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| Virginia's Homophobe-in-Chief, Gov. Bob McDonnell |
Now I've seen it all. Could it be that the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the coming of Xmas have caused Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Grinchy little knot of a heart to open up just a little bit? Not likely, but it is gratifying to see the commonwealth's top homophobe defending the gays, whether he wants to or not. This comes via the Washington Post's
Virginia Politics blog:
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said through a spokesman late Monday that he opposes Congress's repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy but expects to allow gays to openly serve in the Virginia National Guard.
The remarks came after Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince WIlliam) said he is drafting a bill for the 2011 legislative session that would ban gays from openly serving in the Virginia National Guard.
"The governor is a retired United States Army officer, and he knows it is critically important that there be one set of rules for all our men and women in the military, since uniformity of major policy across all branches is essential to effective operations,'' McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said. "We are not aware of a single instance in recent history where the Virginia National Guard has not complied with the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense. Furthermore, approximately 90 percent of the Virginia Guard's funding is federal, and any departure from federal policies may put this funding at risk. The federal legislation contemplates a further certification process by the Department of Defense, and other details and steps that are not known at this time. In his role as commander in chief of the Virginia National Guard, Governor McDonnell expects the Guard to adhere to the final guidelines implemented by the Department of Defense."
The Senate voted to end the 17-year-old federal ''don't ask, don't tell' policy this weekend, a few days after the House approved a repeal. President Obama has said he will sign the bill.
"The governor is very disappointed that this lame-duck Congress continues to fail to pass a budget, reduce unemployment, or work on other important national priorities, but instead is focused on legislation to change military policy in the middle of a war and provide benefits to illegal aliens," Martin said.
To the Gov and AG....keep your bigotry to yourself...the rest of us are moving forward with love and peace and acceptance at this special time of year.
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