"If you're gay, lesbian, or bisexual, would you sacrifice for your trans neighbors and siblings? If you're trans, would you sacrifice for your gay, lesbian, or bisexual neighbors and siblings? It's something worth knowing about yourself and those around you." --Autumn Sandeen, 4/19/2010, the night before GetEQUAL's DADT repeal protest at the White House
Public Calendar
Press/media, organizations, and individuals send your time-based event info to: calendar@phblend.net
The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
As I write this, Senator Al Franken from Minnesota is sitting across from me at my table in the huge Rio Hotel ballroom. We're watching House candidate Tarryl Clark, who will take on Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota. He came out from backstage to watch and since my table is closest to the door, he just plopped down and gave me a polite "Hello."
I'm starstruck that the guy I watched declare "The Al Franken Decade" on Saturday Night Live when I was twelve is six feet away from me.
I am sitting at the GetEqual table for the Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid's Q&A; session at Netroots Nation where we are breaking exclusive news on the Blend.
Dan Choi has delivered a letter to Sen Reid about his service and DADT -- and his West Point ring will be given to Reid today. Joan McCarter handed Reid letter and ring from Dan Choi:
July 24, 2010
The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader:
Dear Harry:
My West Point ring has always symbolized an irrevocable promise: my commitment to serving America and my duty to defend freedom and justice. Today, with my discharge from the army for telling the truth, the ring takes on a new meaning, serving as a symbol for the enduring pain of broken promises.
America was founded on the principles of inalienable rights, equality, and the promise of justice for all. But today, Americans remain segregated from that promise. Fired from our jobs, discriminated in the military, denied equal access to our own integrity and acknowledgement of our families, we cannot conclude that our country has manifested its own promise, over 230 years later.
You have also made personal promises to me that the senate would repeal military discrimination before the end of 2009. Indeed, you sent a letter to President Obama and Secretary Gates, claiming that was the most you could do to save my career. You promised to lead on repeal of discrimination. I believed your promise because you are the most powerful senator in America. Truly, no one can do more. The false hope of your promise has been made real to me today with another letter: the letter terminating my military service.
But I present this ring to you, symbolizing my promise as a fellow citizen: my service continues.
I promise I will hold you accountable to your obligations to lead in the effort to end discrimination, both in the workplace and in the military. My promise is not merely written on a piece of paper or words alone, but in the hearts of every lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender American fired from their jobs because of broken promises from those who purport to be our friends. History will judge us and conclude that the greatest obstacles to justice were not the loud rants of bigots, but the quiet fears of those unwilling to stand firm in the fulfillment of their commitments. I refuse to allow my friends register themselves in history as obstacles to justice.
I commit to you my renewed pledge and continued service. To you and all those "friends" who manipulate, deceive and exploit our community, I will serve as a reminder of the consequences we all pay when allegiance to political careers takes higher priority than allegiance to America's promise.
Sincerely,
Lt. Dan Choi
US Army, Discharged under DADT
Also, Senator Reid has delivered a letter to the President. A critical passage:
The Blend exclusive also includes these letters from Reid and Dan Choi's discharge paper...
Pro-equality ally and Virginia U.S. Congressional candidate Krystal Ball attended her second Netroots Nation this year, and she's doing extremely well in the race to represent the 1st district in Virginia.
Her opponent, anti-gay Republican incumbent Rob Wittman, is a real bible beater.
As a member of the Values Action Team, I will continue to support pro-life, pro-family legislation. I will work in defense of parental rights, religious liberty, and the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Furthermore, I support efforts to curb internet pornography and obscenity.
Now one would assume, even with those fundie credentials, Wittman would not want his supporters or his party, given the state of the economy and how it affects his constituents, focusing on gay-baiting Krystal Ball.
Well how wrong is this - the Blend has learned that a push-poll in support of Wittman, dialed up voters in the district with lines of questioning that harken back to the 1990s-2004 gay-baiting bullshite of the highest order.
First of all, the lead-in statement is for the caller to tell the resident the questions are about "Krystal Ball's obsession" regarding support for "special rights" for the LGBT community. And then the caller is asked this (I sh*t you not):
"Krystal Ball has a strange infatuation with gays and lesbians. It makes one wonder what is in her past."
