Archive for August, 2010
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
The primary is Tuesday. Are you one of the people that has already made up their mind on everything, or are you still pondering what you should do?
Are you a party-line voter? Do you vote the issues? If a politician is a member of the LGBT community do you vote for them and ignore everything else?
What are you thinking about as you make your choices? With all that is going on in Arizona right now, what is having the biggest impact on your voting decisions?
Weigh ‘n with your opinion, but more importantly, weigh ‘n with your vote!
Tags: primary, voting
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Friday, August 13th, 2010
WEST POINT, NY, August 9, 2010 – Ranked # 9 in her class overall, she routinely “super-maxes” her physical fitness tests. One of her blogs was featured in the Sunday print edition of the Washington Post as part of “The Gray Zone: West Point on Leadership.” However, today Cadet Katherine Miller tendered her resignation, coming out as gay to her superior officers at West Point.
In her resignation letter, she cites the kinds of experiences she is unwilling to continue to endure:
… I have created a heterosexual dating history to recite to fellow cadets when they inquire. I have endured unwanted approaches by male cadets for fear of being accused as a lesbian by rejecting or reporting these events. I have been coerced into ignoring derogatory comments towards homosexuals for fear of being alienated for my viewpoint. In short, I have lied to my classmates and compromised my integrity and my identity by adhering to existing military policy.
While at the academy, I have made a deliberate effort to develop myself academically, physically, and militarily, but in terms of holistic personal growth I have reached a plateau. I am unwilling to suppress an entire portion of my identity any longer because it has taken a significant personal, mental, and social toll on me and detrimentally affected my professional development. I have experienced a relentless cognitive dissonance by attempting to adhere to §654 [colloquially known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”] and retain my integrity, and I am retrospectively convinced that I am unable to live up to the Army Values as long as the policy remains in place.
Miller will be transferring to Yale University this fall on a Point Foundation Scholarship. She has indicated her desire to become an Army Officer should the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy be removed, and gay and lesbian people allowed to serve freely.
“This is a loss to the Academy and to the Army,” said Becky Kanis, West Point ’91. Kanis is Chair of Knights Out, and a former Captain and company commander. “We keep losing talented people needlessly while we wait for the Pentagon’s ‘review.’ “
Miller has been blogging anonymously about lesbian culture at West Point at velvetparkmedia.com as “Private Second Class Citizen.”
Knights Out is a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender alumni of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and their allies. Knights Out was formed by a group of gay and lesbian West Pointers in March, 2010. Founding Board member Lieutenant Dan Choi – an active duty Infantry officer, Iraq vet, and Arabic speaker – was recently discharged for coming out as gay.
Tags: DADT, Knights Out, West Point
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Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
August 10, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ: Voters who have registered as an independent need to notify the Elections Department their ballot preference for the 2010 Primary Election. This can be done by calling 602/506-1511 or by visiting the Recorder’s website at www.recorder.mariocpa.gov. “We cannot send an early ballot to the voters who have registered as an independent unless they indicate their ballot choice,” said County Recorder Helen Purcell. Requests for an early ballot for the August 24th Primary Election closes at 5:00pm this Friday, August 13, 2010. Voters may still vote early in person the last week before the election at any of the three offices of the Maricopa County Recorder, 111 South 3rd Avenue, Phoenix; 510 South Third Avenue, Phoenix; and 222 East Javelina, Mesa. Other early voting locations are Mesa City Clerk’s Office, 20 East Main Street, Mesa; South Mountain Community Center, 212 East Alta Vista Road, Phoenix; ASU (Safety Escort Office, Palo Verde West Building, 330 East University Dr, Tempe; or Wickenburg Town Clerk’s Office, 155 North Tegner Street, Wickenburg. Wickenburg’s offices are closed on Fridays. Early voting locations at South Mountain Community Center and two of the Recorder’s offices will be open on Saturday, August 14. Please visit the Recorder’s website, www.recorder.maricopa.gov, for additional information or call 602/506-1511. Friday, August 20 at 5:00pm is the last day to vote early in person for the Primary. As of August 10, 145,756 early ballots have been returned of 589,907 ballots mailed, requested or voted in person.
