Obama’s “Big Gay Speech” wasn’t big or very gay

The following was posted in The Daily Reveille on October 12:

It’s official: President Obama has hit the big time.

Obama keynoted the Human Rights Campaign’s annual banquet last Saturday and, in the process, provided the opening act for pop music’s newest princess, Lady Gaga.

Mr. Obama isn’t one to be overshadowed. He has proven his oratory ingenuity. He’s also shown a masterful ability to inspire hope in millions of people worldwide.

But for the first time, Obama was overshadowed. Interestingly enough, it took Lady Gaga to do it.

Gaga didn’t do it through her ostentatious appearance or jaw-dropping speech. In fact, save a small 2-minute preview to her act, she hardly spoke at all.

She stole the night through her performance.

Mr. Obama, as the nation’s first minority president, should have been the highlight. Speaking with the heaviest of symbolism, he should have vowed to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy during the 110th Congress.

He should have been able to get up and show the world the Age of the Straight White Man, ushered in by 15th century Europe but perpetuated by America, is finished.

He should have extolled diversity and multiculturalism and embraced the realities of our time.

It took Lady Gaga’s performance to do all that.

That’s not to say Mr. Obama gave a poor speech. To be honest, I’m quite sure he could give a great speech about a chunk of rock.

The problem with the speech, and a few of his others as of late, was he said nothing he hasn’t already said.

I think it comes as no great surprise a progressive Democrat from Chicago would be in favor of expanding hate-crime legislation or anti-discrimination legislation.

Mr. Obama needs to say something new. I’m sick of hearing the same speeches, and not just on this issue.

If he wanted to truly advance honest discussion, he should have gone further.

Imagine if, with the First Lady in attendance, he had said the love he shares with her is no different than the love between Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, the 87-year-old and 83-year-old who were the first same-sex couple to be married in California.

Imagine if he had taken it a step further and mentioned the importance of teaching to Sasha and Malia equality and dignity.

Sadly, only Lady Gaga allowed us to “Imagine” what could’ve been.

She stole the night through her performance. No, she didn’t get up and sing “Poker Face” or “Paparazzi.” Rather, in the most conservative outfit I’ve ever seen her wear, she sat at the piano and gave a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

She even changed the lyrics of the famed Lennon song, adding in a reference to Matthew Shepard, the gay college student brutally attacked and tied to a fence in freezing weather near Laramie, Wyo., and adding a new fourth verse, which became the night’s most memorable quote.

In it, she sang “People of the nation, are you listening? It isn’t equal if it’s sometimes. I want a real democracy. Imagine all the people could love equally.”

I hope being upstaged — by a pop music singer, no less — urges Mr. Obama to double down on advancing the change he promised last year.

The issues supported by the HRC are important, but pale in importance to the commanding issues of our time, mainly the recession and the two wars.

If President Obama can refocus on fulfilling his promises to the American people on these issues, then the promises he made to gays and lesbians will come in time.

But, if he fails to implement a safe withdrawal from Iraq and, eventually, Afghanistan and fails to improve the jobless rate, then the views supported by the LGBT community won’t matter come 2012 when Mr. Obama fails to reclaim the White House.

Ten ways to spend $45,000 during impending budget cuts

The following was originally printed in the Opinion section of The Daily Reveille:

With severe budget cuts hitting the University and the state government, one might think state officials would be doing everything in their power to cut costs.

But Gov. Bobby Jindal does not seem to feel that need.

The governor ran on a platform of competency, transparency and efficiency in the 2007 election to replace embattled Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

Despite these promises, The Advocate reported Aug. 30 the governor used a state helicopter 14 times to visit different church services in Louisiana from March to July.
The total cost of these visits to Louisiana taxpayers: roughly $45,000.

As said best by Rachel Maddow, “If Mr. Jindal was simply politicking, he’s, of course, got a government waste problem here. If he was simply preaching and praying, he’s sorta got a separation of church and state problem here.”

If the governor had been visiting these churches after some sort of disaster or if he were talking about actual issues, this story would have far less news value, but Jindal did no such thing while visiting.

