Frontlines Feed: The Latest from SLDN
The L Word : Countdown to Season 5
The countdown has begun! Showtime's hit series The L Word returns on Sunday, January 6 for its fifth season.
The series also continues its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" storyline as Tasha (played by Rose Rollins) continues her military career . . . and her relationship with Alice.
Check out the show's website for an exclusive video sneak peek of what the new season has in store . . . re-live last year's SLDN salute to the show at our national dinner . . . and check back here at Frontlines for updates and more as the countdown to Season 5 continues.
- Steve RallsLabels: the l word
-----12-07-07 Comment (0)
Serving Cowards & Demagogues
This morning's Baltimore Sun has a stinging rebuke of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The Sun editorial page issues a strong, unequivocal call for repeal and leaves no doubt about how the paper feels about the law.
"Congress should take its cue to quickly dispatch the infamous 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that denies the most fundamental personal freedom to the men and women who are fighting to protect such freedoms for all other Americans," the paper says. "Military leaders are often quoted anonymously by politicians who defend the policy as necessary to maintain unit cohesion, as though the presence of openly gay or lesbian soldiers, sailors or aviators would lead to some kind of frat-house fracas. But over the 14 years since the policy was adopted, many in the top brass have had a change of heart."
The editorial wraps up with an unflinching view about why the law still stands. "This policy of pointless discrimination perhaps serves only cowards in Congress and demagogues on the campaign stump," it notes. "Anyone who truly supports the troops will vote to treat all of them with the dignity and respect they deserve."
If you're a Maryland resident, please consider a letter to the editor, praising The Sun's position and thanking them for standing up against federally-sanctioned discrimination.
- Steve RallsLabels: editorials, in the news
-----12-07-07 Comment (0)
Words of Faith on the Mall
This past weekend, as part of the '12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots' event on the National Mall, a Sunday morning prayer service paid tribute to the service personnel dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Members of the clergy came together to deliver a moving service, and we wanted to share some of their words with you here on Frontlines.
Captain Mike Rankin, M.D., USN (Ret.), a member of SLDN's military advisory council, delivered the following remarks:
We have gathered to honor those who defended our nation and our freedoms in all our nation’s wars, even if those freedoms were not always granted to them, and to us. Some, like Harvey Milk and Leonard Matlovich, were famous, the glory of their times. Others—perhaps most—are known only to those who loved them. We honor them all.
You were at Valley Forge and Yorktown, at Gettysburg, Anteitam, and Shiloh.
We admire your courage, and we remember you.
You fought and fell on Flanders fields, aboard the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, in the skies over Midway, on the Normandy beaches, and in the snows of Bastogne and the Chosin Reservoir.
We honor your sacrifice; we will never forget.
We were together in the Ia Drang, at Hue during Tet, in the Marine barracks in Beruit, in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq. We knew and still know the terror of battle, the exhilaration of survival, the awful pain of burying our dead. We were comrades in arms; we remain so forever.
Know the green good, you whom we loved. Under a prayer wheeling moon in the rosy wood, be shielded by chant and flower. And gay may you lie in grace.
Sister that I Held Near
Sister that I held near, comrade that I loving embraced, we will not forget you.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we will remember.
In the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring, we will remember.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we will remember.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we will remember.
May the God who makes peace in the heavens make peace for us here below.
For those we honor this day.
And for all the world.
Amen.
Chaplain (CAPT) John Gundlach, USN (Ret.) also spoke at the event, and delivered the followin remarks:
Prayer for Our Brothers and Sisters
Gracious God, you have made each of us in your image. In your eyes all that you have made is good. Yet, too many in this land have been found unacceptable for too long--because of the color of their skin, the country they came from, their gender, or their sexual orientation.
We have gathered here this weekend to remember those who have suffered discrimination and abuse because of their sexual orientation. We particularly remember our brothers and sisters who have offered themselves in the service of our country, only to be turned away or turned out. We remember the 12,000 who in recent years have been found unworthy to serve, whose contributions to the common good have been rejected. We mourn the loss of so great a gift to our nation.
But we also gather to celebrate. We celebrate our brothers and sisters who have served our country so faithfully for so long, some even to the point of giving their last full measure of devotion. We honor them, not only because of their willingness to offer their lives, but because their service required the additional sacrifice of part of their true identity. God, you know who they are, even if this nation never will. Today, we hold them all in our hearts—those who served in the past, and those who continue to serve today. We give thanks for them, and we take pride in them.
O God, we pray for our country. We pray for those who lead us, those who make our laws, and those who pass judgment over us. We pray for our people. Open the eyes of all to see as you see; open the hearts of all to want for one’s neighbor the rights one expects for oneself; open the minds of all to your wisdom that will enable us to forsake our prejudicial norms and embrace a more just society.
May your will be done in this land, and may your way become our way. This is our prayer and our hope. Amen.
Benediction
Go forth into the world in peace. Return to no one evil for evil. But work for justice, practice kindness, and walk humbly with your God. And may God, whose way is just and whose heart is kind, give you courage and bring you peace. Amen.
Thank you to everyone who attended the 12,000 Flags events, and to Captain Gundlach and Captain Rankin for their inspiring words of faith on the Mall.Labels: events
-----12-06-07 Comment (0)
The Power of the Pen
Last week the New York Times reported that in honor of the 14th anniversary of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," 28 retired generals and admirals had signed a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to lift the ban on gay service. That same day, two of those senior officers joined SLDN, Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers United and the Human Rights Campaign at a rally on the National Mall, where 12,000 flags had been planted to comemorate the 12,000 gay service members who have been discharged from the military because of the ban.
