From Canada with Hurt and Anger

Jim runs a vintage radio repair shop in a small town north of Toronto. He rightly feels utterly betrayed by America right now. 

[America] has become a predator and we have become prey. . . The trust between me and Americans is gone, and it will never come back. I won't live long enough to ever trust them again. We've been played for fools by the Americans.

 

This American is deeply ashamed and totally disgusted, Jim, by what the American Tyrant is doing to your country and all our friends around the world. There is no excuse, no good reason for it, just one evil man's greed and lust for supreme power over the whole North American continent. I know saying "I'm sorry" isnt good enough. 

But please remember, all of you out there, that half of us VOTED AGAINST THE TYRANT.  We foresaw clearly what he would do if elected.  And we are all outraged at the way he is destroying our own government day by day. We share your hurt, your anger, and your dismay. We just don't know how to stop him yet.  We are sheep without a shepherd at the moment.

Notice the difference in the popular vote - only 1.5 percent.
So never forget there are many millions of Americans who oppose the tyranny.
From Wikipedia.

But you have to stand up to the bully.  The only thing any bully respects is strength, and a punch in the nose.  We know you have to protect yourselves, so do what you have to do.  Don't go down without a fight.  We'll understand, and keep praying for a speedy return to "sunny ways" between our nations.

P. S. -- I must not omit to say Thank You, Canada for all your many acts of kindness and brotherhood over the years.  I well recall that your people in Tehran sheltered some of our people during the hostage crisis back in the 70s.  And how you sheltered hundreds of our stranded citizens during the no-fly period after 9/11.  And how I watched and wept with joy when your Parliament legalized gay marriage long before it was possible down here.  This Southerner couldn't live in your fierce winter climate - but I've kept a friendly eye on Canada for many years now.  You're my secret valentine.  God bless and protect you all.

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Biting the Hand That Protects You

 

For a whole day it seemed that the world was really becoming a better place.  But how silly of me.  It's just the same old world with the same mixed-up people in it after all, as an egg flipped over is still the same old egg in the same old skillet.  Here is ingratitude, defined:

Politico reports (emphasis mine):

Thousands of National Guardsmen were forced to vacate congressional grounds on Thursday and are now taking their rest breaks outside and in nearby parking garages, after two weeks of sleepless nights protecting the nation’s capital in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

One unit, which had been resting in the Dirksen Senate Office building, was abruptly told to vacate the facility on Thursday, according to one Guardsman. The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking garage without internet reception, with just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops, the person said. . . .

Guard leadership did not make the decision and are “doing their best to provide rest shelter for troops who are still on 12-hour shifts protecting the Capitol and congressional grounds,” the second Guardsman said.

“There really may be an important reason for us to vacate and it just hasn’t been well communicated yet,” the second Guardsman said.

I suppose some prissy bitch, of either gender, decided they were offended by all those smelly troops sleeping on the floors of Congress.  So send them to sit in a garage, they're only soldiers.  How fucking stupid - and ungrateful.  Makes me furious.  But I'll stop right there.

Update, 1/22/21, 8:30 a.m.:

Apparently, lawmakers in Congress were as outraged last night as your Head Trucker was, and according to this report the troops have now been allowed back into the Capitol.  

 

However, other reports say some outraged state governors have already ordered their troops to return home. Your Head Trucker says the leadership of the Capitol Police needs to be shaken up and tossed out if they don't have any more damn sense than to pull a stunt like this. Police leaders also dropped the ball big fucking time by allowing the attackers to even get close to the doors of the Capitol on January 6. Some heads have rolled already, and this incident indicates to me that others need to follow.

-----

David Mixner: What's Next?

In the wake of the great betrayal, David shares his personal plan for what to do now in "the greatest civil rights struggle of [our] generation; I think he's right on track (emphasis mine):

-I just sent a check that I was planning on giving to the Democratic Party to the initiative battle in Maine. They will have on the ballot this November their passage of marriage equality. Let's be sure they have the resources they need early and not at the last minute. I made my contribution through ACT BLUE.

-I will not contribute to the Democratic National Party nor to any candidate who does not have an actual record of voting for marriage, against DADT, etc. No more empty promises from well-meaning politicians. I have been burned so many times I am running out of salve.

-There is no question that wise minds and cool heads have to discuss and plan a national campaign of civil disobedience.

-No more needless compromises or working for partial victories. It is time to go all out for the repeal of DOMA and DADT. The political convenience of an elected official and his calendar is not the business of a civil rights movement. The business of a civil rights movement is freedom.

-I will be watching our national organizations closely with an understanding eye to their mission. However, their mission should be our rights first and the politicians second.

-No longer will I jump up and down simply because the President or Democratic leadership just mentions they are against DOMA or for repeal of DADT. We are long past the days when we were just happy when they said the word 'gay.' I want action and I want it now.

