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For Immediate Release
February, 24 2010, 09:10am EDT
Contact:
Jess Levin (202) 772-8162
jlevin@mediamatters.org
Don't Lie, Don't Misinform
Media Matters joins organizations, activists to demand honest coverage of DADT
WASHINGTON
Today, after Media Matters for America released a comprehensive review of the myths and
falsehoods media
conservatives have pushed in their efforts to prevent a repeal of the Don't
Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law, a coalition of leading organizations and activists
joined together to issue an open letter to the news media demanding that
reports on DADT remain accurate and fair.
Media Matters' President Eric Burns joins
AMERICAblog's John Aravosis, Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs, GLAAD's Jarrett T.
Barrios, Human Rights Campaign's Joe Solmonese, Knights Out's Becky Kanis,
National Center for Lesbian Rights' Kate Kendall, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Rea Carey, National
Security Network's Heather Hurlburt, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's Aubrey Sarvis,
Servicemembers United's Alex Nicholson, Truman National Security Project's Rachel Kleinfeld,
VoteVets' Jon Soltz, and Lt. Dan Choi, US Army Infantry Officer
and Arabic Linguist in signing on to the following letter:
Interested Parties:
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has announced he will be the
chief sponsor of legislation to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law. The
proposed repeal signifies a crucial step forward in the long-overdue process of
allowing gay men and lesbians to serve honestly and proudly in the United States
armed services.Since its inception, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law has
resulted in the firing of at least 13,500 servicemembers and has reportedly
cost the military an estimated $555.2 million. Allowing gay men and lesbians to
serve openly has proven successful for many of our closest allies and enjoys
broad support in the United
States among the public and top military
leaders alike, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman
Adm. Mike Mullen, and former Joint Chiefs Chairmen Gen. Colin Powell and Gen. John Shalikashvili.Don't Ask, Don't Tell proponents too often paint a
distorted picture of what a repeal would mean. Today, Media Matters for America released a comprehensive review
detailing how opinion pages and cable news talk shows have been flooded with
falsehoods and anti-gay rhetoric to support the dubious argument that Don't
Ask, Don't Tell is working.Myths
that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell would adversely affect unit cohesion,
retention, or the HIV rate among servicemembers are not based in reality.
Similarly, the anti-gay rhetoric permeating many of these arguments only serves
to cheapen the national discussion on this important issue.Because news outlets continue to repeat these
outrageous myths, a
coalition of organizations is banding together to combat misinformation about
the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law. As Congress moves forward on this legislation,
we will be vigilant in ensuring that news reports are accurate and fair. The
public deserves an honest debate -- not one marred by blatant falsehoods and
anti-gay attacks.Signed,
AMERICAblog
John Aravosis, Editor
Lt. Dan
ChoiUS Army Infantry Officer and Arabic Linguist, West
Point Graduate, Openly Gay and still servingCourage
CampaignRick Jacobs, Founder & Chairman
Gay
& Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD)Jarrett T. Barrios, President
Human
Rights CampaignJoe Solmonese, President
Knights
Out: West Point LGBT GradsBecky Kanis, Chair
Media Matters for America
Eric Burns, President
National Center For Lesbian Rights
Kate Kendell, Executive Director
National
Gay and Lesbian Task ForceRea Carey, Executive Director
National
Security NetworkHeather Hurlburt, Executive Director
Servicemembers
Legal Defense NetworkAubrey Sarvis, Executive Director
Servicemembers
UnitedAlexander Nicholson, Executive Director
Truman
National Security ProjectRachel Kleinfeld, CEO & President
VoteVets
Jon Soltz, Co-Founder & Chairman
BACKGROUND
Media Matters'
review of myths and falsehoods about DADT include:
MYTH: Don't Ask, Don't Tell
is working
REALITY: Over
13,500 service members reportedly fired under law, including decorated officers
and those in "critical occupations."
MYTH: Repeal would undermine
morale and unit cohesion
REALITY: Unit
cohesion argument "not supported by any scientific studies."
MYTH: Military experts oppose
the repeal of DADT
REALITY: More than 100
retired generals and admirals have called for DADT's repeal.
MYTH: The public does not
support repeal of DADT
REALITY: Numerous
polls find broad support for gay men and lesbians serving openly in the
military
MYTH: Right-wing attacks on
DADT repeal are not anti-gay
REALITY: Prominent
right-wing figures opposing repeal have a history of anti-gay rhetoric.
MYTH: DADT repeal would
adversely affect retention
REALITY: Myth defies experiences of
several other countries that have allowed gay men and lesbians to serve openly.
