Congress, Military, Politics, Uncategorized

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Repealed

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

NOTE: A correction has been made to this post.

This afternoon, the United States Senate voted to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—a policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military for seventeen years. According to CBS News: “Eight Republicans joined nearly every Democrat to vote for repeal. The Republicans voting for repeal were Sens. Scott Brown (Mass.), Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), John Ensign (Nev.), Richard Burr (N.C.) and George Voinovich (Ohio).”

The final vote was 65-31.

Sources:

CBS News

Huffington Post

33 thoughts on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Repealed”

  1. I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the LGBT soldiers who have been fighting for our misguided wars of aggression and profit (that is the fault of politicians and corporations, not soldiers following their orders) and for their civil rights at the same time. Your service and courage honor all Americans and set a fine example for the citizenry about persistence in the battle for civil rights. I hope that your courage inspires civilian citizens to stand up against the steady erosion of civil rights our criminal political class is inflicting upon us all and that you will continue to aid in this battle as well. Congratulations for finally getting some of the recognition and respect you so justly deserve.

  2. Tony S.,

    I hadn’t read your earlier comment. You were probably confused about when Brown would have to run for reelection because he won his Senate seat in a special election after the death of Ted Kennedy. Brown isn’t serving a six-year term.

  4. It’s high time…

    (Swarthmore mom, You probably know that he also tweeted Dan Choi.)

  5. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I&w=560&h=345] Harry Reid tweeted Lady Gaga.

  6. Wayne in Minnesota,

    I don’t know if they’ll get it on film? But if you put your head out the window and the wind is just right, you can hear a high pitched whine coming from the direction of Topeka. That would be all the blood rushing to Phelps’ head. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to hear the “POP!” too.

  7. On the risk of Tea Party primary challenges against the Republicans who supported repeal, bear in mind that senators have a six year term. Olympia Snowe is perhaps vulnerable in 2012 if she intends to run for reelection, Collins less so because her term ends in 2014 when repeal will be a more distant memory. Voinovich I think intends to retire so he gets to vote his conscience. Murkowski (funny how we can all spell that name now!), Kirk, Burr and Brown have ages to go before they need to worry about reelection, Ensign’s vote is a bit of a surprise, but his history recently is very checkered and I wouldn’t be stunned and amazed he he is considering retirement in 2012 too. It could just be that he feels safe.

  9. “puzzling 1, December 18, 2010 at 6:04 pm

    eniobob – Everyone in Massachusetts expected Scott Brown to vote to repeal DADT. He has been saying so for weeks and the position has wide support.”

    I agree with you 100% on that,the tea party dosen’t see it our way.

  10. eniobob – Everyone in Massachusetts expected Scott Brown to vote to repeal DADT. He has been saying so for weeks and the position has wide support.

  11. Reaction to DADT Vote: “The Few, the Proud, the Sexually Twisted”
    Submitted by Kyle on December 18, 2010 – 1:40pm

    Today, the Senate voted 63-33 to invoke cloture and bring the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to a final vote later today. With repeal of DADT all but a foregone conclusion, the Religious Right has begun releasing statements which we are going to chronicle here as they come it.

    And judging by the early statements from the likes of Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, this vote is literally going to mean the end of America:

    We are now stuck with sexual deviants serving openly in the U.S. military because of turncoat Republican senators … Had the cloture vote failed, we would still have sane moral and sexual standards governing military personnel policy. But sadly those days are gone, perhaps forever.

    http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/reaction-dadt-vote-few-proud-sexually-twisted

  12. Well you know what Republicans the tea party will have in its sights.
    Brown,Snowe,and Collins.

  13. It is good news, even if we are late. I am shocked that Mark Kirk actually voted to repeal. Even though he had hinted at it earlier, I didn’t think he had the gumption to buck the leadership. Of course, if Lottakatz is correct, his vote for DADT may just be part of the script.

  16. Long, long overdue and a very welcome bit of news.

    There’s an interesting game going on here it seems to me. Three big pieces of legislation were coming up for votes, DADT, START and the healthcare bill for first responders and survivors of 9-11.

    That’s an interesting bill in that it closes some tax loopholes for FOREIGN business’ to fund the compensation of the first responders. The Chamber of Commerce lobbied hard against that bill on the basis that it would hurt trade. [Keep in mind that a lot of American business’, big American business’ have incorporate off shore and moved their headquarters off shore even if the new HQ is no more than a postal box in a storefront postal office in a tax haven.]So when the Chamber or the Congress talks about FOREIGN business a lot of those business’ include big, historically AMERICAN business’.

    So while everybody was talking about START being held hostage for a defeat of DADT and thinking no one would deny 9-11 responders some compensation [but probably wasn’t familiar with the ‘foreign’ business tax stuff in it] DADT gets PASSED, the first responder bill gets KILLED (just like so many first responders) and big foreign business’ many of which are just runaway American business, make out like the bandits they are.

    If I was a betting man, I’d bet START will pass with little or no problem. I’m thinking we just say a masterful example of that old grifter’s standby, the shell game.

    Or I’m entirely paranoid, have no idea how DC works anymore and really need some sleep.

  18. Joseph Newberg,

    Thanks! I just checked another source that said that EIGHT Republicans joined the majority.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20026108-503544.html

    “Eight Republicans joined nearly every Democrat to vote for repeal. The Republicans voting for repeal were Sens. Scott Brown (Mass.), Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), John Ensign (Nev.), Richard Burr (N.C.) and George Voinovich (Ohio).”

  20. Republican senators Collins, Snowe, Kirk, Voinovich, Burr, Ensign, Brown, and Murkowski joined the Democrats in voting to repeal.

Comments are closed.