Tag Archives: Joe Lieberman

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Scrambles For Cover Over The FEHB – AETNA Pet Insurance Debacle

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The U.S. Department of Personnel Management sent out a late day Press Release concerning the story that was printed this morning regarding the fact that Aetna was offering Federal Employees Pet Insurance. stories that were reported this morning.  (Obviously someone is reading the LGBT Blogs)

“Stories claiming that the federal government offers pet insurance to federal employees, and juxtaposing that benefit with the fact that the federal government cannot under current law provide health insurance benefits to federal employees’ domestic partners are grossly inaccurate. While Aetna is a participating carrier in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the pet insurance product offered by Aetna is not a federal benefit, nor has it been listed as a benefit in any OPM prepared or reviewed materials. Aetna, on its own initiative, offers a variety of discount products to its members, including gym memberships, weight loss programs, eyewear, vitamins, etc. Pet insurance is one of these products.

“Aetna has apologized for using the reference to FEHBP in its communication on this discount program. OPM regrets that Aetna’s error is being cited by some as evidence that same-sex domestic partner health insurance benefits for federal employees are not a priority by OPM and the Administration. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“The Obama Administration believes in granting equal rights and benefits to gay and lesbian federal employees as demonstrated by the President’s strong support of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which will provide full benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers. The Director of OPM has testified in both the Senate and the House in favor of its passage.”

OPM doesn’t seem to mention WHY Federal Employee’s received email stating that FEHPB Members with AETNA could get a discount on Pet Insurance through official business Federal email accounts if AETNA took it upon itself to do this.  But hey, they are just trying to cover some asses here

As for “the President’s strong support of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act” I suppose his “strong support” is why it, like ENDA is sitting stagnant in Congress.

Federal Employees Can Now Insure Their Pets Through The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program But NOT Their Same Sex Partners. OMFG!

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Federal employees who are insured through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program received an email from Aetna advertising their new pet insurance plans. “In these challenging economic times, it’s good to know you can get some financial protection for unexpected illness and injury to your pets,” the e-mail reads before listing the many benefits.  But they STILL can’t insure their same sex partners.

So “in these challenging economic times,” LGBT workers and protect fido and boo-boo kitty but are still prohibited from purchasing policies for their partners or spouses by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

Okay now just how fucking insulting is this?

There are currently two separate bills in the House and Senate to provide full federal benefits to same sex domestic partners of federal employee. Last year, the legislation was voted out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on a bipartisan basis  but Sen. Joe Lieberman) — the bill’s chief sponsor — has promised not to move this on the floor of the Senate “until we get the explicit offsets” from OPM. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the legislation would cost approximately $310 million through 2020 and benefit some 30,000 employees with same-sex partners.  And with the cost that high both bills are now in permanent “stall status” and probably as good as dead because we all know money trumps equal rights.

The Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligation Act was considered low lying fruit in January 2009 just like ENDA, and DADT.

 Another LGBT MASSIVE FAIL by this Administration.

The Human Rights Campaign’s WORTHLESS Excuse Why Their WORTHLESS Organization And WORTHLESS President Joe Solmonese DID NOT Back Up Lt. Dan Choi (Video)

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This should bring everyones disgust level up to a new all time high with the HRC with the following statement the HRC released on why Joe Solmonese stayed behind for photo op’s while Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo marched to The White House and handcuffed himself to the fence in protest.

“Today more than 1000 people showed up at a rally – 500 of which signed up to become more involved in the fight to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Joe Solmonese along with Eric Alva and others felt it was important to stay and engage those at the rally in ways they can continue building the pressure needed for repeal. This does nothing to diminish the actions taken by Lt. Choi and others. This is the nature of social change and everyone has a role to play.”

More like “Little Joey Solmonsleaze” stayed behind to cover his lily white ass and not to piss off the White House and to seperate the HRC from Choi’s and Pietrangelo’s actions so he can conti ue to be invited to White House functions it should read.  But get this.  NOW in a LATER statement concerned about the “Lt. Dan Choi Kanye’d the HRC” story being reported on MANY blogs (including this one), the HRC has posted the following elaboration of their earlier statement.

Singer Tom Goss kicked off the event followed by the first American wounded in the Iraq war, retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva. Also speaking were Ben Mishkin of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Alex Nicholson of Servicemembers United. Finally, Kathy Griffin took to the stage, talking about her experiences this week in Washington, welcoming Lt. Dan Choi to the stage to make a few remarks and then calling for a moment of silence to honor our troops who serve in silence.

