WASHINGTON — The debate over whether gays should serve openly in the military is heating up again, as a Bay Area congresswoman pushes a new plan to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy — a goal President Barack Obama promised to pursue during his campaign.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a Walnut Creek Democrat with close ties to the military, is introducing a bill this week to end the restriction on gays in the armed services. Under current policy, gays may serve only if they keep their sexual orientation private, and commanders and recruiters are barred from asking questions about their sexuality.
"This is an important civil rights issue. We also need the strongest military possible, and we need to recruit the best and brightest Americans. Some happen to be gay," Tauscher said Monday during a forum at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank.
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Tauscher acknowledged that she and others who want to end the ban need to work to build support in Congress, and that may include a commission to study the issue "headed by someone like Colin Powell."
"The military helped break down barriers through desegregation and expanding the role of women," Tauscher said. "We must tear down this final barrier."
In seeking cosponsors for the bill, Tauscher had this to say..
"With fifteen years of social progress and the recent sea of change we have witnessed in the national political landscape, I am further encouraged that now is definitely the time to act"
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http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_11821225There needs to be no commission to study this issue. Are they blind? It is plain as day what needs to be done. Repeal this discriminatory policy!