-Will do everything I can to get as many people as possible to the March on Washington on October 11. Let us make a powerful, eloquent statement while empowering ourselves!

-Finally, I will continue to chose my words as carefully as I chose my actions. I don't want to become like our oppressors - filled with anger and derision. I want us to not only lift ourselves up into freedom but also to lift our oppressors out of their partisan hate into a better world.

On that last point, David's got a cooler head than I do - I'm one of those hotblooded Texans you've heard about - guess you boys had that figured out already, huh - but I'll try to channel my anger into a constructive path.

(Image: honk to magygraphics)

Mule, Meet Board

A little pressure gets a little attention. The Wall Street Journal reports:

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.

Actually, that's an understatement; the census bureau has deliberately suppressed some data about same-sex couples, under Bush administration policy. They were all set to do it again, but maybe now we'll get the data counted correctly.

Americablog, regarding two more DOMA-related cases, not connected with the one last week that sparked all the outrage:

Top gay lawyers [from GLAD and Lambda Legal] simply wanted to talk with the Obama administration's representatives at the Department of Justice and the Office of Personnel Management (which is not only run by an openly gay man, but has an openly gay general counsel). The gay lawyers wanted to know the details of the administration's reasoning that DOMA precluded health care benefits, among other benefits, to the partners of gay employees. The Obama administration refused.

However, today it's a different story:

Two very top White House officials, Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and Political Director Patrick Gaspard, are holding a "wonderful" conference call on Monday with the LGBT caucus of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). I've seen the email, which reads in part: "The call will include important updates on the Administration's LGBT agenda and how we move forward."

This does go to show -- and I've heard it from many people on other issues -- if you want the attention of the Obama White House, you have to play hard ball. For the LGBT community, among other things, that means shutting down the Gay ATM.

No doubt, we'll hear how great it was that White House people talked to the gays. That might have been a big deal in 1979, not 2009.

And even Justice is doing a little turnaround now:

The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act. . . .

At the meeting — which hasn’t been announced and is expected to include leading gay rights groups like GLAD and Lambda Legal — both sides are expected to hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases.

All of this still doesn't add up to much. But it's a start.

There's an old joke most Southerners know about the farmer who hitched up his mule to a wagon, but the mule just sat down and wouldn't move. So the farmer gets off the wagon, goes up to the mule, and hits him over the head, blam, with a two-by-four. Then the mule got up and trotted right along as he was supposed to.

A friend who was passing by asked the farmer why he hit the mule like that. The old farmer replied that the mule was usually cooperative; "but fust, you have to get his attention."

Clarifications and Comments on That Memo

The Washington Blade reports:

Gay rights attorney Evan Wolfson, who heads the same-sex marriage advocacy group Freedom To Marry, said congressional passage of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act would take precedent over DOMA in the area of federal employee benefits. Thus approval of that measure would enable the Obama administration to provide full federal personnel benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees without the repeal of DOMA.

"A more recent bill would undo or at least limit the other one," Wolfson said.

Hirsch of Federal GLOBE said White House officials kept his group informed of the administration's efforts to prepare the presidential memorandum during the past several months. He said the plan all along was to issue the memorandum during LGBT Pride Month in June. He said the memorandum's signing shortly after the administration issued its controversial defense of DOMA in federal court, in response to a lawsuit challenging DOMA, was coincidental.

Hirsch and Solmonese of HRC each called the presidential memorandum a small but important first step in the ongoing effort to provide equal rights and treatment of LGBT people who work for the federal government.

According to Hirsch, a presidential memorandum has the same force of law as a presidential executive order, with the memorandum used more often in federal personnel matters. Hirsch and White House officials noted that some news accounts claiming that a presidential memorandum expires at the end of a president's term in office are incorrect. A presidential memorandum remains in effect indefinitely unless another president rescinds it, just as presidents can rescind executive orders issued by their predecessors.

Solmonese pointed to a statement by Berry in a phone conference for reporters, in which the gay OPM director said the president's memorandum would give him greater authority to prohibit workplace discrimination against LGBT employees.

"Although today's actions are only the beginning in what will be a multi-step process towards achieving real and tangible equality for our community, it is no doubt an important first step," Solmonese said. " We commend President Obama and his administration for taking this action to provide some basic benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees and his endorsement of legislation that would provide domestic partner health benefits."

Kameny is the first known gay person to challenge the federal government after he was fired for being gay from his job as a civilian astronomer with the Army the late 1950s, He called Obama's presidential memorandum an important development.

"There's been a great deal of adverse criticism of the president in recent weeks because people got the feeling that things they wanted to see weren't happening," Kameny said. "My feeling is he made clear that he's on the right side, he's with us, things are moving as fast as he can get them to move, and I feel very satisfied."

