Beams of light > Guiding lights > Support groups
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From the point of view of military readiness there was never going to be any threat to readiness from allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Other countries such as Australia, England and Israel have allowed gays in their military for quite some time without a concern regrading military readiness.
From a cultural perspective, this issue has always represented a line in the sand for both the gay-rights as well as the traditional-values communities. Gay groups have understood that getting rid of the military ban would be an important steppingstone for other rights like marriage equality. For traditional values groups, equal treatment of gay and lesbian troops signals the erosion of what they see as the Judeo-Christian basis of American culture. Both sides made a big deal out of the issue because, from a cultural perspective, the stakes were high.
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The mission of the Alesia Shute Foundation is to improve the lives of families facing childhood disease, both by making hospital stays more comfortable and by funding the research that will treat or eliminate childhood illnesses.
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This afternoon, President Obama and the Service Chiefs of the U.S. Military certified repeal of the military's 18-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Following a 60-day waiting period, implementation of the repeal will take place.
Here's the President's Statement on the Certification:
Today, we have taken the final major step toward ending the discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law that undermines our military readiness and violates American principles of fairness and equality.In accordance with the legislation that I signed into law last December, I have certified and notified Congress that the requirements for repeal have been met. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' will end, once and for all, in 60 days—on September 20, 2011.
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"Autism Speaks" Launches Transition Tool Kit, Providing Practical Information and Resources to Guide the Transition to Adulthood
