If you read my previous post than this will add a little extra sting to it. Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox is an openly gay Democrat, and the 1st openly gay house speaker in the nation, who had the deciding vote on whether or not Rhode Island would join Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Iowa in allowing same-sex couples to marry. He chose to vote no. Instead he said he would vote in favor of civil unions. Many many people are now super pissed with Fox. "In my opinion he's a self-loathing homophobe," said Gary D'Amario of Cranston. Gay marriage supporter Rev. Duane Clinker of Providence's Open Table of Christ United Methodist Church said, "What was Speaker Fox thinking?I think he forgot he had friends." In response Fox said, "These folks were looking for a champion. It hurts me to think that I'm not quite their champion at this point. That bothers me. Because so many people were waiting for so long ... but you have to be able to move votes." This is very true. No matter what party you represent you have to be able to get elected. Once you get elected your main goal is getting re-elected. If you are a Republican in a more liberal state you may move towards the middle an even cross the line and have some liberal views yourself, but just to get elected. The same goes for a Democrat elected in a conservative state. Just because someone is gay, rich, black, Hispanic/Latino, etc, that does not necessarily mean they are going to cater to that group over any other. We are a nation of many different people and in this nation majority rules. I think the people of Rhode Island need to accept this and move on to the next major issue or prepare another bill and hope that one goes through. I am going to give Gordon Fox a Digit Up for not caving in to peer pressure and sticking to what he believes is the right thing.
This week Newt Gingrich has been getting hammed by Dems and Repubs over his words and so on. He disagreed with Paul Ryan, his on party turned on him. He was almost threatened by a guy at a fundraiser, which he handled very well I must say. It was revealed that at one point he owed Tiffany & Company $250,000, which will come back to bite him in some way, shape or form of an attack ad if he gets nominated by the Republicans. His latest attacks comes via a gay rights activist who dumped glitter on he and his wife during a book signing at a conservative fundraiser.
If you did not catch what the man said it was, "Feel the rainbow, Newt," the protester said, as he poured a box of glitter over the former speaker's head. "Stop the hate. Stop anti-gay politics. It's dividing our country, and it's not fixing our economy." This I do not understand at all. Many gay rights groups feel as if Republicans are the only ones not allowing gays to get married. If my history is correct, Bill Clinton signed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" into law, and our current President, a Democrat, has not done anything to allow gays to get married. Why blame Newt? Newt has not had any real political power in YEARS! Almost 2 decades even. So while this guy might have thought he was making Newt look like a fool, it is him who really looks like he fool. I am giving Newt Gingrich a Digit Up for handling this incident very very well.
Hollywood is upset with someone... Who? President Barack Obama. Why? A few weeks ago the Obama administration announced it would no longer legally defend the Defense of Marriage act, and now some of his Hollywood supporters are upset and even pissed with him. They wrote even wrote him a letter, that I am 115% sure he will read, and here it is:
The President The White House Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In February, you made a powerful statement about the law.
Invoking guarantees enshrined in the Constitution, you and the Attorney General determined that federal discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in marriage is unconstitutional. Thank you for taking a principled stance and an important step toward equal protection under the law for all Americans.
Today we ask you to take the next step and join the majority of Americans who support allowing loving and committed gay and lesbian couples to legally marry.
Mr. President, marriage matters. In law, in love, in life, marriage says "we are family" in a way that nothing else does. Marriage is the coming together of two lives, marked by a public promise of love and responsibility in front of friends and family. And marriage brings not only public respect and personal significance, but also a safety net of legal protections, rights, and responsibilities for which there is no substitute.
Like so many Americans, you have spoken of your personal journey toward support for the freedom to marry. You have talked about the gay and lesbian people in your life, their commitment to each other and care for their kids, and their families that aren't so different from any other family.
We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today. With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President.
