Bless their hearts. Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo, who are fond of chaining themselves to the White House fence, have announced they’re going on a hunger strike until Obama meets a trio of demands: end the Pentagon’s DADT review; shut down DADT discharges for good; insert a non-discrimination policy into military code. That’s a pretty severe wish list!
The hunger strike begins “immediately following congressional mark-ups on the National Defense Authorization Act 2011,” which is, like, today and stuff. It ends when … Obama and Congress meet their demands?
We love ourselves some civil disobedience, but from the evidence this week about how the DADT is (unceremoniously) moving forward, either Choi and Pietrangelo are going to die trying, or their hunger strike will end prematurely, and long before gays can actually serve openly in the military. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t embark on their carb-free diet! But maybe some vitaminwater10 would be a good idea? Just to keep up the electrolytes?
Peter
I admire Dan, but this action is a true waste. I worry about his mental stability.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Peter: I am sure he appreciates the concern. As I imagine so would MLK and multiple others using similar tactics as Dan.
Mike L.
I would do it for inserting a non-discrimination policy b/c of sexual orientation, I admire Dan and Pietrangelo but I think this one may really go nowhere since they had little time between the compromise and the final vote to do an effective hunger strike.
Keep up the work though guys.
Mike
@D’oh, The Magnificent: Only a lunatic would compare the hunger strikes of the black civil rights movement with the hunger strike for DADT. Totally different beasts. The hunger strikes back then were done at a time of inaction, not when there was movement on the issue.
Ill-timed. Ill-conceived.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
I totally support this. Dan’s the only one willing to look at the long-term impact the non-language in this amendment will have on GLB servicemembers.
Jorge
Yeah, mock Dan Choi for trying to make a difference while you do what exactly? While you refresh Youtube.com hoping for a new Davey Wavey video?
Queerty has been such shit lately.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@Mike:
Disagree. Any peaceful act of civil disobedience which comes at a time when our elected officials are trying to sell us up the river with a compromise which has no clear benefit to our community is not ill-timed, but necessary.
OnCloud9
People who consume less calories live longer.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Mike: The Obama administration is fond of labeling people as insane who disagree with them.
The thing is that Obots are not even original. On two levels – a) Because labeling dissent as insane is typically a ploy of those seeking to derail dissent (or calling deviant or whatever- see Michel Focault) and b) labeling gay people insane is not exactly original since they used to lock up mental institutions with electrodes stuck to our genitalia..
My point here is this- for the later reason- the whole history of calling gays insane, you may want to go back to the OFA and tell them this is not the best cultural reference you should be making in this sort of discussion.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12): I am surprised we are in agreement. Yes, that’s my point too. Whether or not the hunger strike will work will depend on whether he keeps alive the discussion of the key issue going forward, implementation of non-discrimination regulations into the military defense code to prevent de facto DADT from taking root again.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@D’oh, The Magnificent:
Politically, we agree on a surprising number of things, D’oh. It’s the social and identity stuff we don’t generally see eye-to-eye on.
Anyway, I’ve been a fan of Choi for a while now, and my respect of him was solidified when he crashed the HRC DADT repeal weekend and snagged that mike from Ms. Griffin. We need leadership willing to push the envelope.
Fitz
I don’t agree with a lot of Choi’s decisions, but he is FAR more politically active and willing to make sacrifice than I have ever been, and i admire that.
Mike
@D’oh, The Magnificent: About as original as labeling anybody who disagrees with you as an “Obot”. Umm, cuz see, I’m actually very much against President Obama on gay issues. He gets no love from me there.
The fact of the matter is that this hunger strike is going to go nowhere. It’s a silly political stunt. So far these stunts have done little if anything to move the issue forward.
Meetings with and phone calls to Pelosi are what got this kicked into action. Pelosi is the person who told Obama that he could either jump on board or risk getting left behind on this issue. Thank goodness for groups like SU, SLDN, HRC as well as reps like Murphy who knelt on congress for action.
george
This guy is a self-promoting drama queen. He is the WORST spokesperson for gay soldiers. i much prefer the other guys who’ve been on Rachel Maddow. Passionate, but sensible and realistic.
gaylib
George and Mike were just over at towleroad dropping their same OFA talking point turds. You guys should at least come up with some more original screen names. yesterday it was the brady bunch (bobby and cindy) today it’s George and Mike–George Michael?
