Tag Archives: Captain Jim Pietrangelo Lt. Dan Choi

Dan Choi vs. Valerie Jarrett: A CNN Smackdown (Video)

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From Pam’s House Blend:

Valerie Jarrett was just on CNN to respond to Dan Choi, who earlier today excoriated and responded to HER  and the President over DADT. The clip, aboves, includes an excerpt from Dan’s interview on CNN. She stuck to the same Obama administration’s talking points — the incorrect ones — she used earlier today. It’s stunning. Does the Obama administration understand how badly they’ve handled this issue?

Jarrett stated that DOJ “has no choice but to defend the laws that are on the books.” That’s just not true. She should know better by now, especially since the Obama DOJ has refused to enforce a number of laws. Even Ted Olson says they don’t have to appeal. But she keeps saying it.

Then, when Wolf Blitzer asked her why the President doesn’t say the law is unconstitutional, she claims he’s done just that. That question HAS NOT been answered. It’s simply not true.

One thing you need to admit though.  Valerie Jarrett is an amazing LIAR.

DADT UPDATE: Judge Virginia Phillips DENIES Stay AGAIN, Department Of Defense ADMITS "No Enormous Consequences" From DADT Halt, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Spokesman Says There Is "NO Gaurantee’s" For DADT Repeal Vote During Lame Duck Session Or Next Year and Dan Choi and Alex Nicholson Talk to Anderson Cooper (VIDEO)

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So much DADT News overnight,  Here’s a morning update.  Hold on to your hats.

*  Federal District Judge Virginia Phillips has once again rejected the government’s request for a stay on the injunction  barring enforcement of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  The Obama administration can now ask the Ninth Circuit for a stay — and he Obama administration most probably will which would be a travesty and unconstitutional in its own rights. 

*  A Pentagon spokesman said Monday that no disciplinary problems or mass-resignations have been reported  since last week’s judicial injunction even though for years, defenders of the policy predicted chaos and dissension in the armed forces if gay discharges were halted.

*  While the White House keeps lying and insisting that DADT must and will be repealed by Congress soon.  A spokesman from Majority Leaders Senator’s Harry Reid  had said there are “no guarantees” the votes will materialize to repeal the law in a post-election session of Congress or next year, when Republicans are expected to have more seats in both chambers.  Also Congressional observer Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute doubts Senate Democrats will overcome another filibuster in the so-called “lame duck” session of Congress. “There simply will not be the time or the inclination to take this all the way to the limit,” said Ornstein. “And so I suspect we are going to have to wait for another day to see a real resolution of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ question.

If you have read Back2Stonwall in the past, AmericaBlogGay, Pam’s House Blend, or many of the other LGBT blogs out there we have all wrote and warned over and over that if LGBT issues were not taken care of within the first few years of Obama’s tenure that there would be a good chance that they wouldn’t be due to Senate and House midterms.  A few of you listened, but many of you trusted, and even apologized and defended both the Obama administration and the HRC,  Now I’m not saying this to rub it in.  Actually I wish I would have been wrong.  But I really hope that we all have learned a lesson that the LGBT Community needs to form its own political Caucus and PAC and ONLY endorse and support PROGRESSIVE Candidates.

*  Dan Choi who re-enlisted in the Armed Forces yesterday talked last night to Anderson Cooper on AC360 as did Alexander Nicholson, the sole named plaintiff in the Log Cabin Republican case which led to the striking down of the discriminatory measure.  Watch the video below.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: The United States Army ACCEPTS The Re-Enlistment Of Openly Gay Lt. Dan Choi (Video)

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The U.S. Army has ACCEPTED the re-enlistment of Lt. Dan Choi. Choi now merely has to supply some medical paperwork tomorrow and he’s in.

Choi says he found today’s event to be “absolutely exciting, absolutely vindicating.”

Lt. Dan Choi Releases Statement On His Recent Discharge

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From: Pam’s House Blend:

Lt. Dan Choi has released an official statement on his discharge from the military.

My Statement on DADT Discharge

This morning I received notification of my honorable discharge from the army under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” After 11 years since beginning my journey at West Point and after 17 months of serving openly as an infantry officer this is both an infuriating and painful announcement.

But my service continues. To all those veterans who have endured similar trials and injustices or prematurely ended their military service because of the unjust policy: our fight has only begun.

The true honor and dignity of service does not come from a piece of paper, a pension or paycheck, a rank or status; only an unflinching commitment to improve the lives of others can determine the nature of one’s service. From the first moment we put on our nation’s uniform and swore our solemn oath, we committed ourselves to fight for freedom and justice; to defend our constitution and put the needs of others before our own. This is not an oath that I intend to abandon. Doing so at such a time, or remaining silent when our family and community members are fired or punished for who they truly are would be an unequivocal moral dereliction that tarnishes the honor of the uniform and insults the meaning of America.

Lt. Dan Choi

We ALL need to THANK Dan Choi (and yes, Get Equal also Bill Browning because you are 100 percent wrong on your opinion of them)  for his years of military service and for putting some heat under the White House, the Congress and yes, Gay Inc.

