Tag Archives: Captain Jim Pietrangelo

13 Gay Vets and Activist Chain Themselves To White House Fence. It Should Be 1300! – STAND UP and ACT OUT!

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Thirteen gay rights advocates, veterans, and advocates for repeal of DADT  chained themselves to the White House fence today and were arrested as they called on U.S. Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama to do the RIGHT THING and make good on their promises to secure the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during the abbreviated, lame-duck session of Congress that started today

ONLY THIRTEEN.

After all the lies, abuse, bullying, berating, and unequal treatment that we have endured not only for the past few years under the Obama Administration but since literally the beginning of time only 13 people had the guts to make a stand a and chain themselves to The White House Fence.

WHERE ARE THE REST OF US?

We’ve obviously seen that talking politely and trying to change minds about the deplorable second class treatment that this country lays up[on us doesn’t work.  The kissing ass, the cocktail parties, the calling of our lame ass career politicians, NONE of it works.  And really aren’t we pissed off and shouldn’t we have the right to be?  And not just about DADT.  How about ENDA, DOMA, and all the other unfair shit that we have laid upon us here in “supposedly” the greatest country on earth that still treats 10 percent of its population like shit.

There should be 1300 chaining themselves to The White House Fence.  There should be daily pickets.  LGBT American Citizens should be holding back part of their tax payments in protest.  Not an Equal Citizen?  Don’t pay Equal Taxes.  We should be calling on our LGBT friends in civilized countries like the United Kingdon, France, Germany, The Neatherlands to publicly ridicule and embarrass the United States over its treatment of it’s LGBT citizens.

It’s well past time people to take off the white gloves and stand up and ACT OUT in the fight for Equal Rights.  Picket, protest, boycott, write letters, and get angry and channel that anger. Just stand up and do something.

The 80’s had ACT UP in response to the AIDS Crisis.  And now 30 years later perhaps it’s time to start ACT OUT in response to the LGBT Human and Civil Rights Crisis.

 

ACT OUT!
Arrested Today
*Five veterans (Lt. Dan Choi, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, and Cadet Mara Boyd) who were arrested back in March during the GetEQUAL organized “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act of civil disobedience at the White House fence demanding President Obama show leadership on repeal.
*Robin McGehee, co-founder and director of GetEQUAL, and Dan Fotou, action strategist for GetEQUAL.
*Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-Shalom, who was discharged in 1976 for declaring and admitting she was a lesbian. She became the first-ever LGBT servicemember reinstated to her position in the U.S. Military, by a U.S. Federal District Court. On July 30th, 1993, Miriam and 26 other protesters were arrested at the White House fence for protesting then-President Bill Clinton’s broken promise to repeal the gay ban – instead signing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bill into law.
*Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Justin Elzie who, in 1993, became the first Marine ever investigated and discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. Elzie was also the first soldier to be discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to fight his discharge and win – resulting in his service as a Marine for four years as an openly gay man.
*Former U.S. Army Arabic Linguist Ian Finkenbinder, who was discharged from the Army in December 2004 after announcing to his superiors that he was gay. Finkenbinder is an Iraq war veteran and was about to return for a second tour of duty when he was discharged.
*U.S. Army Veteran and Repeal Advocate Rob Smith, who was deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait before being honorably discharged after deciding not to re-enlist in the U.S. Army due to the added pressure of living under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.
*Father Geoff Farrow, a Catholic priest who spoke out against the church’s official stance in support of California’s Proposition 8, removing the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Because of his courageous stance against Prop 8, Father Geoff Farrow was removed as pastor of St. Paul’s by his bishop and suspended as a priest.
*Scott Wooledge, a New York-based LGBT civil rights advocate and blogger who has written extensively on the movement to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at Daily Kos and Pam’s House Blend.
*Michael Bedwell, long-time LGBT civil rights advocate, close friend of Leonard Matlovich, and administrator of the site http://www.leonardmatlovich.com/

GetEQUAL & Discharged Gay Vets Descend On Senator Harry Reid’s Office and Demand Answers on ‘DADT Repeal’. Gets NONE

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This morning Dan Choi, Jim Pietrangelo, Autumn Sandeen, and 9  GetEQUAL activists have gone to Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office to ask for an audience with Reid and get some answers about whats going on with DADT.

You’ll remember that Choi made headlines at Netroots Nation in Las Vegas when he approached Senator Harry Reid on-stage at a main conference event and gave his West Point cadet ring to Senator Harry Reid. At that time, Senator Reid – in front of this large crowd of progressive/liberal bloggers and activists, Senator Reid promised Dan that he would return the ring by the end of this year when the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy is repealed. Dan’s question to Senator Reid – ‘can I expect my ring back this year or not?'”

Reid did not have an answer.

According to the latest Tweets from GetEqual Reid Reid had absolutely no answers for them and that The White House has not even talked with Reid’s office yet about about further movement on the DADT repeal.

This is how much our country cares about its LGBT soilders and citizens. 

Have we had enough of this shit yet?

Lt. Dan Choi and Captain Jim Pietrangelo Subpoena President Obama Over White House ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Arrests

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Lt. Dan Choi and Captain Jim Pietrangelo have subpoenaed President Obama in their trial over civil disobedience charges surrounding their arrests for chaining themselves to the White House fence on March 18

The subpoena seeks to compel the testimony of President Obama who has, on several occasions as President and Commander in Chief called on the LGBT community to “pressure” him to change the DADT law and policy, thus allowing gay service members to serve their country openly and honorably.

The subpoena of the President is necessary for the defense to prove that Defendants were following and obeying lawful orders or directives by their President and Commander in Chief, and were therefore under an obligation and authority to act as they did in order to pressure him – in a non-violent, visible way – on this important public issue. In addition, these statements support the contention that Defendants were acting out of necessity, in order to prevent discrimination and greater harm to gay service members now serving.

It probably won’t happen.  After all Presidents have successfully refused to answer even Congressional subpoenas, but there’s nothing wrong with Dan and (cutie) Jim’s symbolic attempt. After all, it wasn’t the fence around the White House that they were protesting.

And for those of you who continue even after these past two years to be Obama apologist remember it is NOT only Congress that is the problem The problem is to be found at the desk where the famous sign owned by Harry Truman once rested:

“The buck stops here.”