Re: Gov. Palin & Domestic Partner Benefits

In response to Sara E. 's comment on my blog entry "First Impressions: Palin vs. Biden", quoted below, please find the following..seemed a bit lengthy to fit into comments.

I come here by way of AD's blog...
I'm curious about your opinion on Palin's statements about eliminating domestic partner benefits for Alaska state employees to "honor" traditional families.

Well, first off, I would ask suggest noting the date of the relevant post and the title ("First Impressions" and "8/29/08"). Fair warning was given that this was my first take on the freshly-selected Palin, and was the day she was selected by McCain. (Candidates do selections, Conventions do nominations).

While I might wish for Palin to have views closer to my own on same sex marriage, domestic benefits, and LGBT military service (aka, DADT), I am deeply impressed that unlike Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and most others of a modern liberal/left bent, Palin took the necessary moment (before things went all pear-shaped), sought legal advice, and then did her constitutional duty (i.e., vetoed an unconstitutional bill before it became law and plagued her constituents with expensive and futile litigation) rather than resort to the standard liberal "but it's something *I* want, constitutionial and statutory strictures aren't binding on me!"

Palin took responsibility, did the right thing, didn't try and stall (see the nearly thirty-year annually renewed temporary ban on adult business licenses in Seattle, recently overturned by the State Supreme Court) or find loopholes, and took it in the teeth. I can respect that - a lot.

I would have the same respect for a rabidly anti-gun Democrat who, upon discovering that in the office they held, they were not only barred at constitutional and statutory levels from regulating firearms, but were compelled by statute to objectively issue concealed weapons permits to qualifying members of the general public pretty much on request - sucked it up and did their job, stayed out of the State Capitol on the issue, and issued those permits without making a fuss.

That's called being a grown-up. And I'd rather have a grown-up and honorable opponent than an undependable and emotion-driven ally. I *like* folks that are within radar range of reality, even if their view is different than mine - grown-ups have room to disagree and remain civil.

Further, I am an American first, and a gay man second. I am deeply grateful that those two considerations come into conflict as seldom as they do. Presently, Palin is the only one on either ticket (DEM or GOP) that favorably impresses me at any kind of a serious level.

It is my belief that Barack Hussein Obama* will, if elected, regardless of his running mate prove to be an untrammeled disaster for this nation with his combination of touchy-feely "Hope’n’Change^TM " socialism with a dash of corruption (ACORN?), and combined with the unbridled arrogance and vileness of Biden, will unleash suffering upon the land with great even-handedness for the average middle-class and economically challenged members of the American public. That using the words "gay" and "lesbian" in a speech is far less important than actually *doing* something about LGBT rights.

I do not expect McCain-Palin to be great crusaders for LGBT rights - which I define as equality before the law. Happily, due to past efforts, while room remains for progress we are already mostly in that happy space in most parts of the nation. Where we are not, it is largely going to require local, state-by-state, county-by-county, and city-by-city efforts to achieve that legal equality - not Federal action.

That said, however, even as I don't expect much progress at the Federal level under McCain-Palin (Immigration, DADT, DOMA, Benefits, etc) I do expect that in 2012 or 2016 that there will still be an economy to come back to, that isn't a smoking shambled ruin.

It is my hope that in 2012 or 2016 to see a candidate emerge from either party that recognizes that economic and personal freedom are both necessary for a prosperous and successful society; that there are limits to the authority of the federal government - and where exceeded, that same government must be pruned back; that the Patriot Act and its' illegitimate children do not trump the Constitution; that privacy in ones persons, papers, property, and communications are all legitimate and reasonable expectations of the citizenry; and that the 2nd Amendment *is* an individual right, just as broad as the 1st.

McCain-Pallin offer us hope of minor improvement or standing pat on the broad scale of American issues, and seem likely (or at least best-served) to simply leave LGBT issues to the states for four years.

Obama-Biden seems likely to screw things up so badly that every little bit of bigotry and predjudice will come oozing out from under their various rocks, as such things tend to do in economic bad times when folks are fearful and desperate.

*Barack Hussein Obama's full name is used here for a variety of reasons. It seems to get the collective panties of the DNC and their fellow travelers all balled up in a capsicum-marinated knot (a worthwhile goal in and of itself) ; so many have made so much of how it's "not nice and not Politically Correct to use the middle name of Barack Hussein Obama (and PC just annoys the crap out of me, bringing out my mischievous side); and if someone is dumb enough to vote against Barack Hussein Obama because they were exposed to his dread middle name - I'm willing to take it in an electoral situation this foul.