Tammy Baldwin's Quiet Optimism

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), the only out lesbian in the House of Representatives, has stated that she is "very optimistic" that congressional bills relating to employment non-discrimination and hate crimes legislation will pass next year, particularly if Barack Obama is elected President. But she is less enthusiastic over the chances of repealing DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) and the military's self-defeating "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. “We want our country to be represented by the best," Baldwin said, "and that can’t happen if a whole category of our citizens is subject to discrimination.” The Associated Press has tallied the numbers of qualified military personnel discharged since the inception of DADT in 1997: 1997 - 997, 1998 - 1145, 1999 - 1034, 2000 -1212, 2001 - 1227, 2002 - 885, 2003 - 770, 2004 - 653, 2005 - 726, 2006 - 612, 2007 - 627

There's not much we can add to these disheartening statistics except for the obvious comment: America is squandering precious human resources at a time when our country cannot afford to do so.