Monday, January 4, 2010
Politics / Woods Roy Herron and the Gay Adoption Issue
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 7:23 PM
The NRCC has criticized Herron for opposing proposals to ban gay adoption and for his stances on abortion and labor."Roy's fundraising numbers are a bit underwhelming," said NRCC spokesman Andy Sere. "You'd think his many friends in the labor, pro-choice and gay communities would be able to raise more money for a politician who's so fervently preached the liberal gospel."
Media outlets across the state, of course, picked up the AP report just as it is. No where is there any attempt to explain that, if Tennessee bans gay adoption, untold numbers of unwanted children--including those with disabilities and health problems--will languish in state custody and foster homes for years on end.
The AP isn't doing anything that almost all other mainstream media outlets don't do every day. Following the lazy conventions of he said/she said journalism, they toss out such accusations without context in their dispatches, letting the mud splatter where it may. The accumulating media reports eventually influence public opinion and produce more and more politicians bent on passing bad laws. It's exactly the kind of coverage that hacks like Sere are counting on to smear their opponents.
Comments (6)
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There's at least one Tennessee Republican who supports gay adoption, yes, me, of course.
I've opined on this already. There is no sound logical or ethical basis for opposing it.
If "gay" people believe they are born that way, then, doesn't it logically follow that they believe people are born "straight" as well?
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What is it with Republicans and their obsessing about who sticks what into whom? Get over it!!
Somehow people have convinced themselves that every sin can be forgiven - except homosexuality. Even assuming homosexuality is a sin (which I dispute) such theology is shoddy.
To those who oppose homosexual adoption I say spend some time in your local DCS office. Go hang out at a juvenile court. Then tell us all how you are serving children by removing the potential to live with a loving family. Then ask yourselves exactly how good a Christian you are being.
To those reporters who simply take a few facts and fit them into preconceived notions thanks a lot. I love being misinformed.
The AP could have easily pointed out that Stanley's bill didn't ban "gay adoption" specifically. It banned all single parent adoption - regardless of the person's sexual orientation. Thats why the bill had virtually zero support. Even most hard right pols don't believe that only married heterosexual couples should be, by law, the only ones allowed to raise kids. Too many widows, orphans, and other complicated situations would have been really hurt buy such a heavy handed law.
It is perfectly ok, of course. for newspapers, etc. to print AP stories with no questions asked about things such as evil right wing bigots, or the immediate crisis of global warming. As in all things, it just depends on what side you're on. Woods is so transparent about this, that it's pitiful.
