Obama's Transition website

[Ca3799]

News from CNN http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

(CNN) – Barack Obama launched the official government Web site for the presidential transition on Thursday, giving it a look and feel that suggests the new president will utilize the Internet to a much greater degree than his predecessor.
Website here:
http://www.change.gov/

[Lobsang]

That picture makes him look even more Presidential than he already does.

[MEBuckner]

Moderator’s Note: There doesn’t seem to really be a question requiring a factual answer here, so I’ll move this from GQ to MPSIMS.

[Sunspace]

“President-Elect Barack Obama”

[Shayna]

This is one of the biggest reasons I love Barack Obama and was anxious to see him elected as President. I think this is awesome.

[Lobsang]

Did George Bush even know what the Internet is?

[Savannah]

I sent him an email of congratulations!

I’ve never done anything like that.

I’m sure he’ll have lots of time to read it. It must be one of only… a million?

[Pork_Rind]

Hell, I clicked on the ‘jobs’ button and applied. Chief of Staff is taken, but I think there are some good positions still unfilled. I watched West Wing, I know how to do this.

[Antinor01]

It is a very well done site. The only drawback is that for all the talk in the campaign and his campaign site of working with the gay community the search function brings no results under the words gay, homosexual or LGBT. I’m hoping it’s a temporary oversight.

[Shayna]

The site looks to me to still be under a lot of construction. However, I think it’d be a great idea for you to go to the page on Civil Rights and click the button to “Submit your ideas” and tell them to put gay rights on their agenda. I’ll do it, too. If enough of us tell the Obama administration that they need to prioritize this issue, perhaps they’ll do so more readily.

Ok, I just submitted the following:

I would not categorize this as the “most” important issue to me*, but in light of this transcendent election, which went hand-in-hand with enshrining hate into the Constitution of the state I live in, I think it’s an issue that should not only be addressed by the Obama administration, but one which this administration is in a unique position to address head on.

Equal rights should be the default for every American citizen, not just those we deem worthy based on our religious beliefs.

Thank you for considering this important issue.

Best Regards,
Jill K

*There is a check list and a request to mark what issue is most important to you, or fill in a box with something that’s not listed there. I filled in the box with, ‘Gay Rights’.

[Antinor01]

@Shayna

The site looks to me to still be under a lot of construction. However, I think it’d be a great idea for you to go to the page on Civil Rights and click the button to “Submit your ideas” and tell them to put gay rights on their agenda. I’ll do it, too. If enough of us tell the Obama administration that they need to prioritize this issue, perhaps they’ll do so more readily.

Already did.

[Shayna]

Good. Let’s tell everyone we know to do the same!

(See my message above, which I edited after you posted)

[xanthous]

So cool. This makes me want to learn and be involved. IMHO, that’s the sign of a true leader.

[Shayna]

Hey, xanthous, I tried to PM you earlier to see if you’re feeling better, but you seem to have PMs turned off. I do hope you’re getting well!

[xanthous]

@Shayna

Hey, xanthous, I tried to PM you earlier to see if you’re feeling better, but you seem to have PMs turned off. I do hope you’re getting well!

I wish I could figure out the PM thing. I didn’t know I could turn it off/on—must look into that!

I’m still at about 50%, but I was in the mood to cook today, which must mean I’m thinking about getting better! My election celebration is still on hold until I’m feeling well enough to raise a stein to our president-elect! Many thanks to you for checking on me!

p.s. Just enabled PMs! Amazing what I can find by looking around!

[SmartAleq]

Here’s my contribution:

At the time when so many of our gay brothers and sisters should have been celebrating the election results, many in California, Florida and Arkansas had their hopes of equal rights and protection under the law regarding marriage and adoption cruelly and hatefully dashed by hostile legislation aimed at removing their access to rights available to their straight neighbors.

One of the firmest and most honored tenets of the Constitution is that the government shall make no law establishing a state religion, yet over and over again marriage rights are being denied or rescinded from citizens based on nothing other than a religious stricture. If the government, whether state or federal, is in charge of issuing marriage licenses, without which a marriage cannot be legally recognized or marriage rights bestowed then it follows as the night the day that restricting the issuance of said licenses and the attendant rights and benefits only to those who fit a narrow, religiously imposed set of guidelines is fundamentally unfair and unconstitutional. Either the government needs to get out of the marriage business entirely, leaving it solely to the churches, or it needs to issue marriage licenses and benefits equally to all citizens regardless of their sex or gender.

Additionally, the Arkansas legislation that restricts adoption solely to heterosexual, legally married couples is a travesty which damages both children and those who want desperately to give them homes and families. In their haste to damage gay couples, the people of Arkansas have also damaged the children that adoption is supposed to help, restricting not only gay couples but those who choose not to marry and single persons from adopting and from acting as foster parents as well. This is reprehensible, and there needs to be some clear leadership from the federal level to equalize the playing field to end discrimination in marriage and in adoption based on sex and gender.

Getting rid of the Defense of Marriage Act would be an excellent start. It’s inimical to the principles of religious freedom guaranteed to us by our founding fathers to force all of us to obey the rules of one religion–over all other beliefs as well as over the beliefs of those who choose not to follow a god. We’re all citizens, we all deserve equal rights and treatment and access to benefits and rights under the law.

Let’s make it right for our fellow citizens and open the access to marriage to all who desire it, without the disgusting “separate but equal” travesty of differentiating “civil unions” or “domestic partnerships” from “marriage.” Either we can all have it, or no one can–that’s how it should be.

Thank you for your time and attention.

[Tuckerfan]

So, how many submissions a day can I make before I fall into the “crank” category? Does it matter if they’re all on different subjects?

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

For what it’s worth, I also applied on the site.

Well, kind of. There’s a more internal site. I’e just gotta say, I may have the inside track on all you when it comes to filling that Chief of Staff position.

[Ferret_Herder]

@Least_Original_User_Name_Ever

For what it’s worth, I also applied on the site.

Well, kind of. There’s a more internal site. I’e just gotta say, I may have the inside track on all you when it comes to filling that Chief of Staff position.

Oh my god, you’re Rahm Emanuel! :o

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

@Ferret_Herder

Oh my god, you’re Rahm Emanuel! :o

Damn him! He stole my job!