Rooting for that economic catastrophe

Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen has written a letter to Congress saying because of the debt limit the federal government may not be able to pay its bills maybe as soon as June 1 (as in about four weeks from now). House Republicans have passed a bill saying they’ll crash the economy either by not raising the limit or by cutting so much government spending we fall into a recession. Kerry Eleveld of Daily Kos explored the question of whether Republicans are rooting for that economic catastrophe. So far their election efforts aren’t going as expected. Their policies of banning abortions and books are widely unpopular. Their anti-woke and anti-crime efforts aren’t working. Their presidential front runner is a serial criminal, beholden to Putin, and was soundly rejected last time. Their potential runner-up, DeathSantis, is crashing and burning. There are still painfully frequent mass shootings. And Biden’s reelection rollout was strong, and the war in Ukraine is going well for Biden and the West. Republicans have little to work with. So Eleveld looked at the crashing the economy thing from two sides. From the democracy side, they can pin a crashed economy on Biden to boost their chances in the election. From the authoritarian side a crashed economy is a “shock event” that, if chaotic enough, will make people more willing for an autocrat to step in with an offer of stability. House Republicans have been declaring their intent to hold the economy hostage since January. There was talk back then of a way Democrats could bypass the Republican leadership with a “discharge petition.” Since this process takes a lot of time there was talk that Democrats had better get started. Joan McCarter of Kos reported they did get started and did so very quietly. They are at the point where they need five Republicans to sign on. This still may not work because they don’t yet have any Republicans willing to sign on – the caucus is holding firm – and the rules say a certain amount of time must pass from when they get those signatures. They may not get it done by the time the debt limit is reached. At the end of March Eleveld reported on a new AP/NORC poll that showed 60% of Americans say the government spends too much. But when asked about individual program respondents say the government is spending too little. The top programs, and the percent who say the government spends to little, are: Social Security (62%) and Medicare (58%), health care (63%), education (65%), and infrastructure (62%). That’s more than half of the federal budget. They like cutting in theory, but not in specifics. And certainly not in things that could make a difference in the deficit. I had mentioned something about a Texas law that would mandate displaying a poster of the Ten Commandments in every public and charter school classroom. It’s still only a bill, though it passed the Texas Senate. Walter Einenkel of Kos reported it’s now before a House Committee and they held a discussion about the bill. Republican Rep. Candy Noble is for it. Democratic Rep James Talarico had some important disagreements. Some of his points: The Texas Legislature isn’t following the Ten Commandments – they violate “Thou Shall Not Kill” by continuing to allow the death penalty. And probably several members violate the commandment about not committing adultery. The proposed bill is idolatrous – it prompts people to worship the commandments and not the god behind the commandments. If the Ten Commandments are a foundational document, let’s add the Code of Hammurabi or the Magna Carta. The bill is exclusionary and arrogant – Jesus called those who pray on the street hypocrites. Instead of a bill that will feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and heal the sick, we have a bill to put up a poster. Don’t let the law get in the way of loving your neighbor. And loving your neighbor is the most important law. Does this bill love the Hindu and Budddhist students? Since this bill does not love those students too, it is not a Christian bill. Two weeks ago Mike Stanfill of Raging Pencils tweeted a cartoon of Marjorie Taylor Greene spouting off about what God said. So the cartoon puts up a microphone to hear what God has to say about MTG. He concludes, “And there you have it, because we can pretend Got says stuff too.” Editorial and Political Cartoons tweeted one of a man labeled “GLBT Civil Rights” is being nailed to a cross. The man with the hammer says, “Quit squirming! You’re oppressing our religious freedom!” David Hayward tweeted a cartoon of one person using a Bible to bludgeon another, saying “It’s not me, it’s God’s word!” Hayward added:

People use the Bible and their beliefs to hurt you. They don't think they're being cruel. They think they're being righteous. They think they must sanctify you. But I believe some people love hurting you and they've found a holy excuse to do so. Have you experienced this?

An AP story posted on Kos reported Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey instituted an emergency rule saying any transgender person, adults and children, had to undergo at least 18 months of therapy plus several other requirements before receiving gender-affirming care. Thankfully, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo issued a temporary restraining order to block the rule and scheduled a hearing over the lawsuit challenging the rule. She said the rule was proposed without fact-finding or evidence. Patients would be subjected to immediate loss and damage if the rule was implemented because their care would be interrupted for an indefinite length of time. This rule is different in that it also targets adults. It was also enacted without the legislature debating and passing a law. Anosognosiogenesis tweeted a thread:

The thing about most hate crimes is that the people doing em are 95% of the way to doing them at all times. They don't even notice their level of hate, it's normal to them. A group of guys beating the s--- out of a trans person, could have been stopped with *one* "not cool man"

And that coming from one of the members. But they mostly don’t. The more normalized queer attacks – and sexual assault and racist attacks – become the closer a group of guys gets to the threshold of beating a stranger, and the less effective a simple “knock it off” becomes. The group of guys becomes a timebomb, a coinflip from whether they attack. When it gets to this point there isn’t time for one of them to deescalate. There is time now for one in the group to call off an attack. They rarely do. As the hatred grows by next year there may not be time to call off the attack. In honor of Labor Day, which was Monday for everywhere besides America, Leah McElrath tweeted:

If you support workers, stop using the term “regulations.” That’s the capitalist’s perspective. Refer instead to “protections”—because that’s what they are for the rest of us. We need and deserve worker, consumer, and environmental protections.