Leonard Hirsch has posted a personal reflection on his recent life-threatening illness and the President's action here (PDF document).

Related links:

Federal GLOBE - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Employees of the Federal Government

GLIFAA - Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies

Noted in the GLIFAA press release:

President Obama's announcement today follows earlier news reports that Secretary Clinton would soon expand the State Department's definition of "Eligible Family Member" (EFM) to include same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners and their children. Presently, domestic partners are classified as "Members of Household" (MOHs), a term that denies critical protections to family members, including those separated from their employee partners who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 grants the Secretary of State exclusive authority to define the term EFM, and GLIFAA has pushed for years to update the definition of the term. GLIFAA also thanks Congresswoman Baldwin, Congressman Berman, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Congressman Ackerman, Senator Feingold, and Senator Wyden, who repeatedly wrote Secretary Rice and Secretary Clinton to remind them of the hardships facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families serving overseas.

As soon as she took office, Secretary Clinton received a letter from over 2,200 current and former employees of the State Department and other foreign affairs agencies asking her to treat all families equally: "We question the logic of leaving same-sex partners to fend for themselves during an emergency evacuation of a high danger post. We are embarrassed when the Department will reimburse a variety of moving expenses, including the cost of transporting a pet, when an employee is assigned overseas, but will not do the same for a same-sex partner... Madam Secretary, we believe that no colleague of ours is a second-class colleague, and no colleague's family is a second-class family." Ninety-two percent (92%) of the letter's signers did not have an MOH family member but signed because, like Secretary Clinton, they know that leaving families vulnerable and without diplomatic protections while in service to the U.S. Government abroad is wrong.

The impact of H1N1 influenza on one GLIFAA family highlighted the second-class status suffered by MOHs. In Mexico, tests confirmed that one Foreign Service Officer's two sons had contracted H1N1. The Health Unit quickly sprang into action and gave Tamiflu to the children and to the employee father. However the Health Unit would not provide Tamiflu to the other father -- even though it was unavailable locally -- because he was an MOH, and not an EFM. It took the personal intervention of the Chargé d'Affaires before the Health Unit took this basic public health measure. Once regulations are revised based on the administrations guidance, no Embassy children will have to watch their parents bear this discrimination again, because all family members will have access to Tamiflu when medically appropriate.

What I Say: You wonder why the doctor or nurse, with hypodermic in hand, didn't just give the other dad the shot and keep quiet about it; lie if necessary. You wonder what kind of fricking tight-ass bureaucrat down in Mexico would sacrifice those kids' dad for the sake of a petty homophobic rule.

You wonder why the God of all Creation, the God who is Love as "the Bible says," would get all huffed up and indignant and rain down fire and brimstone over something like this, like some backwoods shyster multimillionaire TV preacher with a shit-eating grin and a hateful arrogant self-righteous heart as hard as board.

Shove it up your ass, Pat Robertson.

Reax: Polis, Aravosis, Frank

CBS interviews Jared Polis and John Aravosis:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Excerpt from a reader's comment on Americablog about the Barney Frank flip-flop:

By making such a crass and transparently political calculation, Barney Frank has committed the same mistake that Mattachine made. He has overvalued his relationship with the Democratic power establishment over his relationship with our community - and in so doing, he has forgotten his roots. Had he spoken up for our community by giving voice to the pain that ordinary gay couples feel over DOMA, we would have rallied around him as a natural leader. But by defending Obama's indefensible legal brief, he has placed himself at odds with his own community. He will not lose everyone's support - our community is not monolithic - but at this very moment in history, Barney Frank was handed a rare opportunity to rise to the occasion and become a truly great leader. Instead, he has revealed himself as just another crass politician.

The old wineskin is incapable of containing the new wine.

What I Say: I like Barney a lot, he's shrewd as hell and tells it like it is. But just as he said the other day that the President "has made a big mistake," so too I think Barney has now made a great error. He's still playing the political ballgame after the game has been called.

And furthermore, your Head Trucker is amazed at the utter insanity of some bloggers and commenters to the effect of, Well I'll vote for the Republicans next time. That's just bizarre, and totally not comprehending reality.

Who in their right fucking mind could possibly vote for the party of Limbaugh, Cheney, Palin, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Sally Kern, Larry Craig, Ted Haggart, and oh let's not forget George W. Bush?? It's the party of torture and unlimited executive power, remember?

Please, Mary, put the pipe down and snap out of it. The Republican party is in its death throes, anyway; they won't go quietly, but they are the dinosaurs of the 21st century. Supporting a quasi-fascist party is definitely not the way to go, boys. You really want to be singing "We're here, we're queer" as you're marched into a metaphorical detention camp?

