Glenn Beck: Obama Is Racist

Oh Glenn, will you please go away and STFU?!

Via JMG.

WaPo: White House Looks To Include Same-Sex Unions In Census Count

I first wrote back in March about the Census’s plan not to count any same-sex unions/marriages in 2010 – even if they are legal in the citizens’ home state – because DOMA defines marriage as a union between opposite-sex individuals.

But Obama has apparently decided to throw the angry gay community another bone.

The Washington Post reports today:

The administration has directed the Census Bureau to determine changes needed in tabulation software to allow for same-sex marriage data to be released early in 2011 with other detailed demographic information from the decennial count. The bureau historically hasn’t released same-sex marriage data.

The article further notes that the Census has “long” collected data on same-sex unions but simply refused to publish it, again citing complying with DOMA as the deciding factor.

I’m not sure how that can be true since the little understanding I have of it is simply that gay couples would be registered as “unmarried couples,” which does nothing to distinguish them from straight couples who chose not to marry.

It would be nice to have government produced numbers on gay couples since it would provide some good data on the number of people the government is discriminating against.

Needless to say, whatever numbers they do produce (if they produce them at all), are bound to be controversial.

Obama Names June 2009 LGBT Pride Month

From the press release:

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country’s response to the HIV pandemic.

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration — in both the White House and the Federal agencies — openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

“Federal rights”?  Hmm…

I would love to see the Federal government recognize marriages that are recognized as such in the states where they were performed. It wouldn’t be nationwide equality, but it would allow all those peeps in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and other states with gay marriage, to enjoy the Federal-level benefits of marriage (like the enormous tax breaks).

Obama: What Promises?

Obama just spent two days in California raising $4 million dollars for the Democratic National Committee.

Outside the Beverly Hills location of last night’s event, groups waving pride flags protested the California Supreme Court’s recent Prop. 8 decision (above). Obama apparently made eye contact with one of them as he entered the building, as he referenced them in his remarks:

“One of them said, ‘Obama keep your promise,’ ” the president said. “I thought that’s fair. I don’t know which promise he was talking about.”

Not funny, Obama. Not. Funny.

Source.

So It’s Not Torture If We Blame It On ‘A Few Bad Apples’, Right?

Prison guards secure the main gate of the newly named Baghdad Central Prison in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib February 21, 2009. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen/Files

Not good:

Photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse which U.S. President Barack Obama does not want released include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday. […]

“These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency,” [U.S. Major General Antonio] Taguba, who retired in January 2007, was quoted as saying in the paper. […]

Based on what he’s seen, Taguba supports Obama’s decision not to release the photos: “The mere depiction of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it.”

More specifically:

The newspaper said at least one picture showed an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Others are said to depict sexual assaults with objects including a truncheon [aka baton], wire and a phosphorescent tube.

There are 400 cases alleging abuse.

I understand the distinction between so-called enhanced interrogation (or methods that may be considered torture) and abuse: one is sanctioned through the chain of command and the other is not.

However, as the details and the breadth of this abuse becomes more known, one has to wonder the validity of the ‘a few bad apples’ defense applied to Private Lynndie England et al.

If the military runs a prison and establishes a culture in that prison – obviously shaped and sanctioned by commanding officers –  such that abuse is disturbingly heinous and increasingly common, does the sanctioning and perpetuation of that culture by superior officers not push those acts from abuse to torture?

On an LGBT note, that instance of male/male rape is not going to be good for efforts to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Jon Stewart: Moral Kombat (Updated)

I was happy I caught the beginning of “The Daily Show” last night because Jon, as he does better than anyone in media, highlighted the ridiculous juxtaposition of the torture debate/prisoner abuse photo ‘scandal’ with the administration’s lack of action on DADT, specifically in regards to Dan Choi.

The quote Towleroad pulled sums it up: “So it was okay to waterboard a guy over 80 times, but God forbid the guy who could understand what that prick was saying….has a boyfriend.”

Yep, pretty much.

Required viewing:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Update 3:44 PM: Apparently taking the lead from the above, a reporter challenged Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today on the logic of not releasing torture photos because they would endanger the troops but allowing the firing of Arabic linguists, like Dan Choi, who would presumably protect the troops.

Watch:

Cases of gay Arabic linguists being dismissed from Iraq have been around forever but I’m glad the mainstream media is really biting into it this time.

