VA Senate Approves Protection for Gay State Workers

On a near party line vote, Virginia’s state Senate passed a measure today that would protect gay and lesbian state workers from discrimination.

Suffolk Republican Fred Quayle broke ranks with the GOP and joined the 22 Democrats in the chamber in supporting the bill.

If passed into law, the measure would define a state non-discrimination employment policy that includes the category of “sexual orientation” along with race, religion, gender and disabilities, among other classifications.

Several past governors have signed executive orders establishing that as a state policy; former Govs. Timothy M. Kaine and Mark Warner included the sexual orientation clause in their orders.

More at: Hampton Roads!

The Real Fear of Granting Equality

As with every other LGBT equality issue, there seems to be a lot of black, a lot of white, and no gray.  Basically because we’re talking about equality, civil rights, and well…equality, and when it comes to equality, there really isn’t any gray area.  Either you’re a tax-paying American citizen granted all equal rights according to law or you’re a LGBT tax-paying second class American citizen without all the rights granted, and taken for granted by “straight” Americans.

When it comes down to the debate over whether all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, should be equal, or if some should legally be discriminated against, there’s not a lot of gray area there either.  Some are very open with their chosen religious ideologies that LGBT citizens don’t deserve equality because God hates them and others follow the thought a person’s religious beliefs shouldn’t dictate who is a first or second class citizen…even though Christians have discriminated against Blacks, Hispanics, Jews and every other “minority” group in the US, at some point in history.

There also seems to be a very distinct dividing line between Republican and Democrat when it comes to beliefs about equality.  Most Republicans, (with the exception of the McCain ladies of course) want the theological influence of the religious right to dictate laws and equality and Democrats generally believe people are people…and we’re all human.

So, comes the troubled debate of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  Now many in the LGBT community have thrown harsh criticisms towards President Obama, starting almost immediately after he took office merely a year ago, for not repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell immediately, and thus somehow not living up to his campaign promises.  One small omission in their criticism however, he never gave a time-line for the repeal and he never said it would be easy. What they don’t seem to understand is the amount of resistance coming from the Republicans.

So here come the Anti-Gay Republicans…STOP…WAIT…we can’t let gays serve openly in the military…especially while we’re in the middle of two wars (spurred on by what…a Republican)!

According to a post on WDSU:

President Barack Obama has called for a repeal of the policy, a move that require congressional action. If he succeeds, it would mark the biggest shake up to military personnel policies since President Harry S. Truman’s 1948 executive order integrating the services.”

No matter how I look at the issue,” Mullen said, “I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” Noting that he was speaking for himself and not for the other service chiefs, Mullen added: “For me, it comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”

Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on the panel, publicly bristled at the Pentagon’s decision to the study, saying he is “deeply disappointed” and calling the assessment “clearly biased” because it presumes the law should be changed.”Has this policy been ideal? No, it has not,” McCain said. “But it has been effective.”Several other Republicans sided with McCain, warning Mullen and Gates not to pursue a change at a time when the United States is fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and facing a continuing threat of terrorism. Democrats said they would back a change in policy.

Now, I want to ask…why the great resistance? What does this really mean? Well, you’ve got the anti-gay Republicans who obvious think that somehow allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military will weaken our military. Then we have the Democrats who simply don’t buy into it.

Here’s where the gray area starts to seep in however. Is this really a concern over a weakened military? I don’t think so. What’s really a stake here? Equality. Republicans, as ignorant as they can appear, are not stupid. They understand the effect of allowing gays to serve openly in the military, and no I’m not talking about bad effects on the military. They are aware that if the law is appealed, and gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly, there will be no negative impacts. They understand their greatest ammunition (pun intended) against the LGBT community is the unknown. They also understand those fears of the unknown is the only thing keeping their party alive and well. They have based nearly their entire platform on fighting against GLBT equality. Once the military is free of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and our military becomes stronger than ever, they will again lose credibility in their discrimination. Just as allowing GLBT couples to marry won’t be detrimental to, but rather strengthen the institution of marriage, the only thing they have on their side right now is speculation and the unknown. Once that’s gone, their whole Republican anti-gay platform, or basically their whole platform will be gone. The only thing equality will be detrimental to is the Republican party. Knowing the effect of gay marriage and ending don’t ask don’t tell will only prove their bigotry and homophobia for what it is…wrong!

Why do Republicans resist equality? It’s all they have to hold onto!

Indiana Senate OK’s Gay Marriage Ban

From: WIBC:

A Senate committee has reignited the debate over gay marriage, endorsing a constitutional amendment to ban the practice.