MYTH: Experience of other
nations aren't relevant because "nobody counts on" their armies
REALITY: Several
nations have fought in wars after allowing gay men and lesbians to serve
openly.
MYTH: Only progressives
support the repeal of DADT
REALITY: Polls show
support for repeal of DADT among many Republicans, conservatives.
MYTH: DADT repeal would
expose servicemembers to greater HIV risk
REALITY: Military
regulations and procedures already exist to prevent the spread of HIV.
To read the entire review, please see: https://mediamatters.org/research/201002240012
Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.
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Pope Leo to Iran War Architects: 'Cease Fire'
"Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for,” the pope said during a prayer.
Mar 15, 2026
Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire in the Middle East on Sunday, in his most direct appeal for peace since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28.
While the pope did not mention either US President Donald Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, he directly addressed those driving hostilities.
“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict,” Leo said, according to The Associated Press. “Cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for.”
The remarks came following his recital of the Angelus Prayer from the Vatican at 12:00 pm local time.
“Some claim to involve the name of God in these deadly decisions, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness."
"The people of the Middle East for two weeks have been suffering the atrocious violence of war," he began.
He continued: “Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and many others have been forced to abandon their homes. I renew my prayerful closeness to all those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks that have struck schools, hospitals, and residential areas."
According to AP, the mentioned school strike likely referred to the US bombing of an elementary school in Minab, Iran on the first day of the war, which killed at least 175 people, the majority of whom were children.
Pope Leo also repeated concerns about the situation in Lebanon, and called for "paths of dialogue that can support the country’s authorities in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway."
Israeli attacks on that country have forced about 1 million people to abandon their homes and killed more than 800, The Guardian reported.
The pope's remarks came two days after a Israeli strikes killed 12 healthcare workers at the primary healthcare facility in Burj Qalaouiyah, Lebanon, an attack that the country's health ministry said "violated all international humanitarian laws.”
Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement Saturday: "WHO condemns this tragic loss of life and emphasizes that health workers must always be protected. According to international humanitarian law, medical personnel and facilities should never be attacked or militarized."
He continued: "The intensification of conflict in Lebanon and the broader Middle East increases the likelihood of such tragedies. Urgent action is required to de-escalate the crisis and protect the health of people throughout the region."
In Iran, meanwhile, US and Israeli attacks on the city of Isfahan killed at least 15 people Sunday morning, and the total death toll for the country is around 1,400, according to Al Jazeera.
Following his remarks during the Angelus Prayer, Pope Leo also addressed the war while conducting a pastoral visit to a suburb of Rome.
“Currently, many of our brothers and sisters in the world are suffering from violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems and differences can be resolved through war,” he said, as Agence France-Presse reported.
He also criticized those who use religion to justify violence: “Some claim to involve the name of God in these deadly decisions, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness. It is peace that those who invoke him must seek.”
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The Israeli Defense Forces killed a Palestinian couple and two of their children in the West Bank on Sunday, on one of the deadliest days for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank in weeks.
The soldiers opened fire on a car in the village of Tammun in which 37-year-old Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, his 35-year-old wife Waad, and their four sons Mohammad, Othman, Mustafa, and Khaled were traveling. Odeh, Waad, 5-year-old Mohammad, and 7-year-old Othman were shot in the head and died, leaving behind two injured children.
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The soldiers also beat his other surviving brother, according to Al Jazeera.
The Israeli military said that it had been operating in Tammun to make arrests on "terrorist" charges and that soldiers had fired on a vehicle when it accelerated toward them, according to Reuters. It said it was reviewing the incident.
Al Jazeera journalist Nida Ibrahim said that the family had been totally shocked by the shooting.
“The extended family says the father and the mother did not know that Israeli forces were there as they were in a Palestinian car,” she said.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killing on social media as a "terrifying arbitrary execution crime that targeted an entire Palestinian family inside their vehicle."
The Israeli soldiers also prevented Red Crescent workers from reaching the family, the ministry said, leading to the families' "deliberate and cold-blooded execution."
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In a statement issued on social media, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) also blamed the deaths on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, which has been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice.
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Also on Sunday, Israeli settlers killed a Palestinian man in Nablus Governorate, making him the sixth man killed by settlers since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. Movement restrictions imposed due the war have emboldened setters to attack, knowing that ambulances will be delayed in reaching their victims, human rights advocates and healthcare workers told Reuters.
In total, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed 25 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, PCHR said.
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The government has largely won its first case bringing material-support-for-terrorism charges against protesters alleged to belong to "antifa," which President Donald Trump designated as a domestic terror group in 2025 despite the fact that no such organized group exists and the president has no legal authority to designate organizations as domestic terror groups.
