NOM Lies about DOMA and the Defense Authorization Bill

NOM lies... Well, y'all knew that. But check out their latest bit of foolishness

That's not true, it's a lie (I'm using my best Christina Crawford voice). Washington Blade shed some light  on the matter:

Fred Sainz, vice president of communications for the Human Rights Campaign, said his organization has no knowledge of any intention to amend the defense bill with DOMA repeal. The largest LGBT organization, HRC is responsible for lobbying on Capitol Hill and would likely be looped in on any such plans.

Sainz said the mailing is a “red herring” and an attempt to trick NOM’s supporters into thinking the organization is working on something after suffering a series of defeats.

Among the recent failures, Sainz said, is the legalization of marriage equality in New York and high-level court decisions against NOM on the non-disclosure of their donors.

“Their members and their donors are, obviously, upset at their very poor performance,” Sainz said. “NOM needs to give them a red herring that equals hope or shows that they are working on something no matter how big of a lie it is. They’re trying to raise money with this is what they’re trying to do. They are trying to give the sense that something is going on when this is not something that is in the works.”

 See? NOM lies.

House approves Anti-Gay Amendment in the Defense budget

Sexy isn't she

Yesterday, Rep. Virginia Foxx put up an anti-gay amendment in the Defense Department budget:

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, who represent’s North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District, attached her amendment to the Department of Defense’s budget for the 2012 fiscal year. The amendment requires enforcement of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and bans any use of funds for “benefits, such as housing, education, medical services, transportation, etc., for same-sex couples on the same basis as opposite-sex married couples,” 

The bill passed 248-175. This will probably fail in Senate and die with the end of DOMA. Still, it is unbelievable this horrid woman was able to do this. Virginia is playing a bad hand and she will pay for this mess. But the shocker is the number of Dems who supported the She-Crow's efforts (via The New Civil Rights Movement):

Reps. Jason Altmire (D-​Pa.), John Barrow (D-​Ga.), Sanford Bishop (D-​Ga.), Dan Boren (D-​Okla.), Ben Chandler (D-​Ky.), Jerry Costello (D-​Ill.), Mark Critz (D-​Pa.), Henry Cuellar (D-​Texas), Joe Donnelly (D-​Ind.), Gene Green (D-​Texas), Tim Holden (D-​Pa.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.), Dan Lipinski (D-​Ill.), Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), James Matheson (D-​Utah), Collin Peterson (D-​Minn.), Nich Rahall (D-W.V.), Mike Ross (D-​Ark.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

Keep these cretins in mind, y'all. They need to be held accountable for supporting this Tramp. They should be back in office.

President Obama is committed on keeping DADT repeal in the National Defense Authorization Act

Things are looking up for DADT staying in the National Defense Authorization Act. Metro Weekly reports that President Obama is committed in keeping DADT repeal in the NDAA.

This afternoon, White House spokesman Shin Inouye told Metro Weekly that President Obama had spoken with one of the Senate leaders of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal -- Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) -- about the provision's inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had, earlier in the day, told The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld at the press briefing that passage of the NDAA, with DADT repeal, in the lame-duck session of Congress is "in the same category" as passage of the START nuclear treaty and the extension of the middle-class tax cuts.

Inouye wrote, "Today, President Obama called Chairman Levin to reiterate his commitment on keeping the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in the National Defense Authorization Act, and the need for the Senate to pass this legislation during the lame duck."

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OutServe and Knights Out supports a Defense Bill with or without the DADT Repeal

Interesting turn of events. 2 strong gay rights military groups release a statement about the defense bill moving forward with or without the repeal of DADT.

From Politico

“On behalf of the more than 1,000 active duty gay and lesbian service members and 500 gay and lesbian veterans we represent, we respectfully urge Congress to pass the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to fund the aircraft, weapons, combat vehicles, ammunition and promised pay-raises for all troops, whether or not the repeal of don't ask, don't tell is included,” the statement will say. “To be clear, we will continue to fight for our integrity as gay and lesbian service members and we hope that legislative action in Congress can be taken in 2010 to lift the ban.”

more to come

Don't Fret! DADT is still on the NDAA Table

All day, folks have been talking about the fear of DADT being removed from the National Defense Authorization Act. Well, Metro Weekly has a hopeful spin on that info:

In the past 24 hours, several media outlets have reported on the possibility of a version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) moving forward in the Senate with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal provision stripped from it – discussions the leadership at the Human Rights Campaign struck back at today as "background noise" that does not have the support of Democratic leaders in the Senate.

[UPDATE @ 7:25 PM: Dan Pfeiffer, White House communications director, said in a statement on Monday evening, "The White House opposes any effort to strip 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' from the National Defense Authorization Act."]

Good news! I hope this stand.

DADT Cloture Vote is a NO GO! Senate 56-43

Well, you see the title; the vote failed. The Senate rejected the debate of the Defense Authorization Bill.

Harry Reid had to vote "No" in order to bring the bill back on the floor

I will have more this soon

Question of the Day: DADT Edition

So how do you think the DADT vote going to go down?

Sen. Olympia Snowe wants to Review the DADT survey results before voting

Sen. Olympia Snowe wants proof, not Lady Gaga. Today, she sent a official statement, laying down her stance of the DADT repeal.

