The Richmond Federal Reserve is flying the rainbow flag to acknowledge gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender pride month. The request was made by PRISM, an advocacy group for the aforementioned groups. The Fed is a private establishment. Its first vice president, Sally Green acknowledged:
“We are flying the pride flag as an example of our commitment to the values of acceptance and inclusion.”
Sounds good to me. Pretty flag, commitment to inclusion. Gay people make and have money. What could anyone find wrong?
Enter side-show Bob Marshall, 13th delegate district who claims that flying the rainbow flag represents
“…a serious deficiency of judgment by your organization, one not limited to social issues.”
According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:
In a letter to Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker, Marshall says the homosexual behavior “celebrated” by the bank “undermines the American economy” and is a class six felony in Virginia.
“The Richmond Fed’s endorsement of costly, anti-social, immoral behavior is rejected by 6,000 years of Western Religious and moral teaching,” writes Marshall, who is among the General Assembly’s most conservative members and has long been outspoken on gay-rights issues. “You want the American people to trust your [judgment] in economic matters when your spokesperson celebrates an attack on public morals?”
The entire text of his letter reads as follows:
June 2, 2011Mr. Jeffrey M. Lacke[sic]
President, Richmond Federal Reserve
Re: Take Down that Flag!
Dear President Lacke [sic]:
Flying the Homosexual Flag just under the American flag outside Richmond’s Federal Reserve Bank building is a serious deficiency of judgment by your organization, one not limited to social issues.
The Fed’s policies are supposed to “contribute to the strength and vitality of the U. S. economy,” according to the official US Government Organization manual. A flagpole in front of a federal building is not a commercial or political message board. What does flying the Homosexual Flag, or any other similar display, have to do with your central banking mission under the Federal Reserve Act passed by Congress?
Moreover, the homosexual behavior “celebrated” by your Richmond’s Federal Reserve Bank spokeswoman undermines the American economy, is a class six felony in Virginia (18.2-361, VA Code), shortens lives, adds significantly to illness, increases health costs, promotes venereal diseases, and worsens the population imbalance relating to the number of workers supporting the beneficiaries of America’s Social Security and Medicare Programs.
The Richmond Fed’s endorsement of costly, anti-social, immoral behavior is rejected by 6,000 years of Western Religious and moral teaching. You want the American people to trust your judgement in economic matters when your spokesperson celebrates an attack on public morals? Why?
Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson rejected such specious posturing. He wrote in 1809 to Don Valentine de Feronda, “I never did, or countenanced, in public life, a single act inconsistent with the strictest good faith; having never believed there was one code of morality for a public, and another for a private man.”
Mr. Lacke [sic], take down that flag!
Sincerely,
Delegate Bob Marshall
Oh Bob, give it a rest. Don’t bring Thomas Jefferson in to it.
Del. Marshall continues to be an embarrassment to Virginians, whether he is sticking his nose into right to die issues, contraception issues, abortion issues, or any other topic relating to what normal people consider private matters.
Mr. Marshall is one to question other people’s judgement. I have seen questionable judgement on his part first hand. He needs to think about his own past actions before accusing others. Hopefully, with the newly acquired constituents in the 13th district, Mr. Marshall can be retired and simply send his ridiculous letters as a private citizen.
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s a private organization. The Federal Reserve isn’t Citibank. They fall under the federale umbrella..like MITRE.
I wonder if the Fed would be amiable to flying the Stars and Bars (to celebrate the diversity of the south) or the Gadsden Flag……
Mr Marshall is the kind of Republican that hurts the Republican party over and over again. Does he think most people support arresting gay and lesbians living in VA? Homosexual behaviour shortens lives and promotes venereal disease???!!! Can we talks about roads Bob? How about mental health?
That said, I’m not sure that the Federal Reserve should be flying any flag other than the US flag or the state flag. I prefer governmental agencies and government representative to be impartial to social issues and that include Mr. Bob.
I don’t understand why they want to fly it but I don’t care if they do. Gays and Lesbians have money.
Marshall needs to either write as a private citizen or keep it to himself. He is a STATE delegate and should stick to state matters unless federal issues directly effect Virginians.
@marin, I think I would classify The Fed as quasi. But do we care if they fly a rainbow flag? I think the south and the Gadsden have political meanings nowadays.
How about An Appeal to Heaven? That is what they SHOULD be flying. 👿
I can’t waste any more time on typing more. So, I’m copying what I posted on insidenova’s wall.
Does this guy ever give up on social issues? My goodness we have REAL issues that need addressed in the Commonwealth, not people’s bedrooms. This may be the year to remove him from office, since he now has a big chunk of Westgate & Sudley. I’m so disgusted that I’ve been redistricted into Delegate Boob’s district.
