Does the same go for the 26 Democratic members of the House that voted against DADT??
On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 9:19 AM, Tommy News <[email protected]> wrote: > I disagree. > > 31 Republican Senators voted against stand alone DADT repeal. They > have now blatantly exposed their stand alone homophobia. John McCain, > who attempted to filibuster DADT repeal, is the worst of the lot. We > must now vote all 31 of them out of office. > > On 12/18/10, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > > Like we told you a long time ago. Bring it up by itself and it will > > pass. Instead you kept trying to blame the votes against the Omnibus > > earmark bill on the DADT alone. Someday you might learn something but > > I kinda doubt it. Now maybe you will accept that some of the votes > > against the Omnibus krep bill were against something other than DADT. > > Although I doubt that too. You are far too wedded to blaming anything > > that goes against what you want as being homophobic alone. Obviously > > that is not so. > > > > On 12/18/2010 09:43 PM, Tommy News wrote: > >> Victory! Senate Repeals ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, Despite 31 Republican > >> No Votes and John McCain's Fillibuster Attempt. This is a long overdue > >> victory for Civil Rights equality. Repeal of DOMA and Passige of ENDA > >> and UAFA, and introduction of The American Equality Bill for Civil > >> Rights are next. > >> > >> Senate Repeals ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ > >> > >> Drew Angerer/The New York Times > >> Senator Joseph I. Lieberman gave the thumbs up as Majority Leader > >> Harry Reid spoke at a press conference after the “don’t ask, don’t > >> tell” vote. > >> > >> By CARL HULSE > >> nk WASHINGTON — The Senate on Saturday voted to strike down the ban on > >> gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, bringing to a > >> close a 17-year struggle over a policy that forced thousands of > >> Americans from the ranks and caused others to keep secret their sexual > >> orientation. > >> > >> > >> Clockwise from left, Senators Mark Udall, Joseph I. Lieberman, Susan > >> Collins and Kirsten Gillibrand after a news conference on the repeal > >> of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” > >> > >> By a vote of 65 to 31, with eight Republicans joining Democrats, the > >> Senate approved and sent to President Obama a repeal of the > >> Clinton-era law, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a policy critics > >> said amounted to government-sanctioned discrimination that treated > >> gay, lesbian and bisexual troops as second-class citizens. > >> > >> Mr. Obama hailed the action, which fulfills his pledge to reverse the > >> ban, and said it was “time to close this chapter in our history.” > >> > >> “As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making > >> this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as > >> the best-led and best-trained fighting force the world has ever > >> known,” he said in a statement after the Senate, on a preliminary > >> 63-to-33 vote, beat back Republican efforts to block final action on > >> the repeal bill. > >> > >> The vote marked a historic moment that some equated with the end of > >> racial segregation in the military. > >> > >> It followed an exhaustive Pentagon review that determined the policy > >> could be changed with only isolated disruptions to unit cohesion and > >> retention, though members of combat units and the Marine Corps > >> expressed greater reservations about the shift. Congressional action > >> was backed by Pentagon officials as a better alternative to a > >> court-ordered end. > >> > >> Supporters of the repeal said it was long past time to abolish what > >> they saw as an ill-advised practice that cost valuable personnel and > >> forced troops to lie to serve their country. > >> > >> “We righted a wrong,” said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the > >> independent from Connecticut and a leader of the effort to end the > >> ban. “Today we’ve done justice.” > >> > >> Before voting on the repeal, the Senate blocked a bill that would have > >> created a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants who came > >> to the United States at a young age, completed two years of college or > >> military service and met other requirements including passing a > >> criminal background check. > >> > >> The 55-to-41 vote in favor of the citizenship bill was five votes > >> short of the number needed to clear the way for final passage of what > >> is known as the Dream Act. > >> > >> The outcome effectively kills it for this year, and its fate beyond > >> that is uncertain since Republicans who will assume control of the > >> House in January oppose the measure and are unlikely to bring it to a > >> vote. > >> > >> The Senate then moved on to the military legislation, engaging in an > >> emotional back and forth over the merits of the measure as advocates > >> for repeal watched from galleries crowded with people interested in > >> the fate of both the military and immigration measures. > >> > >> “I don’t care who you love,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, > >> said as the debate opened. “If you love this country enough to risk > >> your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are.” > >> > >> Mr. Wyden showed up for the Senate vote despite saying earlier that he > >> would be unable to do so because he would be undergoing final tests > >> before his scheduled surgery for prostate cancer on Monday. > >> > >> The vote came in the final days of the 111th Congress as Democrats > >> sought to force through a final few priorities before they turn over > >> control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans in January > >> and see their clout in the Senate diminished. > >> > >> It represented a significant victory for the White House, > >> Congressional advocates of lifting the ban and activists who have > >> pushed for years to end the Pentagon policy created in 1993 under the > >> Clinton administration as a compromise effort to end the practice of > >> barring gay men and lesbians entirely from military service. > >> > >> Saying it represented an emotional moment for members of the gay > >> community nationwide, advocates who supported