Obama should submit an Op/Ed column on Russia's anti-gay laws for publication in Pravda.

[last1standing]

I get accused, quite often, of being anti-Obama, but I will say that the US under our current president is still a Hell of a lot more free than Russia under Putin.

So I'd like to see that Op/Ed. Do you think Putin would allow it to be published unedited?

I don't.

[MotherPetrie]

1. Yeah, no shit!

[countingbluecars]

2. I doubt they would publish

anything from Obama. And if the NYT had published anything like Putin's OP/ED during a Republican's term in office there would be holy hell to pay.

[gopiscrap]

3. yup

[dballance]

4. As a Gay man I have huge issues w/ Russia's stance on LGBT. But let's not cloud the issue.

Let's not cloud the Syria issue with our disgust of the homophobia in Russia. Their legalized homophobia is something that should be pointed out as absurd - I certainly agree.

But, let's not cloud the issue of Syria with it. If we can work with Russia to secure the chemical weapons and avoid military intervention then I'm okay with that.

On Edit ----

Do you realize you're just proving Putin's point about how we think we're so special because we don't have the media censorship that is so much more pervasive in Russia. Have you noticed all the facts coming out about how our government is spying on us the same way I learned in school was an atrocious feature of the KGB? Did you notice the notes at the end of some recent articles that clearly stated our media didn't publish parts of their stories on request of the US Government?

[phleshdef]

5. Its not clouding the issue with Syria.

In Putin's op ed he rips on Obama's "that's what makes us exceptional" comment from his speech and tries to back it up with some bullshit about how we are all equals or something to that effect. He should be called out on that.

[sibelian]

23. This is just sad.

"Welllllll...NER.... if your criticise us WE'RE ALLOWED TO CRITICISE YOU BACK, SO THERE. Shit, what is there. Oh, that gay thing. Can we snark back at him about that gay thing?"

I simply cannot believe I'm hearing this from grown adults.

It's actually incredibly revealing about how some of you clearly feel about gay rights.

[last1standing]

9. As much as I criticise him, I think Obama can handle two issues at once without clouding them.

And it is rather special to be allowed to say what you think. It's not perfect here, and needs to be much, much better, but it still beats Russia.

[dballance]

18. I totally agree. Obama can handle multiple issues w/o clouding.

I think you are correct. Obama can multi-task. Unfortunately, many op-eds and articles authors' cannot.

[last1standing]

19. Good point.

That's a big problem with this country, our political pundits are too lazy, sloppy, venal, corrupt, and greedy to do their jobs correctly.

[treestar]

20. We are not only special but way better

for having a First Amendment. Their media censorship is something to be ashamed of.

[dballance]

21. Sorry to be a bubble buster but we're not "way better" than anyone else.

If, after the Bradley Manning trial and the thought that Snowden left the US because he could most likely not get a fair trial then you've missed some important points.

In the heat of the Viet Nam war Ellsberg disclosed documents in much the same way Snowden and Manning have done. Back then, he could get a fair trial. Not so after 9/11.

The Obama administration's prosecution of whistle-blowers and leakers is as bad as any state-sponsored censorship by Russia.

[treestar]

28. Snowden could have a fair trial

Manning broke the law and had a trial.

We still have a First Amendment, no laws can be made restricting our freedom of speech.

That's something other countries do not have. No matter how free they are, there's a risk their countries will make laws restricting some type of speech and no relief from those laws in the form of a constitution.

Sorry it bugs you, but we are way ahead of other countries. We may not be perfect, but we are miles ahead.

Our bill of rights was looked to, by those creating international statements of basic human rights, and even parroted in those documents.

Our Founders gave us a great thing. We should be proud of it and develop it (we have to a great extent with a few mistakes). Russia for instance is a benighted place with no such tradition; they are for more unfortunate that we are, including Snowjob.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Scant room to criticize. Better? Yes. But in 29 States it is legal to discriminate

against LGBT people in any area, openly and there is no Federal protection, so in the vast majority of the US, any ahole can say 'I don't rent to gays' or 'you are fired for being gay' and they do, each day.
So does America deserve to wear the mantel of equality and of liberty? You tell me.

[last1standing]

12. Can't disagree with you there.

n/t

[MNBrewer]

26. Obama BARELY has the credibility to talk about GLBT equality

having so recently held the opinion that discrimination against GLBT citizens in marriage rights was justified, and STILL holds that it should be up to the states to decide.

[snappyturtle]

7. This has all ready been proposed:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3653884


Don't you think the President has enough on his plate as it is?
Maybe, an editorial on Syria though.

[last1standing]

10. No, I don't think he has too much on his plate. Gay rights are as important as the Syria issue.

n/t

[MNBrewer]

25. Yes they are, but not as a response to Putin's op-ed in The Times

[snappyturtle]

27. Thank you.....from a former MN resident....love MN!

I think the last line of Putin editorial is bait....in God's eyes
we're all equal. Wouldn't he just love for Obama to land on
that rather than the task at hand among all 3 nations
currently involved?

[idwiyo]

8. He should, absolutely. And if they refuse to publish he should make it public.

[MVNGFWD2013]

11. seriously!

[BlueCheese]

13. Pravda essentially ceased to exist 22 years ago.

The current Communist Party has a paper of the same name, but the mass media version of it was closed by Boris Yeltsin very shortly after the end of the Soviet Union.

[frylock]

14. i agree. he can title it "I Know You Are, But What Am I?"

USA! USA! USA!

[last1standing]

15. LOL! I don't believe in American Exceptionalism but it would be a good PR response.

Since Putin was only looking for a PR coup, it would be smart of Obama to rebut it by offering his own Op/Ed for Pravda.

[frylock]

16. i dunno, to me it would just come off as tit-for-tat..

Obama is better than that. if there is any rebuttal, it should be a part of the Syria discussion.

[last1standing]

17. You're very likely right.

I thought it would be a good tit-for-tat, but maybe there's no such thing.

[1-Old-Man]

22. If Obama cared about Russia's persecution of its gay people he'd bomb the country

Or at least threaten to.

[MNBrewer]

24. This is stupid "apples and oranges" level BULLSHIT

Stop stirring up the shit on this.

Frankly, Obama just BARELY has the credibility to make any statement about GLBT equality under the law as he has so recently "evolved" on the issue.

While there are plenty of reasons to criticize Putin for his role in the deteriorating status of GLBT rights in Russia, his article in The Times is NOT one of them.

[walkerbait41]

29. +1