DADT repeal ... still possible
 

Still possible the Wizard of Oz will give some of our Senators both a brain, and defense assurance against the magic gay cooties they so obviously fear:

Be sure you read the last paragraph:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_797426.html

START with the Navy for a year and let's see how it works.........

that's a silly idea, dell. hard to believe that in the 21st century, this country is still discriminating against folks. i know that 25 years ago when i was in the navy, there were homosexuals in the service. no doubt there are now as well. the only difference is that people who shouldn't have to worry about their sexuality won't have to worry about it. most in the service recognize that one, there are already folks in the military that are lying to be there, and two, no one should have to lie to join the military. kind of puts our military in a bit of a bad light, asking some of our best and brightest to be dishonest when entering an honorable career.
repeal this bs law-NOW. it's archaic and has no place in the land of the free.

really? Its ridiculous that this rule is in place for any branch of the military.

OK maybe the tank does look better in pink.

voting today in the senate. not over yet. here's hoping that the u.s. ends this black eye.

Black eye should - hopefully - be GONE
 

I'll bet the real, final vote is much higher. All those GOP Senators now "getting on the right side of history" <vbg>

Flip side: The Senate still is blocking the DREAM act. That's done. Sorry, American born children who were unfortunate enough to be the children of illegals. No Harvard for you any more! And a couple of the more homophobic GOP have threatened that if DADT passes, they will block START (but that may just be silly threat). Because nuclear arms containment treaties with Russia are equivalent to some male in the military in Afghanistan being happy he gets a letter from his boyfriend at home, and not having to hide it.

UPDATE: Final vote on DADT in Senate 3pm today!

Nice to see the Senate having some sense in blocking the Dream Act.

Because you can't kick people who were born here, who grew up here, who went to school here, and who contribute to our society enough when they are brown, right?

The Senate just voted 65 to 31 to repeal DADT. At last most of America restarts to move out of the ignorant prejudices of our past, and the shameful way we've treated members of our military. Dinosaurs remain, but hopefully they will simply continue towards extinction. Where their ideas belong.

When I was in the military I had no problems serving with people who where gay. They were great people to work with and to talk with. It is a shame how they get treated. As long as it doesn't interfere with work who cares.

It has nothing to do with AMERICAN BORN children Riot. Get a grip. It has nothing to do with racism either. People in this country LEGALLY should not be put at the back of the line. "Children" up to age 35 receiving amnesty(see S. 729 Section 4(a)(1)(F)? Have you read any of this Bill? How are they going to prove they have been here? I see massive fraud on the horizon. Let's secure the border first.

Glad they did away with DADT. Finally

Dumba$$ if they were born here they are U.S. citizens and welcome to apply to Harvard like anyone else. Kind of like the President did. Though he may be a darker brown than what you're describing:zz::zz:

But go ahead and play the race card even if it has no significance other than in your head?

And what about those that are here as gang-bangin, drug-dealing parasites, like half the jail population at Lake County IL (far from any border). Should we put them at Harvard, jail them, deport them? And if we do deport should we be on guard for their possible return?

that's correct. this act is for illegal aliens brough here as minors.

immigration needs to be addressed in full. rather than introducing different acts covering a portion of the whole issue isn't the way to go imo. real reform is needed.

as a sidenote....did anyone realize that amendment 20 to the constitution was supposed to end lame-duck sessions? the amendment was introduced and ratified after the majority, but soon to be minority party pushed thru a bunch of judgeships before departing for good.

Baby...shut up.

"I'm not racist! Some of my best friends are black."

Baby...shut up.

I'm not racist!!!


Look at me! I'm a cultured white fella!







Oopsie! That was a pic of my friend who I talked out of being in the KKK...












































There's me. Racists don't wear adidas track suits! Come on, man!

The thing that I find the most amusing about you is that you post this nonsense actually thinking it is helping your cause.. If you don't get what I am talking about Coach clearly layed it out for you above.

[quote]Yes, I know that, I misspoke that. We all know DREAM is about children of aliens.

Geesh, you hate illegals. I can't think of anyone that wants immigrants to arrive here illegally (I certainly don't, I want them deported) but you have a hate, and it's always about Mexicans - not Canadians, not Cubans, not Haitians.

Yeah, I have read the bill, and what do you have against it, because what you fear about being "put at the back of the line" is complete crap and there's nothing in there that remotely does that? One can easily "prove you're here" for a child via school records, doctor records, etc.

