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As one lesbain, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identified, disabled, Persian Gulf War veteran, I find this interview of Rep. Alcee Hastings by Rachel Maddow to be incredibly disturbing.
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Rep. Alcee Hastings: …[T]he time is now to eliminate this bigoted law, once and for all.
Rachel Maddow: When you are hearing that the time isn’t right, when your hearing from fellow Democrats — even from fellow opponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — that the time’s not right for your amendment, that this ought to be delayed, that there’s a more strategic way to do it — are you also hearing that there is a White House endorsed strategy for when to get rid of it, or is it being put off indefinitely?
Rep. Alcee Hastings: Very good question. I have not heard anything other than the rhetoric. I wrote to the White House on June 22nd, and had 76 other members of Congress to join me in a letter to the president explaining what the President can do right now. And that’s what I was attempting to do with the amendment — and that’s saying to the Secretary of Defense “Stop it. Just don’t put anyone else out of the service.” …
So, this is a continuation of the story we’ve read Tuesday (July 28, 2009) and yesterday (July 29, 2009) about this story here at The Blend. And again, as an LGBT identified, disabled, Persian Gulf War veteran, I find this interview of Rep. Alcee Hastings by Rachel Maddow to be incredibly disturbing. What this says to me about the Obama Administration’s to lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers, sailors, and veterans is not something I find reasonable or acceptable.
10 Comments
No delay. No excuses.White House and Congressional religious advisors are to blame.
Biblical bigotry is alive and well and enemies to the U.S. Constitution and it’s guarantee of equality. The President is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and he could stop DADT immediately.
Which brings up another point in regards to President Clinton.
As Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, why was he immune from sodomy laws in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, committing sodomy on Lewinsky with a cigar. Article 125. Sodomy.
a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration , however slight, (cigar in vagina) is sufficient to complete the offense.
(b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
I agree No excuses no delayAnd how about a little transparency while we are at it? Again and again I keep hearing about these leaders of congress and White House individuals who seem to spend all of their time in and out of back rooms doing everything they can to cripple any legislation that would suspend, slow, deter, or get rid of DADT. I want to know who these people are!
Pleas don’t tell me the democrats are stupid enough to believe that by stalling until the beginning of next year that they can push through Healthcare and their environmental agenda and still have some well publicized cock of the walk time in Congressional hearings to defeat DADT just in time to start the election cycle and we will be grateful?!? That would be too little too late and that is going to be felt in the votes. Rahm may want to rethink his drink because unsweetened grape Koolaid just isn’t his color! I would have thought after 8 years of republican dominance the democrats would have learned something about actual service to the people rather than suffer the lose of their majority but I guess not. They have to learn the hard way that except for Obama, we didn’t vote for them as much as we voted against the other guys.
Well there is one good thing about it all. With no need to donate money to anyone until next year it should be a pretty decent Christmas!
Clinton also broke UCMJ article 134 (adultery)Clinton, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States military, not only committed adultery, but he out right lied about it. He perjured himself numerous times on television and in front of committees trying to establish any wrongdoing on his part. Shouldn’t Clinton have been stripped of his position of authority after all, he was the head of the military. The Generals and Admirals under his command would have had to abide by the UCMJ laws.
Disturbed Beyond BeliefI have just finished writing to the White House regarding their actions in relation to Rep. Hastings’ amendment. Like most people here, I am appalled at this. Frankly, I am deeply concerned that the continued disregard of the progressive community, not only on this issue (and its associated bills) but also on health care, civil liberties, etc. will result in a one-term presidency for someone whom I had hoped would usher in a period of change for this country but who instead seems to be deeply allied with those who support the status quo.
It’s only a matter of timebefore we get the now standard-issue White House excuse: ”President Obama didn’t know about this at the time it was done. But now that he knows about it, he doesn’t like it.” But of course this will be followed by NO action to correct what he doesn’t like. (How long has it been since the DOMA hate brief was filed? We’re told that Obama wasn’t happy with it, when he finally got around to reading it. But he hasn’t lifted a finger to have it amended.)
We’ve heard that same excuse, with variations, on virtually every progressive issue Obama has betrayed, certainly including LGBT issues. We’ve heard it so often and so consistently that the only possible conclusions are 1) it’s a bald-faced lie, or 2) Obama doesn’t have a clue what his administration is doing. I wish I could decide which of those is worse. Either is horribly damning. It’s looking more and more like not only will Obama be a one-term president, but that he deserves it.
The President didn’t know about thisand to prove that he’s FIERCE he’s going to give Harvey Milk a posthumous medal.
Can I just note?..That amidst all the talk of tension between the AA community and the LGBT community around civil rights (and marriage) I think it should be noted that an African American authored the amendment. Even though it was withdrawn, I just thought it good to notice.
I know that here in San Francisco there has been a real rift between these two communities that has been simmering here for years but has become more obvious since prop 8. When it comes up in conversation again I plan to mention Rep. Hastings as an example of why blaming “conservative blacks” for prop 8 and general nationwide resistance (through churches) to the advancement of civil rights for LGBTs is based on no data and is otherwise just plain wrong.
The election cycle is always the excuseAnd it’s a very convenient schedule, isn’t it? Because every two years, there’s either a general election or a midterm election. So certain issues can always be pushed back or delayed for sake of the damnable election cycle. Always gotta “take one for the team”.
I understand why people are saying they’re disturbed.However I agree with slobeck here. I came away pretty energized and happy from seeing this man speak. This man sounds like a true ally, and hearing him speak made me feel more hopeful.
Good to note.