Either we have to pile on the heat to get the Dems' attention; or somehow a new and vote-winning party, more responsive and more concerned about all the people's needs - not just the gays' - has got to arise here. We've all been very well trained to think of American politics as "either-or"; but maybe it doesn't have to be either Dems or Repubs, maybe there's room for more and better in our political system. Certainly, a massive turn to a new, more progressive outfit would get the Dems' attention in a hurry.

Sometimes what looks like a very small, almost trivial incident, can set in motion a huge movement. It occurs to me that this little debacle could be the crack in the dam, a historic turning point in the political history of this country - if the Dems don't act fast to make good on their fine talk and promises. It's about civil rights, people - it's not optional anymore, it's required.

Or else the Dems just might follow the Republicans into extinction one day. I've already recommended that you fellas take a look at Canada's New Democratic Party. Give some thought also to the platform of Britain's Liberal Democrats, and see if you like what you read. The names aren't important, it's the philosophy the party stands for.

I'm not a prophet or a political wizard, but one thing I do know: Change has come to America. And maybe a bigger change than anyone really expected. Think it over.

Promoting social liberalism, Lib Dems seek to minimise state intervention in personal affairs: they oppose what they call the 'nanny state'. Their president's book of office is John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, which defined the harm principle of law. While objecting to state limitations of individual rights, they favour a welfare state that provides for the necessities and amenities of life. . . . strong environmentalist values . . . renewable energy . . . taxing the rich more . . . power to the people.

--Wikipedia

Obama's Plan for Gay Rights

What did I tell you?

Andrew Sullivan: Fight Back, Act Up

Sullivan finally comes down off his Iran-revolution high and gets mad about the backstabbing betrayal of the gay community:

One way to get the Obama administration's attention on civil rights is for gay people to stop funding the Democrats. That's all these people care about anyway when it comes to gays: our money. If the Democrats refuse to support us, refuse to support them. This is a start. But we need to get more creative. We need actions to highlight the administration's betrayals, postponements and boilerplate. We need to start confronting the president at his events. We need civil disobedience. We need to tell him we do not want another fricking speech where he tells us he is a fierce advocate for our rights, when that is quite plainly at this point not true. We will not tolerate another Clinton. No invites to these people for dinners or fundraisers. No cheering him at events while he does nothing to follow up on his explicit promises. Of course these things can be done. If anyone high up in the Obama administration or the Pelosi-Reid Congress gave a damn, much would have been done.

We need to swamp Pelosi with phone-calls. We need to target Reid for his inaction. We have to pressure Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin not to excuse the disdain that the Obama administration is showing toward gay equality, and their cynical use of our votes, money and passion to enforce real and potent discrimination against us and our families. And we have to refuse to attend White House signing ceremonies like yesterday's farce. Really: until they are serious, we should not be coopted and placated with pathetic sops. I am not a Clintonite. I worked my ass off to get this man to power. On many issues, I support him and will continue to do so.

But I am a proud, self-respecting gay man with HIV. And I am not going to take this crap for much longer on civil rights. Fight back. Act Up.

David Mixner: What Does It All Mean?

Very little:

In his remarks, the President did not even mention the recently filed Department of Justice brief supporting DOMA. He did not correct the record that the execrable brief contains. He didn't even say that the 'sloppy language of the brief' is not reflective of his values, principals or beliefs. He did not mention DADT. Finally after some initial indications that he would include the word "transgender", I did not hear it in his remarks.

Don't foget that LGBT taxes are still paying for all those straight federal employees healthcare benefits!

In many ways it is like the California Supreme Court decision: we are happy for the couples that were able to put that "Just Married" sign on their car, but unfortunately, the rest of us have been run over by a bus.

More Reax

The CBS news station in San Francisco has a great report on the gay community's reaction to the President's betrayal of their trust.

Stampp Corbin, chair of Obama's LGBT Leadership Council during the campaign says "the DOMA brief has ruined everything" and the President's callous actions have "awakened a sleeping giant."

Americablog reports that seven of the LGBT "superstar" attendees used to promote the DNC fundraiser next week have now pulled out, along with the board of the Stonewall Democrats (the gay wing of the Democratic Party).

Americablog also reports that the reason you didn't see Rep. Jared Polis at yesterday's signing ceremony is that he had a baseball game to go to. Which is a polite excuse, of course, for the fact that he boycotted the President's little show.

The New York Times has a good story on the "Outcry on Federal Same-Sex Benefits."

Under the title "Gay Tsunami Slams Obama," Rex Wockner has a long post of pictures and quotes from LGBT leaders about "the straw that broke the camel's back and unleashed a flood of harsh criticism from gay VIPs."

Your Head Trucker especially liked this quote:

"The President is in serious danger of motivating a huge mass of gay people to stream into Washington for the simple joy of standing in front of the White House and giving him a piece of their minds," wrote syndicated gay columnist Wayne Besen.

