Obama to Craig Arnold to Auschwitz & MORE

Usually, I just post the title of articles and link the titles; however, for today, I am going to do it C. Dale Young style.

Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard who is fluent in Arabic and who returned recently from Iraq, received notice today that the military is about to fire him. Why? Because he came out of the closet as a gay man on national television.

Some readers might think it unfair to blame Obama. After all, the president inherited the "don't ask, don't tell" law when he took office. As Commander-in-Chief, he has to follow the law. If the law says that the military must fire any service member who acknowledges being gay, that is not Obama's fault.


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It continues:
The Miss California saga started as a serious and compelling drama about personal expression, equal rights, and the tone and tenor of public debate in contemporary America. But in recent days, the story has transformed into something less admirable.


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Award-winning poet Craig Arnold, who went missing in Japan in late April, is presumed to have died after a fall, his employer, the University of Wyoming, announced Friday. The university had established a fund to try to find Arnold after Japanese authorities ended their search.


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I think one of my favorites comments from Sykes at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is: "I know Governor Palin, she's not here tonight. She pulled out at the last minute. Somebody should tell her that's not how you really practice abstinence."

Sykes dropped her sitcom impishness and was all-Wanda, all the time. In the line that drew gasps from the posh crowd, she attacked Rush Limbaugh for saying he hoped the President's policies would fail. "That's treason," she said. "That's not saying anything different from what Osama bin Laden is saying... I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight." Yow. "Too much?" she asked rhetorically.


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Sixty-five years ago Waclaw Sobczak hid a message in a bottle between the bricks of a wall in a building of the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, a last sign of life as he prepared to die.

"I put the bottle in the wall," Sobczak, 84, who survived Auschwitz but still bears the ID number -- 145664 -- the Nazis tattooed on his forearm, told AFP via telephone from his home in Wrabczyn, western Poland.


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National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Obama-Biden: Plan to Strengthen Civil Rights

Plan to Strengthen Civil Rights

"The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen -- they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs.... We have more work to do."
-- Barack Obama, Speech at Howard University, 9/7/07

The Obama-Biden Plan
Barack Obama has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, Illinois State Senator and U.S. Senator. Whether promoting economic opportunity, working to improve our nation's education and health system, or protecting the right to vote, Obama has been a powerful advocate for our civil rights.

Combat Employment Discrimination: Obama and Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: Obama and Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

End Deceptive Voting Practices: Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

End Racial Profiling: Obama and Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support: Obama and Biden will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama and Biden will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: Obama and Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

Expand Use of Drug Courts: Obama and Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, 6/1/07

The Obama-Biden Plan

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Obama will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.

Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

from Change.gov
Thanks Cain!.

1993 to ? ..... When Will DADT Rest In Peace

I don’t think anyone would argue that $364 million isn’t a large sum of money, and splitting it over ten years would pay out $36.4 million a year. I could live with $36.4 million a year for ten years, but what I can’t live with is that’s the amount the Washington Post reported the U.S. military spent on discharging and replacing gay service members under President Bill Clinton-endorsed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) Policy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely knocking Clinton. DADT was a half-hearted-decent attempt at a temporary solution; however, the time has come for the government to recognize that one’s sexuality has no effect on one’s military performance.

Anyone can Google DADT to find the history on the policy, so I'm not going to rave about the policy--- instead I am going to treat to you to the thoughts of two members of the Atlanta GLBT community.

Interview #1

DB: How did “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” affect your daily life in the Air Force?

E: DADT affected my daily life in the Air Force by providing a daily reminder of how my sexuality is unwelcome in the Armed Forces. The policy allowed me to serve; however, it forced something that is a small fraction of who I am as a person into a political closet. Regardless of the policy, I still felt threatened on a daily basis of exposure. Even though they couldn't ask and I didn't have to tell, I could always be inspected or investigated.

DB: What would you do if you were tipped off that you were about to be investigated because you were suspected to be a lesbian?

