Dixon Osburn Quotations

There are many buses ahead of us yet. As we continue to confront inequality and segregation in our country, we still have the stellar example of Rosa Parks' gracious activism to guide and inspire us.

More and more lawmakers of both parties are increasingly disillusioned by the military's policy of exclusion and discrimination.

Lawmakers should be clear that the United States remains committed to ensuring lesbian and gay Americans are treated just like their heterosexual counterparts in the security clearance process. Our national security is too important to be undermined by prejudice and discrimination.

The American people could not be clearer about their opposition to the continued exclusion of lesbian and gay Americans from our armed forces. Support for repealing the military's ban has grown by fifteen percent in the South, eight percent among moderate Republicans and nine percent among Catholics. In virtually every community, constituents are sending a clear message to their elected leaders that the time has come to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Our nation supports treating everyone who sacrifices for our national defense, whether gay or straight, with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Today's Pew poll shows that Congressional legislation to repeal the military's ban enjoys unparalleled support. Congressional leaders should heed their constituents and lift the ban.

We are disappointed in the court's decision, and are reviewing all possible responses. We continue to believe the military's ban is un-American and unconstitutional.

There is no reason lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans should be prohibited from serving our country. The men and women in this lawsuit represent the best of our armed forces. They are patriotic, dedicated veterans. America should welcome their contributions and honor their commitment to our country.

To suggest that a gay kiss-in is a 'credible threat' is absurd, homophobic and irrational. The Pentagon is supposed to defend the Constitution, not turn it upside down.

It was doomed to fail from the very beginning because it's a double standard, because it provides exactly the wrong incentives. It provides incentives for snoops and snitches under this policy.

It provides incentives to anyone who wants to hurt someone by accusing them of being gay in order to get rid of them.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell' places an unnecessary burden on American taxpayers by asking them to fund a discriminatory law that hurts military readiness. The choice is clear: spend $364 million on firing patriotic Americans or spend the same amount on three dozen Blackhawk helicopters, 4,000 sidewinder missiles, or enough body armor vests to outfit the entire American fighting force in Iraq. Our priority should always be defense and national security. Congress should repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' immediately and fund real priorities in the war on terror.

The Blue Ribbon Commission of experts has given us the most accurate estimate of the law's price tag to date. In addition to the $364 million spent to implement a counter-productive law, however, since 1993, our nation has lost the talents and expertise of 10,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patriots who want to serve our nation. When we fire Arabic translators, helicopter pilots, combat engineers and troops on the ground simply because they are gay, every American pays the price.

The federal government has attempted to stonewall the public's right to know, and SLDN is aggressively challenging its decisions. The Bush administration consistently tells the public that surveillance is conducted only on terrorists and Americans communicating with terrorists; yet information obtained by credible media sources indicates that it is also spying on groups that support civil rights, animal rights and the environment. To suggest those groups are terrorists is an act of modern day McCarthyism.