AIDS Activists Shut Down Capitol Rotunda Over Obama Reversal

AMERICA blog:

A group of 26 AIDS activists chained themselves to each other in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday morning, startling visitors, shutting down the landmark area and prompting their arrest by Capitol Police.

Read the whole story: AMERICA blog

Comments

[christopherflynn]

obama's starting to pi**s all over himself...This isn't the change I voted for...another da*n hypocrite...

[boxman15]

Although I am not sure where I stand on this issue (I can see both sides), I agree that Obama needs to step it up and be more assertive. He has made some good strides (especially in foreign affairs), but he could be doing so much more. Eventually, he'll end up realizing that he should start leaving those who always oppose him for the sake of opposing him behind. He is smart enough to know this (and he probably already does), he just needs to quit worrying about what his peers think and start worrying about what those who voted for him think.

Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

[MaryanneAZ]

I think the only way President Obama could be doing more is if he we could clone him! One man can only do so much. He already works more hours and days than should be expected of any man. WE can help him by adding to the number of real Dems in the House and Senate in 2010. Yes We Can!!!

[mat3]

How do you get that many chains through security?

[Hare]

Same way Homeland security officers got those bomb components through security in so many different federal buildings. We are not really safe ouch!

[WhirledTraveler]

DOMA, DADT, Needle Exchange... Anyone else see a pattern?

Bush 2.0!

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Yeah, I see a pattern.

5 months.

[missjulz]

I personally am losing patience with the 5 months excuse. Some things don't require a lot of time. For instance, yesterday's objection to a change in the policy re: congressional oversight in the legal briefings of the executive branch. this required no time. DADT requires no time. Defense of Marriage Act, requires no time.

On the economic front I understand exactly who was at fault and have no unreal expectations on the Obama presidency in that turnaround.

But on so many other fronts - matters that are not time stamped for change - he has taken a very conservative route.

[OlHippie]

It's real cute the way our president runs around the world being a rock star, and that is enough to make him preferable to Bush.

But his repeated reversals on core issues such as DADT, the needle exchange, and transparency in government are starting to piss me off.

[missjulz]

Me too.

[nickypoo]

Add Guantanamo and detainees rights to that list.

[WeMustSpeakOut]

What rights?? He is claiming that even post-acquittal the detainees can be subject to indefinite detention!!
This is nothing short of madness.

We have become the Corporate Kingdom of America, coming soon to overthrow a sovereign nation near you!

[Hank10303]

Apparently people make there own definitions and quotes. President Obama has not reversed his positon on needle exchange or DADT. Both of these are legislative enactments. Meaning bills voted on and passed by congress and the senate. The President has already said, repeatedly that he would sign off on these bills once congress reverses them. The most expedent way to get the Presidents signature is too chain themselves to the halls of congress and get the congress to pass the reversal so the President can sign them.

[MaryanneAZ]

It's not cute, it's the job, OlHippie. The job has not changed much in decades. He has to attend global conferences on issues that affect us all -- this time climate change, nuclear draw down, etc. BTW, there are no REVERSALS on any of those issues, just delays in CONGRESS in getting them sponsored, out of committee, debated and voted on. The President is not going to usurp Congress' role and write meaningless Executive Orders or have legislation sunset by using reconciliation. As I recall my civics classes, a reconciliation vote requires that a date be set to end the legislation (Bush43's tax cuts were accomplished through that means and are due to expire next year). Reconciliation is a temporary way to solve a permanent problem. The President has it going on and he knows what he is doing. Congress not so much.

[kbkw54]

Obama breaks another campaign promise.

[MaryanneAZ]

Promises cannot be considered broken until there is no possibility of keeping them--the end of the Administration would signal that occurrence. Until then, everything is on the table and possible. It is entirely too soon to throw in the towel. I'm in it for the long haul myself.

[Jakealoper]

This is the kind of cheap childish theatrics that makes it easier to dismiss them and their case.