Thank you Dan Choi.

“Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won.” – Cadet prayer United States Military Academy at West Point

Kathy Griffin’s "My Life On The D-List" Bogus Adventure Guest Starring Joe Solmonese and the HRC

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I love Kathy Griffin.  I’ve seen every episode of her show , I watched her specials, I’ve even seen her live in concert.  And even though I know that she’s extremely gay friendly and gay rights positive last nights episode of My Life On The D-List REALLY pissed me off.

The episode revolves around the events of last March’s HRC Awards dinner and HRC’s “Repeal DADT Rally” held last month.

President of the HRC, Joe (Salmonsleaze) Solmonese calls Kathy and informs her she will be recieving an award at the dinner.  And Joe Starsucker even has the nerve to ask if Kathy can get CHER to present her the award! But at least to Kathy’s credit she rolled her eyes and made a face. 

The next 20 minutes is where it gets intersting because we the little people finally get to see what a major HRC Awards Dinner looks like and the inside of the palatial HRC Headquarters.

The awards dinner is huge, pomp, pagentry, reporters, hundreds of snobby gay elitist. It’s a really good use of the LGBT Community’s donations (snork).  The only good part of this segment other than Kathy’s jokes about bathhouse sex and lesbian golf was her introduction.  No not by Cher, but by Lance Bass who looked incredibly smoking hot!  Kathy accepts the award and makes a surprise announcement that SHE will be holding an inpromptu DADT repeal rally with HRC’s help.  (Oh Kathy, why, why, why…)

The next she she’s off to Casa HRC’s 8 MILLION DOLLAR beutifully decorated office building  on Rhode Island Avenue in DC.  (Another wonderful use of your donation dollars btw.)  Kathy meets with media whore Solmonese (who’s wearing waaaay too much eye-liner) and then Kathy is whisked to HRC Media Relations Department to have the humour sucked out of her by four sour HRC Media relation people who had sticks shved so far up thier asses that the tops of their heads were pointy.

The rest of the episode until the end was typical Kathy. 

While on her way to meet Majority whip James Clyburn Kathy tells a Roll Call reporter that she’s on her way to “meet with a big queen named James Clyburn.” The next day, after Roll Call publishes the quote, the dourpusses at HRC are none too pleased with that quote and ask her to call Clyburns office and call to apologize…….and she did!

Kathy then meets with Barney Franl and  tells Barney that “I need [DADT] to be repealed by Thursday, because I’m leaving Friday” and if it’s not, “that’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

“My guess, Kathy, is it’s not the only pill you’ve swallowed this week,” Frank replies.  The room goes silent.

“It’s obvious I’m bombing [with Frank],” Griffin says later. “He doesn’t know when ‘American Idol’ is on? He doesn’t care about Liza Minnelli? How is this guy even gay?” (Good question)

But the last segment of last nights episode is where it all goes to hell.

At the HRC “Repeal DADT” Rally on March 18th  Kathy, in the company of Joe Solmonese was approached by Dan Choi, a gay Army officer and  opponent to DADT, who asks her if he can come up onstage with her. Once there, he takes the microphone and implores the crowd to walk with him a few blocks to the White House.

“I am in uniform, I am still fighting, I am still speaking out, I am still serving, and I am still gay,” Choi declares. “Will you all here join me? Kathy will you go with me?” he asks Griffin, whose face freezes in PR horror.

Griffin answers yes, but she doesn’t. She stays behind with Solmonese and delivers the crowd a text message she says has just been sent from Cher.  Choi marches over to the White House, where he and Jim Pietrangelo  handcuff themselves to the Pennsylvania Avenue fence and are promptly arrested.

And how did Kathy follow-up and deal with this on last nights episode?

“Imagine if I had gone,” Griffin says. “Two soldiers who have served bravely in silence and one potty-mouthed comedian? It would have looked ridiculous.”

Kathy in all honesty it looked more ridiculous and cowardly that you didn’t go.  I love you dearly and you have done alot for the gay community so here’s a word to the wise.  HRC = FAIL. It’s taken the major part of the gay community over 10 years to learn that.  I can only hope that you learned that with your Bogus HRC Washington Adventure. 

Capt. James Pietrangelo’s and Lt. Dan Choi’s DADT Hunger Strike Now In Fifth Day (Video)

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Five days ago on at 10:30pm Thursday night,  in Northwest Washington D.C., Lt. Daniel Choi and Captain Jim Pietrangelo began a hunger strike in response to the  ultra lame “compromise” plan to repeal DADT. 

So while our Gay Orgs issue press releases “prasing” this totally ridiculous “non-repeal” and the White House spins it into a monumental feat that they are doing for the LGBT Community Pietrangelo and Choi are standing up and  making a statement.

Dan Choi: “I hope that people will remember in future generations that somebody did stand up uncompromisingly in 2010.”

Best of luck Jim and Dan.