President Barack Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 at the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., Dec. 22, 2010
Greg Sargent: It’s over: The United States Army has become the first branch of the armed services to formally end its “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. An announcement is expected for tomorrow, but my Post colleague Ed O’Keefe obtained the actual document sent to soldiers around the globe today announcing the change:
Today marks the end of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” The law is repealed. From this day forward, gay and lesbian Soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve. Our rules, regulations and politics reflect the repeal guidance issued by the Department of Defense and will apply uniformly without regard to sexual orientation, which is a personal and private matter.
…. we expect all personnel to follow our Values by implementing the repeal fully, fairly and in accordance with policy guidance. It is the duty of all personnel to treat each other with dignity and respect, while maintaining good order and discipline throughout our ranks…..
Separately, the military has begun accepting applications from openly gay recruits…
….. even when repeal seemed within reach, success was anything but assured. It only came after a nearly pitch-perfect effort by Obama and the military leadership to create the political conditions necessary to bring about repeal, as well as well as some very shrewd public and private gamesmanship by Senate leaders that left GOP moderates with little choice but to do the right thing….
More here
Thanks africa
Wow! This is a historic event! God Bless our President!
Am off to Remind Rachel Maddow to tell her viewers that the Same Obama who is “against what just happened in NY” has ended DADT.
You go Me4obama!
I was thinking the same and you should remind KO as well and the PL , but of course they all will find
some more crap to bush our Great President.
You have my total support for your mission!
This is an amazing moment in our nation’s history. There are members of my extended family who are gay. I hope this brings the country one step closer to equality. That whole DADT business was a strange contradiction. Bravo, Mr. President.
Apologies if this has already been posted, but it’s a MUST READ:
Tavis Smiley and Cornel West: The Reign of Fools is Over
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/06/02/tavis-smiley-and-cornel-west-the-reign-of-fools-is-over/
Thanks for sharing Meta. I had not seen this one. I forward all of these to my daughter. she is really disappointed in these two haters.
Thanks meta! I needed to read that..I can’t get enough of those who are exposing West and Smiley.
“I also see it as an opportunity to demonstrate to all would-be opportunists among us that’s it’s no longer acceptable to try to demagogue the Black community. That gig has gone the way of the wagon train mechanic.”
I liked that sentence of summation from Eric L Wattree’s blog.
Thanks, meta, for sharing this. It is indeed “a MUST READ.” So, I shared it with my daughter and my nephew in New York and asked them to share with their friends and colleagues.
I want to hear former President Clinton make a public announcement about how President Obama overturned this discriminatory law that Bill Clinton put in place all those years ago, and to apologize for all those people who were harmed by it. President Clinton should have also made an announcement when President Obama finally passed Health Care Reform – but hopefully, he can be man enough to give the President credit for doing this almost impossible task with DADT. (Of course, I’m dreaming).
I was just wondering if Clinton would pipe up at this moment. I doubt it.
Clinton has been adding his 2 cents to everything else lately, but I doubt he will mention DADT.
I won’t hold my breath for Clinton to come forward. I wonder if any reporter will have the nerve to ask him how he feels about this law being overturned by PBO?
I’m not Clinton’s biggest fan and I’m also annoyed at his constant need to make pubic comments. I was especially angry about his pushing the 14th amendment during the debt ceiling negociations. First because it was not such a good idea (can you imagine the CIRCUS ??). But most of all, he undermined the leadership of President Obama and the president was forced to contradict a former president in public. This whole episode created a lot of division within the democratic party, and Clinton contributed to that.
However, I don’t think it’s fair to criticize Bill Clinton over DADT. He had tried to make the gays openly serve iin the mijlitary but twenty years ago the political environment was not ready. DADT was a painful compromise.
Exactly! This why I get annoyed about the so called advocates of gay rights who constantly bash President Obama. Enacting purely pro- gay legislations is not that easy in the political environment that the President and members of Congress have to operate in. Even in BLUE California, pro- gays were not able to decisively defeat prop. 8 which I enthusiastically opposed.
O.K, O>K it’s done Clinton was then and now it’s PBO let’s move on please. PBO keept hi promises in order to ;get tid done he needed Adm Mullin and Bob Gates to come along. and they were a big help.
Clinton only have something to say it it will benefit HIM!
Theo the gay community has very selective memory because I have to remind them over and over again since last year they decided to “punish” the President by keeping their GAyTM in their back pockets and to not vote at all and some of them voted Teahadists just because the “magic negro” couldn’t certify and sign the Repeal of DADT fast enough.
they are now yapping;bitching;whining and moaning how they hate the Teahadists and what the Teahadists are doing to them so with somewhat of a glee I remind them that THEY are the ones who punished themselves and that they have given Bill Clinton a free pass and President Obama called for the repeal and President Obama was the one who signed it and that tomorrow this horrible law will be gone
It drives me crazy, Fred. Anyone who didn’t vote, or voted tea party, needs to work twice as hard to fix the fact that they brought these crazies into power. And every time I hear some new pundit expressing shock at how the economy has stalled, I want to pull my hair out – what did they think was going to happen when they took the car off the road and slammed it back into the GOP ditch! How can anything move forward when everything the GOP is doing is designed to send the economy backwards, and destroy the recovery? And those who say they’re “disappointed” with something or other, so they’re planning to teach President Obama a lesson by not voting for him – thereby ushering in the very people who are actively working against hem – whether they are unemployed, minorities (Black, Latino, other), gay, public worker, middle class, a thinker, atheist – whatever! This DADT is just one more example of people voting against their interests or ignoring the wisdom of those who work to make things happen instead of just whining about it.Drives me absolutely crazy.
THIS.
I continue to remind them of their cruel mistake every single day and I just did on another site and tomorrow I remind them of that some more.
Good work, Fred. People have short memories, as you said.
Well said, Fred and Theo! By the way there are two other examples where President Obama did better than President Clinton: The passage of Health Care Reform (ACA), and the passage of the most comprehensive financial reforms since the Great Depression.
Fred, the gay community is not one person or several people, so it’s not helpful to attack a diverse community based on the ravings of publicity seekers like Dan Choi. Please stop this grouping of a minority as though they are one person. How is your comment different than Donald Trump saying he has a good relationship with the “blacks”? We need to stop with divisive statements – it’s really harmful for our cause and it alienates allies. Just remember the biggest LGBT organization HRC has endorsed the President earlier this year. Also, for every Dan Choi there are thousands who support the President.
I go to a site filled with Dan Choi’s that generates a LOT of traffic so no I am not dealing with 1 Dan Choi but a whole lot of them and just so you know I live in the heart of the gay community right on the North Side of Chicago in the Edgewater/Andersonville area and yes I interact with them every single day and ALL I get from them is “you were right and I was wrong” so Anya;with all due respect we are going to agree to disagree but divise? I am reject that notion!
Again you have got to call folks out and I make no apologies for that
Fred, I am sure you have guy friends too but don’t assume that all the commenters who are claiming to be dissaffected Obama supporters or angry gay commenters are who they are. I am sure you’ve heard of astroturf comments . Some of them are even paid to cause division among the Dem base. Please don’t fall for it. So instead of attacking our allies we should save that energy for the real opponants, the Republicans. President Clinton is on our side, the gay community is part of our base, they are not the enemy. Just remember that.
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/06/sock-puppetrybloggers-must-be-vigilant-against-astroturf-comments156.html
@ theo67. You took the words right outta my mouth, and I don’t even want them back. LOL What say you, BUBBA?
Next- their will be a poll out that says that Obama is losing gay support!
Lol!
Yay!! Civil rights for all! This is a good day for our gay brothers and sisters. Now let’s work on that DOMA nonsense.
Howard fineman was just on tweety, and was saying the president needs to connect the increases in taxes on millionaires, to jobs!
Then tweety said, well your better than the president at explaining things! Meh!
haha….. I always beat Howard up and call him out over at HP….
My comments rarely make it through the moderation though.
They fill each other heads with goo.
Fineman always talking to his many sources before coming on. The day he does not have a criticism for PBO is the day the moon turns into fried cheese.
He is just a noisy shallow brook.
really? I wonder why The Coward isn’t president then? Tweety is an IDIOT!!!! He’s overly impressed with anyone he thinks knows more or better than himself. If he can count 1-10, and you can count 1-10.5, he thinks you are the next Albert Einstein. He can go suck it. Asswipe.
ps- so sorry my first comment in a while has to be cursing someone out, guys.
They won’t be satisfied; they never are, just ask Marrow and Choi.
Look what secretary chu is doing overseas:
http://energy.gov/articles/reaffirming-americas-commitment-peaceful-use-atom
Years from now, people will remember his contributions to society!
SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno and numerous federal, state, and local officials in San Francisco on MONDAY, SEPT. 19, 2011, at 1:00 P.M. PDT to announce a major civil settlement of the 2007 crash of the M/V Cosco Busan into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and subsequent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay.
WHO:
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris
CA Natural Resources Secretary John Laird
NOAA Chief of Staff Margaret Spring
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
Other state and municipal representatives of the California Department of Fish and Game, State Lands Commission, state and regional water boards, and the East Bay Regional Park District
WHAT:
Announcement of Settlement
WHEN:
Monday, September 19, 2011
1:00 p.m. PDT
WHERE:
Casa de la Vista
191 Avenue of the Palms
San Francisco (Treasure Island), CA 94130
Article:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/09/oil-spill-settlement-reached-in-san-francisco-bay-accident.html
Thanks, Jovie. I hadn’t heard about this.
I just saw on TPM livewire tha Ralph Nader will primary the president.
This better not be true.
Is Nader a Democrat? He can’t primary the President if he’s not a Dem. Also the last I heard was that he was teaming up with Cornel West to mount a primary – “not a real primary” but someone who could “discuss” issues from the left to push the President in that direction….
You see? So, now, he has to change his party to democrats!
This will surely get play in the news media, and now we all know the pl will most definitely have his back!
Great! Dont ya just love the far left?
I had to calm myself before I typed, but that old racist narcissist can go freak himself.
He is not even a democrat!!
I knew he was going to pull this. What a joke! Anyone who would vote for him is an imbecile.
These rat effers are always raining on this president parade.
Is Ralph Nader trying to compete with Lyndon LaRouche?
ATTENTION😯
Boehner’s “Tea Party” Challenger Is Really A Randall Terry Plant
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/boehners-tea-party-challenger-really-randall-terry-plant
Ralph Nader Says He’ll Primary Obama
So much for President Obama’s unchallenged primary run. In a letter released today, former presidential candidate Ralph Nader announced his plans to challenge the incumbent for the Democratic nomination in next year’s primaries.
‘Without debates by challengers inside the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries, the liberal/majoritarian agenda will be muted and ignored,’ Nader said. ‘The one-man Democratic primaries will be dull, repetitive, and draining of both voter enthusiasm and real bright lines between the two parties that excite voters.’
The letter was endorsed by 45 ‘distinguished leaders’ and included Princeton professor Cornel West, who has been highly critical of President Obama as of late. ‘His administration has tilted too much toward Wall Street,’ said West. ‘We need policies that empower Main Street.’
Perhaps the president’s deficit plan, which was released earlier today, will placate Mr. Nader and his followers. Conservatives have been up in arms over the plan; with many of this right-leaning critics calling it ‘class warfare.’
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/
Okay, so Nader will get 46 votes in the primary.
I’ve literally had to do deep breathing exercises over this announcement. These people who have never done an honest day’s work to get anything done have no idea what it takes to make things happen. They’re petulant stance for “liberal/majoritarian” nonsense does not take into account the blue dogs, the fact that the country does not fall squarely to the left, and that there are many ways to accomplish the same thing, and that it’s usually hard to make a big change and often only occurs incrementally. They are all about their egos, and don’t give one whit about the poor, middle class and disadvantaged people in this country. I’m really disappointed.
“Their”, not they’re. I’m so livid, I can’t see straight or spell right.😦
FDL, KOS and CBC will on be on the side of NAder!
The President should just ignore him, and not engage in any debates!
I think at this point PBO just sees these characters the same way he saw that pesky fly during one of his TV interviews. And we all know how the fly ended up.
Exactly..Nader is another Carnival Barker. People want jobs, they don’t have time for politicians playing stupid games for the cameras. If they want entertainment they can watch “Bridezilla” or “Dancing with the Stars.”
Spot on.
You know what I was pissed before, but after thinking on it, the far left and the far right makes this president look better every day.
So we write to OFA and DWS and ask how we can help squelch this idiocy.
Oh, and trumka and Michael Moore will be happy!
Trumka deeply respects President Obama. I don’t see him supporting Nader.
The only upside of this farce is that it could kill the stupid narrative that “Obama is losing his base”.
Democrats remember 2000 too well. Nader, NADER ??? REALLY ?!!!
replying to myself… Maybe we reacted too quickly? Nader is asking for someone to primary the president. Possible there will be someone with an ego big enough to do it. What is Grayson doing these days ?
OK. So I guess they couldn’t find the six people they were advertising for?
😆 😆
I just read the article, it doesn’t say he will primary PBO, but he and Corney West are looking for someone to primary the Prez.
