Floor Statements
Floor Statement on the En Bloc Amendment to H.R. 1815, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006
Washington, DC,
April 29, 2008
It is no coincidence that this bill would create 50 spots for Iraqi and Afghani nationals, almost the exact number of translators who have been discharged under the military's ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' law in effect since 1994. Fifty-four Arabic and nine Persian/Iranian, including Farsi, translators have been discharged under this policy. Because of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'' the military continues to devote its resources to rooting out patriotic gay Americans whose service is central to the war on terrorism. This is another example of how ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' is not in the best interest of our national security. Mr. Chairman, this Congress says, ``Don't ask, Don't tell, Don't translate.'' I urge my colleagues to recognize the fundamental rights of American citizens and the fundamental absurdity of denying the right to serve to citizens who have vitally needed skills that we all know we need. I urge this Congress to repeal the obnoxious and incredibly self-defeating policy of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'' |