As our government faces it’s first shutdown since the Clinton administration[1] because of the Affordable Care Act (which is really known as ObamaCare) funding not being passed in the House (which the Republicans have the majority), I begin to look at all the things which our government placed a priority on, when they could’ve been giving more attention to solving more pertinent problems in our country. And I feel that both parties, Republican and Democrats are at fault for this government shutdown, which affects the lives of real people and it also lessens our trust we have in government.
The one thing that stands out to me more than all others, is the unprecedented amount of attention the Obama administration has placed on the feelings of gay rights activists! And it was clearly seen in his speech at the 50th anniversary of the “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr., and the present way our government even looks at civil rights[2]. Where gay rights was a major focus, if not the primary focus, and their only issue is gay marriage, which is a state issue. Justice for civil rights don’t even look at how our public education is becoming more segregated because of illegal re-alignment of school districts, or trying to fix a justice system that says that a young teenage boy can be shot and killed by a grown man based only upon suspicion.
Being a southern boy from Louisiana, I saw that sexuality was a personal issue and was discussed behind closed doors. I rarely even saw my parents kiss or saw too many men in the community show much affection even to their wives. And basically any adult who was in a relationship outside of marriage was labeled as a whoremonger/adulterer.
As I live in southern California, where sex sells in every industry and sexual promiscuity is condoned; I’m not just seeing people who are cross dressers, people who medically modified their physical gender and/or natural hormones, and etc., I’m living around them, shopping with them, casually joking with them on the subway.
I realize now more than ever that a person’s sexuality is not only an inaccurate determination of who they are, it is not a big deal that our government has to place a priority on! Yet it is more of a way in which someone expresses and feels love. And, I feel a person’s love language is created based on their unique experiences which have influenced them, as well as the spirits which they have dealt with throughout their life.
Nevertheless, I respect our government and I respect President Obama for who he is. I don’t like everything he does, nor do I agree with everything he says, but I respect it. I just hope that our administration begin to place more attention on issues that are affecting the majority of the people in our country.
Lashondra Leonard
September 17, 2014 at 8:06 pm
It’s holding our country back. Because a private issue is now, a public issue. This takes the focus off the real issues that our country is facing.