State law already prohibits same-sex marriage, but supporters of the amendment make the same argument as proponents of the property tax circuit-breaker amendment approved earlier this week: without being enshrined in the constitution, the courts could end up overturning the law.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-4 along party lines to recommend the amendment to the full Senate, which could vote on it next week.

The House and Senate approved a similar amendment in 2006. But the amendment stalled on its required second trip through the legislature in 2007, when a House committee deadlocked on the proposal. The amendment has not received a hearing in the House since.

Two versions of the amendment have been filed this year in the House, including one co-sponsored by Democratic Reps. Steven Stemler of Jeffersonville and Ron Herrell of Kokomo. There’s been no indication the resolution will receive a hearing.

Republicans on the panel remained silent throughout the two-hour hearing before voiting for the amendment. Democrats challenged witnesses to distinguish the ban from laws once on the books in Indiana and other states against interracial marriage.

According to one source:

“Indiana State Senator Greg Taylor (D)–unlike the Republican majority, battled against enshrining discrimination in the state’s constitution.”

Martha Coakley’s Big Entitlement Failure

Contributed by Lyndon Evans:

Rachel Maddow was saying the Associated Press had called the Senate election in Massachusetts for Brown as the winner.

The unthinkable and horror to many, mostly outside the Bay State and within the boundaries of DC, had happened, much beloved Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat had gone to, hand out the aspirin and the Pepto, a Republican.

I’ll let other journalists, talking heads and pundits on both sides go through the numbers and dissection of what happened and the multitude of reasons why, I’m just going to focus on one theme. Entitlement.

Long before there was the term political junkie and having covered politics locally here in Danbury, CT, I have often watched elections in different parts of the US, local, state and national of course and often shook my head at what I saw long before the ballots were cast.

The only difference between Chris Matthews and myself is, a) he has a show on MSNBC and b) he speaks more eloquently on politics, whereas I speak like anyone down at the neighborhood diner.

So here’s the blue plate special.

What the Hell was this woman thinking !?!

Going on a Caribbean vacation when the biggest slice of pie in her political career was up for grabs. Not getting out and shaking hands, kissing babies, taking rides on fire trucks and doing everything up to and including helping Santa Claus deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

I was struck by one interview on one of the networks with a longtime Kennedy voter and faithful Democrat who said, to paraphrase, “I can’t stand her. She has not gone out to meet the people and feels she will win just because she’s a Democrat”. The man by the way said he would vote for Brown, a Republican.

My God, Ted must be spinning in his grave and Cloakley better start checking her closet each night and under the bed for the Ghost of Ted. I bet she’ll get a visit every Christmas Eve from now on as Ted takes her through the Christmas’ of Politics past, present, future and what should have been.

Yes I’ve seen some, well I can’t say it here so I’ll clean it up, head up the boo-de-ay campaigns and races, but this one certainly is at the top of the “WTF Did I Do” heap.

Some will say, and with legitimate argument, that the Obama honeymoon is over, or that folks are afraid of what the proposed health care package for the Nation is going to cost and by adding one more Republican to the Senate will help to keep the Democrats under control with their spending. They can say that and even more.

No boys and girls here’s why Cloakley lost. Because she was entitled to win.

When you run a campaign with the mindset that you are a shoe-in, and don’t take the normal effort of a good politician and get out among the people, show who you are and what you stand for and against, you are destined to fail. How many times have we seen that happen in baseball at the World Series or in football at the Super Bowl.

You as a politician are entitled to nothing, you earn your constituents votes. You are not handed a blank check with a signature. You don’t automatically get the keys to the Emerald City. As they use to say in the old Smith-Barney commercials, “You Earn It”.

I just hope Attorney General Richard Blumenthal here in Connecticut who will be running for retiring Senator Chris Dodd’s seat has been taking lots of notes on how not to run a campaign of entitlement.

If politicians were entitled to their positions, we would be living in a Monarchy …. or worse.

More from Lyndon Evans at: Focus On The Rainbow!

Congressman John Lewis On MLK Jr Day

Courtesy of Democrats.org:

Today our nation will commemorate the life and work of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Over 40 years ago, Dr. King’s words inspired Rep. John Lewis to join the civil rights movement — and sparked an amazing journey.

This year, Rep. Lewis has recorded a short message about what Martin Luther King Day means to him — and to all Americans.

Watch Rep Lewis’s message and share it with friends and family.

• You can learn more about Congressman Lewis and his support of the LGBT community by clicking here!

You can also watch the famous “I Have a Dream” speech below.

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