Posted on 05/18/2006 8:13:44 AM PDT by polymuser
Mary Cheney was just on NPR's Diane Rehm Show, promoting her new book "Now It's My Turn".
She spanked Diane and the standard lib callers pretty darned good. Sounded like they just can't possibly fathom a conservative Republican gay person. She set them straight about her parent's investments going into a nonrevocable trust that goes to charity, about the 2004 election being about trust and national security and not about Republican misrepresentation, about her being a person speaking her own mind and not a glbt shrill, and other good stuff. She told a number of callers they were just wrong about things. And she left Rehm without words a few times, trying to deal with some truths. That's always priceless.
I doubt NPR will invite her back for any future segments.
I adore Mary Cheney, and applaud both her and her partner for staying true to both themselves and their principles.
Um... ok at the risk of getting in some serious trouble I have to admit I cannot fathom it either.
Had all sorts of images from this headline.
I've known some myself. In fact the guy who started me seriously moving into the Republican side of things was a conservative gay republican man - he even took me to the registrar's office back in the 80s so I could fill out the paperwork officially switching me from democrat to republican. They for sure exist.
Sounded like they just can't possibly fathom a conservative Republican gay person.
Um... ok at the risk of getting in some serious trouble I have to admit I cannot fathom it either.
Why??
My life is a complex bag of stuff, who I sleep with might make the top 5, who somebody else sleeps with don't make my top 10.
Well for starters having worked with gay people and having a gay brother myself I don't personally care about people's sex life.
What I have seen though on FR is a large number of posts where people claim that homosexuality and conservative values do not mix at all. Sure the "fiscal conservative" side does but then we hit a whole area of morality that just doesn't seem to go hand in hand with homosexuality (no pun intended).
I think you can make a conservative argument for gay marriage, on the basis that it strengthens instead of weakening its importance and universality in everyday life, and that it encourages monogamy and personal responsiblity. For years, the left has been telling us that marriage didn't matter (remember Dan Quayle and Murphy Brown?), but only now have they realized that conservatives have been right all along about it.
I guess everyone has a different definition of "conservative".
I know several conservatives who happen to be gay, and their sexuality really makes absolutely no difference to our friendships or business relationships. With my conservative gay friends, we have loads of we talk about in honest, fun, and lively discussions, and our mutual respect for each other means that their sexuality is a non-issue for us.
With the liberal gay people, however, there is always this uncomfortable sense that they are demanding respect for their lifestyles while they refuse to accord respect to you. But that is true of liberal heterosexuals as well. They have to broadcast their love lives to one and all, whether it is sensitive to the wishes of others, or not. It is the left that has to sexualize everything. (Think of that hilarious photo of Algore on the front of that magazine, showing off his "package", or the Clinton cover focused on his crotch, or the Heinz-sKerry clinch, or, or, or, ad nauseum). It's almost like they are (ahem) compensating for something.
Put me in the category of one who applauds Mary Cheney, and her parents, for being the illustration of "grace under pressure" on such a hot-button topic. My best wishes go to them all.
While your argument is a logical one about monogamy, I don't think that this is how most "conservatives" regard gay marriage. We have only to look at posts here on FR to see what the "conservative" stance is, right?
On FR many people want to actually have a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. On one thread I had some serious arguments with people because I said I felt that it was wrong to use the Constitution in this manner. You should have seen the sparks fly over that statement.
So I doubt that people are going to embrace gay marriage as a conservative value any time soon.
I am also curious do they ever come to places like freerepublic and read what other "conservatives" think about homosexuality?
The rabid liberal lesbians absolutely hate Mary Cheney.
"She spanked Diane and the standard lib callers pretty darned good. Sounded like they just can't possibly fathom a conservative Republican gay person."
Neither can a lot of conservative Republicans. ;)
We really haven't talked about that much, and it is my impression that it didn't seem a "deal breaker" issue for them, at least in our discussion. For the most part, these folks are smart enough to know how to protect their rights without having "gay marriage" make their private lives public. They just go their own way in the same way you or I do. The smart ones recognize that when you have a big tent, there are ALWAYS some people who want to make the tent smaller and more "pure". (As an analogy, there are some who genuinely think that women shouldn't have the vote, and I'm pretty philosophical about the insecurities of people who feel that way, LOL!)
I have mentioned FR to some, quite casually, and I don't know if they visit here. Some forums and daily threads here are very careful not to engage in "bashing" and to try to keep things civil, but there are trolls of every stripe, as is to be expected in an online, anonymous forum. Those gays who aren't energized enough for the roughness of the debate probably don't come back or stay too long, but the ones who do visit must have some pretty thick skin to tolerate some of the things said here.
I sometimes find myself out of step with many Republicans and some here because of my committment to vegetarianism. I understand that some people who aren't comfortable with that, and will debate me about "who is right" on this issue. It doesn't matter: I'm not trying to convert them, and they probably won't convince me to go back to eating meat. The point is, we all probably have issues where we differ from the loudest voices on this forum. We can take offense, fight back, or decide just to let it go. My energies are more profitably directed at doing things other than getting hissy about whether or not someone makes fun of my food choices.
Ask yourself, 'how does one's sexual proclivities influence ideas regarding abortion (for instance), or taxes, or the death penalty, or illegal immigration, or the failing public school system, or right to bear arms.' It is a mixed bag of effects so it's not difficult to see that even a sexual degenerate (and that applies to the bill clinton types as well as the homosexual types) can hold conservative notions on some topics.
Yeah. Sort of bursts the ego balloons of all the liberals who thought there's no way, just no way...
