The repeal of DADT passed. The Dream Act did not pass. DADT doesn’t take effect immediately.
According to the Washington Post:
“This is the defining civil rights initiative of this decade,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “Congress has taken an extraordinary step on behalf of men and women who’ve been denied their rightful integrity for too long.”
Being gay has for decades been grounds for discharge, and tens of thousands of service members have been expelled after their sexual identities were exposed – sometimes under questioning. An estimated 13,000 troops have been discharged under the “don’t ask” policy that President Bill Clinton, after failing to reverse the policy, authorized as a compromise in 1993.
What people don’t remember is that Clinton put in DADT as a last resort. He would have preferred to make being gay a non-issue. however, Congress had threatened to make the rules stricter if Clinton issued an executive order. Much has changed in 15 years.
The years-long legislative debate over the policy came to an end Saturday as senators voted 65 to 31 to send the repeal legislation to President Obama, who campaigned on a pledge to eliminate the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly. Eight Republicans joined 57 members of the Democratic caucus in the vote; four senators did not vote.
Good for those 8 Republicans and shame on those who voted no.
As for the Dream Act, to me, it is a waste of human resource. A country that continually complains about social security not being sustained should try to get all the high paid workers it can. If students work hard, keep out of trouble and have superior grades, they should be entitled to complete for college, regardless of the status of their parents. I am tired of this sins of the father business when dealing with children.
From the Washington Post:
On Saturday, that strategy was in ruins after Senate Democrats could muster only 55 votes in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a measure that would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Under Senate rules, Democrats needed 60 votes to overcome Republican opposition to the bill. The House of Representatives had passed the measure this month, 216 to 198.
The irony of the DREAM Act’s failure is that it had strong bipartisan support at the start of the administration, and advocates thought it could generate momentum for more policy changes.
But as the country’s mood shifted on illegal immigration, support among Republicans and some Democratic senators evaporated, with many decrying it as backdoor amnesty for lawbreakers. Even a former co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), voted against it.
I wonder how McCain ended up voting? Shame on those senators who voted nay. Kids are once again victims. Its a sad day when we crap on kids who have grown up American because of their parents. No one is asking anyone else to pay the bill. Just let the kids into college.
