First Lt. Dan Choi, now Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach. God only knows how many other gay soldiers have been booted out of our armed forces, unremarked, between these two. Apparently we’re supposed to believe that firing 18-year veterans with millions of dollars in training is going to help keep our armed forces ready to defend us.
Obama could suspend these travesties with a simple executive order, designed to halt the lynchings until this unjust law can be repealed. Instead, we find that since that warm, fuzzy week after the inauguration, his promises to the LGBT community – some of his most loyal, ardent supporters – have been swept under the carpet. So much for getting rid of the politics of yesterday.
//EDIT: Take a look at just how far Obama has distanced himself from the promises he made on the campaign trail:
Fourteen years ago, the Democratic Party faced a test of leadership, and our party failed that test. We had an opportunity to be leaders on the World stage in eliminating discrimination against gay and lesbian service members, to recognize the patriotism and heroism of the hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian citizens who have served our country. Instead, we bowed to fear and prejudice. We were told that American soldiers weren’t ready to serve next to gay and lesbian comrades. We were told that our airmen, sailors and Marines would lose their “unit cohesion” if we implemented a policy of equality. And so, rather than embracing leadership and principle, we embraced Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – a policy that is antithetical to the values of honor and integrity that our military holds most dear.
Here’s the current WhiteHouse.gov language on DADT:
He supports repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security…
I hardly think I’m the only one who will read that sentence and understand that repealing something “in a sensible way” probably means we’ll never see action on it at all.
