Asking and Telling

After last week's flurry of excitement, including the support of eight Republican senators on the final vote, President Obama signed into law the bill that will lead to the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the United States' military, allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly.

As a good, smug Canadian, I'm tempted to quip, "Welcome to the 1990s!" Of the various human rights concerns facing the gay and lesbian population in the United States, this issue would have been one of the lower-priority causes for me. But on the other hand, I'm well aware of the symbolic importance of being able to serve in the military in a country where this is considered an important part of national service and citizenship. It is also an important federal recognition of equal rights and equal treatment regardless of one's sexual orientation.

However, as someone who got legally married to another man six years ago, I can't help but think that it would have been nice if the lame duck session's efforts had been used to repeal DOMA, or address any of the other relationship recognition issues that are still facing the United States. The ability to serve and die for one's country is important, but the ability to have one's love for others be acknowledged by the state, and granted equal privileges and rights (such as inheritance, hospital visitation rights, etc) would be even better. And that's without even getting into the host of issues related to challenging the sexual conservatism of the US.

Nonetheless, this is a victory, and should be acknowledged as such!

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DADT: Courts do what Obama is afraid to

A judge, ruling on a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, has ruled the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy unconstitutional, stating that the policy violates both the First and Fifth amendments.

I'm glad to see that this decision has come down from the courts. But it would have been a lot more impressive had President Obama himself had the strength of character and the balls to make this an executive decision, followed by an act of Congress, over a year ago.

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Filibuster

At some point, and I'm not sure if that point will come, the Democrats are going to have to decide if they really believe in their agenda. If they do, they're going to have to sell it hard to the voting population. Because if they do that, the threat of a filibuster will not scare them into craven submission. They will meet the challenge head on, confident that the Republican party will pay in the ballot box in the midterm elections for making Congress non-functional.

In the last 30 years (it goes back further than that, but it illustrates my point), the Republican party has never held 60 Senate seats. And yet their legislation got passed. The same applies to the Democrats. The filibuster is a scare tactic, and one that should not be treated as if it can be undertaken lightly. Unless the Democrats think their legislation is so weak that it could be brought down in a "Mister Smith goes to Washington" scenario, they need to strap on a set of spines, and get down to the business of governing, and pillory the Republicans in the press for daring to flout the will of the American people.

If not, they might as well hand the keys to the White House back to Dick Cheney.

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CanCon on Inauguration Day

I've been holding my breath for the past few weeks, counting down the final hours of the Bush presidency. Now that it's almost over (a few hours more, by my count), I'm about ready for my first post of the year. And, in the spirit of cross-border relations, it's on the CBC's Canadian content playlist selected by listeners to introduce Barack Obama to Canadian music.

I don't feel competent to comment on the French-language tracks on the list. But for pete's sake, the English-language list is like a screaming ad saying "CBC's listeners are old". You'd be tempted to think that good Canadian music stopped being produced in the early 1980s. Granted, it does include a track by the Arcade Fire, and I'm pleased to see the Arrogant Worms' classic "Canada is Really Big". But "Rise Up" by the Parachute Club? The only place that song gets listened to is at gay pride picnics - and usually with a profound sense of camp or irony. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the contributions of Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Rush, the Guess Who (and so on), and it would have been criminal to leave Joni Mitchell of the list. But that list clearly skews to an older demographic - especially when the more recent tracks include songs by Michael Buble and Diana Krall.

I am fully aware that there is a raging debate swirling around whether CBC should be trying to target a younger audience, or whether it is best to cater to the audience that they have. But it does seem to me that if the CBC is trying to re-brand itself as an all-ages network, this voter-driven "best of Canada" list might not have been the best way to change its image.

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US Election - An Imperfect Night

I'm pleased that Barack Obama defeated John McCain and put Sarah Palin safely out of the line of succession. I'm pleased that there is a Democratic Congress and that Joe Lieberman can be shown the door thanks to a healthy margin in the Senate. I think that history was made last night when Americans voted for an African-American man for president. But amidst all this celebration, let's not forget that four states, including two that gave their electoral college votes to Obama, decided to express their viceral prejudice by attacking gay men and lesbians. Last night, Arkansas voters opted to ban gay couples from adopting children. Florida and Arizona voters decided to expressly amend their constitutions to ban gay marriage. But worst of all, Californians voted (by a margin of 52-48) to undo the marriages of thousands of gay and lesbians in the state who had got married in the last several months, after the state supreme court decided that excluding them from the institution of marriage was discrimination, pure and simple. I have friends who yesterday were considered married under California law - their marriage is no longer recognized by the state thanks to Proposition 8.

Civil rights are still an issue in the United States. While last night was a major victory, these results show that it is still considered acceptable by many to write prejudice into the constitution. Can Americans change this? I hope they can.

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