"For what seemed like forever, Democrats told us that when the big bad Republicans went away, our lives would improve," Besen said. "Well, the Republican nightmare is over, so why do I still feel like I'm in the middle of a political Friday the 13th movie? ... As far as I'm concerned, if the donkeys can't deliver now, they can kiss my ass."

Seems more like Groundhog Day to me - you keep waking up to find it's the same damn day, over and over and over.

But that's got to stop. Now.

Reax to the Big Fat Memo

It's a day that marks a historic step towards the changes we seek, but I think we all have to acknowledge this is only one step. Among the steps we have not yet taken is to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. I believe it's discriminatory, I think it interferes with states' rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it.

We've got more work to do to ensure that government treats all its citizens equally; to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms; and to bring about that more perfect union. I'm committed to these efforts, and I pledge to work tirelessly on behalf of these issues in the months and years to come.

--President Barack Obama, June 17, 2009

Anderson Cooper with Richard Socarides and Dustin Lance Black:

Keith Olbermann with Joe Solmonese:

Rachel Maddow with Rep. Tammy Baldwin:

Rep. Barney Frank, in an official statement, amazingly changes his mind about the matter:

It is the President’s job to try to change the law, but it is also his obligation to uphold and defend it when it has been enacted by appropriate processes. It would not be wise, in my judgment, for those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, or who sympathize with the fight for our rights, to argue for a precedent that says that executives who disagreed politically with the purpose of the law should have the option of refusing to defend it in a constitutional case. . . . after rereading this brief, I do not think that the Obama administration should be subject to harsh criticism in this instance.

And don't forget the wingnut right is still very much with us and they are eating up this story, as Pat Robertson once again goes into Jeezusbabble mode: on the one hand, LGBT people are such a tiny part of the population, they are totally insignificant; on the other hand, they are so dangerous that they are sending this country straight to destruction:

BTW - if anyone pulls this argument on you, remind them of two things. First, every nation or empire of the past has risen and then eventually fallen; nothing lasts forever in this world, and the success of nations depends on money and might, not sex. And Two, the Roman Empire, to take the most famous example, fell apart a hundred years or more after Christianity was made the state religion, and homosex was outlawed.

So much for that theory. In fact, Gibbon, who wrote the famous The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in the 18th century, still in print today, came under great criticism for that book's thesis, which was that it was the adoption of Christianity more than anything else that led to the Empire's ruin.

But back to reality, and the present day. What to do next? Seems obvious to me that the President and his White House crew are not going to do anything for us just out of the goodness of their hearts. Left to their own devices, they will do something if and when they get around to it. They felt the heat this week, and they responded with a tiny scrap of equality - and note that Hillary beat the President to the punch, over at the State Dept., by a month on that, for her employees.

The political system doesn't run automatically, throwing out good things all by itself, as you may have imagined when you were nodding over your civics textbook in junior high. Politicians may have good intentions, but that's not enough to get the job done; those intentions have to be turned into action, and that happens when they realize they have to act to keep their jobs, or their campaign funds.

So how to turn up the heat on Congress and the President? I don't know exactly, lots of other people have ideas on that, some good, some silly. But we all need to be thinking about it, and working for equality as best we can. It won't just happen, guys; we have to push and shove and dig and sweat for it, that's all too clear after this week's revelations.

Shit, Meet Fan

John Aravosis in Salon magazine:

Everyone loves a parade, but we don't like being betrayed. And while gay and lesbian Americans were initially willing to cut our new president some slack, the president's now-clear reticence to follow through on even one of his many campaign promises to the gay community has put the Democratic Party on the precipice of an ugly and very public divorce with this once-solid constituency.

During the presidential primaries, then-candidate Obama promoted himself as the biggest defender of gay rights since Harvey Milk. He would be a "fierce advocate" for our rights, he promised, and he even out-gayed Hillary Clinton: telling gay and lesbian voters that while she was for a partial repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), he'd get rid of the whole damn thing.

And there was much rejoicing.

Then, not so much. . . .

On taking office, Obama immediately announced that he was doing away with the Clinton-era concept of special assistants who served as liaisons to various communities like gays and Latinos. He then went ahead and appointed special liaisons to some of those communities anyway, but never to the gays. Around the same time, the White House Web site, once detailing half a page of presidential promises to the gay community, overnight saw those pledges shortened to three simple sentences. Gone were five of the eight previous commitments, including the promises to repeal both Don't Ask Don't Tell and DOMA. Adding to a growing sense of angst, senior White House officials kept telling the media that they weren't sure when, if ever, the president would follow through on his promises to the gay community. Then there were the Cabinet appointees. Three Latino nominees but nary a gay in sight. And finally, last week our president had his Department of Justice file a brief in defense of DOMA, a law he had once called "abhorrent." In that brief, filed on the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia (which outlawed bans on interracial marriage), our own interracial Harvey Milk, not lacking a sense of historical irony, compared our love to incest and pedophilia.

Shit, meet fan.

. . . What can the president do to avoid outright rupture with the gay community? He needs to start fulfilling his campaign promises -- even one would be a nice start. He needs to stop the discharges, and stop the Falwellian legal briefs in support of a policy he opposes. He needs to push -- really push -- for legislation banning job discrimination, repealing DOMA, and lifting Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Many of us were willing to cut our new president some slack. Not anymore.

Obama Signs A Memo for the Gays

Well here it is boys, watch and decide for yourself what this signifies.

BTW, the elderly gentleman Obama hands the pen to after signing is Frank Kameny, whose 1958 firing from a federal job prompted him to sue the government in the first gay-rights case ever; he lost the case, but he inspired many others to activism in our cause in the years before Stonewall.

It's hot here, I'm tired and haven't read what the big blogs are saying about all this yet; maybe later after supper.

Update: Full text of the memo is here.

Seems like the big bloggers don't have much to say tonight. Maybe we're all just speechless here at the climax of six days of shock and anger. Like when you have that last conversation, ya know? . . .

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, it was just, well - look, it's just not working anymore between us, okay? And it's hurting both of us to go on pretending like this. I wish things were different, but . . . hey, don't be mad, we can still be friends, can't we . . . ?

CYA Time at the White House

John Aravosis at Americablog:

The White House actually admitted to the NYT that they were offering the benefits to help contain the "growing furor among gay rights groups." How about doing it because it's the right thing to do? How about doing it because you were already planning to do it to help our community, because you recognize us as human beings? We kept being told, fret not, we have a secret plan for your civil rights - now it seems, not so much:

But administration officials said the timing of the announcement was intended to help contain the growing furor among gay rights groups. Several gay donors withdrew their sponsorship of a Democratic National Committee fund-raising event next week, where Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to speak.

Just as bad, it seems they came up with this proposal on the fly. In spite of the fact that for a while they've been hinting that they'd do this, the NYT discovered that the details of the "plan" haven't even been decided, yet the White House is already announcing it publicly.

The breadth and scope of the memorandum to be signed by Mr. Obama was being completed Tuesday evening, said administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the president’s announcement on Wednesday.

With all due respect, don't our civil rights deserve a bit more attention than some kluge thrown together at the last minute to save a cocktail party?

This is simply more evidence that the White House never had a plan to act on our civil rights, to act on the president's promises (none of which have been fulfilled, or even addressed). They're simply winging it with our rights.

Like I told you guys, there is no fucking plan. He got the votes, now he's going to do as he pleases, and fuck you if you don't like it.

Obama Then, Obama Now

From Pam's House Blend:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2009

Fact Sheet: Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination

In an Oval Office event later today, President Barack Obama will sign a Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination. The Memorandum follows a review by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management ant the Secretary of State regarding what benefits may be extended to the same-sex partners of federal employees in the civil service and the foreign service within the confines of existing federal laws and statutes.

Over the past several months, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary of State have conducted internal reviews to determine whether the benefits they administer may be extended to the same-sex partners of federal employees within the confines of existing laws and statutes. Both identified a number of such benefits.

For civil service employees, domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program; supervisors can also be required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children. For foreign service employees, a number of benefits were identified, including the use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad, and inclusion in family size for housing allocations.

The Presidential Memorandum to be signed today will request that the Director of OPM and the Secretary of State act to extend to same-sex partners of federal employees the benefits they have identified. The Memorandum will also request the heads of all other executive branch departments and agencies to conduct internal reviews to determine whether other benefits they administer might be similarly extended, and to report the results of those reviews to the Director of OPM.

The Memorandum will also direct OPM to issue guidance within 90 days to all executive departments and agencies regarding compliance with, and implementation of, the civil service laws, which make it unlawful to discriminate against federal employees or applicants for federal employment on the basis of factors not related to job performance.

Pam also posts this reminder of Obama's specific promises that he made to the gay community last year, when he wanted our votes:

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.

...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 support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. 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.

...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 also need a president who's willing to confront the stigma - too often tied to homophobia - that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

...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.

...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.

From ABC News via Americablog, reporting a press conference at the White House today with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

TAPPER: Does the president stand by the legal brief that the Justice Department filed last week that argued in favor the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act?

GIBBS: Well, as you know, that the Justice Department is charged with upholding the law of the land, even though the president believes that that law should be repealed.

TAPPER: I understand that, but a lot of legal experts say that the brief didn't have to be as comprehensive and make all the arguments that it made, such as comparing same-sex unions to incestuous ones, in one controversial paragraph...

GIBBS: Well...

TAPPER: ...that's upset a lot of the president's supporters. Does the president stand by the content, the arguments made in that brief?

GIBBS: Well, again, it's the president's Justice Department. And, again, we have the role of upholding the law of the land while the president has stated and will work with Congress to change that law.