Since I have written about regulations as worker and consumer protections I will attempt to comply.

Killed for being true

A while back I wrote about the Rainbow House across the street from the crazy Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka. Today the front of it has a new paint job, done in the colors of the transgender flag in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is today.

It is a day to honor transgender people who have been murdered for being transgender. I went to such a service a couple years ago. A central part of the service is reading the names of those who have been killed. It is, alas, a long list.

I had heard the Rainbow House was the host of a successful child's lemonade stand. It has also been the site of a gay wedding and a drag show.

That end-of-year Top Ten thing

The Top Ten LGBT stories in 2009, plus an honorable mention. They stories are not all positive. They are, however, important.

Honorable Mention: The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) did not pass, in spite of assurances that it would be. A vote is now expected in the House in February, making some watchers think that this being a mid-term year Dems in conservative districts might be scared off.

10: Three celebrities came out. Adam Lambert of American Idol highlighted the double standard of two men kissing was deemed scandalous but two women kissing raised no eyebrows. Lady Gaga came out with no detriment to her career. Chaz Bono, child of Cher, began transitioning from female to male and his story was told respectfully by the press.

9. Stonewall was repeated 40 years later. A gay bar was raided in Fort Worth with the patrons treated harshly. This was part of a story of increased police brutality. The result wasn't riots but investigations of police action. Alas, police still run sting operations on gays and ignore crimes where the victims are gay.

8. Calif. tries to overturn its marriage ban in the Supreme Court.

7. Obama's Justice Dept. used what was seen as nasty reasons for supporting the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Gay organizations exploded and the prez. didn't smooth things over. Gays were the first to end their honeymoon with the guy who said he was our fierce advocate.

6. Many gay newspapers folded. Many gay bookstores went out of business. Many gay blogs started receiving national attention and awards.

5. Congress lifted the HIV travel ban, decades after other countries did so.

4. The National Equality March was a success with over a quarter-million attendees. It was also organized in six months and cost a pittance compared to previous marches that took years and millions of dollars to plan.

3. We won in Kalamazoo and Washington state, while losing in Maine.

2. Gay marriage was added in Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, and District of Columbia. And the mainstream media yawned.

1. Hate Crimes legislation passed.

Commenters added some thoughts:

Too many gays and transgenders are still victims of hate crimes. Many of those result in death. Too many gay teens commit suicide. Too many are pushed back into the closet and engage in risky behavior, resulting in higher caseloads of HIV.

A story to be explored in 2010: Why do the Fundie Christians lie about us?

Sowing poison pills

Let me see if I got this straight… The GOP had been blubbering about how they don't want the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill because it would be used to prosecute clergy who speak out against gays. Now they want to amend the bill so that those same clergy could be subject to the death penalty? In politics this is known as the poison pill. Add an amendment to something you don't like so that all the other congresscritters say, "Yuck!" and vote against it. I trust the Dems won't let this one and its cousins survive.

There are reasons why I'm not a politician

The Senate has passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill! I think it has already passed the House. On to Obama for an expected signature and a return of our "fierce advocate!" Um …

It isn't that Obama doesn't want to sign it. He does.

It's that the vote to approve it was a vote to attach it to a defense spending bill. And that defense bill has a big pile of money for more F-22 military planes. So what, you might say. Well, the Pentagon doesn't want those planes and neither does the Prez. They were designed for dogfights with Soviet planes and are quite inappropriate for the wars we now face as well as expensive. Yet, the maker of the plane has cannily worked it out so its supplier base is in 44 states -- cancel the plane and 88 senators are upset about job losses in their state, not to mention leaving our nation undefended at a critical time (see above about inappropriate). To force the issue, Obama has said if the bill contains F-22 funding he will veto it. And the hate crimes bill too.

It ain't over yet. A lot can happen with the bill before Congress approves the final package. The F-22 funding could be taken out. The hate crimes amendment could be taken out. Or both. Or neither. Confused yet?

However, it has left a lot of gay groups wondering why Senate Dems insisted the only way to get hate crimes protection passed was to attach it to the defense bill. There was that vote to attach it as an amendment which passed by 62 votes. Isn't that an indication that it would pass on its own? But what do I know about politics? Or timidity?

The Fundie furor over the Matthew Shepard law is still going strong and is still as absurd as before. Top of the list of false claims is that the law trumps the 1st Amendment and will silence pastors preaching against gays. As one loudmouth put it:

Those who publically [sic] express medical, moral or religious opposition to the homosexual lifestyle are tagged by the government as “homophobic bigots” to be treated no differently by law enforcement, the courts or larger society than the KKK or neo-Nazis.