Then some twit, named Carisa left this nonsense.
“You’re right about one thing, this is a free country and everyone has free speech. However, I’m just not understanding why everyone is so up in arms about a man exercising his right to speak against something he doesn’t believe in. Is it only free speech when it’s politically correct and “shut up and sit down” when its not politically correct? Please, someone clarify”.
My reply to her…
Carisa-He voiced his opinion, and those of us that oppose his dark ages agenda are voicing ours. What’s the problem? He can ask them all he wants, but that does NOT mean they have to grant him HIS wish.
I think it all matters about adding the word DELEGATE before his name. He can make as big of an ass of himself as a private citizen as he wants.
Given recent economic and fiscal forecasts, maybe they should be flying a distress flag.
Probably should have spelled his name right before sending him a letter on state letterhead….
Andy, you’ve been all over that!! That is too funny. I’ll be in your neck of the woods this morning! You’ve been warned. 😉
@Juturna
“I’m not sure that the Federal Reserve should be flying any flag other than the US flag or the state flag. I prefer governmental agencies and government representative to be impartial to social issues…”
I agree completely. The Fed is a quasi-governmental entity. No organization, agency, or anyone else that is part of the government in any way should be advocating any political or social position. Stick to the public purpose for which you were created – in this case, monetary policy.
@Wolverine
“Given recent economic and fiscal forecasts, maybe they should be flying a distress flag.”
Excellent observation.
@Wolverine,
That was the reason for my suggestion of “An Appeal to Heaven.”
Does it really matter? I would not be moaning and groaning if Marshall wrote as a private citizen. However, he is a STATE delegate protesting which makes him protesting on MY behalf which I highly resent. If it were a State of Virginia building or agency then he would be more on course. It isn’t.
I expect if it were the Gadsden Flag, he wouldn’t have written the letter, now would he?
He just does everything he can to make it look like Virginia will never emerge from Peckerwood Provincialism.
@Moon-howler
“I expect if it were the Gadsden Flag, he wouldn’t have written the letter, now would he?”
Which speaks to this government entity taking a position on something that is obviously political. If they had put up a Christian flag, the Stars and Bars, or any thing contrary to the position of people here would the equally support it? Would the focus still be on Del. Marshall or his spelling?
I think the focus here should be why is the government taking a side? And, out of equality will they now put up any flags requested by other groups?
@Wolverine, I bend a knee to you. That was awesome. Maybe the Fed SHOULD fly our standard upside down. 🙁
If the Federal Reserve is flying any flag, it should be this one: http://www.infiniteunknown.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pirate-flag.jpg
I think Del. Marshall needs to understand the constitution of our country a little better. The seperation of church and state in vital to our survival. Bob takes his marching orders from the Catholic Church (not the best source on human sexuality) and he needs to understand this country purports to be all about freedom. Let people and families decide how to live life not crusaders in Richmond. Like John Prine wrote “you are what you are and you ain’t what you ain’t.” Vote this guy out………………..please.
@CAto, no argument here.
@Kevin English-I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I would throw in a big heap of ‘any religion’ in the mix of separation of church and state.
Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph. Virginians, and in fact, all Americans need to review what Jefferson thought his most important accomplishments were. Notice that he did not include being president twice.
@marin,
Are you suggesting that no flag other than the US flag or the Virginia flag should be flown? I think I could agree with that as a matter of policy. However, since there is no law and since the Fed is not a government institution, it gets a little dicey.
I don’t see a pride flag as a political flag. What political message does it have? To me, the rainbow flag represents acknowledgement that other sexual orientations exist other than heterosexuality. (and cheap and easy way to say it.) People have had to live in the closets way to long. I might feel the same about a veterans flag or a disability flag, or older Americans or children. There are all sorts of emblems that represent groups.
If someone can tell me what political goal there is associated with the rainbow flag, then you might convince me. So far, I see it as a ‘state of being ‘ flag, sort of like a symbolic IS.
Hmmmmmm, is there a flag representing straight people? Of course if it was flown there would be hell to pay for anything representing the majority these days becomes a default symbol for bigotry. Sad but true!
SA
Straight people have been the ‘ruling class’ and majority since time began. Everything is for straight people.
The equal time thingie just isn’t going to play in Peoria.
I wish I had thought of this, but its by another commenter on another blog:
“Fitting. Because you know where the Federal Reserve has been sticking it to Americans…”
If FRB Richmond is truly committed to the values of acceptance and inclusion and wishes to demonstrate such, when can we expect to see a NAMBLA flag flying? After all, when you talk about acceptance and inclusion of all social values……
You’re flat out wrong if you’re suggesting any similarity between homosexuality and NAMBLA. Pedophilia is a crime. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are sexual orientations. The practice of either between consenting adults is not a crime in any way, shape or form.
