In Maj. Witt's upcoming DADT trial using the 'Witt Standard,' 'facts are not on the government’s side'

Excellent editorial in the Tacoma News Tribune about Don't Ask, Don't Tell with two key points: 1) the U.S. Department of Justice won't be able to meet the "Witt standard" in the upcoming DADT trial of Major Margaret Witt -- and it couldn't meet that standard against Victor Fehrenbach and 2) DADT has to end.

On Witt:

A federal judge, in a trial set to begin Sept. 13, will apply a new standard to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. This time, the burden will be on the military to prove not that Witt is a lesbian – her sexual orientation is not in dispute – but that her homosexuality is harmful to her unit’s cohesiveness.

It will be the first judicial application of the so-called “Witt standard” established by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Obama administration let pass a May 3 deadline to appeal the 9th’s decision to the Supreme Court, setting the stage for the trial in U.S. District Court next month.

The facts are not on the government’s side: More than a dozen of Witt’s colleagues have given sworn declaration objecting to her dismissal; one was so angry that he refused to re-enlist.

Should the Witt standard blunt the don’t ask, don’t tell policy as expected, it could prove a boon to gay service members who have been waiting on Congress – to date, in vain.

Waiting in vain for Congress -- and the President.

The conclusion:

But the Witt standard is a stopgap measure and no more. It provides limited relief since it applies only to cases in Western states that make up the Ninth Circuit. And it isn’t preventing people like Jonathan Hopkins of Morton – a West Point graduate who led three combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan – from having to leave careers they love.

Don’t ask, don’t tell needs to go, and it’s up to the Senate to finish the job when it returns next month.

The Senate needs to finish the Defense bill in September and get it to conference ASAP. Delay hurts the chances for passing the compromise bill this year. Opponents of DADT repeal know that and will do everything possible to cause problems. Our allies, starting with the President, have to make sure that nothing interferes with the process of getting the compromise DADT bill signed into law.. Read More...

BREAKING: Former RNC chair Ken Mehlman comes out as gay man

Holy cow.

Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay.

He said that he plans to be an advocate for gay rights within the GOP, that he remains proud to be a Republican, and that his political identity is not defined by any one issue.

"What I will try to do is to persuade people, when I have conversations with them, that it is consistent with our party's philosophy, whether it's the principle of individual freedom, or limited government, or encouraging adults who love each other and who want to make a lifelong committment to each other to get married."

"I hope that we, as a party, would welcome gay and lesbian supporters. I also think there needs to be, in the gay community, robust and bipartisan support [for] marriage rights."

Okay, my thoughts.

Good for Ken. I know a lot of people will want to criticize him for heading up the GOP as a closeted gay man. He says he only recently came to terms with being gay. I suspect he always knew he was gay, but recently came to terms with accepting it, and embracing it. And good for him. He's now doing the right thing, helping support marriage equality. I'm not going to fault him for that. Coming out is a horrendously difficult and complicated thing. It's not rational.

Now, does that mean I oppose efforts to out people who are hurting our community? Absolutely not. I was there with the rest of them calling Mehlamn out for being a closeted gay man running a homophobic political party. Our long-time readers will remember Mehlman Mondays on AMERICAblog. I long talked about Mehlman being the only closet-heterosexual I'd ever heard of - a man not willing to admit he's straight.

But that doesn't mean we don't embrace him now. And not just for strategic reasons. Mehlman, from what Ambinder says, is doing the right thing. He's now using his position in the GOP to help our community on our number one issue: marriage. For that, he deserves our thanks.

Now, let me say, the GOP was happily anti-gay under Mehlman, so I don't buy his story that he helped temper their nastiness. They were still homophobic bigots, regardless of what Mehlman did or didn't do, and he chose to remain as their head. For that, he gets no thanks. But is he making up for it today? You betcha. It's a start, and a damn good one.

As for the Democratic party, I hope someone at the DNC is starting to sweat. We now have the former head of the Republican party who is to the left of Barack Obama on gay marriage. There's a virtual groundswell of senior Republicans coming out for marriage equality. It can't be going unnoticed in the gay community. And while it doesn't mean 70% of the gay vote will now go Republican instead of Democrat, it does mean that growing numbers of gays and lesbians will starting thinking of the GOP as a legitimate alternative to the Democratic party.

And finally, how about that religious right? The Republicans lied to them about Mehlman for years. And Mehlam himself admits that he used his position as RNC chair to help stop the GOP gay-baiting. The religious right was totally pwned.

