Lt. Dan Choi has been an active and outspoken gay-rights activist. Image from Flickr.

Just outside the White House today, openly gay Iraq veteran Lt. Dan Choi and others were arrested while marching to the White House after a Human Rights Campaign rally. No word yet if group members will be getting quick loans to bail out Lt. Dan Choi or the other arrested individuals. The group was marching on the White House in support of repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that discharges openly gay men and women from the military.

Lt. Dan Choi arrested

Lt. Dan Choi was arrested earlier today by the United States Park Police, and he and Jim Pietrangelo were charged with failure to obey a lawful order. Both Lt. Choi and Pietrangelo are scheduled to appear in the D.C. Superior court tomorrow. Both Lt. Dan Choi and Jim Pietrangelo are openly gay. Pietrangelo has been discharged from the military under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; Lt. Choi’s discharge is “pending.”

Lt. Dan Choi has been outspoken against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Lt. Dan Choi originally revealed his sexual orientation on “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Soon after that show, he received a discharge letter from the U.S. Military. His open letter to the President and Congress made international headlines. Since then, Lt. Dan Choi was one of the founding members of Knights Out, an organization of West Point alumni who support LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) members of the military being able to serve openly. Lt. Choi has also spoken at numerous gay rights events.

The history of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The policy that Lt. Dan Choi and other protesters were marching against today is referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Officially federal law Pub.L. 103-160, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell prevents any openly gay person from serving in the U.S. military while allowing closeted LGBT individuals to continue serving.

The current military loans several hundred gay servicemen and servicewomen time to complete their service, as long as they do not reveal their sexual orientation. As the New York Times reported earlier this month, a bill has been presented in Congress that would repeal this policy and allow openly gay members of the military to continue serving their country. The U.S. Military is currently conducting a review in conjunction with congressional hearings on the issue.

Lt. Dan Choi’s arrest started at a Human Rights Campaign rally

The march that Lt. Dan Choi led to the White House today was not pre-planned. According to The Advocate, Choi reportedly crashed a Human Rights Campaign rally and asked attendees to march with him to the White House. The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese, did not join in the march. The HRC did release a statement about Lt. Dan Choi’s arrest:

“Today more than 1,000 people showed up at a rally — 500 of which signed up to become more involved in the fight to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ Joe Solmonese along with (gay Iraq war veteran) Eric Alva and others felt it was important to stay and engage those at the rally in ways they can continue building the pressure needed for repeal. This does nothing to diminish the actions taken by Lt. Choi and others. This is the nature of social change and everyone has a role to play.”

See video of the protest where Lt. Dan Choi was arrested

How do you just get in there? (Photo via Ncindc, Flickr.com)

Tareq Salahi is a wealthy vintner based out of Virginia. He and his wife, Michaele Salahi, are capturing headlines, accused of crashing a White House State Dinner on Nov. 24, where Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was guest of honor. This shocking allegation has earned the duo a new nickname: The White House Party Crashers.

They not only crashed the President’s first State Dinner, but they actually got to shake hands with the President of the United States himself! Surely, there are those who are more than willing to secure installment loans to see the president, but to steal your way in the White House is definitely another story. The couple was even seen posing in photos with Vice President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel to name a few.

Where Was the Secret Service?

This incident has brought up questions and concern about the safety of President Obama, the nation’s first black president. How did the couple manage to slip past multiple layers of high-level White House security? The Secret Service is solely and utterly responsible for the security of the White House and the president, as well as visiting powerful world leaders like the prime minister of India. There should be no room for slip-ups and casualness, especially when we’re talking about the nation’s Commander in Chief.

The ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, Representative Peter T. King, has called for a Congressional investigation. “I am calling for a full investigation of how this shocking breach of security was allowed to happen,” says King. “And what is being done to make sure that it never happens again.”

Tareq and Michaele Salahi’s Today Show Interview

Tareq and Michaele Salahi appeared in a recent interview on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. In the interview, Matt notes that the couple also appeared at another big event – the Congressional Black Caucus Dinner – in late-September which they reportedly were not invited to attend. Installment loans or not, who in their right minds would do something like that? According to several sources, the couple was escorted out of that function. Tareq appeared shocked when Matt detailed the allegation, calling it just “another gossip rumor.”

When asked whether or not they were actually invited to the State Dinner, the Salahis provided a very blurred response. “Well, we were invited. Not crashers,” said Michaele. “And there isn’t anyone that would have the audacity or the poor behavior to do that. The White House, it is the most, it is ‘the’ house and no one would do that, and certainly not us.”

When Matt asked who specifically invited the couple to the State Dinner, he was given a somewhat irrelevant answer, leaving many of us dumbfounded and hungrier than ever for a more detailed explanation.

“Matt, one of the things that we’re doing is we’re working closely with the Secret Service and their internal investigation,” said Tareq. “And we’re respecting their timeline and we’re working on their timeline. We want to get through that process. We’ve been very candid with them. We’ve turned over documentation to them and will continue to work with the US Secret Service completely all the way through this process.”

Whether or not the allegations are true, it’s clearly obvious the two-of-a-kind Salahis are not ready to tell it all. I’ll bet several installment loans on that.

The Sahalis’ History of Controversies

Aside from the White House gateway ‘intrusion’, Tareq and Michaele Salahi have been involved in several controversies over the years. The couple was accused of creating a bogus charity called ‘Journey for the Cure.’ According to a statement made by Virginia State Attorney General Bill Mims, the Salahis’ charitable organization was not registered with the State Corporation Commission. Contributors were warned that the State “could not be assured that funds were being spent for charitable purposes.”

According to Wikipedia, the Salahis are reported to be involved in as many as 15 civil suits, many of which derived from thousands and thousands of dollars owed to several catering services. Michaele Salahi, on the other hand, is rumored to be one of the featured housewives on Bravo’s upcoming “The Real Housewives of D.C.” Several sources have reported that the cable channel has been closely following and filming the couple. According to the New York Times, the channel has confirmed that Michaele Salahi was being seriously considered for the upcoming series. Hmmmm….

Possible Criminal Charges

In terms of money, Tareq and Michaele Salahi make enough money to last several lifetimes. Then again, anything can happen that could leave any confident individual in need of installment loans. Fortunately, the Salahis (or the White House Party Crashers if you prefer) can always apply for installment loans in case criminal charges cuts deep in their pockets.

Related Video:

Matt Lauer Interviews Tareq and Michaele Salahi