You can offer hope to millions of young gay and lesbian Americans who are facing discrimination. You can tell them that their future is bright, that they, too, will be able to grow up and marry the person that they love, that the pursuit of happiness truly belongs to all of us. You can put government on the side of those seeking to care for their loved ones, instead of those standing in their way. You can affirm that for all of us, gay or non-gay, love is love and commitment counts— and that we Americans should treat others as we all want to be treated.
Mr. President, the time to end exclusion from marriage is now. We ask you to complete your journey and join us and the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.
Sincerely,
Brendon Ayanbadejo Julian Bond Helen Fabela Chavez Ellen & Portia DeGeneres Jack Dorsey Melissa Etheridge Scott Fujita David Geffen Anne Hathaway Chris Hughes & Sean Eldridge Tony Kushner & Mark Harris Jane Lynch & Lara Embry Eric McCormack Rev. Peter Morales Mya Sean Parker Mark Pincus Frank Selvaggi & Bill Shea Martin Sheen Rev. William Sinkford Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner Zach Wahls Rufus Wainwright Evan Wolfson Bob Wright & Suzanne Wright
Some of these names are pretty powerful people and HUGE donors. David Geffen is a billionaire. Sean Parker helped Obama reach the youth via Facebook, as former President of Facebook that was not so hard for him to do. Chris Hughs is openly gay and co-founded Facebook. He and his partner/husband are very upset with the president, especially since Chris not only campaigned for Obama, he worked for the administration as well. Last month Matt Damon and Jane Lynch expressed their disappointment with the president on the issue as well. While the president said he supports civil unions, that is not good enough for a lot of gay Americans. He also said his views on same-sex marriage were "evolving". Whatever the case may be he is about to launch his 2012 re-election campaign and tour and this is an issue that will hound him and could cost him some votes with the hardcore liberals, although I doubt it. Still the 2012 election is not too far away for Hollywood to start making films that bash Obama. I am giving Hollywood a Digit Up for speaking up and out against something they actually truly thought would change...they are so gullible.
This is the daughter not the mother. Last year Meghan and Cindy McCain spoke for gay rights, posed for pictures and made an ad. Well now there is a new daughter of a Republican speaking out against something her father did not agree with while in office, gay marriage. Even her mother, former First Lady Laura Bush, said that gay marriage is "coming", "When couples are committed to each other and love each other, they ought to have… the same sort of rights that everyone has". I am glad to see that she speaks for herself, and I am glad that her father and family is not making a big deal about this. This will look good to some in the Republican party because it will help make them look less like the stuff rich white gay party and more like a party of the people. I am giving Barbara Bush a Digit Up.
If you read my previous post than this will add a little extra sting to it. Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox is an openly gay Democrat, and the 1st openly gay house speaker in the nation, who had the deciding vote on whether or not Rhode Island would join Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Iowa in allowing same-sex couples to marry. He chose to vote no. Instead he said he would vote in favor of civil unions. Many many people are now super pissed with Fox. "In my opinion he's a self-loathing homophobe," said Gary D'Amario of Cranston. Gay marriage supporter Rev. Duane Clinker of Providence's Open Table of Christ United Methodist Church said, "What was Speaker Fox thinking?I think he forgot he had friends." In response Fox said, "These folks were looking for a champion. It hurts me to think that I'm not quite their champion at this point. That bothers me. Because so many people were waiting for so long ... but you have to be able to move votes." This is very true. No matter what party you represent you have to be able to get elected. Once you get elected your main goal is getting re-elected. If you are a Republican in a more liberal state you may move towards the middle an even cross the line and have some liberal views yourself, but just to get elected. The same goes for a Democrat elected in a conservative state. Just because someone is gay, rich, black, Hispanic/Latino, etc, that does not necessarily mean they are going to cater to that group over any other. We are a nation of many different people and in this nation majority rules. I think the people of Rhode Island need to accept this and move on to the next major issue or prepare another bill and hope that one goes through. I am 
going to give Gordon Fox a Digit Up for not caving in to peer pressure and sticking to what he believes is the right thing.