More on this, I suspect, in the coming days. Read More...

Gay candidate for State Rep. in Wichita found death threat on his front door

Via Joe.My.God who got the news from the Kansas Equality Coalition, Dan Manning, a candidate for State Rep. in Wichita, found a written death threat on his front door over the weekend.

Here's what it looked like:

More from Thomas Witt at the Kansas Equality Coalition:

The note is clearly an offensive way to use threats of deadly violence in an attempt to intimidate and silence Dan and his campaign and, by extension, our entire community and our interests in Topeka. Dan has no intentions of backing down and has seen this latest example of bigotry as proof that his campaign must go on. He and his campaign team’s resolve is now stronger than ever.

Dan’s campaign has been a struggle from the first day. While the challenge of defeating a far-right, incumbent Republican in a swing district is one thing, that Dan’s sexual orientation has been used against him in a hateful way is another thing. Dan not being able to count on the support of his own Democratic Party is another thing altogether. Dan has even had party officials suggest that he hide his own sexual orientation and spend the campaign in the closet. Dan needs support, not indifference.

Worse than indifference from the Democratic Party has been the reaction from some in our own community – those whose apathy or resignation has led them to believe that there’s no place for openly gay candidates and leaders in Kansas. Their willingness to surrender the public stage to people like Brenda Landwehr, and to the person who left this hateful message on Dan’s door, is unacceptable. Dan will not surrender, and neither should we.

Extreme violence in politics is a road Wichita has been down quite recently. Until his assassination 14 months ago, Dr. George Tiller endured years of death threats and attempts on his life. Dr. Tiller never compromised on his commitment to women’s rights. Like Dr. Tiller, Dan will not be intimidated into silence, and will not be pushed back into the closet. Dan believes that the only way to respond to those who would silence us is by making our voices louder and more numerous, not by surrendering in silence and fear.

As Kansans, we must send a message to those who oppose us that we will not be intimidated, we will not be forced back into the closet, and we will not be treated as second-class citizens whose relationships don’t matter.

Read More...

Covington, KY is taking a stand against recent anti-gay hate crimes

There have been a series of anti-gay attacks in Covington, Kentucky over the past few weeks:

Recent crimes targeting gay people in Covington spurred the Covington City Commission and more than 80 people to gather Tuesday at city hall to decry hate crimes and reaffirm support for the human rights ordinance the city passed in 2003.

Police said they have increased patrols in MainStrasse and will start tracking incidents of ethnic and anti-gay slurs and hate speech.

A group of residents has also formed "Zero Tolerance for Hate Crimes in Covington" and will host an event at six bars in MainStrasse on Saturday to raise money for an anti-hate campaign.

"We have had three incidents in the last several months and it has got to stop now, said Mayor Denny Bowman.

When a local tv reporter was doing a story on this issue -- at mid-day in the downtown area -- occupants of two cars yelled anti-gay slurs as they drove by. Video here.

But, as the mayor said, it has to stop. One recent attack seems to have galvanized the community and residents are organizing against the hate. Check out the facebook page for Zero Tolerance for Hate Crimes in Covington. It's already got over 1200 fans. And, I got a press release and flier from the organizers of “Covington’s Night Out: A Night of United Community”::

Although there have been multiple instances in the area of violence aimed at gays, the recent attack by two men against two local women has shocked the entire Covington community into taking action. What began as a concern for gays & lesbians in the area has gained support from all members of the Covington community.

Around 1:00 am on Sunday August 15, a group of people were assaulted at the corner of Pike St. and Main St. near Yadda Club, a well known gay bar. The perpetrators, one tattooed with swasticas and a white supremacy mark, yelled hate slurs aimed at gays and lesbians. One of the women was beaten, and several bystanders who came to the rescue were knifed.

The attack drew sympathy and support from all members of the community, who began organizing to make a change. The facebook page “Zero Tolerance for Hate Crimes in Covington” clearly shows the attitude of the community, having reached over 1,100 supporters in the 10 days since it was created.

Now the group of concerned residents, patrons, and business owners are taking that energy and outrage forward in a positive way by creating an ongoing campaign to empower the community as a whole to embrace diversity, promote tolerance, and end violence and hate of any kind through education and communication.

