Posts Tagged ‘Obama administration’
Feds force NY Philharmonic to cancel concerts in Cuba
New York’s Philharmonic Orchestra has put off its first trip to Cuba after sponsors were barred from visiting the Communist-led country.
“The postponement is due to existing US government restrictions on travel to Cuba,” it said in a statement…
Havana was due to host two concerts by the orchestra at the end of next month. It said that its plans received the support of President Barack Obama’s administration.
I guess no one told the State Department.
Some 150 patrons and supporters of the orchestra had pledged to pay $10,000 each to go on the trip to the Caribbean island.
I guess you can meet and negotiate with nations our government disagrees with – but, you can’t necessarily play music.
Feds to record same-sex marriages in 2010 census
Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission
Married same-sex couples will be counted as such in 2010, Census Bureau officials said, reversing a decision of the Bush administration.
Steve Jost, a spokesman for the Census Bureau, said same-sex couples would be counted, “and they ought to report the way they see themselves,” adding, “In the normal process of reports coming out after the census of 2010, I think the country will have a good data set on which to discuss this phenomenon that is evolving in this country.”
Same-sex couples could not be married in the United States during the last decennial count. But last year, after two states had approved same-sex marriages, the bureau said those legal marriages would go uncounted because the federal Defense of Marriage Act prevented the government from recognizing them…
The White House announced Friday that its interpretation of the act did not prohibit gathering the information.
First, the Obama government and our heroic Democrat-majority Congress should dump the Defense of Marriage Act (sic) for what it is. Bigoted, reactionary legislation passed by opportunist politicians to cater to the most backwards elements in American society.
I realize that probably defines the bulk of Congressional action; but, the DOMA should be accurately characterized for what it is. Crap for cowardly hacks.
Second, the Obama administration had better commit to future progress – even if the rationale in place is “we don’t wish to distract from tough challenges ahead in the fight for proper health care, etc”. That also would be less of a problem if the Dems in Congress had backbone enough to match their campaign budgets.
If you need all your allies to pressurize Congress to actually accomplish more than posturing for TV talking heads you damned well better act like you deserve those allies.
Yes, the same holds true for the environment and alternative energy, inclusive rights for workers, actively working for peace everywhere we stick our noses – especially the Middle East. I’m not a single issue kind of dissident. Civil liberties and civil rights, peace and prosperity are what we’re always promised. I just would like to see the folks who say they’re leading the political side of these struggles – prove it on a daily basis.