[flurryup]

No this is getting out from behind the computers and showing up for the revolution instead of emailing it in, good for them!

[Hare]

true and it works if supported

[gbrooks]

Are you kidding me?

If they hadn't done that, I never would have known that the ban is being continued. Kudos to them for caring enough to actually do something.

[fcsakes]

No, this is citizen protest. Not only is it their right, it is a requirement of every citizen if wrongs are committed.

Protests have been a significant part of what makes this country free, including YOUR freedom of speech and your right to vote.

[PartyPartyParty]

Are you referring to the attorney riots in Tallahassee circa 2000?

[yearlin]

O has reneged on a lot of things and he needs to be held accountable on many of his bad decisions. but...
we barely have the money to keep the lights on and these people want tax dollar money to support a questionable habit that if abandoned or if people got their treatment would've prevented individuals from getting AIDS in the first place. if its that important buy your own fresh needles. by doing this, these people admit to supporting illegal drugs and that is the crime.

[KoolAidAmerica]

Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on eight out of 10 key electoral issues, including, for the second straight month, the top issue of the economy. They've also narrowed the gap on the remaining two issues, the traditionally Democratic strong suits of health care and education.

[RoloTomassi]

Proof?

[KoolAidAmerica]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/trust_on_issues/trust_on_issues

[Hare]

koolaid must be effective on you

[neurolux]

Nine out of 10 Republicans enjoy kicking kittens.

See, I can make up statistics too!

[KoolAidAmerica]

And 9 out of 10 Democrats believe in ab orting innocent unborn issues but oppose capital punishment

[complice]

So a majority of Americans now believe that:

1) tax cuts are the ONLY solution to our financial maladies

2) health care is a privelege, NOT a right, and should remain a private, for-profit industry responsible for dictating whether a person lives or dies.

Does that about sum it up?

[MaryanneAZ]

Bravo and faved. You have smartly pointed out the absurdity of the claims.

[Ramirez]

Causing a disruption in the Capitol is not the way to win the hearts and minds of the American people.

[Hare]

I don't mind for they bring up an important issue into the open. Protests are always healthy what is bad is the lack of support for them.

[flurryup]

Disruptions change things. Read some history Ramirez.

[missjulz]

Protest is designed to make you uncomfortable. And it is sometimes the only method. I am so tired of hearing people decry the act of civil disobedience. Where would this country be on so many fronts had people not protested? Think: child labor laws, workweek hours and overtime pay, civil rights - none of these issues were won without protest.

[Hare]

But tell that to those who grew up with Reagan and Bush 1 and 2. Protest? It is so like hippie and old fashio,n eeeew!

[MaryanneAZ]

Or, ah-hum, Democrats and Unions!

[M1]

It wins my heart over because it tells me these selfless people are willing to trash their lives by going to jail so others with HIV/AIDS may have the chance to live.

[Soundofthunder]

Seems like a pretty small promise to fulfill in terms of cost. I have a diabetic cat (yes cat, deal with it) and I know for a fact needles are dirt cheap. It's a small but effective measure to staunch the spread of infectious blood borne diseases of all types.

SOT

[Hare]

So the pharma comment was on target. For who benefits it there is less AIDS? not them, and we all know how powerful these pharmas are.

[Cockacola]

Once again, no one is following the facts- Just the story.

The thing has to go through a process. At the end of the Process the President will sign. You will be happy.

Get your congressmen going! Then, keep off drugs...how hard can that be? you expect the man to bring about world peace, keep fleas off dogs, Heal the world, solve each embryos personal problem and find a way for us to marry our pets- yet you cant MANAGE your own ONE sick self and keep it clean?

[DrToketee]

I think Americans are now figuring this Obama guy out ...

Here's a brilliant guy who is a gifted speech-maker and negotiator. So he uses it as his primary took to sway people/Congress to produce changes - including swaying a record number of voters who want real change in our nation.

