Friday, May 1, 2009
Snoutbreak / History Biology Is Destiny
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 6:00 PM
The roots of swine flu are in the Spanish flu of 1918.
Pigs might have spread the current strain of influenza to humans, attracting worldwide attention, but new Canadian-led research suggests that we might have given pigs the flu in the first place, during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.
My great-grandfather (allegedly) died in that Spanish flu epidemic—an Irish prisoner sent to Nova Scotia prison camp to make shoes for British feet. He (allegedly) got out, went to New York City, met my great-grandmother, married her, made a baby, and promptly died before my grandfather was born.
Why all the "allegedly"s? Because that story always seemed like a convenient lie.
My grandfather was raised by his mother—and the Irish priest she took up with, as a "housekeeper," after "John Kiley" (the most generic Irish name possible) "died." Which raised the eyebrows of subsequent Kiley generations. Those subsequent generations were promptly and thoroughly scolded for "even thinking about it."
But maybe, just maybe, we're descended from that priest1. Or from some Lithuanian sailor great-grandma met one night. (Shut my mouth!) Or maybe "John Kiley" really existed and died of Spanish flu.
In which case, it is perhaps my destiny to die of swine flu, which descended from Spanish flu just as I descended from "John Kiley."
Either way, I'm going to have a drink.
1A remarkable man, really, who served as a trench priest during WWI and, once he came to America, fought off the anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic KKK (small as it was) in New York state. There's one story of him facing down a posse of hooded Klansmen who'd gathered in the yard of a terrified Italian family one night. Father Riley brought along a spiky bludgeon of some kind and stood his ground while the Klansmen slinked away.
When he was in his 70s, a man broke into Father Riley's small home in the middle of the night. Father Riley got up and beat the holy hell out of that burglar, who had to be removed from the house on a stretcher. Not a bad man to claim as a great-grandfather.
Transportation Metro's Redesign
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 5:48 PM
In response to widespread customer complaints during last year's snowstorm—when it was basically impossible to find out if or when your bus was coming—King County Metro just redesigned its web site to be more user-friendly. Among other changes, they've made the route timetables more prominent, put the previously elusive trip finder right on the front page, and added a more prominent link to information about ORCA, the new regional transit smartcard. "The poor navigation concept of our [old] web site really did not serve us well," says Metro general manager Kevin Desmond. "Either people would have to make too many clicks to get information, or it was counterintuitive."
But the biggest change is the addition of a staff-run blog called Eye on Your Metro Commute, which, in theory, will contain the latest information about delays throughout the Metro system. (It just went live yesterday). "Basically, it's a traffic update," Desmond says. The site is based in part on similar web sites in Chicago, Portland, and Vancouver, B.C..
Riders can get updates via web, email, or RSS. What they can't do is get information via text message (important if you don't have a smartphone), or let Metro know if they encounter problems on the ground (there's a feedback email, but no comments, and all posts are generated from a central console at Metro's operations headquarters). "A lot of people have suggested a Twitter-type [interface], but the problem with that is that creates a very significant burden on our side and we don’t have people to do that," Desmond says. "Putting out one way information is one thing. But if we have to start monitoring information with the expectation that we will verify it and report back—that’s a huge explosion of contacts that we would have to start making." The centralized staff-generated blog system also doesn't solve the biggest problem Metro staffers reported encountering during the snowstorm: A lack of radio channels to report backups, which Desmond acknowledges is "still a problem." However, he says Metro expects its new radio system—an expansion of the current antiquated system, which only has four channels—to come online in 2010, which should solve some of the communications problem.
Snoutbreak Who's Watching For Flu At Seattle Schools?
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 5:37 PM
How important are school nurses?
With the World Health Organization declaring a swine flu pandemic “imminent,” the Seattle School District is asking teachers and administrators—who receive some training—to monitor kids for possible infection at most schools, instead of relying on trained medical staff.
According to data received from the Seattle School District, about 80%—or 74 of Seattle's 95 schools—don't have full-time nurses on staff. Nurses generally work two or three days a week, leaving teachers and secretaries to take temperatures and monitor kids for behavioral shifts, which could indicate illness.
