Repeal! Repeal! Repeal!

SENATORS ADVANCE PLAN TO REPEAL 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL'

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand teamed up with 11 Democratic colleagues and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman on Wednesday to introduce legislation that would repeal the Pentagon’s unpopular “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that excludes gays from serving openly in the military.

The policy “is an unjust and discriminatory measure that hampers our national security and violates the civil rights of some of the bravest, most heroic Americans,” Gillibrand said. “This policy is wrong for our national security and inconsistent with the moral foundation upon which our country was founded.”

To bring some partisan balance to the effort, Lieberman and the Democratic senators enlisted the son of conservative Republican legend Barry Goldwater.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., talks about a new push to repeal the military's controversial ban on openly gay service members during a news conference on Capitol Hill. He is flanked by co-sponsors of the repeal legislation, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. 

“You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight,” said Barry Goldwater, a combat veteran and unflinching advocate for a strong national defense.

Added co-sponsor Mark Udall, D-Colo.: “And you certainly don’t have to be straight to recognize who the enemy is.”

The group’s “Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010″ would repeal the law that prevents gay Americans from openly serving in the military, as well as prohibit discrimination against current and prospective service members on the basis of sexual orientation.

“The bottom line is that we have a volunteer military,” said Lieberman, a hawkish independent who is taking the lead in the effort.  “If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.”

The proposal’s sponsors argue the bill would help the U.S. military recruit and retain personnel with vital national-security skills, such as Arabic language and computer programming abilities, where disciplinary actions have resulted in the dismissal of hundreds of gay soldiers. They say the new law would broaden the reach of the Reserve Officer Training Corps because ROTC is currently banned from many college campuses as a result of the Pentagon’s policy, which most universities consider discrimination against gay Americans.

In addition to Gillibrand and Lieberman, the proposal’s co-sponsors are Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Roland Burris, D-Ill., Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats from California, Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Arlen Specter, D-Pa., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Al Franken, D-Minn., and Udall.

“I did not find the arguments used to justify ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ convincing when it took effect in 1993, and they are less so now,” said Levin. “This legislation will do what other armies have already done – without having an adverse effect on good order and discipline or unit cohesion.  Gays are serving successfully in our military right now – this legislation would allow them to serve with integrity.”

The bill’s introduction came after Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently issued instructions to the Pentagon General Counsel about what criteria they should study to recommend a repeal of the ban on open gay military service. These recommendations, among others, included determining any impacts to military readiness, military effectiveness and unit cohesion.

At least 28 countries including Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Israel allow open service by lesbian and gay troops and none have reported morale or recruitment problems.

It has been reported that last year alone over 400 qualified troops including Arabic translators and fighter pilots were discharged for no other reason than their sexual orientation.

While some members of the Senate are still concerned about the impact of letting openly gay and lesbian service members continue in the military, 66 percent of Americans think the current policy of not allowing openly gay men and women to serve is discrimination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Feb. 10.

“Over the years I’ve seen tremendous movement on this issue within the military,” said Franken, “They’re ready for it and we’re ready for it. We need to end a policy that forces patriotic Americans to lie in order to defend their country.”