So-called Pres. George W. Bush initiated a war of aggression and limitless occupation against the sovereign nation of Iraq in order to exact revenge on Sadaam Hussein over Hussein’s assassination attempt on former Pres. George H.W. Bush and to secure Iraqi oil for Bush’s Texas oil cronies.  Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mary Bono Baxely Mack, absentee Congresswoman, have supported every Bush war policy without reservation.  In fact, McCain is prepared for the U.S. to continue the occupation of Iraq ‘for 100 years.’

The U.S. Army recently released a study on the impact of the Bush war of aggression on the mental health of U.S. troops (The Associated Press, by Pauline Jelinek, dated March 7, 2008).  The findings of the report are devastating to the Bush occupation efforts and reveal the harmful impact on a significant percentage of U.S. troops.

More below the flip…

More than 27% of U.S. troops on their third or fourth combat tour suffered anxiety, depression, post-combat stress and other problems.  More than 12% of U.S. troops on their first tour suffered similar mental health problems

Suicide rates “remained elevated” in both Iraq and in Afghanistan.  Four suicides occurred last year in Afghanistan and 34 either confirmed or suspected suicides in Iraq.  If all suicides are confirmed, this would be the highest suicide rate since the Bush war of aggression began

The percentage of soldiers reporting depression in Afghanistan was higher than that in Iraq, and mental health problems in general were higher than they had previously been in Afghanistan.  The adjusted rate in 2007 for depression in Afghanistan was 11.4% compared with 7.6% in Iraq

83% of U.S. troops in Afghanistan reported exposure to traumatic combat events, a key risk factor for poor mental health among the troops

Spreading U.S. troops out in Afghanistan tended to isolate troops and made it more difficult for them to obtain mental health services in Afghanistan

About 29% of U.S. troops in combat outposts in Iraq reported that it was difficult to obtain mental health services in Iraq.  About 13% of U.S. troops not at outposts reported similar difficulty

U.S. troops receiving “Battlemind” training reported fewer mental health problems than those who did not.  The training teaches U.S. troops and families what to expect before troops depart for the Bush occupation of Iraq and what common problems to look out for when troops readjust to Stateside life following deployment

29% of U.S. troops feared seeking mental health services would harm their careers, down from 34% in 2006.  Fears of seeking mental health services would prevent many from getting help for anxiety, depression, and post-combat stress and would exacerbate the symptoms

89% of U.S. troops reported that their unit’s morale was neither high nor very high, down from 93% in 2006.  79.4% reported neither high nor very high individual morale, down from 81.7% in 2006.

In Iraq, 72% of soldiers reported knowing someone seriously injured or killed

U.S. troops reported an average of only 5.6 hours of sleep nightly in Iraq, significantly less than that needed to maintain optimal level of performance.  This puts U.S. troops at greater risk for harm.  Officers appear to significantly underestimate the impact of sleep deprivation.

Almost 33% of U.S. troops in Afghanistan were highly concerned that they were not getting sufficient sleep, and about 25% reported falling asleep during convoys last year thereby increasing their risk for harm.  16% of U.S. troops reported taking psychiatric medications during 2007 (there was no figure for the percentage of troops who were prescribed psychiatric medications and who were not taking them), and about half of those were sleep medications

(XPosted 2/29/2008 6:14 PM PST on MyDesert.com)

The Children’s Defense Fund’s (CDF) Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.  CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations.  CDF has never taken government funds.

Annually, the CDF Action Council compiles a Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard for U.S. Senators and Representatives.  In the Scorecard, 100% represents an excellent voting record on children’s issues while 0% represents a terrible record in the estimation of CDF.  Sen. John McCain ‘achieved’ a score of 10%, the lowest of any U.S. Senator.  McCain supported only one CDF position, opposed one other CDF position, and voted ‘Not Voting’ on the other eight bills.  Either McCain is anti-children or is yet another absentee Republican leader when it comes to important issues.

More below the flip…

In 2007, U.S. Senators were graded on their votes on ten different issues that CDF supported:

(1) 2008 Budget Resolution (Measure was Agreed To)

(2) Extend Health Coverage to 3.1 Million More Uninsured Children (Agreed To)

(3) Extend Health Coverage to 3.2 Million More Uninsured Children (Passed)

(4) Fund Child Health and Education (Agreed To)

(5) Give Children a Head Start (Agreed To)

(6) Help Youth Pay for College (Agreed To)

(7) Increase Funding for Education for Children with Disabilities (Failed)

(8) Increase the Minimum Wage (Passed)

(9) Protect Children from Unsafe Medications (Passed)

(10) Support Education for Children of Immigrants (Failed).

