DADT

So far in my blog I have posted several times about “gay issues” such as prop 8 and gay teen bullying. However, I have yet to address my thoughts on don’t ask, don’t tell. It was brought to my attention today through the statements of one of my congressional enemies, Lindsey Graham. The senator and I don’t really agree on much. In fact, we are on total opposites of the political spectrum. He voted for Defense of Marriage Act and the Federal Marriage Amendment and, of course, his homo-hatred doesn’t end there. He is avidly against repealing DADT. He is also confident that it will not be repealed this year. He says that he wants more studies done to determine if the military would want it repealed. I guess the study done by the Pentagon that says over 70 percent of active duty and reserve troop respondents said the effect of repealing DADT would be minimal isn’t good enough.

You might find this hard to believe but, I’m not gay, and I know for a fact that there are millions of gay people in this country that would be much better at serving this country than me. So the fact that I’m straight makes me more compatible for the military than a more qualified gay person? I’m sorry, but I don’t get it.

Obama, don't lose the message

President Obama’s current promise to the American people is that his main focus is the economy. In a Huffington Post article written by Julie Pace she explains that current international issues could put the administration off track. The tension between North and South Korea are about to reach a boiling point and it could be difficult for Obama to address that situation while also lowering unemployment. White House officials say that international focus will not take attention away from the economy. They are aware that giving international attention will take attention away from domestic actions. Attention was definitely averted from his domestic policy when he went on his recent trip to Asia. One objective for this trip was to secure a free trade agreement with South Korea, but this was not achieved. Had this been secured, the trip could have been extremely beneficial for the US economy.

I don’t know what Obama’s next move is for the economy. I just hope that situations abroad do not overshadow any policies that truly do help the American people.

Sarah Palin's Reality Show

         Have you ever wondered what Sarah Palin’s reality is like? Well, pretty soon the inner workings of the Palin family will be unleashed on the world in a new TLC reality show called “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” (because apparently she now owns the entire state). For some reason this woman is stuck inside the hearts and minds of some people and won’t disappear into obscurity like many thought she would. She speaks on Fox News time and time again and is constantly making people wonder if we will get to see her campaign in 2012. Then again, if she does decide to run in 2012 this quote from her show’s trailer might come back and haunt her, "I'd rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office"

          My question is WHY is she doing this? If she wants to run for president, she must know this isn’t the way to go about it. People don’t think of reality stars as “presidential.” No one is going to elect the people from Jersey Shore into office, either. I would really like to know why she would let cameras into her life where she has a million chances to say something silly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to watch it. I’ll watch every single episode with hopes that she will let her true Palin-ness show and say all the silly things she’s been keeping in since 2008. But obviously she doesn’t want the world to think of her as an air head. Maybe she acts like a normal person on the show instead of a fish out of water like she did in the 2008 campaign. Maybe she just wants people to stop making fun of her and see that she’s a real mom with a real life. Only Sarah knows at this point. Hopefully I’ll have it figured out by the end of the short series.

It debuts November 14^th  at 9 PM if you want to watch. And as for you Grand Ol’ Party animals out there, don’t be mad that I’m poking fun at Sarah. I can’t help myself.

Let's Restore Sanity, People

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear happened today on the National Mall. There were several musical performances including Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Bennett. Stephen and Jon even sang a number together. And they of course did some of their usual comedic banter. Stephen even brought out a giant, Godzilla sized version of himself in puppet form. It was basically a bunch of silliness and fun. Then at the very end, Jon did the speech we were all expecting.

Personally, I thought it was brilliant. Thanks to the modern convenience of pausing and rewinding television, I have gone through and typed out my favorite parts (which to be honest has turned into almost the entire speech).

 “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing. There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and tea partiers or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe, not more. The press is our immune system, if it overreacts to everything we actually get sicker and, perhaps, eczema.”

“I feel good, strangely, calmly good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political media process is false. It is us through a funhouse mirror. And not the good kind that makes you look slim through the waist and maybe taller. But the kind where you have a giant forehead and an ass shaped like a month old pumpkin and one eyeball.”

