Queer Musings

Time to Privatize Police, Fire and Schools

I've decided I'm going to embrace the right wing conservative view that health care should only be available to the people that can afford it. I'm only going to embrace this view if the right wing will meet my one simple request.

It's such a small thing really. I just think we should totally embrace the conservative argument that socialized medicine would be bad for the country. However, is doing so we should realize that socialized police protection and socialized fire protection are evil and must be privatized immediately. Also socialized public schools are work of Satan and must be abolished forthwith.

When someone's home gets broken into they should only be able to contact the police if they have the proper insurance, or can pay out of pocket to have the police investigate. Imagine the price of a speeding ticket now. Not only will one have to pay the fine for speeding, they'll have to pay for the police officers time in pulling them over. We will probably need to estimate how much gas was used from the time the officer pulled up behind someone, and they actually pulled over. Probably need to think about the cost of administrative fees to have the ticket processed through the traffic court system.

Is your house on fire? Hmmm, hope you remembered to pay your fire protection premium this month. I would hate for you to call the fire department and have them tell you "sorry you don't have the right coverage for us to come put the fire out for you."

Are your children currently enrolled in public school? Well I hope you make enough money to afford yearly tuition. There really is no economical sense in sending poverty stricken children to a school free of charge. Odds are the child will grow up to be a poverty stricken adult. They don't really need to know too much to flip our McBurgers for us. Anything they need to learn, they can learn on the job.

Now that I've gotten those ridiculous requests out of the way, I hope anyone reading this will take the time to stop and think about everything in their community that is socialized. Our tax money go to the government so they can pay for such things as police, fire and schools. Do you have any parks and community centers in your neighborhood? If so please add them to the list of things that are socialized.

My point is simply this, we've already embraced a system that could be considered socialism for many things. Why should we be so afraid of a government run health care system? Most seniors I know are happy with Medicare. That's a health care system set up and ran by the government.

Health care in this country is such a mess at this point, it's past time that we've taken a look at the system and overhauled it. If we don't overhaul the mess we've gotten ourselves into, then I'm deadly serious. I want my above requests to be considered by the right wing and the Blue Dog Democrats that are doing everything they can to stall, delay, and flat out put an end to health care reform. If health care is only for the rich and powerful that can afford it, then the same should be true of our police, fire and school services.

City Council Hopeful Won't Serve "Little Faggots"

Having lived in Oklahoma City I know that this level of bigotry is not normal for that city. For Enid, OK which is a smaller city about an hour north of Oklahoma City, well I'm surprised there wasn't use of a certain N word along with the word faggot.

As a community we need to make politicians of every level aware that such bigotry will not be tolerated. Just as using a racial slur can be the end of a political career, the same should be true of using sexual slurs like faggot.

Also, in my opinion if you use words like faggot and admit that you're going to deny service to people that make you uncomfortable, that makes you a homophobe.

via: [Joe. My. God.]

Supporting Gays Often Lead to Reelection

Sure the 2008 election season is over, but it's never too early to start thinking about the next election. In doing so it can help you decide what choices you make while currently in office.

One thing the newly elected Obama might want to keep in mind is that by supporting the GLBT community it may lead to his reelection in 2012. At least that is the conclusion one could draw from a study done by marriage equality group Freedom to Marry.

The study looked at election results from 21 states dating back to 2005. What Freedom to Marry found was that often politicians that had been supportive of gay marriage and worked to defeat anti-gay initiatives were often voted back into office.

What should President-Elect Obama take from this?

Firstly he should see this as an opportunity to fully support the GLBT community. He shouldn't look at that support as a possible albatross around his neck come 2012.

How can President-Elect Obama support the GLBT community?

Well to start maybe he can once again support gay marriage. Maybe he will follow through on his commitment to allow GLBT citizens to join the military and serve openly. Maybe he will pressure Congress to pass an all encompassing Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Finally, maybe this can mean that us in the GLBT community can truely hope that we have a President that understand we don't want special rights. That we only want the same rights available to every heterosexual, person of color, and persons of differing religions.

The Short Answer on Don't Ask, Don't Tell

According the incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs the short answer is yes when asked if the new administration will get rid of "don't ask, don't tell." I probably being overly cynical about this, but I will believe it when I see it.

Quest Post: Protest In Chicago

Hi there!  It's dickie I'm Just Gaying... filling for David with a guest post concerning the protest against James Dobson held in Chicago last night.  I hope you enjoy and I hope you go get involved as well.  Oh, and be sure to swing by I'm Just Gaying... sometime!

 In a post from my old blog, I talked about attending rallies and protests. At the time, I held a belief that people that attended protests often could care less about the protest itself. They either wanted to push their own agenda (which was hardly ever the same as the topic of the protest) or they simply enjoyed protesting. It was with that same mentality that I went to the protest against James Dobson's induction into the Broadcasting Hall Of Fame in downtown Chicago last night, and I'm pleased to say that the protest was nothing like I expected.

One thing I knew going into the protest was that people were mad. Us members of the LGBT community have suffered terrible blows recently with the passage of anti-gay measures in California, Arizona, Florida and Arkansas this past Tuesday. In some states we were denied our rights to marriage and in others we were denied our rights to adoption children were denied their rights to a good home.  What made this different is that we as a community finally made some advancements in California only to have the Crazy Christians sweep in and steal it away.

What I found at the protest was actually different then what I expected to find though.  While there was a definitive sense of anger and outrage, there was an even greater sense of community and purpose.  In between chants, people were smiling and talking.  Some of the younger people in the crowd were dancing and making their own songs.  You could literally see people bonding and forming new friendships right in the masses.  Most importantly, everyone was there for the same reason: To protest the man behind Focus On The Family and their direct involvement in the passing of Proposition 8 in California.

