"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": The End is Near: 20 SEP 2011

We're almost there. Last December 22, President Obama said, "This is done." Today, the President signed, and submitted to Congress, the Certification, by the President, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen. Full implementation of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Act of 2010 takes effect 60 days later - 20 SEP 2011.

Here is the Oval Office meeting:


And here is the Certification:


Operation Yellow Elephant also salutes former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, for his leadership on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal and his Service to Our Country over many decades. We wish him well in his retirement.


The devil is always in the details. We salute Dr. Clifford Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Mr. Jeh Johnson, General Counsel of the Department of Defense and the leaders of the Pentagon body implementing the repeal, Ms. Virginia "Vee" Penrod, above, right, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy and Chairwoman of the Repeal Implementation Team, and Major General Steven A. Hummer, USMC, Chief of Staff, above, left, explaining the details following certification, and their Team for their hard work and dedication to America.


We also recognize and salute former Rep. Patrick Murphy [D-PA], above, now a candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General [click here and scroll down for his statement], and Senator Joe Lieberman [I-CT], below, for their leadership in Congress and perseverance in doing the right thing for America.


Finally, we salute Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, in this fight since the beginning, along with Servicemembers United, OutServe, the Palm Center and the Log Cabin Republicans [whose court challenge to DADT helped to keep the pressure on], for their dedication and commitment to America.

OYE Comment:

Don't worry, civilian Log Cabin Republicans [and Stonewall Democrats]: Once DADT is history, you're on the hook with OYE!

First Yellow Elephant Elected to Congress!

Voters in Arizona's Phoenix-area Third Congressional District just chose Yellow Elephant Ben Quayle as their new Congressman, with 53% of the vote. Democratic candidate John Hulburd got 47%.

We congratulate Ben Quayle on his victory and wish him, and Arizona, all the best.

Meanwhile, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy, an Iraq War Veteran, lost his seat with 46% of the vote.

There's still time for Congress to do the right thing and repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the post-election session.

We'll see what happens.

Update: Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick [R-PA-08], who replaced Patrick Murphy, missed his swearing-in. He later apologized.

As of January 8, 2011, Rep. Fitzpatrick's official website does not include his bio. It says, in toto, "For a copy of my full biography, please contact my Washington DC office." Hel-lo!

DADT Repeal: Key Votes in Congress today

This blog tends to focus on analytical commentary, so we'll be brief with these news items

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to start the process of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." [10 U.S.C. Sec. 654] With the exception of Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME] and Jim Webb [D-VA], it was a party line vote.

Update: The full House of Representatives approved, 234-194, an amendment to the defense authorization bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," sponsored by Rep. Patrick Murphy [D-PA], the only Iraq veteran in Congress. Here's what we recently heard from him:

Dear Friend,

Today we are on the verge of history and I want to thank you for your support.

As the first Iraq war veteran to be elected to Congress, I feel I have a certain responsibility to our heroes in uniform. All of them.

When I was in Iraq, no one cared what someone’s sexual orientation was. All that mattered was whether or not you could fire a M4 Assault Rifle or kick down a door. It only mattered if you could do the job you were sent there to do and to make sure that everyone came home safe.

Every day I wear my 82nd Airborne All-American pin on my lapel. It's a constant reminder of the 19 men we lost in Iraq. It’s a constant reminder that we need to do everything we can for our troops abroad and for our veterans here at home.

Clearly "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” isn’t working. We spend tens of thousands of dollars to recruit new personnel while we discharge other qualified, dedicated military personnel solely because of their sexual orientation. American taxpayers have paid between $250 million and $1.2 billion to investigate, eliminate and replace servicemembers under this failed policy.

More than 13,500 qualified men and women, who would all take a bullet for their country, have been dismissed from service due to this discriminatory policy. This count includes over 800 medics, fighter pilots, and others deemed to be “mission critical.” Most baffling may be the 57 Arabic linguists who have been discharged under this law – linguists who, had they remained in the military, would today be translating vital information critical to our national security during time of war.

This is unacceptable. The time for repeal is NOW. And we’re closer than ever.

I want to again thank you for your support and to remind you all that although we are close, we will not be finished until repeal becomes law. Keep up the fight and I will continue to work hard to make repeal a reality.

Sincerely,


Patrick J. Murphy

OYE Comment:

Thank you, Rep. Murphy, for helping to restore our faith in America. He's a credible leader who's willing to lead.