17 Dec
Arts & Culture, Culture, Latest, Religion

People of the Book: Not Asking or Telling

  Times are hard for those who want to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.   "Major setback for 'don't ask' repeal," blared a headline last week on the front page of The Washington Post.  "The Senate Stands for Injustice," announced an editorial in The New York Times.  After a military policy bill stalled in the Senate last week, it seems the odds of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell before the year is over are slim.  The Senate is revisiting the issue this weekend in a vote that may decide, in one direction or another, the future of the 17-year-old policy. The core of Don't Ask, Don't Tell–the idea that there are pieces of ourselves we must hide, that a part of one's identity might be inherently threatening and problematic–is not limited to the military.   Andre Aciman's 2007...

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22 Nov
Culture, Latest

Jewish Senators Oppose "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

By Steven Philp Despite significant party shifts within the United States legislature, repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy may be addressed by the Senate as soon as mid-December. In a press conference held on Thursday, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) explained that repeal of the policy – included in the National Defense Authorization Act – is no longer contingent on gathering enough votes, but in finding time for full and open debate. According to The Advocate, Sen. Lieberman told reporters, “I am confident that we have more than 60 votes prepared to take up the defense authorization with the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ if only there will be a guarantee of a fair and open amendment process, in other words, whether we’ll take enough time to do it.” He was joined by...

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