DADT legislative repeal passed a huge hurdle. Now for the full Senate vote, where many Republicans are pledging to vote against funding the military if it stops persecuting gay service-members. The Republicans, John McCain disgustingly in the lead, will apparently filibuster to prevent passage. I must say that the following notion from Congressman Franks is bizarre:
“We’re going to say, No. We don’t care what you say. You can die for us on the battlefield, but you have no input into this process.’ That’s a disgrace to this institution and it’s an insult to the men and women who pour out their blood on foreign battlefields for the country that we all love so much.”
The military will have a great deal of input into this process, and will have all the time they need to implement it smoothly. That's what the year-long review is about. But the policy question is not up to the service-members. It is up to the Congress and the civilians who control the military in a free country.
A large majority of the country favors this move. And yet the current GOP is prepared to filibuster to prevent it. That means that if they gain seats this fall, they will keep gay service-members in the brutal vice of discrimination for a long time to come. That's how deep the fear goes.
(Map from Esquire which has several more on those lines.)