repeal of “don’t ask, > >> don’t tell” exchanged hugs outside the Senate chamber after the vote. > >> > >> “Today’s vote means gay and lesbian service members posted all around > >> the world can stand taller knowing that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will > >> soon be coming to an end,” said Aubrey Sarvis, an Army veteran and > >> executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. > >> > >> Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and his party’s > >> presidential candidate in 2008, led the opposition to the repeal and > >> said the vote was a sad day in history. > >> > >> “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand > >> that we are doing great damage,” Mr. McCain said. “And we could > >> possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said, and > >> as I have been told by literally thousands of members of the military, > >> harm the battle effectiveness vital to the survival of our young men > >> and women in the military.” > >> > >> He and others opposed to lifting the ban said the change could harm > >> the unit cohesion that is essential to effective military operations, > >> particularly in combat, and deter some Americans from enlisting or > >> pursuing a career in the military. They noted that despite support for > >> repealing the ban from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike > >> Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other military > >> commanders have warned that changing the practice would prove > >> disruptive. > >> > >> “This isn’t broke,” Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, > >> said about the policy. “It is working very well.” > >> > >> Other Republicans said that while the policy might need to be changed > >> at some point, Congress should not do so when American troops are > >> fighting overseas. > >> > >> Only a week ago, the effort to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” > >> policy seemed to be dead and in danger of fading for at least two > >> years with Republicans about to take control of the House. The > >> provision eliminating the ban was initially included in a broader > >> Pentagon policy bill, and Republican backers of repeal had refused to > >> join in cutting off a filibuster against the underlying bill because > >> of objections over limits on debate of the measure. > >> > >> In a last-ditch effort, Mr. Lieberman and Senator Susan Collins of > >> Maine, a key Republican opponent of the ban, encouraged Democratic > >> Congressional leaders to instead pursue a vote on simply repealing it. > >> The House passed the measure earlier in the week. > >> > >> The repeal will not take effect for at least 60 days, and probably > >> longer, while some other procedural steps are taken. In addition, the > >> bill requires the defense secretary to determine that policies are in > >> place to carry out the repeal “consistent with military standards for > >> readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and > >> retention.” > >> > >> Multimedia > >> Interactive Graphic > >> How the Senate Voted > >> > >> Timeline > >> Congressional Action on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" > >> > >> Blogs > >> The Caucus > >> The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from > >> Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. > >> > >> FiveThirtyEight: Nate Silver's Political Calculus > >> More Politics News > >> “It is going to take some time,” Ms. Collins said. “It is not going to > >> happen overnight.” > >> > >> In a statement, Mr. Gates said that once the measure was signed into > >> law, he would “immediately proceed with the planning necessary to > >> carry out this change carefully and methodically, but purposefully.” > >> In the meantime, he said, “the current law and policy will remain in > >> effect.” > >> > >> Because of the delay in formally overturning the policy, Mr. Sarvis > >> appealed to Mr. Gates to suspend any investigations into military > >> personnel or discharge proceedings now under way. Legal challenges to > >> the existing ban are also expected to continue until the repeal is > >> fully carried out. > >> > >> In addition to Ms. Collins, Republicans backing the repeal were > >> Senators Scott P. Brown of Massachusetts, Richard M. Burr of North > >> Carolina, John Ensign of Nevada, Mark Kirk of Illinois, Lisa Murkowski > >> of Alaska, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and George V. Voinovich of Ohio. > >> > >> “It was a difficult vote for many of them,” Ms. Collins said, “but in > >> the end they concluded, as I have concluded, that we should welcome > >> the service of any qualified individual who is willing to put on the > >> uniform of this country.” > >> > >> Mr. Lieberman said the ban undermined the integrity of the military by > >> forcing troops to lie. He said 14,000 people had been forced to leave > >> the armed forces under the policy. > >> > >> “What a waste,” he said. > >> > >> The fight erupted in the early days of President Bill Clinton’s > >> administration and has been a roiling political issue ever since. Mr. > >> Obama endorsed repeal in his presidential campaign and advocates saw > >> the current Congress as their best opportunity for ending the ban. > >> Dozens of advocates of ending the ban — including one severely wounded > >> in combat before being forced from the military — watched from the > >> Senate gallery as the debate took place. > >> > >> Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who is chairman of the Armed > >> Services Committee, dismissed Republican complaints that Democrats > >> were trying to race through the repeal to satisfy their political > >> supporters. > >> > >> “I’m not here for partisan reasons,” Mr. Levin said. “I’m here because > >> men and women wearing the uniform of the United States who are gay and > >> lesbian have died for this country, because gay and lesbian men and > >> women wearing the uniform of this country have their lives on the line > >> right now.” > >> > >> More: > >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/19/us-military-senate-vote > >> > >> > > > > -- > > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > > > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > -- Mark M. Kahle H. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
