Your perception of time is skewed. Funeral services were held a couple of years ago:
Posted on 12/15/2010 5:41:23 PM PST by tom h
They already passed an amendment to repeal DADT back in May, but that was part of a broader defense bill. Today’s vote was on the standalone DADT bill that Lieberman and Collins are hoping to put in front of the Senate next week. The vote in May: 234-194, with just five Republicans voting yes. The vote today: 250-175, with 15 Republicans in the majority. (Among the 10 who flipped to yes this time: Jeff Flake.) It was smart of Pelosi to force a vote in the House, just as it was smart of Reid to table the vote on the DREAM Act so that the House could go first. In each case, the fact that the lower chamber’s already passed a corresponding bill ratchets up the pressure on Senate fencesitters.
In fact, it’s already paying dividends. Olympia Snowe was one of the 40 no votes last week on the defense bill that had a DADT repeal provision in it, but suddenly on the standalone bill she’s had a change of heart:
“After careful analysis of the comprehensive report compiled by the Department of Defense and thorough consideration of the testimony provided by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the service chiefs, I support repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ law,” Snowe said in a statement.
Remember, the sticking point for Scott Brown and Murkowski (but not Collins!) has been the procedural posture of the DADT vote, not the substance. They claim they’re in favor of repeal, but they want the tax deal finalized — which could happen tomorrow — and they wanted more time for debate on the broader defense bill. I’m not sure how those procedural objections will translate to the new standalone DADT bill. It could be that Brown, Murkowski, and Snowe all vote yes, which would actually put Reid at 61 votes for cloture, or they could all vote no for whatever procedural reason, leaving Reid stuck at 58. Or maybe Snowe alone will join Collins in voting yes, putting Reid one thin vote away from the magic number. If that happens, the pressure on Manchin to switch from no to yes will be overwhelming, especially since one of his aides said after last week’s vote that he probably would have voted differently if he had been the 60th vote. Long story short, anything can happen, but they’re tantalizingly close to finally getting this done. Exit question: After threatening to hold the lame duck session over until January 4th if need be to deal with the START treaty and other business, Reid basically has to bring this bill to the floor now, right? Gay activists aren’t going to accept “we ran out of time” as an excuse.
I don't think career politicians think in those terms.
The RINO's perception is that this is a small price to pay for our tax cut extension.
This was a deal cut behind closed doors!
Knock a couple of zeros off of your projection and I am in agreement...
“Bread and circuses”, that’s exactly what we have the modern version of. We know what that has usually meant in a society.
well said...
Of course they realize it. It's been a desired result for decades for the Left.
The USA in which I grew up is no more.
“... and rebellion and secession will eventually come to fruition. I predict within 50 to 100 years....”
By then it will be too late.
When we are attacked, use the leftist scum as breastworks.
Living up to his name.
That is just what they want a less than honorably military because they will follow orders no matter who give them or if they are legitimate orders.
I did not fear my military a year ago or even now, but in 4 years or 10 years from now I will I believe.
“The USA in which I grew up is no more.”
Unfortunately, you are right. I’ll be 60 on my next birthday, and the America I knew and loved is a thing of the past. But I swear I will do everything in my power to get her back!
A big part of every government department's budget is salaries. Fewer service people in arms means lower salary costs, lower retirement and benefits costs.
Besides, if over time the only people that join the military are the gays, they'll look so fabulous in their new powder blue uniforms when the UN is given authority.
Fifty to a hundred years? No sir. That was fifty or a hundred years ago. We are about to get into the ‘do your business or get off the pot’ territory. The last election may have been the last yelp of the populace voting and mattering in the slightest. What has been coming, and what seems to be now here, is the rule of bureaucratic fiat. We will be regulated into submission. And if we try to fight it, we will end up jobless, homeless, and forbidden from participating in today's ‘modern’ society.
