Thursday, July 9, 2009

DONT HIDE!

Hey Guys. .boyz n girls. . . ALL

I want to post this mail re: US Military "Don't Ask,Don't Tell" and what it does to other gays. . . just for more awarenss and suportive karma. . .metta....

To:
jstn_oshea@yahoo.com


On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Lt. Dan Choi, for Courage Campaign <info@couragecampaign.org> wrote:
Courage Campaign
Dear Justin --

At West Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday.

It taught me to "choose the harder right over the easier wrong" and to "never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won."

The Cadet Honor Code demanded truthfulness and honesty. That's why I said three words -- "I am gay" -- that the Army is now using as grounds to fire me under the military's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.


The Cadet Honor Code also imposed a zero-tolerance policy against deception -- or hiding behind comfort. That's why I now often wear a T-shirt at public events that my sister made for me. It says, quite simply:

"DON'T HIDE"

Don't hide who you are. Don't hide who you love.


That's what the Courage Campaign is all about -- empowering people like me and so many others to proudly stand up and come out for equality in their communities, from "red county" regions like Fresno to institutions like the Army. It's also what Knights Out -- the organization of 70 West Point graduates that I co-founded to fight "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- is about.

I will not stop fighting. And the Courage Campaign and Knights Out will not stop fighting either. But -- to help these organizations continue their work to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- we need your financial support. Will you help us now?

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontHide


I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the 424,343 signatures of support that Courage Campaign members have collected on my behalf, calling on President Barack Obama, the Army and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to put an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

When I presented your signatures as "Exhibit E: Courage Campaign" to the four members of the Army's Federal Recognition Board, they were shocked. To the best of my knowledge, no one had ever submitted that many signatures in support of a service member before.

Now, I am planning to personally deliver your signatures of support to Speaker Pelosi, asking her to take leadership on DADT. With Rep. Patrick Murphy -- a fellow Iraq veteran -- reintroducing the "Military Readiness Enhancement Act" in Congress yesterday, I think your signatures will now have an even bigger impact on Speaker Pelosi.

This would not have been possible without the Courage Campaign community. Or my friends and fellow service members at Knights Out. To continue to push for an end to DADT, these organizations need your help. Can you make a contribution to support us?

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontHide


I've said it before and I'll say it again. National security means many things, but the thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. What makes me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love. And I'm not going to hide my love.

Love is worth it.

Thank you for your support.

Daniel W. Choi
1LT, IN
New York Army National Guard

P.S. My wonderful sister created the "DON'T HIDE" shirt that you can see in the picture above. I wear it everywhere I go as a statement against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If you donate $100 or more, we can send you your very own "DON'T HIDE" shirt. Just click here to make a contribution and send us your shirt size:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontHide



Courage Campaign Issues is part of the Courage Campaign's online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California.

To power our campaign to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" please chip in what you can today:

This email was sent to:
justin.oshea@gmail.com


2 comments:

Shannon Boh said...

It amazes me that all around the world some militaries and Governments are happy to send kids to die but not allow them to live as equals in the country they have sworn to defend.

These people are all heroes because they stand up for something greater than themselves. They sacrifice for a Culture that denies them, and they do it willingly.

This is what heroes do. Not for medals, not for accolades, not for banners and songs... but for each other and for their nation.

Theirs is a solemn pride that no government, or treacherous parasite that lives on the freedom they defend can ever take from them.

J said...

Whether or not the soldier can be open about his sexual preferences is entirely driven by cultural attitudes, and their impact on recruitment, discipline and cohesion in the ranks. Twenty years ago when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell (who knows something about invidious discrimination in life), was not in support of reform. Two weeks ago he said that we may have matured as a society sufficiently enough so that the don't ask don't tell policy can be revisited. That's a sign that it will. You should expect that within a very few years this policy will be replaced by one in which public display of sexual preferences of all sorts will be banned in the military setting. In other words, you can certainly ask and tell about your sexual preferences,and you can't be discriminated against because of them, but you can't flaunt those preferences.
I suppose the next test thereafter will be whether or not you can march in your uniform in a Pride parade when you're on active duty but not on station. That will probably depend on the level of dignity that is preserved in the presentation of the uniform.

J