Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ald. Cappleman Testifies About DOMA

From CBS2's website:

"Three Illinois members of Congress held a hearing in Chicago Friday on their effort to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which they call blatantly discriminatory.

As WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) is sponsoring a bill to repeal the act. He is joined by co-sponsors Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) The three members of Congress held a hearing on the act Friday at City Council Chambers in Chicago’s City Hall. Ald. James Cappleman (46th), who has been with his partner for 20 years, offered testimony at the hearing. Read the whole story here.

20 comments:

  1. Wow, he sure turned Uptown around fast, huh? I mean, if he can take time off to testify about a law whose jurisdiction affects few, if any, of his constituents...

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  2. Wow,Luke,have you ever been to Uptown? A significant and increasing portion of Uptown's population (and the broader 46th Ward's population, who also matter) is gay and lesbian. So a federal law defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman is of significant interest to them, particularly since a few states now recognize gay marriage, and Illinois probably will join them at some point. So a good many of Mr. Cappelman's constituents applaud his testimony.

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  3. @ Luke

    Since DOMA was Frankenstein legislation designed and built by politicians, what is wrong with a gay politician testifying about it?

    So what have you done recently for justice?

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  4. Luke, you're silly. When the U.S. Congress asks someone to testify in front of them, most people make the time.

    It's been said that the 60640 zip code has more gay couples/residents than any other zip code in the country. Don't know if that's true, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

    If Ald. Shiller could spend her time declaring Uptown a "nuclear free zone," scaring away those big scary bombs with legislation, then Ald. Cappleman can spend an hour trying to get what many consider to be a discriminatory federal law overturned. I applaud his efforts.

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  5. I agree with GG.

    QUOTE: "When the U.S. Congress asks someone to testify in front of them, most people make the time."

    And if testimony in a forum can advance the interests of self serving politician, all the better.

    I also agree with GG’s comparison.
    Cappleman's testimony before of Quigley, Gutierrez and Schakowsky has nearly the same impact as Shiller's declaration that Uptown is a nuclear free zone.

    I am against DOMA, but this was a complete waste of time.

    I prefer our Alderman spend time on Ward issues and not waste time "preaching to the choir" about Gay Marriage.

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  6. Luke,

    STFU

    Larry Leland,

    STFU


    Learn from the Tao of Dr. Denis Leary.

    Who the hell cares what you prefer, Larry?

    The worst part of being an elected official has to be the whining. "I'm not happy. Cappleman doesn't always do what I want. Sometimes he does things I don't approve of. I'm not happy."

    STFU.

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  7. Really nothing to complain about here, a big part of any future uptown renaissance will be embracing the lgbt community as it expands from lake view and andersonville.

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  8. I'm willing to bet that Cappleman has put in more hours in his short time in office so far than Shiller did in a two year span. So he wants to take some time out to testify against DOMA? Good for him!

    Let's not forget - the job of alderman is technically a part time position. I think Cap is putting in far more than his fair share of time, but people will always complain. Meh...

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  9. ... also, since the testimony took place at City Hall, not only did Jim not have to go to DC, he didn't even leave the building.

    I'm not sure the hour (+/-) he spent on this detracted too much from his day.

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  10. We have major gang problems in Uptown, so the Chicago Police should be doing nothing but anti-gang work...too bad that they won't be able to deal with domestic violence, stolen cars, robberies on the Wilson Red Line platform, burglaries in Sheridan Park, or vandalism on Broadway. Those gang problems need to be solved.

    The problems with delinquent teenagers stem from failed parenting and lack of parental supervision. So parents need to take their kids to and from school, and stay with them to supervise at all times when they AREN'T in school. So what if they can't keep full-time jobs because of the kids' school schedule? So what if there's no after-school programming and no responsible relatives at hand to be temporary parental figures? Parents should have no other obligations but ensuring that their kids don't run around the neighborhood without supervision.

    Stupid, huh? The Chicago Police can't multi-task? Parents in the neighborhood can't work full-time jobs, can't have friends, can't help elderly relatives, can't do neighborhood volunteer work...because they have kids? And Cappleman can't do anything that isn't related directly to improving Uptown? I sure hope that anyone who thinks he shouldn't...does EVERYTHING they commit to do, in a short time, without letting other big or little tasks get in the way of the commitment at hand.

