Pentagon may ease ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials are expected to announce today that they will significantly relax enforcement of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, according to sources inside and outside the military who have been briefed on the plan.Resist the temptation to be stupid. Please. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an abysmally stupid policy. Opposing its repeal simply because Unicorn Boy proposes it is going to win you nothing and lose you quite a bit - we've watched as, in the middle of the "War" on Terror, you've let valuable Arabic linguists go under DADT. If troops can't handle the gay cooties, then perhaps the problem lies not with the homosexual soldiers, but the homophobic ones.
The move, independent of Congress, comes a week after President Obama called on lawmakers to repeal the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ law.
Just, please, for once, stay away from the ZOMG TEH GAYS crap, please. General Noodlenipper's not using the US Armed Forces as a secret recruiting ground for the unholy gay army, honest. I'm not saying embrace the policy - you're not going to win over anyone who supports the repeal of DADT no matter what you do - just keep your friggin' pieholes shut. Put a muzzle on Robertson. Send Huckabee on a vacation. As much as it pains me to say, keep Jindal the hell away from TV cameras for the next couple of weeks.
The only way the right could shoot themselves in the feet faster than opposing this would be to tie it to a flag-burning amendment...
That is all.
UPDATE: ASM826 puts a personal side to the DADT fiasco.
16 comments:
Yep. I just noted that with don't-ask-don't-tell and our current laws, that two Marines having a smoke on a loading dock, exchanging small talk, the question: "Are you Married?" is technically prohibitive speech given the growing numbers of states where same-sex marriage is legal, or simply recognized.
I'm not holding my Breath on Barry doing the right thing. This far into the game I don't think our president could do the right thing if it landed on his lap and started beating him about the head and neck!
"secret recruiting ground for the unholy gay army".
I lol'd at work.
Good post, Jay. It always pays to come down on the side of personal freedom. I was more wordy, but I had a personal story to tell. http://randomactsofpatriotism.blogspot.com/2010/02/psst-heres-secret.html
That deserves more than a note in comments. Post updated.
Thank you for sharing that.
Here's another face to put on the fiasco that is DADT. A reader posted this story on the Roanoke Times Editorial Blog back in July:
"While aboard ship, I (an officer) saw one of our best NCOs sitting alone on the mess decks by herself. She looked way south of depressed, so I sat down next to her. After normal chitchat, I asked her what had her so down. Using indirect but obvious terms, she indicated to me that she was a lesbian. She had been without a partner for 9 years because she put her service first. For weeks I had been encouraging her to finish her requirements for promotion, but she confided in me that she didn't know if she could handle the loneliness that another 5 year re-up to get the promotion would bring.
It was heartwrenching. Here was a woman who has been to the Sandbox twice, superior NCO quality, the kind of enlisted every officer dreams of having at their back, highly decorated (5 tier rack) 18 year veteran, liked by everyone in the crew, having to decide whether to leave in the hopes of finding the love of her life, or stay knowing there will never be anyone waiting with a kiss and roses on the pier for her return. That woman's discipline and dedication to service leaves me in awe. And yet my heart cries out for her or anyone to never have to make this decision again."
Gays in the military sacrifice more than most people in the military, because of DADT.
I've already seen articles calling it a "process that will take several years." I fully expect that Obama will let the issue sit until he's up for re-election, and use it to his advantage then - and then avoid actually doing anything positive, if he can, so that he can use the issue later if he needs to.
Jay, I let the cat out of the bag for everyone on this issue a couple of days ago.
THERE ARE GAYS ALREADY SERVING HONORABLY IN THE MILITARY!
Sure Pat and Huck will tell me I'm going to hell for bringing it up, but they already think I am because I'm Mormon, so why not have a backup plan (just in case the Mormon thing isn't good enough to get me a visit with Mephistopheles).
One other thing that I forgot...
This is the GOP that we are talking about. Never underestimate their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Weer'd, we'll see if you are wrong on Obama this time, it does a appear that "the right thing to do has landed in his lap and his beating him about the head and neck!"
I think DADT is crap, too. I think it should be changed, and I believe it will.
My only caveat:
The policy should not be changed because I think it should. It shouldn't be changed because you think it should. It shouldn't be changed because of a public opnion poll. It shouldn't be changed because President Obama desperately needs a *win*.
The armed forces responsible for protecting our country are not a social petri-dish where we should experiment lightly. I hope they actually make an intelligent study of the issue, and then make changes based on real research so that the difficulties of transition (if there are any) are minimized.
Again - I'm not in favor of continuing DADT. I just want policy changes to be made in a rational manner for a change. We've all seen what kind of results we get when people start out with their minds pre-made up about a course of action -
DADT is pointless and stupid.
Gays should be treated like anyone else, and punished accordingly if they get out of line.
End of story.
