Because you have it in your power to change things, or you can just say "gee it's too bad those Republicans are such bigots" and do nothing.
crossposted at My Left Wing
'Tip' Leads To Lesbian Air Force Nurse's DADT Discharge
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
April 13, 2006 - 11:00 am ET
(Seattle, Washington) For 19 years Major Margaret Witt served the Air Force with distinction. She served in the Persian Gulf, received medals, and was featured in a recruitment flyer for the Air Force Nurse Corps.
But after commanders received an anonymous tip in 2004 that she is a lesbian and in a long-term relationship the military began an investigation that led to her discharge under 'don't ask, don't tell' the military's ban on gays serving openly.
This week Witt began a lawsuit to get back her job. The suit, filed on by the ACLU on her behalf, charges the military acted unconstitutionally and seeks an injunction reversing the discharge.
Witt joined the Air Force in 1986. She served in the Persian Gulf and in 2003 was awarded an Air Force Commendation Medal for her action in saving the life of a Department of Defense employee who had collapsed aboard a government-chartered flight from Bahrain.
In 1993, she was selected to be the "poster child" for the Air Force Nurse Corps recruitment flyer.
Most recently she was a flight nurse and operating room nurse assigned to McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington.
It was while at McChord that her commanding officer began an investigation into her private life after receiving "a tip" from an unidentified source that Witt was in a relationship with another woman, a fact she does not deny.
In November 2004, Major Witt was placed on unpaid leave and told she could no longer participate in any military duties, pending formal separation proceedings. In March 2006, the Air Force informed Major Witt that she was being administratively discharged on grounds of homosexual conduct.
"I joined the Air Force because I wanted to serve my country. I have loved being in the military - my fellow airmen have been my family. I am proud of my career and want to continue doing my job," said Witt. "Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me there," she added.
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This is not an isolated case - this is a routine event in the lives of gay servicemembers in the US.
In the meantime 24 nations allow gays to serve openly, our troops in Iraq are serving beside openly gay British troops, multiple studies have found that DADT is bad policy which discriminates for no good reason and costs millions of dollars to enforce.
Recent polls show the the American public opposes DADT by a two to one margin.
So is there anything that the netroots can do about this situation other than fume about the bigotry and hypocrisy of Republicans ?
A modest suggestion would be that they not select as a netroots favorite and support a "Fighting Dem" candidate for the Senate who SUPPORTS DADT.
Is this too much to ask ?
You CAN make a difference - you can contact Jim Webb and ask him to reconsider his support for DADT.
I ask everyone to think about making a difference.
Information on DADT