John Avarosis also reports, based on a phone call to John Berry and reader emails, that today's presidential memo is NOT giving federal agencies any power they didn't have already. It's a publicity trick, guys, you understand that?

Barney and Tammy Chime In

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.):

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, one of the nation’s leading gay rights champions, blasted President Obama yesterday over a controversial anti-gay marriage court filing and is calling on the commander in chief to explain himself.

“I think the administration made a big mistake. The wording they used was inappropriate,” Frank (D-Newton) said of a brief filed by Obama’s Department of Justice that supported the Defense of Marriage Act.

The DOJ brief, which has touched off a firestorm of anger in the gay community, argued that states should not have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states, just as states don’t have to recognize incestuous marriages or unions involving underage girls.

“I’ve been in touch with the White House and I’m hoping the president will make clear these were not his views,” Frank said.

Barney also said he thinks it would be a mistake for teh gayz not to give their homodollars to the Democratic Party.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.):

Last week the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DOMA. I was profoundly disappointed by this action, particularly coming from this administration. I still take President Obama at his word that he is committed to the repeal of DOMA. I also recognize that he cannot do it alone. Congress has the responsibility on its shoulders to pass legislation that would give the opportunity to the President to keep his word and ensure that all married people, including those in same-sex marriages, enjoy the same rights under federal law.

Jared Polis: Outraged, Blown Off by Obama

Okay, one of the three gay Congresspeeps has spoken out now. This announcement apparently was made about an hour before the White House announcement, honk to Americablog for posting the link.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s decision to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in a recent court filing.

“I was shocked and disappointed to learn that President Obama chose to defend DOMA in federal court, especially given his campaign promise to call for a full repeal of DOMA. My sadness turned to outrage when I read the Justice Department’s brief that not only defended this hurtful law but seemed to embrace it. Comparing my loving relationship with my partner, Marlon, to incest was unconscionable coming from a president who has called for change.

Since this filing, I have called on the President to issue a statement or give any sign that would clarify his position and am disappointed in his lack of reply.

I am a proud Democrat, as are many in the GLBT community, and I believe we must hold our leaders accountable. The Obama Administration made a HUGE mistake in the DOMA brief. If they keep making mistakes like this, they risk losing the support of the GLBT community forever, although I do not believe we are at that point yet.

President Obama needs to honor his promise to repeal this law and end its needlessly divisive and harmful impact on our nation. I again call on him to work with us in Congress to help pass legislation, ending this hateful and divisive law.

As the New York Times editorialized yesterday, “busy calendars and political expediency are no excuse for making one group of Americans wait any longer for equal rights.”

Polis was elected last November as Colorado's first openly gay representative. His family owns the Blue Mountain greeting card company.

Glad to hear you testify, Brother Polis. Now Barney and Tammy, can we get an Amen from you? Stand up, stand up, for chrissake.

NOW He Throws Us a Bone

This just in from the Washington Post:

As John Berry forecast in his Advocate interview at Gay Pride in D.C. on Sunday, Obama is going to sign an order tomorrow extending healthcare and other benefits to partners of federal employees.

That's great news for all those who are eligible, and I'm happy for them.

But that doesn't make everything all right now between Obama and the LGBT community. There's millions of us who won't be affected in any way by his signature tomorrow.

We deserve ALL the rights and benefits that anybody else does, in or out of Washington, D.C. We are Americans, we are citizens, we are human beings too.

Nothing less than the equal protection of the laws everywhere in the land will satisfy us; because that's simply our due as the equals of everybody else in this country.

Mr. Obama does not yet see it that way, folks. He is doing this for political reasons to take the heat off. Understand: He is a straight man who still does not get it.

It's high time he did, though.

Also noted: this persuasive article, "Obama needs a bit of Truman's courage," by Dick Polman in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Update: It's not even a bone he's throwing us, it's just a little piece of gristle, John Aravosis opines:

As you may have heard, President Obama tomorrow will be signing a presidential directive, not an executive order, providing "some" benefits to gay and lesbian employees. Well, the details, murky that they are, are coming. And they aren't great.

First off, Chuck Todd on MSNBC that because this is only a "memorandum," as he called it, it will expire when Obama leaves office. Lovely. Second, health benefits for federal employees won't be covered. Why? Because of DOMA, so says the Advocate.

Just which benefits will gay federal employees be getting? The White House is refusing to say. But it's unlikely it's anything involving money, like Social Security, or, as we now know, health care. Which is ironic, since health care is Obama's number one issue (but not for us). Also ironic, which I wrote about earlier, is that health care reform likely won't cover us either, since they'd have to include us as "families" and "dependents" - and let's face it, they just compared us to incest and pedophilia, does anyone think this administration or this congress is going to define us as "family" in their health care package? (It's also not clearly that DOMA would let health care reform provide us any benefits anyway.) In any case, Obama's inaction on DOMA, and outright defense of DOMA, is now undercutting his other efforts, meager that they are, to help us. It's all tied together.