Saturday August 28th ,“Covington’s Night Out: A Night of United Community” will be the first event associated with this movement. Six of the predominantly gay or gay-friendly bars in the Pike St. and Mainstrasse area will team up with the Covington Police Department to reclaim the streets as LGBT friendly, and raise funds for an ongo- ing campaign.

Turns out, the sister of one of my friends was a victim of that August 15th attack. She's okay and has been instrumental in organizing the response.

The hate crimes really, really suck. The community response is really, really encouraging. Go Covington. Read More...

Mixner on Obama and marriage

David Mixner:

First and foremost, the LGBT struggle is one of the great civil rights movement of our times. Given that, quite honestly, there is simply no logical personal or political reason for President Obama to be against marriage equality. At this stage there can only be two conclusions: that he is a political coward or that he does indeed hold prejudice against LGBT citizens. Nothing else fits at this stage. No one can make any more excuses and no one can justify his position any longer. Looking at the facts, the statistics, the political reality and at the President's current position one can only say "Shame on you, Mr. President. Shame on you."

This weekend two factors forced me to focus on his lack of leadership on this issue. One was a brilliant article in the New Republic by Richard Just entitled simply "Disgrace" and the other was a chart published in The New York Times showing the massive change in support across the country for marriage equality. Combine that with a recent CNN poll that showed 52% of Americans believe now that marriage equality is a Constitutional Right and you see how ridiculous his position has become before the public.

The President should look to his fellow Democrats for courage. Overwhelmingly, Democrats now support marriage equality.

The [New Republic] article concludes with this amazing paragraph. Please read these lines very carefully. The highlighted parts are mine.

But, while he may not realize it, Obama is already leading on gay marriage; he is just leading in the wrong direction. Every time Obama or a surrogate reiterates his position, it reinforces the idea that gay marriage is a bit too scary for the political mainstream. Worse, Obama’s stance seems to be a way of conveying to the country that he knows a lot of people still aren’t completely comfortable admitting gays and lesbians as full participants in American life, and that this is OK because he isn’t either. It is about the most cynical gesture you can imagine from an allegedly liberal leader—and we deserve better. I am speaking to you as an American, Mr. Obama.

Read More...

If GOP wins House, there could be no defense bill, meaning no DADT repeal

This is extremely worrisome. We've been saying for almost two years that Obama and the Hill Democrats needed to deliver on their campaign promises, including the repeal of DADT. Instead, they dawdled. The White House refused to push the legislation until their hand was forced. Now, we're reaching a critical point.

From Politico's Morning Defense:

IF REPUBLICANS WIN THE HOUSE – Lobbyists predict that defense bills will come to a screeching halt, which could spell doom for the already controversial defense authorization bill. They provide a couple of reasons: The level of partisan bickering is likely to intensify, and waiting and letting Republicans handle those bills next year will allow the Democrats to play the blame game. The one kind of legislation that’s likely to move, insiders say, is a continuing resolution. To that end, the appropriations committees have drafted two – one that runs through Nov. 15 and another that will last until the end of January.

If there's no defense authorization bill, there's not going to be any DADT language this year. The House passed its version of the bill and it includes the compromise language (that language, concocted by Winnie Stachelberg at CAP, sets up a complicated process that doesn't even establish an end date for the law.) The Senate Armed Services Committee added the compromise DADT language. But, the full Senate has yet to act. The Senate needs to take up the defense authorization bill as soon as they get back from the August recess. Then, that bill has to get to conference ASAP.

We can expect procedural shenanigans from John McCain and his GOP colleagues whenever the defense authorization bill hits the floor. He could filibuster the bill, move to strike the DADT language or try to amend the DADT language to include what SLDN calls the "killer amendment" of adding all the Service Chiefs to the certification process. All of these tactics could slow down final passage of the legislation. The way the schedule is now, even if everything goes according to plan, final passage wouldn't take place until after the elections. That's means we're already in the lame duck session. As John explained last month, Democrats are already bending over backwards to assure Republicans they won't pass legislation during the lame duck session. Now, we're learning that there could be no authorization bill if the GOPers take the House.

So, yeah, the elections matter. We know that. But, we've been told we needed to elect Democrats in order to get the full repeal of DADT, passage of ENDA and repeal of DOMA. We did our part to help. And, what have we gotten? No ENDA. No DOMA repeal. And, we might get a law that starts the process of ending DADT. Read More...

A letter to the Pentagon about DADT from Chief Petty Officer Lee Quillian, USN (Ret.)

