Airman Discharged Under Don't Ask/Don't Tell

The military gay ban has been repealed, but implementation is still dragging on and, unbelievably, soldiers can still be discharged for being gay.  On April 29, the Secretary of the Air Force approved the discharge of an airman.  This is the first and only discharge under DA/DT since Congress voted to repeal it.  According to an Air Force spokesman, the airman in question requested expeditious processing of his discharge.  Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemen's Legal Defense Network had this to say:

''This discharge underscores the need for the President, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense to certify 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal and put this ugly chapter in American history behind us. It also highlights the undeniable and unfortunate fact that service members remain under investigation and at risk of discharge.''

Navy to Allow Same-Sex Marriage on Base

The Navy has announced that they will allow same-sex marriages to be performed in on-base facilities in states where they are legal.  Navy chaplains may officiate.  This means that, once Don't Ask/Don't Tell is finally dead and buried, gay sailors can get married openly and with pride in their own Navy chapels.  This represents a huge cultural change, it seems to me.  You might even call it a sea-change. 

Sailor Retained Under DA/DT

Yesterday, an administrative panel of officers at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA voted 3-0 to retain Petty Officer 2nd Class Derek Morado, in a discharge proceeding under Don't Ask/Don't Tell.  He had been facing discharge since 2009 when someone alerted his command to a Facebook picture of Morado kissing another man.   If you're wondering why the military is still holding discharge proceedings under the gay ban, remember that it's still in effect.  The repeal law included a bullshit certification procedure that requires action by the House of Representatives.  Not surprisingly, the GOP-led house is not anxious to take any action that might be seen as decent treatment for gay people.  Thus, Derek Morado had to has to live with the stress and uncertainty of this discharge panel for months.  The taxpayers had to foot the bill for the discharge proceeding for Morado and other service members.  Thankfully, the administrative board apparently recognized the farce of it all and retained Morado.   

Dan Choi to Army over Discharge Bill: Nuts!

The U.S. Army has sent Lt. Dan Choi a bill for $2,500.00 for his discharge for being gay.  The letter Choi received states the money is for the "unearned portion of your enlistment or reenlistment bonus."  That's right, America, the Army kicked him out for being gay and is charging him for it.  Lt. Choi sent President Obama a letter:

"By flagrantly and repeatedly violating an immoral law, I have flagrantly and repeatedly saluted the honor of America's promise. At West Point, when we recited the Cadet Prayer we reminded ourselves "always to choose the harder right over the easier wrong." It would be easy to pay the $2500 bill and be swiftly done with this diseased chapter of my life, where I sinfully deceived and tolerated self-hatred under Don't Ask Don't Tell. Many thousands have wrestled with their responsibilities and expedient solutions when confronted with issues of this magnitude. I understand you also wrestle with issues of our equality. But I choose to cease wrestling, to cease the excuses, to cease the philosophical grandstanding and ethical gymnastics of political expediency in the face of moral duty. My obligations to take a stand, knowing all the continued consequences of my violations, are clear. I refuse to pay your claim."

h/t LC NY Bureau Chief Doug

$193.2 Million

That was the cost to American taxpayers of enforcing Don't Ask/Don't Tell between 2004 and 2009.  Most of that went to training replacements for the soldiers forced out for reasons unrelated to their abilities.  That means the average expulsion cost taxpayers $52,800.00.  What does deficit hawk GOP Representative Duncan Hunter want to do?  Undermine repeal, of course.   

Repeal!

Blatantly stolen from Kenneth in the 212

Quote of the Day

"People will look back on this moment and wonder, 'Why was this ever a source of controversy in the first place?'"

--President Obama, signing the Don't Ask/Don't Tell repeal into law. 

DA/DT Repeal Passes the Senate!

The final vote for repeal was 65-31.  Republicans voting yes were Brown on MA, Snowe and Collins of ME, Kirk of IL, Murkowski of AK, Voinovich of OH, Burr of NC and Ensign of NV.   The final two voted no on cloture and then voted yes on repeal.  Now the bill goes to the President.  Once he signs it, this absurd injustice that drove me from my military career will be history.  I can't tell you the emotions I'm feeling right now.

DA/DT Repeal Passes House

The vote was 250-175.  Now it moves to the Senate where Sen. Olympia Snowe has said she'll join her Maine colleague in voting for repeal.  Harry Reid says a vote won't happen until next week.  47 senators have co-sponsored the bill. 

DA/DT Repeal Fails

A vote in the Senate today to end cloture and begin debate on the Defense Authorization Bill failed today.  There were 57 yay votes, 40 nay and 2 not voting.  Susan Collins was the only Republican to vote yay.  Supposed repeal supporters Scott Brown and Lisa Murkowski voted nay, as did newly-seated WV Democrat Joe Manchin, who was the sole member of his party to so vote.  Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins have announced that they will introduce a free-standing DA/DT repeal bill.  That would have to pass both houses.   

DA/DT Vote Today

Beginning at 11:00 AM Eastern Time, the Senate will vote on the following:

The motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2010 (S.3992).


The motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (H.R.847).

Reconsideration of the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (S.3454).

Thus, the vote on the Defense Authorization Act, which includes a repeal of Don't Ask/Don't Tell, will probably come around noon. 

In related news, former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, who killed President Clinton's attempts to lift the gay ban in 1993, has come around and believes DA/DT should be repealed:

"In an interview this week, Nunn told the Associated Press that the law known as 'don't ask, don't tell' should be overturned as long as there is enough time to prepare the troops for the change. He said the Pentagon should be given at least a year before the repeal takes effect to ensure operations in Afghanistan aren't affected.