I think you and I have had very different experiences here on FR and with others that call themselves conservatives. I do not get the feeling of good will towards gays here at all. I think the whole Christy Todd Whitman PAC, "It's My Party Too", is about addressing how not inclusive the Republican party is to others.
You feel out of step because of your vegetarianism? Now that is funny. What does being a vegetarian have to do with your political beliefs?
I find myself feeling "out of step" with other conservatives over the Intelligent Design debate. My opinion is it is not a science and should not be pushed as one. I have taken a break from arguing it on here because it just goes round and round in circles.
I think you and I have had very different experiences here on FR and with others that call themselves conservatives. I do not get the feeling of good will towards gays here at all. I think the whole Christy Todd Whitman PAC, "It's My Party Too", is about addressing how not inclusive the Republican party is to others.
You feel out of step because of your vegetarianism? Now that is funny. What does being a vegetarian have to do with your political beliefs?
I find myself feeling "out of step" with other conservatives over the Intelligent Design debate. My opinion is it is not a science and should not be pushed as one. I have taken a break from arguing it on here because it just goes round and round in circles.
I would never recommend any of my acquaintances who happen to be gay or lesbian come to FR.
This is the kind of judgment they will receive and the piling on will continue as the informal network of the righteous is notified that a homosexual is on the thread.
Interestingly, Christian charity goes out the window when the "christians" start their ranting about homosexuality.
Why would anybody come here and put up with the abuse?
Also take for example Rudi Giuliani. What do most pundits think is one of his biggest weakness if he ever ran for president? His support for gay rights.
Am I missing something here?
Homosexuality is but one form of sexual degeneracy. You trying to lobby for normalcy, sinky?
I almost think conservatives are split down the middle on this. I hope I'm wrong.
On FR many people want to actually have a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. On one thread I had some serious arguments with people because I said I felt that it was wrong to use the Constitution in this manner. You should have seen the sparks fly over that statement.
What I perceive is that politicians are scared to death of this issue. I think they are pretending to be very conservative regarding states because they wish this issue would go away. They see it as a carreer buster. My evidence of that is the way that Corporate America embraced domestic partner benefits all at once overnight. No one wanted to challenge the PC machine.
Normalcy? If I was convinced those of you who are so rabid against homosexuals were exhibiting actual concern for them, I might have refrained from posting.
But, it's not about concern for human beings, is it? It's about how good you are and how rotten they are.
Too many of the "christians" on this board are anything but.
Sinkspur, it seems you and I are in agreement that FR would not be the most tolerant place for a gay person to come to. While I am a fiscal conservative and in many ways socially conservative, I find the whole gay-marriage amendment stuff an abuse of our constitution.
That is why I said I find it hard to fathom that a gay would be conservative. Now libertarian... I could see that.
Very well said.
Split down the middle. If so then half of the conservatives are very quiet.
What I perceive is that politicians are scared to death of this issue.
The question is why be afraid?
Gays are generally pretty intelligent, and they know that most conservatives are not reactionaries.
Very true. We have several good friends who are gay and in committed relationships.
What they do with their sex lives is as irrelevant to me as what I do with my sex life is irrelevant to them.
The problem comes in when one's sexuality becomes their identity rather than an aspect of their lives.
Normal, healthy, conservative gay people abound!
What happens when a corporation takes a stand against domestic partner benefits? They will be targeted by the liberal media and run the risk of making all of their corporate customers mad. That's a risk they don't even want to think about.
Now we are starting to see any politician that is against the gay agenda labeled as anti-civil-rights nor pro-discrimination. Did you happen to hear Laura Bush on the subject on Fox news. She danced around the subject saying she didn't want to see it used as a political weapon. No personal opinion on the matter at all.
True enough. But those types don't realize that their argument is already a lost cause - people 25 and under overwhelmingly support gay rights and even gay marriage. In another generation, that debate will simply cease to matter, whether any of us older people are comfortable with homosexuality or not.
Those ranting Faux Christians need to focus on supporting small government and keeping government out of their lives, not on making government more powerful so it can go out and smite people they don't like. That's a double-edged sword.
I hvae great respect for Mary Cheney and its great to see her defending her choices in public and exposing Kerry/Edwards for the opportunist scum they are. I hope someday she will choose to no longer be gay and disgusting and she can enjoy all the rights granted to all good straight Christian Americans.
Myself, I'd apply that to liberals and their philosophies before I'd apply it to true Christians.
You have "great respect" for someone you consider "disgusting". That's a neat trick.
What is NPR?
When I read a post like http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1633267/posts that is titled "ExxonMobil's gay problem (Barf Alert!)" I shake my head in amazement. I wonder how many people are on the "Homosexual Agenda Ping" list.
you never watched Bill Lambier (sp?) play hoops....
Not if those young people gain wisdom with age. Indoctrination and naivete don't have to be permanent.
I've definitely heard about Ford's problems. I've also been reading about the $221 million spend on advertising to gays. So it seems that only Ford is in trouble and no one else. I find that more odd than anything. Sorry but I don't follow your second statement. I don't understand the exxon barf alert.
admatt's very first post, too.
LOL. Know thine enemy.
Thanks for the biggest laugh of the morning! I'd wager the dominant consensus on FR 'can't possibly fathom a conservative Republican gay person,' either!
I would have, too. Then, I found this thread.
"Conservative" is definitely in the eye (or some other cavity) of the beholder.
Thanks for letting us know. I never listen to public radio.
True.
:-) I know. Just being a wise acre.
Someone here has to. It ain't easy! Do I get hazardous duty pay?
Surely this qualifies as abuse of a corpse
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