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Ret. Col. Stewart Bornhoft

Dave Gainer forwarded the following letter to us from retired army colonel Stewart Bornhoft.

He wrote that it was his hope that Texas representatives Joe Barton, Chet Edwards, Gene Green and Dr. “No” Burgess read the letter.

To the 194 Representatives, the 12 Senators, and the 4 Service Chiefs who now find themselves in a minority, we know how you feel.  We’ve been there.

When you cast your vote or wrote your letters this week to prolong the prejudice and hypocrisy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, you made a decision that put you on the wrong side of history. There are those in the majority who now are eager to “name and shame” you, but I suggest a higher path. While you shall certainly be held accountable, you still have a chance to set a better course.  Act now to voice your support for the goals of the Pentagon Working Group and the policies that will implement honest and open service. We extend a hand to you, hoping you will not push it way and remain sitting in the path of progress, but instead take that hand, stand, and walk forward with us.  We will all get there faster.

The declaration of the ideal that all of us are created equal, with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness still needs to be fulfilled.  It’s taking a long time for arc of the universe to bend toward justice.  Since that declaration, it took more than a century for women and racial minorities win the right to vote.   It took even longer for them to be able to serve equally in the military. Ironically, by our invisibility, we’ve always had the right to vote. Soon, we will secure the right to serve equally, without equivocation or discrimination.

Our nation was founded on the principles of majority rule, minority rights, and limited government. But the first does not trump the second, and the third exists to ensure that. So, a decision has been made to move forward. We respect your right to your views, but hope you will now join with the 4 out of 5 Americans who favor honest and open service.  It’s the right thing to do.

Respectfully,

A Retired Army Colonel

A proposal that would begin the process of repealing “don’t ask don’t tell” cleared two key legislative hurdles late Thursday, with both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full House of Representatives approving the measure in two votes that came just a few hours apart.

The proposal, in the form of an amendment to a $760 billion defense spending bill for Fiscal Year 2011, still must pass the full Senate, where some Republicans have threatened a filibuster.

Under the plan, supported by President Barack Obama, a DADT repeal wouldn’t take effect until the Pentagon completes a study on its impact, expected in December. Then, the president, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would have to certify that the repeal won’t hurt the military’s ability to fight. Finally, after those two requirements are met, there would be a 60-day waiting period.

“The importance of this vote cannot be overstated — this is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security,” Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said in a statement following the Senate committee vote. “The stars are aligning to finally restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.”

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, called the proposal “a historic roadmap” but noted that it won’t immediately end discharges.

“It is important for all gay and lesbian, active-duty service members, including the Reserves and the National Guard, to know they’re at risk,” Sarvis said.

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, noted that polls show 78 percent of Americans support a repeal of DADT.

“We call for a prompt vote by the full Senate that will get us even closer to permitting lesbian, gay and bisexual service members to serve openly and honestly,” Carey said. ”While this is progress toward ending an unjust law, we continue to call for clear assurances of protection, a specific timeline for repeal implementation, and an immediate halt to the discharges.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee, meeting behind closed doors, approved the measure by a vote of 16-12 at about 5:30 p.m. Dallas time. The committee vote broke along party lines, with two exceptions. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the lone Republican to vote in favor of the amendment. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia was the only Democrat to vote against it.

The House voted 234-194 to approve the amendment shortly after 9 p.m.

Among those who spoke against the amendment on the House floor was Republican Congressman Pete Sessions of Dallas.

“I think it’s a slap in the face to the members of the military to be driven down a road that is driven by a political agenda from the left in this country rather than a wise policy,” Sessions said.

DADT was passed in 1993 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994. According to SLDN, the policy has resulted in the abrupt firing of more than 14,000 men and women because of their sexual orientation, and has led tens of thousands more to voluntarily terminate their careers.

