Liberty And Justice For All?

I originally planned to post a note about a 'Technology Sabbath'. I am strongly considering participating. It would be interesting to see how I respond to a day away from so much technology. I might get more work done in the garden. I might connect to people on a real level as opposed to electronically. Ideally the trend spreads and is observed by many. I feel like participating in large positive group events/movements, sends out a very powerful positive intention and energy. I like being a part of that. I guess because it feels empowering.

But after reading the latest news about Lieutenant Dan Choi, we all felt we should write something about his situation.
Lt. Choi was discharged from the military one year ago for coming out as being gay after serving honorably under Don't Ask Don't Tell for ten years. Yesterday he handcuffed himself to the fence in front of The White House in peaceful protest. Today he's being held under arrest with Jim Pietrangelo and until recently, 5 others as well. A good place to get quick updates on developments in the case is the getEQUAL facebook page. Their latest post says:

GetEQUAL Breaking!! Offered $100 fine, Dan & Jim plead NOT GUILTY and demand a jury trial. We do not plead guilty for equality. Trial set for April. More to come.

This morning over coffee, all three of us called both our US Senators and submitted our comments to the White House contact page We would urge you to voice your concerns over the treatment of Lt. Choi as well.
This is how we feel. We're appalled that the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy exists to begin with. How degrading and insulting to expect an entire arm of the organization to pretend to be something else and hide their reality from their peers, denying them the full self expression and equality of choice afforded everyone else in this country! We're appalled that people are being treated this way. Men and women who've served us and protected our country and our freedom, are being ostracized, dismissed and worse. That makes us wonder what century we're in. And to see Lt. Choi arrested & mistreated because he staged a peaceful protest on the sidewalk just makes us shake our heads! Why is this even an issue?! Why does this man have to handcuff himself to the fence and get attention and be noticed? Our country has had one group or another fighting for equality since it's birth! And equality always wins! Make no mistake, equality will win in this case too. Those who oppose equal rights for LGBT people are on the wrong side of history and soon, time will catch up with them. Just as it did for those against the lowly colonists first, then those against the slaves gaining equality, and those against the rights of women... That's how we feel.
So why did Lt. Choi handcuff himself to the fence one year after his discharge? If I were guessing, I would guess his answer might be something like this: Because people can only affect change when they know a problem exists. Well hello everyone, Dan Choi is asking for your attention for just a moment. He would like to tell you this is a problem. He would like his equal rights now please. Just like we've been proclaiming since Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence! Are we really a nation still refusing to recognize that hypocrisy? These discriminatory policies may not have been instituted by us, but as a nation, these policies stand in our name and reflect on us as a group. Since I'm a part of that group, I'd like these policies changed! Don't Ask Don't Tell is a specific example with a clear answer: Repeal. But it's not the only issue of equality the LGBT community faces. Issues like California's Proposition 8 abound all over the nation and these are more examples of things that need to change!
We hope you'll write to the white house about repealing DADT, as well as about fair treatment for Lt. Choi. We also hope you'll take a moment to call your representatives. It's so easy. This morning we called and said we were constituents of the senator etc, we heard of the Lt Choi arrest and didn't think this was just, also we wanted to urge the Senator to work toward repealing DADT immediately etc. It's a very quick phone call to a sweet-voiced young lady taking messages. To get the number to call your Senators, click here. To find a number for your US House Representative click here, enter your zip+4 in a box near the top left and you will get a link to your Representative. Mine had his contact numbers and addresses listed at the bottom of his page - I called the Washington DC office number. And I did all of it while I sipped my coffee. I don't think that's too much to do to further the cause of equality in a country which claims that as one of it's founding principles.

-Flora

We NEED Our Heroes!

We know we've recently posted on Don't Ask Don't Tell, but we found this poster on coffeeghost.net and we love it! We feel like this pretty much sums up how we feel about things!

What thoughts and feelings does this poster bring up for you?
-Flora, Fauna & Merriweather

On Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell

We got together for coffee this morning and the subject of Don't Ask Don't Tell came up. This was Congress and the US Military's answer in the early 90's, to previous policies regarding gay service members. It was supposed to be a gentler policy, but it ended up causing a huge number of gay and lesbian related discharges, as well as untold costs over the years. All three of us feel Don't Ask Don't Tell is long past due for repeal and Tuesday brought some welcome progress in that arena. On January 27, President Obama called for a repeal of DADT in his State of the Union address. And one week later in the Senate Armed Services Committee, several top US Military leaders addressed congress. We really love it when unexpected people step forward to show support for a worthy cause! Thanks to one of our readers who sent us this video link of Democracy Now.

To watch the episode, go here. It's about 30 minutes long - we really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

We really loved the words of Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who said:

Mr. Chairman, speaking for myself, and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity, theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.

Bravo!

We're not so fond of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' claim which asserts that the Pentagon needs a year to review and implement these policy changes. But we're pleased he supports the repeal nonetheless.

Of course Senator John McCain opposes the repeal - surprise, surprise. Interestingly, McCain stated on an episode of Hardball: College Tour back in 2006, that he was simply listening to the leadership of the military in his choice to support the policy. He also said that if the military leadership were to come to him in support of a repeal of the policy, he would strongly consider such. Well here we are today and Senator McCain, the ranking Republican in the Senate, is still vehemently opposed to lifting the ban. Despite the words of top military leaders. Also despite his own daughter being a lesbian in support of this policy change. Also despite the fact that both of his sons, who too serve in the military, support the repeal of DADT!

Merriweather almost spilled her coffee when we heard John McCain claim that the policy had been effective! We're not sure what world he's living in! And we loved what guest Nathaniel Frank had to say about that!

It’s hard to know where to begin with him. I think he was visibly angry yesterday. But his inconsistencies are difficult to understand. You know, you wonder if it’s personal. Historically, he’s not been known as being ... the most anti-gay Republican lawmaker. We know he has high-level gay staff. And yet, this seems very personal to him. Of course, he’s facing ... a difficult political landscape. And so, it’s not clear to me if this is a personal or a political decision, but it’s certainly irrational.

And to say that this works—I mean, two-thirds of servicemembers already know or suspect gays in their units, and the other third are kidding themselves if they really think that they’ve never shared quarters with a gay person. So the policy has failed at its most basic goal, which was to shield servicemembers of knowledge of gay people. And not to mention all of the costs, in terms of talent, money and morale for gay people. So it’s a complete failure. It’s hard for him to say otherwise.

There are currently 25 countries that allow gays to serve openly in their military. All 25 made the implementation quickly and without apology or hesitation. This is what we need to do now! As Gates said, "We have received our orders from the Commander-in-Chief, and we are moving out accordingly."

And may we add: It's about time!!!

-Flora