President Obama has posted his position on all the big issues. In the following weeks I'm going to comment on his position. Check it out for yourself at www.whitehouse.gov but watch out my porn blocker won't let me go to www.whitehouse.com who knows what that means!
CIVIL RIGHTS
President Barack Obama has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. Whether promoting economic opportunity, working to improve our nation's education and health system, or protecting the right to vote, President Obama has been a powerful advocate for our civil rights.
* Combat Employment Discrimination:
I am in favor.
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes:
I am in favor with reservations.
* End Deceptive Voting Practices:
I am strongly in favor.
* End Racial Profiling:
I am strongly in favor though I recognize this will make law enforcement more difficult. But better a hundred criminals go free than one innocent be punished. If you disagree I suggest you volunteer to be the innocent who is punished.
* Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support:
I strongly support.
* Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
I left the text on this one because the title does not suggest the text.
I am in favor, though believe that the classification of sentencing belongs to the judicial and legislative branch. The executive branch enforces the law; it does not write it.
* Expand Use of Drug Courts:
I am strongly in favor.
Support for the LGBT Community
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes:
I am in favor though with reservations.
* Fight Workplace Discrimination:
I am in favor.
* Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples:
I am neutral.
* Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage:
I am not in favor with this position but without great interest.
* Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell:
I am not an expert on the specifics of this law but in general believe that this issue ought to be deferred to military personnel rather than civilian politicians.
Therefore I oppose this issue.
* Expand Adoption Rights:
Breaking with social conservatives I oppose a ban on gay adoption. We are all sinners and there is no reason that this one particular sin ought the be given extra weight in determining worthiness to parent. I wouldn't oppose allowing it to carry some weight but to be an absolute bar is unmerited.
Therefore I am in favor.
* Promote AIDS Prevention:
* Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS:
In the last ten years this issue seems to be less and less a LGBT issue, but of course I support government action to prevent the spread of a deadly disease.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
What are your reservations about hate crimes? I'm in general opposed to them because they seem to punish people for their thinking, not just the deeds. Thoughtcrime is not something I think the government should judge or get involved in.
With regard to HIV/AIDS - I don't have the statistics in front of me but I believe the vast majority of AIDS cases come from the gay community, and the drug-using community (in the USA). Much moreso than the heterosexual community. This is only to say that I think it is especially a concern for the LGBT community.
My reservation with hate crimes is of the same ilk as your own. I even use the term "thoughtcrime" as found in "1984."
But I support two aspects of the idea of hate crime:
*There is a relationship between hate speech and genocide. Before a group of people "decide" to lynch someone or massacre a population they are propagandized with what we can call "hate speech." One could say that people should be allowed to say or think whatever they like just so long as we don't actually murder people... but I believe that speech has power to move people to action so am in favor a STRICTLY defined legal definition of hate speech which relates to hate crimes.
* My other support for hate crime legislature stems from how I believe the laws were first needed. People who engaged in what were just normal crimes: murder, assault and the like, were not being convicted in the state courts because the victim of the crime was an unpopular minority.
The hate crime legislature was a way of making a federal crime that could be prosecuted out of the state.
I recognize the danger of thoughtcrime logic but feel the danger of living in an unrighteous nation is a greater offense. So I give some careful support to hate crime laws.
Post a Comment