SLDN Invades Bismarck
A quaint state capital with a bustling farmers market and an impressive music scene. Restaurants home to great local favorites. The cheese at Mr. Delicious lives up to it's name.
Bismarck is also central to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" fight because North Dakota National Guardsman have deployed more per capita than any other state.
Local newspapers and radio have stayed on top of the issue, and are looking for firmer commitments from their senators. This brought us to Sen. Kent Conrad's (D-ND) office for a meeting with his state director, veterans case worker, as well as staff from Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Rep. Earl Pomeroy's (D-ND) office. Accompanying us were two additional veterans discharged for being gay. We all shared our stories and saw positive responses from the staff. One staffer even shared that her child attended the Air Force Academy where one of her friends was fired under DADT and what a loss it was for the country. All the staffers in attendance agreed on the need for grassroots support in the repeal fight.
We had energizing meetings with Bismarck State College GSA and the local Unitarian Universalist congregation.
SLDN was also featured in a story this morning on Prairie Public Radio during statewide drive-time hours, and hopefully we will see a favorable editorial resulting from our meeting with the Bismarck Tribune editorial board this afternoon.
Spread the word for repeal today. Call and write your Senators (www.sldn.org/MeetMySenators), write letters to the editor (http://bit.ly/btwp2R) and call in to radio shows.
08-13-10 By Tony Woods, former Army Captain |
2 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Carol Jean Larsen` in Bismarck, ND on August 17, 2010 at 07.33 am
Yes, the SLDN Invaders did gallop through Bismarck and did impressive work while here. Considering that I was aware of SLDN’s work until agreeing to meet with Tony and Emily at the Bismarck-Mandan Unitarian Universalist Church, I am getting up to speed fast. The morning of our meeting I woke up to Tony’s excellent interview on Prairie Public Radio.
The SLDN website has a wealth of well documented factual material. It’s helping Bismarck folks get up to speed fast and confidently.
Unitarian Universalists around the country can easily fold in the SLDN issue
under the national UUA campaign called “Standing on the Side of Love”.
Come on, North Dakotans! On the top of SLDN’s home page, click TAKE ACTION. Time is of the essence. The Senate vote needs to be fillibuster proof.
Tom Carpenter in Los Angeles on August 13, 2010 at 04.55 pm
Great job! Grass roots is where the action is a this time. It is more important than ever that constituents contact their Senators while the Congress is in recess to ask them to vote for the National Defense Authorization Act with repeal in place with no amendments. If there are amendments, the bill will not be identical to the House bill and will go to conference where three out of four of the Armed Forces Committee leadership are against repeal. Only Senator Levin is in favor. This could be the end of our efforts in this Congress and everyone knows what happens in an midterm- a possible return to the past.