AQUILA

NEWS

America is in the throes of the Republican Convention. It is day three. Tomorrow Bush gives his speech. Is anybody watching? Although I think I should, I haven't seen any of it. I find it just too depressing.

From what I hear, the Republicans were trying to appear all-inclusive by having a black woman sing the Star Spangled Banner and a Hispanic Republican scream out,"Puerto Rico, I love you!"

I was told by eyewitnesses that the Texas delegation bowed their head in prayer while an openly gay Republican congressman gave a speech on trade. What sanctimonious sleaze and what a whitewash. The Bush people realize that they won't get anywhere with a majority of Americans if they openly embrace the religious right wing. Therefore, they are trying to hide their positions on abortion and gay rights. To assuage the religious zealots, the Republican political platform clearly states their view on these issues, but how many Americans actually pay attention to the platform? Maybe the Log Cabin Republicans will be snowed by Bush and company, but I don't think other gay Americans will be fooled. The religious right is, for the most part, keeping silent. They are so desperate to get Clinton-Gore out of the White House, they'll go along with Machiavellian masquerade.

There is the interesting fact that one of Dick Cheney's daughters, Mary, is openly gay. Although she is, apparently, going to campaign for her father, the Republicans are keeping her out of the limelight at the convention. Her attack dog mother, Lynn, is openly contentious and in denial when asked about her daughter's sexuality. When asked about by Cokie Roberts, Lynn Cheney responded churlishly, "Mary has never declared such a thing," and, "I am appalled at the media interest in one of my daughters."

I think one of the reasons Mary Cheney is gay is because her mother is such a weasel. While head of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1986, Lynn lobbied to have both the NEH and the National Endowment for the Arts(NEA) abolished. Her position was even too far out for gun freak, Charleton Heston.

Mary is probably looking for softness and support from a female, something she's never received from her mother. It is said that she likes her father. And yes, it seems that he's a nice guy. But what about his god-awful voting record and other troubling information that has recently surfaced.

In an article by Andrew Sullivan in the Press Democrat, Cheney's voting record on homosexuals is described as shocking. In the House of Representatives he voted against the 1988 bill that initiated federal funding for AIDS testing and counseling, and the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, which allowed the government to collect information on violent crimes based on sexual orientation, religion, race, and ethnicity. He approved of measures to slice AIDS research as well as to allow insurance companies to discriminate against gay people with HIV in Washington D.C. Further, as Secretary of Defense, he supported the policy of harrasment of gay soldiers, and their forced discharge from the Armed Forces, no matter how good their record.

Dick Cheney seems well-spoken, a serious competent individual, who appears aloof and above the fray. However, this is a facade, just as the term compassionate conservatism is a contradiction in terms. Astrologically he is an Aquarius, like Ronald Reagan and Dan Quayle. Unevolved members of this parituclar sign appear aloof because they are actually empty.

Alan Oken says about them in Soul Centered Astrology, "There is no profound personality center. Such an individual suffers more from a case of airy empty-headedness than an aloof preoccupation with life."

I'd say Cheney, because of his voting record, Reagan, because of his many political misjudgements(from Iran-Contra to the largest budget deficits in the history of America), and Quayle, because of his brain dead inanities are all empty Aquarians. Cheney is just another low level example that slavishly follows the most right-wing Republican line. What makes this worse is his blockheaded stubborness, which is marked by his Aquarian Sun opposing Pluto, square Jupiter and Saturn. He refuses to refute his radical right wing opinions of a decade ago, particularly those anti-homosexual stances that would hurt his lesbian daughter if they were supported today.

There is more about Cheney that I find repugnant. In today's issue of the Press Democrat, there is an article titled, "Cheney error may cost US billions." It outlines his cancellation of a Navy jet program while Secretary of the Defense under old George Bush, which may precipitate billions of dollars in judgments against the US government. This is another example of Republican irresponsibility and hypocrisy. The Republicans want to lower taxes because they and their rich friends don't want to pay their fair share, but they don't care how much they cost the ordinary, middle-class, American taxpayer. It reminds me of Newt Gingrich and his condemnation of Bill Clinton's moral values, while secretly having an an affair with someone young enough to be his daughter, during a time when his wife was taking care of sick family members.

As CEO of Halliburton oil, Cheney, according to Lawrence Kaplan in his New Republic article, "From Russian with Loans," has strongly promoted the brutal dictator of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, in order for Halliburton to get access to one of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. Aliyev has been accused of Human Rights Watch of the brutal repression of freedom of speech as well as the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijan's Armenian population.

Due to his lobbying efforts to repeal the US aid embargo against the Azerbaijan government, Cheney has been awared the country's Freedom Support award as well as being named an an advisor to the US Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce. What a guy!