In his statement criticizing the President’s State of the Union address last night, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Executive Director mentioned only one gay issue, pleased that the president “chose not to lobby for a federal constitutional amendment” defining marriage. Instead, he reserved his vitriol for the president’s continued support for the war in Iraq, saying, “The nightmare in the Middle East continues unabated.“
Um, Matt, while things may not now be hunky-dory in Iraq, if we pull out now, that nation will come under the dominance of Iran where things are bad all around, particularly for gay men who are routinely hanged merely for being gay.
Once again, Foreman’s statement shows that NGLTF styles itself more as a leftist organization for gay people, preferring to promote the standard left-wing agenda than to focus on gay issues.
If NGLTF were dedicated to gay issues, its executive director would not have issued such an angry release, instead would have been content to note that the president was no longer advocating a gratuituos constitutional amendment defining marriage, an ammendment which would be out of place in our nation’s founding charter.
Dear Friends,
In December 2002, the Task Force joined Win Without War, a broad coalition of groups — including the NAACP, the National Council of Churches, the Sierra Club and NOW — opposing the invasion of Iraq. The coalition’s statement said: “We believe that a preemptive military invasion of Iraq will harm American national interests. Unprovoked war will increase human suffering, arouse animosity toward our country, increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks, damage the economy and undermine our moral standing in the world. It will make us less, not more, secure.”
Four years later, every single part of this statement has become reality, only far worse than anyone could ever have imagined. Rather than finding a way out of this immoral morass, President Bush is committed to making it worse.
I’m sure you didn’t mean to minimize the situation in Iraq by saying it is not “hunky-dory.” Surely not.
There are no easy answers to this disaster, but leading Democratic and Republican elected officials (supported by a majority of the public, according to recent surveys) reject the President’s approach.
Beyond all the obvious and horrific human and political damage the war has cost, it has squandered billions that are desperately needed to address real needs here at home. All of us – LGBT and straight – will be paying for this disaster in every possible way for decades to come.
Should we say something about this? Damn right.
Matt Foreman
Executive Direction
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Unprovoked war will increase human suffering, arouse animosity toward our country, increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks, damage the economy and undermine our moral standing in the world. It will make us less, not more, secure.”
Four years later, every single part of this statement has become reality, only far worse than anyone could ever have imagined.
Say, what color is the sky in your world?
but leading Democratic and Republican elected officials (supported by a majority of the public, according to recent surveys) reject the President’s approach.
They demanded it before they rejected it. Sort of like how they demanded getting rid of Saddam & the WMDs before they lied about it.
it has squandered billions that are desperately needed to address real needs here at home.
How stupid do you think we, the American people, are? We have billions here at home that the war spending doesn’t have anything to do with. Get over yourselves. You’re not taking the “moral stand” you think you are and none of us are buying your leftist steaming pile.
Unfortunately, Matt Foreman, you and your fellow leftist groups who claim to care about human suffering have zero credibility in the eyes of those who know just what Saddam was doing in Iraq.
When you are ready to say the following, namely that you didn’t care one whit how many millions of people Saddam starved, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered for simply having a different faith, a different sexual orientation, a different tribal origin, a different ethnic group, or a different opinion, just as long as it didn’t cost us money or “raise animosity” against the United States, then we will talk.
When you are ready to admit that the same leftist European governments and the United Nations which you so revere were receiving bribes from Saddam Hussein in the billions of dollars simply so that they WOULD ignore him and berate anyone who tried to stop him, then we may care.
But until then, your words about “human suffering” are nothing more than typical leftist selfishness. We have seen what your “Win Without War” actually looked like, and we find it appalling.
Mr. Foreman:
With all due respect, the fact that you and your organization have allied themselves with the likes of the NAACP, the National Council of Churches, the Sierra Club and NOW have vastly reduced your company’s credibility in my eyes.
Not only do these organizations tilt against the mainstream of American thinking, but to my knowledge none of them represent what conservative gays and lesbians agree are the foremost issues of our day. Furthermore, I daresay they are not concerned with them as well.
Also, to my knowledge, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM have condemned America’s enemies (al-Qaeda and Hezbollah) of crimes against gays and lesbians in the Middle East, as prescribed by the corrupt Sharia law which includes torture and execution of homosexuals. This silence on the issue is reminiscent of the compliance with which nations allowed gays and lesbians to be liquidated via Nazi Germany’s “Final Solution.”
It is said that “birds of a feather flock together.” I would strongly suggest that you reconsider your alliances before you are all trapped in the same net.
Regards,
Peter Hughes
Opposition to the escalation of the war in Iraq is part of a “standard left wing agenda”? So 70% of America is now subscribing to a standard left wing agenda?
On the flip side, will the escalation stop the hanging of gay men in Iran? the murdering and targeting of gay men in Iraq? The histrionics and the sham of linking gay men in Iran to the escalation in Iraq would be laughable, if it didn’t actually obscure the realities of both.
So 70% of America is now subscribing to a standard left wing agenda?
For that convenient stat to be true, the anti-war candidates would have to be polling higher than Rudy G. or McCain.
On the flip side, will the escalation stop the hanging of gay men in Iran?
You’re right. We should run away and let Iran & Syria move in to take care of them.
What always strikes me about websites like this one is the way so-called “conservatives” think that they can simply dismiss opposing points of view by deaming them “leftist.” I wonder if most even know what leftism is. I also wonder why “conservatives” think leftism is such a threat in this country considering that it’s had far less influence here compared to places in Europe (which, by the way, are more secure than we are).
Then again, I don’t think most of you know much about conservatism either. Edmund Burke would have had all of you boiled in oil. Though I don’t want to overgeneralize, I think many of you who identify as “conservative” simply have a desperate need to be identified with the mainstream American majority, no matter how much they hate you. You’re like the jewish sondercomando in the concentration camps.
Regarding the war with Iraq, there is no evidence whatsoever that a pullout would result in either Iranian or Syrian dominance in the region. Especially not if Bush and others followed the advice of the Iraq Study Group (leftists?). And if you want examples of brutal homophobia and anti-gay violence, you needn’t look to those countries; just look to Texas and Wyoming. In other words, don’t try to make it seem as if those who are opposed to this war don’t care about the safety and well-being of gay citizens. Making that link is as specious as those who claim that invading Afghanistan had something to do with the “liberation” of women.
–Chet (“People get the democracy they deserve.”)