I could honestly give a shit if they guy next to me packs fudge, as it has JACK SHIT to do with watching my back in a firefight.
He just needs to do his job, and I'll do mine.
But as usual, the Right will likely grab this as a pet cause in place of a real cause...
Hoooo Boy...this is gonna rub folks so wrong...
I was a military man...honorable discharge from the Navy. I can tell you that yes, there are gays in the military.
That being said, we should leave DADT in place. Reason is, there may be up to 10% of the military who are gay. Then there are about 20% of the straight men/women who don't care.
The other 70% DO care who is at their back. Its those 70% that we cannot afford to lose, because they decide that they don't wish to serve in a military that allows openly gay men/women.
Gents/Ladies...being in the military is all about TRUST...unwavering, unequivicable trust. If I, as someone who isn't gay have any doubts about the gay guy next to me doing *his* job, then we're both as good as dead. Period. Discussion over.
No, I'm not gay-bashing here. I'm simply pointing out that from a societal point-of-view, the rank and file in the military are NOT ready to have openly gay folk serve. You all can rant about how stupid that mindset is, but its a fact.
When society as a whole comes to accept gays openly, then yes, by all means, the military can reflect what has become the societal norm. But this country is no-where near that point yet. Sure, some of you are, but you (and myself included) are not indicative of what societal mores are currently acceptable. If society were ready, you wouldn't see states putting laws on the books to keep marriage as between a man and woman. Hell...just look at Kommiefornia, and you can see that the majority of folks there are still center-right, with a clear desire to have marriage reserved for man/woman.
So, I'm going to respectfully disagree here, and come out in favor of leaving DADT alone, until such time as its clear that every state in the Union reflects the will of the majority (and thats what it is in a Representative Republic) and said majority is ready to initiate societal change...not the brass in the military, not the CongressCritters, not the media nor the Hollyweird Elites.
Patriot
I served on a fast attack submarine from 77 to 81, and we had at least one gay sonar tech (that nobody ever had an issue with...) Ron did his thing on liberty and kept his own counsel on the boat.
I also watched two wastes of space (useless weasels) arrange to be "caught" by one guy's wife so they could get processed out for being "gay". Trond and Dave were both happier out of the Navy, and we were better off without them...
The *only* justification for keeping gays out of the military was the risk of blackmail, but that was back in the day when being outed as a gay was a social and professional death sentence... Now that there isn't any security risk there isn't any point in DNDT.
I never thought I would say this but I agree with Obama, Congress needs to repeal this policy.
Rick T MM1(SS)
I learned something a few days ago. Something about Conservative Christians, and about myself.
Linked here( http://hillbuzz.org/2010/01/19/an-open-letter-to-our-readers/ ), we have a blog written by a couple of gay dudes in Chicago. They're Democrats who've been attempting to wrest control of the DFL from the extreme leftists who've hijacked it. In response, the Radical Left is doing their best to smear their reps and destroy their careers.
This post has been swarmed by commenters--mostly CC's. And they've all been, "Stay strong! Where can we donate? How can we help? We're praying for you!" Reading those comments, I realized that I'd bought into the stereotype of the 'intolerant CC.' For all my distrust of the mass media, they snuck under my radar and it took this thread to make me realize my error.
My error is, and has been, echoed by too many in the GOP. They honestly believe that a majority of the R's are intolerant homophobes. Sorry, I don't see it. Not any more. Guys, the Queer Issue simply isn't the big deal you think it is.
Pandering to the small, vocal lunatic fringe in your party will do nothing but ensure its(and America's)continued slide into the abyss. Please don't do this.
(Ironically, the verification word is 'table.' And it's time every peaceful American had a place at it.)
Sorry as a former paratrooper I can safely say that allowing gays to serve openly will decrease the effectiveness of the military. There is no doubt in my mind at all.
AngryPatriot,
If we had followed your reasoning, we would have had a segregated military probably into the '80s. As it was, the military effectively ignored the 1948 Executive Order mandating desegregation until the Korean war forced the issue through attrition.
So, do you argue that desegregation should have waited until "the rank and file in the military" were "ready?" Should we have left military segregation in place "until such time as it [was] clear that every state in the Union reflect[ed] the will of the majority, and said majority [was] ready to initiate societal change...not the brass in the military, not the CongressCritters, not the media nor the Hollyweird Elites?"
Also, we are not a "Representative Republic", we are a Constitutional Republic. There is a significant difference.
AngryPatriot:
Sorry, gotta call Bullshit. I was in the Navy too, part of an Amphibious Assault Unit, and I was in when DADT passed. I'd say about 90% of the folks I talked to (squids & jarheads) at the time couldn't care less if teh gays were there and out. It just didn't matter.
Wish granted:
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/02/19/video-cpac-boos-speaker-for-condemning-invite-to-gay-conservative-group/
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