It turns out now that all other alternatives for him to effect change - i.e. those ways in which he would have to SIGN SOME DECISION or ISSUE SOME ORDER that would DIRECTLY MAKE HIM CULPABLE for the outcome - are apparently off the table. Even in the privacy case, Obama never ordered an offensive plan to get the hostage back - he simply left a standing order for the navy commander to save the hostage's life if threatened. Believe me, we were very, very lucky with the excellent outcome.

So Obama has lied about transparency, gay rights, justice, and now about ACCOUNTABILITY.

Our President - as social and intelligent and comunicative as he is - is also showing himself to be a COWARD. His whole agenda is: "Let Congress do it.".

[kapalabhati]

Three simple words: Separation of powers.

There are things Congress must do. Further, if you hadn't noticed, the President has been fairly occupied with 2 wars, an economic crisis, Iran, China, NK, the G8 Summit, and a few other things. The fact that he hasn't achieved or touched on his entire, ambitious agenda in the 6 1/2 months he's been in office does not make him a liar or a coward. Finally, I doubt you voted for him, so why feign the bitter betrayal? Who're you going to vote for in '12? Nader? Yeah, that worked out so well in '00 didn't it?

[CypressTree]

You're wrong for several reasons:
1) He can't wave a magic wand and cure the last 8 years.
2) He's not the Messiah.
3) He's playing Chess.
4) He is respecting the will of Congress because he is a Constitutional Lawyer.
5) It's only been 6 months.
6) He's working a strategy to rally up the people.
Sincerely,
Ign0rant syc0phant

[zerotimes10]

CypressTree: Thank you.

[brault sauce]

1) excuse
2) excuse
3) excuse
4) excuse
5) excuse
6) excuse

[RoloTomassi]

"Sincerely,
Ign0rant syc0phant"


At least you know it....

[PartyPartyParty]

1) It's not called waving a magic wand: it's called (by Obama when he was campaigning) reversing bad Bush Administration policies. It doesn't take years (or even months) of research to determine what policies are bad; there's already plenty of evidence to that.
2) He's not the Messiah, but he has no problems appointing people who believe (and who want everyone else to believe) in the Messiah to policy-making positions.
3) He's not supposed to play Chess; he's supposed to reverse bad policy and promote good policy.
4) He's not respecting the will of Congress any more than Bush did -- he and his chief of staff expect the Congress to respect his will.
5) And most of those 6 months have been wasted.
6) The campaign is over; now is not the time for political strategizing to rally up the people; now is the time to listen to the people who elected him, which he is not doing.

Sincerely,
Radical Realist

[gbrooks]

I took Cypress' comment as sarcasm, especially given his sign-off. Nobody else?

[Reefdancer]

You know, I once promised my kids new bikes. But then my husband lost his job and we didn't have the $. Life sucks. Deal with it.

[furryone]

THANK YOU!

[complice]

Aside from sounding exteremly callous, your comment doesn't even makes sense from a cost/benefit standpoint.

Allocating money for a needle exhange program is FAR cheaper than paying to treat someone with anti-retroviral medications for the rest of his or her life. It's a simple matter of prevention being a better option than treatment.

I don't agree with the protester's tactics, nor do I necessarily believe this was Obama's decision, but I do think they're asking a reasonable question.

[CypressTree]

You know, I once promised my kids new bikes. But the mob boss who controls my paycheck and runs the American economy ran out of money based on speculative, criminal efforts. He asked the President to bail him out so he could continue the same cycle so the President gladly gave him trillions of dollars. Unfortunately, I'm still not getting my paycheck and my kids aren't getting any bikes. Life sucks. Deal with it.

[nickypoo]

This one time, this guy running for president promised that he would end the ban on a program that has been shown to save lives and prevent the spread of HIV. Then he got elected and wrote the continued ban into his budget. Life sucks. Deal with it when HIV rates continue to climb in this country.

Just like a bike, right?

[JennieB]

Yawn