PA Senators May Be Willing to Oppose Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

6-11-10 Contact Senators Casey and Specter - Ask Them to Protect Religious Liberty of Military Please forward this email to family and friends! Congress is contemplating the repeal of the Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell policy that has been in place in our military since 1993. The so-called Murphy amendment attached to the National Defense Authorization Act passed the House on May 27. It has passed out the Senate Armed Services committee and could be brought up for a floor vote before the full senate at anytime. President Obama has been pushing this legislation and will certainly sign it into law if it is passed. We have been informed that Senators Bob Casey, Jr and Arlen Specter may hold pivotal votes and may be persuaded to vote against this measure – or better – they may work to prevent the bill from reaching the floor. The Alliance Defense Fund developed the below bullet points that you can use to contact your senators to educate them on why this bill is not just about homosexuality but about basic religious freedoms that will be undermined if the bill is passed and signed into law. The rush to promote the homosexual agenda should not trump sound reasoning nor compromise military strength at the expense of individual religious liberties and fundamental constitutional rights. Casey, Robert P., Jr.- (D - PA) 393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6324 Email through our Citizen Action Center. Specter, Arlen - (D - PA) 711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-4254 Email through our Citizen Action Center. Talking Points: The small group of activists who are pushing to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ are conveniently ignoring the dramatic legal impact of the legislation upon the religious liberties of thousands of chaplains and service members. The legislation that Congress is considering puts at risk fundamental, constitutionally protected liberties, treating those rights as limited ‘privileges’ that can be taken away at any time. Passing a law that elevates homosexual behavior to a protected class sets the military’s policy at direct odds with the moral teachings and beliefs of a significant group of military chaplains and service members. This conflict will likely have the effect of both pressuring service members and chaplains to alter their beliefs to accommodate military policy and marginalizing those whose religious beliefs will become equated with racism or sexism. Second, while religious exemptions are a standard feature of non-discrimination laws protecting homosexual behavior--so standard a feature, in fact, that their absence from the pending repeal legislation before the House and Senate is conspicuous--they are often only partially helpful in guarding religious liberty. The impact of repeal will force chaplains to change their preaching, teaching, counseling, religious services, religious programs, hiring practices for ministry positions to obey the military’s new policy normalizing homosexual behavior. Forcing chaplains to reject their religious beliefs on sexual morality and adopt the military’s new policy of normalized homosexuality will undermine the constitutionally-guaranteed free exercise rights of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines by preventing chaplains from bringing the whole counsel of God to those individuals.  Further, it will establish an official government religion, where only religious teaching that meets government standards is allowed, eventually resulting in a chaplaincy that only represents liberal religious denominations. Bible-believing chaplains and Service members will find themselves marginalized and even discharged from military service for simply trying to live their faith. The First Amendment rights of troops who defend those rights for the rest of us should be non-negotiable--not an afterthought. The nature of the proposed repeal is an alarming signal that religious liberty, free speech, and even national security have taken a back seat to the homosexual legal agenda. Pennsylvania Family Council is a non-profit organization made possible through financial donations from our supporters. To donate to Pennsylvania Family Council, click here. 23 N. Front St. Harrisburg, PA 17101 ~ Phone: 717-545-0600 ~ Fax: 717-545-8107 ~ www.pafamily.org