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Toes In The Water: Testing Transition During the Recent Ban on Enforcement of DADT

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Jeremy Johnson is a member of the Palm Center staff and recently used the lifting of the stay issued by the Ninth Circuit court (July 6-July 15) to continue his attempt to reenlist after receiving an Honorable discharge under DADT in 2007.  These are his observations.  read more »

A Pocket Constitution

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Some politicians and judges carry a pocket-sized Constitution so they have a ready answer whenever a question about government or liberty arises. It's better to refer to the original source, in all its elegant simplicity, rather than rely on what people may mistakenly assume about our founding document.  read more »

Victory Found, Opportunity Lost

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As someone who has worked on the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" for the past 12 years, I felt conflicting emotions watching the U.S. Senate authorize the repeal of the policy on the same morning that it rejected the DREAM Act-the proposed path to citizenship for illegal alien students of good moral character.  read more »

DADT Repeal Step 2: When Will Certification Happen?

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On December 22nd, 2010, the seemingly impossible happened. President Obama signed a bill to complete the first of three steps in repealing the law we've come to know as "don't ask, don't tell." The first step was the signing of the repeal pre-authorization* bill. That incredible legislative feat is unfortunately regarded by the general public as the signature that "sealed the deal." Regretfully, this is not the case.  read more »

It's not over til the last gavel strikes: How to repeal DADT this session

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Guest Blogger Michelle Benecke// Yesterday's Senate vote was disgraceful and disheartening. Contrary to the claims of some, however, this fight is not over.  read more »

The Current State of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

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Guest blogger Elizabeth Hillman// The bullying of gay and lesbian youth has triggered new outrage lately because of tragic suicides. However, there's another group of Americans, many of whom live and work in California, who are being bullied: lesbian and gay service members.  read more »

What if no one's looking at you in the shower?

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Guest blogger: Nancy Goldstein/ It is with enormous joy that I observe the frenzy in the federal government and certain media venues over last week's federal court decision striking down the ban on gays serving openly in the military.  read more »

MIXED MESSAGES FROM JUSTICE KAGAN

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Much of the opposition to Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court came from her blistering criticism of "don't ask, don't tell." She has called the policy "a profound wrong, a moral injustice of the first order." As dean of Harvard Law School, she refused to directly sponsor military recruiters because they could not follow the same non-discrimination rules that applied to every other employer.  read more »

Elena Kagan and Blind Faith in the Military

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According to Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "punished the military and demeaned our soldiers as they were courageously fighting two wars overseas" when, as Dean of Harvard Law School, she declined to provide military recruiters the same access to campus resources that other employers enjoyed.  read more »

In Ending DADT, America Comes Out of the Closet

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As I step away from ten years of researching and speaking about "don't ask, don't tell," questions swirl about the fate of a policy that mandates deception in the name of morale; that has wasted the talents of thousands of badly needed personnel while filling shortfalls with ex-convicts and drug abusers; and that's been a needless and undeserved indignity to a group of American citizens who simply want to serve their country like millions of others who proudly wear the uniform.  read more »

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