As I said before, I have no doubt that our priority to him, and to a Democratic-controlled Congress, would rate somewhere far below that of protecting the Black-footed Ferret and passing a resolution to honor National Cabbage Day. If we don’t get a pro-labor, pro-civil rights third party firmly entrenched, in at least 10% of the seats in Congress, then the two party power structure will continue to cooperate in at least two things: (1) favor the current status quo, job-destroying, financial Darwinism of Wall Street, while (2) concurrently doing their best bit of “across the aisle cooperation” by resolutely ignoring the GLBT Community into complete irrelevancy.

So, I thank all of you who understand that by our not demanding our rights from those we have put into office — we gain nothing. By eagerly settling for insulting proposals of social apartheid and segregationist legislative “final solutions” to our disenfranchisement — we deserve the contempt we receive . I wish more people would understand that we are not traitors to our own kind, committing political “homo“-cide against the “Gay race“, just because we point out the dangerous hypocrisy of those who claim to be our “friends”. The “go along to get along” Uncle Tomishness, of what embarrassingly passes as leadership in our community, has just made enablers of us all. Don’t we get the kind of leadership we deserve, if we do not demand better?

I implore people not to send more money to HRC if they continue to just wine and dine greedy, power-hungry politicians who could care less about our rights. Just ask yourself this: when the day comes that we finally achieve our full civil rights in this hateful country, who will need the Democrats to advocate for GLBT causes? Don’t you think the DNC realizes that fear every time they hit us up for the tens of millions of dollars we splurge on their campaigns in return for half-hearted promises they have no intention of keeping?

For all the many years of our financial support and with our loyal vote, can you name one major piece of legislation, or even a small one; any pro-GLBT civil rights bill that has ever been passed when the Democrats were in power for the majority of the last fifty years? We got DADT and DOMA instead (under a Democratic President, I might add) which could not have passed without the consent of the Democrats and the full collaboration of the leadership of the Democratic party with the Republicans.

Too many Democratic politicians fear that if we get what we want, then we wont need them anymore. Our complete egalitarian assimilation into this society would spell doom for many who have exploited the GLBT community for so very long. It is not in their best interest to end our dependency on the Democratic Party. They fear that; I smell it on them. We are useful (and reliable) fools with the cash and the votes they need — especially in a close election.

I agree with you “Simon Jones”, and with so many of you in the GLBT community at large who have seen through the Democrats’ cynical ploy. If only we truly had stronger leadership in our community we just might have a stronger, more united community. Where are our role models for the next generation of GLBT youth to emulate?

We really need committed people who could organize peaceful protests, and insist on our uncompromising demand for equality, while convincing the Circus Clowns and the Refugees from Marti Gras to leave their sequined jockstraps and pink fright wigs at home. This rebuke has nothing to do with the legitimate transgender community, which also desires to be taken seriously. It is about self-destructive exhibitionism which degrades us all as a legitimate minority group that is struggling for its freedom. Since when did we become the GLBT and E(xhibitionist) Community?

Perhaps if we would act more determined, and with true pride, about not settling for anything less than being treated with unequivocal respect for our human dignity and for our human rights; then perhaps, just perhaps, more people would believe we deserve our fair share of both.

~ Bud Evans

Finally, more and more gay and lesbian Americans are making their voices heard that Obama is a sell out. I am very left wing and to be honest I would like to vote for Obama. However for that to happen, Obama has to make a principled and clear stand in support marriage equality along gay and lesbian equality in its entirety. Sound bites and pleasant words wont cut it. And when I mean principled and clear stand, it means I want him to enforce the Constitution, even if by force. In the 1950s and 1960s, when schools didn’t desegregate, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson sent the National Guard to enforce the Constitution. By the same token, when state supreme courts make decisions in favor of our rights, we need people in office who will use all available means of enforcing the Constitution and not timidly hide from the Lynch mob. Why should gay and lesbian human rights be treated as any less important than the rights of African Americans or any other group?!?!

I cannot vote for Obama nor any candidate as long as they oppose marriage equality. And any candidate who does support marriage equality will get my vote.

If Obama loses the election, then he has noone but himself to blame. Democrats have been losing elections in droves, because they spend too many time trying to act like Republicans only to alienate their moderate, liberal, progressive and gay bases. We already have a right wing party in America, we don’t need two. And Obama’s black(or caramel) skin should not buy him a White House, people should be smart enough to vote on issues or not at all.

Face it, Obama is out for himself and himself alone.

I hope that McCain doeesn’t start wowing the voting public more than Obame and I am afraid a lot of people are going to think that McCain won this debate and is the more presidential looking of the two.Because I don’t another 4 Bush-like years of downhill for economy and uphill battle for GLBT rights plus pandering to corporation. And with a grossly underqualified Palin in need of muzzling until she “learns her way around and gets training in what McCAin needs her to say and do. The idea that we have a Palin and her meddling husband Todd who just can’t duck out of the picture and has insert himself as someone noone elected to interact with leaderts and to make commentary as though he were running things. Just imagine Palin with little practical foreign policy except maybe her state’s lol level interactions with neighboring Russia of a very likely minor nature not noticeable to those outside Alaska. Alaska was once owned by Russia until it was bought from Russia by the US government in the 19th century.

Back to Palin. The idea of an inexperienced “little girl type” Palin potentially within a heartbeat on a nuclear trigger assisted in her position by her “unelected to the job” husband Todd just makes me very nervous. Palin is a horrible choice for VP.

But I don’t like Obama either, but I voting for him because Biden has long experience in the US Senate and can maybe guide Obama where needed on foreigh policy and defense, arrogant Obama of the thin US senatorial experience and thin foreign policy experience himself needs watching and help but backed up by Biden, I consider Obama less of a liability for our nation than Palin under McCain. I am relieved than Obama’s wife stays in the background unlike Palin’s meddling husband Todd who is always in the same room with his wife whether that be appropriae or not for the situation at hand.

By comparison, McCain seemed less informed than Obama, causing his frequent claims that Obama “doesn’t understand” to fall flat. He seemed rigid, defensive, and sometimes impulsive. Asked how the bailout might affect his plans, he blurted an answer to the effect that he was willing to freeze all spending except for the military, homeland security, and the Department of Defense. This seems downright irrational, given the need to respond to several domestic crises. Moreover, he often attacked Obama without providing evidence to back up his allegations. Finally, McCain did little to distinguish himself from Bush. On the other hand, McCain rarely became noticeably disoriented or fell into a long, confused silence as he has in several interviews and speeches.

Ultimately, I felt Obama bested McCain in this debate on foreign policy, an area that is supposed to be McCain’s main strength. For me, the debate itself makes little difference: I support Obama because of his sweeping support for LGBT rights and his plans to rescue the country from years of sharp decline on virtually every front. Obama’s effectiveness in the debate, however, bodes well for his presidential prospects, and I find that very encouraging.

Cheers,

Bud Clark
San Diego CA USA