Elena Kagan...Judicial Woman of Mystery

Recently President Obama anounced his pick for Supreme Court Nominee in the person of Solicitor General Elena Kagan. Almost immediately she became the subject of intense public interest as we all pondered the impact she could have on important Supreme Court Rulings. Indeed, to dive into the blogosphere today is to immerse yourself in non-stop news, inuendo, and speculation surrounding Kagan. The number of blog entries about her nomination nearly equal those of the George Allen Rekkers rentboy scandal....thats alot people!

Now....I am not a news reporter or a politico. I am just a house dad watching the news, so my understanding may be limited. However, from my vantage point Elena Kagal presents more questions than she does answers as to what kind of Judge she will be should she win the appointment. Her voting record has been questioned and her actions as the dean at Harvard have been examined...those in which she moved to block the military from recruiting on campus because of DADT has led many to see her as staunchly liberal and pro gay rights. Her sexuality has also been questioned leading to wild speculation on both sides of the aisle. The only thing we know for sure at this point is that she seems quite adept at offering answers to questions that don't give away her personal views. She plays her cards close to the vest.

But it is roundly assumed that her rumored sexuality will cause her to rule in favor of cases critical to the gay community...to which I say, "not neccesarily"..read on to find out why.

No More Holding Hands In The Dark....DADT

When we send our young men and women off to war we often laud them as heroes for giving up their personal freedoms in order to defend ours. They give up the ability to do so many things that we take for granted on the average day, to put their lives on the line to make sure we can continue to live in freedom. This is a sentiment that has been passed around so much...and used for political gain...that it sometimes seems to be  cliche but it also happens to be totally true. When you give up the ability to go out on a Saturday night with your best freinds or simply spend a day watching t.v. and instead chose to do a service for your country in which you may not come home to enjoy those simple freedoms....you deserve to be considered a hero. So why do we draw a line at gay and lesbian soldiers and say, "Not these guys. They don't count." Does their life not carry the same value as a heterosexual soldiers life? Is not their sacrifice the same?

Not when we treat those same soldiers, who are making the same sacrifices, as criminals or predators because they happen to be gay. Such are the stories told by those dismissed under Don't Ask, Don't Tell....Such as Just-A-Joe the anonymous gay soldier who blogged about his time in the service, his unintentional coming out, and emminent dismissal. But nothing I can say will be as powerfull as their own words...