In 2007, 50 U.S. Senators, including 44 Democrats, 4 Republicans, and 2 Independents had excellent scorecards, that is, 80% or higher.  The following Senators had excellent records: Blanche Lincoln D-AR (80%), Mark Pryor D-AR (90%), Barbara Boxer D-CA (90%), Dianne Feinstein D-CA (100%), Ken Salazar D-CO (90%), Joseph LIeberman I-CT (100%), Tom Carper D-DE (100%), Bill Nelson D-FL (90%), Daniel Akaka D-HI (100%), Daniel Inouye D-HI (100%), Tom Harkin D-IA (100%), Richard Durbin D-IL (100%), Evan Bayh D-IN (100%), Richard Lugar R-IN (80%), Mary Landrieu D-LA (80%), Edward Kennedy D-MA (90%), John Kerry D-MA (90%), Benjamin Cardin D-MD (100%), Barbara Mikulski D-MD (100%), Susan Collins R-ME (90%), Olympia Snowe R-ME (90%), Carl Levin D-MI (100%), Deborah Stabenow D-MI (100%), Norm Coleman R-MN (80%), Amy Klobuchar D-MN (100%), Claire McCaskill D-MO (80%), Max Baucus D-MT (80%), Jon Tester D-MT (80%), Kent Conrad D-ND (90%), Byron Dorgan D-ND (90%), Ben Nelson D-NE (90%), Frank Lautenburg D-NJ (100%), Robert Menendez D-NJ (100%), Jeff Bingaman D-NM (100%), Harry Reid D-NV (100%), Charles Schumer D-NY (90%), Sherrod Brown D-OH (100%), Ron Wyden D-OR (90%), Bob Casey D-PA (100%), Jack Reed D-RI (100%), Sheldon Whitehouse D-RI (100%), James Webb D-VA (90%), Patrick Leahy D-VT (100%), Bernard Sanders I-VT (90%), Maria Cantwell D-WA (90%), Patty Murray D-WA (100%), Russell Feingold D-WI (100%), Herb Kohl D-WI (100%), Robert Byrd D-WV (90%), and Jay Rockefeller D-WV (100%).

Five of 100 U.S. Senators had failing grades, that is, 20% or lower:  Jim DeMint R-SC (20%), James Inhofe R-OK (20%), Tom Coburn R-OK (20%), David Vitter (20%), and John McCain R-AZ (10%).

Yes, out of 100 U.S. Senators, McCain ranked the lowest of any on the CDF scorecard, lower than any Democrat and lower than any other Republican.  McCain voted ‘nay’ to Extend Health Coverage to 3.2 Million More Uninsured Children, a measure that passed in the Senate.  McCain voted ‘not voting’ on all of the other bills except for Increase the Minimum Wage where he voted ‘yea’ on a measure that passed.

In comparison, Sen. Hillary Clinton D-NY obtained a 70% rating while Sen. Barack Obama obtained a 60% rating.

You be the judge.

I just received this Press Release from the Campaign of David Hunsicker, Democratic Candidate for the 45th Congressional District to replace the absentee Congresswoman, Mary Bono Baxely Mack (R-CA) who presently resides in Florida with her husband number three, Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL).

Hunsicker’s Press Release is as follows:

On February 27, 2008, I officially declared as a Democratic Party candidate for nomination/election of the office of United States Representative, 45th Congressional District to be voted for at the Statewide Direct Primary Election to be held June 3, 2008 and requested my name and ballot designation to appear on the ballot as:  David E. Hunsicker.  This information was certified by Julie A Caban, Riverside County Election Official on February 27, 2008.

Federal Election identification number is C00442822.  

Thank you,

David E. Hunsicker

XPosted 2/14/2008 12:00 AM PST on MyDesert.com

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for President has little to say about the rights of the LGBT community or its issues on his campaign website at JohnMcCain.com.

Under the link “Human Dignity & the Sancitity of Life,” McCain lists (1) Overturning Roe V. Wade, (2) Promoting Adoption, (3) Protecting Marriage, (4) Addressing the Moral Concerns of Advanced Technology, (5) Protecting Children from Online Predators, and (6) the Greatest Concern is to Serve the Cause of Human Dignity.  As you might guess from the above headings, McCain and his campaign is pandering to the so-called Religious Right community.