“We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate. And how it’s a shame how we can’t work together to get things done. But the truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day,”

“Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as democrats, republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do. But they do it.”

He then makes an analogy comparing the American people to a video on the screen of 10 lanes of traffic having to merge into one lane to get through a tunnel.

“you go then I’ll go. You go then I’ll go. Oh my god is that an NRA sticker on your car? Is that an Obama sticker on your car?...............well that’s ok you go then I’ll go. And sure, at some point there will be a selfish jerk who zipps up the shoulder and cuts in at the last minute but that individual is rare and he is scorned and not hired as an analyst.”

Obama: Secretly a GOP fan

            I just read an article at NYTimes.com that argues a very interesting point: President Obama would be better off in 2012 if the Republicans take control of Congress in the midterms. I found this to be a nice twist on what I usually think (which is the president needs the same party as his own in Congress) and I’m halfway convinced that this is true. The whole argument is that the president does better if he (or she, someday) has an enemy to point to when something goes wrong. With a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress, the party shoulders all the blame which lowers the chances of being elected for a second term. Obama will have to choose between slimming down his proposals to Congress so that they might pass or leaving them as big as they are and campaign saying “I tried to help you, America, but the Republicans wouldn’t let me!”

            I think that this idea could actually work for Obama. Many have been disappointed by him because they thought he would fix all of America’s problems in two years (and, obviously, that hasn’t happened). This could help with the problems he is having with reaching high expectations.

Time says: Jon Stewart is King

          This poll done by Time.com asks "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" Jon Stewart took the gold and passed the other three by a good margin. My first instinct when looking at this is to look back to my research methods class and pick this poll apart. Obviously this is just an online poll and not official in any way. There is even fine print that says, "Note: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the options of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time." So, at least Time admits it. After my instinct of cirticism passed, I wondered what I could take away from this poll. Why did Stewart win? I think that it reflects the annoyance that a large part of America has for the news today. A big part of Jon Stewart's show is making fun of main stream news channels, and people obviously relate to that. I know that I do. Plus, his show gives a good look at news stories from a sarcastic and funny perspective. A lot of people say they don't watch the news because it's too depressing. Perhaps this poll is the proof.

Tragic Death

On September 19th a young man named Tyler Clementi was secretly recorded by his college room mate having sex with a man in his room and then posted it on the internet. On September 22nd, Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death. His room mate, Daharun Ravi, and his room mate’s accomplice, Molly Wei, will be charged with invasion of privacy which is a maximum of 5 years. If it is proved to be a hate crime, which unfortunately is unlikely, the sentence would be raised to a maximum of 10 years. In order to prove it was a hate crime they will have to prove that they intended to cause harm to Tyler. I’m assuming they are only referring to physical harm.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write about this story. It has taken me days to finally decide that it is too important to leave unsaid. At first I thought that all the media attention this story is getting is somewhat disrespectful. Tyler obviously did not want the masses to be discussing his sex life. I now feel that this is an opportunity for some people to learn what intolerance and bullying can do to a person. Tyler, just like anyone else, was a person with a heart and feelings. Some people have nowhere to turn when they are pushed to the limit and feel that the only way to not feel pain, is to not feel anything. I can only hope that it won’t be too long before homosexuals don’t have to have the worry of being accepted. That they wont be made to feel different and wrong; because they are not. Things like don’t ask don’t tell and prop 8 are supporting the backwards idea that gay people should be separate from all the “normal” people. It supports the belief that a gay person is some how less deserving of civil rights, thus less human, than a straight person. It’s embarrassing and I’m sick of it. Disgusted, really. The only problem is that the government wont change any laws until the public changes their opinions. This makes me feel hopeless. The only chance that homosexuals have of complete normalcy in society rests with the hateful and moronic people of our country to suddenly become loving and educated. It’s a depressing thought, really. I can only hope that the next generation is at least tolerant enough to keep these unnecessary deaths from happening.