(SANTA BARBARA) -The Military Times has chosen a book criticizing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as one of its sixteen best military books of the decade. The book, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, by Dr. Nathaniel Frank, a senior research fellow at UC Santa Barbara’s Palm Center, was selected this week by the paper's lead book reviewer, J. Ford Huffman, for inclusion in a list of books that "excel in writing and reporting, that invite re-reading, that evoke emotion and offer enlightenment."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) launched a national campaign to draw attention to the opportunity President Obama has before him now to uphold his campaign promise to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” SLDN is pushing for the President to repeal the archaic 1993 law in his annual defense budget currently being drafted.

Soon we expect the Military Times newspaper to release its latest survey on gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military. This online survey is wildly unscientific, self-selective, and not representative of the military as a whole. Instead, it reflects the views of the paper’s subscribers — and nothing more. In this age of never-ending news cycles and the rush to find and publish content, let’s remember the limitations of an online survey e-mailed to a publication’s readers. Our full memorandum on the polling methodology of the Military Times can be seen here: http://ow.ly/Tl9J.

The holidays make me fat. It’s either that, or just my survival instincts preparing for the cold by packing on some extra insulation. But you can’t argue that it’s just fun to be with friends, share a glass of wine, some chocolate, and a few laughs. I treasure the holiday traditions with my family and friends, and feel an even stronger bond with my old Army buddies.