The school district, naturally, is a bit defensive about the lack of nursing staff in the district. “Parents should be [monitoring] as well,” says Seattle School District spokesman David Tucker. “It’s not just the school district’s job." When I pointed out to Tucker that some teachers aren't comfortable diagnosing their students, Tucker says the district is "not looking for teachers to make diagnoses.”
While the school district is downplaying the importance of nurses in schools, at least one swine flu case appears to have been spotted by a school nurse. New York City school nurse Mary Pappas is being is being credited with spotting a swine flu outbreak at her school and contacting the health department.
It was her call to the New York City Health Department last Thursday morning that prompted the city to send samples from sick students to Atlanta for testing, and resulted in the first eight confirmed cases of swine flu in New York State on Sunday, triggering a nationwide response.
It’s possible that the nurses really aren’t necessary, and that vigilant parents and doctors will be enough. But it seems that they could also be a helpful resource to have in place at a time when schools are closing because of the fear of widespread illness. Unfortunately, the district doesn’t see it that way.
According to district records, about 50 of Seattle’s 95 schools don’t have a nurse on staff today.
Chow / Economy The Inevitable, Not-That-Exciting Return of Urban Eats
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 5:32 PM
It's that restaurant promotion that's three courses for $30. It starts Sunday. Forty-nine Seattle and Eastside restaurants are involved.
Said it before, saying it again: With the prices at many of these restaurants, $30 for three courses just isn't that great of a deal—while you're limited to dining on certain days from a “special” menu. You can put together a dinner at almost any good restaurant in town for $30 or less a person (especially if you're willing to share or forgo a dessert). $30/person = not that cheap. Etc., etc.
Anyhow, details here.
Snoutbreak How to Buy Stock in Soap
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 4:54 PM
From a financial adviser:
There is not a pure fund of soapmakers, but you can definitely buy stocks that would benefit from soap and alcohol gels, and face mask, sales. I would think Netflix would get a pop in sales if there was a widespread shutdown, and probably internet porn, and airlines would be slaughtered.Soap: Proctor & Gamble makes Ivory soap, ticker PG.
Long high-quality facemasks: Medtecs (Singapore)
Short the airline etf: FAA
Long the home adult entertainment: PRVT
"etf": I don't even know what that means. But "a pure fund of soapmakers": It is poetry!
Economy Notes from the Unemployment Line
Posted by Eli Sanders on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 4:41 PM
Weeks without full-time employment for Lissa Cunneen: 16. Resumes she's sent out in the last seven days: five. Interviews: two. Last meal she ate before writing this post: "Gruel. And it was cold. And I didn’t enjoy it, but ate it humbly."
Job hunting can be very draining. I wish there was some sort of template that could be used to auto-fill online job applications. Seriously, that would save so much time.
But once you’ve sent out all those apps and resumes sometimes you get the call for an interview and those can be much more fun and valuable, even if you don’t get the job. Yes, interviews can be heartbreaking in that instance as well, but each interview allows you to hone your presentation, and you can learn a lot.
Which is why, personally, I love job interviews. It’s an opportunity to have a conversation with someone about something they care about and gives you a glimpse into a little world that you are not (yet) a part of. How are the employees dressed? Is the atmosphere hectic? Laid back? What is the office space like? Do you click with the person interviewing you?
I’ve had two interviews in the last week and they both went well. I enjoyed the people I spoke with. Both businesses had a lot to offer the community. It was nice to imagine that I might be able to make a living doing something that makes things better for people. Hopefully I’ll get called back for a second go round. If not, I plan to ask why specifically.
It’s painful to do that. (Thanks for not picking me! Please tell me why I suck!) But every failure is a chance to fail better next time until you don’t. Plus, I see all sorts of areas in which I could improve and have made an effort to do so. I’m gradually forcing myself to be more proactive and take more risks, and it’s been good for me. Not all that lucrative, but still beneficial. Maybe I should write a book. How Unemployment Made Me A Better Person, or Zen and the Art of Resume Builder. Maybe I should e-mail Deepak Chopra now and see if he’d be interested. We could sell it on my Etsy site.
Have an unemployment story to share? Write to jobless@thestranger.com.
Visual Art Eric Elliott and April Sargent Win the Neddy
Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 4:33 PM
Eric Elliott (my review here) is a master of the endless tones of gray. Here's a rarely seen drawing by him, from his web site.
April Sargent engraves glass until it looks photographic. Bullseye Gallery shows her work in Portland.
