Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

8000 Rap Sheets; 100 Felons

Last night's CBS Evening News had an eye-opening report on just how low the military will go to fill its ranks. According to CBS, among the recent recruits for the U.S. Army, 8000 had some sort of criminal background and 100 of those were convicted felons. "The number of incoming soldiers with prior felony arrests or convictions has more than tripled in the past five years," correspondent Kimberly Dozier reported. "In order for the Army to meet its quota, which is going up … they have to resort to giving, taking more and more chances on people," said Lawrence Korb of the Center for American Progress (and an SLDN advisory board member). "The stakes are very high. You're going to give these people lethal weapons… so you better be damn sure that this man or woman has the self-discipline and the strength to be able to use that weapon only when he or she must." Colonel Sheila Hickman told CBS that "We've always been an Army that's been known to give patriotic citizens second and third chances." Unless, of course, you happen to be gay. While 8000 recruits were given 'moral waivers' to enter military service, 11,000 perfectly well-qualified troops were fired because they happen to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. Nearly 800 of those had 'mission-critical' skills, including more than 300 with language training. But what most of them didn't have was a criminal record. Shouldn't that be a good thing? As long as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" stays on the books, the Pentagon will continue shooting itself in the foot, day after day. How many more rap sheets will have to fill DoD filing cabinets before military leaders speak up and demand a change that allows them to recruit better troops, even if they happen to be gay? - Steve Ralls

Labels: in the news, recruiting, waivers

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07-31-07 Comment (0)

Britain’s Big Gay Payout

...as titled in a post today on Queerty. For those of you who don't know, Britain rid their ban on Lesbian and Gay personnel in 2000, and had officially apologized last month to all of those booted under the law. Now the Ministry of Defense is planning to shell out 3 million pounds, just over 6 million US dollars to servicemen and women who were 'sacked' for being gay. The Royal Navy and Air Force are part of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme which promotes practice and advises on how to create equality in the workplace. "Of course we're sorry for anyone who's suffered personal trauma. It went from 'You're fired' to 'You're a valued member of the team" said Wing Commander Phil Sager of the British Armed Forces Joint Equality and Diversity Training Centre. - Jason Knight

Labels: other blogs, UK

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07-30-07 Comment (0)

If You Ask Them, They Won’t Come

So they have used YouTube to promote themselves, but when it comes to answering questions from the public, they can't seem to anty up. With hundreds of YouTubers posting questions for the upcoming Republican Debate, only two have accepted the invite - Senator John McCain (AZ) and Rep. Ron Paul (TX). Giuliani, Romney, and Tancredo all have their own YouTube pages with videos promoting their campaign, so why won't they show? "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman," Governor Romney said, commenting on the Democratic Debate this past month. Granted, the snowman was a bit kooky. But because it came from a lowly citizen, does it make it less relevant? "You hear a lot about supporting the troops from the Republicans, and we're not getting any kind of support from the government ..... We are getting more than 15-month deployments. We are getting cut out of our bonuses. .... How will you support the troops?" Erin Neaves asked on her uploaded video. So will they show? Or will they not? Only time will tell. At least we know that Congressman Paul, who seems to be racking up the questions, will attend. Vote here for the questions you want to see answered. - Jason Knight

Labels: 2008, white house, YouTube Debates

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07-30-07 Comment (0)

Goldwater on Goldwater: ‘Mr. Conservative’ on DVD

As I reflect back on the making the film Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater, I think no one could have predicted the relevance of Barry Goldwater’s wisdom in today’s political climate. With the election right around the corner, I hope this movie inspires people to fight, like Barry, for their civil liberties and stand-up for their lifestyle choices and values. This ninety minute documentary film (now available on DVD) is about the complexities of a man who did all he could for his country, in a truthful and honest way. The 1964 election was the first time we got a real look at "electronic dirt." As the elections approach, the political camps are gearing up to sway the voters through negative ads, distortions of truth, manipulation of the media and, most sadly of all, through playing on our fears. The spinners and distorters who attacked my grandfather’s candidacy over 40 years ago have honed their tactics to an art form of negativity. It’s so blatantly sad when political candidates cannot answer a simple yes or no question about any issue without having to resort to a long-winded avoidance of it. I know that if my grandfather had been a candidate in this era, what he said would have made for some very interesting sound bites. This film points out what has happened to the Conservative movement of Goldwater’s years. Politicians have put themselves above the principles upon which this country was founded. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are considered philosophical documents, not political ones. Yet that hasn’t stopped political parties from claiming these principles as if they were the only ones who practice them. The Constitution was Barry’s Bible. He felt strongly about what it represented and the guidance it gave to establishing our government. There are immigrants who come to America from all over the world and are applying for US citizenship who must learn about our government and founding fathers. Most of them cherish this opportunity because when you learn about our struggle for freedom and the rights that go with that, it’s a truly inspiring story. But all is not lost. We have an opportunity to re-gain confidence in our Nation, it’s just going to take some straight talk and honesty. Throughout my life, I was encouraged to be honest and truthful to all I came in contact with. We need to encourage our youth to do the same. It will save us a lot of grief. That all begins with our leaders, the people we look up to our parents and government. We have to have something that we can trust and believe in with no fear. Trust and fear cannot co-exist at the same time. Anyone who motivates our decisions by fear cannot restore the principles of a country founded in freedom. I hope you enjoy this movie and support the candidate of your choice. As long as they abide by those principles and will run our country and not our lives. Whether you believe in Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed or the whispering pine trees, we all are entitled to our belief and that’s our right. As my grandfather would say, the government has no right in our personal lives and I will stand by that till the day I die. Among those interviewed for this film include Hillary Clinton, Edward Kennedy, John McCain, John Warner, James Carville, Al Franken, John Dean, Ben Bradlee, Helen Thomas, Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney, George Will, Bob Schieffer, Robert MacNeil, various Goldwater family members and members of Goldwater’s personal staff. Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater is available now through zeitgeistfilms.com, and other video retailers. - CC Goldwater

Labels: arts, films, goldwater

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07-30-07 Comment (0)

Speaking Out in California

SLDN board co-chair Zoe Dunning (pictured) testified, on July 26, at the California Commission on the Status of Women at the state capitol. The hearing focused exclusively on lesbian issues, and Dunning was invited to speak about the impact of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on female service members. You can watch the hearing, including Zoe's talk and a Q&A, by clicking here. (The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" portion begins about 10 minutes into the video.) Zoe reports that the reception from the Commissioners was overwhelmingly positive. - Steve Ralls

Labels: california, dunning

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07-28-07 Comment (0)

Cast Your Vote!

What questions would You like to see asked at the upcoming Republican Debate? Well here is your chance to vote on the questions you want answers to. We have submitted our own question for the debate. Specifically for Congressman Ron Paul, but generally for all candidates, the focus on the question asks where the importance of the private lives of troops ranks up against other issues and asks whether the candidate, being a vet himself, would be proud to serve alongside another servicemember who happens to be gay. Cast your vote. You can vote for our question by going here and typing "DADT Question for Ron Paul" in the 'Search Titles' block. -Jason Knight

Labels: 2008, white house, YouTube Debates

07-27-07 Comment (1)

More Misinformation from George Brauchler

George Brauchler, the deputy district attorney in Colorado who sparked a controversy by comparing gays in the military to "kids in a candy store," is again misleading the public about the facts surrounding military service. As our friends at Colorado Media Matters point out, Brauchler tried to defend his homophobic tirade about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by insisting that people of faith don't have equal opportunity in the armed forces either. From Media Matters: Claiming that he was "not making a moral judgment about the rightness or wrongness of homosexuality," Brauchler stated that "the military asks everybody that's a part of it to make a sacrifice." As examples, he said that "practicing orthodox Jews ... don't get to keep the Sabbath holy" and Catholics in the service "don't have a right to insist upon the Eucharist." He also stated that Muslim soldiers "don't have the right to insist on being able to pray ... five times a day by facing a certain way." Brauchler concluded his comments by saying, "We discriminate against people coming into the military based on height, weight, eyes, a whole list of medical things. All of these things are done so that we can have the most effective fighting force with the greatest chance of success for the mission." In fact, all branches of the military follow Department of Defense policy stating that service members' religious practices "should be accommodated" whenever possible. Tolerance for lesbian and gay service personnel, hwoever, is officially out of the question, however, because of the federal ban on their service. Let's try - once more - to educate Mr. Brauchler (who has also defended Ann Coulter's infamous 'faggot' remark about former Senator John Edwards) about the facts. Join SLDN and Media Matters in calling on him to set the record, um, "straight," and tell the truth about the second-class status forced onto our service members by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Send your thoughts to: George Brauchler Caplis & Deasy 500 Jefferson County Pkway 4600 S. Syracuse St. Denver, CO 80237 Phone: (303) 770-5551 E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) It's time George Brauchler (deputy district attorney!) learned what the law really says. - Steve Ralls

Labels: in the news, take action

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07-27-07 Comment (0)

On Bilerico: Elaine Donnelly Is Confused

Right-wing activist Elaine Donnelly has never met a woman or a gay man she liked. Donnelly, who has spent much of her adult life trying to roll back opportunities for both groups in the United States military, now proclaims the American people to be "confused" about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and she's advocating a name change. The truth, of course, is that no one is more confused about the facts, or the law, than Donnelly herself. Continue reading Elaine Donnelly Is Confused on Bilerico.com . . . .

Labels: bilerico, elaine donnelly, in the news

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07-26-07 Comment (0)

A Few Good Women

Writer Seeks Interviews A female playwright seeks research interviews with lesbian veterans and active servicewomen who've served (or are currently serving) under DADT. All interviews kept strictly confidential, and no one will be quoted with attribution (named) in the final product. In-person conversations preferred (Southern CA, New York and Seattle areas can be arranged), but phone and email also helpful. Writer has extensive experience writing about veterans and veterans' issues, including those battling PTSD and addiction. Any survivors of sexual harassment /abuse can also be assured such information will be treated with utmost care and privacy. Help get your stories heard. For more information, or if interested, please email TD at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) -----

07-26-07 Comment (0)