January 13, 2009.
Lincoln pushed equality for black Americans, so will Obama push equality for homosexual Americans?
Barak Obama’s handling of the Warren issue could be the same as Lincoln’s handling of the slavery issue. He tried to dodge it, and worked up to the emancipation. History judges him by what he did, not by the journey he took on the way.
It is possible, not just because of all the fussing from the gay community and allies, but because the issue of homosexuals in the military is on the table, the denial of the right to marry, etc., that Obama will have to make a choice on the legal and moral basic rights of homosexual citizens. If he is truly the person a slight majority of voters believe and hope he is, including a majority of homosexual voters, but, sadly, a minority of black voters, he will sooner or later be forced, as other presidents have been on other civil rights issues, to support equal civil rights for all Americans, including homosexuals.
After adequate time, if he has not done what our Constitution and Bill of Rights direct him to do, then will be the time to find someone else who will do the right thing. (The first major step and evidence will be his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court and to the Justice Department. And, it is also the responsibility of the House and Senate to do what they should do, with or without the president.)
A startling thought would be if Obama fails the test of history, as Lincoln did not, it could be that the next president will be a Republican who will follow Lincoln’s journey.