The Pentagon is currently surveying military spouses about the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. SLDN "will release a letter each day this week from family members and spouses of former service members impacted by DADT. As the Pentagon reaches out to 150,000 straight couples on how their lives are impacted, these letters will share the perspective of those forced to serve under this law alongside their loved ones."

Today's letter is from a retired servicemember who lives "with a wonderful person who was fired because of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' (DADT)." Retired Chief Petty Officer Lee Quillian describes the level of deceit required to serve without being exposed. It's intense and it's wrong. Pretty sure the Pentagon Working Group won't be learning about what life is really like for gay and lesbian servicemembers from its survey:

August 25, 2010


Hon. Jeh C. Johnson
General Counsel, U.S. Department of Defense
Co-Chair, Comprehensive Review Working Group

General Carter F. Ham
Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe
Co-Chair, Comprehensive Review Working Group

Dear General Ham and Mr. Johnson:

I am a retired military sailor, living with a wonderful person who was fired because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).

Because of my experience with the military, I understand the life, the duty days, the underway time, the training cycles. Even the simple events of life at sea – how wondrous or disastrous mail call can be, depending on whether or not you get a letter; the whirlwind caused by the simple announcement of liberty call; and the sounds of the Navy - the bells, the whistles, the constant hum and different noises of shipboard living. These are just some of the various events and sometimes intense evolutions that occur around the universe called the United States Ship. I’ve been stationed on five of the best ships in the Navy. I speak the language, I know all the acronyms, and it’s an organization I’ve spent most of my closeted life in.

If my highly decorated and accomplished spouse had been able to stay in the Navy, her professional life would have included all of those same events mentioned previously, and more. She would have undoubtedly been stationed on board a ship of awesome capabilities. That ship would deploy, do training missions, visit foreign and domestic ports, and represent the world’s finest Navy. She would stand watch, hopefully in something better than a port and starboard rotation. If you don’t know what a port and starboard rotation is, just imagine working at your current job, six hours on, then take six hours off, then go back to work for six hours. Repeat 24/7 for the next 180 days.

She might even be sent on an Individual Augmentation (IA) to Iraq or Afghanistan while in her current assignment. During an Individual Augmentation, she would literally be loaned out to cover a critical needs job, however long that may be, in addition to her regularly scheduled deployment cycle.

I, however, would have to adhere to a strict set of rules when dealing with a deployment, whether it be an IA or ship deployment. Here are just some to think about – they reflect what life is like for military families under DADT:

· Set up an alternative e-mail account that wouldn’t show the gender of my name;

· Establish a very generic, genderless form of communications over e-mail;

· Never write “I love you” – or nothing that could indicate anything at all about the nature of our relationship;

· No access to the Ship’s Ombudsman – a point person for military families for all things very, very important relating to the ship and her crew;

· Create a plan for dropping her off at ship – making sure our goodbye or welcome is in secret;

· Never spending the remaining few hours on the ship like with the rest of families before a deployment;

· Worrying about how close to the pier I could be without raising suspicion;

· Before leaving home, be sure to say final goodbyes – no hugs and certainly no kisses allowed on or near the base;

· Not being able to participate in any family video postcards to the ship;

· Still trying to figure out how to deal with those pesky customs forms required when mailing anything to a “Fleet Post Office” – they require a name, so maybe use her parent’s name or the dog’s name;

· Don’t put anything too personal in care packages – those might arrive via barge, waterlogged and falling apart – therefore, they might be opened;

· As a result of the rough handling from a helicopter mail drop, any other boxes I send could be opened if damaged;

· Don’t get sick, seriously sick, and don’t get hurt while spouse is gone;

· Hope she doesn’t get hurt as no one would tell me – I can’t be listed as her next of kin in her service record without raising eyebrows;

· Remember to have her pack her personal cell phone and the charger for use six to nine months later – can’t use any of the ship’s communications, so the cell is the only way to coordinate a pickup upon return home;

· Knowing that when the other families are waiting at the pier, I wouldn’t be able to stand among them anxiously awaiting my sailor’s return.

This isn’t everything. It’s just a glimpse.

Sincerely,


Chief Petty Officer Lee Quillian, USN (Ret.)


CC:
U.S. Sen. Carl M. Levin, Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee
U.S. Sen. John S. McCain, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

Read More...

Another chance to support equality: Will Obama's DOJ weigh in on Prop. 8 appeal?