Even in the bustle of downtown Chicago, the protest could be heard a block and a half away.  Huge banners proclaiming "Equality Now" were attracting everyone's eyes to the scene.  I arrived in time to hear Bob Schwartz of the Gay Liberation Network (they organized the event) speak and rally the troops.  Shortly after, we began our march.  The crowd moved at a steady pace, going a block south and a block west around the building chanting the whole way.  I took a few moments to stand on a fixture just to get some perspective on the whole event, and I have to say it was a powerful message.

Here was a mass of LGBT people marching an chanting in unison, demanding equal rights and calling for an end to honoring bigotry in the media.  Here was a horde of people that were angry, but instead of causing harm to anyone, we turned it around and made it positive, affirming and fun.  Here was a group of people that would not and will not back down. 

And that is what these bigots need to fear the most.  We won't back down.  We will get our rights.  And they will be shown for the haters they are. 

Be sure to check out my web album for pictures of the event.  Below is a You Tube video about the only person that was arrested at the event.  I'll let the video speak for itself.  Overall, I have to that this was one of the best experiences I've had, and it's one of the most important experiences as well.  It excites me that this is just the beginning, and I look forward to fighting the fight for equality.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.  You can check out the original post if you'd like.  Now back to your regularly scheduled blogger.

State Legislator Comes Out

State Rep. Jason Bartlett of Connecticut has decided to come out. By doing so this makes him the first African American state legislator to do so.

"I've always considered my life private," he said. "But at the same time we are also living in a digital age and I'm in the public eye. People are always interested in you and your family."

I think he hit the nail right on the head with that statement. We now live in an age where truth, rumor, and out right lies can make from one coast to the other in a matter of minutes. For that simple reason, I feel that it is important to GLBT politicians to have the courage to be open about their sexuality. One less Larry Craig is a good thing for Connecticut and the country.

NBJC also asked which he identifies with more heavily: African American, gay or both equally.

"I do not give weigh more heavily to one aspect of my being than another.  We are all complex composites of many different things.  I have been politically more active on issues that affect the African American community and volunteered my time to support a number of black candidates for office. 

"Going forward, I will give voice to issues that affect either constituency.  What folks have to realize is that as an African American I represent a district that is 96% white."

I applaud Rep. Bartlett for this bold step, and hope that his constituency supports him.

Cross Dressing Judge Busted for DUI

Federal bankruptcy judge, Robert Somma, was recently arrested for driving under the influence. He was allegedly wearing a cocktail dress, fishnet stockings, heels, and carrying a purse.

After years of private practice, Jude Somma was appointed to his federal position in December 2004 by Bush.

On the bright side for Bush, this wasn't a foot tapping, hand waving bathroom incident. Of course I think in the interest of public safety that would have been better in the long run. Especially since he reportedly crashed his car into the rear of stopped car.

He told police he drank two gin and tonics at a Manchester bar. He said he came to New Hampshire because his wife was out of town and nobody knew him in the city, the paper reported.

I would guess that his wife knew nothing about his desire to cross dress. I feel bad for her.

Judge Somma has since resigned effective April 1.

Sen. Larry Craig Still Trying to Clear Name

The saga of Sen. Craig continues. He is trying a new legal argument as to why he is not guilty of disorderly conduct in the Minnesota airport sex sting. It all hinges on one little letter.

Minnesota's disorderly conduct law "requires that the conduct at issue have a tendency to alarm or anger 'others.'"

Craig's lawyers are now arguing that only one person could have been alarmed or angered. Therefore, his conviction doesn't pass the multiple victims test since the law was written in the plural not the singular.

All this over one little s.

Some Texan Votes Counted More Than Once

I really don't know how we can expect to provide Iraq with a lasting democracy. We can't even have the right number of votes counted here in Texas.

Technorati Tags: E-Voting, Election 2006, Midterm Election

Future Speaker of the House

Since it is pretty clear that the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, I thought I would try to find out more about the future Speaker of the House Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

The first thing I can find that I agree with her is Iraq.

This is a war that each passing day confirms what I have said before and I will say again. This war in Iraq is a grotesque mistake; it is not making America safer, and the American people know it.

From day one, I was against the thought of a preemptive strike against Iraq. There was no definite proof that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Also as we have found out contrary to Bush's statements, Saddam didn't want Al-Qaeda in his country. Rep. Pelosi is in favor of finding a way to redeploy our troops out of Iraq.

When it comes to Homeland Security...

Our most pressing goals - eliminating the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction - will not be achieved by any one President or one session of Congress. This effort will require extraordinary vigilance and continuity.

The first step she and other Dems can take once the new session of Congress starts, is take another look at the 9/11 Commission Report. The Republicans have not enacted any of the recommendations made by the commission. We need better control of our borders, ports, and airports. The 9/11 Commission had recommendations for all three and I hope she takes a good hard look at them.

Rep. Pelosi and other Democrats want to raise minimum wages for American workers. As someone who has worked many years making not much more than minimum wage, I can whole heartedly support such a move. Financially I'm in much better shape now, but it wasn't all that long ago, I only made about $12.00 an hour. If it hadn't been for roommates, I would of had a hard time waiting for my snap to max pay with my company.

I would like to congratulate the Dems if winning back control of the House of Representatives. When it is time to to vote for the Speaker of the House next year, I hope the Rep. Pelosi wins. From what I've seen she is an outspoken openent of Bush, and will work to to make serious changes for our country.

Technorati Tags: Nancy Pelosi