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  11. Wow, quite a few of you need to take off your hate-colored glasses in order to read, apparently. (Sadly, there's no such hope for the ever witty and insightful IrishPirate, I'm afraid.)

    DOMA is a federal law. Unless you're in one of a few very specific situations -- like seeking asylum in the United States -- it doesn't apply to you. And it has precisely no impact on gay marriage legislation at the state level.

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  12. Luke,

    here is the first paragraph I just found regarding DOMA:

    The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) (Pub. L. No. 104-199, 110 Stat. 2419, enacted September 21, 1996, 1 U.S.C. § 7 and 28 U.S.C. § 1738C) is a United States federal law signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996 whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no state (or other political subdivision within the United States) may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state.


    So not only do you need to STFU, but you're wrong. Not recognizing gay marriages performed in other states invalidates your argument.

    So endeth the lesson.

    PS.

    STFU

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  13. @ Luke

    I don't hate you or what you said. I profoundly disagree with your statement.

    I honestly don't know how much time he spent, my guess is not much.

    This part of your statement kinda bothers me...but you have a right to your opinion, not tryin to gang up on ya..

    ",,,,testify about a law whose jurisdiction affects few, if any, of his constituents..."

    When it comes to civil rights in America it is not about the numbers. I am a straight white male so does DOMA affect me?

    I don't need a wheelchair, most people don't in any ward, city or state. So why do we have the ADA.

    My point is civil rights are almost always about a minority of the community.

    The alternative is something often referred to as a "Tyranny of the Majority". consider that phrase.

    I guess since my Alderman is openly gay we have at least one person affected in da ward, but it doesn't matter, 1. 100, or 10,000.

    If Alderman James was speaking up to advance civil rights, he was speaking for us all.

    That is all I got...I will now STFU.

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  14. I'm shocked -- shocked! -- that IrishPirate is not only capable of successfully finding and opening Wikipedia, but also of copying and pasting without incident. Never would have guessed.

    Still not capable of doing anything other than yelling from the confines of the bandwagon, however. Oh well.

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  15. Wait.

    Federal law has no bearing on State law?

    And, DOMA applies to those seeking political asylum?

    Wow.

    I ... I learned something today.

    *cough*

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  16. Luke,

    yes I can open Wiki. I can also follow the link in Wiki to the original source.

    Then again what do facts matter to you? What does seemingly matter is your opinion and then you make up facts to support that opinion.

    When called on that you make pithy comments and run away like Sir Robin from "Monty Python". All the while ignoring how wrong your statement regarding the applicability of DOMA truly was.

    By the way check out the Wiki page for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" if you don't understand the reference.

    Oh, and by the way STFU.

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  17. If there was any kind of waste of time here, it was by the douche-bags who passed DOMA.

    I can't believe Clinton signed it.

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  18. For Alderman Cappleman to ignore this hearing instead of testifying would be like me ignoring a homeless march in Uptown. (Cue laugh track.) But seriously, I don't see how it is inappropriate for him to address an issue which for him is a matter not only of political importance and principle but of identity.

    I disagree with James on some issues. But on the issue of my Christian faith being forced down my neighbor's throat re who someone can marry, I have to say I agree with him and anyone else opposing "DOMA." Even the name is stupid. If someone wants to talk about biblical concepts of marriage, and what that appears to be, that is different; but to suggest that biblical standards should be forced upon all Americans is incredibly dangerous. And I think the more serious someone is a Christian, the more careful he/she need be regarding how faith impacts politics in a pluralistic, multi-beliefs secular culture such as ours.

    "Loving my neighbor" just might mean supporting his right to do what he deems right for him and his partner, rather than forcing my own belief system down his neck.

    In part, my concern is generated by the continuing phenomenon of the far right's strange marriage with Evangelical Christianity, the latter which I identify with and the former which I emphatically do not. So... I am glad to see James Cappleman involved with this. Remember, in the end, "All politics is local." So it certainly is an Uptown issue.

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  19. Jon Trott, still trying to kiss the new Pope's ring? It is just so amusing to those of us that know all of the horrible things you have said about James in the past...

    ..by the way, when are you actually going to work on making your craptastic buildings look less like crap?

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