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Loading ...Obama calls for civility at National Prayer Breakfast
02.04.2010 11:05am EST
(Washington) President Barack Obama said Thursday he prays lawmakers can restore a “spirit of civility” to the nation’s capital.
Speaking at the annual National Prayer breakfast, Obama said divisions in Washington are nothing new, but “there is a sense that something is different now, that something is broken, that those of us in Washington aren’t serving people as well as we should.”Obama said America’s leaders are quick to unite in times of crisis, such as last month’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. But when it comes to long-term problems, he said, lawmakers can become absorbed by ideology and power contests.
He urged leaders to be empowered by faith to bridge divisions and unite around common goals.
“You can question my policies without questioning my faith. Or my citizenship,” Obama said, referring to critics who have questioned whether he was born in the United States.
Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow also participated at the yearly breakfast, which has been held in Washington for more than 50 years. Every president since Dwight Eisenhower has participated.
This year’s event drew controversy when an ethics group asked the president to boycott the breakfast over objections to the sponsor, The Fellowship Foundation. In a letter to Obama and congressional leaders, the watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington said The Fellowship Foundation has “been cultivating an unorthodox brand of Christianity amongst the political, military and economic elite of America.” The group says the foundation is also linked to efforts to pass strict anti-gay laws in Uganda.
Obama addressed the Uganda issue briefly, saying, “We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are — whether it’s here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.”
“Civility is not in the vocabulary of those blood-thirsty anti-GLBT Ugandan fascists.
Soooooooooo easy for them to TALK about Human Rights issues in Uganda…..yet millions/billions of our TAX DOLLARS (including GAY TAX DOLLARS) have already gone to this Uganda the New Christian Holy Land………….SHAME AMERICA!
P.S God Bless all the gay men and women in the United States Armed Forces.
How does one “civilly” support Murder? How does one Civilly refer to another as a Pervert, child molester, sinner, or any of the other anti-gay buzzwords?
All those on the far right need a good history lesson of what harm has been done in the name of “god” throughout history. All the wars of religon in Europe would be good start. And just why did the founding fathers want separation of Church and State?
Tom in Long Beach
[i]The group says the foundation is also linked to efforts to pass strict anti-gay laws in Uganda.[/i]
What a gutless way to say The Fellowship Foundation is promoting a program of religious intolerance, terror and murder against gays in the Third World through its “Faith Based” Initiative, American tax-payer backed program of Jesus and genocide.
The Fellowship Foundation is promoting a program of Dominionist takeover of the American government to make us a nation “Under Gods Law”…meaning their interpretation of it of course.
There’s nothing more dangerous in politics than someone who claims to know the mind of God.
Why do progressive politicians always feel the need to pander to the religious right as they try to prove they are friendly to Christianity? There are many progressive Christian churches and other religious groups who practice authentic Christianity rather than the kind of extremism pursued by groups such as The Fellowship Foundation (aka: The Family).
You know, I’m going to get flamed for this, but I really don’t care. To all the people crying out that we should cut funding from Uganda. . . . Shut Up. No really, shut up hard core. Shut up because the people who are helped by the aid to Uganda are not the people trying to pass this odious law. The people who are helped by aid are the people who are oppressed by this government. The aid that helps kids become educated, helps with basic standards of living like clean water and access to medical care is helping the victims of this government.
Unless you are willing to walk up to the gay citizen who will probably soon have to hide who they are twice as much as they already do and repeat the words “Yeah, I’m sorry you’re victimized, and persecuted. That’s terrible. But you know because you’re now more victimized and persecuted I’m just not willing to continue funding your access to antibiotics. But I’m sure you understand. Have a nice day.”
And for the record, the have a nice day isn’t optional.
“because the people who are helped by the aid to Uganda are not the people trying to pass this odious law. ”
No, Victor – you’re “right” – they are the PEOPLE WHO ELECTED SAID OFFICIALS INTO OFFICE!!!
Which I suppose – in your worldview – makes them ‘innocent’. In the same way the Germans who voted Hitler into power were ‘innocent’.
Victor, No, civilized countries should stop ALL aid to Uganda until they drop all talk of persecuting minorities, including gays. The countries that had been providing aid should also let the population know WHY the aid had been withdrawn and what needs to be done to reinstate the aid. Yeah, it would suck to be them, but it sucks more for gays to be persecuted.
Victor is precisely why politicians in countries like Uganda continue to get away with the genocidal policies they promote. In the first place, very little of the aid we give to Uganda actually goes to ordinary people. It mainly goes to the autocrats and military despots who rule these countries, and who use the aid mainly to enrich themselves and the rest to solidify their political power. We should use aid to rescue the gay people who are people persecuted in places like Uganda, not to prop up the disgusting politicians and pawns of the Christian right who are destroying these countries.
The very fact that politicians want to participate in such a thing, ignoring the doctrine of separation of church and state, is nauseating to say the least.