On 5/19/2009, I wrote a diary here, that discussed the U.S. Senate's inaction on the Matthew Shepard Act, which was passed in the U.S. House of Reps on April 28th 2009 (249-175). In my diary, I pointed to how 3 weeks had gone by since the House's vote, and Harry Reid still hadn't scheduled a vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (S-909). As you may know, the current hate crime laws don't protect (nor recognize) people with disabilities, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people.
This new Act (S-909) would fill in those gaps. But, let's look at the calendar - Oh! - 2 more weeks have passed since my diary on May 19th. The Senate still hasn't scheduled a vote. But, I have received a request for contributions from the Democratic National Committee. They write: It's vital to contribute money NOW. Uh-huh. Suffice it to say, I won't be sending the DNC any money. At least, not till I see some progress being made on the Matthew Shepard Act...
We'll get back to $$$ in a minute, but I wanted to share a comment that was posted in my diary on the 19th. Don't worry, I won't name them directly - but I find their comment relevant here. The comments in my 5/19/09 diary were supportive, but one Kossack responded with the following excuse (below) for why the Senate was unable to vote. I quote this because it illustrates how people & politicians - like Harry Reid - have responded to minority groups like people with disabilities, gays and lesbians. The commenter took the position of defending the Senate's inaction ...
"it's not like Senate Democrats have been twiddling their thumbs these last 5.5 months. They've had plenty of things to do, including cabinet nominations, which House Democrats don't have to do."
Well, in my response to that commenter, I explained how lesbian & gay people have always been told "to wait" and "accept the delays" on progress. To build on that, I'd like to briefly explore the rhetoric of "We're busy, You'll Have to Wait" that politicians & citizens continue to use to this day on minority groups like people with disabilities, gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals. And that's the key problem here - Harry Reid is effectively showing his fellow citizens - that "it's okay" to send the people w/disabilities, gays and lesbians to the end of the line (repeatedly). For Harry Reid, there's no reason to help people w/disabilities or gays first - they must always wait (and wait).
Some may say, "I haven't heard about this "you'll have to wait" rhetoric before. Well, let's take a little stroll down the path of history & consider who else has been told "to wait."
In addition to gays & lesbians, other minority groups were also told - "We're busy, You'll Have to Wait." Consider how African Americans had to wait for the Jim Crow laws to be repealed. The Jim Crow Laws lasted between 1876 and 1965, and denied African Americans a large number of rights and protections. Now, I'm not saying that the social and legal struggles of African Americans and gays & lesbians are the same. But there is a parallel in how the majority has asked the minority to wait.
Secondly, let's consider this "You'll have to Wait" rhetoric more recently. In 2007, the U.S. Senate wasn't able to pass the Matthew Shepard Act because senators like Harry Reid attached the Act to the Defense Bill Authorization Bill. The thing was, George W. Bush threatened to veto the DoD bill if it had the Matthew Shepard Act attached. So the Senate caved, and dropped the Act, promising to redouble their efforts for 2008. Well, nothing happened in 2008 with regard to the Matthew Shepard Act, unfortunately. The Senate became "too busy" with the 2008 elections.
So it's now 2009, and President Barack Obama has said he will definitely sign the Matthew Shepard Act; but, the Senate is busy doing lots of important things. Get this - The Senate is so busy that we have to wait, again. Oh, but they are busy doing some important things, such as confirming President Obama's new appointees, like our awesome new Secretary of Health and Human Services...
... Of course, the Senate is also preparing for the upcoming Sotomayor confirmation hearing ~
... They're schmoozing with foreign dignitaries (these pols need a social life) ~
... They're enjoying the great outdoors (to get in a photo-op) ~
... They're showing off their guns to constituents (to placate the gun-lovers)
... They're stepping out in some fancy duds (to schmooze some more) ~
... They're getting in touch with small town America (another photo-op) ~
... They're just getting really annoyed with this guy ~
... And they're relaxing in their cushy homes with their LOLdog & LOLcat ~
You name it - the U.S. Senate is probably doing it -- well, with the exception of scheduling a vote on the Matthew Shepard Act, which continues to wait and wait and wait. Yes, they'll eventually get around to voting on that. Yet, the D.N.C. is taking the time to write us, and ask us for our money. So I have to ask the D.N.C. -- "How can you expect people with disabilities and gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people to support you when you're disregarding your constituents who gave money & time to you?" Well you know what I have to say to the DNC & Harry Reid? My response is - I'm sorry Harry Reid, I'd like to support you, but you're gonna have to wait.
If you'd like to contact Harry Reid & share your thoughts, visit his web Contact-Form Here. You can also reach him by fax: (202) 224-7327 or phone: (202) 224-3542