There’s been some confusion about Lt. Dan Choi’s role in the rally. As Joe Solmonese was walking to the stage, Lt. Choi asked Joe if he could have a speaking role. Joe explained that it wasn’t his sole decision to make on the spot given that there was already an established program that included Kathy Griffin, other organization and veterans. After Choi then spoke with Kathy Griffin, she agreed to bring him up on stage and speak to the crowd during her remarks.

But John Aravosis at AmericaBlog says the HRC statement is “utterly untrue.” Because HE WAS THERE and saw what happened.

That is simply untrue. I was there, standing next to Dan, about 10 feet from Kathy Griffin and Solmonese. They were behind a rope line, to keep them from the rally attendees. They looked over at Dan when he asked them, for the second time, to come with him to the White House (mind you, they had no idea that he was planning to handcuff himself), and they just stared back at him. They were not helping engage the rally about how to build pressure – the rally was over, they were already off the stage, behind it actually, getting ready to leave behind a secure rope line to separate them from the crowd. I’m sorry, but this statement is flat out untrue. They were getting their photos taken. Unbelievable.

AmericaBloh had also posted this Video of Solmonese and Griffin IGNORING Choi and Pietrangelo as they called out to them saying they were heading to the White House.

This has got to be the straw that breaks our back where the HRC is concerned. 

Either we take this organization, which supposedly represents us back and DEMAND the firing of Solmonese and the current Board and an immediate retooling of the orgaization and it’s current gadfly statagyor we KILL IT and demand its disbandment. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Leiberman/Levin FINALLY Introduce DADT Repeal Bill (Video)

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Leiberman, (I still can’t believe they picked this traitorous Democrat to head the Repeal Bill) has stated that “It will repeal the law that prevents gay Americans from openly serving in the military, prohibit discrimination against service members on the basis of sexual orientation, and promote the establishment of Reserve Officer Training Corps units at elite colleges and universities.”

Thats great!  But BOTH Lieberman and Levin have also stated that confessed that there might be a need for a back-up plan should the bill not garner enough supporters to pass. From Politico:

“Lieberman stressed the support for a repeal of the bill among the American people, but admitted that he’s short of the 60 he’d need in the Senate.

‘We don’t have 60 votes today-that’s our battle,’ he said. ‘If the votes aren’t there, a moratorium would be a good step.'”

So the REAL question is why the hell is it with over 70 percent of Americans saying that its time for a repeal that there aren’t 60 Votes and why don;t they show some real transparency for a change and tell us who the holdouts are instead of covering thier fat and pompous political asses?

Servicemembers United has called on not only Levin,  (Interesting how they skipped Leiberman isn’t it.) but also Obama to TAKE ACTION NOW!

While the new bill will still have to work its way through the normal legislative process, two supporting actions will be needed to ensure passage of the bill in 2010. First, President Obama can and should include explicit repeal language in one of the Defense Department’s legislative proposal packages that will be transmitted to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees over the next two months. This would be the single most critical action the President can still take to ensure repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law in 2010.

Second, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, should ensure that full repeal language is included in the original draft of the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act that is crafted within his committee. These two actions together can ensure that the necessary support is in place to secure the needed votes for repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law in 2010.

Joe Lieberman In Charge of DADT Repeal? – Talk About Adding Insult To Injury

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As if it’s not bad enough that Obama has proved himself a weakling on LGBT measures and something as simple as the repeal of  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has turned into a HUGE clusterfuck, now comes the proof that we’ve all needed that the Democratic party is truly smoking crack up on Capital Hill.  Traitorous douchebag Democrat Joe (Must Go) Lieberman, who single handedly screwed Health Care Reform has told tells Jamie Kirchik at the New York Daily News that he’ll be the chief sponsor of legislation to repeal the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.

“My own experience as a member of the Armed Services Committee, visiting our troops on bases here in this country and abroad, particularly in war zones, the most remarkable quality you’ll find is unit cohesion,” he told me. “What matters is not the gender of the other person in your unit or the color or the religion or in this case the sexual orientation. It’s whether that person is a good soldier you can depend on. And that’s why I think it’s going to work…I see this as an extension, the next step of the civil rights movement.”

Well isn’t that precious, now we can add a scumbag political opportunist to the two war criminals (Cheney and Powell) who support the repeal of DADT.  It’s scary to me that our cast of allies is starting to look like the Legion of Doom.

What further prrof do we need that the Democratic Party, Obama, and Congress care little for us?.  They put the face of the most hated member of Congress front and center– that’ll kill the DADT repeal for sure.

This is a travesty.