Don't Ask, Don't Tell became law as a compromise, in 1993, forcing it into the military budget for the following fiscal year. A bad compromise, to be sure, allowing the military off the hook, with the GBLT community, compromising the UCMJ's 1950 policy, (enacted by truman) and creating a system where GBLT soldiers could serve, but not really "be all that they could be".
Eighteen years. Eighteen years of blood, sweat, tears, living, dying, discharges, coming out, being forced out, hate and lies, it ends at 0001 tomorrow morning. It is over.
Originally called "Don't ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue", the idea was to allow GBLT soldiers to serve, under the cover of secrecy. The military has a code, no matter what branch you are in. And that code is one of honor. How can you serve with honor, if you have to serve with part of your life, shrouded in secrecy?
Thus began the fight. Too often, it was a partisan fight, and it shouldn't have been. It should have been a fight about what was right, human, honorable and decent.
And think about this... just think about this for a second.... did we, in our bigoted way, by discharging fifty-nine gay linguists, who speak various Arabic languages, place other American forces in harms way?
The real truth is that in the eighteen yeats that DADT was in effect, nothing has changed. No one has changed their sexual orientation. There have been no "roving gangs" of gays looking to do violence on straights. (Although, there have been the opposite, much to the horror and dismay of all).
Yes.... this IS the end of an era... And good riddance!
Showing posts with label non-partisan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-partisan. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
*Changing Congress*
I found this in my email this morning... and I thought this was too good not to share...
I am going to send this to my two senators and to my congressman,
including my state congressman. Maybe someday it can be changed. But for
too long we have had the fox guarding the henhouse. Pass it on if you can.
*Changing Congress*
*The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only
3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That
was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. **
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to
become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
*
*I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty
people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. **
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office
and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for
any other purpose.
*
*3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do. **
*
*4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. **
*
*5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people. **
*
*6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people. **
*
*7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective
1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is
an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators,
so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. *
*8. **(This is one I have personally added). *
*Term Limits: Each member of the Senate is limited to 1 term of 6 years.
Each member of the House of Representatives is limited to 1 term of 4 years.
There is no re-election opportunity for them so they are not subject to the
efforts of lobbyists' contributions to their 're-election' efforts--they
can't run for re-election. Our founding fathers did not anticipate
professional politicians and we should not allow for them.**
*
*If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it
is time. **
*
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*
I am going to send this to my two senators and to my congressman,
including my state congressman. Maybe someday it can be changed. But for
too long we have had the fox guarding the henhouse. Pass it on if you can.
*Changing Congress*
*The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only
3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That
was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. **
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to
become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
*
*I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty
people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. **
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office
and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for
any other purpose.
*
*3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do. **
*
*4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. **
*
*5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people. **
*
*6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people. **
*
*7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective
1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is
an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators,
so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. *
*8. **(This is one I have personally added). *
*Term Limits: Each member of the Senate is limited to 1 term of 6 years.
Each member of the House of Representatives is limited to 1 term of 4 years.
There is no re-election opportunity for them so they are not subject to the
efforts of lobbyists' contributions to their 're-election' efforts--they
can't run for re-election. Our founding fathers did not anticipate
professional politicians and we should not allow for them.**
*
*If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it
is time. **
*
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*
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