I’ve Changed My Mind About Sen. Harry Reid’s Comments

I’ve taken an opportunity to reexamine the controversial comments of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. And, as a result of taking another look at his words, I’ve changed my mind and I think he was pretty much on target with what he said (even if it may come at a bit of a political cost). Reid is right when he speaks of the obstructionists who are akin to those who barked against women’s rights, the Civil Rights Movement, the movement to abolish slavery and the movement for fundamental fairness for GLBTs (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender). We hear the same words: slow down, lets take it slow, lets take a closer look, we’re moving too fast, it’s too soon, be patient, things will work out … blah, blah, blah.

The Senate Majority Leader is right as you read the comments he made that has pushed him into the spotlight.

“Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ’slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.’ If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right,” Reid said Monday. “When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said ’slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’”

He continued: “When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted they simply, slow down, there will be a better day to do that, today isn’t quite right.

“When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today.”

Note that conservatives latched onto the race aspect of what Reid said and all but ignored the full context of what he said when he talked about the rights of women as well? You can believe this is no accident. Once again, the diversity-lacking Republicans are trying to use race as a way of attacking black people and fueling resentment in the hearts of some whites who might be predisposed with the election of Barack Obama.

In what is an almost balanced story (that is saying something for Fox News) comes an interesting comment that puts it all in perspective:

Richard Harpootlian, former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said the comparison was a sign of “silly season in Washington.”

“We see Harry Reid saying silly things on one side, we see Republicans talking about killing grandma on the other — wake up, Washington,” he said.

So true in some ways, but in other ways I can understand where Sen. Reid is coming from with his statement.

Harpootlian does have a point in that the rhetoric is getting wild.

Leave It To Far-Right Nuts To Come Up With Something So Stupid

Perhaps only the far-right nuts in our society could possibly bring themselves to qualify a gay Jewish man (Rep. Barney Frank) and a biracial man (President Obama) as Nazis.

Thanks to Jon Stewart for pointing that out and giving us a glimpse of what the less-than-stellar Fox News person Griff Jenkins is all about.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/20/jon-sterwart-gives-props_n_263878.html

Joe The Plumber Is An Idiot

Joe the Plumber, who became the face of the Republican party during the presidential election of 2008, is opening that cesspool of a mouth of his - again. This time, Joe the Plumber is resorting to gay bashing to appeal to the nuts on the far right of the political spectrum. During an interview with Christianity Today, he said the following:

JOE THE PLUMBER: At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

How disgusting is it for this man to come out and say something like that against gay people? That speaks volumes about how he is raising his kids. What if one of his kids happened to be gay? How much damage might he be doing by exposing his children to this brand of homophobia? Based on statements like this, and others made by this man since he popped onto the national scene, I imagine a lot of people would not want Joe the Plumber around them or their kids … and it has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It does, however, have plenty to do with his hateful mindset.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/04/jtp-gay-friends/

Congresswoman Claims Matthew Shepard Murder Was Not An Anti-Gay Hate Crime

In spite of significance evidence to the contrary, North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx is pushing her strange belief that the 1998 murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming was not an anti-gay hate crime. At issue is a hate crimes bill designed to increase protection for gays and lesbians. Now, there is evidence that includes testimony from one of the perpetrators of this hate crime, that contradict such an opinion, but nonetheless Foxx made the following statement (while, reportedly, Shepard’s mother was in attendance):

“I also would like to point out that there was a bill — the hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay. This — the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.

Foxx says, with such definitive force, that it was not only not a hate crime, but that calling it a hate crime is a hoax. Unbelievable. I didn’t really want to believe it until I saw the video. Follow the story on POLITICO to see the evidence that does in fact exist to prove that this was not just some random robbery. All crime must be taken very seriously. However, it is critical that we show that these hate crimes (crimes that show a hateful bias toward a particular group and extends beyond the motive of a specific crime) will not be tolerated in our society.

POLITICO:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Matthew_Shepard_killed_in_nonbias_robbery_Foxx_says.html