saddleback church Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Tuesday Evening News Roundup

After the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, the debate on gun control is renewed. As I’ve mentioned many times before, there is no right in the Constitution that is absolute. Every right that is granted to us in the Constitution has caveats. The ban on assault weapons did not seem to hurt anyone in the United States. Gun owners didn’t seem to suffer. It seems to me that an AR – 15 should have restricted access.

It seems that Pastor Rick Warren would like to have another presidential debate. In my opinion, President Obama and his team need to really think about another debate at the conservative Saddleback Church. I’m not sure that this is in the best interest of either candidate.

Several conservative outlets have jumped to Michele Bachmann’s defense. Michele Bachmann’s attack on State Department employee and Hillary Clinton confidant, Huma Abedin, is truly McCarthy-esque and is without merit. Should we be held responsible for our own actions or the actions of our family members and friends?

Nobody seems to be covering the massive bank scandal. Manipulating the LIBOR rates is a big deal. People need to go to jail. Fines… not these puny little fines, but serious fines, need to be levied. I would be surprised if all of the major banks did not play a role in this manipulation. It is hard to believe that only Barclays is involved.

“My presidency was awesome.” “I was famous and powerful.” I really don’t miss him (President George W. Bush) at all.

Using your birthday as your password is a terrible idea.

Using online sales tax to pay for Medicaid expansion sounds like a good idea. Look for Republicans to block this idea.

Surprise, Mitt Romney invested millions in firms that pioneered outsourcing. Are you really surprised?

Obama angers many with choice of Warren

As everyone knows by now, Barack Obama has chosen the hugely successful but quite controversial Reverend Rick Warren to perform the opening invocation at his inauguration. The gay and lesbian community has been outraged over this choice. It has been noted that on his website he has stated that unrepentant homosexuals will not be accepted as members of his Saddleback Church. These harsh statements have disappeared from his website, but does this mean that the Reverend Warren has changed his mind about homosexuality? I doubt it.

This has become a very big deal in the Progressive community. The dustup over Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich really did not affect the Progressive community. Republicans were up in arms, but Progressives really did not believe that Barack Obama or anyone within his inner circle would be involved in selling Obama’s Senate seat. On the other hand, true Progressives believe in equality. We believe in equality amongst the races and in equality concerning sexual orientation. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have clearly stated that they also support gay rights but do not support gay marriage. (I’m not sure that I have yet resolved this conflict in logic but many “progressive” politicians have these illogical thoughts. “I support gay rights, but I can’t support gay marriage.” It doesn’t make a bit of sense to me, but then again, I’m not a politician.)

Here’s the problem. The gay and lesbian community embraced Bill Clinton and his presidency. In 1996, the Republican Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act. Republicans were hoping to trap Democrats and a weakened President Clinton into arguing against this bill, but Democrats supported this bill overwhelmingly and President Clinton signed it into law. The gay and lesbian community thought that they were thrown under the bus, and they were. So now, 12 years later, the gay and lesbian community thought they had an ally in Barack Obama. (see Rachel Maddow’s video clip. She is really pissed at Obama for choosing Rick Warren.)

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Personally, I believe Barack Obama was caught between a rock and a hard place. Because of his choice in Jeremiah Wright, I think Obama and his team must have thought that choosing a well-known black minister would have brought Obama’s old Reverend again to the forefront. Choosing an unknown minister would have caused everyone to scratch their heads and ask why Obama couldn’t get someone with “star power.” I think that Barack Obama sought, therefore, the least offensive popular (white) minister. (I understand that “least offensive” is subjective and really depends upon who is being affected by it.) I’m not saying that this was the best choice or even someone I’d have considered. I’m just saying that I think I understand the reasoning behind it.

I also believe that Barack Obama continues to support legitimately the cause of equality for the gay and lesbian communities. I think that he supports 95% of the gay and lesbian agenda but that this is the way it’s going to go over the next four years. Not just for gays and lesbians, but for all Progressives. Obama is really going to try to walk the tightrope between progressive and conservative Americans. The black and Latino communities, as well as supporters of women’s rights, will get their (our) feelings hurt in the coming months and even years. In spite of some hurt feelings,though, I think Barack Obama will do more for our collective causes than any other president has over the past 30 years.