Maybe it’s something in the water.
We’re heading back to Florida for today’s topic, two days in a row - Miami Beach, Florida, in fact, where a supposed mayoral candidate has sparked outrage over his crass and bigoted behavior. Maybe it’s something in the water down there that prompts this kind of thing, but if you ask me, this isn’t the best way to get votes even from a majority of straight voters:
Beach Resident’s Sign Angers Gay/Lesbian Groups - CBS4.com
MIAMI BEACH Gay and Lesbian rights groups are outraged by the actions of Miami Beach resident who claims he is running for mayor.
Raymond “Bill” Smatt has strung a 50-foot banner across the front of his Alton Road home with the message “God Created Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve.”
Can’t we all just play like big boys here? Oh, wait, this is politics. I guess the answer’s no. It’s really kind of pathetic that people have to be so ugly. I really don’t have much more to say on the topic - it rather speaks for itself. If I was more spiteful, though, I’d say that the Mr. Gay competition should gravitate towards Florida and hold an all-out extravaganza. But I’m not that spiteful. Never. Of course not.
I’m short on time today, so I’m going to run. But before I do, I wanted to point out something that’s been big news for the past several days, but that you may have missed anyway…and you really shouldn’t. This has nothing to do with gay news, but affects the nation as a whole and reflects tellingly on the character of the man in the Oval Office:
Bush Commutes Libby’s Prison Sentence - NY Times
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis ”Scooter” Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison term in the CIA leak investigation Monday, delivering a political thunderbolt in the highly charged criminal case. Bush said the sentence was just too harsh.
Bush’s move came just five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Libby could not delay his prison term. That meant Libby was likely to have to report soon, and it put new pressure on the president, who had been sidestepping calls by Libby’s allies to pardon Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff.
”I respect the jury’s verdict,” Bush said in a statement. ”But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.”
In other words…President Bush has bypassed due process of the law. He has overturned a decision made by our country’s judicial system based on his own personal feelings. He has spit in the face of the procedures of a democratic republic, and in the faces of the citizens who work to uphold it. He has, in essence, decided that he is the law. Sound familiar to anyone?
Now who’s guilty of obstruction of justice?
miami beach florida, raymond bill smatt, president george bush, lewis scooter libby, obstruction of justice, commutation of sentence
July 6th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I have to disagree with you re: the whole Bush thing. Yes, he commuted the prison sentence of someone, quite probably for personal and/or political reasons. However, what he did is not only legal, but it is written in the constitution that he has this power.
And it’s not like he’s the first president to do something like this. Every president in recent history has done this numerous times. I think President Bush Sr. -only- issued 77 pardons during his time in office.
Does this make it right? No, not necessarily. But further demonization of him for it also is not fair.
July 6th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Someone should place a nice sign underneath it with these wise words I found on an icon:
“It really DOES say Adam and Steve. That’s what you get for reading the translation.” they could add “-God” but that’s just spiteful.
July 6th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
We’re going to have to agree to disagree then, Reynai…as personally I don’t think that “Oh, it’s not like he’s the first to abuse presidential power for personal reasons” is reason enough to just sweep it all under the rug, especially after everything else that Bush has done to abuse his station. I don’t really think I’m demonizing him. I’m just pointing out what happened, and in less hostile speech than many more mainstream news/op-ed outlets.
P.S. If your comment doesn’t show up immediately, you don’t need to repost it. It probably got caught by the spam filter, and I check that daily and approve any comments that got mistakenly trashed by the computer. Patience, my friend, patience. But thanks for commenting, nonetheless. You always have great opposing viewpoints and I look forward to hearing them even if we don’t agree.
July 6th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
I’ve no problem with agreeing to disagree at all; especially with someone who I do respect, and can articulate their reasons for it like you do.
And yes, I do agree that ‘he’s not the first’ isn’t a good reason to sweep it under; and in fact I wish that the presidential pardons were made more visible in fact. I checked the Pardon Attorney’s website, and was surprised, quite negatively, at how many there were: I’d like to know more about who and why, and I’m not sure where to start looking. I just feel that it’s being portrayed, by the majority of people I heard of it from at least, as something that is specifically bad about Bush’s presidency.
As for the PS: Ah, so that’s what happened. Good to know, I’ll keep that in mind for the future. I came back a few hours later and didn’t see my post on, so I figured it probably didn’t take; my browser does that from time to time.