By Mark David Blum, Esq.

Now, in the waning hours of his term in office, Vice President Cheney has freed his daughter to now speak from her heart about her life as the secret homosexual daughter of the White House.

Touring the nation and riding the Glamour Magazine / morning shows / FAUX News circuit, the young femme Cheney talks openly about her right to privacy from public scrutiny. Her present pregnancy in context of a same sex relationship is declared “off bounds” by her grumpy old father. She says her baby is not a prop; while using her pregnancy and so-called moral outrage to gather in the checks for Republican causes. From as far back as John Kerry’s comment during the 2004 Presidential debate; listening to her feigned moral outrage, you would think the Vice President’s daughter was branded a Porn Queen or a Crack Whore.

I am of the opinion that the young Ms. Cheney is not only NOT offended, but probably quietly agrees with the libertarian position on the matter. If she were truly offended, she would have spoken out long ago. Everybody would have listened. Obviously, she would never speak against her father. In her newest tome, her abandonment of her silence proves the point. Being in the waning days of a lame duck presidency, the Vice President has apparently green-lighted his child to speak up publicly. He appears to have even scripted her responses.

At a certain level, the Cheneys do have a right to be upset. Under normal circumstances, children should not be part of a campaign. It is ironic how over the years, it has been the Vice President himself and his party of raging Theocons who have made Ms. Cheney and her sexual preference part of the public discussion.

Gay rights and freedom including the issue of marriage have been dragged foursquare before the American public. The issue is before us because of Republican revulsion at States exercising their rights and determining the definition of marriage. To energize the crazed and uneducated and unenlightened, Mr. Bush and his team worked to assure passage of laws against recognizing equality of gays, against redefining marriage other than man/woman, and getting rid of “activist judges”.

If you want something about which to be irate, appalled, offended, and totally disgusted, ask why Mr. and Mrs. Cheney have steadfastly and adamantly refused to stand up for their daughter. Ask why they do not do all they can, like any parent, to assure their child social equality and freedom.

Mr. Cheney, in his position in government is in the remarkable situation to shape social policy. His own daughter is living proof that “gays are people too.”

A father who will not stand up for his daughter and fight for her rights is a coward. A man who becomes Vice President of the United States and pretends his daughter and her pain do not exist because of party loyalty, demonstrates the lowest form of cowardice.

Yes, Mary Cheney has a right to be angry. But she should be angry for the right reasons. She was used by her parents as political hay. Shame on them.

Shame on Mary Cheney for waiting until now to speak up. Shame on her moreso for not using her own position to advance our society.