No, no, no, no, Casual. If you claim to be inclusive, you cannot turn around and exclude. You are absolutely right that what NAMBLA supports is currently a crime. No argument from me on that. But NAMBLA’s purpose has been to get the pertinent laws changed and to seek the release of those imprisoned for violating the current laws. Apart from what you and I may think about the issue per se, that qualifies technically as a social cause. Homosexual practices were also “crimes” in the past, and the Gay rights organizations fought to get those laws overturned. Technically the same in that particular way, is it not?
Perhaps the FRB Richmond ought to just stay out of the social cause business.
Wolverine, I find it offensive to even suggest that the average gay person is in any way connected to NAMBLA. NAMBLA is an outlier and the behavior suggested is illegal. To make that suggestion is no different than suggesting that every male heterosexual is a pedophile rapist.
@Wolverine
I doubt that pedophilia will ever be legalized for straights or gays.
We are talking about gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered. We are not talking about having sex with children and that is NOT what that flag means.
And those same ‘crimes’ (which may or may not still be on the books) were also crimes for heterosexuals.
I don’t think what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedrooms is any of my business.
Moon, the point was not to equate NAMBLA with the Gay movement. The point was to caution that, when a quasi-governmental organization like the FRB starts to fly the “flags” of controversial social causes, they could be digging an uncomfortable hole for themselves. And, while I threw in the extreme of NAMBLA just for effect, you and I are old enough to remember a time when the flying of a Gay pride flag would have been severely frowned upon and not even considered in the same measure as the flying of a NAMBLA flag today. But, let us take it out of the NAMBLA extreme and bring in a couple of sample organizations which present greater possibilities: Right to Life and the NRA. If asked, would the FRB Richmond be as ready to raise the flags of those two organizations to commemorate a particular period of time important to them? Or would they risk angry public charges of discrimination by refusing to do so? Therein lies the danger. Once your flagpole becomes like a rent-a-pole for controversial social causes, you can put yourself in an uncomfortable pickle. Better, in my opinion, to not touch any of them; and your reasons for doing so will be quite valid and defensible.
@Wolverine,
I would think it best not to put up any flag but the American and Virginia flag. However, they chose to do otherwise and I suppose is their right to do so.
In my lifetime, it would have been equally offensive to put up any female flags also. That doesn’t make it right. My point is that the rainbow flag, in and of itself, is NOT political. It is a representation of people. Right to Life (do they have a flag?), NRA, are all political movements. Being gay is not a political movement. It is a state of being. Perhaps the confusion comes from various gay organizations picking up the banner of the rainbow because they are pressing for rights for gay people.
I can’t even think of a comprable comparison. The closest would be American Indians, if there were a flag that represented being an American Indian and not by tribe. It is a state of being. It is how a person is born, not a political statement. Unfortunately, for example’s sake, the Indians have their own tribal flags and that would not be a good example because to use a tribal flag would favor one tribe over another.
If someone stopped me on the street and asked if the Fed flying the rainbow flag is a good idea, I might say no, just because it does spark controversy. However, I don’t see where it hurts anyone or advances one political cause over another. I would be more opposed to pushing the flag back into the closet and never mentioning it. At some point, people are just going to have to accept that between 5-10% of the world is G/B/L/T and be done with it.
@Wolverine
Why do so many conservatives jump right to the NAMBLA comparison when gay rights are mentioned? What’s next ? Bestiality? Bah!
You can do better than the pablum passed around in email to incite fear in the sheeple.
To put gay people in the same sentence as pedophiles is simply wrong Wolverine. That comparison is not lost on people and it is done for a reason, to imply that homosexuality is the same deviance as pedophelia.
I wonder when we will evolve to a place where people dont care what two consenting adults do in their bedroom.
MH, I think you keep on falling into the mistake that the Federal Reserve is a private company. They are not. They are not Citibank. They are not Bank of America. They are not IBM. They fall under our federal umbrella. That building is just like a Post Office in my eyes.
I think if the DAR asked a Richmond Post Office to fly the Stars and Bars people here quick to defend this rainbow flag would be up in arms over the government’s decision to fly those Stars and Bars.
I think it sets a terrible precedent to have an external entity request the federales to fly a symbol that has a political connotation. And, if you don’t think that flag doesn’t have a political leaning try burning it at a Gay Pride Parade and see what happens in the media.
I have ZERO issue if Citibank decided to fly the rainbow flag outside of a bank or building. Obviously I could choose to do business with them or not based on politics (much like GLBT groups boycotted Target for backing an anti-gay legislator). But, I have no choice with dealing with the federal government. They put a gun to my head everyday to pay my required tithe, follow their rules, etc.
