Democrats weren't the only ones to suffer a stinging defeat last week. Two years ago the demise of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) -- the military's ban on openly gay service members -- appeared certain. But gay rights won't be at the top of Republican Speaker John Boehner's agenda come January.
That means proponents of repealing DADT need the Senate to act in its upcoming lame duck session. And that's far from certain because DADT will need to compete with other Democratic priorities in the typical eleventh hour triage of remaining agenda items.
To keep the pressure on Democrats to act, proponents of repealing the discriminatory policy should consult their history books for a compelling and time tested rationale for expanding minority rights. Repeal of DADT needs to be couched as a practical and moral wartime necessity. Practical, because DADT deprives our military of needed personnel. Moral, because service to one's country demands acknowledgment, respect, and -- if history is any guide -- a reassessment of minority rights.
When a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, drawing the U.S. into World War I, the "men only" signs at polling stations soon went down with the ship. Feminists had long been agitating for suffrage rights, but three attempts at constitutional amendments had failed badly. Then women contributed to the war effort by entering the workforce en masse. As President Woodrow Wilson said, "We have made partners of the women in this war... [It] could not have been fought... if it had not been for the services of women." In this new context, the Nineteenth Amendment sailed through, providing women the franchise.
America's next few international conflicts had similar effects for groups facing discrimination. Manpower shortages in World War II and Korea necessitated placing African Americans -- then thought unreliable and likely to flee -- in combat roles.
Fighting and dying with honor on the front lines raised new moral considerations that factored heavily in changes back home. The Army was fully integrated, and in the Jim Crow South, federal legislation abolished the poll tax while the Supreme Court struck down the all-white primary.
Vietnam yielded another constitutional amendment. 18-20 year old kids who'd long been eligible to die for their commander-in-chief became eligible to vote him out of office.
DADT is well situated to become the next casualty of war. As former Marine Eric Alva, the first U.S. service member to be wounded in Iraq and who later came out as gay, told me, Iraq and Afghanistan "allowed an opening."
Like the manpower shortages in World War II and Korea, part of the consideration is practical. Since September 11, DADT has led to the dismissal of dozens of desperately needed Arabic translators along with hundreds of other soldiers possessing similar critical abilities.
A retired Marine infantry commander said:
for a guy who's been in that seat and had to enforce that policy, it's a black and white issue: If the rule exists that makes it a violation of the uniform code of military justice to come out, then for me as an officer, the policy has to be enforced. But personally, from the perspective that we're at war, this is ridiculous because you're now denying yourself critical personnel and skills. For a military person, it's a crying shame that talented linguists, for instance, are getting kicked out.
But the moral consideration is just as important. Regardless of DADT, plenty of gays are currently serving in the military. According to UCLA's Williams Institute, the armed forces contain over 65,000 gay service members, or about 2% of all personnel. Needless to say, these gay soldiers aren't exempt from being shot by snipers or blown up by roadside bombs.
In the years since Alva lost a leg to a landmine while on patrol in Basra, he's found that his sacrifice forced many to take a second look at DADT.
They say, "he's made that sacrifice and we should reward him." What people started noticing is that men and women are getting injured and losing arms and legs. For us to then turn away a veteran who has served the country -- to not say your service is honorable -- is a disgrace.
The broader implication is that service to one's country demands acknowledgment, respect, and -- with remarkable frequency -- a reconsideration of minority rights. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have allowed Alva -- like those subjected to discrimination in past generations -- to play a compelling moral trump card: "Look me in the face and tell me you can't thank me for my service." Facing a frantic lame duck session, proponents of repealing DADT need to exploit this time-tested rationale for expanding minority rights before this golden opportunity slips away.
Granted, Eric Alva wasn't booted out, but wounded and medically retired, it's still a disgrace that our country POLITICIANS think it's OK for him to lose a leg for our country, but not to serve honestly!
Maybe our country needs to see the disgrace on a national scale in 60 second intervals....
I'm personally not stupid enough to fall for that trick, but I'm sure there are lots of libertarian leaning independents that would see it as the Republicans standing for basic individual rights and lean towards voting Republican next time.
I don't think Obama intends to fight for the repeal or the Dream Act and now I wonder he ever really intended passing either bills.
The arguments made in this thread are true, we have lost many skilled servicemen to our policy and unless you live in the deep south, most of us understand that it is unconstitutional, yet the POTUS, protested the court order to lift the ban. Same with vowing to fight CA prop 19, in vowing to fight these topics, the same topics you stood up for during election, you have in our minds lied to us.
I understand you should have tried to lose 2 yrs ago, really we all saw the economy and knew it wouldn't even begin to recover until at the least next year, but you had an opportunity like no other and we the left feel betrayed.
From CNN:
"The two top members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are talking about whether to strip the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" from the Defense Authorization Bill, according to an aide to Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the committee's ranking Republican."
Senators Snowe and Collins are likely to be ones that could be swung, but they also realize that to play the wrong card could make them potentially members frozen out in future planning efforts, and this issue may not be worth that to them.
Reid is going to take heat from his own party if he pushes this, instead of something else, and fails. His job is secure, but his support in the Senate with his own party is not!
;'{P~~~
With Scott Brown facing reelection in '12, I wonder if he'll be lobbied any by those for repealing dadt? MA is still bluest of blue states and he has been moving to the center since elected.
First start with the Senate. That's the part of the Legislative branch that couldn't do shit during the PRECEDING 22 months. They now have nine weeks (nominally) remaining. They aren't even going back to DC for another week. Subtract three weeks for Christmas. Subtract one week for New Years. Toss in a few more days for Hannukah, Saint Swithens Day, a week for Thanksgiving.... You got about three weeks. Nobody got around to passing the FY 2011 budget, which might not be that big a deal, except it started a month ago and the existing continuing resolution is about to run out. Speaking of running out, the debt ceiling is fast approaching. We can't borrow over $14 Trillion without permission from Congress, and we don't have that either. Then there's the Alternative Minimum Tax, the Medicare fix for doctors.... We'll be lucky to make a START on these in the three weeks or less the Senate will be in town.
This plus is a big one. First thing you have to understand is most representatives don't do shit. Their STAFFs do it for them. For committees, where the work actually gets done, it's THEIR staffs. Well guess what. The majority party gets 2/3rds the staff. The minority get 1/3.
What that means is that fully HALF of the dem committee staffers just found out six days ago that they don't have a job after Christmas. Those bozoes are even now putting resumes out all over town - sometimes all over the country - and their number one job is going to be FINDING a job, not DADT or anything else.
So you have a three week window where DAMN LITTLE is going to be accomplished.
DADT repeal is NOT going to b e a part of that damn little.
Nor will our feckless stand-for-nothing President stop loss the soldiers getting discharged even when the Democrats cave again.
We are nothing but an ATM machine to the Democrats.
Before you vote in the 2012 Democratic Primary, remember it is Barack Obama himself who is keeping DADT alive and playing us for fools.