Comments on: Lowenstein: Hate Crimes bill to move in Senate this week

By: Anastasie

Anastasie — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:31:13 +0000

heh! maybe they really ment next wednesday? looks like they are holding out on the crumbs too.

By: Bob Amsel

Bob Amsel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:01:32 +0000

Let’s hope that Al Franken is seated soon in the Senate. We’re going to have to depend upon Congress to do what’s needed regarding repeal of DOMA or DADT, when our hypocritical, lying president lacks the will or the balls. Let’s at least hope Obama doesn’t veto any progressive pro-gay rights legislation passed by Congress. (I supported Obama rather than Hillary in the presidential election due to Bill’s rotten performance regarding gays. Oops! I think I goofed.)

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:18:06 +0000

Hey everyone, quit yer bitchin’… we were privileged to go to the Easter Egg Roll at the White House and now we have the Hate Crimes Bill!!!! Yeeeeehaaaa. ( a la Howard Dean in Iowa)
Terrific. Now when someone shoots me in the head or rapes me for 3 days because I have a rainbow sticker on my car – someone will do extra time in jail.
Nevermind the fact that my partner will not have any legal recourse because No Nuts in the White House is against marriage equality. Not only is he not lifting a finger – he is continuing with the evil words of the fundamentalists that we have fought against for years.

By: charley

charley — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:16:02 +0000

I guess we need to be grateful for whatever crumb we get from this administration. By attaching this as an amendment Obama can avoid a Rose Garden signing ceremony that he might actually have to invite LGBT people to.

By: Joel Deacon

Joel Deacon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:13:28 +0000

We probably wouldn’t need a Hate Crimes Bill, if the hateful right wing Christians were forced to recognize the separation of Church and State from birth. It sounds to simple, however as long as they think that in God we Trust only implies their God, which is a revengeful, hateful God, that has no pity and takes his orders from the pastors that translate his teachings to suit their own needs

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:54:34 +0000

I completely agree with Lowenstein. Keep up the pressure on the White House, and make him hear our voices of the people he continue to hurt with his reluctance and silence to our issues.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:44:34 +0000

This is a little more information than we’ve been given before, and it shows something important: Obama isn’t quaking, but he knows he has to do something – and it’s because of the pressure we and our allies have put on him, the anger and frustration and passion that we’ve expressed.

Obama wants to pass his gay rights agenda with little fanfare so as not to alienate the old-style evangelicals, who are a slightly larger group than we are. That’s why lower-ranking officials delivered both of his recent statements on LGBT rights: so the media will be less likely to report it.

I think we should continue the same agitation that provoked this official to issue a tentative sequence of events. But I agree with Rick B that we’ve got to do better. We’ve got to force Obama’s hand – and the hands of Congressional Democrats, along with others in Congress who might support us.

By: Krindle

Krindle — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:27:50 +0000

This is FANTASTIC. I hope it passes this week. This passing will not make the democrates complacent about gay rights. In fact the opposite, I think this will fire up advocates to push for more. I will most definetely be celebrating.

I just hope obama signs it quickly if its passes by the senate this week.

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:46:54 +0000

John,

I’m with you. Hillary Clinton has done more for gay rights just using her authority in the State Department. It is so unbelievable how Obama was presented as the 2nd coming of Christ and people actually bought it!!

Of course, there was no way in hell we could have allowed Sarah Palin anywhere near the presidency. Obama and the Democratic Party know this and are taking advantage of the gay community at every turn. We need a nationally coordinated strategy to force the party to respond to us. Perhaps we need to make Obama a one-term president by staying at home in 2012. I actually would prefer a Republican who is upfront about his/her opposition to me as opposed to a Democrat who lies to me and stabs me in the back.

By: Rick B

Rick B — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:42:23 +0000

Shortly after the election, Obama made several references to activists regarding Civil Rights. Primarily, what he said was that he wants to support us, but there are other things which must take his attention first (aka the economy and our two wars). His message was that he wanted activists to force the governments hands by organizing. Without that, it would not be to his or our political advantage to force congressional votes. We have not organized to the level of forcing congress to act. When we have done so, then I will start to criticize the Obama administration for a lack of support. But not until then.