Via JMG.

White House Reiterates Committment to *Repeal* DADT

As I reported earlier, the language on the White House civil rights page recently went from “repeal don’t ask, don’t tell” to “sensibly change don’t ask, don’t tell.” (GAG).

It obviously caused some alarm among the blogospher and even the Service Members Legal Defense Network took notice.

Thankfully, AmericaBlog has some good news to report:

There was some concern that the Obama administration was backing off the President’s repeated promise to lift the ban after the White House Web site yesterday changed its commitment to “repeal” DADT to a promise to only “change” the policy in a “sensible way.” This led many observers, including the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, to worry whether the White House was backing off of its repeated commitment to, as President Obama himself promised, “fully repeal” the DADT policy.

The White House Web site has now been updated, again, and the “repeal” language is back. And while it’s couched in the same terms about being done in a “sensible way,” I would assume that all administration policy is implemented in a “sensible way,” so this should have no bearing on whether President Obama will keep his promise to fully repeal the ban.

Yay!

Obama Plays “PIG” With UConn Huskies Women’s Basketball Team

I think my obsession is beginning to reach Inauguration Day levels again.

You can’t really tell who wins but Obama definitely didn’t embarrass himself.

More on the visit and one player’s reaction here.

Obama Retracts Promises To LGBT Population (Updated)

Remember when WhiteHouse.gov was updated, like, 0.52 seconds after President Obama’s inauguration on January 20?

At the time, the White House pledged the following goals, with detailed explanations for each heading:

– Expand Hate Crimes Statutes
– Fight Workplace Discrimination
– Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples
– Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
– Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell
– Expand Adoption Rights
– Promote AIDS Prevention
– Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS

(Read the complete contents of the original web page in my Jan. 20 post.)

Nice list, huh? I remember how amazing it was to almost feel like a full and equal citizen.

Well, now that Obama’s been elected it seems like we’re not quite as necessary anymore. The ENTIRE Civil Rights page on the White House website has now been reduced to only:

Strengthen Anti-Discrimination Laws
On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act to ensure that all Americans receive equal pay for equal work. The President is committed to expanding funding for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to ensure that voting rights are protected and Americans do not suffer from increased discrimination during a time of economic distress. President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Lead Criminal Justice Reform
The President will lead the fight to build a more fair and equitable criminal justice system. He will seek to strengthen federal hate crime legislation and will work to ensure that federal law enforcement agencies do not resort to racial profiling. He supports funding for drug courts, giving first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, if appropriate, in drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than prison terms in changing behavior. President Obama will also improve ex-offender employment and job retention strategies, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counseling so ex-offenders can successfully re-join society.

Yeah. That’s the entire page. Um, WHAT THE FUCK ‘BAMA?!

And can we note the semantic difference between the original “expand hate crimes statues,” which implies current laws are inferior and need to be replaced by superior legislation, and the current “strengthen anti-discrimination laws,” which implies the current laws just need a little Band-Aid?!

WHAT THE FUCK.
WHAT THE FUCK.
WHAT THE FUCK.

The White House can be e-mailed here.

(This post owes everything to Joe.My.God.)

UPDATE: JMG sent a letter to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and received this response:

Hi Joe,

I wanted to let you know that Rea Carey contacted the White House directly about the issue today after you alerted us to your post. Rea was told that they are changing the White House Web site to turn it into a more governance-focused site to reflect progress, as opposed to a campaign and transition site. They said they have taken out many such points throughout the site (not just on LGBT policy issues) as part of this changeover, and are apparently modifying the site over the next few weeks. We will be keeping an eye on it, but if you see changes before we do (or a lack thereof), please let us know. And thank you for calling this to our attention.

Warm regards,

Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Hmm… I don’t think I’m satisfied…

UPDATE #2: The White House’s Civil Rights page has now been updated to include:

He supports changing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security, and also believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Changing?  Sigh. What happened to repealing? AmericaBlog is reporting that the White House is assuring them that this language doesn’t reflect a change in policy but I think that’s pretty hard to swallow complete bullshit.

JMG also continues his coverage.

The White House Flickr Photo Stream: Get (More) Obsessed!

Nearly 300 photos and counting…

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama runs down the East Colonnade with family dog "Bo." 3/15/09 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama addresses U.S. troops during his visit to Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq 4/7/09. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza. (I assume that's one of Saddam's palaces?!)