Rather, he spoke about his conversion from Hinduism to Catholicism — at Protestant churches no less.

The governor’s office claims Jindal has also met with community leaders after some of these visits.

It hardly seems prudent to spend thousands of dollars on such visits in the midst of the worst budget crisis the state has seen in years and the worst recession since the Great Depression.

If the governor truly feels passionate about worshipping in these roughly 14 churches, all save one in central or northern Louisiana, then he should take his own car, or even a government-owned one, and drive the three hours or so it would take to get there.

Interestingly enough, the location of most these churches are in parishes where conservative white Democrats and Republicans normally fare quite well, yet where Gov. Jindal has not.

In light of this revelation, I, with the help of a few of my fellow students and the Office of the Chancellor, have come up with a list of 10 ideas how that $45,000 could have been spent if Gov. Jindal had opted for driving as opposed to taking the $1,300-an-hour helicopter:

1. Begin giving away free pregnancy tests at the Student Health Center.

2. Make scantrons free for all students.

3. Create the Piyush Jindal Scholarship Fund, giving $1,000 scholarships to the 45 most promising entering freshman.

4. Chancellor Martin, per Assistant Vice Chancellor for Communications Kristine Calongne, would work with Student Government to fund a project that would have an “important impact on students and the student experience.”

5. Invest in a water system that uses reclaimed water in the sprinkler system, rather than tap water.

6. Start fixing the many large cracks in the sidewalks on campus because we have all had one too many bloody toes.

7. Create a 24-hour-a-day IT help desk to help those students who feel papers should only be written at 3 a.m. the night before the due date.

8. Give the money to Students On Target to pass out free beers during Groovin’ on the Grounds.

9. Put the money in a fund to build additional parking, possibly an actual parking garage, so commuters aren’t forced to park in Egypt everyday.

10. Use the money to subsidize the parking tickets to those students who would rather not park 30 minutes away from their classes.

If Gov. Jindal had asked University students how that $45,000 should have been spent, I seriously doubt his helicopter journeys would rank near the top — especially with alternatives such as these.

Louisiana needs leadership like Ted Kennedy

The following was originally printed in the Opinion section of The Daily Reveille:

The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, the scion of this country’s most prominent political dynasty, serves to highlight the desperate need for strong leaders, especially in times of national crisis.

Kennedy has been the driving force behind almost every piece of major legislation on domestic policy for the last half century.

Throughout almost five decades in the Senate, Kennedy fought for those who had no voice of their own. While he was born into privilege, wealth and power, he fought for all those who had none of the three.

It is because of this great American hero that so many groups of people were given the rights they deserved, including people of color, women, the disabled and young people.
With his death, we should take a look at the state of our own leadership.

Throughout history, Louisiana has been, for better or worse, led by those with large personalities and even larger egos.

The Pelican State currently lacks strong leadership. One has to look no further than Sen. David Vitter for example.

Vitter leapt onto the national stage in 2007 when news broke that he had been a client of the infamous “D.C. Madam” while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The senator never apologized to the people of this state directly or came clean about his actions, only asking forgiveness for his “serious sin.”

Unfortunately, the senator’s indiscretions do not stop there.

Earlier this year, Vitter set off an alarm at a D.C. area airport when he reportedly tried to open a closed boarding ramp door. He then allegedly threw a fit when told he would not be permitted to board the aircraft.

And last week, the Louisiana Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Vitter for campaigning for reelection at taxpayer-funded town halls. According to the complaint, he has spent the better part of the meetings trashing his opponent in next year’s Senate race as opposed to talking to voters about actual issues.

Yet, Louisiana may get a chance at new leadership after events of the past couple of weeks.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, announced he will enter the 2010 Senate race as a Democrat. Melancon, a conservative Blue Dog, is the state’s sole Democrat in the House of Representatives.

There are rumors Lt. General Russel Honoré will enter the Republican primary against Vitter. Honoré can be remembered as the Creole general who was lauded after successfully leading the Joint Task Force Katrina.

Another potential challenger is adult film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels, a Baton Rouge native, is being drafted by a grassroots network of supporters.

