REPEALED: Don't Ask Don't Tell

President Obama was counted out earlier this month by his detractors. However, the past week demonstrates that our president is playing chess while most of his opponents (including John McCain) are playing checkers.

Yesterday President Obama signed a gigantic bill that came out of a principled compromise with the Republican party leadership.

Today he watched as the Senate repealed the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy that denied gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the military. The Senate passed the bill 65-31 in their so-called "lame-duck" session. Much props to Sen. Harry Reid, Leader Nancy Pelosi and the others who kept working the angles until the DADT policy was successfully repealed by congress.

This blog has shared information about DADT since July 19, 2009 ... and it feels good to be on the right side of history. I look forward to the signing ceremony in the White House where this discriminatory policy will finally be outlawed!

I'm proud of our president ... and I hope he continues to display his chess skills in the coming weeks and months!

GOP Senators Are the Only Obstacle to Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy

The effort to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy made some positive movement this week. The full House of Representatives and the Armed Services Committee in the Senate voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Villagers may recall that President Obama promised in his State of the Union address to end the law that denies gays and lesbians the right to serve their country. Now, the Obama administration is closer than ever to making good on that promise.

The full Senate will soon start its debate on repeal. But some Republicans are digging in their heels. John McCain continued to flip-flop on the DADT issue when he said, "I'll do everything in my power" to block a vote. And Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker called the repeal bill "a major mistake" -- announcing that the GOP plans to filibuster.

The 'just say No' policy of the Republican Party continues. The GOP never seems to have anything positive to offer on any national issue. They simply say 'No' to anything that the Obama administration is trying to do.

I encourage all villagers to sign an online petition indicating your interest in defeating those who'd stand in the way of history. Show the US Senate that villagers -- in every state -- overwhelmingly support repeal.

Lieberman Gets Nine More Senators to Support 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Legislation

Nine additional senators joined Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to co-sponsor legislation repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Tom Udall (NM).

There are now 23 total co-sponsors to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010.

Being a Weasel Doesn't Stop Lieberman From Seeking Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy

Am I the only one that thinks Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is the most chameleon-like weasel in public service? I first became aware of the guy in 1980 when he ran as the vice presidential candidate with Al Gore. Lieberman was actively courted by Sen. McCain to be his vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election (before losing the nod to Sarah Palin). Last year Lieberman scuttled the public option and almost took down healthcare reform by his actions and demands.

Today, I see that Lieberman introduced a bill in the Senate that would repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT) ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military within 13 months of enactment. This blog has been on record in favor of the repeal of DADT policy. However, it rankles me that Lieberman is sticking his nose into the process.

"Today we introduce legislation to stop the prohibition of men and women based on their sexual orientation in the American armed forces," Lieberman said. "[We] offer in its place a policy of equal opportunity to serve and defend our country."

Lieberman introduced the measure along with Sens. Mark Udall (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Roland Burris (D-IL), and Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee. Udall wrote that Lieberman's bill would shift the Pentagon DADT policy review from "considering whether to repeal" DADT to instead focusing on an assumed repeal.

It says something that lameduck Roland Burris is part of Lieberman's team on this DADT legislation ... don't you think?

John McCain Flip-Flops on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy -- He Now Opposes President, Military Leadership and Colin Powell

In the war over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the battle lines have been drawn: It's Republicans vs. the military. And John McCain vs. John McCain.

Admiral Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave game-changing testimony to Congress last week. They both strongly support President Obama's effort to repeal DADT.




That isn't stopping recalcitrant Republicans like John McCain from flip-flopping on the stance he took in 2006 to follow the lead of our nation's top military brass on DADT.






Here's what John McCain said back in October 2006 on MSNBC's "Hardball":

"I listen to people like General Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and literally every military leader that I know... The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, Senator, we ought to change the policy, then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to."

Colin Powell -- the man who made DADT possible -- announced his opposition to this discriminatory policy, saying that "attitudes and circumstances have changed."







Again, we see the hypocrisy of John McCain. I remain grateful to the American people for ensuring that McCain/Palin were defeated in the 2008 presidential election. Having those two in the White House would be scary.

Miltiary Lawyers Seek to Delay Repeal of Ban on Openly Gay Military Service

This blog joined many other villagers to ask Congress to overturn the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy enacted by Congress in 1993 calling for the discharge of openly gay, lesbian or bisexual service members, never really impacted me one way or the other.

As such, it disappointed us to read that lawyers for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen "are recommending a delay of at least a year in beginning the process to repeal the ban on openly gay military service." [SOURCE]

“Now is not the time,” the in-house legal counsel for Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote recently in a memorandum obtained by The Associated Press. “The importance of winning the wars we are in, along with the stress on the force, our body of knowledge and the number of unknowns, demand that we act with deliberation.”

Mullen and other Pentagon leaders have quietly begun a new push to build consensus for the timing of a repeal that Mullen and others assume will come eventually. Strong opposition to swift repeal remains among top uniformed military leaders.

Mullen was unable to get the full backing of other senior uniformed leaders during an unusual meeting of the top officers from each branch of the military last week, U.S. officials said. He is expected to hold a follow-up session within days.

Mullen and other military leaders cautioned last year that repeal of the law must be done carefully so as not to disrupt military cohesion in wartime. Last April, Defense Secretary Robert Gates indicated the process could take years — if it ever happens.

At the time, Gates noted that it took five years for the U.S. military to racially integrate during the Truman administration.

“If we do it, it’s imperative that we do it right and very carefully,” Gates said then.

However, other Pentagon advisers "argue that lifting the ban would not cause unmanageable problems or divisions among the uniformed military."

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Villager's Voice: I'm never served in the military. I'm not gay. However, I have an opinion on this matter. It is my opinion that we already have gay people in the military. They serve with honor. They should not have to deny or hide in order to obey a DADT policy that is outdated and unnecessary.

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What say u?

Tell Congress: Repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

I've never served in the military. I'm also not gay. As such, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy, enacted by Congress in 1993 calling for the discharge of openly gay, lesbian or bisexual service members, never really impacted me one way or the other. I suppose that my greatest disappointment is that the entire policy debate ruined the first 100 days of President Clinton's first administration.

It turns out that over 1,300 people have lost their military job since 1994.

Our nation is a different place in 2009 than it was in 1994. The DADT policy seems out-dated. The president says he wants it changed. 75 percent of Americans favor allowing gays to serve openly in the military - up from just 44 percent in 1993.

We are in two wars right now. We need all the trained military people we can get. Most allied forces working alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq allow individuals to serve openly regardless of sexual orientation. Studies of the militaries of Australia, Israel, Great Britain and Canada have shown open service to have no effect on enrollment or retention.

The total number of countries allowing openly gay service is 26. The US and Turkey are the only two original NATO countries that still have bans in place. It just feels that we are on the wrong end of history with our DADT policy.

The folks over at Pam's House Blend have been urging repeal of the DADT policy for many years now. I respect Pam and her opinion on this matter very much.

The folks in congress are now joining the effort. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), which repeals current law and replaces it with a policy of non-discrimination in our armed forces, has 161 cosponsors with Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) as lead sponsor.

Villagers, I encourage you to ask your Representative to support MREA today. You don't have to be in the military or gay to realize that it is time to repeal the DADT policy. Send the letter to your congressional representative.

What are your thoughts on DADT policy?