Mr. President! Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean!

Mr. President! Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean! Please join fellow GOPUSA activists in petitioning President Bush for a full pardon for Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos.

E-mail this story to a friend Have comments? Send them to the editor. Printer Friendly Version Subscribe for Free!

On Wednesday, July 23, Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, and retired Army Sgt. Maj. Brian Jones (web site) testified before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on the issue of gays in the military. They were opposed by three veterans who told personal stories that, they claimed, made the case for repealing the 1993 law, frequently mislabeled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Chairwoman Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) promised in her opening statement that the forum would be an open and civil discussion, but it quickly deteriorated into a show hearing that would have made Stalin proud.

Elaine and Sgt. Major Jones gave their opening statements, and shortly the rout was on. The Democrats' tactic was to ask a lengthy question (which more times than not turned into a polemic against Elaine), expending much if not all of their allotted time. Any time left for a response from Elaine or Sgt. Maj. Jones was of little consequence, as they were cut off or shouted down by congressmen or congresswomen who then would launch into another mini-speech.

Clearly, the Democrats were not interested in answers. This is the testimony that liberals on the HASC did not want to hear:

Summary Statement of Elaine Donnelly, President, CMR -- July 23, 2008 (web site)

Testimony of Sgt. Major Brian Jones, USA (Ret.) -- July 23, 2008 (web site)

The object of the hearing was to demonize as morally repugnant (bigoted, homophobic, or worse) anyone who dared disagree with the Democrats' and homosexual activists' point of view. It was a replay of the treatment received by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace. Sadly, Republicans were unprepared to respond in their statements or questions. The lack of apparent support for our position made it possible for the Democrats to be brutal, and matters were made worse by AWOL Republicans.

Committee members, some of whom Elaine and I had met with over many months to prepare for the hearing, just did not show up. Among those who did, some didn't even ask questions or at least yield time to respond to the personal attacks. Someone had to give Donnelly or Jones the floor so that they could make the points the congressmen knew (or should have known) they were trying to make. Since the hearing, staff and other regular observers of Congress have commented to me that Wednesday's session was the shoddiest display of decorum, particularly on the House Armed Services Committee, that they had ever seen.

Several of the Democrats criticized Elaine while asking questions of others - a slick, condescending technique that prevented her from responding. It was as if she were not in the room. In the few instances when she was able to begin an answer, they cut her off and admonished her for infringing on their allotted time.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2 3