After three major hurricanes in four years, Louisiana needs the best leadership it can possibly get. This state deserves better representation and a stronger commitment from leaders to the people of this state.

Saturday marked the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Some progress has occurred in restoring Louisiana, but much more work still has yet to be completed.

We need someone who will fight for Louisiana and have the courage to bring real reform and progress to a state that so desperately needs it — and so desperately deserves it.

We need someone who will be a voice for our huddled masses. We need someone who will fight for better education for our youth, for health care for our uninsured and for more aid to our citizens devastated by Katrina, Rita and Gustav.

At the end of the day, our state desperately needs a strong leader; we need a senator like Edward M. Kennedy.

The Liberal Lion

As a product of the '80s, I wasn't alive when Senator Ted Kennedy fought for Civil Rights for many of my friends, I wasn't alive when he fought for the rights of millions of young people to vote, I wasn't alive when he fought for the rights of the uninsured. I am alive now, and I know what the twentieth century's greatest senator has done for myself, my peers and my fellow Americans.

If Kanye can overcome hate, maybe others can too

The following was originally printed in the Opinion section of The Daily Reveille:

Let’s be frank: The vast majority of the time, anything that slips out of Kanye West’s mouth is at best, ridiculous, and at worst, hugely egotistical.

No doubt, when people think of offhanded Kanye West quotes, they think of his appearance on NBC’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” held shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. While on the show, he ventured off script and blasted the Bush administration, famously saying, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

But recently, West has been talking more about a subject that his peers in the hip-hop industry rarely venture into: discrimination against gays.

Except for one or two other stars in the industry, discrimination of this nature is rarely talked about, and never so candidly. If homosexuality is broached at all in hip-hop, it is used as an insult.

West spoke candidly in past interviews about how black street culture idolizes masculinity and how this idolization in turn creates an environment hostile to gay people.

“I wanna just come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, ‘Yo, stop it,’” West said when asked further about the subject.

Such a blatant plea to end gay bashing in song and in everyday life is something not common in the world of hip-hop.

Mr. West’s critique of the industry and its attitudes toward gays is refreshing. It is quite bold of him to so adamantly declare his support for tolerance.

More recently, West has decided to tour with Lady Gaga, an artist who identifies strongly with the gay community.

In an interview last month, Gaga told West, “I’m gay. My music is gay. My show is gay. And I love that it’s gay. And I love my gay fans, and they’re all going to be coming to our show. And it’s going to remain gay.”

While West’s actions and statements are bold, he is not the only industry heavyweight advocating for tolerance.

Industry giant Russell Simmons recently wrote a letter to Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson urging him to support gay marriage, and R&B superstar Mary J. Blige recently co-hosted a fundraiser to raise money against Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban in California.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of hip-hop artists either continue to perpetuate discrimination in their work or fail to condemn their peers who do.

Artists such as Busta Rhymes, Eminem and 50 Cent have all used homophobia as a way to sell albums and perpetuate stereotypes.

One cannot help but miss the irony in all of this. The industry grew out of the street and gang cultures, cultures largely plagued with poverty and crime, as a means to give a voice to some groups of people who were being — and who still are being — discriminated against.

Some people, including Kanye West and Russell Simmons, compare the struggle for gay rights to the Civil Rights movement of the ’60s.

I respectfully disagree, as black people were discriminated against far more than the gays of today and because they lacked far more rights than the modern gay community.

This is not to say discrimination today is so slight that it is not an issue.

In Louisiana, it is still legal for employers to fire employees simply because they are gay. Our state even denies gay couples hospital visitation rights.

Because of such things, I applaud West for coming out against such senseless discrimination, despite how I feel about the majority of his viewpoints.

I guess the old saying, “beggars can’t be choosers,” rarely rings so true.

Welcome

Hey y'all,

For whoever may read this, I say welcome. This blog is dedicated to politics and issues that I think are important.

Beginning in the fall, I will be writing an opinion column in The Daily Reveille, the student newspaper at LSU. I plan on posting my articles on this blog, as well as a handful of other writings.

Hopefully, whoever stumbles upon this blog will enjoy my posts.

Best,

S