Three more after the jump…

NYT: Picking Letters, 10 A Day, That Reach Obama

Remember President Obama’s “60 Minutes” interview back in March where he mentioned that every day he reads a sampling of 10 letters sent to the White House?!  Well, the POTUS also occasionally responds. By hand. That according to an article in today’s Times which follows Mike Kelleher, the man responsible for choosing those 10 letters.

It’s a fascinating read and is coupled with an interactive feature that includes the letters and responses mentioned in the article.

Read: Picking Letters, 10 A Day, That Reach Obama (NYT)

NYT: U.S. Planning To Reveal Data On Health Of Top Banks

Talk about walking a tightrope…

The Obama administration, which is in the process of completing stress tests on the country’s 19 largest banks, has chosen to reveal the results of the test to the public.

While all of the banks are expected to pass the tests, some are expected to be graded more highly than others. Officials have deliberately left murky just how much they intend to reveal – or to encourage the banks to reveal – about how well they would weather difficult economic conditions over the next two years.

As a result, indicating which banks are most vulnerable still runs some risk of doing what officials hope to avoid.

So, don’t cause a run on the shitty banks but don’t over-sell the (relatively) healthy banks.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Source.

In related news, did you know Goldman Sachs paid back 5 of the 10 million in TARP funds that they received?  Granted 10 million in TARP funds is a barely a drop in the bucket but the gesture is nice nonetheless.

File Under “Badass”

Source; Via Buzz Feed.

It’s Official: Bo, The First Dog

Bo is a six-month-old male Portuguese Water Dog.

One more pic after the jump…

Glenn Beck: Lying Obama Wants To Reduce Funding To Child Healthcare!

Glenn Beck just keeps on giving.  See if you can follow the “logic:”

Remember when presidential candidate Senator Obama said ‘if you make under $250,000 a year you will not see a tax increase of any kind’ and his running mate, Joe Biden, said the same? That’s the latest campaign promise to go up in smoke, as the unprecedented tax hike on cigarettes went into effect yesterday. The hike is six times bigger than any other cigarette tax hike in history—and since people making less than $250,000 a year are more likely to smoke it’s a disproportionate tax on the poor. Not only that, the tax will likely discourage low income people from smoking—thus hurting the original reason given for the tax—funding S-CHIP, the health care program for kids.

Wow. Just wow.

Source*, via Slog.

(*The text of the above quote actually comes from glennbeck.com and appears as the above story’s mouse-over preview. FYI.)

Obama’s “Katrina Moment” And The Quest For Ever-Elusive Transparency

A letter to the editor last week suggested that Obama is now experiencing his “Katrina Moment.” Frank Rich seems to dismiss this but admits that Obama needs to follow-through on his promise of transparency:

To get ahead of the anger, Obama must do what he has repeatedly promised but not always done: make everything about his economic policies transparent and hold every player accountable. His administration must start actually answering the questions that officials like Geithner and Summers routinely duck.

Inquiring Americans have the right to know why it took six months for us to learn (some of) what A.I.G. did with our money. We need to understand why some of that money was used to bail out foreign banks. And why Goldman, which declared that its potential losses with A.I.G. were “immaterial,” nonetheless got the largest-known A.I.G. handout of taxpayers’ cash ($12.9 billion) while also receiving a TARP bailout. We need to be told why retention bonuses went to some 50 bankers who not only were in the toxic A.I.G. unit but who left despite the “retention” jackpots. We must be told why taxpayers have so little control of the bailed-out financial institutions that we now own some or most of. And where are the M.R.I.’s from those “stress tests” the Treasury Department is giving those banks?

[…]

Another compelling question connects all of the above: why has there been so little transparency and so much evasiveness so far? The answer, I fear, is that too many of the administration’s officials are too marinated in the insiders’ culture to police it, reform it or own up to their own past complicity with it.

The “dirty little secret,” Obama told Leno on Thursday, is that “most of the stuff that got us into trouble was perfectly legal.” An even dirtier secret is that a prime mover in keeping that stuff legal was Summers, who helped torpedo the regulation of derivatives while in the Clinton administration. His mentor Robert Rubin, no less, wrote in his 2003 memoir that Summers underestimated how the risk of derivatives might multiply “under extraordinary circumstances.”