Snowe Statement on Defense Authorization Bill

September 20, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) released the following statement regarding tomorrow’s procedural vote on the Defense authorization bill and the majority’s intention to limit the number of amendments considered:

“First and foremost, the Senate should have the ability to debate more than the three amendments the Majority Leader is allowing, especially as this bill is the largest discretionary authorization measure that Congress considers, that the bill describes the policies and programs that provide resources and direction to the nearly 2.4 million men and women of the military – active, reserve and civilians, including the courageous Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that two of the three amendments don’t even relate to the military. It is therefore imperative that Senate deliberations on the defense bill be conducted without limitations and in a manner that allows for the consideration of all related amendments that Senators may wish to offer.

“Moreover, as I have previously stated, given that the law implementing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been in place for nearly 17 years, I agree that it is overdue for a thorough review. The question is, whether we should be voting on this issue before we have the benefit of the comprehensive review that President Obama’s Secretary of Defense ordered in March, to secure the input of our men and women in uniform during this time of war – as the Joint Chiefs of Staff from all of the services have requested prior to any vote. We should all have the opportunity to review that report which is to be completed on December 1, as we reevaluate this policy and the implementation of any new changes.”

So she wants to see the results of the DADT survey. I hate to say this, but that could be the reason for a hold up in tomorrow's vote.

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John McCain HATES the idea of DADT being attached to the Defense Bill

Gates: Obama could Veto the Military Spending Bill that includes DADT

Listen to Gates explain the possible veto. This isn't completely about DADT, this is more about the items involved with the spending bill.

But still watch the clip:

Folks are going to get Arrested! GetEQUAL will Protest in Washington D.C. for DADT

I got this from their YouTube page

There will be a rally in Washington DC on Sunday, May 2, 2010 to pressure the President with the demand he transmit IMMEDIATELY to the Senate Armed Service Committee the language for repeal into the Defense Authorization Bill. If you would like to plan your action for this date, by all means do. If not please email the date and details of your action plan to: DADTRepeal@gmail.com so we can try to coordinate and assist in publicizing!

Here's the video, but it's a little blurry

Okay, however there will be a National Veterans Lobby Day happening a week later

Honestly, I see more success with this one, they have a bit more orgs involved. But hey, you never know with GetEQUAL, they are full of surprises.

Rolling the Ball on DADT in 2010

Folks are trying to get DADT on the move in 2010. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has written a letter Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the matter.

Dear Secretary Gates:

We write today with regards to the current prohibition on openly gay and lesbian service members in the military, commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).

This discriminatory policy results in the Department of Defense losing tens of millions each year in unrecoverable recruiting and training costs. The 2006 Blue Ribbon Commission’s report on DADT found that the Pentagon wasted over $360 million due to this policy from 1994 until 2003, the last year studied. Since its enactment in 1994, over 13,500 service members have been discharged under DADT, including 730 mission critical soldiers and over 65 Arabic and Farsi linguists vital to the war on terrorism.

To increase transparency on the effects the DADT policy is having on our military and by extension our national defense, we request that the Office of the Secretary of Defense provide data on the current number of DADT discharges since January 1, 2009 to the present, no later than January 15, 2010. In addition, we request monthly reports thereafter to Congress detailing the number of enlisted service members and officers discharged under the policy including their job specialty (MOS), time in the service and branch of the military. Through these monthly updates, Congress and the public will get a clearer picture of the continued costs and damage to our national security inflicted by this policy.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a timely response.

Sincerely,

James P. Moran

DADT could be added in the Defense Department budget authorization bill, just like the Hate Crimes bill. Hopefully, we can gain the same success.

F**K you, John Boehner!

House Passes the Big Hate Crimes Bill!

Great news, great news!

The House voted Thursday to expand the definition of violent federal hate crimes to cover those committed because of a victim’s gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Democrats and advocates hailed the vote of 281 to 146, which put the measure on the brink of becoming law, as the culmination of a long push to curb violent expressions of bias such as the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student murdered in 1998.

“Left unchecked crimes of this kind threaten to ruin the very fabric of America,” said Representative Susan Davis, Democrat of California.

The hate-crimes measure was approved as part of a broad $681 billion Pentagon policy measure, a strategy that infuriated House Republicans who accused Democrats of employing a form of legislative blackmail.

This will given to Obama immediately. Hopefully, he sign it by this weekend.

source

The House stops the Removal of Hate Crimes Provision

Last night, the House stopped the silly Repubs from striping the hate crimes items from the
Defense Authorization bill.

The vote was 178 to 234.

Here's more:

You may recall that in July, the Senate voted 63 to 28 to add the provisions of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the defense bill. Nearly identical legislation passed the House earlier this year on a bipartisan vote of 249 to 175. Conferees are expected to retain the hate crimes provisions in the final version of the conference report and today’s vote is a strong show of support for the hate crimes language.

So far, it's going good and it should be given to Obama to sign very soon. Let's hope for a steady pace and less mess from the Repubs.

source

F-22 money removed from the DoD bill

Good news? Maybe? Hopefully?

The Senate voted to remove the funding for 7 additional F-22 jets from the DoD bill (where Matthew Shepard Act is attached to)

This removal is considered successful for the White House and possibly prevents Obama from vetoing the bill. However, the House passed a version of its defense bill that has additional funding. So there's still more to this story.

For more, go here