There is the most adorable photograph in the Independent newspaper today. It shows a proud Granny holding her new grandson. And Grandpa slightly behind has a little smirk of pride on his face. He doesn’t want to look too pleased, after all that’s what Grans do. As a Grandfather, one has to be a little more dignified at these family occasions.
What is so important about this picture then that it almost takes up a full page and the opposite page has been allocated to the ‘caption’. The proud grandparents are Mr and Mrs Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the USA. He is the VP to one of the most conservative administrations that the White House has had in a few decades. . But that is not the full story. This is his sixth grandchild. I have yet to have seen a picture in a non USA newspaper of his other five grandchildren.
It’s not the fact that he has another grandchild that is causing the double page spread exposé. The fact is that his daughter, the mom of this child, is creating the stir. She is a lesbian and has been in a 15 year relationship with her partner. This means that this little boy, the latest grandchild, will be brought up by two women. Grandpa, ultra conservative that he is, has a grandson by a lesbian daughter.
One can only imagine what this little snippet of news is doing to the conservatives in the USA. This is a country where doctors who perform abortions can be shot and killed by protesters. This is where the media gets gagged if they write something anti-government as this is perceived to be unpatriotic. This is where only one state out of 50 allows same sex marriages. This is the grandson of the VP to Pres Bush who tried to have same sex marriages banned. Not surprised by that one, Mr God Fearing, lets kill hundreds of thousands of people, president. What happened to the commandment thou shalt not kill? Ok, sorry, had to get that one off my chest, and of course moving off the point.
Isn’t it strange that in the 21st century, where one would have thought that mankind should by now be so much more enlightened, (we wish), that the fundamental right of two people and their child’s happiness should be respected. What has happened is that the lesbian relationship and their child is being debated in public and made out to be some smutty horrible crime against humanity.
Why do people still feel so threatened by gay and lesbians that they have to drag this, what should be a happy event, through the mud. I would lay a bet that this kid is going to grow up a lot more normal than the kids of Britney Spears, or the menagerie that Pitt and Jolie are putting together and never mind the African child adoption syndrome of the likes of Madonna. Why don’t we just allow people to be happy? Everybody has the same right to it.
» left by Steve Radford(779) Steve Radford (1 year 227 days ago.)
Anja, I know this wasn't the main point of the article but I can't let it go. "Doctors who perform abortions can be shot and killed by protesters"...we still call that murder and prosecute the offenders. On the other hand, abortions, even partial-birth abortions are still legal here. Respond to this comment
» left by Anja Merret from Brighton, UK (1 year 227 days ago.)
Hi Steve
The question of abortion is another whole can of worms isn't it? It would probably be less of an issue if we accepted the fact that people, especially young ones, are going to have sex and addressed the birth control issue. Pres Bush's little abstinance campaign? If we put all women onto birth control pills/injection there would be no abortion issue. Horse before the cart? Respond to this comment
» left by Steve Radford(779) Steve Radford (1 year 221 days ago.)
Really? So young people have become mindless animals in heat with no control over their urges? And we will support that notion by telling them that they can't help themselves? And then we will expect them to suddenly become responsible mates when they are adults. Or do we also accept that adults have no control either and marital infidelity is inevitable. Why belittle Bush for suggesting that children should wait to have sex? Respond to this comment
» left by Anja Merret from Brighton, UK (1 year 221 days ago.)
Thanks for your comment. Always good to see the issue from another perspective. Respond to this comment
Cheney is not the poster child of a pluralistic society. However, he is fuzzy as a cotton ball on the subject of same-sex partnerships. He has spoken about it, but would prefer not to. This lends support to my theory that legislators and policy makers will make laws and policies that affect other people on the other side of the track before they will pronounce punitive policies that directly affect their own family and friends.
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