Congress: Don’t Ask Questions on ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal
- Jun 2, 2010 -
Bucking the will of top military brass and bypassing the forthcoming feedback from the service men and women under them, Congress has taken two giant steps toward fast-tracking repeal of the longstanding ban on open homosexuals serving in the military. The message from lawmakers opting to rush to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” seems clear: Don’t ask us any questions and don’t tell us what to do.
In a power grab that elevates social engineering over military might and morale, the House of Representatives approved a repeal of the 17-year-old policy by a 234-194 vote May 27, just hours after the Senate Armed Services Committee gave its nod to repeal 16-12. Repeal would take effect after the Pentagon completes a 10-month review of how a policy change would impact the military. The pair of votes, both in the form of amendments to an annual Defense Authorization bill, came as Congress wrapped up work before Memorial Day weekend—a regrettable way to honor those who have paid the ultimate price with their lives in service to our nation.
To see how your representative voted on legislation to allow open homosexuals in the military, click here. To express your appreciation or dismay to your representative regarding his or her vote, click here.
The House gave all of 10 minutes—five minutes per side, Democrat and Republican—to debate the amendment on the floor before voting. Many believe the liberal House and Senate leadership is acting swiftly for fear that they might not have the necessary votes after November. Political expediency, it would appear, trumps reasoned debate.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the votes for repeal cast in the Senate committee and House is the indifference shown to a chorus of opposing voices around them. Take the short-circuiting of our troops’ views, for example. In March, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen—both political appointees who support President Obama on repeal—commissioned surveys of some 300,000 military personnel and their families as part of a 10-month review to hear their thoughts on overturning restrictions on homosexuals in the military. But now that feedback, due in December, will likely become just an afterthought.
The congressional votes also spurned the objections of four members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines each wrote Congress separately May 26 asking them not to go forward with any votes on repeal until after the Pentagon review is completed. Those letters were effectively cast aside.
Further, those voting for repeal paid little attention to some of the highest voices in Congress on military issues. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Ranking Member Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) had maintained steadfast opposition to moving forward with repeal, as had Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ). Their cautioning was all but ignored.
Also dismissed were the views of the more than 1,100 retired Flag & General Officers for the Military who have spoken out in support of the law against homosexuals serving in the military. So were appeals by the American Legion, the nation’s largest wartime veterans organization, which told House leadership that repealing the policy now “would be detrimental to the security of our nation,” and other military organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Association of Uniformed Services, and the Reserve Officers Association.
And the band of lawmakers favoring repeal brushed aside pleas from groups like the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, which called upon Congress to oppose repeal “in the strongest possible terms,” and 40 evangelical military chaplains who wrote President Obama and Secretary Gates in April saying they are “deeply concerned” that changing the law “would threaten the religious liberty of chaplains and Service members.”
Recent research also screamed for Congress not to proceed. The votes came on the heels of a new report released by the Family Research Council showing that homosexuals in the military are three times more likely to commit sexual assaults than heterosexuals. This followed a Zogby International poll released May 17 that found 59 percent of Americans believe military leaders would be best suited to make a determination on whether homosexuals should be able to serve openly in the Armed Forces. Just 23 percent said that decision should be left to Congress.
Still, Congress pushed forward. All told, the 250 House and Senate members who voted to allow open homosexuals to serve in the military turned a deaf ear to sirens coming from nearly every direction. Such indifference is unacceptable. But this battle is not finished. The Senate must still vote on the committee-approved measure, likely this summer, and the House and Senate must then iron out the differences of their Defense Authorization bills.
In the meantime, elected officials should be greeted with expressions of commendation or disapproval depending on how they voted last week. Time will tell how many of them choose to listen next time.
The following are highlights of the two votes:
Senators on Armed Services Committee Voting For Repeal:
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman
Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Sen. Edward Kaufman (D-DE)
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Senators on Armed Services Committee Voting Against Repeal:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Ranking Member
Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA)
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)
Republican Representatives Voting For Repeal (5):
Rep. Charles Djou (HI)
Rep. Joseph Cao (LA)
Rep. Judy Biggert (IL)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)
Rep. Ron Paul (TX)
Democratic Representatives Voting Against Repeal (26):
Rep. Marion Berry (AR)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)
Rep. Rick Boucher (VA)
Rep. Bobby Bright (AL)
Rep. Christopher Carney (PA)
Rep. Travis Childers (MS)
Rep. Jerry Costello (IL)
Rep. Mark Critz (PA)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN)
Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN)
Rep. Chet Edwards (TX)
Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC)
Rep. Gene Green (TX)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL)
Rep. Jim Marshall (GA)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)
Rep. Solomon Ortiz (TX)
Rep. Collin Peterson (MN)
Rep. Earl Pomeroy (ND)
Rep. Nick Rahall (NC)
Rep. Mike Ross (AR)
Rep. Heath Shuler (NC)
Rep. Ike Skelton (MO)
Rep. John Spratt (SC)
Rep. John Tanner (TN)
Rep. Gene Taylor (MS)
To see how your representative voted on legislation to allow open homosexuals in the military, click here. To express your appreciation or dismay to your representative regarding his or her vote, click here.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality, Citizenship, Legislation, Religious Liberty, War,