More below the flip…

More specifically, according to About.com: Gay Life, McCain has a spotty record at best on the LGBT issues themselves.

(1)  McCain on Gay Marriage: McCain opposes Marriage Equality, but believes the issue should be left up to the states.  McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, but according to McCain’s campaign website,

“[He] believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.”

I am guessing that in the case of Marriage Equality, McCain does extend his greatest concern to serve the cause of LGBT dignity or, perhaps, does not include the LGBT community within the context of the Human community.

(2) McCain on Gays and Lesbians in the Military: McCain believes the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been effective and should be left untouched.  At the 2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College on Jun 3, 2007, McCain said,

“We have the best-trained, most professional, best- equipped, most efficient, most wonderful military in the history of this country, and I’m proud of every one of them. There just aren’t enough of them. So I think it would be a terrific mistake to even reopen the issue. The policy is working. And I am convinced that that’s the way we can maintain this greatest military. Let’s not tamper with them.”

How is including LGBT community members in the Armed Forces “tampering” with the military?  McCain fails to explicate his position or clarify his terminology.

Allowing LGBT community members to serve openly in the U.S. military is a matter of Human Dignity, and McCain refuses to accord respect to the LGBT community in a fashion similar to that accorded to the heterosexual community in the military.  McCain also does not address the fact that the U.S. military loses millions of dollars of tax payer money each year in attempts to enforse the DADT policies.

McCain fails to address the fact that many Arabic-English and English-Arabic translators are discharged from the U.S. military each year due to DADT.  Finally, the United States is one of the few Western countries to disallow LGBT members from serving in the its Armed Forces, yet, the military leadership is coming around to a more progressive perspective.

McCain on Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA): McCain voted against ENDA and prohibiting job discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

McCain on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation: While in the Senate, McCain voted against extending the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation and opposed the so-called Matthew Shepard bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

McCain on HIV/AIDS: McCain’s stance on HIV/AIDS is ambiguous at best. When asked in the New York Times political blog McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention about the use of contraceptives or counseling to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, McCain said,

“You’ve stumped me. I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was.”

“You’ve stumped me?”  “I’m not informed enough on it?”  “I have to find out what my position was?”  The United States, California and the Coachella Valley have been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, and McCain is either uninformed or incompetent on the issue.

How can a World Leader be unaware of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Nation?  Oh, I forgot, the Republican Party has a long history of neglect on the people affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS from former President Ronald Reagan who refused to utter the words “HIV” or “AIDS” throughout most of his Presidency, to President George H.W. Bush and so-called President George W. Bush who attempted to either reduce funding for HIV/AIDS, attempted to pit the HIV/AIDS community against other chronic illness communities, or attempted to gut HIV/AIDS programs in this country.

McCain is more of the same.  Ignorant, ill-informed, AIDS-phobic, and incompetent on the issue.

XPosted 2/16/2008 3:08 PM PST on MyDesert.com in the BluePalmSpringsBoyz blog

The California Secretary of State has released the most recent Report of Registration as of January 22, 2008 by State Assembly District.  The picture looks bleak for local Republicans as registration figures for the Yacht and Country Club Party are decreasing while that for local proud, progressive Democrats and their supporters are increasing.  This does not portend well for the presumptive Republican candidate, Gary Jeandron.

In the CA 80th Assembly District, there are now 168,497 registered voters.  This includes 52,367 voters in the Imperial County portion of the district and 116,130 in the Riverside County area.

Democrats now have 28,542 registered voters in Imperial County and 48,429 in Riverside County for a total of 76,971 registered voters.  Democrats now consist of 45.68% of the overall voter registration in the 80th Assembly District.

More below the flip…

On the other hand, Republicans have 13,567 registered voters Imperial County and 47,934 in Riverside County for a total of 61,491 registered voters.  Republican voter registration is now only 36.49% of the overall registration in the District.

Remember when Republicans dominated the voter registration figures and they held a tight grip on local political machinery in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Coachella, and Palm Desert?  Well, as the Poet sang, “The times, they are achangin’!”

Decline to State now has 8,446 voters in Imperial County and 15,955 in Riverside County for a total of 24,401 voters.  Decline to State voter registration is now at 14.48% of the voter registration in the 80th Assembly District.