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Mike: I am not seeking to score points for originally. Being hip is the Obot thing. I am trying to accurately reflect your behavior here while having a political discussion about equality under the law with those who are rational actors (the odd thing is scratch below the surface, and one quickly realizes how irrational most Obots, and, quite often, deeply illogical and lacking in factual arguments.) At base, 90 percent of what you say or write can be reduced to ‘ I trust Obama. He’s got my back.” I mean- we are talking about a politician here. But one would not get that reading some of your commentary.
And, please stop pretending like you care about facts or historical analogies or any of that. The only thing your little irrational brain knows is the messiah is threaten, and like a Chrisitanist, you lash out with the kitchen sink to protect your belief system at all cost. Anyone claiming the tactics here being discussed are ineffectual a) know nothing of history and b) of this particular struggle.
You are kind of beneath me to be honest in terms of having a real debate because its like discussing this with a child who just is set on pouting because someone doesn’t buy into the president as messiah. to me he’s a politician like any other, and capable of being influenced like any other. Including through activists fighting for their equality.
Chance
Will anyone (aside from Rachel Maddow) notice? Would they have a reason to consider it ‘newsworthy?’ Would it change anyone’s minds?
Does Dan even think that this strategy will work? End the study? You have to be kidding me. There’s idealism and pragmatism, but then there is simple fantasy.
This whole endeavor is beginning with the knowledge that it will fail. That suggests to me that he’s more interested in securing a place in textbooks than he is in achieving his demands.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12): Agree about pushing ahead. I like that he keeps his eye on the ball. In an age when are influenced more by hype than anything else, what I like is the actual arguments he makes. He didn’t engage as some did in hyperbole after the announced compromise. Instead, he pointed out plainly what was missing and what needed to be done to make this meaningful. He didn’t pretend that this was “Mission Accomplished.” He pointed out what needed to happen to make such a statement true. In other words, I like his arguments. I like that he’s willing to fight in the public arena to win his arguments. I like his bravery. Its easy to sit in judgement of him, but ultimately, what I want is a continued focus on the underlying issue, and that’s what we are getting.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: One of the comments coming out of the WH house conference that was reported was that the activism had an impact.
indeed, if you do a quick google search, one quickly realizes that you are a liar.
It was not just Rachel Maddow, but multiple media sources that cover the activists regarding these issues.
When the president was heckled against recently it was number 1 and received multiple article write ups
The problem many of you Obot children have is that your assertions do not match reality.
They are your fevered immaturity bout how the rest of the world must think like you do about these political issues. You never test your assumptions before chiming in with idiotic comments that are easily refutable by something as simple as a google news search.
D'oh, The Magnificent
It is also interesting how the Obot OFA types will try to use rating systems on any given site to hid comments critical of the president.
Chance
I have no interest in trying to have a rational discussion with someone like you, D’oh, someone with so little intellectual integrity that you dismiss everyone – EVERYONE – who disagrees with you as an Obot with no actual consideration for their argument. It says a lot about how you can delude yourself into thinking Dan and GetEqual have gotten significant media coverage.
AndrewW
Really Dan? Now, you’re Ghandi?
If this was a protest of “obesity in America” perhaps it might make some sense. But, this is just another circus side-show stunt from GetEQUAL.
DADT Repeal is front and center. The “Compromise” sucks, but we have plenty of attention. Hundreds of organizations have been working on the issue and thousands of people have worked tirelessly on our behalf. None of them wants “attention,” they want results.
The media will ignore this stunt, too. We’ve seen a lot of “stupid and childish” from this small band of misfits. This latest one borders on mental illness.
whatever
@Chance: Yeah, the paranoia is really weird. What the hell is OFA? And where are my checks from them? He reminds me of the teabaggers who claim that everyone who expresses and opinion that is slightly to the left of Attila the Hun is receiving funding from George Soros. If only!
Anyway, it’ll probably end like that I Love Lucy episode when she was in Paris and went on a hunger strike to get a dress. She got the dress but was sneaking food in all the while.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: Repeating back to me an argument that I just made about you only underscores how much of a child you are when it comes to politics.
The reason why you are an Obot is precisely because you not capable of defending your thinking with any factual, logical or rational analysis outside of these sorts of ‘I know you are, but what I am” parlor tricks.
Even your comment about delusion further illustrates the point. Delusion is making statements you can’t verify, and yet, you again repeat back my argument to you as if you are the one make the point about empiricism. I can prove my points Chance. You can’t prove yours. Therein lies your immaturity. You keep saying things because you feel them, but you can’t prove them at all.