CNN’s Campbell Brown also weighed-in on the yet-to-materialize transparency. She cited the testimony of Earl Devaney, Obama’s hand-picked chair of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency (yes, RAT) board. Devaney said that Recovery.gov is currently getting 4,000 hits a second but that they don’t even have control of the website yet. Devaney:

The board is still trying to acquire staff, get our equipment … phones, computers … trying to acquire space, which we haven’t managed to get yet and just trying to get our heads above water and make sure the board fulfills its responsibilities under the Recovery Act. Our first official board meeting will actually be held next week.

Tell me you oversee a budget of $787 billion dollars but that you don’t have a computer or an office yet to oversee that $787 billion dollars and I’ll say, “You must work for the Federal government.”

Devaney also warned against unreasonable expectations:

I’m concerned that there may be a naïve impression that given the amount of transparency and accountability called for in this act, little or no fraud or waste will occur. I’m afraid that my 38 years of federal enforcement experience informs me that some level of waste or fraud is, regrettably, inevitable.

Campbell Brown notes:

Devaney told The Wall Street Journal that on average, fraud in business adds up to about 7 percent. Apply that to the $787 billion Recovery Act and that’s a jaw-dropping $55 billion in waste and fraud — $55 billion! Kind of makes those AIG bonuses pale in comparison.

Sigh.

I think I need a hope infusion.

Obama On “60 Minutes” – AIG, Cheney, And The Presidential Swing Set

Vodpod videos no longer available.

More: Video Part 2; Transcript

Most charming nugget of fluffiness: Obama has started reading 10 letters (out of the thousands sent to the White House every day) before he goes to bed just so he can get an opinion other than that of his staff and break out of the ‘bubble’ that is the White House.

Obama’s New Year Message To Iran

Nowruz is the Iranian new year and falls on the first day of Spring.

Remember Bush’s address to Iran? Oh, right.

Too Populist? Obama Visits Jay Leno And “The Tonight Show”

Is that possible? Is it bad? I’m not sure how I feel about the President’s appearance on “The Tonight Show.” Part of me thinks it’s campaigning 2.0 while another part of me thinks that it’s an effective way to reach the people, albeit a small percentage of them. Perhaps it’s best understood as the Times described it: “a fire side chat for the flat screen age.” All of this aside, the President is still slated for a prime time address this coming Tuesday, which makes a visit with Leno seem all the more unnecessary.

Here’s the video of the full interview (transcript here):

Vodpod videos no longer available.

And yes, there was a gaffe when he compared his bowling score of 129 to the Special Olympics and, yes, they were already doing damage control by the time they were on Air Force One.

The Times has some ridiculously soft-ball articles covering the interview; the Fox News article is a recommended companion (although the fact that they put the Special Olympics thing in the title is a bit over-the-top).

More:
“For Obama, Talk About The Economy Goes Into Late Night” (NYT)
“Seeking Everyman, Obama Does Leno” (NYT)
“Obama on ‘Tonight Show’ Discusses Economy, Makes Special Olympics Joke” (Fox News)
“Transcript: Obama On “The Tonight Show” (NYT)

Obama To Appear On The “Tonight Show”

The New York Times is reporting that Obama will visit Leno at the Tonight Show on Thursday, as part of a visit to Southern California.

Sitting heads of states rarely venture into late night, making the move somewhat unprecedented. The interview will focus on the economy.

Will he be funny? “As funny as the times allow,” the White House said.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele On Abortion, Gay Marriage… And Fashion? [Updated]

GQ has fascinating and at times bizarre interview with RNC Chairman Michael Steele (AKA Rush’s bitch) that is sure to raise some eyebrows in Republican and religious circles.

On abortion:

Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?
Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.

You do?
Yeah. Absolutely.

Are you saying you don’t want to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I think Roe v. Wade—as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade was a wrongly decided matter.

Okay, but if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do women have the choice you just said they should have?
The states should make that choice. That’s what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide.

On The Gays:

Do you think homosexuality is a choice?
Oh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.” It’s like saying, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.”

That answer is, of course, huge coming from the black leader of the Republican leader. The (black) religious right loves to say that “gay ≠ black” as a justification for not giving us civil rights or even allowing us to draw parallels between the struggles.

