Stand By Your Word Mr. President

I am sure that some readers may think me a broken record on the topic of Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT"), but living in an area with a high number of military personnel and knowing a significant number of gays in the military and seeing what this religious based policy does to their lives makes it difficult to remain quiet. In numerous campaign speeches - including one I witnessed in person - Obama gave good lip service to ending DADT. But now that he is in office, it seems that what we got on the campaign trail is another example of the saying "talk is cheap." The lives of honorable members of the military are disrupted and careers continue to be ruined so that frigid Christianists like Elaine Donnelly can feel superior and self-satisfied and reactionary senior military officers can avoid being held accountable for their bigotry. It's not right and it's not fair and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ("SLDN") has again called Obama to live up to his promises on the campaign trail. Yes, repealing DADT will take some courage and the reactionary elements will wail and lament, but it's the right thing to do. Here are highlights from SLDN's open letter to Obama:

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There is, however, one campaign promise he's been silent on since he was elected in November: the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." It's still up there on the White House website. "President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," it says. "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals."There is no ambiguity in that statement.

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If I had five minutes of your time, Mr. President, I would make three points. I would say to you that "don't ask, don't tell" is the only federal law on the books today under which a service member can be discharged for one reason only: because he's gay. He may be the best Arabic translator on the planet, the best pilot, the best battlefield surgeon - but if he's openly gay he runs the risk every day that he'll be reported and discharged - by law - for that reason alone. . . . "This is not a matter of Left and Right. It is not a liberal issue or a conservative issue. It's a matter of what is morally right."

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In order to get rid of it, send your Defense budget to Congress next month without the authorization to enforce this shameful testament to prejudice. Tell Congress "don't ask, don't tell" should go the way of the Jim Crow laws. Defense Secretary Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen, can't do it for you. In fact, it's obvious they're not going to volunteer for this assignment unless you ask. But almost certainly they will join you if you, as their Commander-in-Chief, propose it.

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It is true that some retired admirals and generals in their 70s and 80s still have the mindsets of the 1950s or before, and it is true that with Elaine Donnelly conducting from the wings they have made some harrumphing noises. Elaine Donnelly probably cares more about keeping gays and lesbians out of the military than anyone in the United States, . . .

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Keep your promise, Mr. President, and ask Congress and the American people to join you in standing against this reprehensible law that tortures every day so many young men and women who want to serve our country. Consign it to the dustbin of history where it belongs.