Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Gay Marriage in Minnesota ???
Several things struck me when I read this article tonight. First, I was surprised to first read it on a "national news" website. I had seen nothing on the local news or on the Startribune website. Then when I read the article was taken aback from the comments by Barb Davis White (who I guess is running for congress in MN 5th district) She was quoted as saying....
“Rosa Parks didn’t move to the front of the bus to support sodomy,”
Just what the hell did she mean by that?
I also think that the proposal by Ryan Winkler of Golden Valley that would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states as legally valid in Minnesota -is a great first step.
“Rosa Parks didn’t move to the front of the bus to support sodomy,”
Just what the hell did she mean by that?
I also think that the proposal by Ryan Winkler of Golden Valley that would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states as legally valid in Minnesota -is a great first step.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Where are the Democrats??
So, Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Bush's Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Bush's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen. But yet we can not hear from the Democrats on how/when we are going to reapeal this ....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Fuck the Political Risk...
Can we just do something because it is the RIGHT THING TO Do and not have to be worried about fucking political risk? We need to just Repeal DADT NOW and move on. Hell even Dick Cheney is in favor for god sake!
The liberal think tank argued that repealing the "don’t ask, don’t tell policy" would not divide the country politically the way it did during the mid-1990s. “It’s not a polarizing issue,” said Stan Greenberg, the chairman and CEO of the polling firm Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research, which conducted the poll for CAP.
The study of likely voters found that 68 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Republican support overturning the ban. Plus 56 percent of voters in the most contested Senate and House races back a change.
By a 2-to-1 margin, voters said that in a time of war it was important to include every possible person in the military, whether or not they are gay. In contrast, fewer voters expressed support for holding back a change because it might affect morale. “Voters do think this is a national security issue and think that the military will be stronger” by including gays, Greenberg said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33092.html#ixzz0fr12z04L
The liberal think tank argued that repealing the "don’t ask, don’t tell policy" would not divide the country politically the way it did during the mid-1990s. “It’s not a polarizing issue,” said Stan Greenberg, the chairman and CEO of the polling firm Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research, which conducted the poll for CAP.
The study of likely voters found that 68 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Republican support overturning the ban. Plus 56 percent of voters in the most contested Senate and House races back a change.
By a 2-to-1 margin, voters said that in a time of war it was important to include every possible person in the military, whether or not they are gay. In contrast, fewer voters expressed support for holding back a change because it might affect morale. “Voters do think this is a national security issue and think that the military will be stronger” by including gays, Greenberg said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33092.html#ixzz0fr12z04L
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A straight 23 year
I have posted many times about DADT as well as how I feel about HRC (Human Rights Campaign) I have also expressed my frustration with Obama and Congress. Several blogs are encouraging people to contact HRC and tell them to put pressure on Obama to end DADT THIS YEAR. On on of the blogs (americablog gay) a 23 year old Straight soon to be military member posted a comment. It is so good I am posting his entire comment.
This is a great campaign you guys are running here. For what it's worth, here's the message I sent to HRC (I never get involved in these sorts of campaigns, but DADT really just pisses me off more than anything else.):
I am a 23 year old straight man. I have enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and this May I will begin my four years of active duty service. When I enlisted, I was extremely proud to stand at attention in front of a flag and a commissioned officer and swear an oath to defend the nation. But before I did that, I was forced to sign some paperwork saying essentially "We won't ask you if you're a homosexual, but if we find out that you are or if you engage in homosexual activity, we'll kick you out because that stuff is gross." It was one of the more disgusting, degrading, ignorant, backwards, and insulting statements I've ever had to sign my name to, and I'm not even gay!
Now I realize that I'm probably preaching to the choir on this issue, but you guys are supposed to be the biggest and most powerful groups supporting the rights of gays and lesbians, and it seems to me that you haven't done much to really try to change it. I know that Congress will have to pass DADT repeal since that has been codified into law, and I know that Congressional Democrats in both houses will not move on the issue unless they know that the president wants them to move aggressively. And I know that the president doesn't want to upset the Pentagon, which is admirable, but I also know that every single person in the Pentagon has "President of the United States - The Honorable Barack Obama" at the very tip-top of their chain of command. So it seems to me that President Obama is the most important in the entire nation when it comes to setting policy for the military, and that includes the repeal or continuation of DADT. And unless he receives pressure from advocacy groups, he ain't gonna stick his neck out for you guys.