I had an interesting discussion with someone the other day about people like- the vast bulk of the America public. You grew up being surrounded by advertising that arrested your intellectual understanding of the world at the high school phase of thinking.
Prove one of your points Chance- prove that for example Dan and Get Equal didn’t matter. Demonstrate how political pressure doesn’t matter either historically or in the present. Use some sort of objective meassure such as press coverage, and how that influences discussion, like I am using. If you are going to mirror something, mirror my focus on proveable statements. Since you apparently need a parent to guide you, that would be an interesting exchange.
As it is, I expect you to repeat back the same clap trap again about how youare not an Obot, when everything about you says that’s exactly what you are. Someone looking for a parent to save them rather than think on his own.
Chance
Yup, just did a text search, and it’s true, I never typed the word ‘Obama’ until now. Because, you see, I wasn’t talking about Obama. I was talking about Dan Choi. But I guess that doesn’t matter because you’re clearly the smartest, most rational person in the room.
Kevin (New Jersey, US)
Of course those of you who value your lives so well will not understand this man’s decision to go on a hunger strike. So many speak of whether or not it will “work,” whether or not it’s “worth it.” Lt. Choi, on the other hand, is not a coward.
Lt. Choi seems sincere in his embrace of military virtues, principles of ethics and conduct which, for him, are not mere words. Soldiers lay down their lives for our republic every day; that such a sacrifice should occur outside the theatre of war is not inconsistent with his integrity.
Lt. Choi is a principled, free man: he has pledged to die for his honor, his integrity, and justice. This is the stuff of heroes and great men. The rest who, for fear of pain or death, bend their knee to the unjust usurpation of their rights and dignity, are fit to be slaves.
Chance
It is not courage to take an action, no matter how principled, if that action won’t accomplish anything.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: You did a text search of activist behavior such as the heckling of the president, protests, etc, and found nothing?
Really? Something that appeared in the LA Times, the Washingon Post, on Hufifngton Post, and had 1200 articles written about it nationally, had no hits for you?
The issue of gay activists pushing for gay rights had no hits. Really?
See, now man, you are moving beyond liar into delusional. Choi is one among many activists working and chipping away at this.
Don’t think I didn’t notice how you took my broader point about activism of the type Choi is doing, and then attempted to narrow it to Dan Choi alone. This again is typical of the immature thinking that one can expect from an Obot.
You can’t debate me on the merits of what I say so you try to change the merits.
I would like to think you aren’t a gay person being so destructive, but I know you probably are. The reason why its destructive is that you are lying to protect one man , the president, over other gay people who are trying to fight for your equality. That’s how vested you are in this cult of personality. Its sad. What’s more- you assume everyone follows a similar cult of personality mentality. I discuss activist tactics using Choi example and in your mind thats a discussion of Dan Choi a lone. Sad.
finally, it is not that just that I am smarter than you. And I specifically talking about you. No one else. Just you. It is that I don’t vest my emotions in politicians to degree you clearly are that you got to go through such contortions to convince yourself o the baggage you seem to be walking around with in order to pretend what you need to pretend.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: I see. So courage in your book is one performs an act that is guaranteed to succeed. Well, with that definition, you yet again illustrate why you are an Obot. You contort yourself in such a way with language to make it unrecognizable to average reader
Mike
It’s kind of interesting, at least to me anyway. The other day HuffPo had the DADT compromise as it’s lead story. Huge type across the screen and then a photo of Dan and the other military folk who chained themselves to the fence. The photo was cropped so it showed them all from the chest up and the WH was in the background. I knew the story behind the photo, but I wondered if my co-workers did. Had they even heard about the fence chaining protest? So I walked around the office and I quizzed my friends. I brought up the HuffPo piece and asked if they knew anything about the photo. Not one of them did. Not one. All of them are gay friendly. Most of them follow political stuff – Daily Kos, Media Matters (we send each other links all the time). They all thought it was just a Veteran’s Day Photo with the WH behind them.
So, outside the gay community, how much of an impact is this having?
the crustybastard
The US military is perhaps over-fond of giving themselves credit for noble self-sacrifice on behalf of our freedoms and our way of life, even as they don’t mind ignobly sacrificing some of their comrades on the altar of Political Christianity.
The military casually disregards the fact that it demands a vastly higher degree of self-sacrifice from gay servicemembers and their families than it does from any other group.