I'm pleased to see the larger society has pretty much ignored the KKK and neo-Nazis lately (though that may change if these groups turn violent). However, has either group been silenced by law enforcement or the courts? Um … no. White Supremacist groups have conducted over 100 rallies and demonstrations across the country so far this year. So you were saying?

Piling on the 100 Days circus

Obama made a big speech yesterday (I didn't watch, I was at the Ruth Ellis Center) about his accomplishments of his first 100 days. While I appreciate (and a bit amazed) at all he's done, his gay cred is a bit shaky. On the plus side, he has appointed a lot of gay people to high places (except the cabinet) and made a lot of symbolic gestures. The Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act passed the House, but that was on Day 101 and the Senate still needs to act. Compared to Bush and what we would have gotten under McCain and Palin these are highly welcome. On the minus side, he has specifically postponed repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and has done very little on Defense of Marriage, Employment Non-Discrimination, and Uniting American Families (prevent deportation of half a binational gay couple).

To be fair, the president has done a lot in 100 days (and I'm pleased at what he has done), so it isn't surprising or all that irritating that he hasn't done much specifically for gays. In the meantime, many states are making up the difference.

And in those hundred days Obama has been described in many ways -- closet socialist, too moderate, too liberal, too generous to the banks, etc. -- but rarely is he described as black. He is the president, not the black president. Of course, racism isn't over and there is a very shrill corner of the population that focuses on the president's race and nothing else. But that group has gotten smaller over the years (and more shrill as it does so).

Inciting the crazies

Alas, it is somewhat expected that hate crimes against gays have increased since the campaign to pass the Calif. marriage ban. Expected because during the campaign some people proposed creating explicit ads that link the hate talk of the campaign to injuries and deaths of gays. Those ideas were dismissed as "scare tactics."

In Santa Clara County, Calif. hate crimes against gays made up 15% of all hate crimes in 2007. In 2008 that jumped to 56%. Hate crimes follow headlines and controversies of the day. Those most likely to use violence, after messages that demonize a segment of the population, won't confine their actions to the ballot box. It was the $42 million campaign that stirred up these crimes, not the vote against us (though one can imagine if the vote went our way there would be fewer such crimes.

No doubt there are some Fundies hoping this threat of crimes with every rights campaign will keep gays from risking it again. Fight for your rights and we'll incite the crazies to bash your heads in.

No need to fear the voter

Since 2005 there have been 17 state legislatures that have voted on gay issues. A recent study by Freedom to Marry reports that none of the 670 legislators that voted against discrimination lost their seat when next up for election. Part of that is a very high percentage of incumbents are re-elected each time. Even so, it includes those who left one seat (such at the house) and were elected to another (such as the senate). But the opposite is not true, there are those who voted for discrimination who have lost their seats -- in one case to a gay man. Lawmakers should not use fear of voter displeasure to vote against us.


Six months ago a gunman, upset that liberals were interrupting the war on terror so he became a terrorist himself, opened fire during a service at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Rev. Chris Buice wrote a wonderful Newsweek My Turn essay to defend liberals and to demonstrate the proper response to terrorism.


Economic downturns always bring out the hate groups. The forces that feed these groups are magnified in this downturn with Obama as president and a population that is much more ethnically diverse, even in rural areas. These groups must be confronted because:

* Very few hate crimes (only 8%) are committed by actual hate group members. The problems is their toxic ideas influence the mainstream, giving them more power than their numbers suggest.

* Hate speech is protected free speech. But the group's members assume silence is agreement. We have a responsibility to hold their speech up for public ridicule.

* Where there is smoke, that is enough reason for law enforcement officers to search for the fires.

Defending civil liberties

Hate crimes against Latinos have increased by 40% between 2003 and 2007, mostly because of the nastiness of the immigration debate. Because of that the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino human rights organization is joining the call for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act that has languished in Congress due to a threatened Bush veto and spineless Democrats. Hate crimes are also perpetrated against other racial groups, religious groups, and sexual minorities and their purpose is to deny rights to the targeted groups beyond the actual victims. They usually succeed. Under a new president and Congress action is now possible. David Neiwert, a journalist in Seattle, makes an interesting point as part of his news about La Raza and a description about the effects of hate crimes. He wrote:

Hate crimes are an integral part of that history [of intimidation], and laws intended to punish their perpetrators with stiffer sentences are an important blow for the cause of very real and substantial freedoms for millions of Americans. Trying to argue that, in some esoteric sense, they constitute "thought crimes" that somehow deprive us of our freedoms (to what? commit crimes?) turns this reality on its head.

Yet progressives haven't yet figured out that framing hate-crime laws as a defense of people's civil liberties is precisely the argument that will instantly deflate the long-running "thought crime" argument. In all the debate over the legislation, I haven't seen the point raised once.