Daily Obama Rant

It's unfortunate that we have a president claiming to be a "fierce advocate" for gay rights, who opposes gay marriage, refuses to sign a stop loss executive order suspending discharges of gay and lesbian service personnel, and whose justice department recently filed a brief in support of the Defense Of Marriage Act that invoked the spectre of incest.

Obama has turned out to be a major disappointment, not only to the gay community, but to progressives across the board who had hoped that his administration would live up to the campaign promise of "Change You Can Believe In." Instead, we get Bush lite. Recently, Defense Secretary Gates announced 20,000 more troops will be added to the army. Meanwhile we struggle with how to pay for health care reform. Why is the defense budget sacrosanct?

The Quality-Adjusted Life Year

On Saturday I watched as rescuers pulled the body of a 22 year old young man from the ocean. It was a beautiful summer day, and the beach was full of visitors, many of whom had no inkling that the rough surf had undercurrents that could kill. I've been upset about this young man's death, mostly because at 22 he had really just begun to live as an adult and he had so much more of life ahead of him. His life, it seems to me, had so much value because of his young age. To me his loss of life is much more tragic than that of someone much older, particularly someone very much older nearing the end of life.

Philosopher Peter Singer, in arguing for health care rationing, comes to the same sort of conclusion about putting different values on different people's lives. Read his article in the New York Times magazine by clicking on the title of this post. One of Singer's topics is the concept of a quality-adjusted life year (QALY), which is a way of placing a value on medical treatments based upon what the they can reasonably accomplish for the patient. QALY can be used to draw the line on paying for treatments that are not cost effective, that don't improve the quality and quantity of life sufficiently considering the cost. Are we headed in this direction in the health care reform debate? I doubt it, at least not yet. But Singer makes some provocative arguments in favor of some form of health care rationing.

Mid-Summer On The Island

After a cold and wet June, we're finally enjoying real summertime. It's about time!

Photo: Bradley awakes after a nap

Obama Will Be A One Term President

...if he continues on the current track he is taking. Not only has he abandoned the gay community, but his half-way economic policies have failed to turn the economy around, and it now appears as though he will cave in on health care reform giving up on a public option that would guarantee coverage to all or most Americans.

Who is this man Barak Obama, who gave such inspirational campaign speeches but now seems to be more like Bush-lite than change we can believe in.

He is squandering his opportunity to be a great president by allowing his handlers to run his administration based upon political expediency. He is not leading. Rather he is following the advice of his political handlers.

How sad.

Jim

Cherry Grove RR Back In Operation

It's been a wet and cool Spring, so the town is still deserted. Nevertheless, the Cherry Grove Rail Road is back in operation. The crowds will be here soon.

Jim

The Obama Betrayal: What Is To Be Done?

It should be clear everyone that team Obama made the calculation early on that they would not spend any political capital whatsoever by keeping even one of their campaign promises to the gay community. Yesterday's announcement by the President granting the gay community a few crumbs was pure damage control after the "incest" DOJ brief, nothing more. Of course, some of the usual gay Democratic Party whores like Solmonese were there to help provide cover to Obama, but we can see through that. So what is to be done?

First, we need to finally wean ourselves from the Democratic Party teat. It's been dry or poisonous for far too long. Our dependence on the Democrats has sucked the life out of what should have been our politically independent civil rights movement. Instead we can support third political parties and candidates who provide firm timetables and commitments.

Second, it's past time to organize our movement along the lines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, so brilliantly and forcefully led by Dr. King. We need serious political themed marches and non-violent civil disobedience, not pride marches and dance parties.

The gay community appears to be finally waking up from decades of Democratic Party induced slumber. Whether or not we are able to mobilize into an effective movement for social change remains to be seen.

Jim

Obama Betrays The Gays - It's Not Just Me

Obama has betrayed the gays. Read all about it here.

"We are on our own folks. The Democratic party has abandoned us." - Blogger John Avavosis

Now even Barney Frank thinks that Obama's incest argument against gay marriage is OK because Obama has to follow existing law or else he would be like Bush ignoring the law. But we know that Obama didn't have to defend DOMA, and he didn't have to use every disgusting, bigoted argument in the book to do it.

We are indeed on our own...but we have been for a long time. The Democratic Party has been taking our money and our votes for a long time while doing nothing for us.

Now maybe we're finally waking up. They are not our friends.

Jim

Obama Has Abandoned The Gay Community

...and I thought Clinton was bad for gays (he was.) But the quick betrayal by this new president is incomprehensible. The story is a bit below the radar due to the turmoil in Iran. But make no mistake: Obama has another war on his hands here at home: he is now at war politically with the gay community.

During the campaign, Obama pledged to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell and to repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act. Now six months into his presidency we find out that rather than repeal DOMA, Obama will defend it against challenges, and he has no plans to end DADT.

Were we lied to? Yes.

Perhaps finally gays and lesbians will wake up, stop being used by people like Obama, and demand action, not words when it comes to our rights as the price for our support.

Jim

PHOTO: St. Jean in Lyon

Obama Betrays The Gay Community Yet Again

The gay blogs are aflame with news that the Obama Department of Justice is defending the hateful Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) with a brief filed in a California same sex marriage case. In the brief , the Obama DOJ compares gay marriage to incest, among other things.

It's past time for the gay community to rise up in outrage against this man Obama, who made campaign promises to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell and to repeal the parts of DOMA that prevent legally married gays and lesbians from receiving federal benefits. We have been lied to and betrayed by Obama, who courted us and won the presidency with our money and votes.

This is an outrage!

Photo: a shop in Lyon, France with delicious treats on display.

Gay Rights: Obama's First Failure

Obama's first 100 days have come and gone, and now we're past the traditional honeymoon period and into the prime of his first year as president. Yet this self described "fierce advocate" for the rights of lesbians and gays has done nothing concrete to rectify the disgraceful anti-gay discriminatory policies that he promised to end. For example, over 200 gay and lesbian service members have been discharged under DADT since Obama took office. He has the power to stop these discharges by the stroke of a pen, yet they continue. At least Hillary Clinton ended one discriminatory policy at the State Department, yet the Obama administration has turned a deaf ear to the gay community, which is demanding action on DADT, and DOMA.

Some believe that certain mainstream gay rights organizations (HRC) actually made a deal with the Obama people to put gay rights issues on the back burner. What they got out of it was inside access to the White House, while Obama gets a pass on tackling gay issues. That's a disgrace if it's true.

Meanwhile others feel that the equality bus has already left the station leaving Obama on the platform. States like Iowa and New Hampshire have legalized same sex marriage, and even in Nevada legislators overrode the Governor's veto to pass domestic partnerships. Others have called for a national march on Washington. Where is Obama?

In May a group of gay activists, thinkers and donors met in Dallas, TX and formulated the "Dallas Principles" and uncompromising set of demands for equality now for gays and lesbians. This is actually based on Obama's rhetoric. Too bad that now that he is President Obama he doesn't act like he believes what he says:

The Dallas Principles

The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action.

In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow:
1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.
3.Separate is never equal.
4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.
5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.
6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.
7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.
8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles