House Votes to Allow Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

The House of Representatives voted last night to pass the conditional "repeal" bill that hopefully begins the process for the ultimate death of this discriminatory policy. The vote was 234 to 194, with 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans in favor, and 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats against the measure. It is disturbing that 25 Democrats voted with the party of Pat Robertson and in apparent agreement with hate filled theocrats at Family Research Council who would not be able to tell the truth if their lives depended upon it. Fortunately, my Congressman, Glenn Nye of Virginia's 2nd District came through and voted in favor of the measure. Unlike apparently closet theocrat Jim Webb who voted the same way as local Congressman Randy Forbes, a former law school classmate, who has become a total Kool-Aid drinker. The New York Times has an interactive map here so that readers can verify how their member of Congress voted on the bill. Here are highlights from the Times story:
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WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to let the Defense Department repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
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The House vote was 234 to 194, with 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans in favor, after an emotionally charged debate. Opposed were 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats.
Supporters of the repeal hailed it as a matter of basic fairness and civil rights, while opponents charged that Democrats and President Obama were destabilizing the military to advance a liberal social agenda.
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Like the House amendment, the Senate measure would allow Pentagon leaders to revoke the ban 60 days after the military study group completes its report and President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, certify that it would not hamper military readiness and effectiveness or “unit cohesion.” Mr. Obama and Mr. Gates favor repealing the ban, as does Admiral Mullen, who, in testimony before the Armed Services Committee in February, called for a repeal.
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"Bottom line,” Mr. Lieberman, added, “thousands of service members have been pushed out of the U.S. military not because they were inadequate or bad soldiers, sailors, Marines or airmen but because of their sexual orientation. And that’s not what America is all about.”
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Democrats who backed the repeal compared the vote to the racial integration of the military and hailed the action as allowing all Americans who wanted to serve to do so.
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“In the land of the free and the home of the brave, it is long past time for Congress to end this un-American policy,” said Representative Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat who is openly gay.