And I began to wonder how privilege sets the stage that allows libertarian ideas to seem as if they are a plausible solution for all people. In otherwords for those who have privilege, small government seems like a solution because from their perspective a bigger government that makes demands is meddling. But what about a person who is disenfrangised? These are, in my opinion those for whom government must be there to protect, right?
I posted yesterday, about NOM’s efforts to boycott Starbucks, and today I received this from MoveOn.org Dear Friend, Starbucks stuck its neck out to publicly support the right of all people to marry, regardless of the gender of their partner. Now it is under attack by the ironically named, ultra-conservative “National Organization for Marriage.”1 Already more than 20,000 NOM members have pledged to boycott Starbucks, and NOM is even threatening to run ads against Starbucks[Read More…]
Additionally, Equality Pennsylvania endorsed five openly gay candidates seeking state legislative offices this year. Adrian Shanker, President of Equality Pennsylvania, stated, “In a state that has never seen an openly gay legislator, it is encouraging to see five well-qualified openly LGBT candidates seeking the opportunity to serve, and all in the same year!” The five candidates are: Roy Christ (Dauphin County), Jeff Dahlander (Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming), Chris Dietz (Dauphin), Kelly McEntee (Dauphin), and Brian Sims (Philadelphia County). Pennsylvania has never had an openly gay state legislator.
I posted that I was part of a delegation of community leaders from Pennsylvania who were at the White House last Friday for a policy briefing. I’ll be posting a followup talking about the experience over the next few days. Before leaving Pittsburgh, I had received a template press release from Keystone Profgress, the organization which had facilitated the trip, so I sent it out to the papers and also to the two local public[Read More…]
As I see it, you homophobes are pretty loud and viscious, but there aren’t that many of you given how big this country really is. Try as hard as you want, and while you may get more signatures, it won’t be enough to really impact the bottom line at Starbucks (and it really is all about the bottom line). But what you will accomplish, is getting one or more homophobes outta line so I can get my morning coffee just a bit quicker! Sounds like a winner for me!
As for Mr. Gainey, I think he well deserved an endorsement. As much as I have had a great working relationship with Joe Preston, and I like him, it may be time for a change and bring in someone who will really get things moving in Harrisburg. Gainey displays a real passion and energy for leadership, and I believe him as he talks about advocating for the whole of his community, which includes me.
On Friday, I was at the White House for a general policy briefing, and it coincided with the 2nd anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Movement of the ACA through Congress was a tumultuous experience for me, as I was a fan of a public option and I cared deeply about getting this bill passed. Wile not perfect, it did pass, and the country is better off for it. The legislation has lowered the[Read More…]
I’ve written a number of posts about the recent PA Voter ID bill which could be viewed as a kick off to the 2012 election season. Certainly for many, the Voter ID bill may make it more difficult to vote, but another ongoing issue occurs every election if registered voters do not know enough about the candidates to make informed decisions in the voting booth. For voters here in Pennsylvania, a few different organizations provide[Read More…]
150 Pennsylvanians to meet with Administration officials to discuss issues WHAT: White House Community Leaders Briefing WHEN: Friday, March 23, 2012, 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM WHERE: The White House, Washington, DC. (participants will be departing from points across the state) WHO: Keystone Progress leadership, partners and local community leaders,Thomas C Waters (Pittsburgh PA)—Thomas C Waters, has been invited by the White House to participate in a delegation of Pennsylvanians for a Community Leaders Briefing[Read More…]
The linked story and associated video are worth watching. But what I’d like to do is place this current battle into a larger picture. Here is some Iowa history concerning same-sex marriage. Iowa already had a local Defense of Marriage Act passed by their legislators which was struck down in 2005. and now they want to do it again? It easily passed the GOP run state house, but Mike Gronstal, a Democrat is vowing to[Read More…]