WOW

WOW!
I feel so empowered.

I just called Washington, D.C. Crazy, right? I totally expected to get an answering service and voice mail, but right away a HUMAN operator answered to transfer me to my representative, and then when I got there, another HUMAN answered the phone and asked what my concerns, etc., were. I voiced my opinion and stated where I lived, and my opinion was marked down.

IT WAS SO COOL.

I don't know why I'm so shocked. I mean, she's an elected official. Surely it is her job to hear from her constituents, but I mean, you can't call practically anyone these days without having to push a million buttons to get to the right department (and then you usually still end up in the wrong one!).

Anyway, I feel pretty spiffy right now. That was even cooler than voting.

I recommend that you call your representative the next time you feel like something should be done. I called because someone is trying to push through a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" policy, and I feel strongly about that issue. If you think it should or should not be repealed, then you should call, too. It might get voted on as early as Thursday, so there is no time to e-mail. I strongly feel that Congress should not act until the review is complete in December.

Call the Capital Switchboard at 202-225-3121. Someone answers that 24 hours a day. And if you're calling during office hours of your representative, then someone should answer then as well.

If you live in one of the states below, then you should call your senator, too, because those are the senators who sit on the Armed Services Committee.

Evan Bayh (D-Indiana)
Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska)
Bill Nelson (D-Florida),
Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island)
Jim Webb (D-Virginia) 

 Some background information

In 1993 Congress passed a law specifically prohibiting homosexuals from serving in the military.  President Clinton, in attempting to weaken the intent of the law, instituted the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy which effectively allowed homosexuals to serve in the military if they were not open about their homosexuality.  The military services were prohibited from asking military personnel if they were homosexual. 

For years, homosexual activists have demanded the repeal of the law on which DADT is based.  Along with such things as including “sexual orientation” as one of the categories protected under nondiscrimination or hate crime legislation and legalizing homosexual marriage, this demand is part of their strategy to mainstream homosexuality in U.S. society.  As such, it directly undermines the family and family values.  Candidate Obama and most Democrats have promised to repeal DADT.

While polls generally show public support for repeal of DADT, there are clear danger signs for trying to impose this new policy on the military while engaged in two wars that most of the public is not aware of because most of the media have ignored them.  One is a letter to President Obama and Congress signed by over a thousand retired flag and general officers opposing repeal of DADT because of the harm it would do to the military.  Another is a poll of active duty military personnel conducted in 2008 that found that nearly 10 percent of those surveyed would not re-enlist if DADT was repealed and another 14 percent said they would be less likely to do so.  Several high ranking active duty officers have also stated their opposition. 

An apparent compromise was reached several months ago when the Defense Department undertook a review of the impact of repealing DADT on the military.  The report of that review is due in December, and it was generally expected that Congress would not act until that review was completed.  The surprise announcement of a vote in a couple of days effectively scraps that review, even though as recently as last week, the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs asked Congress again to hold off until the review was completed.  The amendment will supposedly accommodate the review by delaying implementation of the actual repeal of the law until the report is filed and both the Defense Secretary and the President determine that it would not harm military readiness.  No one actually believes that such a determination is likely after Congress has voted for repeal no matter what the report finds.