Articles in Politics
Please let us take time… this time
by Caleb Pritt
It’s been 8 years and a month since a plane went down in driving snow in Minnesota snuffing out the life of one of the greater progressive pioneers to ever serve this nation. In the ensuing days as we, collectively as a community, coped with the loss of this man, his wife, his daughter, and others on the plane, the Memorial Service which began so majestically and melodically ended in a blaze of partisan political rhetoric. Eight days later, a popular former Vice President of the United States was defeated in a bid to replace this man in the U.S. Senate by a political manipulator. I of course am talking about the death of U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife & daughter, and the quixotic Senate campaign between Walter F. Mondale & Norm Coleman. But what was lost, what has been forgotten in those days is the memory of a former coach, of a man who fought hard but fought with dignity & honor, and a man who dedicated his life to public service. What was lost were the other people on the plane who also had the light of their lives snuffed out. The partisan rhetoric grew to such a crescendo because of the memorial service turning political that there are plausible theories out now, how George W. Bush supposedly ordered the assasination of Paul Wellstone. The irony in the story is that Wellstone was on his way to the funeral of another man who had served Minnestoa admirably in the State Senate, when the accident happened.
Two and a half years ago, an hour or so after I had left the headquarters of the Arkansas Democratic Party in downtown Little Rock, an obsessed and mentally disturbed individual charged into the office, barged into the Chairman’s office, and brutally shot & killed a man I had gotten to know, respected, and whom I respectfully called, “My Chairman.” Then the killer went on a crazy high speed chase that ended up in his life ending in a hail of bullets. I, like so many people, numbly sat in the pew at Pulaski Heights Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas days later as we listened to stories, remembered, and then buried Bill Gwatney. Chairman Gwatney was a good man, truly. A man who had compassion for seeing that those who were not considered part of the “in crowd” still got to have a seat at the table and take part in the proceedings. Chairman Gwatney was fair and he was a man of integrity. Yet it disturbed me how the talk in the media turned towards the politics of the moment.
Now, a day and a half after the events in Tuscon, Arizona, I have to say this is not about Sarah Palin, this is not about the Tea Party or Liberals, this is not about gun control, this is not about a new currency, this is not about security for Members of Congress. This is about eighteen people who have had their lives unalterably changed forever. This is about a nine year old girl, elected to her school’s student council, who was taken from us and never given the chance to fulfill her life. This is about an older man, who apparently gave his life shielding his wife. This is about a guy who was engaged to be married and spent his life helping those who were not part of the “in crowd.” This is about a man who had just come from Mass and taught us that just because he was a Federal Judge didn’t mean he couldn’t work with a member of another branch of government, his Congresswoman, to alleviate the overcrowding and backlogging of cases in the Federal Courts. This is about two women who while retired still gave back to their community to the extent one was featured in a local newspaper article just a month ago about how she was taking a lifetime of knowledge and mentoring others.
I am troubled by how we have dived immediately into the politics of this event. THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR POLITICS. There is a time and place for everything and now is not, nor should it even be considered, appropriate or allowable by the media to talk about liberal v. conservative, tea v. coffee parties, or Sarah Palin v. whomever. This is a time for the victims, the survivors, and the heroes. This is a time for the people of this moment.
This time first, in my opinion, is for Christina Green, Dorwin Stoddard, Phyllis Schneck, Dorothy Murray, John Stoll, and Gabe Zimmerman. This is a time to honor them and thank their families and thank God for the joy, the life experiences, the essence that each of them brought to this earth and then to life. Then this is the time to encourage and do all we can to pray for the speedy and safe recoveries of twelve other people that include U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Pray for the doctors and the nurses and the medical personnel as well as their families for the coming days, weeks, months, and yes years of recovery from this moment. Let us honor the heroes who took down and sudued this madman. Let’s spend a week or two commending them for going into the fire… the line of fire to prevent further death and injury.
Once we have exhausted those areas, and I mean fully done justice for those people, then if we have the energy or the stamina left, then we can argue about the influence of Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, and Ideological Fights.
And the assassin… I say no attention should be given to this attention-seeking drug user. I am a compassionate person. I believe we all make mistakes… but there’s a line we all cross from troubled to enabling a madman. Do not focus on his drug use, his antics in class, or his inability to enter the U.S. Army. In fact, do not focus on him at all.
Let us take time… take time to reflect, be thankful for those around us, and take time to honor those no longer among us. Politics can come later. But this is not the time for politics.
Sara’s News Roundup 1/9/11
Sara’s News Roundup 1/2/11
Sara’s News Roundup 12/26/10
Video: President Obama signs DADT Repeal Act of 2010
“This is a good day,” President Obama said on Wednesday to a grateful audience of approximately 500 people, including administration officials, congressmembers, former servicemembers and repeal advocates who worked 17 years to end the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.
