The US Military has been in the news quite a bit lately and, surprisingly, it hasn't been about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, the battle ground featured in two of the bigger stories I've heard recently has been the impotent halls of congress and the bullets have been flying over two very different points: Don't Ask Don't Tell and The DREAM Act.

Don't Ask Don't Tell, in case you've been living under a rock, is the Military's current policy on gays serving in the military. It basically means it is OK for homosexuals to serve but they aren't allowed to be open about their sexuality (i.e. they can't have a romantic relationship) and likewise they can't be asked if they are gay and nor can they be removed from the military for being gay without evidence. Overall it's a pretty weak policy and every year it seems like quite a few people get chaptered out of the military, ending otherwise fine and honorable careers, simply because they were gay.

President Obama and some of the democrats want to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) and to allow gay soldiers to serve in the military openly. Survey's have been done and studies have been performed that show that the majority of soldiers are OK with repealing DADT. Likewise some of the military's key leaders support the repeal. Yet, there are still some, such as Sen Jon McCain who oppose the repeal. I'm not going to jump on the Bash McCain bandwagon - there are plenty of folks doing that already. Instead I'm going to draw my attention to a rookie Senator, Joe Manchin, from West Virginia. He was cited on WV Public Radio yesterday morning as saying he was concerned about repealing DADT because he worried about the chaplains who have religious views that condemn homosexuality.

It's hard for me to put into words my disappointment in Mr. Manchin. I don't understand how he can seriously use that as justification for continuing to legally discriminate against people who are willing to die for our country. It isn't as if these gay soliders aren't serving honorably and doing just as good of a job as their straight counterparts. They do it all the while they sacrifice their own personal happiness to be with the people they love. Yet, somehow Manchin thinks it is OK to keep gay soldiers in a state of dispair because some chaplains might be uncomfortable. Give me a break.

Another reason Manchin sites is because the head of the Marines thinks we should wait until we aren't at war in Afghanistan anymore. Why? Supposedly to maintain troop morale. Of course that ignores the fact that all the gay soldiers morale is probably about as low as it can be considering their status in the military. The thing is the war in Afghanistan is just a red herring; it has nothing to do with the Marine commander's objections. The Marine and many others just don't want to accept gay people; but, instead of being honest about it they hide behind various excuses such as the ongoing war or "chaplains feelings". The same types of excuses were used to keep Black people out of the military in the past and, just like then, the bigots will eventually have to be steamrolled over to bright about a satisfactory end to the ridiculous policy of exclusion.

The other hot topic around the military right now is the DREAM Act. Much like DADT the uproar is rooted in bigotry but in this case it focuses on nationalities rather than sexual preferences. Honestly, the DREAM Act is the first piece of legislation I have seen that tries to take a sensible approach to our current immigration problems. We have millions of illegal immigrants living in our country and nobody will deny that something has to be done about it. However, in general, it seems nobody is willing to put forth a reasonable solution. The DREAM Act is targeted at illegal aliens who came here as children; on their parents accord, and tries to offer them a legal path to citizenship. It isn't, as some opponents call it, amnesty but rather a seemingly fair approach to allowing these kids a chance to earn their citizenship.

The act offers a chance at citizenship to any illegal immigrant who was brought here before they turned 16 so long as they graduate high school and do one of the following two options: attend college for two years OR enlist in the military. Some republican's in congress have insisted they will oppose this bill at all costs because they view it as amnesty for those who came here illegally. I don't buy it. How is serving in the military, putting your life on the line to protect our nation's freedoms, amnesty? How is going to college and working hard to become a productive member of society amnesty? Amnesty is just saying - "Hey, no worries, I know you broke the law but as of right now, you're off the hook, nothing more needs to be done by you - you're a citizen!"

The Dream Act clearly is not amnesty - it is a chance for people to earn citizenship. Plus, simply joining the military or going to college isn't all it takes. There is also a background check and you have to have a clean criminal record. Basically the Dream act tries to help the best of the illegal immigrants who were brought here with no say in the matter. It aims to help brave, intelligent, hard working, and honest kids move forward so they can have the came chance European immigrants had over he past three centuries.

Itseems like a win/win to me. We, as a nation win as we have soldiers lining up to serve while we wage our wars. We also win as a nation by having a more highly educated populace - which helps make us more competitive in the world. And, finally, these kids win by learning a skill while also earning their citizenship; enabling them to live a legal and productive life that contributes to our economy.

On this day, a day that lives on in infamy, I sincerely hope American's of all stripes will come together to contact their congress men and women to support freedom by repealing the DADT policy and the Dream Act. The first is nothing more than legalized bigotry and the second is a great first step in helping to bring about a resolution to our illegal immigration problems.

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