I was stunned to see that the Senate voted to repeal the infamous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexual orientation secret. It was an appalling policy from the beginning, and the notion that a person should have to live a secret life to serve their country defied logic (unless you are one of those who hate everything gay, and relish every limitation placed on homosexuals). The simple fact that virtually every one of our NATO allies have allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly for years should have sent a signal to us that all the supposed problems were fundamentalist-generated bullshit. If the countries bearing the brunt of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan along with us (Britain, Canada, and Australia) had no problems, then it was time for us to grow up. And finally, we did.
I must compliment the eight Republicans who broke ranks with their party. In a time when every vote seems to be along party lines, these eight individuals apparently voted their conscience and put an end to one form of hateful discrimination.
As a retired Air Force officer, as the son of an Air Force officer, and as a father of two sons in the military, I can only say, “Amen, and Amen!” Once more our country has managed to rise above a blatant form of bigotry and discrimination. It was far too long in coming, but come it finally did. May we continue to throw off the shackles of hatred.
Dogs
We are fostering two lovely Papillons. They are both great dogs, but I’m not getting much interest in either one of them. Hopefully we can find homes for them soon. Here are links to their petfinder sites:
Paco
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17507323
Mindie
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18040131
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