This is a very good day!
Watch the President’s speech and the bill signing ceremony:
A full transcript with the speeches of both the President and Vice President is posted on the White House website, and an article with photos is posted on the White House Blog.
In an interview with The Advocate, Obama said, “My strong sense is [implementation] is a matter of months… Absolutely not years.”
Goodbye DADT, and good riddance!
Sara’s News Roundup 12/22/10
Alaskans Together on DADT repeal
Alaskans Together for Equality sent a message to their members and supporters following the senate’s historic vote to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on Saturday. Alaskans Together is the statewide LGBT advocacy group for Alaska.
Just over an hour ago the Senate by a vote of 65 to 31 repealed the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Today’s vote allows lesbian, gay and bisexual people the ability to serve openly and honestly in our military. It’s a wonderful step forward in our fight for full civil equality. We are extremely pleased to report that both Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich voted in favor of the repeal!
Your efforts made a big difference! This repeal couldn’t have happened without you and your calls and emails.
Please take a moment in the next few days to call and email both Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich and thank them for their vote to repeal DADT. It is great to have two Senators that believe in fairness and equality in our military.
Senator Murkowski
Email or Phone: 202.224.6665
Senator Begich
Email or Phone: 202.224.3004
Please thank Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich for representing all Alaskans with their vote to repeal DADT today. Our military has become even stronger with today’s vote.
Also, be aware there is still work to be done for the implementation of a full repeal of DADT. There is a 60-day waiting period, during which soldiers can still be discharged under the policy. We will post on our blog in the coming days when we have more details.
With all of our continuing efforts we are confident that we will have more victories to celebrate in 2011 on our road to achieving full civil equality in Alaska.
Let’s enjoy today’s victory.
Also, three Anchorage-based gay service members were interviewed by KTVA about the effects of the DADT policy and why repeal is necessary. The local troops are members of OutServe, a national network of gay and lesbian active-duty service members. (The clip was posted earlier this week, before Congress passed the stand-alone DADT repeal measure.)
Congress REPEALS Don’t Ask Don’t Tell!
We did it!
The Senate voted today to repeal the military ban on openly gay and lesbian troops, following the House vote in favor of the repeal earlier this week. Both Senators Begich and Murkowski voted for repeal. Rep. Young voted against it.
Saturday morning (very early for those in Alaska watching the live broadcast), the Senate voted for cloture on the DADT repeal, voting 63-33 where they needed at least 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. The cloture vote was the main hurdle, since repeal itself needed only a simple majority to pass. After a few more hours of debate, they passed the repeal 65-31. Now it goes to the President to be signed and certified.
Please thank both Senators Begich and Murkowski for supporting all of our troops and voting to repeal this discriminatory law.
However, it is not safe for gay and lesbian troops to come out yet, as the policy will not be fully implemented for at least several months. Even after the President signs the bill, service members will remain at risk for investigation and discharge. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will still be the law until 60 days after the Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify that repeal can happen.
President Obama on the Senate’s DADT vote:
Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.
As Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known. And I join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness.
I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to get this done. It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.
The Senate also voted for cloture on the Dream Act this morning, but the motion failed to get the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster. Both senators from Alaska voted in favor.
Sen. Murkowski will vote for DADT repeal
“Senator Murkowski will vote in favor of DADT cloture on Saturday morning. She will also vote to repeal DADT when it comes to a vote on Monday.”
“Sen. Murkowski will support a stand-alone repeal of the DADT law. With the tax package out of the way, and legislation to fund the government on a glide path to passage, Sen. Murkowski will vote to move to DADT when it is brought to the floor.”
Please call Sen. Murkowski today, thank her for supporting all of our troops and remind her to vote for S 4023, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, this session: 202-224-6665 (DC office) or 877-829-6030 (AK office).
House passes DADT repeal, Rep. Young votes no
The House today passed a stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” by a vote of 250-175, with 15 Republicans joining 235 Democrats to end the discriminatory policy. Rep. Young voted against repeal. Now the measure goes to the Senate, where advocates will try to bring it up for a vote by the end of next week.
Sen. Begich supports repeal, although he isn’t listed as a co-sponsor. News reports mention Sen. Murkowski as one of 4 senate Republicans who support repeal – but will she actually vote for repeal this time?
Call Senator Murkowski and ask her to vote for the DADT repeal: 202-224-6665 (DC) or 877-829-6030 (AK office).
After the House vote, Senator Snowe (R-Maine) said that she now supports the repeal of DADT. If she will vote for the stand-alone measure, that puts repeal within one or two votes of passing.
Sen. McCain and others opposed to gay and lesbian troops are trying to run the clock down on the session to avoid a vote, but allies are determined to see this pass before the new, more conservative Congress begins work in January.
