<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>Bear,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't know how someone can be against torture and for marriage. It is an oxymoron. :P</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But seriously, I don't think most Gays care to join the military or get married. However, I do believe in equal rights for everyone. I think it is unfair to tax gays and lesbians more and deny them the same benefits as everyone else by denying the claim of marriage on their tax returns. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Idaho is behind the civil rights movement, way, way behind. You know, even the majority of Idaho Human Rights Commission members are against equality for gays and lesbians. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The East coast has a different time zone than the Western States, when it is 9:01 PM in New York, it is 1901 in Idaho.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Best Regards,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Donovan<BR><BR>--- On <B>Fri, 4/3/09, bear@moscow.com <I><bear@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid"><BR>From: bear@moscow.com <bear@moscow.com><BR>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] IDAHOANS FOR FAIRNESS RALLY THIS SATURDAY AT NOON<BR>To: "Donovan Arnold" <donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com>, vision2020@mail-gw.fsr.net, "Bill London" <london@moscow.com><BR>Date: Friday, April 3, 2009, 9:40 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV class=plainMail>Donovan,<BR><BR>Thanks for pointing out to us that even Iowa is a more progressive and enlightened state<BR>than <BR>Idaho!<BR><BR>Maybe it's time to just get governments - local, state and federal out of bedrooms!<BR><BR>The personnel loss to the military over their silly "don't ask -don't tell" policy has<BR>been <BR>significant.<BR>We have lost the service of everything from translators to infantry because of it. When I<BR>need <BR>something translated or shot, I could care less what the soldier does in his or her off<BR>time! <BR>Plus, it's a matter of fairness to non-gays to allow gays in the military. IF you accept<BR>the most <BR>recent surveys that in the United States, about 10% of the population is gay and using<BR>that <BR>statistic, some of the results are amazing. My personal belief is that there are not more<BR>or less <BR>gays than there were in the past, they are just more visible and "out of the closet".
So,<BR>ten <BR>percent of the military IS gay, just not out of the closet. Even more significant is that<BR>there <BR>have been about 3600 Medals of Honor earned. 360 gay winers? Approximately 16 million men<BR><BR>and women served in the US Military during WW 2, 10% would be about 1.6 million! Makes you<BR><BR>think.<BR><BR>I've heard all of the old tired arguments dragged out over and over again as to why gays <BR>shouldn't be allowed to serve, and they don't hold water! Every time you see one of those<BR><BR>reason, if you substitute "Black" or "Women" when the verbage reads "gay" you'll see what<BR>I <BR>mean. <BR><BR>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<BR><BR>> Speaking of which, Gay marriage was just legalized in Iowa. <BR>> <A href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/03/iowa.same.sex/index.html" target=_blank>http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/03/iowa.same.sex/index.html</A>
<BR>> Best Regards, <BR>> Donovan<BR>=====<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>---------------------------------------------<BR>This message was sent by First Step Internet.<BR> <A href="http://www.fsr.com/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.com/</A><BR><BR><BR></DIV><BR>-----Inline Attachment Follows-----<BR><BR>
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