LNeil,

I have some troubling news about Don't Ask, Don't Tell activist Lt. Dan Choi.

Dan currently faces up to 6 months in prison for protesting DADT in front of the White House. He will be the first person in nearly a century to be put on trial over an arcane law written for and last used to silence important women suffragists. But apparently that wasn't enough for the Obama administration to vent their frustration with him.

Collection agencies are now demanding Dan pay over $3,000 to the Department of Defense to "make up" for the portion of his enlistment he did not serve after he was thrown out of the Army for disclosing his sexual orientation. That includes seizing his veterans disability checks that he depends on to treat his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his service in the Iraq War.

Firedoglake is standing with Dan to demand the White House and Department of Defense end their vindictive campaign against him. Sign our petition and we'll deliver your signature to the court in Dan's defense.

Stand with Don't Ask, Don't Tell activist Lt. Dan Choi and oppose the White House and Department of Defense's attempts to punish him. We'll deliver your signatures to the court when Dan goes to trial later this month.

Stand with Lt. Dan Choi: http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/dan-choi

Dan has been the target of what seems to be an organized campaign by the White House and Department of Defense to punish him for his outspoken actions against Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

President Obama's use of an exceptionally harsh, obscure federal law from the early 1900's to lock Dan away for up to 6 months is absurd enough. But the fact that Dan is now being threatened with the loss of his disability benefits raises the stakes significantly.

Dan suffers from PTSD from his honorable service in the Iraq War, and attacking his benefits for political retribution is not only irresponsible, but puts his health and well-being at risk.

Dan has honorably served our country, taken a bold stand against discrimination and faced exceptional risk for both-- and as such, he deserves our support. Firedoglake will be there to support him in the coming weeks, including a conference call with activists to speak directly with Dan and his attorney about the case and what we can all do to help.

Sign on to our campaign to stand with Don't Ask, Don't Tell activist Lt. Dan Choi and oppose the White House and Military's campaign to silence and intimidate him. We'll deliver signatures to the court when Dan goes to trial.

Both the White House and the Military have abused and ostracized the LGBT movement enough. It's time to stand with Dan and expose their attempts to punish dissidents.

Deepest thanks,

Brian Sonenstein
Digital Strategy Director
Firedoglake.com

PS: To learn more about the White House's campaign of persecution against Lt. Dan Choi, click here to read our Founder Jane Hamsher's article at Firedoglake.com.

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