E: If I knew the Office of Special Investigation was going to investigate me, I would send everything in my dorm room that would be remotely misconstrued as being gay to my best friend’s house for safe keeping. I would delete email accounts and disconnect myself from anyone that could be confused as being gay and therefore would aid in the confirmation of my sexuality. However, you must understand that there must be witness to my committing or wanting to commit a homosexual act before they initiate the investigation. It is up to the Squadron Commander that I belong to, to initiate that investigation.

**Erica served in the U.S. Air Force for 6 years; she left service classified as a Personnel Journeyman.

Interveiw #2DB: What are your thoughts about the military before DADT?

JS: Before DADT, in my service time there was, I think it was called, The Code of Military Justice, and there was a provision therein called Section 8. That term, "Section 8" was as close as I can relate to DADT at the time. It was the provision under which sexual misconduct was used to discharge an individual. I never knew anyone who was prosecuted but I heard of some close calls. Perhaps due to the extreme situation (all or nothing War) not much attention was paid to looking for infractions of Section 8. I might add here that at the time of my going on active duty, and during our first medical examination, the following situation occurred:

Toward the end of the examination, we were all going thru the exam process naked. It was rather fast. We had all been told to "beware of the Psychiatrist, as he'll find out things about you and you'll get thrown out" - so we were all scared of this final exam. When my turn came I was lead into a simple room where the doctor sat behind a table. We were ordered to sit in a chair in front of the table. He looked at my papers and then at me and simply asked, "Do you like girl?" At 18 I was dating girls, primarily for dance partners, loved to dance all my life, so in all honesty all I could say was, "Yes Sir". He looked up at the door and said loudly, "NEXT.” That was the exam we were all so afraid to face. In those times when the country was facing the most dangerous times in it's history, the services needed all the help they could get. Every able bodied man up thru 44 years old was "in" as well as many women. (Women didn't have to do combat duty then.)

DB: What is your opinion of DADT?

JS: My opinion of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is that it's way out of line. The one example that sticks in my mind, of late, is reading about Arabic linguist personnel being discharged under DADT in large numbers. That is beyond my comprehension when such people are so desperately needed in the present war situation. It's obvious that the need for translators is of utmost important as lives can depend on such abilities with language. It makes me wonder if American lives were lost, or are being lost, in the war zone due to these people being removed from service when common sense says they are of the greatest need and importance.

**Jack Strouss served from October 1942 to April 26, 1946, in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. He left the U.S. Army Signal Corp ranked a Corporal.

"Crazy" OK for Navy!

I'm confused. Former astronaut Lisa Nowak-- former because she drove nine hundred miles in an adult diaper to kidnap fellow astronaut Colleen Shipman because she was allegedly riding the comet also known as Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein. I can't forget the wig, trench coat, plastic gloves, pepper spray, and BB gun that was found in found in Nowak's vehicle, but she insists she wasn't going to kidnap Shipman----- oh, sure...... the only other option would have to be INTENSE bondage-S&M play. Anyway, I know everyone probably already knows all of this, so let me get to my point.

Nowak, who is in the Navy, will remain in the Navy. She will develop curriculum and training programs. All this happens in April when she joins the staff of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Chrisiti. I can only image what her training programs will be like; I guess she could honestly say, 'Sometimes you have to shit yourself to try to get what you want.'

But seriously, WTF! Why is Novak still allowed in the Navy? If the whole attempted kidnapping detail isn't enough, doesn't the 900 miles in an adult diaper make anyone want to question her sanity?

What really pisses me off is the fact that Nowak is in the Navy after all of this; however, if she were an OUT lipstick lesbian or OUT big ole bull dyke wearing flannel and a tool belt to the base, there wouldn't much debate on keeping her in the Navy. Basically, our armed forces are telling me it is acceptable act irrationally and go 'crazy' because you can't get what you want-- that can be forgiven, but don't you dare be honest about your identity if you're GLBT.

Sometimes I'm annoyed with the American government for its policies and the majority of the American people for staying silent.