The bad news for the Yacht and Country Club party begins at the fact that Democrats now outnumber Republicans in the District by 15,480 voters!

The news gets worse, as Decline to State Voters have recently been casting votes for Democratic candidates across the Coachella Valley.  John Kerry succeeded in winning a majority vote in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, and Coachella in 2004 in part due to the voting pattern of the Decline to State voter.  When Decline to State registration figures in the District are added to the Democratic figures, then proud progressive Democrats and their allies outnumber Republicans in the 80th Assembly District by almost 40,000 votes!

With the California Republican Party (CRaP?) in disarray and in deep financial debt, November looks to be a devastating year for the Grand Old Party in the CA 80th Assembly District in 2008.

More bad news for the local Republican machine in a later post on the changes in the 45th Congressional District.  They and not a recent marriage may send the local absentee Congresswoman into early retirement.

XPosted 2/13/2008 9:32 PM PST on MyDesert.com on BluePalmSpringsBoyz blog

I just received this invitation from State Senator Carole Migden, Palm Springs Mayor Pro-Tem Ginny Foat, and The Victory Fund to brunch to support Greg Pettis for the CA 80th Assembly District to replace the termed-out Bonnie Garcia.

More below the flip…

Sen. Carole Migden (D-CA 3rd AD), according to Wikipedia:

“represents the 3rd District in the California State Senate, which includes parts of San Francisco, Sonoma County, and Marin County.  She was previously a member of the California State Assembly (1996-2002) and Chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization (2002-2004), the nation’s only publicly-elected tax commission.  She also served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1991-1996). She also chaired the San Francisco Democratic Party for eight years and is a member of the Democratic National Committee.

“Carole Migden is the Chairperson of California Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Committee and the Chairperson of the Senate Majority Caucus. She was previously the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair. She is the only Lesbian state official in Northern California and one of just ten woman Senators.

Mayor Pro-Tem Foat has served the Coachella Valley in various capacities including as a member of the Human Resources Committee of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, an Alternate to the Riverside County Transportation Commission, a member of the League of California Cities, and a member of the Sub Committee on Neighborhood Involvement, of the Sub Committee on Convention Center Opening, and of the Sub Committee on Indian Oasis.

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund is the Nation’s largest LGBT political action committee.  As such, the Victory Fund endorses qualified, committed openly LGBT candidates who can win elected office.

The invitation from Migden, Foat, and The Victory Fund to brunch with Pettis is as follows:

(Xposted from www.mydesert.com, the online edition of Palm Springs’ The Desert Sun)

Well, well, well.  Proud progressive Democrats and their Independent and Republican supporters in Riverside County, and especially in the Coachella Valley, repudiated The Desert Sun endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama in the California primary by giving Sen. Hillary Clinton approximately 67% of the vote.  State-wide, Clinton appears to have won 54% of the vote while Obama has won about 39%.  Shows how relevant The Desert Sun is to the Riverside County Democratic Party, to the California Democratic Party, and to our supporters amongst the Independents and Decline to States now.

The Democrats of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Coachella, La Quinta, and other Desert Cities gathered tonight in a Unity Rally at Dale’s Lost Highway to celebrate our common democratic and Democratic principles.  Fiscal responsibility, universal healthcare, education, withdrawal from the Iraq morass and occupation, economic recovery, human rights, equal rights, and more.

The Democratic Unity Rally was sponsored by Richard Oberhaus, campaign manager of the Greg Pettis for 80th Assembly District, Greg Rodriguez, activist for the Clinton for President campaign, and Rob Simmons, Palm Springs Airport Commission and activist for the Barack Obama for President campaign.  A conservative estimate of the attendance at the soiree would run about 200 given the steady to-and-fro of the enthusiastic crowd.

More below the flip…

The media took special note of the event with coverage by CBS Channel 2, Channel 3, and live coverage of NBC Channel 6 on the 11:00 News.  Of interest, The Desert Sun reporters were apparently absent.  Must have been a paparazzi sighting of Brittany or Brad and Angelina in the Desert that necessitated its attention.