Team Obama keeps hoping to avoid the issue of marriage equality. But, they can't ignore it. Over the next few months, we're going to find out if the DOJ is defending DOMA's constitutionality in the Massachusetts cases. And, we'll find out if Obama meant it when he said he supported the Prop. 8 decision. The crack team of lawyers in Obama administration can go on-the-record with its support of Judge Walker's decision. They can. But, will they?:

Days before the 2008 election, then-candidate Barack Obama said California's Proposition 8 was "unnecessary" and "not what America's about."

Now, some same-sex marriage advocates are hoping Obama's Justice Department will make a similar argument in court. The federal government is not a party to the Proposition 8 litigation, which pits gay and lesbian couples against supporters of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. But the Justice Department could weigh in as amicus curiae -- either when the case arrives at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court or, sooner, before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Such a decision would typically be up to Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal with input from across the federal government, including the White House.

The involvement of the Justice Department would add further significance to what is already the nation's most-watched court case, officially named Perry v. Schwarzenegger, while also raising difficult political questions for the Obama administration. "There have been people encouraging the U.S. Justice Department to follow the progress of the Perry case, to discuss it internally and to support the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans," said Jennifer Pizer, director of Lambda Legal's Marriage Project, which filed an amicus brief in the case's trial phase.

Pizer would not detail internal strategy, such as lobbying of White House or Justice Department officials, but she and other advocates of same-sex marriage said there are reasons for the federal government to become involved in the case. For one, there are Obama's 2008 comments in opposition of Proposition 8. For another, they argue, the federal government has an interest in protecting civil rights -- though that interest has been complicated in the context of homosexuality.

Let's be clear, this won't be a legal decision. It will be pure politics. So far, the political geniuses in the White House (the same geniuses who took Obama from an approval rating in the high 60s down to 43% this week) have stuck to their opposition to marriage equality. Axelrod reiterated that position the day after the Prop. 8 decision. Yes, the Obama political operation wants to stay as far away from the marriage issue as possible. But, the longer they wait to deal it -- and by deal with it, I mean Obama supporting marriage equality -- the more outdated and out-of-touch the President looks. This case presents another opportunity. We'll see how it goes. Read More...

Evangelicals picket gay couple's home simply because they're gay

Lovely.
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Marine commandant talks about segregating barracks, again

But as the White House and the Pentagon spokesman told us, repeatedly and quite vociferously when we first reported on this concern, it's not only untrue, but they just can't figure out where we come up with this crazy stuff.

Uh huh. Perhaps we get it from the head of the Marine Corps. Here's ThinkProgress' latest:

On a different, but related subject, Conway suggested that if the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law is repealed, the Marines may consider allowing Marines not to share quarters with homosexuals.

Conway said the Marines may make such housing arrangements “voluntary” to accommodate any “moral concerns.” He said many Marines are “very religious” and because of their moral concerns “don’t want to room” with homosexuals.

But Conway stressed that if the law is repealed, the Marines would take the lead in implementing it. “We cannot be seen as dragging our feet. We’ve got two wars to fight. We’ll implement it and move on,” said Conway.

So, he's not talking about segregating gay troops, he's simply talking about letting straight troops segregate, I mean, live in separate but equal housing, I mean.... tell me again how this isn't segregation, permitting the white, I mean straight troops to live in different barracks than the black, I mean gay troops who make them feel icky?

The man is the head of the entire Marine corps. This isn't just some crazy person we're quoting here.

If the White House isn't considering segregating gay and straight troops, or giving bigoted troops the option to self-segregate (kind of like choosing to have your own drinking fountain), then when is it that they plan on telling the Marine Commandant to STFU or resign? Read More...

Gary Bauer has determined that each life lost on 9/11 is worth three feet

He's an idiot. Read More...

Black males aren't graduating like they should? Blame the gays

From Holy Bullies:

A column I read this morning in the American Spectator by Concerned Women for America "senior analyst" Janice Crouse had me reeling due to its audacity to deceive.

The goal of Crouse's piece was probably to demonstrate just how the recent Proposition 8 decision and gay marriage in general is hurting the black community.

However, what she accomplished was showing yet again how some on the right, especially the religious right, dishonestly manipulate facts and figures.

In her piece, Why Young Black Males Are Not Graduating High School, Crouse seems to be trying make a correlation between a recent report by the Schott Foundation (in which the overall 2007-08 graduation rate for Black males in the U.S. was only 47 percent) and the recent Prop 8 ruling...

