Obama Coming Home?

From the National Journal....

President Obama has decided that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and has asked his Justice Department to stop defending it in court, the administration announced today.

"The President believes that DOMA is unconstitutional. They are no longer going to be defending the cases in the 1^st and 2^nd circuits," a person briefed on the decision said.
The administration will formally notify Congress later today. The act sought to restrict single-sex unions.

 I have to admit I'm a little shocked. I fully expected Obama to eventually make moves in favor of marriage equality but I expected it to be well after his re-election, and even then, likely after the 2014 midterms. This is an interesting development. Is he picking a fight in the culture wars? Is he trying to make the GOP/Teabaggers run from the economy and to same-sex marriage - in turn exposing them for what they really are?

It's nice for a change to be pleasantly surprised by the administration's actions. While I'll temper any enthusiasm until the full story is told, this is absolutely a step in the right direction for the civil rights issue of our day. Stay tuned. 

Tony Dungy: Liberty & Justice For Some

I've never been a big fan of the New York tabloid media critics. Always seemed rather senseless to me growing up. I didn't need Phil Mushnick to tell me that Mike Francesa was arrogant or Ralph Kiner was senile. Every time I catch an interesting headline from them these days and see what they have to say, I usually feel the need to shower afterward. Except this time. I caught a piece where Bob Raissman (who looks like he's trying to sell me tickets to a 1932 circus in the dust bowl) calling out Tony Dungy in response to a little quarrel Dungy's having with a local blowhard. Raissman points out:

Dungy has a history of passing judgment on others and criticizing their life-styles. In 2007, the then-Colts coach came out against same-sex marriage, supporting the Indiana Family Institute, which sought to make gay marriage illegal in the state.


Back then, in an interview with USA Today, Dungy claimed he wasn't "anti-anything." He said: "We're not trying to downgrade anyone else. But we're trying to promote the family - family values the Lord's way....I'm on the Lord's side."

Personally, I think marriage equality is the defining civil rights issue of our day. I also believe it's inevitable. Conversely, I believe in this novel concept that people can worship whatever or whoever they want equally. Whether it's a distorted and manipulated version of Jesus that apparently hates gays even though he spent his last three years in the company of men, or some prophet while you're chilaxin in a former Burlington Coat Factory in lower Manhattan. Seriously, worship whatever the hell you like, just don't shove it down my throat (and tone down the bumper stickers too while you're at it).

Having said all that, it's 2010. It's allegedly an age of not only accountability, but (often over the top) political correctness. A few years back, ESPN kicked Rush Limbaugh and his drug abusing fat ass to the curb for inappropriate comments about quote-un-quote-black quarterbacks. Conversely, NBC's decided to prominently feature Dungy, who had the remarkable skill to win one lone Super Bowl with arguably the greatest QB of all time in his prime, as a key analyst in their crowded NFL studio show.

Yes, I realize that this happened almost 3 full years ago. Yes, I realize the whole point of the article is Dungy's ridiculous complaints about a coach using naughty words. Yes, I realize that for reasons unbeknown to me, certain sects of Christianity do more to combat homosexuality than they do child molestation. But just because this slipped under the radar doesn't mean it should be swept under the rug.

What Dungy was arguing for in 2007 was a law to actually prohibit individual freedoms. And they were freedoms enjoyed by every other slice of the electorate. We're not talking about the right to indulge in crystal meth. We're not talking about the right to drink and drive. We're talking about a basic fundamental human right enjoyed by hundreds of millions Americans - that harms absolutely no one . But Tony Dungy's Lord says no.

And that's great. I'm glad Dungy has a direct line to his Lord and knows what side he's on. He may believe that he's doing the Lord's work but he's got to keep in mind, 60 years ago, people who fought tooth in nail believed that they were doing the Lord's work in an attempt to prevent Dungy's relatives from marrying white people.

For what it's worth, a decade ago, CBS knew enough to withdraw their NFL Coverage contract offer to another bigot hiding behind "The Lord" when he made equally offensive statements about gays and lesbians. 

I don't think Tony Dungy should lose his job. I didn't think Don Imus should have either. We're too quick to call for resignations these days. Freedom of Speech (and if you want to call bigotry "Freedom of Religion" fine) is not only meant for comfortable speech. It's up to the people to view who they want to view, listen to who they want to listen too. Plus, who the hell am I, just some clown with an opinion. I just don't think people really know the real Tony Dungy. They know how adherent he is to his faith, but maybe that's the bigger issue. Maybe we should focus less on what's being taught at a Madras in Indonesia and more on what's being preached in our own zip codes. 

The popular perception of Dungy is this wholesome, do-good, compassionate man and I believe in his heart that he is. He's mentored some of the NFL's problem children. He's counseled  prisoners and the downtrodden and that genuinely is good work and he's an example in that respect that you and I can learn from. But his views on equality and a truly More Perfect Union with Liberty and Justice for All is dropped pass in the end zone. It's not something we should elevate. It's not something worthy of celebration. And it's certainly not something we should consider compassionate.

