It's not often that I can feel proud of my state. After all, California has one of the most dysfunctional legislatures on the continent, we passed Proposition 8, we have a deficit the size of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and we have a Governator who can't even figure out how to pronounce correctly the name of the state he governates. It's not often that I can even ascertain what my Senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, are up despite their being representatives of by far the biggest state in the Union and fairly senior members of the Senate.
But these past few days had a different feel.
Senator Boxer spoke out loud and clear against the madness that is Don't Ask, Don't Tell:
... this is a no-brainer. People are fighting for our country. They're heroes. They're stars. And for absolutely no reason they find themselves tossed out of the military. No reason, other than something that has nothing to do with their ability to protect this nation.
... we now stand -- with this rule -- with countries like Iran, North Korea and Pakistan in banning gays and lesbians from military service. Now, our brave young men and women fight alongside allies like Australia, the United Kingdom and others who allow gays and lesbians to serve (openly). Let’s not stand with Pakistan and with North Korea and Iran. It's just wrong.
Senator Feinstein made a clear, unequivocal, non-politician-like statement about this same policy:
I'm an 18-year member of the Judiciary Committee. I'm not a lawyer, but I believe in my heart of hearts that "Don't ask, don't tell" is unconstitutional.
And then Senator Feinstein did something that got to me in a way I haven't felt before. She did something that prompted me to call her office and thank her; something I must admit I have rarely if ever done for any politician. She prevented (at least temporarily) a young adult who has lived much of his life in the United States from being deported to a country he knows nothing about and has no ties to because he happened to be born there:
Steve "Shing Ma" Li is being released from jail today, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer informed his lawyer this afternoon...
"I decided to introduce a private bill on Steve's behalf because I believe his removal would be unjust before the Senate gets a chance to vote on the DREAM Act," Feinstein said in a statement...
ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice attributed Li's release to Feinstein's bill. Kice said in a statement that "Mr. Li's removal has been stayed, and the stay will remain in effect for 75 days after the end of the Congress."
... The DREAM Act, which failed to pass in Congress in September, would grant undocumented immigrant children citizenship if they entered the United States before age 15 and were attending college.
"This important legislation would allow youngsters such as Steve Li to continue making a contribution to the United States, the country that they grew up in and call home," Feinstein said in the statement.
So Three Cheers for Boxer! And Three Cheers for Feinstein! And Three More Lusty Cheers for Diane!
While the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the passage of the DREAM Act may not at first seem intimately related they are indeed: They both represent an attempt to end irrationality so incredible that a 22nd century historian looking back on our time could only shake his or her head in total incredulity.
In both cases the United States as a country invests hundreds of thousands of dollars in training for a person who will bring, over the course of their service or their lifetime, a large benefit to this country. And then we toss them out or deport them, abandoning our investment and at the same time demeaning ourselves as a country.
It's time for this madness to end. And thanks, at least in small part to my Senators, it has a chance to.