Friday November 17, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 46 |
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Saturday, Aug 30, 2008
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Letters |
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| GIVE THANKS THIS THANKSGIVING Many of us will be spending Thanksgiving here in the Northwest with our families and friends, plus a small group of people who prefer to eat out. Some local residents will be traveling throughout our country to be with their families and friends elsewhere. Celebrating this special day locally requires at times helpful participation with a variety of foodstuffs to share with the meal. Some of the hosts and hostesses acknowledge in advance that they're going to responsible for everything. Too often we forget people with less as we do engage in meals that normally are sumptuous from beginning to end, usually with enough food to serve more than an intimate group. Maybe Thanksgiving really means giving thanks for what we've avoided through out the year. Living as we do in a bountiful country, we often take for granted our diversity and richness of character. Take time to think of your blessings in a world that too often takes more than it returns. Sincerely, Buzz Flowers NOT ALL MILITARY MINDS THINK ALIKE Dear SGN, I have written and mailed today, the attached letter to the Military Officer Association of America (MOAA) regarding an advertisement they published in their November 2006 magazine Military Officer. The advertisement published was a full-page ad from Focus on the Family, a notoriously homophobic organization. I would appreciate your selecting my letter for publication in the Seattle Gay News. Thank you. Sincerely, Robert A. Riopelle Shoreline, WA [Editor's Note: The following is a letter to the Military Officer Associaiton of America regarding an ad that appeared in its November 2006 magazine Military Officer.] November 9, 2006 Military Officer Association of America Attn: Major Dale Robinson (USMC, Ret.), Advertising Manager 201 North Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Dear Major Robinson: I am a lifetime member of the Military Officer Association, having retired from the US Air Force in January 1984. The November 2006 issue of Military Officer recently arrived and I was distressed to see on page 5, a full-page advertisement for Focus on the Family. While the name of this organization and also the advertisement present the organization as caring about families, this is in fact, not the focus of this organization. Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado, was founded by James Dobson in 1977. Mr. Dobson is a notorious homophobe, who has discounted the values of any families that do not hew to his narrow definition of what and how a family should be. No one has spread anti-Gay gospel and hatred as widely. I did see the statement in Military Officer that "&.advertisements do not reflect an endorsement by the association unless so indicated". Fortunately, no endorsement of this organization appears in our magazine. Nonetheless, it is my hope that the Military Officer Association of America recognizes the reality that almost all families in America have Gay members and/or friends, and that providing publicity space to anti-Gay organizations such as Focus on the Family, does not serve our military preparedness well. Providing space for such advertising could be construed by the reader as a subtle message that we do support such views. I would hope that we would not accept advertisements from any hatred-based groups, be they white supremacists, anti-Semitic, or homophobic. I ask that you not accept any more advertisements from Focus on the Family. Sincerely, Robert A. Riopelle Major, USAF, Ret. DEMOCRATS: A NEW DAY FOR AMERICA [Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The author asked it be published here in the pages of the SGN.] Dear Mr. Dean: I will being by thanking you and those who have worked with you to ensure that those who have ruled this country with an iron hand for the last twelve years will have their power limited come January 22, 2007. Like you, I could see right from the beginning that Bush's decision to invade Iraq was more a matter of oil than security. It has beck fired and -- like always - it is those who had no say in the decision who are suffering most. In February, I will turn 66-years-old and will have completed more than 42 years of government service. This country has great potential to do a lot better for its own citizens as well as being a team player in dealing with world problems. I have a lot of faith that leaders such as Nancy Pelosi, John Conyers, and Edward Kennedy who not only have book learning but good old fashion common sense are now in positions to be heard. They have a tough road because the country is so divided, 60 percent of the people didn't bother to vote, and a media which has contributed to the populations lack of understanding and knowledge of issues. My advice is for politicians not to just reach out to each other but to reach out to ALL Americans from ALL walks of life. If this country is to survive, we must get over our narrow minded views of the world and of ourselves. We must start observing and dealing with the facts and stop emotional responses to every issue. We must listen more and talk less. After twelve years, I now have hope for the future. Sincerely, George Whitaker Bellevue, WA DEMOCRATS: AN AGENT OF CHANGE FOR LGBT RIGHTS? Now that the Democrats will run both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994, and have more Washington state legislators than any time since 1965, we should expect great legislation to emerge, hopefully this year. A few ideas: Congress should repeal "Don't Ask/Don't Tell. This injustice is also an impediment to military recruitment and effectiveness. The performance of British and other European armies in Iraq and Afghanistan -- almost all allow openly Gay and Lesbian people to serve -- has convinced many in the military that their fears were misplaced. Hearings on this issue should be part of Congressional review of the wars. Congress should enact ENDA, the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This is similar to Washington's new "Cal Anderson Law". Despite the fears of many, no one has asserted that voting for this law hurt anyone's re-election this year. Only one who voted for it lost, to a former legislator who also supported it. This has been the experience in the other states with such laws. Congress should repeal DOMA, the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act." This is the bedrock of federal discrimination against GLBT people. Its repeal would allow all people married in Massachusetts the full benefits and burdens of federal law -- especially the income and estate tax codes. Congress should enact recognition of state Domestic Partner laws, allowing people united under them to benefit fully at the federal level. The Legislature should enact full marriage equality now. Seven Supreme Court justices invited this action in September, including all three who were reelected this year. The Legislature should repeal DOMA. This law is a relic of the temporary ascent of the Religious Right in Washington in the mid nineties, an insult to us all. Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens received almost 60 percent of the vote and carried 35 of 39 counties, after voting for full marriage equality and after radio ads attacked her for her vote. (The others were Adams, Douglas, Franklin, Lewis.) Evidently the army of voters motivated by hostility to marriage equality is a myth. Mainstream media accounts of the Democrats' upcoming agenda, at the federal and state level; never mention any LGBT issues, at all. Could it be that the Democratic Party's image as the vehicle for change is at best an exaggeration? This year we'll learn! Sincerely , Kirk Robbins |
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