Their work will go on display, with work by the other nominees (Tim Cross, Gary Faigin, Lynda Lowe, Benjamin Moore, and the artist teams of Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora Mace, and Jenny Knowles and Sabrina Pohlman), at Tacoma Art Museum May 23.
Drunk It's Drinks O'Clock
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 4:24 PM
Today's recommended happy hours:
• List in Belltown: small deck, roll-up garage door, really cheap/quite good small plates, obscenely hot staff, happy hour until 6:30—more details here
• Boom Noodle on Capitol Hill: roll-up windows all around, $3.50 sake bombs and snacks, happy hour recently extended until 7 p.m.—more here
• Eastlake Bar and Grill: giant outdoor deck with Lake Union view, decent/cheap food, assorted awesomeness, happy hour until 6 p.m., then again from 10 until midnight—more here
Full listings: here!
The Stranger's Happy Hour iPhone App: FREE!
Visual Art Seattle Erotic Art Fest, in Photos
Posted by Kelly O on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 4:17 PM
I didn't notice any proportions and/or disproportion in the imagery, specifically in images of women being dominated (and/or humiliated), last night. I get too geeked on live performance and was busy taking pictures of hotties Fucshia Foxx and Waxie Moon... was too busy laughing with Allen Stein about that time I got on the thrillhammer, fully clothed (and after way too many vodka-pops), in Portland. There's a ton to do and see there. Hot, or not? Go see for yourself. The festival runs tonight through Sunday...
More (possibly NSFW) photos after the jump...
Homo DADT: Promise Remade
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 3:42 PM
It's been a disturbing 24 hours. But the White House has just updated its Web site to indicate that it continues to support the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.... The White House Web site has now been updated, again, and the "repeal" language is back. And while it's couched in the same terms about being done in a "sensible way," I would assume that all administration policy is implemented in a "sensible way," so this should have no bearing on whether President Obama will keep his promise to fully repeal the ban.
It's nice to have Obama's DADT campaign promise back. Now let's have the campaign promise fulfilled.
Snoutbreak Re: Another Suspected Swine Flu Case Found In King County
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Is it just me or... does it seem silly to close schools one at a time after a confirmed case of swine flu is found? If the threat is serious enough to close schools after a single case of swing flu is discovered, wouldn't it make more sense to close the schools—all of them, all at once—before another student population is exposed?
Snoutbreak Another Suspected Swine Flu Case Found In King County
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 3:15 PM
The King County health department has found another probable case of swine flu in Des Moines.
This latest infection was found in a nine-year-old Des Moines girl. The girl's school, Midway Elementary School in the Highline District, will be closed for a week.
This is the 14th probable case of swine flu found in the state this week.
Film / Economy In Happy-Making News
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:59 PM
The financially strapped Columbia City Cinema on Rainier Avenue S.—currently showing the Wolverine movie, Sunshine Cleaning, and The Soloist—will get a grant from the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, the Rainier Valley Post reports. The $50 million fund was set up to help businesses make it through light rail construction. I'm a huge fan of the cinema, both because it shows a nice range of indie and first-run movies, and because it only charges $2 for popcorn. (Plus I like that they offer nutritional yeast—a culinary hangover from my vegan years). Not sure what the cinema has to do with light rail, but I'm glad it's safe for now.
Events Free Show Tonight at Cal Anderson Park
Posted by Gillian Anderson on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Photo by Jessie Heaven Lotz from www.anunnaki.org/cabiri/
Tonight, in celebration of May Day, the Anunnaki Project is putting on a free performance from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Cal Anderson Park.
On May 1, 2009, The Anunnaki Project will present Daedalus Rising, a celebratory performance recognizing the organizations 10-year anniversary. All are invited to see performances by members of The Cabiri performance troupe and their students. May Day will also mark the debut of Daedalus, the organizations freestanding aerial dance structure. Daedalus (made possible by a 2008 grant from King County 4Culture) stands an imposing 19 tall and 30 wide, and can support up to six aerialists.In addition to awe-inspiring displays on Daedalus, the event will feature stilt walkers, fire performers, and several theatrical works from the organizations repertoire. Choreographer Christl Marcontell has returned to the organization for the epic finale At the Dawn of Chu, and choreographer Erin Simons will present her first work with the company in Benandanti. Guest performing artists and musicians include the Radost Folk Ensemble, James Whetzel, percussionist Kevin Cook, The Lets Dance! House Band, Cirque du Flambe founder Maque daVis, The Red King, Dyno the Aerialist, and Zita the Aerialist.
