07/13/2009
Gillibrand to Introduce Moratorium Bill on Gay Military Discharges?
The Daily Beast's Jason Bellini reports that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand may introduce a bill seeking an 18-month moratorium on gay military discharges as early as tomorrow:
"It would be the first time since the implementation of the 'Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell' policy in 1993 that senators are forced to declare
their position on the gay ban. A Senate staffer familiar with the
matter says Gillibrand may introduce her amendment on Tuesday to the
Defense reauthorization bill. If the amendment were to pass, gay-rights
leaders expect it would stand a strong chance of being approved by the
House and could be signed into law by President Obama, who has
expressed his desire for the ban to be lifted. Rep. Patrick Murphy is
trying to build support for a bill that has already been introduced in
the House that would repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. But Gillibrand's move would circumvent a long legislative process at
a time when an average of two gay soldiers per day are being discharged. A press representative from Gillibrand's office said the decision to introduce the amendment is not final."
Posted 1:50 PM EST by Andy Towle in Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Kirsten Gillibrand, Military, News |
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Weren't there questions when she was installed in office as to whether or not she'd be a friend to our community? So far she has *rocked*!
Posted by: peterparker | Jul 13, 2009 2:22:38 PM
An executive order from the President halting discharges would be preferable. But if Congresswoman Gillibrand's bill does the job, so be it.
Either way, it is becoming increasingly obvious that DADT's days are numbered.
Posted by: Hank | Jul 13, 2009 2:26:38 PM
Why do I get the feeling tomorrow will go by with no word of this? And the next day and the next day, until finally word comes down that the votes "weren't there" or there wasn't enough "support" or some other BS. This isn't anything against Gillibrand, but I don't trust them to do their part in effectively running our government anymore.
Posted by: Bruno | Jul 13, 2009 2:38:29 PM
This would be an easy sell for the cowardly Democrats (please pardon the redundancy) in Congress and the White House, if they knew how to throw a decent rhetorical punch and weren't piss-their-pants afraid of the Republicans. We're at war in two countries. We can't afford to lose valuable soldiers/sailors/Marines/airmen & women. Anti-gay bigotry is making our country LESS SAFE. You think they'll pursue that line? Fuck no, it makes too much sense.
Posted by: MikeMick | Jul 13, 2009 3:00:54 PM
@peterparker: I do remember. Not only do I like what she's doing here, I was reading her piece in HuffPo about her initiative to address the nurse shortage in NYS. I have to say I think maybe Gillibrand just might be awesome simply because she seems proactive instead of reactive.
Posted by: pigeon | Jul 13, 2009 4:05:12 PM
It's a clever move. It stops the actual harm (discharging gay soldiers), it's easier to pass than a repeal, and it gives the president time to build up support for the final annulment of DADT.
My one worry is that her amendment might include a "sunset clause" - that is, expire at a certain future date, by which point the GOP might be in control. But I doubt it. If she does go ahead with the amendment, then good on her.
Posted by: Ben | Jul 14, 2009 5:10:26 AM
18 months should be plenty of time to get a repeal. And look, she's doing all the nasty gay work for the President! He ought to be supporting this instead of appearing on TV blathering about his utter ineptitude.
Posted by: DR | Jul 14, 2009 8:51:27 AM