Lame Duck Shenanigans

Now that you're trying to figure out how to drop that Thanksgiving weight gain, here's an idea for some truly worthwhile exercise: exercise your right to be represented in Congress by telling your Senators and Rep what you think on a couple key issues.

As expected, the liberal Left is making their last big push for sweeping legislation before they get thrown out of office.  President Obama has called for the passage of the DREAM Act, which is essentially going to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.  They desperately need this because they clearly haven't persuaded the vast majority of the nation that their radical Leftist agenda is in the best interests of the country.  By losing the latest election in historic fashion, they know they simply don't have the support they need for their agenda, so they have to manufacture votes however they can.  One way is with magical car trunks on election day, but another is with granting amnesty to masses of illegal aliens in return for their votes.  If you followed my previous blog, you know there is a vast array of reasons for why amnesty is a terrible idea that never ends up benefiting law-abiding American citizens and legal immigrants.  I won't get on that soapbox again at the moment, but I'll probably review it at some point on this blog, too.  For now, let's just look at the economy and point out that there are millions of Americans who desperately need work, and granting amnesty to illegals who are taking jobs Americans would love to have while sucking federal resources (food stamps, free health care, welfare, etc.) is not doing our struggling economy any favors.

The second major vote that this lame duck Congress is looking at is the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.  The general idea of this is that DADT allows gays to serve in the military as long as they aren't brazenly open about their lifestyle.  Liberal Democrats pretty much hate the U.S. military because it's a projection of American power (which they're ashamed of) and a force for freedom and protection in the world (which they despise), so they're constantly trying to tinker with it and foul it up from the inside out.  Clinton hacked the military budgets to the bone, causing a serious lack of innovation, updates, and personnel (not to mention pay increases) during the 1990s, but Bush brought things back up quite a bit during his tenure.  A few years ago I was told by a former military member that they take it as a fact of life that there will be no raises and precious little improvement in conditions and equipment if there is a Democrat in the White House.  That's just the way it is.  Obama is now trying to make the military a playground for social issues by introducing open homosexuality into the mix.  I can't speak from personal experience (if anyone out there can, feel free to comment or e-mail me), but there are many reasons this is a bad thing.  A look at history will show that once homosexuality is openly accepted and practiced in any military, that military declines rapidly.  While the possible explanations are a subject of vociferous debate, the end results are not.  Another reason is that of unit cohesion - the military is wholly dependent upon hierarchy and discipline, chains of command, and treating everyone the same.  When you introduce open sexual tension into the mix, as well as the politically charged nature of homosexuality itself, all of those things fly out the window.  Also, as we've seen so many times with liberal Left causes, the simple act of legally allowing something is instantly translated into that something being not only allowed but accepted and endorsed.  They're not the same thing, but the Left quickly makes it that way.  So, once this policy is repealed, it will not be long before anyone saying anything negative about homosexuality in the military will be raked over the coals for being a hate-monger.  Will a drill sargeant still be allowed to yell and scream at a gay man like he would at a straight man?  To the Left, no, because that would be hateful and discriminatory.  We've seen this evolution happen before, and there is no reason to think it wouldn't happen again here.  Finally, in what is likely the most telling reason not to repeal DADT, look at the military itself.  The vast majority of what I've read about the subject clearly shows that DADT is a good compromise that protects homosexuals and allows them to serve in the military while still maintaining the rigid structure and discipline that is critical to military success.  If they don't want it changed, Congress should not force it.

Of course, that's the single most defining characteristic of this particular Congress - governing against the will of the people.

So, you know you need to exercise.  Start by dialing the phone and telling your elected representatives NO and NO.