Don’t ask, just do it!

Certain things in life seem obvious to me.  There are so many complicated issues to deal with such as the economy, global warming, the situation in the Mideast, and our porous education system.  It is maddening to me that so much time and money has gone into proving that gay people should be allowed to serve in the military without fear of repercussions. 

This is where Barack Obama comes up short.  This should be the easiest thing he has to do in his administration.  Forget the Republicans, they will oppose him at any turn.  They have proven this unequivocally by failing to back a nuclear arms treaty with Russia.  Enough with the bi-partisanship.  This is about doing the right thing;  it is about proving that we are indeed a nation that does not discriminate based on color, religion, or sexual orientation.

Even allowing that there are a small percentage of servicemen who are homophobes, are we to believe that these people would feel threatened by serving alongside a gay man or woman?  I thought they were supposed to be tough! 

Here’s John McCain:

“I couldn’t disagree more,” Mr. McCain shot back. “We send these young people into combat, we think they’re mature enough to fight and die. I think they’re mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness.” 

Aren’t we lucky this man is not commander in chief? 

First of all, most of them would not object to serving alongside a gay person.  Second of all, it’s not up to the soldiers;  they are there to serve, not to effect policy.  Furthermore, aren’t we more than a little ashamed of this policy?  It’s bad enough that this country has a history of virulent racism.  You would think that we would be anxious to be rid of a policy that not only demeans, but embarrasses us. 

So I’m imploring Obama:  Don’t waste yours, or our time with superfluous commissions.  This one is a no-brainer.  Repeal it and dare the homophobes to defy you.

It’s tea time

It’s one thing when a moderate Republican wins an election, but it’s an entirely different thing when incompetent radicals such as Christine O’Donnell and Carl P. Paladino are victorious.  I realize that Delaware had an extremely small turnout, but I was stunned that tens of thousands of people supported a candidate (O’Donnell) who believes that masturbation is commensurate with adultery.  Over in New York State, Paladino, who is running for governor against Andrew Cuomo, supports prison camps for welfare recipients.

Meanwhile, in Washington, there are enough votes in the Senate to prevent the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law — policy that prevents gays from openly serving in the military.  It is deplorable to me that a significant faction of our leaders believe that a person’s sexual orientation has a bearing on his or her ability to serve.

What is going on here?  For me there is only one explanation:  Blatant racism and homophobia.  These candidates, and for that matter a large portion of our elected officials, are clearly not qualified to lead.  O’Donnell barely graduated college.  Paladino is an anti-semite who circulates racist emails.  They have no business impacting a community election, let alone a national contest. 

I lived in New York City for 26 years, more than enough time to understand that outside of Manhattan and a few sections of Queens and Brooklyn, is right-leaning at best, and virulently racist at worst.  It is not a stretch to see how an anti-intellectual candidate such as Paladino could connect with Staten Islanders, let alone Long Islanders. 

It all boils down to the shock and outrage that a black man became president.  It flies in the face of everything these dullards were taught and believed in.  They would rather support candidates that would worsen their situation, i.e. cut taxes for the rich and decrease access to education.

 I can’t entirely blame the candidates or the Republican Party.  They are exploiting an opportunity and using it to their advantage.  It’s the voter who I reserve my outrage.  It is they who vote against health care, jobs, and education.  They won’t find opportunities for advancement from the racist Paladino, or the righteously wacky O’Donnell.  What they will find is a celebration of mediocrity.  It is a sanctification of 18th century oppression that I thought we had moved beyond.