I love Dan Choi's daring and his refusal to be satisfied with mealy mouthed speeches that are followed by inaction. Talking to him one on one by telephone back before the National Equality March last October was a treat indeed. Now, Choi has again demonstrated that he is willing to push the envelop, if you will, and has subpoenaed Barack Obama in the criminal case he and Capt. James Pietrangelo are facing on July 14, 2010, for chaining themselves the the White House fence while demanding action on DADT repeal. I am convinced that just as civil rights advances in the 1960's took place because Martin Luther King and others refused to be non-confrontational and quietly wait for crumbs to be tossed to Black Americans, so too, the movement for LGBT rights will not succeed simply by pandering for "access" and holding no one accountable. Here are some highlights from The Advocate on this latest development:*
The lawyers for Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo II Wednesday served a subpoena to President Barack Obama seeking his testimony in their July 14 hearing in D.C. superior court.
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As part of their defense, the two men claim that they were following orders from the commander in chief himself, who as both a candidate and a sitting president requested that LGBT advocates hold him accountable and “pressure” him to deliver on his campaign promises.
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The defense summary notes, in particular, Obama’s remarks during the Human Rights Campaign dinner on October 10, 2009.
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“It’s not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans petitioning for equal rights half a century ago,” he said. “And that’s why it’s so important that you continue to speak out, that you continue to set an example, that you continue to pressure leaders — including me — and to make the case all across America.”
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The defense lawyers further claim that the president’s statements “support the contention that the Defendants were acting out of necessity, in order to prevent discrimination and greater harm to gay service members now serving.”
The lawyers for Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo II Wednesday served a subpoena to President Barack Obama seeking his testimony in their July 14 hearing in D.C. superior court.
*
As part of their defense, the two men claim that they were following orders from the commander in chief himself, who as both a candidate and a sitting president requested that LGBT advocates hold him accountable and “pressure” him to deliver on his campaign promises.
*
The defense summary notes, in particular, Obama’s remarks during the Human Rights Campaign dinner on October 10, 2009.
*
“It’s not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans petitioning for equal rights half a century ago,” he said. “And that’s why it’s so important that you continue to speak out, that you continue to set an example, that you continue to pressure leaders — including me — and to make the case all across America.”
*
The defense lawyers further claim that the president’s statements “support the contention that the Defendants were acting out of necessity, in order to prevent discrimination and greater harm to gay service members now serving.”
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