I really could care less about what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home. I don’t even care about GLBT public affection. But, having the government take a position on the subject is not something I approve of.
Can you imagine if they [FRB of Richmond] now were forced by the ACLU to fly a “CHOOSE LIFE” flag for equal time?
Pandora’s box……
Try burning the flag of Ireland at a St. Patrick Day Parade. It is a ‘state of being’ flag. Not a political flag. What gay cause does it represent? None.
I don’t feel I have ‘fallen into a mistake.’ I have said that the Fed is ‘quasi-government,’ not a government agency. Big difference.
My husband used to work for Mid America Solar Energy Complex. It was quasi-government but definitely not government. It was semi because it operated on government grants etc and did much business with the feds, but it was NOT a government agency. I can speak to MASEC. I cannot speak to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which are also quasi- government.
Let’s rely on wiki:
It appears that the Fed is truly a hybrid.
I doubt Bob Marshall would have written such a letter if the Gadsden Flag flew at the Richmond Federal Reserve Building. I say Gadsden only because that flag was adopted recently to represent a political movement.
It is the railing against gays that makes Marshall such an embarrassment also.
Donate $13.
http://www.pwcdems.com/?q=node/4162
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is not the same as the Federal Reserve. There are important distinctions.
From their website:
“The Richmond Fed – Part of the Nation’s Central Bank
As the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve sets monetary policy, supervises and regulates member financial institutions and provides an array of financial services.”
“They are a system of 12 independent regional banks….which insulates the Federal Reserve from short-term political pressure.” The regional Federal Reserve Banks were established by Congress and the Federal Reserve to operate independently of the Federal Reserve.
Employees at Federal Reserve Banks are NOT government employees, but private employees of each bank.
If you watch the video titled “At Work on Main Street” on this link, you’ll find a good explanation.
http://www.richmondfed.org/press_room/
Again, these are false equivalencies. The rainbow flag represents a movement — in this case, the GLBT rights movement. A true equivalent would be a flag (had there been one, which I don’t think there was) that represented the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
@Kevin English
Del. Marshall does not represent either Catholics or the Church. He is a “narthex Catholic” one who leaves Christs teachings and actions at the door of the church and does not put them into action once out of sight of the altar. A person who has charity in his/her heart would not say the things he says. Please…..
The hold ‘hate the sin but love the sinner’ may sound rhetorical, but it does teach that each person is to be treated with dignity regardless. Bob Marshall does not do that.
Censored and Elena, will you please try to stop putting words into my mouth, so to speak? Nowhere did I equate the Gay Pride movement to NAMBLA, which is as anathema to me as it is to you. I am quite aware of the extensive efforts made by the Gay community over the past several decades to expell NAMBLA from its midst for the same reasons we object to it. I cited NAMBLA simply as another social cause movement and warned against what the FRB Richmond did because that can open you to having to prove your stated belief in “acceptance and inclusiveness” or becoming exclusionary yourself, depending on the cause seeking this kind of advertising. In my opinion, that is a mistake and a silly thing for any organization like the FR and the FR Banks to get into. As far as I am concerned, that includes ALL social cause movements, including the ones I support personally. And I consider these efforts to parse between what is and what is not a movement as being extraneous to the argument. Flags always represent something. That is precisely why they are created.
Why in the name of all that is Holy are you two trying to impute motives which are not there?
NAMBLA never has been in the midst of the Gay Community.
Pedophilia has never been in the midst of the heterosexual community.
All forms of pedophilia are considered an abberation by most human beings.
“DAR asked a Richmond Post Office to fly the Stars and Bars ”
I don’t think you’ll ever see the Daughters of the American Revolution ask anybody anywhere to fly the stars and bars.
Moon, if you go back and look at the history, you will find that there was a battle royale beginning in the very late 1970’s up through the mid-1980’s, led most often by individual Gay organizations, to remove NAMBLA from participation in Gray Pride celebrations and marches. NAMBLA got into the Gay movement during that movement’s earliest and very radical phase. It took some loud protests and threatened boycotts by a number of Gay organizations to finally get NAMBLA completely away from the Gay Movement and into political isolation. Those protesting Gays, believing as we all do that NAMBLA’s stated goals were totally unacceptable, were the ones who won that critical battle and succeeded in removing a potential albatross from the neck of the Gay Community. They realized quite rightly that sexual inclusiveness has its limits. And, actually, it took until the mid-1990’s to get NAMBLA expelled from the International Gay and Lesbian Association — for the same reasons.
“I wonder when we will evolve to a place where people dont care what two consenting adults do in their bedroom.”
That was a quote from above. The problem is not what they do, but the promotion of what they do!
SA, what are they promoting?