Well, discrimination is still in fashion and that inequality rules.
The Senate rejected the Defense Department appropriations bill that contained a measure approving repeal of DADT by a vote of 57-40
GOP goosesteppers Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, and Democrat Joe Manchin all voted "No" on the measure. Brown had originally said he'd vote Yes, but apparently flip-flopping along party lines is what he does best. Senator Susan Collins, after leading the Republican charge against the bill, also changed her mind, and voted "yes".
It disgusts me that, in this country, we cannot see discrimination for what it is, and where it is, and have politicians choose to legislate it. We are so beyond the time that sexual orientation is something to be feared. I am writing to both honorable [sarcasm] senators from South Carolina, Lindsay Graham and Jim DeMint, to tell them what i think of their bigoted, homophobic vote.
And it disgusts me. But........
Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under DADT, said in a statement: "This was a major failure on the part of the Senate to simply do its job and pass an annual defense authorization bill. Politics prevailed over responsibility today, and now more than one million American servicemembers, including tens of thousands of gay and lesbian troops, are worse off as a result. Since the votes are there in isolation, the Senate should still consider a stand-alone bill to repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law before adjourning for the winter holidays."
Which is what Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins are planning. they hope to introduce a stand-alone DADT repeal bill, and Harry Reid Promises a vote on it. And I am hoping these are not just empty promises, but the real deal.
Let's hope we get two steps forward before this session of Congress ends.
Brown is my Senator, and his vote on DADT makes me ill. I wrote about it on my blog earlier this week. The fact that he's sitting in what was formerly Ted Kennedy's seat adds insult to injury w/ his coward-like vote.
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