I was over at the park earlier and saw the structure they're building. It looks like it could be pretty exciting!
Snoutbreak An Open Letter to the Bathrooms of the World
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Dear Bathrooms of the World,
Please move your garbage cans to over near the door. We have all become those crazy people who will only touch the doorknob with a paper towel.
Thanks,
All of Us
Tech What Twitter Is For
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:37 PM
From the blog About Last Night:
My friend A. Flurry's: "What rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Supercuts to be shorn?"
Homo Perez Was Right
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:37 PM
PREJEAN: My thought on civil unions? You know what, Greta? I don't have the answers to everything. I'm not running for political office. I don't have the answers to everything, you know, in the world out there. But I think that there should be rights for people, you know, especially in California. I think that people that are homosexual should have some rights, you know, hospital rights, and things like that. But I would like to be more educated on that, so when I do have a better answer for you, I will get back to you on that one. But so far I just support traditional marriage, and that's my main focus.But so far I just support traditional marriage, and that's my main focus.
VAN SUSTEREN: What about adoption?
PREJEAN: Greta, I am focusing on marriage right now, not adoption, not civil unions, just traditional marriage, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to promote that.
VAN SUSTEREN: I understand, and I understand your position on traditional marriage. I'm just sort of trying to figure out where you draw the line in terms of what kind of rights that you think that a man and woman should have that maybe two men, two women, shouldn't have.
And that's why I was asking the question on civil unions and adoptions. I was just trying to sort it out for myself what you think.
PREJEAN: Well, I'm not a politician, so I can't give you an answer to that.
The right to be at your partner's side during a medical emergency and to make medical decisions for your partner if he is incapacitated is a marital right, a right that spouses, as next of kin, "enjoy." And Miss CA supports that right and, you know, some other rights to be named later—at least for same-sex couples in California—but she can't really go into specifics about the other rights gays and lesbians should enjoy—can I dispose of my partner's remains, Miss CA?—because, you know, she doesn't have all the answers to, you know, everything in the world out there, and seeing as she's not a politician Miss CA can't be expected to know what she herself thinks about adoptions and civil unions.
I'm glad Miss CA thought so deeply about this issue before deciding to campaign so aggressively against the rights of same-sex couples.
Two-Block Radius / Retail Ice Cream Is the New Donuts
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:31 PM
(The cops EMTs against the wall were all eating ice cream, and the others had just finished.)
Events / Science Dinosaurs!
Posted by Grant Brissey on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:23 PM
Let’s get to the important stuff first. My 7-year-old nephew loved Walking with Dinosaurs, and other nearby kids who seemed to be about his age appeared similarly excited. That said, the bespectacled know-it-all in the row behind us (approximately 10 or 11 years old) seemed less impressed. To be fair, yes, you can see the legs of the men who wear the raptor costumes, and yes, you can see the stabilizers, complete with semi-visible cockpit-and-driver, underneath all of the bigger dinosaurs, and yes, these aspects were rather conspicuous. None of them, however, bothered my nephew much, and I can rightly say they didn’t really bother me either. For every slightly underwhelming detail I noticed, there were several impressive ones to distract me from caring. For the most part, the dinosaurs’ movement—be it from the human-powered raptor costumes or from the giant, robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex—was pretty convincing. The narrator kept things moving along at a decent clip, and the script was fairly cheese-free. Props to BBC for keeping things mainly factual and scientific, and at about 80 minutes (not including the obligatory merchandizing intermission), the proceedings concluded right about when they should have.
Or, for a more concise review, take it from my nephew Riley:
What did you think of Walking with Dinosaurs overall?
Riley: It was awesome! What time is it?
How realistic were the dinosaurs?
R: Very real, like, 100 percent real. [Minutes later he said that if a dinosaur ate him, he would just go into its stomach and “take control of the robot part.”]
Were you ever scared?
R: No.
Do you think younger kids would be scared?
R: Yeah, but not really scared.
Do you think older people would be bored?
R: Maybe some teenagers, but most people would like it, I think.
There you have it.
