Comments on: Neff: Leadership, at last

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:20:05 +0000

Excellent points! The many turnarounds under Obama show that our current president is miles apart from Bush.
It’s a relief to have a president who’s capable, intelligent, and reasonable again after eight years of incredible incompetence and narrow-mindedness.

If by leadership ability you mean the potential to take the lead, I even agree with you on that. Our lateness to sign is, like so much else, something Obama inherited from previous presidents. The signing itself, however, is something that any rational country can and should be expected to do. It’s a return to sanity – and, while I know we must keep fighting, it’s difficult to imagine that Obama’s administration will let discrimination continue here at home now that they’ve opposed it overseas. So, I see the signing as a hopeful indication for LGBT people.

By: Michelle N.

Michelle N. — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:44:09 +0000

I have a problem finding the leadership ability since so many other countries lead the way. Honestly, not only was it long over-due, it was disheartening and embarrassing that we criticized human right issues abroad while we refused to sign the UN Declaration.

By: Trace

Trace — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:16:40 +0000

Oh man, something must be wrong in the Universe. When menstruator and I agree on a topic you know something is up!

By: The menstruator

The menstruator — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:32:53 +0000

Leadership is a teleprompter and a wanna be celebrity acting president? Frankly, Neff, you’ve made me angry this morning. This is an irresponsible piece you’ve written. Why are you so blind to obama’s cult like following? Why are you so… so… flocky?
And here? Telling the gays it’s ok when you know it’s not?

By: The Menstruator

The Menstruator — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:31:06 +0000

If you keep comparing Obama to the worst president we’ve ever had, you’ll keep coming up on top. That’s a good method to kid yourself that this “man” is a good president.
I’m actually horrified how on board you are. Keep drinking the kool aid? You could be completely delusional.

By: Kiarean

Kiarean — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:06:30 +0000

You’ll forgive me if I’m not bowing at Obama’s feet. Personally, I’m with Besen on this one, this is a hollow gesture that took little political currency to do and the declaration is inherently toothless, unless your telling me the UN is preparing to lay sanctions of some kind against anyone who is in violation of this declaration. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s surrounded himself with some worrisome people, and I’m gonna wait for him to do something of actual impact for the GLBT community.

By: TJR

TJR — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:21:24 +0000

Our President is a breath of fresh air from the last eight years. There will always be NAYSAYERS who will shout down anything our president does…if he exhales they will say pollution.

The closing of Gitmo was long overdue and is a stain from left by the last administration.
The funding of International family planning will serve well in the fight against HIV/AIDS around the world.
Stem cell reversal reflects the will of Americans which Bush and his croonies dismissed on “moral grounds”

Keep on going Mr President…let the NAYSAYERS hate on, thats what they are good at.

By: Trace

Trace — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:40:59 +0000

Ahhh Lisa, I’m still laughing.

You see leadership in signing an absolutely meaningless piece of legislation for an absolutely useless organization. Please tell me what this is going to do to the dozens of Islamic countries that kill their gay citizens. Do you really think that it will stop anything? The Obama Drones suck this propaganda up like caviar.

As far as all the great changes:
1) Obama has ordered the closing of Guantanimo – ABC News Reported on Thursday that Eric Holder feels that detainees could be tried and released in the US. Do you really want terrorists released in the US?
2) Why is my tax money going to International Family Planning when we can’t meet the needs in the US?
3)The President lifted the ban on stem cells. Considering that it has wide support for the lifting on both sides, that took no leadership.
4)The order to draw down in Iraq. The actuality is that 50K troops will remain under a different name than combat troops. The troops will be repositioned in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is likely to be as much Obama’s war as Iraq was Bush’s.
5) Lifting the ban on flag draped caskets without consulting the grieving families. Callous. Simply Callous.
6) The endangered species act is one of the worst pieces of legislation ever enacted. The horror stories are rampant in every state.
7) I’ve not seen one Union that has done anything for the employees that actually work.
And making it more difficult to utilize our natural resources makes us more dependent on the Islamic countries that kill gay people.

Yeah Lisa, I know you’re a liberal but this article made my head spin.

By: William

William — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:29:16 +0000

“And by joining, the United States is demonstrating again, after a long absence, its leadership abilities.” – I’m sorry, by being the last developed country to sign this you are somehow leading? I’d love this to be explained to me.

By: drewski

drewski — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:35:33 +0000

As I said in a prior post, yes it’s an improvement, but instead of a net improvement it still feels like it’s less bad behavior. The bad behavior–Prop 8, the California court’s evident reluctance to invalidate 8, Obama’s opposition to gay marriage–is hardly any better than eight years of Bush. There’s only one area I can think of–adoption–where gay Americans have fared as well as or better than gays in other countries, and now that’s under assault in one state after another. So while this is a move forward, it’s not unlike one foot moving forward when you have a firehose trained on you by a redneck sheriff’s deputy. It feels like it moved forward because that’s what the water from the firehose did to you when it hit a wall behind you.