A few weeks ago, dozens of Religious Right leaders signed on to a letter calling for any effort to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to be put off until next year (when Republican gains in Congress would allow them to kill any such effort).
The most recent effort to repeal DADT failed in the Senate failed, so now Congress is making one last push to overturn the policy, leading this same group of Religious Right leaders to re-issue the same letter:
Ninety-four organizations have joined together to sign a letter to members of the U.S. House and Senate opposing the repeal of the law that prohibits open homosexuality in the military … The ninety-four organizations represent more than 40 million people across the nation. The letter, which is being hand delivered to every member of the U.S. House and Senate, states that an attempt to repeal the law that prohibits open homosexuality in the military during the lame duck session is illegitimate and untimely. Three of the four top commanding officers testified before Congress that such a repeal should not be undertaken when the country is at war.
The letter states: “We are engaged in a war on many fronts. Our troops are in harm’s way in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. This is no time to experiment with social engineering of the military.” The letter goes on to state that “the consequences of repealing DADT will no doubt result in service members leaving the military or refusing to join. We cannot afford attrition or demoralization of our military in light of the wars we are facing in the Middle East, not to mention the looming threat of North Korea.”
Both times this letter has been organized by Liberty Counsel, which sent out its own separate email alert today asking activists to fax members of Congress and urge them to oppose the repeal effort:
I am incensed that these lame duck demagogues refuse to accept the fact that Americans do not want open homosexuality in our armed forces! We must not accept the overt politicization of this crucially important national defense issue … We MUST counter the Left’s last-gasp agenda until the moment they (finally!) get out of Washington! We simply cannot quit now and allow Harry Reid and his cronies a last-minute victory for pro-homosexual interests.
As it turns out, a newly released poll shows that it is Liberty Counsel that just cannot accept the fact Americans overwhelmingly support repealing DADT:
Nearly eight in 10 Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The results signal continued widespread public support for ending the military’s 17-year ban on gays in the military and come as Congress prepares to vote again on legislation ending the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.
Overall, 77 percent of Americans say gays and lesbians who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be able to serve in the military. That’s little changed from polls over the two years, but represents the highest level of support in a Post-ABC poll. The support also cuts across partisan and ideological lines, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans, independents, liberals, conservatives and white evangelical Protestants in favor of homosexuals’ serving openly.
In fact, the poll shows that more than 2/3rds of Liberty Counsel’s own demographic – Conservative Republicans and White Evangelicals – support allowing openly gay men and women to serve:
