shirtlifterbear: (Default)
shirtlifterbear ([personal profile] shirtlifterbear) wrote2009-06-12 12:01 pm

President Bigot Obama Is An Enemy Of Gay People

An active and powerful enemy who looked us in the eyes and lied, lied, lied.

This post is about the current United States Department of Justice anti-Gay Civil Rights motion to dismiss filed about the anti-Defense of Marriage Act case currently working its way through the courts. (By orders of the President we helped elect, the Constitutional Law professor.) He is an anti-gay bigot, and a liar, an oathbreaker. He promised us to get rid of DADT, and he just defended it in a Supreme Court hearing. He promised us to get rid of DOMA, and now he's arguing that it's good law, and that Gay people don't deserve civil rights protections. I'm so angry that I can't see straight.

And if anyone wants to try to play apologist for him after this? Please defriend me, because this is active, explicit and intentional work against the LGBT community, and is completely indefensible, and if you try, I don't want to be associated with you in any context. You're either in favor of Gay Civil Rights OR you're in favor of the President of the United States, because he has just made it impossible to be both. And those of you who attacked me for being a Gay man supporting Hillary in the Democratic primaries because "Obama is so much better on our issues"? You were lied to by your candidate, willfully and evilly. The only reason he would risk this attack is if he believes in it strongly, if it MATTERS to him. He is an enemy, and WANTS this fight. I am afraid of what the President will try to do to us.

From Towleroad:

"DOJ Defends DOMA, Says Good for Budget, Invokes Incest

Americablog has been busy at work parsing the briefs from the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the federal same-sex marriage case brought by Smelt and Hammer. There's plenty more to read.

Of the DOJ's rationalization, they write:
"Obama didn't just argue a technicality about the case, he argued that DOMA is reasonable. That DOMA is constitutional. That DOMA wasn't motivated by any anti-gay animus. He argued why our Supreme Court victories in Roemer and Lawrence shouldn't be interpreted to give us rights in any other area (which hurts us in countless other cases and battles). He argued that DOMA doesn't discriminate against us because it also discriminates about straight unmarried couples (ignoring the fact that they can get married and we can't).

"He actually argued that the courts shouldn't consider Loving v. Virginia, the miscegenation case in which the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban interracial marriages, when looking at gay civil rights cases. He told the court, in essence, that blacks deserve more civil rights than gays, that our civil rights are not on the same level.

"And before Obama claims he didn't have a choice, he had a choice. Bush, Reagan and Clinton all filed briefs in court opposing current federal law as being unconstitutional (we'll be posting more about that later). Obama could have done the same. But instead he chose to defend DOMA, denigrate our civil rights, go back on his promises, and contradict his own statements that DOMA was "abhorrent." Folks, Obama's lawyers are even trying to diminish the impact of Roemer and Lawrence, our only two big Supreme Court victories. Obama is quite literally destroying our civil rights gains with this brief. He's taking us down for his own benefit."

EDITED TO ADD: here's the link to the document: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/06/doj-defends-doma-says-good-for-budget-invokes-incest.html

[identity profile] thetathx1138.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not seeing that in the actual motion yet, but I haven't read the whole thing.

[identity profile] talktooloose.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
View from outside your country...

It's not surprising that gay rights is trickling up from local and state levels. There is less at stake for those politicians and, therefore, more wiggle room. So, really? You expected the White House to be able to wiggle that wide? Attaining the office of President is so dependent on so many promises to so many people, that a President only gets to spend three out of his four years actually governing.

It's foolish to believe in miracle men and more foolish to believe that they can exist at the top. As [livejournal.com profile] geometrician states above, there is a whole hell of a lot of stuff changing for the queer communities in America. This is partly due to years of hard work by activists, and partly due to general social progress (the result of improved communication like the Internet?).

But you know what? It might also be due to the idea that change is possible, which is what the Obama win really seemed to mean.

Obama himself might be responsible for less change than those he inspired will. Here's hoping that his backsliding (ironic verb!) doesn't empower the forces against change.

[identity profile] danbearnyc.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
And it's taken you how long to find this out, princess? You didn't pay attention when he was interviewed by the Rev. Mr. Saddleback?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Arguing that our rights are not worth protecting is an attack.

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a huge difference between apathy and attack. His obvious discomfort with Gay issues wasn't actively trying to take away the few rights we've attained... unlike this.

I hate that it's a Democratic bigot. It's somehow more distasteful because we're SUPPOSED to be nicer/better than the GOP.

Sigh.

I need a drink.

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
My only hope is that he has a President Johnson moment, where a bigoted man signs a Civil Rights bill because the country has moved past him.

Maybe this backlash will cause him to backtrack?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, it should be!

