Obama to queers: thanks for all the money, you can leave now.

Rick Warren to give inaugural invocation. Yep, Obama invited Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation. Rick fucking Warren. Writes CNN: [Warren's] public support for California's Proposition 8 — the measure that successfully passed and called for outlawing gay marriage in the state — sparked the ire of many gay rights proponents, who seized on a comment in an October newsletter to his congregation: "This is not a political issue — it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about."

I have to be frank, I am not happy with many of Obama's cabinet picks. His pick of General Eric Shinseki to run the VA is one of the few appointments I feel good about. The rest strike me as "centrist" at best, DLC whores at worst, with a few exceptions. What I want to know is where are the goddamned progressives? Only one I see is Jared Bernstein, who was tapped to be an economic advisor to Biden, not Obama. And now this. I wonder how gay Californians who put their money and time into getting Obama into the White House at the expense of putting their full efforts into defeating Prop 8 feel now? Me? I'm beyond pissed. I'd be even angrier if I volunteered or gave him money, but something kept me from doing that. Oh yes, Obama's FISA vote in support of immunity for the telecoms who aided and abetted the Bush administration's violation of our 4th amendment rights. That is, I'm pissed, but not surprised.

Link via Atrios.

Comments

[joseph]

Be assured that Obama does only as he is told to form a New World Order.

rebublican or democratic - there is no difference to their goal.

[Spartacus]

WTF? Indeed. Holy fucking crap. Wow!

[GMB]

Joseph: Sigh. I didn't believe in the meme "change we can believe in," but still...he can't even try to put on a false front?
Spartacus: I'm busy on the 20th, because I am not going to sit and watch the ceremony with a grateful tear in my eye. Warren at the inaugural sends a very clear message. I got it. GMB

[D.R.Scott]

Supposedly, Rick Warren's church has programs that do help poor people. However, when you flip that coin, I'm sure the preacher wouldn't mind if Intelligent Design was taught in schools either, and please don't get started on his anti-gay bigotry. I hate altruism that comes with strings attached. Obviously, President Obama's invitation to Warren is a shameless concession to the fundamentalist crowd, and it disgusts me.

Honestly, I don't understand why a politician's religion matters to so many people.

After all, besides being ridiculously irrelevant, it's a simplistic and unreliable barometer of judging a person's character. As Mark Twain said, "Faith is when you believe in something that you know ain't so". Facts are trustworthy constructs to build a philosophy upon. Faith is a soap bubble that bursts when you ask it a question.

I've met more than one bible-quoting hypocrite in my time, and I think it's foolish to take anyone at face value, especially if they're asking you for money. Lies blessed with holy water doesn't make it true. It's worse when fundamentalist nutjobs use religious dogma as blunt instruments to hurt people with. Proposition 8 is a cruel example of how meaningless the "Love Thy Neighbor" bromide is when, in God's eyes, some neighbors are more equal than others. What's love got to do with it?

My faith is my business, and I don't shove it down anyone's throat. All I ask is that people of faith show me the same courtesy because I'm tired of the false prophets who knock loudly on my door and never go away.

[distributorcap]

why does this not surprise me........ as joseph said, what do you expect?

rick warren is james dobson without the angry voice. the words might be different, but the philosophy is the same. this country has NO hope - none, zilch. as long as people feel it necessary to kowtow to rick warren (or dobson or wildmon or any one who believes their way is the way) - one day this noble experiment will fall apart

[JDM]

I think we should just wait and see. We can pass the time by driving ten penny nails through our glans penises or doing hood piercings with dull paper clips.

[GMB]

D.R. Scott: I agree with all that you write. I am tired of knowing about a politician's religion, I don't care unless it interferes with his or her ability to govern. That said, Obama's efforts to reach out to the fundies and mention religion in every fucking speech is pissing me off. And inviting Warren after Prop 8 passing--and he supported it--well that's just mean-spirited. Being pissed on by yet another politician is getting really old. I think the queers have reached their breaking point.
DCap: Warren equated gays getting married to adults marrying children or their siblings. Nice. I've had enough. Thing is, I don't think I am the only one. I have a feeling that the democrats are going to learn--sooner rather than later--that they can't take the queers for granted anymore.
JDM: Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. You always make me laugh. Thanks. GMB

[dguzman]

I was going to take the day off on Jan 20 just so I could enjoy watching the inauguration at my favorite (gay) pub. Now I think I still may go, but I'm going to be screaming during the invocation.

[GMB]

dguzman: I don't plan on watching a second of the inaugural. Mindless pomp, unnecessary--if not worse--in a republic founded on democratic principles. That said, I hope that gay folks realize that they are pretty much on their own. The democrats, collectively, cannot be trusted to cover our backs, and the republicans are republicans. As someone notes at Kos, remember, Stonewall was a riot (that is, it wasn't a march). GMB