Read More...

The plight of gay Palestinians

Via Joe.My.God: Read More...

A letter to the Pentagon about DADT from Nancy Manzella, a military mom

The Pentagon is in the process of surveying military spouses about the repeal of DADT.

Yesterday's letter was from a military spouse, Lynne Kennedy, the partner of Capt. Joan Garrah, U.S. Navy (Ret.). Today's letter is from a military mom, Nancy S. Manzella. Her son, Former Army Sgt. Darren Manzella, was discharged under DADT:

August 24, 2010

Hon. Jeh C. Johnson
General Counsel, U.S. Department of Defense
Co-Chair, Comprehensive Review Working Group

General Carter F. Ham
Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe
Co-Chair, Comprehensive Review Working Group

Dear General Ham and Mr. Johnson:

My name is Nancy Manzella and I have been a mother for 34 years. My husband and I live in rural Western New York where we have made our home at a grape vineyard and have raised three wonderful sons. We now have beautiful daughters-in-law and grandchildren. We are proud to say that we are the all American family.

I also was a military mom for six years. Our son, Darren Manzella, served two tours in the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Soldier in the United States Army. He was promoted to sergeant, was a team leader of a medical squad, and conducted more than 100 12-hour patrols in the streets of Baghdad, treating wounds and evacuating casualties of sniper fire and roadside bombs.

Darren was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, honoring him for treating American and Iraqi troops while under fire. He saved lives while putting his own in precarious situations by treating gunshot wounds to blast injuries and more. He was “out there” and our family knew he was in constant danger.

As anyone who is familiar with our military knows, service takes tremendous sacrifices, not only for those who serve, but for their loved ones they leave behind. Our family was always concerned for Darren’s safety, as all military families are for their sons and daughters in uniform. We were also concerned for him because he was openly gay while he served his second tour. We knew that anyone in a war zone was at risk of being harmed at any time, but we also understood that because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Darren was especially vulnerable. He could be fired, forced out of the Army, and potentially face harassment and abuse. The stress was incredible.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” not only affects the gay and lesbian service members’ lives, but also throws their loved ones, friends, and all family members’ lives into a stressful nightmare. We cannot get to them if they need us for support, as they are thousands of miles away. The ban impacts so many lives adversely. It causes unbearable stress on everyone concerned, especially with the constant fear that we may slip up, we might inadvertently “out” them even in a simple letter from home. The “All American Families” who have gay or lesbian service members serving are living with this stress every day.

As parents, this law offends us deeply. It tells us that our gay and lesbian children who are in uniform and putting their lives on the line every day, saving lives, are not good enough to serve their country. The law discriminates against family members, forcing fear and anguish into their lives. Our sons and daughters should be judged on their performance, loyalty to country and bravery, not their sexual orientation.

We need to support all American military families – straight or gay.

Our son was fired under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and I still believe to this day he would willingly serve his country again if this law ended. I can tell this discharge not only affected his military career, but caused him to question his self-worth. Under the law it doesn’t seem to matter how good you are at your job; how many lives you save or people you support; or how patriotic and dedicated you might be. If you happen to be gay or lesbian, this law says you are somehow “less than.”

The Army teaches honor and integrity and holds those values dear. Despite these values, the Army still isn’t allowed to let our gay and lesbian troops live up to that potential because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Under this law, troops are forced to be dishonest, to put integrity to the side, and to live in the closet – with their families closeted beside them – denying who they are.

They need the opportunity to “Be All That They Can Be.”

I am urging you to support the repeal of this unjust law. The values that we gave our kids, and the values the Army told Darren they believe, are really the values we should strive for. But until this law is gone, those values are undermined by unfairness, discrimination and prejudice. I realize that our country is in the midst of great change having to make many crucial decisions. I also understand that the Administration has “a lot on their plate” right now. I’m an American, too, and have many concerns about our country. But, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal cannot and should not be pushed down the road.

Sincerely,


Nancy S. Manzella

CC:

U.S. Sen. Carl M. Levin, Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee

U.S. Sen. John S. McCain, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman,Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

Read More...

Dan Savage on Mitch McConnell taking Obama's word that he's a Christian

Yesterday, on Meet the Press, Mitch McConnell talked about Obama's religion:

"The president says he's a Christian. I take him at his word. I don't think that's in dispute,"

Dan Savage provides the only appropriate response. Read More...