Electeds in attendance included Ginny Foat, City Councilwoman in Palm Springs, Rick Hutcheson, City Councilman in Palm Springs, Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-Temp of Cathedral City and Candidate for the 80th Assembly District to replace the termed out Bonnie Garcia (R-CA), and Paul Marchand, City Councilman of Cathedral City.  Pettis discussed the progress of his campaign and reveled in the number of community activists in attendance.  Foat discussed her admiration and support for Clinton and her pleasure at the tide of events for Clinton during the evening.  Marchand focused on the excitement in Cathedral City, especially amongst the Latino community, for the Democratic candidates, especially Clinton.  In fact, Rodriguez reported that Latinos appeared to be supporting Clinton over Obama by a 6:1 margin across the country!

In additon to Pettis, other Democratic candidates in attendance included Paul Clay, Candidate for the CA 45th Congressional District, and Dave Hunsicker, Candidate for the 45th Congressional District.  Amalia Deaztlan, manager of the Manuel Perez for the CA 80th Assembly District campaign, also attended.

Local Democratic activists who attended the Democratic Unity Rally included George Zander, Chair of the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club (DSD), Bob Silverman, Treasurer of DSD, James Reynolds, Recording Secretary of DSD, and Donald W. Grimm, Ph.D., Jono Hildner, Bob Mahlowitz, and Bill Post, members of the Steering Committee of DSD.  Silverman discussed his previous support for Rep. Dennis Kucinich for President and his present support for Clinton due to her consistent support of the LGBT community.

Zander discussed his efforts as poll watcher and some of the disarray at the Mizell Senior Center due to the overwhelming number of Democratic and Independent voters who registered their votes at the precinct(s).  Seems that the several counties were ill-prepared for the numbers of voters not only in Santa Clara County but also in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties as well.

Other local party activists attending the Unity Rally included Sandy Eldridge, Co-Chair of the Palm Springs Democratic Club (PSD), Lisa Arbaelaz, co-founder of the PSD, her friend, Armando, Ruth Debra, DSD member, her friends, Tracy Turner, Vets for Peace, Deaztlan, Campaign manager for the Manuel Perez for 80th Assembly District, and many, many more.  Eldridge articulated her excitement about and plans for PSD and the November general election.  Her theme was re the local Democratic clubs working together in order to defeat John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney and those who support the ongoing, unending trampling of the U.S. Constitution, of the U.S. economy, of the Rights of the middle class and GLBT community, and of International Law.  Kudos to Eldridge and the PSD!

Bloggers in attendance included BluePalmSpringsBoyz, Fofitti, GRodriguez, and SeekTruth from www.mydesert.com, BlueBeaumontBoyz from www.Calitics.com, and others.  Observer discussed the advantages that Clinton has over Obama regarding electability and her consistent support of the Latino and LGBT communities.  SeekTruth and Fofitti discussed their concerns about the protection of our Right to Vote and the potential for voter fraud in the Republican-controlled election machinery in Riverside County. (BluePalmSpringsBoyz, Fofitti, SeekTruth and BlueBeaumontBoyz have endorsed Pettis for the 80th Assembly District.)

Union representatives in attendance included Chuck McDaniel, IBEW Local 440 and co-chair of the Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club, Tony Aidukas, Executive Committee of the SEIU United Healthcare Workers, and Juan Carlos Sanchez, Regional Political Organizer, Political Department of SEIU United Healthcare Workers.  McDaniel and Aidukas discussed the difficulty that they had in deciding for whom to vote following former-Senator John Edwards’ withdrawal from the race for the Democratic nomination.  Aidukas reported that two days following Edwards’ withdrawal, the SEIU UHW Executive Committee endorsed Obama for President.

At least one Republican attended tonight’s Democratic Unity Rally, Roger Williams.  (No, not that Roger Williams.)  Williams, heretofore a Mitt Romney supporter, reported that he recently removed Romney’s bumper sticker from his car and tonight obtained a Clinton bumper sticker as a replacement.

Obama activists attending the Unity Rally included Ed Grubman and his wife, Simmons, Debra, and many more.  Grubman and Simmons discussed Obama’s appeal to African-American and young voters and enjoyed each report of Obama’s successful run in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, and Utah.

Clinton activists who celebrated her wins in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennesee, included Grimm, Oberhaus, Rodriguez, Bond Shands, and many, many more.  Rodriguez discussed Clinton’s appeal to women, Latinos, and the LGBT community.  As in previous caucus and primary states, women and Latinos went largely and overwhelmingly, respectively, to Clinton last night.  Rodriguez was particularly gratified by the surprising ease that Clinton had in such states as California, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennesee, states that as early as (Tuesday) morning were rated as toss-ups.

