A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
President Obama today strongly endorsed extending domestic partner benefits to gay and lesbian couples, specifically mentioning a bill introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) that would do just that for federal workers. Responding to a questioner at a Tampa, Fla. town hall-style appearance, Obama said:
“As I said last night my belief is that a basic principal in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same regardless of who you are.
“I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples, so at the federal level one of the things that we’re trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits, so that hospital visitation for example is something that is permitted, so that social security or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.
"Last night, the President repeated his campaign commitment to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell as part of his State of the Union address. While the President promised that DADT would come to an end "this year," he did not provide specifics -- and the White House still has not released a plan to kill it. That's unacceptable. I served in the Army for a decade under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. That's why I feel strongly that America can't afford to allow this policy to continue one day longer. The time for talk is over. The time for action is now.” - Lt. Dan Choi, via Wayne Anderson.
Dan Choi, a native of California and an Army Lieutenant fighting a discharge under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy," would like to share this message with the Courage Campaign community.
We agree with Lt. Choi. Though we appreciate President Obama's remarks about DADT, the time for talk is over. The time for action is now.
Last night, the President repeated his campaign commitment to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as part of his State of the Union address. While the President promised that DADT would come to an end "this year," he did not provide specifics -- and the White House still has not released a plan to kill it. That's unacceptable.
I served in the Army for a decade under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. That's why I feel strongly that America can't afford to allow this policy to continue one day longer.
Last March, I went on Rachel Maddow's show and spoke three truthful words: "I am gay." For that, instead of being able to do my duty keeping America safe, I face discharge from the Army for who I love. I face being fired from my job, not for what I do, but for who I am.
As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. National security means many things, but the thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. As I was reminded again when I attended the historic Prop 8 trial, what makes me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love.
And I'm not going to hide my love. Love is worth it.
Thank you for your support.
Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard
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