Morning Reads

Romney against bias to gays despite opposition to gay marriage
“I’m not in favor of discrimination of any kind including people who have a different sexual preference than myself. At the same time I’m very committed to traditional marriage between one man and one woman and believe that marriage should be preserved in that way. I don’t think there’s any conflict between feeling that all people deserve respect and tolerance and that discrimination is wrong and a belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.” - Massachusetts Governor and Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (source)

I feel for Mitt Romney. I really do. Back in 1994 he was a different kind of candidate. He was much more moderate (or, maybe he was lying then). So today, are we to believe that he has become this ultra right winger that is against gay marriage? He’s such an easy target. He claims to be against “discrimination of any kind including people who have a different sexual preference” from himself, which we are to assume is heterosexual. At the same time, he is against allowing gay couples access to marriage; an institution which would grant them 1,039 federal legal rights, along with countless legal rights at the state level.

I don’t know, call my naive. But that sounds like discrimination to me.

Double Standard?
Plans to develop condominium complexes marketed to older gay and lesbian couples are drawing howls of protest from some people in Massachusetts who say local government is guilty of having a double standard.

State representative Brian Wallace of south Boston tells The Boston Herald city officials up to now have refused to allow developers to build seniors-only facilities because of fair housing laws. And the head of a Boston real estate group says the idea of marketing exclusively to gays is “a bit much” — and points to the uproar that would result if the condos were “just for heterosexual people, or Muslims, or Jews or Catholics.” (source)

I can always count on Fox News for unbiased reporting. That’s why I go there so often.

Is building condos for the gay and lesbian community a double standard? I don’t know, to be honest. But I do know that their analogy is somewhat flawed (happens a lot to Fox News, it seems). The nuance that they seem to overlook is that unlike housing for the elderly, or Jews, or Catholics, I doubt that those groups are targeted so heavily for violence and verbal epithets. Think about it. How often do you hear someone drive by and yell out their window, “You are soooooo old!”, or “I hate Catholics”, accompanied by the car stopping and 4 guys with a baseball bat stepping out of the car to follow through with their hate.

It happens a lot for the gay community. I don’t expect Fox News to take my word for it because I’m sure they would feel that if they did, they would somehow be seen as “endorsing the gay lifestyle”, which they would never do, but I’m telling you from experiences in my life, it is very true that gay people face these fears every single day.

When people get older, or even people who just want their home to be safe, who the hell needs to worry about thugs coming to your home to do you harm? I think the building of these condos is a great idea for those in our community who can afford them (they aren’t inexpensive) who want that peace of mind. In a perfect world where we could all get along and put aside our personal biases, we wouldn’t need them. But when you are in one of the most hated minorities in the country, why not do this? I would also argue that the Muslim community might benefit from this.

Bush Signs India Nuclear Bill
U.S. President George Bush signed the nuclear agreement between the United States and India Monday at a White House ceremony.

The U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act effectively recognizes India as a nuclear power and allows the United States to supply technology for peaceful purposes. In return, India agreed to inspections by the U.N. nuclear agency.

“The United States and India are natural partners,” Bush said. “The rivalries that once kept our nations apart are no more -- and today, America and India are united by deeply held values.” (source)

You know, we used to get along with Iran also at one time. Some people’s memories are very short.