Civil liberties

For Lawmaking, Congress Is A Good Start

Remember when President Obama signed an executive order closing Guantanamo Bay? And remember when even the most liberal senators (Sanders, Feingold, etc) voted against funding the closing?

It turns out that Harry Reid announced today that zero senators -- including, of course, the very liberal ones -- have introduced legislation to repeal DADT even though the president has repeatedly stated that he's looking for a "durable legislative" repeal of the law that will hold up beyond the end of his term when an executive order could be easily erased. (Only Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) has introduced a bill in the House, but, meanwhile, nothing in senate.)

If we seriously want DADT and DOMA repealed, I would suggest the following:

1) Call your senator. Especially if you're represented by one of the very liberal ones. The president wants a law for repealing DADT. But only the Congress can, you know, make laws.

2) Perhaps someone should come up with a catchier monicker other than simply repeating the phrases: "repealing DOMA" and "repealing DADT". DADT and DOMA as rallying cries are right up there with building an entire movement around ROTFL. Something wicked slick like "Strengthening the Military" and "Recognizing Marriage." If emulating George W. Bush's leadership methods is the hipster thing to do this week, why not try this one.

Meanwhile, whether it's Guantanamo or DADT, the president's action or inaction isn't exclusive to him. There are Super Duper Awesome Very Liberal Members of Congress (SDAVLMOC) who haven't done jack shit. Nothing. And their direct office phone numbers can be found here.