The delegate totals now appear to favor Clinton over Obama in both Pledged Delegates from the Democratic primaries and caucuses and the Super Delegates with Clinton now having 825 Delegates (632 Pledged Delegates and 193 Super Delegates) and Obama with 732 Delegates (626 Pledged, 106 Super Delegates).  The Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO will have a total of 4,049 convention delegates, and 2,025 needed for the Democratic nomination.

When the results of the California primary were posted on the big screen, a massive cheer arose from the Clinton camp.  Of note, those from the Obama and Clinton camp intermingled freely and provided support to each other’s members.  Many talked about a possible Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket that might be unbeatable in November.  Simmons discussed the possiblity of an Barack Obama-Mark Warner (D-VA), Barack Obama-Tim Kaine (D-VA), Barack Obama-Jim Webb (D-VA), or Barack Obama-Joe Biden (D-DE) ticket.  Rodriquez examined the possibility of a Hillary Clinton-Bill Richardson (D-NM) or Hillary Clinton-Ted Strickland (D-OH) ticket.

In any case, Democrats rallied and celebrated tonight the victories of Clinton and Obama.  Even more, Democrats and their supporters reveled in the thought that the disastrous Bush Administration is drawing to a well-deserved close, especially with Bush’s Dead-on-Arrival 2008 Budget.  How many days can you hold your breath?

“LGBT Americans are entitled to equal respect and dignity under our laws. Discrimination is morally wrong. All Americans should have the same freedoms and the same responsibilities.”

— John Edwards

John Edwards has been a consistent supporter of the LGBT community, unlike most of the other candidates.  And, as we know, Elizabeth Edwards is an even bigger supporter.

Edwards supports the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities for LGBT couples and supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act which was enacted under Pres. Bill Clinton.  Elizabeth Edwards goes even further, supporting Marriage Equality.

Edwards also opposes workplace discrimination against the LGBT community and, while still in the Senate, co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Edwards supports the rights and privileges of the LGBT community to serve in the Armed Forces and opposes the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies of the Pres. Bill Clinton Administration.

Edwards also believes that same-sex couples should enjoy the same adoption and family privileges as opposite-sex couples.

Edwards supports additional Hate Crimes legislation and while in the Senate, co-sponsored legislation providing law enforcement with tools to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on perceived and actual sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Finally, Edwards supports full funding for research and treatment of HIV/AIDS.  Edwards was the first Presidential candidate to propose a comprehensive program regarding HIV/AIDS.

More below the flip…

The following are Edwards’ positions on the major issues challenging the LGBT community:

Equal Rights for Same-Sex Couples

Edwards believes that all couples in committed, long-term relationships should have the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same-sex couples. He supports civil unions to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples. Edwards supports the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. He also believes same-sex families should be treated in the same manner as other families by our immigration laws. Edwards believes the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in committed, long-term relationships and he opposes divisive Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriages.

Workplace Discrimination

Workers should be judged by the quality of their performance, not their sexual orientation or gender identity. While in the Senate, Edwards cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He also believes that stronger enforcement is necessary to prevent employment discrimination by federal agencies.

Military Service

Edwards opposes the current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays and lesbians serving in our military. The military ought to treat all service members equally and in a way that promotes national security, without regard to their sexual orientation.

Adoption

Edwards believes that gay and lesbian parents should be able to adopt children just like any other parents. There are over 120,000 children waiting for homes in our nation’s foster care system. Adoption placements should be decided by judges and adoption agencies based upon the best interests of the children. Both members of a same-sex couple raising children together should be able to form a legal relationship with their children.

Hate Crimes

Everyone is entitled to live in dignity without fear of violence. We should strengthen the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. While in the Senate, Edwards cosponsored legislation to give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.

HIV and AIDS

The loss from HIV/AIDS is almost beyond understanding. Edwards believes we have a moral imperative to do much more, and do it much better. He is the first presidential candidate — Democratic or Republican — to propose a comprehensive strategy this year to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic at home and around the world, building on his plan for true universal health care with specific proposals to expand Medicaid to cover HIV-positive individuals before they reach later stages of disabilities and AIDS and increase support for the Ryan White CARE Act and HOPWA programs. He will also fight the disease in the African-American and Latino communities where the harm is now greatest and employ science-based prevention strategies — including comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education and harm-reduction programs that provide high-risk individuals with access to clean syringes.