Wow do I feel betrayed right now. Fucking Judas.

[Comrade Tortoise]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdes ... 6a79fe.htm

United Nations: U.S. Aligned With Iran in Anti-Gay Vote
25 Jan 2006 22:51:24 GMT
Source: Human Rights Watch
(LGBT) people. (Washington, D.C., January 25, 2006) - In a reversal of policy, the United States on Monday backed an Iranian initiative to deny United Nations consultative status to organizations working to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, a coalition of 39 organizations, led by the Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called for an explanation of the vote which aligned the United States with governments that have long repressed the rights of sexual minorities. "This vote is an aggressive assault by the U.S. government on the right of sexual minorities to be heard," said Scott Long, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. "It is astonishing that the Bush administration would align itself with Sudan, China, Iran and Zimbabwe in a coalition of the homophobic."

In May 2005, the International Lesbian and Gay Association, which is based in Brussels, and the Danish gay rights group Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske (LBL) applied for consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. Consultative status is the only official means by which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world can influence and participate in discussions among member states at the United Nations. Nearly 3,000 groups enjoy this status.

States opposed to the two groups' applications moved to have them summarily dismissed, an almost unprecedented move at the UN, where organizations are ordinarily allowed to state their cases. The U.S. abstained on a vote which would have allowed the debate to continue and the groups to be heard. It then voted to reject the applications.

"The United States recklessly ignored its own reporting proving the need for international support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "The State Department's 'Country Reports on Human Rights Practices' show severe human rights violations based on gender identity and sexual orientation occur around the world."

As the U.S. government acknowledged in its 2004 country report on Iran, Iranian law punishes homosexual conduct between men with the death penalty. Human Rights Watch has documented four cases of arrests, flogging, or execution of gay men in Iran since 2003. In its 2004 country report on Zimbabwe, the U.S. government noted President Robert Mugabe's public denouncement of homosexuals, blaming them for "Africa's ills." In the past, Mugabe has called gays and lesbians "people without rights" and "worse than dogs and pigs." The U.S. has reversed position since 2002, when it voted to support the International Lesbian and Gay Association's request to have its status reviewed. Officials gave no explanation for the change.

"It is deeply disturbing that, at the UN, the United States has shifted gears toward an aggressive stance against human rights for LGBT people," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "Unfortunately, denying LGBT groups a voice and a presence within the United Nations – the world's most important human rights institution – is fully in keeping with the U.S.'s assault on basic human rights principles worldwide."

In voting against the applications to the NGO committee, the U.S. was joined by Cameroon, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. Votes in favor of consultative status came from Chile, France, Germany, Peru, and Romania. Colombia, India, and Turkey abstained, while Côte d'Ivoire was absent.

"It is an absolute outrage that the United States has chosen to align itself with oppressive governments – all in an effort to smother the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "It is deeply disturbing that the self-proclaimed 'leader of the free world' will ally with bigots at the drop of a hat to advance the right wing's anti-gay agenda."

In addition to the Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the organizations signing the letter are:

Advocates for Youth Al-Fatiha Foundation for LGBT Muslims Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School Amnesty International USA Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) Center for Women's Global Leadership Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA) Congregation Beth Simchat Torah Equality Now Family Care International Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Gay Men's Health Crisis Global Rights Immigration Equality International Women's Human Rights Clinic, City University of New York School of Law Ipas Jan Hus Church Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Latino Commission on AIDS L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Legal Momentum Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (New York City) MADRE Mano a Mano Metropolitan Community Churches National Black Justice Coalition National Center for Transgender Equality National Coalition Building Institute Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Caucus National Center for Lesbian Rights New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition Open Society Institute Queer Progressive Agenda Queers for Economic Justice Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. Women's Environment and Development Organization

[frigidmagi]

This makes no damn sense. Everyone in this adminsteration is done, none of them can run in 2008, not a damn one. The far right wing that would be happy about this move is not going to carry over loyality from this move to a new guy. They don't operate this way. Meanwhile the left wing will carry over a grudge from this and who could fucking blame them? Hell I'm straight and moderate right wing and I'm not happy, I don't want side with people like Iran or Cuba on fucking anything!

All you're doing on a political level is pandering to a group who won't give you credit for it, alienating people you need and pissing off needlessly people who you have to live with at the end of the day. Morally you're sinking to levels that you'll need a steamshovel to dig out of.

Who the fuck is running this shit?

[Lord Stormbringer]

All you're doing on a political level is pandering to a group who won't give you credit for it, alienating people you need and pissing off needlessly people who you have to live with at the end of the day. Morally you're sinking to levels that you'll need a steamshovel to dig out of.

The problem is that this is not a case of pandering. Bush, and a good chunk of his administration, really are as bad as the Iranians and that crowd; they believe that God condemns everyone not straight. So as far as they're concerned they have no obligation to do anything for these people and for that matter may well tacitly approve of these abusive morality laws abroad. Bush and his administration really have nothing left to lose so why not?

It's clear that Bush's tolerance was largely the pandering and this is his true self. Lovely what a social reactionary can do, isn't it?

[frigidmagi]

Then what was he doing when he decided not to push for a federal ban on gay marriage. He pissed off a good number of his base when he pulled that off.

[SirNitram]

And even after this, even after allying with Iran and Sudan, they will sweep red states. They will remain competitive. Pathetic, that.

I don't know if it's Bush's feelings.. He's sent as many mixed signals on this as everything else('Everything you hear the government talk about wiretapping, that means you need a warrant..' and all that rot), so I'm gonna conclude he's still just a cokehead. But enough of the GOP are little intolerant fucknuggets that this clearly got through.

Oh. By the way. Betcha this never makes any of the news channels. They'll be too busy talking about the evils of liberals and why the filibuster is extremist.