing.

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BoxDog wrote:

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MyCat8it wrote:

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That's not the only good thing he's got in his cookbook, either.  I saw this link posted on another forum.  I don't know how much of this he will actually accomplish, but it's nice to know his intentions are good.



http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

• Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
• Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

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I hate bullets. Well, I think it's hysterically sad that our government is less concerned with understanding the Arabic language than accepting gay and lesbian as a real course of life. To sweep the number of Arabic speaking soldiers under the rug is shooting one in their own foot. Honestly? We could not manage a draft right now. We can't even lassoo our own financial community, housing industry, manufacturers, small business loans, employment and unemployment rates. Personally I put education and health care at the bottom of the list. Something has to be there. A healthy nation of homeless, jobless, hungry people WITH great educations is no better than what we have right now. How could we possibily be inclined to continue turning away "Gay Americans" to borrow from McCreevey. The powers at the Pentagon should be thanking their individual gods that ANYONE still enlists at all. Especially since the U.S. is making it painfully clear we don't even know what it is we're fighting for, THIS? All of this? No small country in their right minds would want a mess this proportion. The chia pet is only slightly more frightening than the state of our economy, local, national and global, the Armed Services, HHS, SEC, HUD, Labor, middle eastern affairs etc., as we go forward in this next phase, this new administration that is spread so thinly among such a huge plate of ****.





So... IYO, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell would be a bad thing, or something he shouldn't do "right now?"

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

• Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
• Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
• Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
• Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
• Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
• Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
• Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
• Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.