Is Obama giving federal agencies a right they already have?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/is-obama-giving-federal-agencies-right.html

"The answer is "yes." I just asked OPM Director John Berry, on a White House media conference call, whether in fact federal agencies already have the right to give these benefits to gay employees. The answer, "yes." So what's new about tonight? Obama is going to "tell" the agencies to give the benefits - as if any agency in the Obama administration would dare tell a gay employee no to a request for time off to attend their partner's funeral?"



I don't know about any of you, but I have yet to be wowed by this latest turn of events.

?

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opposite to be true.

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getting the facts from Obama's White HOuse?

a question mark. Your statement made no sense so I was asking you what you meant.

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but I had never really known their agenda before lately.

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he is desperate to still bash Obama even though Obama is doing something good for the GLBT community. Sad, really.

and DOMA.

If he's so keen on getting benefits extended to a tiny proportion of the LGBT community, why not simply push to repeal DOMA and extend those benefits to /all/ LGBT couples? It would represent real progress instead of a nakedly political ploy to salvage a fundraiser.

No matter what Obama does some people are going to find fault with it. No matter what he does, it's never gonna be good enough. If being perpetually angry is what you need, have at it.

If I felt like Obama had my back, I'd be cool with waiting a little. I genuinely would. I understand that he inherited a king-size shitstorm. I understand that he's not secretly Dennis Kucinich, Pocketmaster. I know he can't just pull equality for all out of nowhere.

But I don't feel like he's got my back. Quite the opposite. I still feel sick over this whole issue. Even if the DoJ legally has to defend DOMA, which is still up the air as far as I'm concerned, they don't have to defend it with such insulting language. That's what I think people are missing. It hits you like a knife in the gut to read the utter bullshit in that brief and realize that your government, the one you busted your ass and donated to change, still thinks you're the moral equivalent of a child molester.

And yet Obama thinks he can make it all better by doing something entirely symbolic? I would much rather him disavow the position his DoJ has taken. That would mean so, SO much more to me than a meaningless memorandum. I just want to hear the words come out of his mouth, for once since the election, that he's got my back.

To point out the truth is going to change that.