Verdict: Go see it, just make sure your kid isn’t sick first.
Photo by Joan Marcus
City The City's Gutless Enforcement Against Developers
Posted by Dominic Holden on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:21 PM
The Seattle Department of Transportation says it’s stepping up enforcement against developers who block sidewalks, thereby pushing pedestrians into traffic, but the crackdown appears nonexistent.
I posted a photo yesterday of a construction project on East Union Street that put a “sidewalk closed” sign in front of a Honey Bucket, halfway up the block. “We see that as a violation,” says SDoT spokesman Rick Sheridan, who called me after he saw the post. In recent months, he says, street-use inspectors have been focusing on pedestrian access around developments. (They also have a complaint line if a construction site is breaking the rules: (206) 684-5253.) But SDoT should know that its enforcement standards—even when it actually enforces them—are toothless.
Brian de Place, who manages SDoT’s street-use permitting, says the developer on East Union Street should be placing "sidewalk closed" signs at each end of the block so pedestrians cross the street at the intersection. He then clarified the exact location of the site.
So what's the increased enforcement look like? Today the intersection looks the same:
Sheridan says he doesn't have data to show more enforcement since last August, when the city auditor reported that more must be done to protect walkers, cyclists, and disabled people around construction sites.
In response to the audit, Sheridan says SDoT is drafting a proposal to increase pedestrian mobility, due by June. The proposal will identify high-priority downtown streets and would require developers to maintain walkways at all block-long construction sites. But people are already supposed to cross the street to avoid any construction project, so all construction projects are, in effect, block-long closures to pedestrians. Realistically, the goal should be getting pedestrians around construction projects without crossing the street.
SDoT is being willfully naïve about human behavior. People don’t cross the street to avoid construction projects. They walk in the street, as we have documented here and here, and SDoT knows it. When speaking to Sheridan and de Place, I asked if our city, like several other cities, could require most developers to barricade pedestrian lanes in the parking lane. “I don’t know if in all instances that pedestrian flow needs to be facilitated on [the same] side of the street,” says Sheridan. Agreed, not in all instances, but in the overwhelming majority of cases there’s no reason not to. For example, at a site on East Pike Street today, there's plenty of room in the parking lane for a barricaded pedestrian pathway:
“We need to balance the needs of the all users. Can we take away the parking lane? I can’t speak to this site,” said de Place.
Books Cedar Reviews Last Night's Sedaris Show
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:04 PM
As I wrote this morning, David Sedaris read last night at Benaroya Hall and Cedar, the essayist who won the popular vote for the free Sedaris tickets, attended the reading. She wrote a review of the show for those of you who can't make it.
As with our Slog commenter book reports, anything you find wrong with this review is not Cedar's fault. It is the fault of the editor. I am the editor. Take it away, Cedar:
David Sedaris's people are not, as the uninitiated might suppose, gay men. Or rather, not exclusively gay men. Sedaris’ tribe are the freaks—the misfits, the neurotics, the obsessive compulsives and attention-defunct. Sedaris would no doubt have more to discuss with the toothless taxidermist in the hills of West Virginia than the well-adjusted twink freshly minted on the party circuit. With all due respect to his gayness, to reduce him to his taste in bedmates is to box him in a trap unbefitting such a fascinating man.
Watching his fan base last night as they drank their way through the pre-show lobby crawl, it occurred to me that his devotees are connected by something more profound than navel-gazing humor and a taste for the macabre. Sedaris is a wordsmith and a nearly unparalleled storyteller, a weaver of the clever so delicious that most of us spend our off-time in Half-Price Books, looking for other authors to fill the void between Sedaris releases. Luckily we have Sarah Vowell, David Rackoff, John Hodgman, and the other This American Life alumnae to whet our thirst, but no one, at least for me, does it quite like David. And that’s why I was there last night.
The reading itself was, of course, fantastic. Sedaris almost surpasses his flair for writing with his talent for reading. There were moments of near-hysteria and other vignettes that left us holding our breath, moved to silence by the profound little truisms he so effortlessly weaves into his pieces.
At the end of the night he answered a few questions, which led to his rather intimate confession about the way he crafts his stories—how he looks for those moments when his life feels like a story, captures the essence of that experience and turns them into his tales. Some people refer to this as “the cinematic moment,” those brief interludes when you can almost hear a soundtrack swelling up as life unfolds.