There are an estimated 66,000 gays, lesbians, and bisexuals currently serving in the U.S. military and an estimated 1 million gay, lesbian, and bisexual veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

As of 8:40 p.m. Dallas time, we’re awaiting the official recording of a House vote on an amendment that would begin the process of repealing “don’t ask don’t tell.”

The vote was called in favor of the ayes, meaning the amendment passed preliminarily, but opponents have requested a recorded vote. As soon as the official tally comes in — which should be less than 30 minutes from now — we’ll post a story over on the main page.

Again, you can watch the House proceedings live by going here. And see our coverage of an earlier vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee below.

Even assuming that the proposal has indeed passed the House, it will still need to pass the full Senate, and some Republicans are threatening a filibuster.

A proposal to begin the process of repealing “don’t ask don’t tell” cleared a major hurdle late Thursday when the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the measure by a vote of 16-12.

Meanwhile, lawmakers continued to debate the proposal on the House floor. Sources said they expected a vote in the House between 7 and 8 p.m. Dallas time. Earlier in the day Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters, “I think the votes are there.”

In addition to the House, the measure still needed to pass the Senate floor, where some Republicans have threatened a filibuster. In both the Senate and the House, the proposal to end the ban is attached to a $760 billion defense spending bill.

“This initial victory today in the Senate Armed Services Committee is an historic first step forward in the drive to finally get the onerous ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ law off the books forever,” said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United. “All of us who have served under ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ and who have been impacted by this law will remember this day as the beginning of the end for ‘don’t ask don’t tell.’”

Under the proposal, supported by President Barack Obama, the DADT repeal wouldn’t take effect until the Pentagon completes a study on the impact, expected in December. Also, the president, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would have to certify that the repeal won’t hurt the military’s ability to fight. Finally, after these requirements are met, there would be a 60-day waiting period before the repeal takes effect.

“We are especially grateful to the courageous members on the Senate Armed Services Committee who took a principled stand and voted for this amendment, which fully respects the ongoing study, the Pentagon leadership, and the men and women of the U.S. military,” Nicholson said.

The Human Rights Campaign said in a statement that the Senate committee decision marked the first time Congress has taken a vote toward repealing DADT in the policy’s 17-year history.

“The importance of this vote cannot be overstated — this is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “The stars are aligning to finally restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.”

The Senate committee vote broke along party lines, with two exceptions. Sen. Susan Collins Maine was the lone Republican to vote in favor of the amendment. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia was the only Democrat to vote against it.

Stay tuned to Instant Tea for updates.

Here’s the press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

WASHINGTON – Today the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to repeal the failed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.  This historic action is the first time Congress has ever taken a vote to repeal the ban on openly lesbian and gay service members in its nearly 17 year history.

“The importance of this vote cannot be overstated – this is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “The stars are aligning to finally restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.”

The language of the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act – which is supported by President Obama and military leadership – allows Congress to vote now to repeal the current DADT law with actual repeal occurring after completion of the Pentagon Working Group study due December 1, 2010 and upon certification.  Rep. Patrick Murphy will offer identical language as an amendment to the defense bill on the floor of the House by tomorrow morning.

“Americans recognize that on the battlefield, it does not matter whether service members are gay or straight; what matters is that they get the job done.  Those who wish to preserve discrimination in our military will continue to fight this progress but we will be there every step of the way to ensure that qualified men and women are allowed to serve their country, regardless of sexual orientation,” added Solmonese.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Dallas time, local SLDN board member Dave Gainer forwarded me this update from Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:

ALL,
We are hearing repeal vote may come in SASC [Senate Armed Services Committee] within the hour, the amendment has been laid down; it will not be OPEN to the public. And in the House, we hear from Patrick [sponsor Patrick Murphy] that the House vote could also come within the hour! Tune in if you are not already at your posts watching and listening.
Aubrey

As the full House continued to debate a repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell” at 5 p.m. Dallas time on Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee was also about to take up the issue. Trevor Thomas, a spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, reported that the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing began a few minutes before 5. Thomas said he expected a vote within an hour or so. The hearing was closed, at least for the time being. Stay tuned to Instant Tea for updates. “THIS IS *THE* MOMENT!” Thomas reported via Facebook.