Interestingly, these were Steele’s comments on gay marriage:

Well, my position is, hey, look, I have been, um, supportive of a lot of my friends who are gay in some of the core things that they believe are important to them. You know, the ability to be able to share in the information of your partner, to have the ability to—particularly in times of crisis—to manage their affairs and to help them through that as others—you know, as family members or others—would be able to do. I just draw the line at the gay marriage. And that’s not antigay, no. Heck no! It’s just that, you know, from my faith tradition and upbringing, I believe that marriage—that institution, the sanctity of it—is reserved for a man and a woman. That’s just my view. And I’m not gonna jump up and down and beat people upside the head about it, and tell gays that they’re wrong for wanting to aspire to that, and all of that craziness. That’s why I believe that the states should have an opportunity to address that issue.

So you think it’s a state issue?
Absolutely. Just as a general principle, I don’t like mucking around with the Constitution. I’m sorry, I just don’t. I think, you know, in a pluralistic, dynamic society as the one that we have, every five years you can have a constitutional convention about something, you know? I don’t think we should be, you know, dancing around and trying to amend it every time I’ve got a social issue or a political issue or a business issue that I want to get addressed. Having said that, I think that the states are the best laboratory, the best place for those decisions to be made, because they will then reflect the majority of the community in which the issue is raised. And that’s exactly what a republic is all about.

Because he’s sensitive to the needs of aren’t-allowed-to-get-married gay couples but believes in the so-called sancity of marriage, you’d think he’d support civil unions, right? Well, you should remember that only a short time ago, Steele called civil unions “crazy.”

Other things the amazing interview covers? Steele’s times in the priesthood and the gays that resided there, his love of red carpet fashion, his being snubbed by then-Senator Obama, whether he would have his current job if he were white, his plans to bring hip-hop to the Republican party, and of course, Rush.

Definitely read the full interview. Highly recommended (if for no other reason than for someone to tell me if I’m the only one that thinks he came off a bit queeny).

Update: The New York Times has a follow-up statement from Steele as well as reactions from various conservatives, including Mike Huckabee.

Openly Gay Congressman Polis Unaware Federal Hate Crime Legislation Non-Existent [Updated]

More embarrassing news courtesy of a Colorado politician…

Jared Polis, the freshman Democratic Congressman from Colorado (whom I’ve posted about before) appeared in Austin, Texas two weeks ago at the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus. Local resident Randy Brown spoke to Congressman Polis about wanting to form a local Stonewall chapter in his area but noted that he had friends in rural areas that had already been the victims of hate crimes and feared ‘activism’ would make it worse. The exchange continued, according to the transcript, as such:

RANDY BROWN: Is Washington aware of the fact that people may get hurt? Because we might get hurt in the process of trying to just come out of the closet, just trying to help the process along. It’s a very, very frightening thing.

JARED POLIS: Have your local law enforcement agencies been helfpful in offering you protection when you feel threatened?

BROWN: No.

POLIS: They haven’t?

BROWN: No.

POLIS: This is one of the reasons we have a federal hate crimes law, for that very reason. Sometimes in some conservative areas they don’t prosecute hate crimes, so we have on the books a law that allows the federal government to prosecute those if your local DA refuses to. So you might want to report it to your federal attorney general for your area if you feel threatened and the local authorities are not investigating or don’t seem to care. You can turn to the federal government for investigation of potential hate crimes.

BROWN: They generally throw hate crimes right out the court window.

POLIS: Well, that’s what your local, that’s what the state does, but I’m saying there is a federal recourse for that. That’s the very reason we did it.

[AT THIS POINT, TEXAS STONEWALL PRESIDENT DAN GRANEY STANDS UP AND TELLS POLIS THAT THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT DIDN’T PASS.]

POLIS: Oh, it didn’t pass? OK. So we still need to pass it? OK. So we’ll try to pass that one for you, too. But that’s why we need it. And of course Obama supports that, our Congress supports that, our Senate supports that. I thought we did pass it, so we will try to get that. But that’s exactly why we need it though, because in some of the areas where gays and lesbians do feel terrorized every day, the local authorities are in league with the forces of hate. And this would, when we pass it — thanks for pointing that out — give you recourse to go to the federal government to investigate hate crimes in your area, and that’s why it’s so important.

John Wright, at the Dallas Voice, made the above transcription from a recording of the exchange (if you don’t see the below embed, MP3 audio here):

Wright wrote: “After the exchange, Polis told me he’d gotten confused because he knew the Shepard Act had passed Congress, and because protections against hate crimes based on sexual orientation are in place in his home state of Colorado.”