Choi and Pietrangelo are making these points by literally sacrificing themselves.
How anybody can criticize these men is beyond me.
Kevin (New Jersey, US)
@Chance – cour·age, n., The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.
You confuse courage with efficacy. Your statement would imply that a soldier who faced death and lost his life in a battle not won by his side was not courageous. The efficacy of strategy has no bearing on the courage of the man who implements it.
Forrest Gump
“Lieutenant Dan, I got you some ice cream. Ice cream.”
“And that’s all I have to say about that.”
Chance
@D’oh, The Magnificent: Guarantee was your word, not mine. Of course, why would you suddenly be limited by honesty or integrity now?
There are no guarantees, but a reasonable possibility of success should be the basic criteria for any action that is meant to effect change. It is foolish and delusional, not courageous, to pursue an action without the possibility of achieving the goal. Even if the odds are stacked against the courageous soldier, there has to be a chance that he will win.
And @Kevin (New Jersey, US): my statement would not imply that a fallen soldier did not act courageously, because you’re falsely comparing Dan Choi’s hunger strike to a soldier in actual military combat. Choi is not risking his life. He is not facing danger. He is fasting. People do that, for far less principled reasons. A size 4 dress, for instance. Swimsuit season. They do not do so risking life and limb. If, two months from now, Obama has NOT called off the study, do you really imagine that Choi won’t have had a bite to eat? Are you one of those who so absurdly claim that Choi et al were risking their health, lives, and general well-being by handcuffing themselves to the WH fence?
gaylib
“It is not courage to take an action, no matter how principled, if that action won’t accomplish anything.”
Are you for fucking real? Taking action which may harm oneself with no guarantee that it will accomplish anything is THE DEFINITION of courage.
By your standard, all those people who valiantly died trying to retake flight 93 on 9/11 were selfish, loony, crackpots.
I really am starting to think that if they’re not OFA trolls, they’re just nasty punk ass teenagers with too much time on their hand and not enough adult supervision. For real, guys, you need to step up your game, you’re making yourselves look like idiots.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Mike: Well now that we have had you objective analysis of what rubes in your office think versus say the fact these things appear in the Huffington Post and in the belt way media, we should all just follow what your office mates know.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Kevin (New Jersey, US): I think its funny someone rated you down for pointing out the dictionary definition of the word courage.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@gaylib: Exactly.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@Chance:
It’s starting a discussion here, so it’s accomplishing something. It’s starting a discussion throughout the GLB community, therefore it is accomplishing something.
Even if it didn’t start a discussion, courage is not defined by doing something you know will succeed, but by doing something you know won’t be popular, easy, or simple and hoping that it makes a difference.
Chance
It is courageous to do what is hard because it is important. Dan Choi is doing what is dramatic because it looks important.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: See- here in lies the problem, we must rely on your judgment apparenlty for what will work and what will not. Not acts. Not reason. Not logic. And sure as hell not definitions.
Nothing anyone say s is going to change that your judgment is shit. I could debate you until my fingers bleed. And you will still full of shit. Dictionary definition of words don’t matter to you, methodologies such as testing one’s assumptions through searching news coverage doesn’t matter to you and on and on. Each time someone gives you a chance to redeem what one thinks of your opinion, you do the stupid thing and prove the thesis about your judgment right. If one of you Obots would jsut once actually have a balanced analysis, you might actually have a better chance of wining these conversation.s
Instead, all one gets is the same self serving Obot distortion field that one always gets when talking to one of you nutjobs. “Courage” means efficacy. “Efficacy” means whatever you think it means. Which brings us full circle, I can prove my point about the importance of activism. You can’t prove yours. Therein lies why you aren’t a reasonable person but instead an immature childe defending your parent.
Aaron
It doesn’t matter who is in charge. Dem, Rep, both are wings of the same bird. The flight plan won’t change.
Jason_Activist
We NEED to be thinking about how we can save Dan Choi’s life. We cannot afford to lose our only real gay hero.
DADT will die before Dan Choi succumbs from hunger. In any event he deserves our love and prayers.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chance: Once again with DR you illustrate the problem here. Rather than responding to his thesis about how Dan’s action affects discussion, you simply try to demonize Dan. The Obot distortion field- when in doubt, attack the person who you think threatens your master. You can not discuss the obvious correctness of DRs thesis. To do so illustrates you own lack of honesty in the debate.
Jason_Activist
I will post what hospital Dan is taken to so we can send cards and letters. DON’T send FOOD.