This is for children, who are brought here by illegal parents, and live here, grow up here, go to school here, become part of the community here, speak English - it's a path to citizenship - not a giveaway - and when they reach adulthood, they deserve to work through that if they want to renounce their other citizenship and become Americans, as this is their "homeland". And yes, their illegal parents should be deported.

Face it, whites are going to be the minority in the United States rather quickly, and deporting every non-white you see isn't going to change that.

So if it's not about race for you, what's it about for you? Stealing American jobs? That's been proven embarassingly false this past year with the "Take Our Job" program. You just don't like immigrants? Which types? Irish? German? Australian? Mexican? Haitian? What is the terrible danger you see here, about the children of illegals working towards citizenship and choosing - wanting - to be citizens of this country?

Secure the border? Why? Don't you pay attention to this immigrant issue that worries you so much? ICE has deported 40,000 people in the past couple years - ICE is under attack for doing TOO MUCH getting rid of illegals.

Whatever Chief Like I said I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT ANYONE THINKS ABOUT ME HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and to prove it i'll respond to every single post anyone makes about me. sometimes in caps just to make sure everyone knows how much i don't care.

[quote=Riot;735132]i went back thru the posts in this thread regarding the dream act, and the only one to mention color and a specific nationality was you. i find that interesting. i think everyone here knows the problem with our southern border at present, the drug tunnels, etc. not many coming in on the coasts, the ocean being a pesky barrier to that. that leaves land routes north and south, right? there are several issues right now with immigration. i doubt any kind of amnesty type plan will be put thru right now, considering the amount of issues we're having to deal with. it's an important issue to tackle, but far from the most important right now.

[quote]I find it strange that the posts here (and in the past) are uniformly against Mexicans and refer only to the southern border. We are talking about children who didn't have a choice about being here. Nascar and Scuds have been asked to explain how, if it's not about race for them, in regards to these children, what's it about?

We certainly do have illegal immigrants from other countries, outstaying their VISA's, etc. That's not an insignificant problem. But it's not one anybody here has ever mentioned regarding their intense dislike of "illegals" being here.

The DREAM act (which is not an amnesty plan) was introduced by Republicans years and years ago. You said we need comprehensive immigration reform. Nobody would vote for a long, comprehensive bill. Start small, do it piecemeal. Pass some simple, clear, partial but helpful immigration reform for children that everyone on both sides of the aisles have supported for years. Like the DREAM act. The DREAM Act is no free pass. It takes work and time, and is a path, not an end, to citizenship. It doesn't even award citizenship - it awards conditional legal residency.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the DREAM Act) is a piece of proposed federal legislation in the United States that was first introduced in the United States Senate on August 1, 2001[1] and most recently re-introduced there and the United States House of Representatives on March 26, 2009.

his bill would provide certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously and illegally for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning.

The students would obtain temporary residency for a six year period. Within the six year period, a qualified student must have "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or [have] completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States," or have "served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, [have] received an honorable discharge."[2]

Military enlistment contracts require an eight year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years.[3][4] "Any alien whose permanent resident status is terminated [according to the terms of the Act] shall return to the immigration status the alien had immediately prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this Act." [5]

Under the 2009 version of the senate bill [13] DREAM Act beneficiaries must:

* Have proof of having arrived in the United States before age 16.[14]
* Have proof of residence in the United States for a least five consecutive years since their date of arrival, compliance with Selective Service.
* Be between the ages of 12 and 30 at the time of bill enactment.
* Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or have been admitted to an institution of higher education.
* Be of "good moral character"[15]

During the first six years, qualifying illegal immigrants would be granted "conditional" status and would be required to (a) graduate from a two-year community college or complete at least two years towards a 4-year degree or (b) serve two years in the U.S. military. After this six year period, those who meet at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for legal permanent resident status. During this six year conditional period, they would not be eligible for federal higher education grants such as Pell grants but they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.[16]

If the illegal immigrants did not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period, their temporary residency would be revoked and they could be deported. They also must not commit any crimes other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors, regardless of whether or not they have already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. Being convicted of a major crime or drug-related infraction would automatically remove the six year temporary residence status and they would be subject to deportation.[citation needed]

If they have met all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, they would be granted permanent residency, which would eventually allow them to become U.S. citizens.

