On a day set aside to honor veterans, even those our government refuses to acknowledge, it comes as no surprise to learn that:
A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on Dec. 1.
More than 70 percent of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report's authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.
The Pentagon needs to release this report now, ahead of the Senate's lame-duck session, particularly given the recent reports that Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) are, "in talks on stripping the proposed repeal" from the Defense Authorization Bill that will be taken up in the next two weeks. Remember:
At least 10 senators of both parties have said they will not decide how to vote until they read the final report.
Those 10 votes could be the difference between ending this odious, discriminatory policy or kicking it down the road for at least another two years.
And on this Veterans' Day, a somber reminder: