US House approves annual military spending blueprint: "The US House of Representatives on Friday gave its final approval to a vast annual defense spending blueprint that includes a historic plan for letting gays serve openly in the military.
Lawmakers voted 229-186 to pass the legislation, a sweeping measure that lays out how to spend about 760 billion dollars that must be allocated in a separate appropriations bill.
The blueprint lays out a roadmap for the Pentagon to end restrictions that force gays to keep quiet about their sexual orientation or face dismissal, contingent on a review due December 1 of its likely impact on current troops."
