ATTEMPT TO REPEAL ‘DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL’ FAILS
A bid to initiate a debate in the US Senate that could have led to the repeal of the American military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy has failed.
Advocates for the proposed debate on the annual defense policy bill only got 56 of the 60 votes required to start the process that would include an amendment in the bill to lift the ban on openly gay and lesbian military personnel.
Led by Senator John McCain, the debate was blocked primarily by Republican senators.
Not all of these opposed the repeal of the 17 year old law; some chose to block the debate because they opposed an additional amendment that aims to give legal status to immigrants who attend college or join the military.
“Today’s Senate vote was a frustrating blow to repeal this horrible law. We lost because of the political manoeuvring dictated by the mid-term elections,” said Army veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis.
“The Senate absolutely must schedule a vote in December when cooler heads and common sense are more likely to prevail once midterm elections are behind us,” he said.
“This filibuster was election year politics at its worst,” added Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It’s a shame that during a time of war, Republican Senators wouldn’t even allow debate on the bill that provides a pay raise for our troops.”
Commentators say that the latest development could hamper attempts to repeal DADT this year. According to a recent CNN poll, nearly 80 percent of Americans support repealing the policy.
….. Just what they are so afraid of? It is astonishing that America’s so-called democracy cannot even decide on whether or not to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Did they not stop to think for one second that those soldiers (gay and straight) are fighting to protect their fat asses? I believe that if they had this thought foremost in their minds they all would’ve voted for a repeal. It takes a lot of courage to want to fight and possibly die for your country, and those young men and women are doing it in the most horrendous circumstances. Again I ask, what is it that they are so afraid of? A gay man or women is just as capable as any other soldier. Being gay is not a weakness, it is not a defect, it will not put any jeopardy during combat. Believe me, gay or straight, when fighting thinking about sex is the last thing on any soldiers mind. All soldiers think the same single thought: survival.
Tommy get your gun. I agree Tommy
I think they should also not exclude children in their war machine. That I find most undemocratic. Like the self proclaimed Charles Taylor / President Andre Baptiste (In Lord of War) said:
“A bullet from a child is just as effective as
one from a grown man often more effective”
No one can stop a bath of blood
home of the brave, ha ha. what a joke America is rather home to the bigoted rather than their misreprepesented”home of the brave”
What is a equally a joke is that their so called “allies” all changed their laws many year s ago , without the sky falling in,so in reality they are fighting alongside gay people whether they like it or not. And they wonder why, what they call old Europe, views America with such suspicion and distrust
God help America,land of the bigoted
whoa there Tiger. Whynot (an alias for Osama and not Obama)
America though in decline is still a magnificent state and its industry and vision far exceeds that of many. How queer of them not to look upon their own history where Walt Whitman was doing his country proud. It is thus in military history we look to the Spartans – we now know as a band of homosexuals and then to Macedonia where Alexander led his army till there was none to conquer.
You miss the point of this landmark decision in American military history. Westpoint will be more Camp than Camp David.