Rachel Maddow's Special Segment On the DADT Repeal

This video is from a Special MSNBC Rachael Maddow segment about the DADT Repeal. The first few minutes of the video are clips from previous programs that show the process that DADT has gone through over the past two years or so. After those clips are finished, she sits down with a number of service personnel who have been effected by DADT.

The entire video lasts about 15 minutes, but if you missed it the other night on MSNBC, it is well worth watching.

Don't Ask Don't Tell is Back in Effect

Well I hope none of you ran out and re-enlisted in the Military openly stating that you were a lesbian just because you thought the Don't Ask Don't Tell law had been repealed...because guess what, it's back.

Today The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Obama administration’s request for a temporary freeze of the California federal judge’s order telling the military to stop enforcing the DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell) policy.

Lawyers for the Government wanted to suspend the ruling while appeals were pending, arguing that it would pose a major problem for the military if service members were to reveal their sexual orientation before the issue is fully decided.

So now what? Well the original judge's decision to stop DADT is basically brushed aside, at least for the moment, and lawyers for the gay rights group that brought the case to court have until Monday to file arguments against this suspension. Now we just have to wait and see if after receiving and considered all arguments, the appeals court decides whether or not they will prolong the suspension during the appeal.

And I really do wonder...what happens to all those Gay & Lesbian soldiers that over the past couple of days either openly enlisted, openly re-enlisted or came out while serving?

The House Voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell!"

Just hours ago HRC, the Human Rights Campaign, announced that the House of Representatives voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This historic action follows a vote earlier today for a repeal in the Senate Armed Services Committee and is another step toward ending the ban on "OUT" gays and lesbians in the military.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese remarked, “Lawmakers today stood on the right side of history. This is a historic step to strengthen our armed forces and to restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.”

The debate will move to the Senate this summer, before being sent to the President for his final approval.

Senate panel has enough votes to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell Law

By The Associated Press

Supporters said Wednesday the Senate Armed Services Committee has enough votes to approve a bill overturning the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

The prediction came after several lawmakers on the panel signaled their support, including Sen. Ben Nelson, a conservative Democrat from Nebraska who had been considered a holdout.

“In a military which values honesty and integrity, this policy encourages deceit,” Nelson said of the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.

The bill would still face scrutiny by the full Senate, where 60 votes are usually needed to overcome Republican objections.

But an endorsement by the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, was considered a crucial first step by gay rights’ groups.

The measure is more likely to survive because it was being tucked into a broader defense policy bill that typically includes popular provisions like a pay raise for the troops.

The committee planned to vote on Thursday.

“We are increasingly confident about the (bill) and that this could very well be a historic week in the United States Congress,” said Marshall Wittmann, a spokesman for Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., who is co-sponsoring the legislation.

Gay rights groups were cautiously optimistic.

“This one will go down to the wire, and it won’t be over until the vote,” said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for Human Rights Campaign.

The legislation was a compromise between the White House and a small group of Democrats – including Levin and Lieberman – who fear that repeal efforts will be doomed if Republicans regain control of one or both houses of Congress after fall elections.

The plan would overturn the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law but still allow the military to decide when and how to implement any changes to accommodate the new policy.

Nelson said this caveat was key to his support because it “removes politics from the process” and ensures repeal is “consistent with military readiness and effectiveness.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he supports repeal but would prefer that Congress wait to vote until he can talk to the troops and chart a path forward. A study ordered by Gates is due on Dec. 1.

Some lawmakers, including Democrats, took a similar stand this week and cast doubt that the measure might pass.

“I see no reason for the political process to pre-empt it,” Sen. Jim Webb, a conservative Democrat from Virginia, said of the military study.

At least one Republican – Sen. Susan Collins of Maine – has said she will support the measure.

The House planned to consider an identical bill on Thursday. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., was expected to introduce the legislation as a floor amendment to the 2011 defense authorization bill.

Obama to take on military gay ban at `right time’

By The Associated Press
10.05.2009

(Washington) President Barack Obama will focus “at the right time” on how to overturn the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military, his national security adviser said Sunday.
“I don’t think it’s going to be – it’s not years, but I think it will be teed up appropriately,” James Jones said.

The Democratic-led Congress is considering repealing the 1993 law. Action isn’t expected on the issue until early next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently wrote Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked to share their views and recommendations on the contentious policy. In Sept. 24 letters, Reid also asked for a review of the cases of two U.S. officers who were discharged from the military because of their sexuality.

“At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country,” Reid wrote.

Jones said Obama “has an awful lot on his desk. I know this is an issue that he intends to take on at the appropriate time. And he has already signaled that to the Defense Department. The Defense Department is doing the things it has to do to prepare, but at the right time, I’m sure the president will take it on.”

As a candidate, Obama signaled support for repealing the law. To the disappointment of gay-rights supporters, he has yet to made a move since taking office in January. The White House has said it will not stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians who acknowledge their sexuality.

Last year, 634 members of the military were discharged for being gay, or .045 percent of the active-duty U.S. force, according to an Aug. 14 congressional report.

The largest number of gays who were ousted under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came in 2001, when 1,227 were discharged, or .089 of the force.

The House is considering legislation to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and allow people who have been discharged under the policy to rejoin the military.

Jones appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union."