Pentagon Study Shows Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Is Not Dangerous
A new Pentagon study will show that allowing openly gay people to serve in the military has limited risks, according to The Washington Post. More than 70 percent of military personnel surveyed in the study said that lifting the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on openly gay military members would be a positive thing. The report is due at the White House on December 1. The Obama administration wants Congress to lift “don’t ask, don’ tell,” but recently appealed a federal judge’s injunction on the ban.
More Homeless Vets Are Women
Veterans Affairs reports that the number of female war veterans who have become homeless has doubled to 6,500 over the past decade, according to an NPR report. Poverty and inadequate treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder are cited as major factors in the rate of homelessness amongst female veterans, who report that men who don’t consider their female counterparts to be real soldiers often dominate veterans support groups.
Resistance Could Continue in London
Rioting erupted in London yesterday as 50,000 students protested proposed education spending cuts, and today, the British government announced proposed welfare cuts, stirring fears that more violence could fill the streets, according to The New York Times. The proposed cuts would slash certain unemployment benefits. Yesterday, protesters smashed the windows of the Conservative Party and sent seven police to the hospital, according to the Daily Mail. Student leaders condemned the violence, which was widely blamed on anarchists and radical militants who “hijacked” the protest.
EPA Subpoenas Halliburton for Fracking Secrets
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a subpoena to Halliburton requiring the company release information on its hydraulic fracturing, often called “hydro-fracking” or “fracking,” procedures used to break up underground rock formations and release natural gas, according to the Environmental News Service. Halliburton failed to voluntarily release information on its hydro-fracking liquids. The information is needed for a Congressionally mandated study of the industry. The EPA began studying the largely unregulated industry to establish new rules after a public outcry erupted over reports that hydro-fracking was contaminating water supplies and making people sick.
New House Leadership Has Poor Voting Record on Green Issues
New Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have poor voting records on environmental issues compared to the Democrats they are replacing, according to SolveClimate. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) scored a 91 out of 100 for her lifetime green voting record, according to a scale established by the League of Conservation Voters. Republican John Boehner, who scores 2 out of 100, will replace her as the new speaker. Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, scores 91 while his Republican replacement scores 39.
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