Check for updates on GetEQUAL.com
Chance
Jason, Dan only struck a Jesus pose on the WH fence. He’s not actually crucified or dying. I imagine there are more useful things you could be doing with your time than praying for Dan. Baking cupcakes, perhaps.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@Chance:
Chane, I have to take the same attitude that D’oh is taking.
You refuse to acknowledge that this is starting, at the very least a discussion, and at the most a new political movement. I think your view on this is very myopic, and this is why we as a community get looked down upon. Instead of trying new things and taking a stand, you’d rather moan about the guys who do and hope the straight guys on the Capitol give you the time of day. It’s like toadying to the cool kids in high school in the hopes you can share a lunch table with them.
If this is your idea of politics, it’s a really pathetic idea. Especially since you can’t do anything besides complain. Just curious, what have YOU done lately?
Kevin (New Jersey, US)
@Chance: If Lt. Choi intends to engage in a real, honest-to-goodness hunger strike, then the implication is that he will fast unto death (or at least until the authorities force-feed him) should the demands he makes not be met. You imply that he is insincere in this endeavor, and seem to think it a fait accompli that he will not see it through to the end. You may be right, of course: men are often weaker than their principles, and the “principles” of many men are often little more than lies and posturing.
However, your comparison of his motive to starving oneself to fit into a dress or a bikini betrays a cynicism that is more sad than laughable. So many people in the queer community are cynics – and not without reason – so much so that the cynical old queen has become an archetype among us.
I for one, however, want to believe in Lt. Choi. He speaks of principle and with a stoic determination that commands respect, even from his adversaries. To make the ultimate sacrifice, whether on the battlefield or otherwise, reflects martial, free-born virtue and may remind us yet again that a gay soldier can be equal to a straight one on that score.
But you may be right: he may fail. And it seems that if he does, it will delight you no end.
D'oh, The Magnificent
I dislike that the Obots can use the rating system here to hide comments since their reason for doing so is not because of what is actually being said. One of the comment that they attempted to hid defines the word “courage” as the definition is provided by the dictionary. Why is such a comment hideable?
Jason_Activist
@Chance: You don’t get it.
GetEQUAL is fully responsible for almost ALL the recent action on DADT. Dan Choi, Kip Williams and Robin McGeHee have risked their lives and likely police brutality to guarantee your rights. Now, my hero Dan Choi faces his own death from starvation in an effort to get the President to uphold his promise to repeal DADT in his first yuear in office.
Some of us are willing to get in everyone’s face and make sure they hear us LOUD and CLEAR – NO SUPPER UNTIL WE HAVE OUR RIGHTS!
While the rest of the gay community is enjoying their Memorial Weekend with friends, some of us will still be working for you. Enjoy the Beers and Brisket. (Sorry Dan).
Maybe you should try doing something for our rights. How about burning your underwear? Get your hot jock friends to do that. Remember, Women burned their bras and viola – THEY won! Start something, but stop complaining about our heroes.
Paulo
@Jason_Activist: Dude, your head is in the clouds.
“GetEQUAL is fully responsible for almost ALL the recent action on DADT.”
LOL! If you keep saying it over and over eventually at least YOU’LL think it’s true.
Kevin (New Jersey, US)
Sometimes it seems like it’s impossible to win with some folks: if you don’t speak-up, get out of the closet, and get in people’s faces, you’re “self-hating,” but, if you make a vocal and visible protest which evokes strong emotions and discussion, you’re a “drama queen.”
Meanwhile, we await the whim and pleasure of our straight masters.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@D’oh, The Magnificent:
Because the truth hurts, I suspect? Let’s face it, if these issues can put you and me on the same on the same side, it’s going to be totally Earth-shattering to the O-bots who troll this site.
Sam
@Jason_Activist: Yeah, I’m not sure that Carl Levin has even heard of Get Equal, much less that they figure into his reasoning for pushing DADT repeal to the White House. I mean, I think we need to be agitating in every way possible, but it’s a bit much to credit all the work that’s gone into DADT repeal to a dude chaining himself to a fence for a couple hours.
D'oh, The Magnificent
Meanwhile in the world outside of Obot delusional thinking…
“This compromise isn’t what I, or any of my fellow advocates, wanted or expected. The compromise does not end the firings. Nor does it restore our integrity. It is the result of a White House that has been AWOL on “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal for the last year and a half, and now is desperately trying to find a solution—any solution, regardless of how unworkable—to a problem and a promise it would rather just go away. Our ‘fierce advocate,’ as the president promised the gay community he would be, has presented us with a last-minute Hobson’s choice, and it is no cause for celebration.”