The caller is then asked if this concerns them in voting for Krystal.
WTF? There are so many things wrong with this garbage I don't know where to begin.
* How is it an infatuation to say you believe that all people are entitled to full equality under the law?
* Excuse, me, but the "what is in Krystal's past" statement is beyond belief -- besides, what if she had a girlfriend in the past? What if she's bi, WHO THE FLIP cares? Will that information tell you anything about any candidate's position on job growth, the environment, the BP oil disaster. Is it any of your business? Why, push-poller, are you obsessing about this particular subject?
Krystal's got a great video up addressing Wittman's absenteeism in his state. This is hysterical. I know that feeling - when we had Elizabeth Dole as our senator, she was always MIA.
After numerous complaints that your Congressman refuses to answer your emails, answer your calls or show up to explain his votes, we decided to bring Rob on the road so people across the 1st District of Virginia would finally have a chance to have their representative listen to their concerns. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Many thanks to Karen Ocamb at LGBT POV for this, so you can see verbatim how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuses to answer a direct question about a vote on ENDA, and puts the responsibility on the community to educate the trans-ignorant members of Congress.
Wait - don't we have organizations inside the Beltway for that? WTH have they been doing all this time? They are the ones with access, not us.
Moderator Cheryl Contee:
A recent poll indicates that a majority of Americans support the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act – ENDA. ENDA now has 198 co-sponsors. While you and President Obama have both been strong advocates for ENDA’s passing, the bill is stuck in committee and promises of passage haven’t been kept. @Dr.TJulianWeiss on Twitter, MCC on JackandJillpolitics and Perfect Stormer on Daily Kos all want to know will we see passage of ENDA anytime soon?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
: (she does some thank yous and recognitions first). ENDA has been something that has been part of my being (?) since I went to the Congress. And then some years later, around 16 years ago, we finally had legislation that we could rally around. This is an absolute priority, not only for me personally, but for our House Democratic Caucus.
Under the leadership of George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee which has primary jurisdiction, we have been working very hard to try to iron out some of the – to have some clarity of language that could dispel some opposition. This is something that has to be done. It’s so long overdue. It’s almost embarrassing to have to have to pass a bill to end discrimination in the workplace.
I am happy, though, that it fits comfortably on the path we set ourselves on. We said we were going to do hate crimes – fully inclusive hate crimes – and we did pass that legislation as Rachel said [during a video], the Matthew Shepard legislation. We’re very proud of that – that it was fully inclusive.
And then next on my agenda was ENDA but there was support to take up Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and we’re very proud that we passed that in the House. I might say that I would have hoped that there would have been a moratorium on any discharges from the military (applause) until it was resolved (? applause makes it hard to hear end).
But I do think that my the time 2010 comes to an end, so does Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And at the same time, we are holding….I need your help to get the biggest possible vote on ENDA.
All of these issues took time. You know when we started hate crimes – you know that was when I first came to Congress 23 years ago. It wasn’t an issue of “fully inclusive.” Gay, lesbians, bisexuals – but then transgender became an issue and the challenge became greater. Same thing with ENDA.
But we’re against discrimination – against anybody and everybody and our bill will be fully inclusive (applause).
I can’t give you a time. But I can tell you that it is a priority and it had been our hope to do it this year. We have to finish Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and hopefully we can do both this year.
Moderator:
Who’s blocking the passage of ENDA and whom should the netroots target?
Pelosi:
Well, I think I would target in a positive way (audience rumbles) – this is America – show your appreciation for those who are with you, with us – encourage them to be not only a vote but a leader on the issue – persuader, the peer pressure that is there. Because I don’t think – I think that some of the opposition comes from those perhaps in the work, um – in the business community who may not understand the – how this can be practically accomplished. We think it can. I think that should be the least of it, when we’re talking about ending discrimination in our country.
So my advice would be just – let’s get the drum beat going, get everybody as enthused as they have been. We won by 40 votes on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Forty votes! That is a very big – we hardly won anything by four votes, much less 40 votes (laughter) in the (? can’t make it out).