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, "I know he beats me, but I LOVE him!"

Sigh.

I just want to yell at him on the TV screen "Be BETTER!"

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
A) Did you defend what he did? Nope.

B) You make a number of good points.

C) I didn't threaten to defriend anyone. I told people to defriend me if they were going to defend this direct attack on our rights. You certainly did not do that.

D) As I said in another comment, I hope that he has to sign a GODDAMNED CIVIL RIGHTS BILL that's shoved in front of him.

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
My hope is that he's faced with no choice but to sign legislation, because now we know that he won't do it alone.

Tie his hands and stick a pen in.

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it."

That's why I'm rooting for a Johnson moment: A former Senator from Texas does NOT want to sign a Civil Rights bill and give away the South to the GOP, but he HAD to...

The thing is: in the past year, since the crucible of Prop 8's passage, the language of bigotry HAS been applied to Gay Civil Rights opponents for the first time, and "bigot" is such a powerful and accurate word that it makes the argument in ONE WORD.

Homophobia is the same as racism.

And is just as unacceptable.

It is bigotry, and to label it so moves votes.

(People don't want to be called bigots, don't want their names and addresses posted online as donors to Prop 8, don't want to be shunned at cocktail parties.)

Preferring him to McCain is easy, sure, but holding him to a higher standard than I would hold McCain is my right, because I should expect better of a Democrat, ESPECIALLY one who eld my hand and proudly declared himself my ally.
Edited 2009-06-13 16:59 (UTC)

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a line that's been thrown around by his staff:

"Where are they going to go, the GOP?"

Sigh.

Why can't Obama have been BETTER, you know?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Sigh.

I just want him to be BETTER.

[identity profile] gryphons-hole.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I am sickened by all of this. And I mean all...


I can't stand it.

[identity profile] bookish-cub.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I've tried to keep my expectations of Obama realistic, but I would have thought that he'd be doing SOMETHING for us by now. I guess that it just goes to show how inconsequential we are to politicians once they get elected and don't need our money anymore.

[identity profile] danbearnyc.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Just smile and remind yourself it was a Democrat that signed it in the first place.

There. Feel Better?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, that helps!

Cheers!

may I play devil's advocate here?

[identity profile] gryphons-hole.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
how many gay couples benefit from this decree? How many gay US diplomats are there? One thousand? One hundred? Ten? To celebrate her for this (Although I consider it great to happen) is dangerous to me. The lesson of Bill Clinton and Obama say that her motives are more likely to look better than the President for a bid in 2012...

She is a politician and unlike Obama, she didn't win, so she still has need to befriend us. Crappy as that sounds, every one of them has followed this course so far, why expect her to be different. I think she would throw small children under a bus if she thought it would get her the oval office. I think she is a politician, and one that hasn't yet gotten what she wants, so she still has to be nice to us...

Re: may I play devil's advocate here?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
And whether or not it's the truth, she's STILL actively doing it, you know?

I'll take it, either way!

Re: may I play devil's advocate here?

[identity profile] gryphons-hole.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Um... but doesn't that just leave you in the same place with her later on, when she gets the office and doesn't nothing nationally for us, since she has want she wants...?

They are all the same. I expect nothing of them truly and fully, until every quarter forces it upon them... which would be an effort to achieve.

PS... did you catch my solution to gay marriage. I personally think it is brilliant, subversive and unstoppable... civil disobedience via civil obedience...

Re: may I play devil's advocate here?

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Lemme put it this way:

The longer she works for us and we get things out of it? The better!

[identity profile] shaggycub.livejournal.com 2009-06-13 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
reminds me of that old "Simpsons" gag. The one where Homer is watching Garrison Keelor on PBS giving a monologue and the TV audience is in hysterics, and Homer not getting why the audience is laughing-he blames it on the TV and keeps hitting it, saying "Be more funny!"

Every time some liberal talking pinhead rhapsodizes about how fabulous he is, I just want to bang on my TV and yell, "Be More Progressive!"

[identity profile] woofmantoronto.livejournal.com 2009-06-14 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
"the time wasn't right."

I remember reading that somewhere during the runnup to the election and you could have heard my jaw bang on the floor LOL!

It so reminded me of when I came out of the closet as a gay person and told my mom I was gay and she went insane for like 6 months and my dad chided me and said "you picked the wrong time to tell your mother that you're gay".

I was like "Dad are you fucking nuts or what, tell me Dad, if I could turn back the clock, when exactly would be the correct time to tell mom I was gay then?"

I mean really! :-)
Edited 2009-06-14 08:25 (UTC)

[identity profile] shirtlifterbear.livejournal.com 2009-06-16 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
That's awesome!

"When Dad?"

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