This got me thinking about my own most cinematic moment of the evening, as I waited for Sedaris to autograph my newly re-purchased copy of Naked (note to self: stop loaning people books). Maybe it was my over-indulgence at Serious Pie before the reading, but my heart began beating wildly in anticipation of meeting this man who had shaped my literary tastes for so long. What to say to him? How to act? I wanted to scream out, “I love you! You’re my hero!” but knew that probably would have had less than the desired effect—no one really wants a wild-eyed pregnant woman lumbering up and professing their undying affection.
(Much more, including a perfect description of the almost-universal feeling of awkwardness that comes when you meet a writer you love, after the jump.)
Snoutbreak Joe Biden Was Right
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 1:53 PM
The thing I love (and occasionally hate) about Joe Biden is his tendency to talk off script, as he did this week when he advised commuters to stay out of confined spaces like subways and airplanes.
Although Biden later retracted his statement, according to the National Research Council, seems to be spot-on, at least where airplanes are concerned. From the NRC's manual, " THE AIRLINER CABIN ENVIRONMENT AND THE HEALTH OF PASSENGERS AND CREW" (bolds and caps theirs):
“Coughing and sneezing produce the biologically richest aerosols [i.e. containing the most bacteria and viruses]. A sneeze produces very large droplets (200 microns and larger). Immediately on release, respiratory droplets begin to dry. Many become droplet nuclei, which are very small, remain airborne for long periods, and [...] can remain infective for hours or even days.”“Filters currently used in aircraft ventilation systems probably remove only a very small fraction of the continually produced bioaerosols.”
“Data from doctors’ offices and schools clearly indicate that viruses can be circulated through ventilation systems, remain viable, and infect people who have no physical contact with the source. In aircraft cabins, this effect might be augmented by the low relative humidity, which would prolong the life of the airborne viruses. “
The available evidence suggests “microbiologic air contaminents” circulate through the cabin and into the cockpit, and concentrations are highest before take off and during descent and landing.
Via Infrastructurist.
News David Holland: Pit Bull Owner of the Month
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Put him down first.
Politics / Homo
Change We Can Believe In We Should Worry About
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 1:43 PM
John on Americablog follows up today on President Obama's incredible shrinking agenda for gay and lesbian rights. John is most concerned with what appears to be a big shift on DADT, the ban on gays in the military. Obama-the-candidate emphatically promised to repeal DADT. Here he is during the HRC debate:
"I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.... America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership."
And ten days before Obama was sworn in his White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, was asked whether Obama intended to make good on his promise to repeal DADT. Gibb's answer: "...you don't hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it's 'Yes.'"
Obama-the-president, however, hasn't had much to say about DADT, and his defense secretary—a Bush holdover—has said that repealing DADT will be "very difficult" and could take "years." Now here's what the White House website said about DADT on January 20:
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
And here's what the White House website says now:
[President Obama] supports changing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security... [emphasis added].
So now Obama is for changing DADT—but only, you know, in a sensible way. He's no longer in favor providing a little of that all-that's-required leadership necessary to repeal DADT, as promised during and after the campaign. Says John:
The language changed from a commitment to a "full repeal" of DADT to a commitment to "change" the discriminatory policy in a "sensible" manner. While the White House has assured us that this is not an indication of a change in policy, the language, on its face, appears to be a clear change in policy. Changing DADT is not repealing DADT. It is a commitment to keep the discriminatory policy in place, albeit with some alterations.If the White House is still in favor of "repealing" Don't Ask Don't Tell, albeit in a "sensible way" - and we're happy to take them at their word - then say just that. Change "change" to "repeal" and be done with it.
Says ThinkProgress:
The edits seem to be Obama's latest attempt to walk back his firm campaign promise to outright repeal the anti-gay policy. His 2010 budget included funding to enforce the policy; Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently admitted that a discussion about repeal "has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration," and that it hoped to "push that one down the road a little bit."In this, Obama is out of touch with the mainstream. In fact, a poll released just yesterday showed that 56 percent of Americans, including 50 percent of military families, favor repealing DADT. (A poll last year found that 75 percent support gays serving openly in the military.) An even stronger majority — 58 percent — "reject" the argument that changing the law would be "divisive."
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