(Shout from GetEqual’s Robin McGehee: “Move on ENDA now!”)
Moderator:
Hey – I’m going to release the crackin (?), alright, so please don’t’ shout out questions from the audience.
Pelosi:
No, but it is – your impatience is justified. Let’s make it productive so that we can all work together and strengthen each other as – to get this passed as soon as possible. Very important. (Applause)
Moderator:
Thank you.
Moderator:
Thank you, Speaker.
Pelosi: I love ENDA. I feel a little pride of being there at the start of all that. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and now Jared Polis, who is going to be here, I understand this weekend – have been an important part of all this.
(What to make of a company like Target that has great LGBT employee policies but supports anti-gay politicians? - promoted by Lurleen)
This past Monday WCCO News in Minneapolis/St. Paul reported that Target Corporation donated $150,000.00 to Minnesota Forward the Political Action Committee for Tom Emmer. Emmer is the GOP Teabagger candidate for Governor of Minnesota. Emmer is also anti-equal rights for LGBTQ people, couples and families. What is Tom Emmer's view on Marriage Equality?
Marriage
I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman. As a legislator, I have consistently supported the constitutional marriage amendment that protects traditional marriage.
So what's happened? Citizens United is what has happened. Because Target is a Corporation and they now have the same rights as people, they can spend as much money as they want towards political campaigns.
When I wrote to Target's President Gregg W. Steinhafel, their Public Policy person in their Guest Services department responded as follows (see below fold).
In the midst of the Shirley Sherrod hoopla, an interesting situation involving the Tea Party Movement seems to have gone unnoticed:
One of the most prominent men in the tea party movement, Tea Party Express spokesperson and former chair Mark Williams, is abandoning the group he helped propel into the role of the tea party's public face.
. . . In his resignation letter to the TPE, Williams says he left the group after the past week's public battle with the NAACP made him too hot to handle.
"I feel compelled to separate myself from any further involvement with the Tea Party Express so that I can pursue other interests," Williams wrote, "and to free the tea party movement from any more distraction based on my personal comments or blogs."
It’s interesting that when Van Jones resigned, folks were commenting about how Glenn Beck - who orchestrated opposition to Jones - "got a scalp.” When ACORN was taken down thanks to the videos of James O’Keefe which were pushed by Andrew Breitbart, both were given the dubious honor of “getting a scalp.”
Shouldn’t the same be said for the NAACP regarding Williams?
After all, it was their resolution denouncing racism in the tea party which fueled the entire controversy causing Williams to make a complete ass of himself and thereby proving the NAACP’s point.
Probably not and for two reasons. No one likes to think of the NAACP as out to “take scalps” and wreck careers. It wouldn’t fit into the image of a venerable civil rights groups, although it couldn’t hurt if it did.
Here at NetRoots Nation, I listened to the answer to a the answer Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi gave to an ENDA question posed to her. It was a gimmie that she was going to take credit for the gimmie of -- the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community practically done deal requirement of -- fully inclusive hate crime legislation.
Then she talked about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) legislation. After talking about federal hate crimes legislation, Speaker Pelosi began talking "time tables," how more education work by and for transgender people for reluctant house members, and how Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was moved ahead of ENDA, even though ENDA was her "top priority" LGBT issue.
However, she indicated she was proud that the House was taking on as a fully inclusive ENDA, and talked about how important that transgender people are included in the legislation that will move forward.
Someone actually shouted out that we need movement on ENDA now, and moderator Cheryl Cottee shut down the shouter for being disruptive. However, Speaker Pelosi engaged the "disruptive" shouter by saying she understand LGBT community impatience.
It's truly amazing to me that Democrats in Congress -- as well as President Obama -- don't really "get" why the LGBT community have grown disillusioned with them, and that lost voting momentum. Kerry Eleveld pretty much summed up the disillusionment in PBS's News Hour piece For Democrats, Concern About Momentum as Midterms Approach. Judy Woodruff set up Eleveld's remarks this way:
Many gay rights advocates say they feel the Obama administration has given short shrift to their issues. As a candidate, Mr. Obama promised to end the military's ban on letting gays serve openly in the ranks, known as don't ask, don't tell.