Hmm… ooookay…

According to Wikipedia, the Matthew Shepard Act did pass both the House, in May 2007, and the Senate, in September 2007. The bill was then added as an amendment to a military spending bill and President Bush signaled that he would veto the entire package if it came across his desk as such.  The Democratic leadership then dropped the Matthew Shepard amendment and sent the military spending bill along for Bush to sign. Senator Polis is correct in saying that the Act would currently have support in both the House and the Senate and President Obama has made it clear that he supports federal-level hate crimes legislation.

All objective journalistic fairness and benefit-of-the-doubt giving aside, this is still total bullshit and completely disgusting. I’m glad Polis knew the MSA passed the House but it can pass the House 400 goddamn times and not mean a damn thing if it doesn’t ever become law!

All gay men should know the rights they have and the rights they don’t have or are being denied. Many would think that having a Federal representative who was elected as a gay man – and could therefore freely advocate on our behalf – would represent a great progress and an enormous accomplishment.  Unfortunately, Polis has illustrated that this is not the case.  Simply “voting for the gay/black/Jewish guy/woman” because you presume he or she will advocate on your behalf is a horrible fallacy. While I’m sure Polis will vote in favor of such legislation when it happens to come across his desk, he obviously had no intention of proposing or lobbying for such legislation himself if he didn’t even know the legislation was still needed. I wonder what all the gay men and women in Colorado who voted for Polis are thinking right now.

So disappointing.

More: Wright’s two stories at the Dallas Voice here and here.

Also in recent posts on Colorado:
CO Pol: No HIV Tests For Mothers; An HIV+ Baby Will Be Punishment For Your Promiscuity
Being Gay = Being A Murderer and More GOP Fun!

UPDATE: Towleroad received a statement from Polis about the incident. It is:

“I too was rather surprised that rather reporting on my speech, all that was covered was the mistake. I talked about how we had succeeded in shifting Colorado from red to blue, and won important protections for our LGBT community including a hate crimes bill signed by our then-Republican governor, inclusive ENDA, and same sex adoption.

“I challenged Texas Democrats to do the same. Rather than covering any of this, all that was written about was my answer to that question. I had just finished talking about Colorado and our successes there, and my mind hadn’t made the shift yet to federal when I was asked the question and I gave the wrong answer. Talk to some of the attendees; I think they forgave the mistake right away as I was quick to correct it when pointed out and they focused on my message (apparently several of them didn’t remember that I had made a mistake, which is why the author later posted the audio).

“I’m a co-chair of the Equality Caucus here in US Congress and hate crimes is at the top of our agenda, and I expect action on it soon. I’m co-sponsoring the bill and have discussed it both within the Equality Caucus and as recently as today with leadership staff.

“It’s rather remarkable to me that this is getting so much play. Obviously I am well acquainted with hate crimes laws, ENDA, DADT, and other issues facing our community but we all sometimes make mistakes when we’re speaking, especially in this case when I had just finished talking about how we in Colorado had gotten a hate-crimes law.

“I didn’t just start working on these issues when I arrived in Congress, I’ve been an active supporter of HRC for years and advocated for the hate crimes law when it was being considered in Colorado.

“There’s no excuse for the mistake, but anyone who speaks a lot is bound to make them from time to time. What surprises me is how eagerly some people have leapt on it. We are on the same side, fighting the same fight, and supporting our LGBT community, as I was in Austin for the Stonewall Dems.”

Read the entire post at Towleroad.

John Wright, the journalist who originally reported the incident, responded to Polis’s statement, essentially stating that he was not on the “other side” of Polis in “the fight” but simply doing his job – reporting what happened. Read Wright’s full post here.

Quoted: Obama On Science, Stem Cells

On his Executive Order reversing Bush’s partial ban on stem cell research:

“This Order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda — and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.”

Full statement and the story here.

Breaking News: Obama More Analytical Than Bush, Gates Says

From Sunday’s Meet The  Press interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates:

Mr. Gregory: What’s the difference between working–what’s different between working for President Obama vs. President Bush?

[…]

Sec’y Gates: I–that’s–it’s really hard to say. I think that, I think that probably President Obama is, is somewhat more analytical, and, and, he makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue. And if they don’t speak up, he calls on them.

