Pentagon Will Certify DADT Repeal Tomorrow, But DOMA Will Continue Screwing Over Gay Soldiers Indefinitely
The Pentagon will announce tomorrow that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have certified their readiness to begin the 60-day repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Then after 60 days, DADT should be finally dead. That’s great news! Sadly, the Defense of Marriage act will continue to ensure that servicemembers’ partners will gain absolutely nothing from their spouse’ military benefits… “Your spouse can die for us, but hands off our money, fags!”
Oh, America! Land of the brave, home of back-asswards contradictions!
Well its something..I keep trying to find the silver linings…I am far too angry lately.
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Funny how nothing gets done until the courts are threatening to do it first.
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@Cam: Ditto on that, Cam. Sometimes people forget that the Log Cabin Republican federal suit against DADT started when G. W. Bush was president. It’s funny how many times I run across Obots claiming that the LCR suit was just brought about to embarrass Obama — not that he doesn’t have a lot to be embarrassed about, mind you. But, lucky for us, the court challenges (especially the victories) have provided the needed impetus for Congress and POSTUS to act more expeditiously in our favor.
Likewise, the Republicans in the House and in the Senate might want to rethink voting against “The Respect for Marriage Act”; if the courts strike down DOMA on their own, then Teabaggers in the Congress will have missed forever their last opportunity to attached their poison pills (so-called, “Religious Exemptions and Bill Nullification Clauses” — such as in New York’s recent marriage equality bill) to any federal same-sex marriage legislation.
…Just saying.
:)
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Currently, the personal lives of tens of millions of Gay and Lesbian Americans are the bloody battlegrounds where this never-ending war against civil rights is being fought. It is a war that perennially pits progress and egalitarianism against the forces of ignorance and maliciousness. We may lose many battles to those foes who divide this great house against itself — which we call America — but ultimately we will win the final war against the enemies of human dignity and freedom. Of that I have no doubt.
Those who fanatically and sanctimoniously wave the banner of “tradition” are in reality only selfishly trying to protect their own special status at the expense of others. Obviously, if tradition was always such a virtuous thing to uphold we’d still have slavery; women wouldn’t have the right to vote, and America would have king.
The horrors of human bondage are most often conceived and perpetuated by using that contemptible excuse of upholding the self-serving status quo. Unquestionably, when tradition is used as justification to oppress others it becomes a thing of evil and an enemy of civilization. Old notions and elitists traditions must yield to inclusiveness and egalitarianism if peace is ever to be realized and a stable society maintained.
Too many brave and good citizens, Gay and Straight alike, have fought and died on too many bloody battlefields in the hope that all people should partake of freedom — let us never forget that. And those who disparage their ultimate sacrifice, by abridging the equality of others, not only dishonor these unselfish patriots, they also bring dishonor to themselves and to our country.
~ “Bud” E. Lewis Evans
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@Jakey: I hate to say this, but it really is just lip service that is going on right now. I have no doubt that the repeal will pass the Senate. I have no doubt that Obama would sign it if given the opportunity. I also, unfortunately, have no doubt that it will never pass a Republican controlled House. The best chance we have right now is a plethora of cases headed to the Supreme Court (which is most conservative and borderline fundamental) which is the same court that ruled in favor of Fred Phelps and his gang being able to protest funerals. I would say we still might be screwed.
In other news, I bet all you people that sat here and cried out that all gays should vote Republican instead of Democrat in 2010 regret that now, eh?
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Good ol’ Queerty, accentuating the negative, as usual.
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And if DOMA had been repealed first, they could then be legally recognized by the gov’t but still not probably be recognized by the military due to DADT.
One has to be repealed first, then the other.
The two combined were are double whammy of bigotry, though. No doubt about that.