A Message From Joe Solmonese

 

Pic from From Ve Ri Tas Harvard

My friends who are working hard on the DADT program were disappointed yesterday when they failed to rally enough votes to advance the legislation, despite having those votes.  Some Republicans with held their votes pending the passage of unfunded tax breaks for the wealthiest people in the nation.  The Republican caucus turned down prior offers to extend tax breaks to the first $250,000 in income.  They insist, in addition to the break millionaires get on the first quarter-mil in income, they had to have unfunded breaks from $250,000 to $1,000,000 in income. 

 

Meanwhile, the entire country waits for greedy people to line their pockets, and who are delaying legislation to the rest of the country including the Dream Act, the Start treaty, and of course, DADT.

 

Here is what Joe has to say:

Dear Tim,

I know you must have been disappointed when you saw my earlier email tonight saying that the U.S. Senate stopped action on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal, the discriminatory law that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. This news certainly draws attention to the actions the President can take to end the discharges, and it's important that we continue to urge him to do so. Aside from that, I also wanted to share some late breaking news that keeps congressional repeal as a possibility THIS YEAR.

After the failed vote to bring up the Defense Authorization bill today, two champions for repeal – Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins – announced that they would introduce repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as a stand-alone piece of legislation. While passing this new bill will be an uphill battle, it is another chance for a durable legislative solution.

Over the past few days we've seen a number of senators speak out for repeal and it's clear that under the right circumstances, we can get above the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. What got in the way today was procedure.

Thankfully a bipartisan group of senators has committed to finding an alternative method of achieving repeal. We encourage all senators to take up this bill and pass it quickly so that the military has the power to implement a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

I'll be in touch in the coming days to give you ways to get involved and help pass this stand-alone bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The fight for open service has had many twists and turns but until "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is left in the dustbin of history we will never give up the fight.
Thank you,

Joe Solmonese

 

CALL YOUR REPUBLICAN SENATOR and tell them to quit playing around with the lives of others while lining their own pockets.  The practice is unconscionable, and represents a ruling class out of touch with reality.  You can make a difference, but you have to be willing to pick up the phone!

 

BuzzNet Tags: dadt,don't ask don't tell,gays in the military,joe solomese,dream act,murkowski,republican no vote pact,dream activist,start treaty

RIFA march on Washington includes queers, Chuck Schumer Approves

Gays march with Latinos?

RIFA - GLBT

Reform Immigration For America and Diversity

In traditional Latino culture being a “maricon”, “manflor” “marimacha” or the most commonly used name, joto, is a pretty rotten life condition. It is enough to warrant permanent exclusion in some families. Even if you are so afflicted, many Latinos won’t admit to it. What is it?

Homosexual.

If Latino culture rejects queers why is the gay, lesbian and transgender community, partly represented by the organization called Immigration Equality, showing up in force for the Reform Immigration For America (RIFA) march on Washington D.C. Sunday, March 21st, 2010?

 The answers are simple. First, not every immigrant is Hispanic. Representatives from many immigrant cultures will be at the march and will speak for their people. Second, there are a lot of gay immigrants, including Latinos, who would like their ‘other half’ to join them in the process of immigrating to the United States of America. At the very least, the GLBT community seeks fair treatment for people with diverse sexual orientation.

In the old days one of the first questions to be asked an immigrant in the process of naturalization was, “are you homosexual?” The “yes” answer was an immediate disqualifier and a bar to the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sadly, the question sometimes turned into an accusation against those the government did not want to migrate.

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Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, is pushing for the Uniting America’s Families Act  which would include GLBT persons in the CIR, Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill in front of Congress.

"The failure to recognize permanent partners in the application for legal permanent residency is a major concern for many Americans. I share this concern and am a cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act of 2009, which would...permit permanent partners...to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents."

Recently, 60 members of Congress joined in support of inclusion of GLBT people in the immigration reform bill, inlcuding Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Jerrold Nadler of New York, Jared Polis of Colorado, Mike Honda of California, and Mike Quigley of Illinois.

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This is going to be an historic meeting of a diverse group of people, all who are in support of fair and just laws.  Prerna Lal, Robert Menendez, Eun Sook Lee (Wow!), Piolin Por La Manana = Eduardo Sotelo, and so many others are waiting for you!

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Modern times have changed the thinking of fair minded Americans. They have also changed the thinking of many fair minded Hispanics who have discovered a gay or lesbian member in their own family. Slowly, the seeds planted by the Bush administrations are finally sprouting and all can see them in their true light: They are weeds of hatred.

The GLBT community will march shoulder to shoulder with their immigrant brothers because they have something in common with people from another land. Members of the GLBT community understand the ugly stamp of oppression.

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"My son and his partner are a same-sex couple, which means that even though they have been together for 8 years, they have no relationship in the eyes of United States law. Because of that, our government has given my son a heartbreaking choice: to be with his partner, he has to give up his home, his job, his car, his mother, his sister, his grandmother, and move to another continent to start over with nothing." Janet Dagley, Mother

Sign the petition

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This is a nation of immigrants. Let’s welcome them all to this great land. Love your neighbor as your brother.  That is what this is all about. Yank out the weeds sprouting from unjust laws, root and branch! 

In a country in which most people have more than enough, let's make room for a few souls who will join us and help make us all better.  The U.S. is facing more enemies every day. Having another brother is a pretty cool thing!