Memorial Day 2009 and President Obama has fired 214 gay soldiers.

Since my last entry, I spent a couple of days pondering some of the recent developments on the federal gay rights front and had found reasons for optimism. Perhaps the administration would be making some announcements by the Stonewall Anniversaries  

Of course this would be welcome, and there have been signs of discussions taking place about don’t ask don’t tell.

Then as I was checking out articles on the Internet, there it was.

214. I hadn’t really thought about the total number. I didn’t need to get any angrier, but there it was. I could feel my blood begin to boil. Again.

In this economy, with unemployment at decade’s high level, people are being fired because they are gay. Thrown back into a poor job market to compete with other unemployed workers. Despite truly frightening budget deficits, taxpayer money is being wasted on these antiquated witch-hunts.

A week from today it will be approximately 10 more. By the end of June, 50. It is an insult to the entire gay community and those who believe that equality is the foundation of our nation and that seeking a more perfect union is a goal still worthy of aspiring to.

How many of the fallen that we pause to consider today were gay? Does anyone care if those who made the ultimate sacrifice slept with men or women? Would those who would declare themselves judge and attempt to relegate gays and lesbians to the closet prefer the dead stripped of any honor because of who they slept with? Would they prefer homosexuality simply be made illegal? Institute "preventive detention?"

If the estimated 65,000 gay service members were outed, what would they recommend? Would they compromise national security and have all 65,000 discharged? At this point it must be asked, would those that the gay community have been supporting, sit silently, again, as those who judge impose their final solution and break the military in the process? Would these self appointed judges argue it is necessary to eliminate what they perceive as a threat to society?

Undoubtedly, the administration and congressional democrats know the anger that is growing with each passing day of inaction, and are mindful of the political costs that rack up with each firing. Anger is seeping out from the world of bloggers and activists, to the Gay street, as

October March on Washington could attract throngs upon throngs of angry citizens on the doorsteps of Congress demanding full equality. Protests akin to the anger that spilled out over the passage of Prop 8. And the angry protests that are likely to result if Prop 8 isn’t overturned tomorrow.

By the end of the day, if it is an average day, 1 or 2 more soldiers will find themselves in the crosshairs of DADT. While pentagon leaders scramble to convince that discussions are under way and the White House transparently attempts to appear to have been working on the issue, despite their obvious neglect thus far, real lives are being turned upside, careers are being ruined, and the military is being weakened. All due to President Obama’s unwillingness to use his power to issue a stop loss order to halt these firings. With each firing the President allows this institutional relic to continue to propagate the prejudiced concept that gays are inferior to straights.

By his acquiescence, President Obama is himself firing people for being Gay. He probably wouldn’t appreciate it being characterized in that way, but the truth often isn’t comfortable, and is no respecter of time.