Senator Joe Lieberman is getting heaps of praise for spearheading repeal of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. The former VP nominee apparently worked endlessly to whip the final votes for cloture. Howard Kurtzman asked him simply, “Why?”
When I asked Lieberman why he felt so strongly about the issue—he co-sponsored a gay rights bill as a Connecticut legislator in the 1970s—he went on for a bit quoting the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence. But then he turned more personal:
“I’m a Jewish-American,” he said, “a member of a minority group raised from the earliest part of my life to be deeply grateful for all the rights and opportunities and freedom afforded Americans.”
(Emphasis mine)
Lieberman felt so strongly that although the vote took place on Shabbat, which he observes, he walked to the Senate from his home, “convinced he was serving his constituents on a national security issue. ‘It felt okay to be here,’ he said.”
Joe Lieberman, Civil Rights Hero, Ctd [Daily Dish]
Lieberman: Liberal Hero for Role in Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ [The Daily Beast]
Click here for access to comments
COMMENTING CHARGES
Daily rate: $2
Monthly rate: $18
Yearly rate: $180
WAIT, WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY TO COMMENT?
Tablet is committed to bringing you the best, smartest, most enlightening and entertaining reporting and writing on Jewish life, all free of charge. We take pride in our community of readers, and are thrilled that you choose to engage with us in a way that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. But the Internet, for all of its wonders, poses challenges to civilized and constructive discussion, allowing vocal—and, often, anonymous—minorities to drag it down with invective (and worse). Starting today, then, we are asking people who'd like to post comments on the site to pay a nominal fee—less a paywall than a gesture of your own commitment to the cause of great conversation. All proceeds go to helping us bring you the ambitious journalism that brought you here in the first place.
I NEED TO BE HEARD! BUT I DONT WANT TO PAY.
Readers can still interact with us free of charge via Facebook, Twitter, and our other social media channels, or write to us at letters@tabletmag.com. Each week, we’ll select the best letters and publish them in a new letters to the editor feature on the Scroll.
We hope this new largely symbolic measure will help us create a more pleasant and cultivated environment for all of our readers, and, as always, we thank you deeply for your support.