Meehan Tries to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
MEEHAN
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Danny Lauridsen
Boston University Washington News Service
2-28-07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 – U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell) re-introduced legislation Wednesday that would repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and allow persons dishonorably discharged due to sexual orientation to reapply for service.
U.S. Rep. Chris R. Shays (R-Conn.) joined Mr. Meehan in introducing the bill, which is supported by 109 co-sponsors, including two other Republicans.
Mr. Meehan, chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, first introduced the bill last year, but it died in committee. But with Democrats now controlling Congress, Mr. Meehan is confident the bill will get a hearing, which he said he hopes will result in resounding support by both parties.
“I believe strongly that having a hearing on this issue is absolutely critical,” Mr. Meehan said, adding that once the debate starts, he thinks the overwhelming majority will vote in favor of passing the bill.
Mr. Meehan said the policy is not only discriminatory, but that it also costs the military large amounts of money in discharging otherwise capable recruits. He pointed to a 2006 University of California study that found that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ cost taxpayers $363.8 million between1994 and 2003.
Mr. Meehan called the study more accurate than a 2005 Government Accountability Organization report that said the cost over the same period of time was about $190.5 million.
“The more people learn about how bad this ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is, the more they learn about how negatively it impacts our national security and our ability to do our jobs, then the more members of Congress who perhaps initially were against lifting this ban or for this policy will change their minds, just like generals and military officials and the American public have,” he said.
“Americans are very fair-minded,” Mr. Shays added. “I think [Congress] will begin to be pressured by the American people to just get it done.”
Retired Sgt. Eric Alva, a Marine Corps veteran, Purple Heart recipient and the first service member injured in the current war in Iraq, came out publicly as a gay man shortly before the press conference. The Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for homosexuals, announced that Mr. Alva will serve as a national spokesperson in the effort to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’
“A person in this country is usually judged by the way they do a job,” Mr. Alva said, adding that the military’s policy is the exception. He said he sought an end to “the hatred that still exists amongst ourselves, even in within the ranks of the military.”
Mr. Meehan said that the current policy has led the military to lower recruiting standards, offering waivers to recruits without high school diplomas and with criminal records.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Pat Foote, who served for 30 years, called the policy “reprehensible and outrageous,” adding that “Army gay and lesbian personnel must perform their duties with loyalty, selfless service and personal courage, but the institution itself does not treat them with respect or honor.”
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network spokesperson C. Dixon Osburn said, “There is no excuse for sacrificing security in the name of discrimination.”
According to data released Wednesday by the network, the armed forces fire an average of two to three service members daily under the policy.
“The facts in this case are overwhelming,” Mr. Meehan said. “Beyond a reasonable doubt, this policy has failed.”
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