A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas agreed on Friday to convict eight people of domestic terrorism because they wore all black to a protest outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas on July 4, 2025, at which one of the protesters shot and wounded a police officer. Legal experts say the verdict could bolster attempts by the administration to stifle dissent.
"A case like this helps the government kind of see how far they can go in criminalizing constitutionally protected protests and also helps them kind of intimidate, increase the fear, hoping that folks in other cities then will think twice over protesting,” Suzanne Adely, interim president of the National Lawyers Guild, told The Associated Press.
The administration promised it would be the first such case of many.
"The US lost today with this verdict."
“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities—not under President Trump,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Friday. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”
The trial revolved around a nighttime protest at which participants planned to set off fireworks in solidarity with the around 1,000 migrants detained inside the Prarieland ICE facility. Some participants brought guns, which is legal in Texas, as The Intercept reported.
Sam Levine explained in The Guardian what happened next:
Shortly after arriving at the facility, two or three of the protesters broke away from the larger group and began spray painting cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed the tires on a government van, and broke a security camera. Two ICE detention guards came out and told the protesters to stop. A police officer arrived on the scene shortly after and drew his weapon at one of the people allegedly doing vandalism. One of the protesters was standing in the woods with an AR-15 and hit him in the shoulder. The officer would survive.
At first, the federal government charged those arrested after the event with "attempted murder of a police officer," according to NOTUS.
However, that changed after Trump's designation of antifa as a terror group in September and the release of National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), which directs federal law enforcement to target left-leaning groups and activities. The next month, the government's case expanded to include terrorism charges.
“This wouldn’t be a terrorism case if it weren’t for that memo,” one defense lawyer told NOTUS on background.
The prosecution argued that the fact that the protesters wore black clothes to the protest was enough to convict them of material support for terrorism.
“Providing your body as camouflage for others to do the enumerated acts is providing support,” Assistant US Attorney Shawn Smith said during closing arguments, as The Intercept reported on Thursday. “It’s impossible to tell who is doing what. That’s the point.”
The defense, meanwhile, warned the jury about the free speech implications of the charge.
“The government is asking you to put protesters in prison as terrorists. You are the only people who can stop that,” Blake Burns, an attorney for defendant Elizabeth Soto, said, according to The Guardian.
"When the villain is a made-up boogeyman then the target becomes 'anyone who disagrees with Trump'—and this is the result."
Ultimately, the jury decided to convict eight defendants of material support for terrorism as well as riot, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and use and carry of an explosive. However, they dismissed attempts by the state to argue that the protest constituted a pre-planned ambush and charge four people who had not shot at the police officer with attempted murder and discharging a firearm during a crime. Only Benjamin Song, the alleged shooter, was charged with one count of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm.
The jury also convicted a ninth defendant, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, of conspiracy to conceal documents. Sanchez Estrada, who was not at the protest, had simply moved a box of zines out of his wife's home after she was arrested for the protest, according to The Intercept.
"The US lost today with this verdict,” Sanchez Estrada’s attorney, Christopher Weinbel, said, as AP reported.
Support the Prarieland Defendants said in a statement, "Everything about this trial from beginning to end has proven what we have said all along: This is a sham trial, built on political persecution and ideological attacks coming from the top."
However, the group commended the solidarity that had sprung up among the defendants and their allies and vowed to continue to support them.
"We have a long journey ahead of us to continue fighting these charges along with the state level charges," they said. "What happens here sets the tone for what’s to come. We are here and we won’t give up."
Outside observers warned about the implication for the right to protest under Trump.
"Remember all the people who dismissed the alarm over NSPM-7 because 'ANTIFA isn't even a real organization'? We told you that didn't matter. When the villain is a made-up boogeyman then the target becomes 'anyone who disagrees with Trump'—and this is the result," said Cory Archibald, the co-founder of Track AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee].
Content creator Austin MacNamara said: "The Prairieland trial was given almost zero media coverage because of the blatant lies by DHS [Department of Homeland Security] and Police. This verdict now sets a precedent for criminalization of dissent across the board. Noise demos, Black-Bloc, pamphlets/zines/red cards, all of this can be used to imprison you."
Academic Nathan Goodman wrote that convicting people of terrorism based on clothing was a "serious threat to the First Amendment."
The verdict gives new poignancy to what defendant Meagan Morris told NOTUS ahead of the jury's decision: “If we win, I think it shows that Trump’s mandate is not working, that the people understand that you can’t criminalize, you know, First and Second Amendment-protected activities. And I think if we lose, then… a lot of the country is OK with what’s going on. And it will be a much darker time, it’ll just signify a much increased crackdown on political opposition and free speech."
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