As we predicted, Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas (Tyler, Longview) was one of the loudest, most obnoxious voices speaking against a repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell” on the House floor today. Above is a compilation of Republican rants from Think Progress that includes the following remarks by Gohmert:

“The military is not a social experiment. We are sending them out there with a mission to protect this country. If someone has to be overt about their sexuality, whether it’s in a bunker where they’re confined under fire, then it’s a problem. And that’s what repeal of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ does. It says, ‘I have to be overt, I don’t care, I want this to be a social experiment.’ …

“We’re saying , ‘We’re shoving this down you’re throat, we don’t care.’”

Frankly, Gohmert’s remarks don’t make a lot of sense, but I think what he was really trying to say is that he wants something shoved down his throat.

Anyhow, the debate is continuing in the House, and you can watch live by going here.

A coalition of 10 Jewish groups sent a letter to members of Congress supporting repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Among the groups are three of the four major branches of Judaism in the United States — Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist.

Dallas’ LGBT synagogue, Congregation Beth El Binah, is a member of the Reform movement.

The support is not at all surprising. Israel used to allow military deferments for gays, lesbians and transgenders. But in 1993, as the U.S. debated “don’t ask don’t tell,” Israel watched the debate closely, realized the arguments were stupid and did away with military exemption for their LGBT citizens.

What is surprising about the list, however, is that additional Jewish groups did not sign the letter. For example, the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods began welcoming openly lesbian members in the 1960s.

Text of the full Jewish community letter to Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives appears after the jump:

May 25, 2010

On behalf of the organized Jewish community, we the undersigned organizations urge you to repeal the discriminatory law known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT).  We believe this policy is unjust and become an anomaly among western nations.  Advanced militaries throughout the world, including many of our NATO allies and Israel, allow gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel to serve openly. It is time for the United States to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and we encourage you and colleagues to act swiftly.

The 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was proffered as a compromise that held the promise that would allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military if they did not reveal their sexual orientation. Established under the premise of discretion and privacy, the policy still barred lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. Any service member that revealed his or her homosexuality would be discharged. However, the policy also ostensibly precluded military officials from investigating soldiers suspected of being homosexual. Since the enactment of the DADT policy, more than 13,000 individuals have been discharged from the U.S. armed services due to their sexual orientation – a rate similar to before the DADT law.

Since the implementation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” public opinion on this issue has changed dramatically.  In 1994, only 44% of the Americans agreed gay and lesbian service members should be allowed to serve openly.  Today, 75% of Americans, a majority of both Democrats and Republicans, believe openly lesbian and gay citizens should be able to serve in the U.S. military.

We will continue to build and participate in coalitions that advocate for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and for policies and programs that will allow lesbian and gay Americans to openly serve openly in the military, without discrimination.  We encourage you and your colleagues to do your part, by repealing the underlying law this year.

Sincerely,
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

American Jewish Committee

American Jewish Congress

Anti-Defamation League

B’nai B’rith International

Jewish Labor Committee

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

National Council of Jewish Women

Union for Reform Judaism

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Roy Ashburn

Three months after homophobic California State Sen. Roy Ashburn got caught driving drunk after leaving a gay bar, he was back on the floor of the Senate casting votes on two gay-rights bills.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Ashburn was the only Republican who voted in favor of a resolution supporting the right of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. But he also voted against a measure that could remove an obstacle to same-sex marriage:

Ashburn then took the unusual step of publicly explaining his votes on the Senate floor.

“I would not have been speaking on a measure dealing with sexual orientation ever prior to the events that have transpired in my life over the last three months,’’ Ashburn told his colleagues. “However, I am no longer willing or able to remain silent on issues that affect sexual orientation and the rights of individuals. And so I am doing something that is quite different and foreign to me, and it’s highly emotional.’’