Now, are you ready to fight, or are you willing to go into that dark night with nary a whimper. It is time to chose. Chose wisely.
Mr. niteowl77
Your perception of time is skewed. Funeral services were held a couple of years ago:
Why is a combat-equipped Marine platoon not marching up 14th Avenue right now? This is more important than any other battle they’ve ever been charged with.
I am, and I have an idea how to do it.
I work until midnight Friday, and then don’t need to be back until about noon Monday (though I might call in for Monday if we do this).
I’m willing to drive my minivan from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Washington DC and back, starting from an agreed rally point at 12:30 AM Saturday, with at least three but no more than five GR FReepers (the van will hold seven, but six will be more comfy). Each person should have cash for gas and tolls for the group, and meals for themselves. There would be a fifteen to thirty minute break every three to four hours (that is, at the three hour mark the driver would start looking for a roadside stop with fuel and amenities). Driver relief would be voluntary, but expected.
On arrival, the van would make one complete circuit of the Beltway, and then proceed into the city across the Arlington Memorial Bridge, east along Independence Ave., past the Capitol to First St., north to Constitution Ave, west across the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, back onto the Beltway.
But wait, there’s more.
We would proceed along the Beltway to the River Road Exit, take River Road until it crosses Nebraska Ave NW and becomes Wisconsin Ave NW, follow Wisconsin to Massachusetts Ave NW, left on Massachusetts, past the Observatory, around DuPont Circle to Connecticut Ave NW, south on 17th St past the White House, to Constitution Ave, left (east) on Constitution to 14th St, left (north) on 14th to Massachusetts, to Wisconsin, to River Road, and out of the city.
And then home.
No marches, no speakers, no bands, few if any signs. No parking. No porta-potties. Just a quick driving tour of the city.
“So what?”
So this. How many others in the Grand Rapids area have cars and can get away from early Saturday morning until sometime Sunday?
How many in Kalamazoo?
How many in Battle Creek? Lansing? Ann Arbor? The Detroit burbs?
How many in Cadillac, Kalkaska, Traverse City?
How many in St Ignace, Sault Ste Marie, even Marquette?
And this. How many in Illinois could do it? Indiana? Ohio? Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia? How about it, Tennessee? Georgia?
Could we get a thousand FReepmobiles to show up in Washington, on the same day, driving the same predetermined route? Imagine the sight, on that part of Constitution Ave between the Washington Monument and the Ellipse, with a line of Freepers completing the first circuit going west, and another line of them halfway through the second going east? And what if they had their horns a-blowing?
Could we get 10,000 cars? A quarter million? Can you imagine a caravan that long, horns blowing, not stopping (except for traffic signals), just looping around the Seat of Government? Just a few minutes per vehicle, but hours on the ground.
No muss, no fuss, and we all go home. Some of us even make it to church next morning.
No schedules, apart from meeting people with whom you would be riding. We don’t want to arrive all at once; just a steady stream throughout the day. I would expect that if my group could leave by 12:30 AM, we’d arrive around 2:00 or 3:00 PM and be back home by 6:00 or 7:00 Sunday morning (that’s a mental SWAG, and I could be way off).
Well, it seems like a good idea to me, and I’m willing to do it.
Not alone.
I’m going to do something I haven’t done on purpose before; I’m going to post this in three or four promising threads, and then I’m going to close my browser, and go do other things, and leave FR alone for 36 hours. When I come back Friday morning, I’ll be looking to see if this idea has taken root and flourished. I’ll be looking for FReepmails from GR FReepers wanting to ride along with me; from other FReepers who will bring their own cars and carloads; a couple thousand posts from several states, each indicating a desire to participate.
See ya!
“the military is going to struggle to recruit and retain people?”
From what I see, the younger generation (under 30) simply do not care about homosexuality. We can lament this fact, but these are the kids we raised.
Call your Republican Senators and demand that they end the lame-duck IN TOTO.
Filibsuter the whole she-bang.
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