He also said he would push to repeal the Defense of Marriage act, or DOMA, and expand the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Kerry Eleveld is Washington correspondent for "The Advocate," a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender news magazine. She credits the president for progress on don't ask, but says the effort on the other priorities has been lacking.
Eleveld said:
[President Obama's] administration has not pushed on those. Don't ask, don't tell is still in the making. We're going to see where that goes. But -- but he has not pushed in any way, other than in some speeches.
If you look at him coming in, what he talked about, what he promised again and again, and also the majorities that he came in with, I would say he is woefully behind at this point.
And, in the context of the gAyTM...
There is a fair amount of money that flows from the LGBT community to the Democratic National Committee, to the president, to Democrats in general. And I think what you're really wondering is, what's going to happen to that flow of money? Are people going to start saying, why are we giving to Democrats? Why are we giving to the Democratic National Committee? Why are we giving to the president? Maybe we should just be picking individual candidates.
As for my take on the answer by Pelosi, I thought the answer was weak. LGBT people have done the work -- especially transgender people have done the work -- Speaker Pelosi's attempt to shift this back to the grassroots is unconscionable. It's pure, unadulterated, unprocessed manure.
I was sitting next to Pam during this plenary session, Pam made a comment during an Obama video on those Obamabots who buy into the -- well, what I am calling unprocessed manure:
Obama video at #NN10. Says to keep holding him accountable. Koolaiders clapped @ pitiful #LGBT "accomplishments."
Someone named Sharoney tweeted back:
Koolaiders? Harsh Pam. You have more class than that.
Frankly, I believe Pam and I both are too angry to be "classy."
I'm back to my Navy saying I quote so often -- and now will specifically use on the answers on LGBT issues by Speaker Pelosi and President Obama:
Looks like sh**, smells like sh**, gotta be chocolate, right?
Please share news links and blogwhore; I'm off to make stops at two breakfasts -- one LGBT and one women's candidate meet and greet -- Elaine Marshall will be there. More to come as there are Q&As; with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid today. You can imagine that with a lot of concerned to angry progressives and LGBTs in attendance it could get interesting. Pelosi's will be at 9AM PT/Noon PT:
A Texas judge ordered a firefighter's widow, who was alleged to have been born a man, not to spend or collect any death benefits from her husband.
State District Judge Randy Clapp issued the temporary order Friday when allegedly transgendered Nikki Araguz revealed she had received $60,000 of the expected $600,000 cash payout from the death of her husband, Wharton County firefighter Thomas Araguz, in a July 4 farm inferno, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.
Eight days after Thomas Araguz died battling a fire in Wharton County; his mother filed a lawsuit to block Nikki Araguz from receiving any of his death benefits. Texas law suggests Nikki is not entitled, because she was born as Justin Graham Purdue in 1975, a man.
Attorney Chad Ellis says, "The courts of appeals have looked at this issue, and have basically said that you are what you're born as."
That argument centers on this case, Christie Lee Littleton in San Antonio who was denied the right to sue a doctor for her husband's death because she too was born a man. Courts ruled her marriage invalid. But some legal analyst says that case was never ruled on by the Texas Supreme Court
Professor and legal expert Gerald Treece says, "And those people are arguing they have civil rights too. And this is going to be almost a perfect law school model testing that very premise."
It's a premise Araguz will test with attorney Phyllis Randolph Frye, who went through the stigma that comes with becoming transgendered more than 30 years ago. She says, "I don't want other people to put up with what I had to go through. And that's pretty much been my life's story since then. So it is personal."
The family of Thomas Araguz III, of Wharton, Texas, has alleged in a lawsuit filed eight days after his July 4 death that he had been separated from his wife Nikki, nursing feelings of betrayal after learning that his wife of two years had been born a man.
"He was distraught. It was overwhelming," said Chad Ellis, a Houston lawyer hired by Araguz's mother. "It was extremely difficult for him."
"I am absolutely devastated by the loss of my husband...and horrified at the horrendous allegations accusing me of fraud because they're absolutely not true. And that's all I have to say."
