Senate Armed Services Committee Says Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Now

by Maia Spotts · 2010-05-12 11:50:00 UTC
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Remember a couple of weeks ago, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote that spineless letter about how Congress should put a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal put on hold until December, when various committees have reconvened and options are triple-checked (and mid-term elections are over)? Today the Senate Armed Services Committee, those folks in charge of writing up the bill that would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" issued their own statement about the timing of repeal. In a nutshell: Gates is not the boss of them.

Committee Chairman Carl Levin shrugged off Gates' recommendation, saying, “We’re not a rubber stamp for the president. He says he wants to repeal ‘don’t ask.’ Why shouldn’t we repeal it?”

Indeed, Mr. Levin, why shouldn't you?

It's a question veterans and civilians are demanding an answer to this week, which marked National Veterans Lobby Day. As the final draft of the Defense Authorization Bill looms, now is the time to put pressure on Levin, and the remaining committee to attach the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA) and do away with this dirty business once and for all. Levin thinks he is close to having enough support for passage, maybe one or two votes shy.

Here's the other thing: if Gates took a second to actually read the MREA, he would know that all his worries about rushed implementation are for naught. Under the MREA, Gates and his underlings have 270 days — that's more time than under his current schedule — to come up with a plan for making the military a less discriminatory employer. After that they get 60 more days to get all the branches of the military up to speed and ready to go. Then those branches get an additional 60 days to fully implement. So even if DADT is repealed sometime this summer, it could be another 13 months before gay soldiers can breathe easy.

Take a second and sign this petition. Call your representatives. Let them know that you are paying attention, and that you support our troops, all of them, and enough is enough.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Maia Spotts is one part of a two mom, two kid household and hopes to change the way in which this country defines the strong American family.

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