enda

The economic crisis needs to be investigated using RICO laws used against organized crime, says Danny Schechter, author and director of Plunder: The Crime of Our Time. Wall Street made billions off mortgage fraud, and all the busts of mortgage lenders in the world won't get the real culprits. Schechter joins Laura in studio to talk about the unreported story of the economic crisis, which continues to haunt millions of Americans, and which Paul Krugman recently referred to as the third depression. "This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists." That's from the President's declaration on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride month this June. But other than pretty proclamations, what has this administration actually done to deliver on its promises of the campaign trail? Miriam Perez of Feministing.com and Cathy Renna, longtime activist and head of Renna Communications, join Laura in studio to talk about the state of things in the LGBT community: Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, marriage equality, and much more. Acclaimed women's a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock were outraged at Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070, which basically legalized racial profiling in the state.

This week in front of the White House, uniformed members of the United States Armed Services were arrested for handcuffing themselves to the fence in a call for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

On Tuesday, several the nation's top military officials, including Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, spoke out in favor of ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the Clinton-era policy that can get a lesbian or gay service person fired if their sexuality becomes known. Mullen tweeted later: ?Stand by what I said: Allowing homosexuals to serve openly is the right thing to do. Comes down to integrity.? Hoorah! But before we pat our leaders on the back for talking about integrity, can we just point out that the military is mostly a grand symbol in this debate. For many the biggest problem with the US military is not how it treats its own, but how it treats outsiders it considers "other" --Iraqis or Pakistanis for example. It's possible that unteaching machismo within could improve the institution's respect for the human rights of all. But -- I hate to mention it -- eliminating Don't Ask Don't Tell will not create full equality in the USA. Workplaces around this country in a world of different professions and places are dangerous places for LGBT people. Willing and able workers they can be fired for who they are. The National Gay And Lesbian Task Force, which is about to hold its annual Creating Change conference in Texas this weekend, points out that it's still legal in 29 states to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. In 38 states, people can be fired for being transgender -- not fitting in to gender stereotypes. Where's our integrity as a nation that claims to be founded on the principles of Every Person Is Created Equal? The President's push to hold hearings on Don't Ask Don't Tell is a step up from not talking about it at all. But a year of hearings on the military, past present and future? What we need is an inclusive employment non-discrimination act that applies to ALL jobs, and all people -- not just the military -- and we need it now. The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv.