WATCH IT: Elaine Donnelly’s Testimony on Gays in Military

A Message from Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness:

I have heard from many friends who missed the live CSPAN broadcast of the testimony I gave before the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee on July 23. Those who did see the program recognized that my opening statement, concentrating on the consequences of repealing the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military, confronted the committee members with serious issues that they did not want to hear. My fellow witness, retired Sgt. Maj. Brian Jones, also talked about concepts that he knows well as a former Army Ranger and Delta Force soldier. Those matters seemed beyond the understanding of liberal members who berated us with absurd questions and diversionary insinuations that were repeated in hostile news reports.

Here are our opening statements, which were strictly limited to 10 and 5 minutes, respectively.

• Video-Statement of Elaine Donnelly
• Video-Statement of Sgt. Maj. Brian Jones, US Army, (Ret.)
• World Net Daily provided more commentary on last week’s hearing.

I was prepared for and would have welcomed questions on the issue itself, but the unprofessional behavior of some members made serious discussion impossible.

All of this hostility actually proved the point I was trying to make: If Congress repeals the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are ineligible for military service, anyone who disagrees will face the presumption of “bigotry,” “homophobia,” or worse. Denied promotions will cause thousands of people to leave the volunteer force, or avoid it all together.

ACTION ITEMS

Some friends have asked me what can be done—the answer to that is simple.
— Please take a moment to support CMR with a generous tax-deductible contribution today. (Our secure donation page is easy to use, and also provides a printed form if you prefer to contribute via regular mail.)

— Since members of Congress are now in recess, you may want to call your own representative, particularly if he or she is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Tell them that you expect them to support the law regarding homosexuals in the military, which should not be confused with Bill Clinton’s administrative policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

I am very grateful for all the good wishes and prayers that I have received in the past week. Your support means a lot to me, and encourages me in this fight. I will be in touch again soon.

Elaine Donnelly
Center for Military Readiness
P.O. Box 51600 , Livonia, MI 48151

PS: Printed copies of our summary and opening statements (in PDF format), are available at http://cmrlink.org/problemgays.asp.