DADT - RIH (Rest in Hell)

Lest my critics believe I would never write anything good about President Obama and the Democrats; I am very happy to use this space to congratulate them for their long awaited repeal of Don't Ask - Don't Tell. I want to especially acknowledge Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, for finally being able to bring the entire Democratic caucus together on a single vote. I had serious doubts if it would ever happen again.

It is hard to imagine in this day and age that anyone who would profess to honor our Constitution and any form of religion that speaks of a "Golden Rule" would still be clinging to the notion that any class of law-abiding and patriotic people in this country should be treated as less than equal members of our society. And yet 31 Republicans in the US Senate believe that we are somehow better as a nation if we continue to ask gay Americans to lie about something as basic as who they are as a human being to be "entitled" to serve our country.

There are some who will say that Democrats showed great courage in this vote. For some, that may be true. However, I am proud to recognize the steadfast conviction to the basic principle of fairness that has defined the Democratic Party for so many years. That President Obama stood firm on his commitment to see this discriminatory law thrown out and used his bully pulpit to convince any wavering members of his party to do the same, speaks volumes about what can be done when the will is there. Will the Democrats gain much political advantage from this act? Probably not, but they certainly regained a certain amount of respect from me and, I'm sure, quite a few others who have been wondering, does this party stand for anything anymore.

Well done Mr. President and Congressional Democrats.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue