From
Selma to Stonewall
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In his
second inaugural address, at the dawn of the
twenty first century, President Barack Obama
orated the words,
"We,
the people, declare today that the most
evident of truths –- that all of us are
created equal –- is the star that guides us
still; just as it guided our forebears
through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and
Stonewall; just as it guided all those men
and women, sung and unsung, who left
footprints along this great Mall, to hear a
preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to
hear a King proclaim that our individual
freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom
of every soul on Earth. ....It is now
our generation’s task to carry on what those
pioneers began. .... Our journey is not
complete until our gay brothers and sisters
are treated like anyone else under the law
for if we are truly created equal, then
surely the love we commit to one another
must be equal as well."*
source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama
In a
single speech our leader gave equivalence to
the start of women's suffrage, black civil
rights, and gay rights. In a single speech he
invoked the first words of our Constitution, "We
The People," and the first words of the second
paragraph of our Declaration of Independence,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal." No words in
human history can have more significance than
declaring 'the will of the people' over those
who would rule us; and in stating the most basic
human value. Somewhat more subtly, he
spoke of "the star that guides us still...,"
likely referring to The North Star, the
abolitionist newspaper published by Frederick
Douglass.
The weight of these words, at the
start of Barack Obama's second term as President of the
United States of America, evoked awe and dismay in
the throats of Congressional opponents of our freedom,
who were heard muttering something like, "The era of
liberalism is back..." (Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority
Leader, on Tuesday January 22nd). In fact, I
believe, the President's words mark a return to true
original American ideals after a period in which our
American values were twisted and dragged through the mud
of selfish bigotry. How is it that these opponents
can dare to stand in our American Capitol building and
express dismay over the expression of the definition of
the founding of our nation? Are they so lost in
partisanship and hate that they have forgotten their
oath of office, that they have forgotten and lost their
patriotism in what it means to be an American? One
of the two bibles upon which Barack Obama swore his oath
of office belonged to the founder of the Republican
Party, President Abraham Lincoln. Have the
opponents of equality forgotten what he began, what he
stood for, what he died for? As an American, their
incomprehension of Lincoln's patriotism offends me.
Shame on them!
Like Lincoln, President Obama had the
historical courage to proclaim his commitment to the
liberty of those Americans who have been oppressed and
denied full freedom. While each had the intent from the
start to stand up for equality, it took time for the
resolve of each of these presidents to evolve.
Lincoln issued the equivalent of an Executive Order in
The Emancipation Proclamation, in 1863, while our
Congress could not bring themselves to progress that
which our founders had begun. It took our Congress
some two decades to enact the freedom President Truman
had the courage to create in his Executive Order
integrating our armed forces in 1948.
We should not overlook the
historical significance of the members of the Supreme
Court of the United States being seated in the front
rows within a few feet of President Obama as he
proclaimed his commitment to our freedom. Within
the next few months, they will decide whether the
Defense of Marriage Act, barring federal recognition of
same sex marriage, is unconstitutional or not. He
has challenged them, along with our Congressional
leaders seated with them. If they fail to move
forward; it seems clear that President Obama has the
courage and patriotism to follow Lincoln and Truman in
furthering American freedom.
-Denny Meyer, former Sgt First
Class USAR, Gay Veteran
*Full Quote:
We, the people, declare today that the most evident
of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is
the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and
Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and
women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along
this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we
cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our
individual freedom is inextricably bound to the
freedom of every soul on Earth.
It is now
our generation’s task to carry on what those
pioneers began. For our journey is not complete
until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn
a living equal to their efforts Our journey is not
complete until our gay brothers and sisters are
treated like anyone else under the law –- --
for if we are truly created equal, then surely the
love we commit to one another must be equal as well.
(Applause.) Our journey is not complete until no
citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the
right to vote. (Applause.) Our journey is not
complete until we find a better way to welcome the
striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America
as a land of opportunity -- -- until bright young
students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce
rather than expelled from our country. Our
journey is not complete until all our children, from
the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia,
to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are
cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.
The complete address is available on the White House
website at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama
© 2013 Gay Military Signal