Furthermore, John says about tomorrow's memo signing in the Oval Office:

It's also awfully convenient that the event is being held at 5:45pm, just a tad too late for the evening news to pick it up. Gosh, how did that happen?

Unfortunately, federal benefits for gay federal employees is not even one of the eight campaign promises Obama made to our community (there are only seven now on the White House Web site - the DOMA promise went down the memory hole about two months ago). . . .

Today, after having been compared to incest and pedophiles by our own Democratic president, it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what this president needs to do to win back our trust. Not to mention, we have to beat the bejeesus out of you for five days to even get your attention, and this is all we get?

What is he going to do on DOMA, DADT and ENDA? Is the President going to apologize for comparing us to incest and pedophilia last week? Is he going to support us in the next DOMA lawsuit, whose brief is due on the 29th, or he is yet again going to support a bigoted law that he has called "abhorrent," even though he is fully in his power as president to oppose an existing law IF HE CARES ENOUGH TO DO SO.

When you figure that one out, get back to us. Until then, spare us the cute photo opps that give the president an opportunity to stand around a bunch of gay people and show how loved he is by the gays. when everyone is really pissed off at him. This isn't North Korea.

Update 2: The NYT quotes Administration sources who confirm that tomorrow's Presidential doggie treat is indeed a political ploy for damage control:

Mr. Obama will be weighing in for the first time on one of the most delicate social and political issues of the day: whether the government must provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. While he will announce a list of benefits, officials said, they are not expected to include broad health insurance coverage, which could require legislation to achieve. . . .

But administration officials said the timing of the announcement was intended to help contain the growing furor among gay rights groups. Several gay donors withdrew their sponsorship of a Democratic National Committee fund-raising event next week, where Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to speak.

And remember I told you the other day there is no fucking plan? Pam Spaulding says:

The more I think about how this stuff seems slapped together, the more I believe that there was no "plan" for our issues and legislation. But that can't be true, can it? John mulls the same thing.

Honestly, really I don't want to believe that It was all about placating and delay and deny -- and then laying the blame the lack of votes on the Hill for inaction. Harry Reid finally caught on to this asshattery. The question, then, is how could this well-oiled political machine that we saw during the campaign, turn into a crew that is so ham-handed on our issues that they thought tossing out an inflammatory DOMA brief wasn't going to be like dropping an A-bomb on the community?

Given some unnamed source in the administration actually admitted to the NYT that this partner benefit announcement was crafted to stop the benefit from tanking, the WH is clearly off balance and off message. It's amateur hour at our expense.

Reagan, Fallwell, Clinton: Back to the Future?

Found at Joe.My.God. David Mixner discusses Bill Clinton's treacherous turn on DADT, along with clips of Reagan and Falwell mouthing about teh homosekshuls.

Does history repeat itself? You be the judge, guys.

Reason to March on Washington

Sean Strub, longtime activist and founder of Poz Magazine, via David Mixner (emphasis mine):

I had been ambivalent about a march this fall, for many of the reasons that have been eloquently expressed by others on this list over the past couple of weeks. The debate and discussion was important, as it forced us to confront and consider with a clear eye the challenging realities of trying to organize such a large-scale event in a short period of time.

But I contrasted those legitimate concerns and reasons with what I heard from LGBT folks with whom I discussed this in rural northeast PA, what I read on non-leadership listserves or comments on blog posts (overwhelmingly in favor), what I witnessed when Cleve spoke last night and what has stirred in my own heart, which is an exciting and even a bit frightening sense that this may be a moment unlike any other, a moment that will be gone a year or two from now when reelection politics will dictate the administration's every move.

I am now convinced that the time to debate whether to march or not is over. If I had any residual doubt, today's news about the Justice Department's approach to DOMA erased them. The march this fall is not going to be a small affair. It is going to happen and it is going to be significant. . . .

The march will raise our expectations, broaden our vision and inspire hope. That's what every one of the national marches has achieved in the past. But let's also make this march demonstrate our community's shared struggle with those combating racism and poverty and sexism and transphobia and HIV and all those fighting for social justice. Let's let this march teach us all more about the moral authority and political power we gain when coalition-building is our priority rather than our problem.

Let's focus not on the quantity of people in attendance, but the quality of our message. We can show that, to us, "special rights" means that every person is special, that our movement is special because we so broadly embrace the struggles of all who are oppressed and that we are special because without us, the broader society would be bereft of something they so desperately need.

Actually, the time to be marching and demonstrating is now, fellas, while the great betrayal is hot in everyone's mind, and there's real anger to be channeled into effective protests. I'm just saying.