Study Concludes Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Had No Impact On Military Readiness

ROTC DADT - photo by Matt RadickNearing the one-year anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), a new study titled (“One Year Out: An Assessment of DADT Repeal’s Impact on Military Readiness” – PDF) by Palm Center shows that the repeal has had “no overall negative impact on military readiness.” DADT banned gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The congressional bill to repeal DADT passed in December 2010 and went into full effect on September 20, 2011. Here are some of the findings from the study:

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Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos pledges $2.5 million in support of same-sex marriage in Washington

Well this makes me feel good about the years of patronage I’ve given to Amazon. Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, has pledged $2.5 million in an effort to keep same-sex marriage legal in the state of Washington. Earlier this year Washington passed a law that legalized same-sex marriage but the law is being challenged and will be put on the ballot in November. This means the rights of a minority group will be put to a popular vote. It should be noted that same-sex marriage has failed every time it has been put to a popular vote in other states. This is why we should never put rights to a vote. Rights are not something that we decide. That’s why they are rights. Hmm, I hear Rachel Maddow’s voice in my head right now. Anyway, the $2.5 million pledge from Bezos doubles the amount of money that proponents of same-sex marriage have available to protect the rights of same-sex couples in Washington state. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s coming from a high-profile business owner.

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