All of this came on the heels of last week's controversy which erupted after retired Brigader General Keith Kerr's questioned the Republican presidential candidates on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" during the CNN/You-Tube debate.
Local newspapers from across the country are begining to take notice. The Christian Science Monitor, The Salt Lake Tribune, and the Oregon Register-Gaurd all carried stories about last week's events.
So let's keep the conversation going! Let's make sure our local newspapers know that lifting the ban is important to the people in our community!!
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper! We can send a powerful message to our community leaders -- that gay service men and women are proud, capable, patriotic Americans who aren't going to give up the fight to serve openly.
Its easier than you think. Just visit your local newspaper's web site and click on "Letters to the Editor." Find out how many words your letter needs to be and start writing.
1) Tell them who you are;
2) Explain why repeal is important to you (equality for all Americans, respect for our men and women in uniform, our national security);
3) Tell your Member of Congress to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), the bill that would repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel.
4) Then send it -- by e-mail, fax or good old fashioned mail -- to your local editor.
Keep the conversation alive. With your help we will remind our neighbors, and our lawmakers, that our communities want the ban lifted!
-Victor Maldonado
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12-05-07 Comment (0)
Join Us On The Radio
Join me tomorrow (Thursday) morning from 9 until 10am PST (noon until 1pm EST) on KPBS radio in San Diego. I'll be joined by retired Naval Chief Lee Quillian to talk about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the recent letter from 28 retired Generals and Admirals in support of repeal and SLDN's work to lift the ban. To listen in, and join the conversation, click here. - Steve Ralls UPDATE: KPBS now has audio of yesterday's program posted online. Click here to listen to the discussion in its entirety.Labels: in the news
-----12-05-07 Comment (0)
SLDN National Dinner Tickets Now On Sale
Tickets are now on sale for UNITE, SLDN's 16th annual national dinner and silent auction. Tickets - from $250 to $1000 - can be purchased via our website by clicking here.
The 2008 dinner will be held on Saturday, March 8 @ The National Building Museum in downtown Washington, D.C. The silent auction kicks off at 6:30pm, and dinner starts at 7:30.
Stay tuned to Frontlines for more information on our 2008 line-up of speakers . . . but mark your calendars now (and get your tickets online) for this amazing gathering of veterans, activists and supporters from around the country.
To RSVP and purchase your tickets for UNITE, click here.Labels: 2008 National Dinner, events, UNITE
-----12-04-07 Comment (0)
“A Tough, No Non-Sense Guy”
. . . that's how News Hounds (motto: We watch FOX so you don't have to) describes Brigadier General Keith Kerr's appearance last night on The O'Reilly Factor.
General Kerr appeared on O'Reilly following his much-publicized question at last week's CNN/YouTube Republican Debate. And by all accounts, the General reminded O'Reilly how he earned his stars.
"O'Reilly tried to keep pushing the same angle but realized he had nothing to spin" after Kerr succinctly and clearly answered all of the host's questions, News Hounds says. And the FOX watchdog concludes by noting that, "Keith Kerr is obviously a very tough no nonsense guy and BOR knew that he wouldn't fall for the usual manipulative interview techniques."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Well done, General. All of us working for repeal salute you for another outstanding appearance.
- Steve RallsLabels: in the news, Keith Kerr, YouTube Debates, YouTube; veterans
-----12-04-07 Comment (0)
Obama Endorses MREA
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has said that as commander-in-chief he will press Congress to pass The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
All this week, candidates responded to a question from the Human Rights Campaign about how, as president, they would work to repeal the law. Senator Obama said, in part, that "As president, I will work with Congress and place the weight of my administration behind enactment of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which will make nondiscrimination the official policy of the U.S. military. I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.' And I will direct my Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to develop procedures for taking re-accession requests from those qualified service members who were separated from the armed forces under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and still want to serve their country."
Obama's statement is a strong stance in favor of our men and women in uniform, and welcome news.
You can read the other candidates' responses at HRC Back Story.
- Steve RallsLabels: 2008, barack obama, MREA, other blogs
12-02-07 Comment (2)
Programming Notes
Tonight's NBC Nightly News will feature a story about the 14th anniversary of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and the 12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots exhibit on the National Mall. NBC's story will also feature an interview with SLDN communications associate, and former Navy linguist, Jason Knight. And on Monday, Brigadier General Keith Kerr, a member of SLDN's military advisory council, will appear on The O'Reilly Factor to talk about his work to lift the ban. Be sure to tune in . . .Labels: in the news, jason knight, Keith Kerr
-----12-01-07 Comment (0)
The General is Back
When CNN announced earlier this week that it had removed Brigadier General Keith Kerr's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" question from re-broadcasts of the CNN/YouTube Republican debate, SLDN partnered with our friends at GLAAD to reach out to the network and ask that they re-insert the question.
As we've pointed out, there was no reason to remove General Kerr's question from future broadcasts of the debate, as the controversy surrounding the question was unfounded. CNN, representatives at SLDN and GLAAD told the network, should not be in the business of editing news and should not deprive viewers from the important opportunity to see the candidates debate this issue.
Late last night, we received word that the network will include the questions in re-broadcasts, which begin airing on CNN today.
SLDN applauds CNN for doing the right thing, and salutes our colleagues at GLAAD, especially national news director Cindi Creager, for their critical help in making this victory possible.
- Steve RallsLabels: CNN, GLAAD, Keith Kerr, YouTube Debates
12-01-07 Comment (1)
