Today the California State Assembly debated SJR 9, authored by Democrat State Senatoe Christine Kehoe, which would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to adopt the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R. 1283) that institutes a policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation, and to repeal the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.
You can read the full resolution here.
Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, a Marine Corps Veteran, gave a passionate floor speech in support of ending this policy, saying that one should be able to serve openly in the military regardless of their sexual orientation.
I will follow up with a full roll call so that you can see how your Assembly representatives voted on this issue. But the State Senate already voted and you can see that here. The resolution passed in the Senate on a party-line vote with all of the Democrats voting AYE (except two that abstained or did not vote) and all of the Republicans voting NAY (except Aanestad and Maldonado, who were absent or abstained).
Fletcher’s speech and public position on this issue certainly put him at odds with the stated position of his own political party, and the sentiments of the vast majority of his Republican colleagues.
It should not be lost, by the way, that this was a 45 minute debate on an issue out of the jurisdiction of the state legislature, while each and every day that goes by the state budget crisis gets worse and worse.
Maybe its time to stop debating resolutions, and figure out how to shrink the size of government to match available funds during a time of economic recession…
May 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
58% of Republicans in national polls actually do support repeal.
Where legislators such as Mary Bono, David Drier and Brian Billbray should join the movement. If Israel, the United Kingdom and Australia can have an effective integrated military we can too.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120764/Conservatives-Shift-Favor-Openly-Gay-Service-Members.aspx
Problem is the Democrats have vetoed most of Dutton’s reform the economy bills, and we will not likely take over the state legislature. Gonna have to pass a ballot measure instead.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I heard that the only Republican Yay votes on this came from Anthony Adams and Nathan Fletcher?
Jon, let us know when you have Asembly vote record.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
It is time for purifying your ranks Flash Report Junkies….by the way did this guy ever serve an extended time in the military on active duty……glad he did not work for me!!!!
May 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sjr_9_vote_20100513_1054AM_asm_floor.html
That was the vote record.