The article is from the RW Washington Times.
What an absolute joke! Do these privileged people, who have all the time on their hands, think that any one on Main Street will pay them any attention. I m thinking of sending a “Dear Ralph Nader, and Dr. West” a letter telling them we’ve been there and done what the advocate before; we did that in 2000. Except the result was not the election of Ralph Nader; Rather, we ended up with George W. Bush who proceeded to inflict such a devastation on the country. I would like to know, from both Nader and West, If they think the country was better off with George W. Bush instead of the “corporatist oligarch” Al Gore? I, of course, understand that the much maligned Al Gore is now the darling of the “holier than thou” leftist. Isn’t it amazing how the “holier than thou leftists” quickly embrace people they helped to defeat?
I am a stronger believer in the importance of education. Lately, however, I’ve began to have some doubts. I ask my self these questions: How can a seemingly highly educated individual, like Dr. West, behave so foolishly? Is he not aware of Ralph Nader’s utterly failed record of running for President? Could it be possible that some thing is seriously wrong with the mental state of Brother, Dr., Professor, West? As the popular saying goes: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time.” The article talks about Dr West being “Socratic Scholar.” If that is the case, I think both Ralph Nader, and the Brother, Dr., Socratic Professor, West, aught to take seriously the “Socratic” challenge: “Man know thy self.” Otherwise, how in the world can these people expect us to support them when they have absolutely no clue about how the American government functions or how deeply divided, ideologically, the country is at this moment in time?
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Admits There’s No Evidence Supporting Her Claim About Drug Testing The Unemployed
APNewsBreak: SC Gov can’t back drug test claim
http://www.chron.com/news/article/APNewsBreak-SC-Gov-can-t-back-drug-test-claim-2177956.php
Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) — who was worth up to $37 million;whines “‘I Don’t Want To Raise My Taxes…Don’t Ask Me’ To Pay More
http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00027565&year=2009
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/19/323145/campbell-dont-raise-my-taxes/
TAA is being voted on in the senate! This has to be agreed to before moving forward on the 3 trade deals!
MEDIA MATTERS:
This is a great item to tweet to reporters and networks. It totally debunks the nonsense claims from the GOP about the jobs market.
The GOP’s Favorite Lies About The Jobs Market
=====================================
What should government do to spur job creation? That’s the central question for American political leaders today, and as Republicans reject Democratic answers, it’s important to hold their arguments accountable to economic facts. When it comes to the two central planks of the GOP’s economic platform — that “uncertainty” about taxes and regulations is the cause of slow hiring, and that increasing high-end tax rates will hurt job-creating small businesses — the facts and the data disagree. According to businesses and economists alike, it is weak demand and not “uncertainty” that’s preventing hiring. And when the GOP claims small businesses are in the crosshairs of top-end tax hikes, they are counting “pass-through” shell corporations used by authors, athletes, and industrial giants alike. In fact, just two percent of those who report business income on their individual tax returns are counted in the top federal income tax brackets.
=====================================
http://politicalcorrection.org/factcheck/201109190009
Nebraska GOP Backs Mini-Electorial College Rigging Plan
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63819.html
No Compromise: Obama Calls Out The GOP And Their Deadbeat Job Creators
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http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-buffet-rule-rich-tax
I really love how Rhandi Rhodes is advertising and pushing OFA today.
Isn’t she great? I am really enjoying the show today. Randi is terrific.
She is sending everyone to OFA and tellin g them what to do when they get there. I hope they just ignore the trolls there and click on the getting out the vote information. Thank God for Rhandi and Rev. Al. Does anyone know whether that Perry poverty article has been discussed on any of the shows today?
You guys are lucky. i can’t get her in Chi-town. Can i?
She is on 1150AM Talk and comes on at noon PST. Here is the link. She is off now but you can try her tomorrow from 12 – 3 p.m..
http://www.ktlkam1150.com/mediaplayer/
Thanks J4O. i been trying to find her for a coupla months since Stephanie Miller mentions her s lot. Have a good one.
The wreck diaries are all about Nader, I am sure!
No, actually there is one diary on that topic and it’s not on the rec list.
Had to email Maddow urging her to give credit to PBO about DADT. Also twitted Nader to tell him how sick and tired I am of him.
The official ending of DADT is a wonderful achievement for President Obama and for America. It means that despite our poltical differences; we’re another step closer to the “All Men Are Created Equal” belief espoused by the founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence. Today is a good day and tomorrow will be an even better day.