The Rev. Michael Piazza sent out one of his regular missives from his Hope for Peace & Justice group, and I have to say, he not only misses the point, he becomes a very sad, wrong-headed apologist for Barack Obama.
In the statement, Piazza says — several times — that he “disagree[s] vociferously” with Warren’s views, and that Warren “doesn’t deserve our [the gay community’s] support.” But he then defends Obama’s choice nonetheless:
“The President-elect made a point of the fact that he, too, disagrees with much of what Warren believe and does. That is the genius of Barack Obama: He invites people with whom he disagrees into his life and administration.”
Wrong-o, Mike.
The problem with Warren is not that he doesn’t support same-sex marriage or much of gay rights. It’s not even that Obama may disagree with him at some level but still want his counsel. No, the problem is, Obama has already insulted the gay community (as have, sadly, virtually all major political candidates) by steadfastly refusing to support same-sex marriage (and, in fact, vocally saying he opposed it — the same position, I might add, that George W. Bush and John McCain have espoused). But we have supported him still. He promises he’ll be a better president for gay rights than anyone before him. “Trust me,” he has been saying.
But trust must be earned. And yet, he chose for the invocation — a position of honor which should be rewarded to someone deserving — not someone who may have, incidentally, taken a position not fully supported by Obama (who fully supports the positions of ANY one person), but a lying separatist who, if he said about blacks what he has said about gays and was selected by a Republican to give the invocation, would have probably resulted in Obama being shocked and vocal about the stupidity of the selection.
And Warren basically has said it. Here’s how Warren has lied: He has maintained — you can see the video on Instant Tea — that marriage has remained the same for “5,000 years” in EVERY culture, and has ALWAYS been one man-one woman, and that what gays want is to “change” it. Well, that’s a lie. Ask a Mormon. Ask a concubine in a harem. Ask a slave from the American South. Ask the late Mildred Loving, who barely 40 years ago was considered a felon because she was black and had a white husband. THAT is the marriage Rick Warren wants to maintain. Indeed, if Warren had been when Barack’s parents had met, we can only assume he would have objected to their union as violating 5,000 years of what marriage means.
Warren is wrong. Obama is wrong — dead wrong — in selecting him. He owes the gay community an apology.
But he will never feel the need to apologize himself when he has Mike Piazza doing it for him. There is a difference, Mike, between diverse opinion and insulting your supporters. Diversity of opinion is not a absolute. Would you defend the choice if Obama selected a Neo-Nazi preacher who had once invited Obama to speak at his Klan meeting?
I plan to boycott the inauguration. I plan to hold Obama’s feet to the fire on every issue that concerns me. If we give him a pass right now, just because he’s “better than Bush,” we are not making progress. I voted for Obama, but he has to earn my support. And if he can point to leaders of the gay community who, two days before Christmas, justify his selection of Warren, he’ll never feel he has to earn it.сайтапродвижение