As I said, I'm not gay. If my sexual orientation gets outed, I am in absolutely no danger of a discharge. I can continue to serve, whether or not everyone knows what gender gets my rocks off. I have that luxury. Gays and lesbians don't, and that is an embarrassment. There is a clear path to fixing that. We have the Commander in Chief we need. We have the Congress we need. We have the military leaders we need. We have the public opinion we need. The wind is at our backs, and the time is now. It is time for you to stand up and demand action from the president who owes his presidency to groups like yours. It's a singular moment where all the factors are aligned, and your leadership is acutely missed.
This is a great campaign you guys are running here. For what it's worth, here's the message I sent to HRC (I never get involved in these sorts of campaigns, but DADT really just pisses me off more than anything else.):
I am a 23 year old straight man. I have enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and this May I will begin my four years of active duty service. When I enlisted, I was extremely proud to stand at attention in front of a flag and a commissioned officer and swear an oath to defend the nation. But before I did that, I was forced to sign some paperwork saying essentially "We won't ask you if you're a homosexual, but if we find out that you are or if you engage in homosexual activity, we'll kick you out because that stuff is gross." It was one of the more disgusting, degrading, ignorant, backwards, and insulting statements I've ever had to sign my name to, and I'm not even gay!
Now I realize that I'm probably preaching to the choir on this issue, but you guys are supposed to be the biggest and most powerful groups supporting the rights of gays and lesbians, and it seems to me that you haven't done much to really try to change it. I know that Congress will have to pass DADT repeal since that has been codified into law, and I know that Congressional Democrats in both houses will not move on the issue unless they know that the president wants them to move aggressively. And I know that the president doesn't want to upset the Pentagon, which is admirable, but I also know that every single person in the Pentagon has "President of the United States - The Honorable Barack Obama" at the very tip-top of their chain of command. So it seems to me that President Obama is the most important in the entire nation when it comes to setting policy for the military, and that includes the repeal or continuation of DADT. And unless he receives pressure from advocacy groups, he ain't gonna stick his neck out for you guys.
As I said, I'm not gay. If my sexual orientation gets outed, I am in absolutely no danger of a discharge. I can continue to serve, whether or not everyone knows what gender gets my rocks off. I have that luxury. Gays and lesbians don't, and that is an embarrassment. There is a clear path to fixing that. We have the Commander in Chief we need. We have the Congress we need. We have the military leaders we need. We have the public opinion we need. The wind is at our backs, and the time is now. It is time for you to stand up and demand action from the president who owes his presidency to groups like yours. It's a singular moment where all the factors are aligned, and your leadership is acutely missed.
Overworked??!
I have not really posted much here about what I do for work. I am an Criminal Defense Investigator and work for the Public Defender's Office. Today the
Legislative Auditor came out with a report about the Public Defender System in Minnesota. Among other things they found...
"Those we interviewed and surveyed agreed that public defenders were, on the whole, excellent criminal defense attorneys,'' the evaluation said. "However, stakeholders also reported that workloads were having a noticeable impact on public defenders' ability to adequately and ethically represent their clients.''
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1419503.shtml?cat=1
the entire report here..
http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/PED/2010/pubdef.htm
I will have more on this topic later.
Legislative Auditor came out with a report about the Public Defender System in Minnesota. Among other things they found...
"Those we interviewed and surveyed agreed that public defenders were, on the whole, excellent criminal defense attorneys,'' the evaluation said. "However, stakeholders also reported that workloads were having a noticeable impact on public defenders' ability to adequately and ethically represent their clients.''
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1419503.shtml?cat=1
the entire report here..
http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/PED/2010/pubdef.htm
I will have more on this topic later.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
And people wonder why the "older generation" views gays the way the do..
This is a good article and an AMAZING video. Of course I was not around in 1967 when the program aired on 60 minutes but it is scary to think that a program like this would air on network tv. I would also guess that many people trusted 60 minutes. For some of that generation this might be where some of there views on 'gays' came from.
I really think you owe it to yourself to find the 45 min or so and watch the video It might help to understand why some have the view of gays that they do.
I really think you owe it to yourself to find the 45 min or so and watch the video It might help to understand why some have the view of gays that they do.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Again Iowa Voters understand....
It seems the people of Iowa feel like there are more important things then to try to now take away the rights of same sex couples to get married.
More than 60 percent of Iowans surveyed in the latest Des Moines Register Iowa Poll say lawmakers have more important things to worry about than same-sex marriage.
The poll, with a margin of error of 3.5 percent, found Iowans are more interested in a ban on text messaging while driving than on overturning the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision last April legalizing gay marriage.
More than 60 percent of Iowans surveyed in the latest Des Moines Register Iowa Poll say lawmakers have more important things to worry about than same-sex marriage.
The poll, with a margin of error of 3.5 percent, found Iowans are more interested in a ban on text messaging while driving than on overturning the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision last April legalizing gay marriage.
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