Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Investigating the suspicious death of a lesbian soldier from Quincy

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I just called Kerry’s, Kennedy’s, and Delahunt’s offices to thank them and urge them to continue pushing for an investigation into this matter.  I also called Capuano’s office and urged him as my representative to support Delahunt.  Delahunt’s office was particularly grateful for my calls to them and to Capuano and wanted to know the reasons for my concern.  Given that he (along with nearly every other congressman) is eyeing a statewide Senate run at the next opportunity, I think his office would take a call from any Mass. resident.

You can find phone numbers here.

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  1. Here is what Ms. Durkin’s sister, Fiona Canavan, said:

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    Canavan said the family was wondering whether someone might have targeted Durkin because she was gay.

    “Ciara was a lesbian, and that’s bound to come out,” Canavan said. “It is possible that someone over there found that out, and, you know, maybe they were very homophobic.”

  2. or even if you are…Servicemembers Legal Defense Netowrk has suggestions on how you can help

    Dear SLDN Supporter,

    Earlier today, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network joined calls by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Congressman William Delahunt (D-MA) for a full and thorough investigation into the death of Specialist Ciara Durkin, a lesbian service member with the Massachusetts Army National Guard who was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on September 27th. Durkin was serving in Afghanistan at the time, and questions surrounding her death merit an immediate inquiry by military officials.

    It is important to note that, as of today, we have no concrete evidence suggesting Durkin’s death was a hate crime. That lack of clear information, however, is exactly why an investigation is so important.

    Please join us in calling on Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to conduct a full investigation into Specialist Durkin’s death. You can send Secretary Gates a message via the Pentagon website by clicking here.

    By all accounts, Specialist Durkin was a proud and accomplished service member who loved her time in the armed forces. She was a first-class soldier, and her family deserves first-class treatment from military leaders. An investigation is the right thing to do; anything less is a disservice to her memory and dedication to our country.

    You can learn more about Ciara, the latest news regarding calls for an investigation and how to support her family by visiting the Durkin family’s website. And if you served with her, or have information regarding her death, please contact SLDN’s legal team at (202) 328-FAIR, or by email at legal@sldn.org.

    The time to speak up and demand answers is now. SLDN will be sending our call for an investigation to the Pentagon today, and so can you.

    Join Us.

    Sincerely,
    Steve Ralls

    Click here to share the news about Ciara with a friend.

    Tell-a-friend!

    If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for SLDN Frontlines.

  3. The family has released a statement and the Globe has published a beautiful in memoriam article .

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    I am glad that the army is now appeasing the family’s wishes for an investigation, but I hope that this won’t be the last we hear about this story.  If there was a murder, it should be investigated by a Congressional commission, especially if it was a hate crime.  And if it was a hate crime, Congress should take a hard public look at army policies ad atmosphere.

    • …not smiley faces on a fence.

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      Still – where she was, fighting people who hang homosexuals in the town square, could have gotten her killed like this as well.

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      But no matter if it was an enemy or a fellow soldier, it was STILL a hate crime.

    • it is a sad and dishonerable fact the the joint chief of staff, peter pace, decided to go on record calling gay soldiers under his command immoral.  so i agree completely, there needs to be an open discussion about policies and atmosphere regarding lgbt people in the military.  same goes for women in the military.  women still get raped an brutalized by their fellow servicemen at an alarming rate, but fear and the code of stoic silence usually keep them quiet.  when your worst enemy is your fellow soldier, the system is sick and twisted.

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        • i’m a liberal, after all. đŸ™‚  and not the underlined text in the SLDN text i boxed above.

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          you, on the other hand, have called it a hate crime above.  how do you know this to be the case?

        • …it should be remembered that it took several years for the US Military to divulge at least a portion of the truth about the shooting of Pat Tilman, after having lied about it several times.

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          I wouldn’t expect anything from them any time soon.

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          But that isn’t to suggest that I am going to presume that, if the shooting was by a member of the US Military, it was a hate crime.

  4. Given that Ciara was a dual citizen of the Republic of Ireland, and the US, her family has asked for Irish help in investigating the death, including pressuring the American government to be forthcoming.  The taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland is no winner, but it helps to have a somewhat honest government going to bat for you.

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