PFLAG found out rightwing whackadoos at the Michigan based Center for Military Readiness calling together Veteran Service Organizations to turn around the effort to repeal the military's onerous Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

At the center of the controversy is a no nothing jackass by the name of Elaine Donnelly, the President of the CMR. Donnelly has never held public office, nor has she ever served in the military. The front page of the CMR asks if civilians should be allowed to wave 'rainbow flags to make policy for our military' - yet how can a person who is ALSO a civilian ask to make policy?

It should also be pointed out that the CMR's other research projects coalesce around women in the military (don't send women to combat) rape and sex scandals in the military (don't investigate allegations). The policies of the CMR are largely radical, right wing and unpopular even in the mainstream Republican party.

Today's Secret Meeting is an attempt to counter the overwhelming polls that say that servicemen and women are comfortable and more than ready to serve with gay and lesbian colleagues.

Steve Ralls wrote yesterday in the Huffington Post: "Thursday's briefing in Washington is a last-minute, last-ditch effort by Donnelly to try and curry some small measure of influence on Capitol Hill.

To do so, she is likely to give VSO leaders misinformation, as she has done with the press and the public, in order to mislead them on the issue and attempt to win them over to her side. As polls of military personnel show that young service members and veterans are overwhelmingly comfortable and ready to serve with gay colleagues, she is attempting to reach out to the older, more conservative VSO membership to try and rally support for her cause."