The Pitter-Patter of Tiny Minds

San Francisco politicians are remarkable--not just because of how far left they are compared to the rest of the country, but in the lengths they will go to spite anyone who does not share their beliefs. It's hard to say who is the meanest, most small-minded politician in San Francisco. 

Take, for instance gay Supervisor Tom Ammiano. Recently, Ammiano pitched a bitch when an official delegation from San Francisco went to the Vatican and presented Cardinal William Levada, formerly the archbishop of San Francisco with a glass paperweight bearing an image of the official city seal.  The reason?  Ammiano, a Roman Catholic had authored a resolution "urging Cardinal William Levada, in his capacity as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, to withdraw his discriminatory and defamatory directive that Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco stop placing children in need of adoption with homosexual households."

Of the offending paperweight, the SFGate article quotes Ammiano as saying: "I think it is a significant breach.  You can't be cavalier about things like that."

Or perhaps the tiniest mind belongs to San Francisco Assemblymember Mark Leno. Last week when a Christian group called BattleCry staged a rally in San Francisco, Marky-Mark told them they should "get out of San Francisco".  And the San Francisco Board of Supervisors?  They passed a resolution condemning BattleCry because they could "negatively influence the politics of America's most tolerant and progressive city." That was too much even for the Chronicle, which couldn't overlook the irony of a Board resolution by America's most tolerant and progressive city condemning a Christian youth group that is pro-life, pro-chastity and anti-drug.  Of course, the true measure of tolerance is how well you cope with the views of people you disagree with, and on that measure San Francisco fails miserably. 

I don't agree with Levada's or BattleCry's positions on gay marriage and gay adoption, but I do respect the beliefs that led them there.  Respect for another's position must be given in order to be gained.  When Ammiano disrespects Cardinal Levada's position to score a point with his political base, he demeans his office and offends not just the Church Visible, the established authority of Roman Catholicism, but the Church Invisible, the silent majority of the community of faith.  I don't care what problems Ammiano has with the Church in private, he has no business airing them in public in his official capacity as Supervisor.  As Assemblymember, Mark Leno should be promoting the City and County of San Francisco to all people, not telling them to get out.  Such naked bigotry on the part of public officials will only feed into the bigotry of those who hate gay people.  Ammiano and Leno are poor excuses for politicians.  I am embarassed that they represent my city.