An estimated 65,000 illegal immigrant students[17] graduate from high school each year.[18] However, it is not known how many of those were eligible go on to complete the further requirements. It is estimated that only 7,000–13,000 college students nationally can fulfill the further obligations.[19]

The bill also restores the option for states to determine residency for purposes of higher education benefits by repealing Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1623).[13] The majority of states interpret this provision as disqualifying illegal immigrants students from certain higher education benefits such as in-state tuition rates.[20] Some states have enacted laws aimed at making unauthorized state residents eligible for in-state tuition rates without violating this IIRIRA provision.[21] However, some students paying out-of-state tuition have filed lawsuits in these states, claiming state education officials violated this federal law.[22] Repealing this provision would provide states the ability to choose their own residency requirements for higher education benefits.

[quote=Riot;735203]
i'd imagine the southern border gets the most attention since that's the predominant problem. it's not a matter of racism, it's a matter of geography. and yes, dream is very much an amnesty plan, as it grants a faster path to citizenship for those here illegally, when there are proper channels already in place for those brought here by their parents or other family members. the issue isn't how they got here so much as it being an issue of what to do now. why aren't they doing what others did in the past? why are those channels suddenly not feasible?

Disliking illegals is a matter of geography? How so?

:zz: Amnesty is forgiveness. This doesn't forgive anything. Amnesty would be, "Oh, you're a kid, here illegally, okay, now that you're 18, we'll pretend that didn't happen, you can stay". This doesn't do that. It grants a long and hard path to legal conditional residency (not citizenship) Method One: Leave the country, get a VISA, come back. Method Two: DREAM Act.

Why not kick all these children out of the country? Why should they be, when they've already been here, part of our culture, functioning as citizens, for years? They didn't come here illegally by choice.

sweet jesus.

the matter of geography is the southern border. the one that many illegals cross over. there's no doubt that the predominance of illegal immigrants being of mexican descent has quite a bit to do with the fact that they have a far easier time of crossing the border than someone who doesn't share an incredibly long, hard to defend bit of geographical fact. since only two countries butt up to us, you'd have to think that our predominant issue with someone arriving and staying illegally has something to do with how they get here,and whether their arrival is via mexico or canada. i don't recall reading about a boatload of immigrants sailing into san francisco, or new york much these days, do you? and yes, people overstay their visa after flying in. no joke.
you want to say it's racism, i'd say it's vicinity. as an aside, i think the race card is played far, far too often. are some here racist? no doubt. is every instance of disagreement a race-based one? of course not.

That is a very good!!





But boy !! ..if you only really knew.

[quote=Riot;735132]Finally something you said is right. A government agency accused of doing their job. God help us and the U.S. And thank the lord most Fed agencies are safe, starting with the USPO.

Please don't let this bleed into our military.

i just would like to know why, given all the immigration issues, that dream was the only idea that's been pushed lately. what's up with the current way of handling illegal children of illegal aliens? is there something already in place? if so, what's wrong with it? what was dream intended to do differently than the current plan? is citizenship of illegal children the most important part of immigration that needs to be dealt with right now?

or, we could all just keep calling each other racists, rather than talking about the actual subject.

sweet jesus indeed. You misunderstood. I'm not talking about illegal immigrant access. I'm talking about the origin of anti-immigrant dislike. Which, to be fair, has been here since the pilgrims landed.

And in the case of the pilgrims it was justified. ;)

I don't know and I really could care less.

Looking for some opinion on this statement:

Why should the child born in the United States to a person who is illegally in the United States be classified as a United States citizen? The next thing you know that will more than likely happen is that the parents of that child will ask to be a United States citizen because that child was born in the United States. Wouldn't that be rewarding the child when the parents of that child broke the law? Im sure the parents of the child will be collecting the free handouts that they can get thier undeserving hands on. Mean while we have US citizens living on the streets and starving.

That cartoon sums it up pretty good.

Absolutely :tro: Here, have some smallpox and die.

Because our Constitution says so.

Just sayin'.

[quote=Riot;735203]

Isn't the majority of the illegals here Mexicans? What would you want to tell the border agent's family that was shot by a Mexican? Napolitano making a visit to spread her BULLSHIT lies that our borders are safe? Go back to fantasy island Napolitano. Want a plan for immigration? Keep the all the illegals the F out of this country. The Dream Act is a slap on the immigrants who are trying to do it the right way. There are immigrants who have been waiting for years to become an American citizen. Doesn't this Dream Act give immigrants amnesty? This act is almost as bad as Obamacare. It isnt race, its doing the right thing like it should of been done years ago. I guess you dont want it done the right way. You want this country to open the doors for everyone to come here. Lets get this country's national debt even higher. Typical Democrats, lets spend more money that we dont have. Hope the Dream Act isnt passed in the last fews days this year.