military / veterans

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Update

Twin measures passed the full House and the Senate Armed Services Committee on repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy this week.  While this does not mean the policy has been eliminated, these two votes represented the biggest hurdles that stood...

Help for Veterans who are Homeless

Not long after Barack Obama was elected President, he worked closely with Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), on eliminating homelessness among people who are veterans.  The issue became so important that Sec. Shinseki publicly stated...

Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), held a hearing on the status of the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. The two witnesses invited to the hearing were Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the...

Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Back on the Table?

In November, groups hoping for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy were disappointed when the Senate Armed Services indefinitely postponed a long awaited hearing on the matter. However, the issue was moved to the forefront during the State of the Union...

Michelle Obama and Military Families

First Lady Michelle Obama has made military families a priority throughout her time in the White House. First, she thanked veterans and their families privately for their contributions. Then, she publicly stated her support alongside Dr. Jill Biden at the 2009 World...

Congresswoman Barbara Lee: Peace Advocate

In October, Representative Barbara Lee (CA-9) introduced H.R. 3699, a bill to prohibit any funds being expended to increase the number of members of the United States armed forces serving in Afghanistan. The bill currently has 27 cosponsors and has been referred to...