Dan Choi
Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/05/26/exclusive-lt-dan-choi-writes-for-newsweek-on-why-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-compromise-is-not-acceptable.html
In other words, even as Chance and other Obots bullshit their way into having us waste our time with them, Dan is actually advancing the debate in the MSM. Luckily, CHance and the other Obots don’t matter.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12): Oh, I agree on that point. They are so heavily invested in the president that its basically a cult for some of them. Luckily, that’s not enough people to actually stop progress, however, hard of a trek it is with this president. As I just posted, Dan has an article in Newsweek discussing the battle going forward regarding DADT. If the administration thinks they have dodged a bullet, they only prolonged the agony until real policies protecting gay troops from discrimination are put in place.
Forrest Gump
“Stupid is as stupid does, Lieutenant Dan.”
pithyscreenname
@Jason_Activist: Oh Jesus Christ, enough of the sanctifying Robin McGeHee as our new gay savior.
She readily admits that she didn’t get involved in politics until AFTER the passage of Prop 8. That’s fine, but don’t posit yourself as the second coming of gay activism when you couldn’t get up to fight before Prop 8 was passed. The arrogance of Get Equal is what gets me. Look, inside / outside strategies are important- but don’t piss on the folks that choose to work on the inside.
Is Dan Choi, important? Yes. Guess who, in the last week, has been even more important? All of those openly LGBT soldiers who have been lobbying Senators and Congressmen, going from office to office trying to explain their lives. Of course, it is not as sexy as chaining yourself to the White House fence.
But in the last week I’ve seen the two Nelsons who never are progressive about anything and Robert Byrd, ex- Klu Klux Klan, Robert Byrd supporting this compromise. I thank those soldiers – talk about bravery talking to Robert Byrd about your life. And of course, since the people helping to organize / get them to DC to lobby are the evil “gay, inc.” they get no credit.
Senators don’t flip positions on this without a lot of difficult conversations. We should give all of those brave soldiers the credit they deserve.
Jason_Activist
@pithyscreenname: You don’t get it.
Dan Choi is our MLK. He is our Ghandi. He is the Leader we have been looking for.
I for one don’t want him to starve to death now that we’ve found him. I hope HRC and GLAAD and the President talks him out of this. We need his courage and bravery because he already has the President and the Congress nervous about what he’ll do next.
I think by next week Dan will be hospitalized and the international media will be camped outside. This is a big story of courage and demanding rights instead of food. We should all reduce our caloric intake as a gesture of hope and respect.
jeffree
The Queerty battle rages on: meanwhile
men & women in the armed forces are being shot at & wounded overseas &/or facing possible discharge because theyre LGB. Can we try to remember that please ??
@Jason_Activist: Please discuss your very interesting points with AndrewW, because you are the EXACT mirror opposite of him, & I would love to read your back & forth dialog! Plus you two are both so well-spoken, use the exact same register of language and have a knack for repeating your individual beliefs over & over & over like mantras.
BTW: you medical info on hunger strikes is way off. Healthy people who refuse food can live for weeks as long as they drink water.
Menlo
Lt. Choi – You’ve done your part of which many people are very grateful. Now declare victory and move on.
Jason_Activist
@jeffree: Are you on a Hunger Strike or do you just want to make fun of Dan Choi, too? “Live for weeks?” Dan Choi is has a few weeks? What 2 or 3 weeks?
Why don’t you do something? You seem obsessed with people arguing. WE don’t talk to AndrewW because he doesn’t believe in demanding. That’s his white privelege. Maybe i’ll educate him when we protest at HRC cocktail parties.
But, what are you doing? Will you join the hunger strike? Handcuffs? Sit-ins? Make some posters? Something, please. No, wait . . . I DEMAND you do something.
Brutus
@D’oh, The Magnificent: “It is also interesting how the Obot OFA types will try to use rating systems on any given site to hid comments critical of the president.”
Yeah, it’s all just a giant conspiracy. It couldn’t possibly be that your posts are simply unpopular.
Brutus
@the crustybastard: No one is beyond criticism.
Brutus
@D’oh, The Magnificent: Hard to even *have* a conversation when you keep referring to everyone as a “nutjob” or an “Obot.” I also wonder what you’d accept as a “balanced analysis.”