Five For Friday 2/12/10

And the Wheel of Topics stops on………..Politics. Happy Valentine’s Day



FIVE PEOPLE I’M GLAD WE DON’T HAVE TO HEAR FROM ANYMORE
5. Tony Snow. It’s a shame when someone doesn’t see their 60th birthday and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But when you spent what turned out to be your last decade on earth as a Fox News host AND White House Press Secretary for the Bush Administration, consider it Karmic Justice.
4. Strom Thurmond. Segregationist. With illegitimate black children. Yet consistently sent back to the Senate for half a decade. We totally mismanaged Reconstruction.
3. Jerry Falwell. Evangelical that blamed 9/11 on gays. And people continued to send him money. And people still pay to send their children his Madrasah known as “Liberty University”. Baffling.
2. Timothy McVeigh. Follow this train of thought: Tea Baggers think the President’s soft on terrorism. Timmy McV was the original Tea Bagger. I wonder if this dichotomy was discussed at the $500 per ticket convention for average folks.
1. Ronald Reagan. Every major problem of 2010: Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, the lack of workers’ protections, the greatest disparity of wealth in history, and the lack of financial safeguards and regulations can be traced back to this shitbag. Yet anti-gay conservatives are so unbelievably gay for him. His chickens all came home to roost over the last 10 years and lucky for us, we get to see Reaganism in all it’s glory manifested in this shitstorm we call Life On Earth 2010.

FOUR PEOPLE WE UNFORTUNATELY DO HEAR FROM
4. Sean Hannity. I don’t care about demagogues like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh. They only reach a small, bitter, aging, angry, lilywhite portion of the population. What’s dangerous about Hannity is that people think he’s a middle of the road analyst who tells it like it is, when the reality is he’s squarely in the Beck/Limbaugh/Savage/Goebbels camp.
3. Sarah Palin. I have a love/hate relationship with Misses Reproduce Like Rabbits and Pass That Core Family Value On To My Daughter. On one hand, I despise every sentence uttered from that vast open space between her ears. On the other, despite the fact that Bushie got “elected” twice, I can’t possibly see America voting for someone that fucking dumb so having her in a prominent position within the GOP is probably good for America.
2. Tim Tebow. I’m pretty much convinced he’s a Jihadist. I think Homeland Security needs to be on alert the first time he travels to play in San Francisco, New York or Seattle this upcoming season.
1. Joe Lieberman. Self-serving prick. Nothing left to say.


THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS I’VE ASKED MANY TIMES THAT STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED INTELLIGENTLY
3. How Does Same-Sex Marriage Threaten The Institution of Marriage Itself? Seriously? Is everyone going to divorce their spouse and go marry someone of the same gender? Honestly, can somebody PLEASE answer this w/o referring to God or Scripture?
2. What “Freedoms” Do “They” Hate Us For? Dubya uttered this bullshit about 4 hours after the attacks and people just took him at his word (No need to examine the track record of “His Word” is there?). But nobody’s quite translated this into something that people who can read at the 4th Grade Level or better can understand. Do they not like that we can choose between Coke and Pepsi? Does our freedom to petition our government in a chain-link-fenced in “Free Speech Zone” piss them off so much that they had to commit an act of war?
1. How, Over The Span of One Lifetime, Do You Go From Nazi Labor Camp Guard To Pope? From guardian of the Third Reich to Successor of Saint Peter. Amazing. What’s more amazing is how many people just shrug it off, especially considering that he signed up long after it was compulsory. Next time you hear a rags-to-riches story and some hillbilly inevitably says “Only in America”, you say “Nah-ah. Did you know that in the Vatican you can go from decorated Nazi to Jesus’ earthly representative?”


TWO TRAITS I’VE NOTICED IN GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE THAT SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME:


2. He Was Once A US Attorney
1. He Has A Slight Lisp
How long until we find out that he once married his cousin and likes to dress in drag? The minute he tells you to “Walk North” you should run for the hills instead.

ONE PERSON WHO I’LL DEFEND EVEN IF I’M THE LAST ONE TO DO SO
1. Nancy Pelosi. Forget about the criticisms from the far right, as noted they’re old and decaying and for the most part, will be dead soon. But the Left is (understandably) mad as hell about the inaction in DC. I am too. However, like 5% of the nation, I know how government works. I know the difference between a Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader (Cough: And President). Anything the Prez asked for from the House, Speaker Pelosi’s delivered: Stimulus, Jobs, Cap’n Trade, and of course, Health Care. Despite being demonized and caricaturized, she keeps fuckin’ that chicken and providing results.


The problem lies in the Senate where Harry Reid can’t get 2 Democrats to order a seltzer with lime without them both asking “What’s in it for me?” Likewise, the White House has done a miserable job in strong-arming said senate democrats. But leave the Speaker out of this. She’s passed everything that we elected a majority to pass, and as an added bonus, those bigots and misogynists known as Tea Baggers have to not only deal with a black president, but a female Speaker of the House. From San Francisco!