How much longer must we endure King Cheney? In the latest news regarding Federal law which requires the outgoing White House to turn over records (estimated at 300 million emails) for the Nation Archives, Cheney has stated that he "alone may determine what constitutes vice presidential records or personal records" and "how his records will be created, maintained, managed, and disposed," without outside challenge or judicial review. Obviously he's got something to hide, and I hope groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive continue winning their legal battle for transparency in a time when many distrust the government to do the right thing.
OBAMA's platform this past year has been all about unity, hope, and change, so why are so many gay activists upset about his appointment of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration? Even though their opinions differ, it should be no surprise, especially since "Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views don't agree (with mine)," Warren said. "Now he's invited me."
It could be political strategy to bring in conservatives, but either way, Obama has stuck his neck out to prove that he is inclusive to all view points. Most commentators even point to the fact that his White House will be a debate culture, where differing appointees are in close contact to resolve issues with the best possible outcome. The same unfortunately can not be said of the Bush administration.
Obama stated his case quite concisely: "During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America's about. That's part of the magic of this country ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated."
It says alot about a man to recognize that "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," (Warren). That's what this country needs right now, a sense of unity. McCain lost. Get over it. Take the bumper stickers off the car and the signs down. Obama will be the President. Dissension for whatever reason will only hold us back. Judging him, before he's even stepped into office, is un-American and un-Biblical.
Warren shows us a man can stand for what he believes (he publicly supported Proposition 8 and is staunchly pro-life), but can also come across ideological lines for the greater good (eradicate poverty, fight AIDS in Africa, education reform, and global warming).
And not all gays are against the choice of Warren. Says Chris Cain:
"Obama's point was to unify us around areas of agreement...For "unifying the nation" to mean anything, there must be "inclusion" for conservatives, including the many millions like Warren who oppose gay marriage. Excluding those with whom we disagree is the antithesis of unifying....Even if you suspect the whole "unity" thing is really just about politics, the selection of Warren still makes good sense, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. It is a stroke of political brilliance to recruit a conservative megapastor in support of a president-elect who is arguably the most pro-gay, pro-choice and progressive in our history. That's the kind of political dividend you get from focusing on common ground—like Warren's support for the fight against global warming and AIDS."
I'll end with a statement by Rick Warren (you might own one of the 20 million copies of A Purpose Driven Life), in which he thanked Obama "for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the invocation. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America."
OBAMA's platform this past year has been all about unity, hope, and change, so why are so many gay activists upset about his appointment of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration? Even though their opinions differ, it should be no surprise, especially since "Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views don't agree (with mine)," Warren said. "Now he's invited me."
It could be political strategy to bring in conservatives, but either way, Obama has stuck his neck out to prove that he is inclusive to all view points. Most commentators even point to the fact that his White House will be a debate culture, where differing appointees are in close contact to resolve issues with the best possible outcome. The same unfortunately can not be said of the Bush administration.
Obama stated his case quite concisely: "During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America's about. That's part of the magic of this country ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated."
It says alot about a man to recognize that "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," (Warren). That's what this country needs right now, a sense of unity. McCain lost. Get over it. Take the bumper stickers off the car and the signs down. Obama will be the President. Dissension for whatever reason will only hold us back. Judging him, before he's even stepped into office, is un-American and un-Biblical.
Warren shows us a man can stand for what he believes (he publicly supported Proposition 8 and is staunchly pro-life), but can also come across ideological lines for the greater good (eradicate poverty, fight AIDS in Africa, education reform, and global warming).
And not all gays are against the choice of Warren. Says Chris Cain:
"Obama's point was to unify us around areas of agreement...For "unifying the nation" to mean anything, there must be "inclusion" for conservatives, including the many millions like Warren who oppose gay marriage. Excluding those with whom we disagree is the antithesis of unifying....Even if you suspect the whole "unity" thing is really just about politics, the selection of Warren still makes good sense, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. It is a stroke of political brilliance to recruit a conservative megapastor in support of a president-elect who is arguably the most pro-gay, pro-choice and progressive in our history. That's the kind of political dividend you get from focusing on common ground—like Warren's support for the fight against global warming and AIDS."
I'll end with a statement by Rick Warren (you might own one of the 20 million copies of A Purpose Driven Life), in which he thanked Obama "for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the invocation. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America."
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