Listen Up America, I Have a Beef With You…

Ok America. So this is generally a science blog, but I am breaking the mold a bit today because you are pissing me off.

First, it’s the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. Despite studies showing that the military will not care if the policy is repealed, and support from military leaders to repeal the policy, a Republican filibuster has been blocking legislation to repeal it.

Yesterday, a vote was called in the Senate. Since the Dems only have 58 seats, they needed some Republican support to get the 60 votes needed to get passed the filibuster. And what happened?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, called Thursday’s vote without an agreement with any Republican senators to support the motion, ensuring it would fail. The vote was 57-40 in favor of the cloture motion that required 60 votes to pass.

Yup, politics failed and the legislation continues to be blocked by the GOP filibuster.  The filibuster is possibly the most counter-productive parliamentary procedure I have ever heard of. While they do exist in Canada, they are usually just a carnival show and don’t last very long. But in America, with your two-party system, they seem to hold a large amount of power.

So this means that it is highly unlikely that any repeal of DADT will happen in the current congressional session, despite being totally unconstitutional, unsupported by the military and completely stupid.

You are basically telling gays that it is OK for them to dedicate their lives to training, get shipped off to God-knows-where, face fierce opposition, get shot at, watch their friends die, all in the name of protecting YOUR country and YOUR freedom and YOUR civil liberties, as long as they don’t admit that they’re gay!

These people are willing to die for America and its people, yet its people are not letting them be open about who they are? Its disgusting.

And as if that weren’t enough, what about 9/11 responders? You remember 9/11 don’t you?

Yes, after the World Trade Center (WTC) was attacked, police officers and fire fighters were called to help rescue those trapped in the buildings and the rubble and the dust. They are heroes.

Not surprisingly, many have now developed health problems due to inhalation of dust and debris experienced at Ground Zero. So wouldn’t the “American” thing to do be to help your heroes? Perhaps by treating the injuries they received by being freakin’ heroes?!?

Evidently not.

Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The motion for cloture, or to begin debate, needed 60 votes to pass due to a Republican filibuster, but fell short at 57-42 in favor.

Yup, the Republican party strikes again with their crap. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement that it is

a tragic example of partisan politics trumping patriotism…I urge Senate Republicans to reconsider their wrong-headed political strategy and allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote

This happened a few days after a New York police detective died of lung cancer, caused by working in the rubble for months at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks.

Yes that’s right. Those men and women who wear the FDNY and NYPD shirts that you revere so much, are dying. Dying because they weren’t just doing their job, because they went above and beyond the call of duty on September 11, 2001.

Lung cancer seems to be their reward.

So gays in the military don’t get the respect and rights that they deserve, and 9/11 first responders who are literal heroes don’t get the health care they deserve. All thanks to Republican filibusters.

It has been a sad week for the US of A. Politics and partisanship have gotten in the way of what is right. The system is broken.

But all is not lost yet. America, you are full of good, loyal, patriotic, and smart people. In fact, the reasonable people probably outnumber the dumb-asses by quite a large margin.

So stand up for what America holds dear. Honour your heroes by giving them the health care they deserve. Allow those who are willing to die for your protection to be able to do so without lying about who they are.

Write to your Senator. Send emails. Let them know what you think! You are the people of America, and you tell the government what to do, not the other way around!