Every trans person who's in a relationship, regardless of what their gender is or ever was they're either in a same-sex relationship or in an opposite sex relationships that somebody could claim was a same-sex relationship.
What Mara said is still true; marriage equality is still a very trans issue.
Oy, ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille...argh. On little sleep (I had to stay up to write a piece for The Hill that's due today), so I look less than radiant today during my panels.
Thanks to the folks at Netroots Nation, both of the rooms that two of my three panels are in have cameras for live feeds, so you can see what we have to say in real time. Enjoy!
1:30 PM ET/10:30 AM PT: Organizing the Equality Movement in the Obama Era, Brasilia 1
Building on the Netroots Nation 2009 panel on LGBT organizing, this panel will expand the conversation to discuss the state of the equality movement in 2010 and what progress can be made before the 2012 elections and beyond. Panelists will discuss the Obama Administration's record on LGBT rights, the federal Prop 8 trial being led by Ted Olson and David Boies, state-by-state efforts to win marriage equality, the potential repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the federal court ruling that DOMA is unconstitutional, and the lack of movement in Congress on a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
PANELISTS: Rick Jacobs, Pam Spaulding, Evan Wolfson, Arshad Hasan, Thomas A. Saenz
6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT: Why Women are the Key to the Future of Progressive Election Victories, Brasilia 2
As the GOP has garnered victories in Massachussetts, Virginia and New Jersey since the 2008 presidential election, progressives are looking for a new path to keep the seats they have and win back the ones they've lost. Standard playbook assumptions about where, how and why progressives can win campaigns have been turned on their head as increasing numbers of voters feel disaffected and Tea Partiers throw wild cards into many races. Progressive women can embrace this moment to help move the progressive agenda forward. But too often the Democratic Party fails to recruit and support the very women candidates who could be game changers for progressive politics. We'll discuss how the growing numbers of activist women-and organizations devoted to helping them participate in politics and political leadership-can help reconnect voters with important progressive economic and gender issues. And we'll analyze how to access the untapped power of women who want to make a difference for progressive issues and what it will take to get them elected.
PANELISTS: Gloria Feldt, Barbara Lee, Joanne Bamberger, Maria Teresa Kumar, Roxanne Conlin, Pam Spaulding
"Uncle Pat" pulls out his freshly laundered and pressed Klan sheet and puts it on to write his latest column stoking white fear. Jaw-dropping stuff at Clown Hall.
For though the black community remains solidly behind Obama and the white majority is shrinking toward minority status by 2042 or 2050, depending on which Census survey one uses, whites in America still outnumber blacks five to one. And if forced constantly to come down on one side or the other of a racial divide, most folks will wind up with their own.
In past elections, Democrats have raised race -- allegations that black churches were being torched in the South, that George W. Bush's opposition to a hate crimes bill meant he was coldly indifferent to the dragging death of a handicapped black man -- to solidify and energize the minority vote. And, today, that vote remains solid behind Obama.
Where the erosion is taking place is in white America, among working- and middle-class folks who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries but took a chance with Obama in the fall. Now, every time some new incident erupts, these folks are being tarred.
...As the National Journal's Ron Brownstein has been reporting, white America is increasingly alienated and distrustful of all our major economic and political power centers -- the banks, big corporations, the government.
And, for the first time in our lifetimes, outside the South, white racial consciousness has visibly begun to rise.
This sounds like one of those indirect calls for white uprising, where Uncle Pat can claim plausible deniability by saying he only refers to the white anger out there, but he needs to be called on this bullsh*te.
Just watch it; the President and Congress need to see what they have done with their inaction, foot-dragging and the Pentagon's bogus discredited survey of service members. Shameful.