You prattle on about how you make provable statements—though you do no more than engage in the same armchair politics as everyone else in these threads—and talk about “winning conversations,” as if a conversation is some sort of contest.
Grow up.
Brutus
@Jason_Activist: “GetEQUAL is fully responsible for almost ALL the recent action on DADT.”
Prove it.
Mike
Where are his eyelids? Oops, Asians.
Brutus
@Jason_Activist: You sound like you’re 15.
Dan Choi is not our MLK—if anything, he’s our Malcolm X or Louis Farrakhan—and I sure hope he’s not our Gandhi, because I’m not really interested in following some racist to cast off the yoke of British imperialism.
princess.johnsonXIV
@Jorge: @Mike:
keepin it klassy on kweerty i see.
they pander to you, yes –
but even they don’t know what they stand for.
world’s first “white trash” gay blog?
always innovative, seldom honest/decent.
yay!
princess.johnsonXIV
@princess.johnsonXIV:
just responding to “mike”.
makin the gays look bad on the interwebs, why i oughtta…
wondermann
@Jason_Activist: Are you drunk?
Jason_Activist
@wondermann: Drunk on the buzz of life, fool. Don’t be jealous.
We weren’t making any progress until GetEQUAL and Dan Chi stood up to the oppression. This should be a lesson to every one. If you won’t demand you will be oppressed. Blacks have become very good demanders. Women, too.
Join the demands.
Demanding = Results
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Brutus: Stop acting like nutjobs and Obots, and we can have a conversation. Until then, don’t expect me to ignore the 800 lb guerilla in most poltiical conversations. That’s like asking me to ignore that Bush supporters were nutjobs.
Brutus
@Jason_Activist: Correlation does not prove causation.
Joetx
Gee, make snarky comments on Lt. Choi for going the distance for something he believes in. Way to make yourselves out as asses, Queerty.
Jason_Activist
@Brutus: Dan Choi’s actions were correlated with GetEQUAL. That’s why they worked. This is why demanding and especially organized demanding is the only thing that works.
Demanding = Rights
End the oppression, make an impression,
Make the choice, to raise your voice,
You can’t take a stand, without a demand.
We must GET EQUAL
jeffree
Any update on the hunger strike?
@Jason_Activist: I mean Justin_Activist, your new screen name, has the depletion of your own electrolytes caused you to forget who you are? I ‘m worried about your mental status and your ability to help GET EQUAL with their efforts.
I.am sure that Dan appreciates your solidarity.
Next time, before going on a hunger strike attend a course on SAFE ACTIVISM such as the one I took just prior to protesting the military intervention in Iraq. We also had medical personnel on hand for monitoring. I hope you do too. I ‘m sure Dan’s vitals are being checked regularly, and can tell already that your brain cells aren’t getting enough nutrients.
Jason_Activist
@jeffree: I’m not participating because I didn’t know “hunger strike” meant “no cocktails.” Food is one thing …
SAFE ACTIVISM? Are you kidding? This is dangerous stuff. When I did the “sit-in” at Pelosi’s Office, I had to sit in the same chair for 7 hours. No movies, no snacks. No smoke-a-joint-and-tell-fun-stories. Nothing.
You can call the “safe” but it was hard. I’d much rather make a clever sign and walk in front of cars. The “shock” of them almost hitting me makes them read my message. Plus, I usually wear sleeveless shirts (plenty of tattoos) and one or two bandanas on my head. I do attract attention. Well, that’s the goal, right.
LOOK AT ME! I AM DEMANDING!
Demanding = Results
Justin in in our LA Army. I’m in Dallas. You should join us.
Louis Flores
Has everyone seen the Day 4 video of Lt. Choi ? He looks very weak. I want to do my part, to end the hunger strike, but I’d also like to know about the medical health of the two men. Are the soldiers are seeing doctors during their hunger strike ? If you hear of a collection that is being made, to help pay for doctors, please give us an update.
GetEQUAL by DEMANDING
Dan is our MLK. He is risking his life to get people to pay attention to DADT Repeal. Before he started this Hunger Strike, nobody was talking about DADT – now, they’re repealing it.
There will be a collection for medical expenses or funeral costs. But, most hunger strikes last 6-9 months. Dan has been referring to his effort as a “Fast,” so we think he’s having Slim Fast or something.
Thank-you DAN.
Demanding = Rights.
seo
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