'Society has changed, and the military has changed,' the former senator from Georgia said."

DA/DT Vote Could Be Today

Politico is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Reid could bring the Defense Authorization Bill, which includes Don't Ask/Don't Tell repeal, to the floor for a vote as early as today:

"Such a move regarding the National Defense Authorization Act is likely only if other bills Reid has filed cloture motions on fail to muster the necessary 60 votes Wednesday. Those measures include the DREAM act immigration legalization bill, a $250 payment for seniors who set to received no annual Social Security increase next year, a bill to aid September 11 responders and a measure ending the right of states to block unionization of firefighters."

Support for DA/DT repeal is growing.  Conservative Democratic Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas has announced his support for repeal, bringing it one vote closer to reality.  Do we finally have momentum? 

Pentagon Study Finds Soldiers Don't Care About DA/DT Repeal

I could have told them this.  The massive Pentagon study of the impact of Don't Ask/Don't Tell on soldiers and their families is in and the overwhelming attitude of military members to openly gay servicemembers is a big whatever, dude. Basically, Barry Goldwater had it right decades ago when he said soldiers don't care if a colleague is straight as long as he can shoot straight. The commander of the U.S. Army Europe said concerns about DA/DT repeal were “exaggerated and not consistent with the reported experiences of many service members.” Defense Secretary Gates said that repeal “would not be the wrenching, traumatic change that many have feared and predicted.” According to the New York Times:


"The report also found that a majority — 69 percent — believed they had already worked with a gay man or woman, and of those the vast majority — 92 percent — reported that the unit’s ability to work together was very good, good or 'neither good nor poor.'”

Of course, John McCain reiterated his opposition to DA/DT repeal today.  Keep in mind that his excuses for opposition are ever-shifting along with his integrity.  His gal pal Lindsey Lohan Graham said yesterday the she was opposed to repeal despite the fact that it's glaringly obvious that Graham as queer as a 3-dollar bill.  What a farce. 

Quote of the Day

"I have a very difficult time leading an organization—one of whose pillars is integrity—and asking people to lie every single day they come to work."

--Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on his opposition to Don't Ask/Don't Tell.  This is precisely why I left the Army after 12 years. 

In similar news, the Pentagon has announced that there have been no discharges under DA/DT since October 21. 

Dan Choi on Love and Honesty

Dan Choi, open and honest, speaks movingly of love, his partner, and the importance of being out:



Via Mark Ambinder

President Obama: It Get's Better

Say what you will about the President's record on gay rights (and I have many times), but for the President of the United States to speak directly to gay kids from the White House is huge.  This came on the same day as new Pentagon rules requiring service secretary approval for any discharge under Don't Ask/Don't Tell. 

"In a memorandum dated Oct. 21, Mr. Gates said that “until further notice,” only five senior Defense Department officials, all civilians, would have the authority to expel openly gay service members. As the memo explained it, the relevant service secretary — either the Secretary of the Army, Navy or Air Force — has to consult with the Pentagon’s legal counsel, Jeh C. Johnson, and the undersecretary for personnel, Clifford L. Stanley, before the three can make a group decision on whether a gay service member should be forced out of the military. Until Thursday the decision was in the hands of a far larger number of less senior military and civilian officials."

Don't Ask/Don't Tell Back in Force

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a stay of Judge Virginia Phillips' injunction on enforcement of the military's gay ban.  How long will we continue playing bullshit games with people's lives and careers to make a few old men in the Pentagon comfortable?

Judge Denies DA/DT Stay

Judge Virginia Phillips of the Central District of California has denied the Department of Justice's request for a stay of her order enjoining enforcement of Don't Ask/Don't Tell.  She found that the DOJ had failed to meet its burden of demonstrating irreparable harm.  Of course they failed to meet that burden.  All of the justifications for the gay ban were made up out of whole cloth. 

In related news, Lt. Dan Choi has joined the Army again!  He went to the Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square yesterday and was accepted.  Here's a shot from Joe.My.God:

Military Recruiters Told to Accept Gays

In the wake of a federal court order enjoining the military from enforcing Don't Ask/Don't Tell, military recruiters have been told to accept gay and lesbian recruits...for now.  Guidance has been sent to military recruiting commands stating that the gay ban has been suspended, but it could be reinstated.  Gay recruits should be aware that they may be allowed to enlist, but could be subject to discharge later.  Don't Ask/Don't Tell is not over. 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned of "enormous consequences for the troops" if Judge Virginia Phillips' order is allowed to stand.  In response, the Palm Center has set up an "Enormous Consequences" page, listing all the terrible, horrible things that have happened in the 160+ hours since the ban was lifted:

   

Cognitive Dissonance

Vs.

"The Obama administration on Thursday asked a judge to allow the Pentagon to keep its ban against openly gay men and women in the military while it appeals her decision that ruled the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was unconstitutional.



President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and military leaders have backed ending the policy, but have urged that it be done by the U.S. Congress and military so that there is no disruption to military operations, morale or recruiting."

Basically, the administration's "plan" for ending Don't Ask/Don't Tell is for a magical study to be completed sometime in the near future, followed by a vote to repeal in the Senate.  The completely dysfunctional Senate.  Let that sink in.  Obama could appoint Jesus Christ to the Supreme Court and Jim DeMint would filibuster because of the appointee's questionable ties to Samaritans.  What do you think would happen to a vote on allowing gays to serve openly in the military?  Do you think the White House will fight for it?  Do you think John McCain will come around?  Will it start raining unicorns in Dallas?  Either the Supreme Court will declare the law unconstitutional or it will continue in place.