For those of you who missed Rachel Maddow's show tonite, she ran this clip of Senator Franken's speech today following the DADT vote.
It's a wonder we don't all go nuts having such contrasting people in the United States Senate. Contrast LaurenMonica's diary on "our friend", Senator McCain with the video below of Senator Franken's reaction. A real life "The good, the bad and the Ugly."
I cannot find a transcript of the video yet, I will keep trying.
Today, after the ugly vote on DADT, Senator Franken told a story. In 2006 he was on his 7th U.S.O. trip. He choked up over the number of people who told him they were gay.
Thanks to TPM for the video.
They have so aptly titled their article, "Through laughter and tears."
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Franken said the year was 2006 and it came at a time when the military had a tough time recruiting. He said they gave waivers for just about everything at the time.
"If you ask every man and woman on that base, who would you rather have standing to your right, standing to your left, that gay man or that gay woman who has been serving with you the last year, or somebody comes in here with a moral waiver and those troops who had moral waivers, many of them served very honorably and bravely, or some with a cognitive waiver, many of those flourished in the military and are doing great things," Franken said.
He added: "All gay and lesbian service members want to be able to serve. Instead, people are getting kicked out of the military. People who don't need any moral waiver, people who don't need standards lowered for them in order to serve. People who are patriotic and courageous and who have vital, irreplaceable skills."
Franken said the ban "makes no sense."
Someone on Twitter just linked to this cartoon....it a WOW!
http://blogs.trb.com/...