MADDOW: It started here on this show. And now, it doesn`t end here, but it does take a very sharp turn. Sixteen months ago, West Point graduate, Arab linguist, Iraq veteran, 1st Lt. Dan Choi made this very dramatic news right here on our air.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
1ST LT. DAN CHOI, UNITED STATES ARMY: I am an infantry platoon leader in the New York Army National Guard. And by saying three words to you today, I am gay, those three words are a violation of Title 10 of the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADDOW: Today, nearly a year and a half after that announcement, Lt. Dan Choi has been fired from the U.S. Military. Quote, "Based on the approved board findings that 1st Lt. Choi did publicly admit on more than one occasion in person and through the media that he is a homosexual, such conduct being in violation of 10 U.S. Code Sections 654, Subsection B-2, I direct 1st Lt. Choi be discharged from the New York National Army National Guard with an honorable characterization of service." Ironically, the adjutant general signing off from Lt. Choi`s discharge is Brig. Gen. Patrick Murphy - a coincidence. No relation to another Patrick Murphy, also an Iraq veteran, now, a congressman, who bas led the way in Washington for the repeal of the "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell" policy, a policy that has now claimed Dan Choi`s career. Lt. Dan Choi joins us now. Dan, thank you very much for joining us. It`s a real honor to have you back on the show.
CHOI: Great to be with you. I hope the audio doesn`t cut out this
MADDOW: Yes like it did that very dramatic first night. Dan -
CHOI: We can`t blame the government because there`s no conspiracy this time, right?
MADDOW: Right -
CHOI: There`s no reason why they`d cut me off.
MADDOW: At this point - yes. At this point - at this point, you are a civilian. I mean, this must be a very hard day for you, Dan. How are you doing?
CHOI: It`s the first time I`m a civilian since I was 18 years old. It`s, you know, as much as you can prepare for this kind of consequence. And I knew exactly what I was getting into when I appeared on your show the very first time. As much as you build up your armor and get ready for those words, saying that "you`re fired," you can`t deal with that pain and the emotion. I mean, I think back on my entire time in the military, from the days that I was at West Point to getting ready for deployment, infantry training and even the activism. All of it comes up and it`s a big emotional roller coaster. It`s painful and it hurts. I mean, right now, my career is over, but I know there are still hundreds of other people that are going to be fired and go through the same thing throughout this year.
MADDOW: When you look back on these 16 months after coming out, all the activism you`ve engaged in, getting arrested, protesting this policy, serving with your unit while being openly gay, do you feel regret? Do you wish you had stayed in the closet longer and waiting for the policy to end?
CHOI: Absolutely not. Being in the closet is a poison. It`s a deadly toxic disease that people don`t even realize how difficult that is until they`re finally out. There are a lot of times when I look back at my time in service and told myself, "Why didn`t I come out?" or "Why did I I mean, I knew I was gay. I didn`t want to come out to my parents. My dad is a minister. He`s affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. He didn`t want to know that his son, who went to West Point and went to Iraq, is an infantry man is also gay. He just wouldn`t know how to deal with that. There are so many people who have "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell" in their own hearts and in their own homes. And they deal with that same kind of enforced shame and that kind of enforced hatred of themselves. And it really tears away at the very fabric of who they are.
MADDOW: Do you think, Dan, that your civil disobedience efforts, getting arrested over the course of the last year and a half, do you think that activism contributed to you being discharged now? Do you think that was part of it?
CHOI: Well, it would be very difficult for me to say that since the charges were dropped at the very last minute by the federal government and by the D.C. government for whatever reason. A lot of people have seen that actions, not only in achieving LGBT rights, gay and transgender rights, is effective but it`s been effective. Throughout our entire history from the time of the Boston Tea Party and throughout American Revolution, we`ve seen military officers get on up and act up because they know that the meaning of service and the meaning of our country is not wrapped up in a sentiment or an emotion or an argument about what the uniform signifies. That uniform that I put on, that uniform I`ve worn since the very first days at West Point, that stands for fighting from freedom and justice. And if there is no fight for freedom and justice, then nobody deserves to wear that uniform.
MADDOW: Dan, if the policy is repealed and sources do say it could happen in the spring, in less than a year, do you think you would sign up again? Do you know what`s next for you?
CHOI: Well, I don`t base a lot of my timelines or I don`t think anybody should base their actions on a political guesstimate. I think that if we were to do that, then we wouldn`t be where we`re at today. But I know for sure that if the law is repealed, and President Obama finally takes action and we can go back, of course, in a heart beat. There`s nothing that I should be afraid of. I`ve been serving openly in my infantry unit. And there`s been nothing but positive impact. There`s no reason for anybody to be afraid. There`s no need for a survey. There`s no need for a poll. There`s no need for people to put up shower curtains because they`re afraid of what might happen. I`ve been serving for 17 months quite openly. And I`ve seen nothing but positive impact when you tell people around you, people who you work with the truth about who you are. There`s nothing but an increase in unit cohesion, in team work, in trust. Honesty is the fabric, the foundation of all of that.
MADDOW: Lt. Dan Choi, I know you had a million choices of who to talk to on TV tonight. And I want to thank you for choosing to be with us here. And as always, thank you for your service.
CHOI: Rachel, we wouldn`t be here with "Don`t Ask, Don`t Tell" if it wasn`t for people like you who stick to the facts and tell them unashamedly. So I have you to thank and I believe all of America owes you a debt of gratitude. Thank you very much.
MADDOW: You`re way too kind. Thanks, Dan. Good luck to you, man. Stay in touch, OK?
The Shirley Sherrod debacle was bound to happen sooner or later. With the 24-hour-media constantly buzzing and "senior analysts" of thinktanks constantly tossing out inaccurate talking points to fit their positions rather than educating the public, someone was bound to get stung.
The only thing that kept this situation from becoming worse was Sherrod's will to stand up herself rather than crumble under the glare of negative media attention.
Now despite the need to constantly harp on the White House and NAACP for the Sherrod debacle (and some of the harping is very legitimate), one cannot deny that the two entities got overcome by a coordinated right-wing swarm that made their heads spin before they even had time to assess the situation.
A timeline by the group Media Matters details how quickly the Sherrod story moved through right-wing circles. A brief excerpt is as follows:
Monday
11:18 a.m.*: Breitbart posts Sherrod video, calls her "racist," claims "Context is everything."
Fox News amplifies Breitbart's deceptively edited video
12:13 p.m.: Hoft runs with Breitbart video.
12:55 p.m.: HotAir's Morrissey: "Breitbart hits NAACP with promised video of racism."
1:40 p.m. (approximately): Fox Nation accuses Sherrod of "discrimination caught on tape" before she resigned.
1:49 p.m.: Ace of Spades picks up Sherrod story, calls it an example of "your government, working for you."
3:31 p.m.: Elizabeth Scalia of the blog The Anchoress raises questions about the editing of Breitbart's video.
4:01 p.m. Ace of Spades reports that CBS' NYC affiliate picked up Sherrod story, declares, "Breitbart gets results."
4:28 p.m. (approximately): Sherrod story hits Drudge.
4:50 p.m.: Breitbart tweets to Media Matters: "Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
7:51 p.m.*: Big Government links to a FoxNews.com article reporting that Sherrod had resigned and USDA repudiated her remarks.
8:21 p.m.: Allahpundit questions the video's editing, but says he will "assume Breitbart's edit is fair to the spirit of her remarks."
8:50 p.m.: O'Reilly airs Breitbart's Sherrod video
9:04 p.m.: "Fox News Alert": Hannity reports that Sherrod has resigned and discusses the incident with Gingrich.
Say what you will about the right-wing, they know how to coordinate. And I don't think a "we have to investigate this further" explanation would have stood up under the constant, coordinated buzzsaw of innuendo from talking heads and bloggers eager to take revenge for so-called left-wing abuses.
Pro-equality ally and Virginia U.S. Congressional candidate 
Then she talked about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) legislation. After talking about federal hate crimes legislation, Speaker Pelosi began talking "time tables," how more education work by and for transgender people for reluctant house members, and how Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was moved ahead of ENDA, even though ENDA was her "top priority" LGBT issue.
And, in the context of the gAyTM...
For though the black community remains solidly behind Obama and the white majority is shrinking toward minority status by 2042 or 2050, depending on which Census survey one uses, whites in America still outnumber blacks five to one. And if forced constantly to come down on one side or the other of a racial divide, most folks will wind up with their own.
