Edmonds Patch – Edmonds resident and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today praised the end of the âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ policy on gays in the military. The repeal legislation that President Obama signed into law on December 22, 2010, became effective today.
âToday, at long last, the discriminatory âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ policy ends for good,â Cantwell said in a statement. âI was proud to vote to repeal this discriminatory policy, which for too long denied thousands of U.S. service members the chance to serve their country with pride and harmed our armed forcesâ ability to recruit and maintain personnel with skills essential to protecting national security. Beginning today, no other individual committed to serving his or her country in the military will lose his or her job due to their sexual orientation.
âItâs been a long road to victory for all the brave men and women who stood up against this discriminatory policy. I want to commend two women in particular from my home state of Washington, whose combined struggles to rejoin the military under this policy and serve their country spanned nearly two decades and helped contribute to todayâs victory.
As one of the most beautiful states in the unionâand one of the richest in natural resourcesâWashington has a special interest in energy and environmental policy. And Maria has fought hard to uphold the stateâs conservation tradition, while also working to bring our energy policy into the 21st century.
Maria knows Washingtonâs business community â because, as an executive at an innovative software company, she was part of it. And as a Senator, sheâs led the way in helping businesses large and small throughout Washington grow, thrive, and create jobs.
Maria has taken a leadership role on safety and security issues, including defending our borders, strengthening our military, cracking down on gangs, and taking on drug crime in Washington communities
Middle-class families around Washington and across the country are facing tough timesâand tough decisions about balancing the family checkbook each month. Maria has fought to strengthen the economic security of Washington families and cut taxes for middle-class families.