Mr. Gregory: A marked difference from his predecessor?

Sec’y Gates: President Bush was interested in hearing different points of view but didn’t go out of his way to make sure everybody spoke if they hadn’t, if they hadn’t spoken up before.

Secretary Gates is the only cabinet-level hold-over from the Bush administration.

Transcript courtesy NBC News.

Obama’s State Of The Nation Address; Recovery.gov [Updated]

Obama announced in his quasi-State of the Union address Tuesday night the launch of Recovery.gov, which allows citizens to track where all the stimulus money is going:

Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you’ll be able to see where it’s going — to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors. As soon as we are able to, we’ll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics.

Great idea.  Too bad it didn’t track the last – what was it? – $700B?

You can watch the speech at the White House website or read the full transcript. Some highlights follow (definitely read the education section).

On energy:

“We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century.  And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient.  We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it.  New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.

Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders – and I know you don’t either.  It is time for America to lead again.”

On education:

“And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.  This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship.  But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.  And dropping out of high school is no longer an option.  It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American.  That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal:  by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

On budgetary transparency:

“That is why this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules – and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.  For seven years, we have been a nation at war.  No longer will we hide its price.

On tax cuts:

“[…] 95% of the working households in America will receive a tax cut – a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st.

Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college.  And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm.

On housing relief:

“…we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages.  It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values – Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about.  In fact, the average family who re-finances today can save nearly $2000 per year on their mortgage.”

On Guantanamo and civil liberties: (AKA “Fuck you Cheney!”)

“That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger.  And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture.”

Token hopey-ness: (Ty’Sheoma was seated next to Michelle)

“And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom.  She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room.  She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.  The letter asks us for help, and says, “We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world.  We are not quitters.

We are not quitters.

These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here.  They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.”

–

Mississippi Governor Bobby Jindal provided a gag-inducing Republican response that summarized Obama’s rise to prominence in the same tone and language a parent reserves for the first time a child ties their own shoes. Basically, he said that the government should get out of the way of the private sector (YEAH, because that’s worked so well thus far) and just cut taxes, cut taxes, cut taxes. I’ve never been this annoyed by a Republican speech since W. CNN has some (text) excerpts; [Update:] Talking Points Memo has clips of the speech and reaction from the Fox News Panel. (Spoiler: they were not impressed!) Thanks to Jindal, gays in Mississippi can now be legally fired from their private or public sector jobs solely for being gay, a protection they formerly had. I can’t believe this douche nozzle is the presumed Republican challenge to Obama in 2012.

[Trivia: Did you catch Obama claim that the automobile was invented by Americans? Well, any car freak (me) knows that the invention of the automobile is actually credited to Mr. Benz, a German. It was only popularized by Ford.]

Update: I’m not a huge fan of Rachel Maddow but her response on Jindal’s statement (and his BIZARRE use of a government assistance/Katrina reference), and the new leadership of the GOP (Michael Steele, etc), are right-on.  Highly-recommended (thanks, JMG):

This Shit Wouldn’t Pass As An Apology In Kindergarten

The post has issued an apology statement regarding the Delonas cartoon I posted about here:

Wednesday’s Page Six cartoon – caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut – has created considerable controversy.

It shows two police officers standing over the chimp’s body: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one officer says.

It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.

Period.

But it has been taken as something else – as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.

This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.

However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past – and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.

To them, no apology is due.

Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon – even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.

Um.  What the fuck, New York Post.  What. The. Fuck.  Clearly, the end is a personal attack against Al Sharpton (mature!), who’s had a long history of battles with the Post and whom I’ve always thought can be just as much of an asset as a liability. That said, don’t use a completely necessary apology as  a personal attack against one person and phrase that personal attack such that it completely invalidates your apology to the general public, you asswipes.

SO disingenuous.

PS: A quick Google News search reveals that this story is getting play all over the US (obviously) but also the UK, India, Australia, and China. The stereotype of America being hopelessly racist continues!

Play Barack-Paper-Scissors!

Play!  It’s interactive!  Ooooh….

Obama’s Story As Anti-Abortion Ad?

Great coverage at Slog.

Sigh, only the Catholics…

DC Inauguration Via Satellite

Thanks, Popular Science!

Click photo to enlarge.

Obama’s Pledge to 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.

Thanks Joe.My.God. Source: White House.gov