LOS INDEPENDIENTES NECESITAN NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA DE ELECCIONES SU PREFERENCIA DE BOLETA 10 de Agosto, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ: Los votantes que se han registrado como independientes necesitan notificar al Departamento de Elecciones su preferencia de boleta para la Elección Primaria 2010. Ésto se puede hacer llamando al 602/506-1511 o visitando el sitio web del Registrador al www.recorder.mariocpa.gov. “No podemos enviar una boleta temprana a los votantes que se han registrado como independientes al menos que indiquen su selección de boleta,” dijo la Registradora del Condado Helen Purcell. Las solicitudes para una boleta temprana para la Elección Primaria del 24 de Agosto cierran a las 5:00pm éste Viernes, 13 de Agosto, 2010. Los votantes aún pueden votar temprano en persona la última semana antes de la elección en cualquiera de las tres oficinas del Registrador del Condado Maricopa, 111 South 3rd Avenue, Phoenix; 510 South Third Avenue, Phoenix; and 222 East Javelina, Mesa. Otros lugares de votación temprana son Mesa City Clerk’s Office, 20 East Main Street, Mesa; South Mountain Community Center, 212 East Alta Vista Road, Phoenix; ASU (Safety Escort Office, Palo Verde West Building, 330 East University Dr, Tempe; or Wickenburg Town Clerk’s Office, 155 North Tegner Street, Wickenburg. Las oficinas de Wickenburg están cerradas los Viernes. Los lugares de votación temprana en South Mountain Community Center y dos de las oficinas del Registrador estarán abiertas el Sábado 14 de Agosto. Por favor visite el sitio web del Registrador, www.recorder.maricopa.gov, para información adicional o llame al 602/506-1511. El Viernes, 20 de Agosto a las 5:00pm es el último día para votar en persona para la Primaria. Hasta el 10 de Agosto, 145,756 boletas tempranas han sido devueltas de 589,907 boletas enviadas por correo, solicitadas o votadas en persona.
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Monday, August 9th, 2010
DISCHARGE OF GAY OFFICER WOULD VIOLATE FEDERAL LAW, REPORT SAYS
Pentagon Appears Poised to Ignore Federal Court
SANTA BARBARA, CA – August 9, 2010 – If the Pentagon discharges Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach without showing that he undermined his unit’s readiness, this would violate the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals 2008 decision in Witt v. Department of the Air Force, according to a new report. The Witt decision holds that gay and lesbian service members cannot be discharged on the basis of the claim that homosexuality generally is detrimental to unit effectiveness. Rather, the Pentagon must show that a service member undermined his or her unit if that individual is to be discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
The Witt decision applies only to service members based in the 9th Circuit, which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. At the time that he was reported for being gay, Lt. Col. Fehrenbach was stationed in Idaho. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on February 2, 2010 that the Pentagon would “devise new rules and procedures in light of the appeals court decision in Witt versus the Department of the Air Force for the areas of the country covered by the appellate court.” Such regulatory revisions, however, have not been forthcoming.
The new report, which was written by Professor Diane H. Mazur, was prompted by the Pentagon’s anticipated discharge of Lt. Col. Fehrenbach. Mazur is Professor of Law at the University of Florida College of Law, and Legal Co-Director at the Palm Center, a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Said Mazur: “Compliance with a federal court’s ruling is not merely a technicality for the military. It is an obligation of constitutional dimension demanded in a system of civilian control of the military.”
J.D. Smith, Co-Director of OutServe, the first-ever organization of actively serving gay and lesbian troops, adds that, “Lt. Col. Fehrenbach’s discharge would show, yet again, that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is harming the military, and that gay troops must demand equal treatment.”
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