Thread: Don't Ask Don't Tell is finally going to end

In the first Congressional hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 17 years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will go before Congress Tuesday to unveil plans for repealing the military's long-standing law that "led to the discharge of more than 13,000 gay men and lesbians" from the armed forces.



President Obama has long been in favor of overturning the law but shied away from the issue during his first year in office because of his focus on health care and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year, though, repealing the law will be his priority.



A repeal would require an act of Congress and take some time, but "gay rights leaders say they expect Mr. Gates to announce in the interim that the Defense Department will not take action to discharge service members whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties or jilted partners."



Gates told Obama last year that "it was no longer a question of if the ban would be repealed, but when," according to the NY Times. It looks as if now is when.





This has been one of the most ridiculous policies ever implemented, largely to appease homophobes. It's the only federal law that requires a person to be fired because of their sexual orientation.

What is it about someone's sexuality that makes them unable to serve their country? It doesn't matter is someone's straight as long as they can shoot straight.

Instead of leading the modern world, the U-S is joining the modern world, where most countries already include gays in their military units, and no one gives s damn about sexuality.

There are still those with their undies in a bunch, and it's hard to believe they have any compelling reasoning other than a fear or loathing of homosexuality. In a withering Weekly Standard feature, William Kristol accuses President Obama of foolishly tampering with a revered American institution because of some "sincerely held if abstractly formed views" about right and wrong. He argues that it would be "reckless" to force the military through a "major sociological change" in the midst of two wars, especially considering that "there is no basic right to serve in the military."

And he asserts that a DADT repeal "isn't a change an appreciable number of Americans are clamoring for." That seems rather odd in the face of a Washington Post editorial claiming that 69 percent of Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, would support a repeal.

"Surely," writes Kristol, "there are more pressing and important matters for our political and military leaders to be spending their time on."

If this is hardly a pressing issue, why is the law still in effect? Why even waste time debating the matter? At least he realizes that sexual orientation isn't a pressing and important matter. All the more reason to dump it, which Messers Gates and Mullins are effectively doing by saying essentially, "We care so little about sexual orientation that we aren't going to prosecute anyone for it. After all, we have more pressing and important matters to deal with."

If Congress is smart, they'll heed Kristol's sole legitimate point and not spend any more time on this policy than it takes for a vote to abolish it.



Full story

Thats great. Now the gay guys can soap each others back in the shower.

Now when the question is asked in the barracks: "So do you want top or bottom?" it will have a whole new meaning.

[quote name='TennesseeRain' date='01 February 2010 - 02:15 PM' timestamp='1265062545' post='109307']

In the first Congressional hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 17 years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will go before Congress Tuesday to unveil plans for repealing the military's long-standing law that "led to the discharge of more than 13,000 gay men and lesbians" from the armed forces.



President Obama has long been in favor of overturning the law but shied away from the issue during his first year in office because of his focus on health care and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year, though, repealing the law will be his priority.



A repeal would require an act of Congress and take some time, but "gay rights leaders say they expect Mr. Gates to announce in the interim that the Defense Department will not take action to discharge service members whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties or jilted partners."



Gates told Obama last year that "it was no longer a question of if the ban would be repealed, but when," according to the NY Times. It looks as if now is when.





This has been one of the most ridiculous policies ever implemented, largely to appease homophobes. It's the only federal law that requires a person to be fired because of their sexual orientation.

What is it about someone's sexuality that makes them unable to serve their country? It doesn't matter is someone's straight as long as they can shoot straight.

Instead of leading the modern world, the U-S is joining the modern world, where most countries already include gays in their military units, and no one gives s damn about sexuality.

There are still those with their undies in a bunch, and it's hard to believe they have any compelling reasoning other than a fear or loathing of homosexuality. In a withering Weekly Standard feature, William Kristol accuses President Obama of foolishly tampering with a revered American institution because of some "sincerely held if abstractly formed views" about right and wrong. He argues that it would be "reckless" to force the military through a "major sociological change" in the midst of two wars, especially considering that "there is no basic right to serve in the military."

And he asserts that a DADT repeal "isn't a change an appreciable number of Americans are clamoring for." That seems rather odd in the face of a Washington Post editorial claiming that 69 percent of Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, would support a repeal.

"Surely," writes Kristol, "there are more pressing and important matters for our political and military leaders to be spending their time on."

If this is hardly a pressing issue, why is the law still in effect? Why even waste time debating the matter? At least he realizes that sexual orientation isn't a pressing and important matter. All the more reason to dump it, which Messers Gates and Mullins are effectively doing by saying essentially, "We care so little about sexual orientation that we aren't going to prosecute anyone for it. After all, we have more pressing and important matters to deal with."

If Congress is smart, they'll heed Kristol's sole legitimate point and not spend any more time on this policy than it takes for a vote to abolish it.



Full story

[/quote]

I don't think it's a ridiculous policy. Let's call it a stepping stone. It is definitely an improvement over the previous outright ban. Following this, gays were able to join and prove that there is no difference in their capability, and their good service records changed public perception and enabled what will happen next.



I just don't understand why it would take so long to repeal the silly thing.

[quote name='justoneman' date='01 February 2010 - 05:20 PM' timestamp='1265062838' post='109309']

Thats great. Now the gay guys can soap each others back in the shower.

[/quote]



Yep. And think how fabulous the barracks are gonna look, too.

JOM are you in the service? I'm just curious.

[quote name='TennesseeRain' date='01 February 2010 - 02:27 PM' timestamp='1265063234' post='109318']

Yep. And think how fabulous the barracks are gonna look, too.

[/quote]

lmao

[quote name='gabebrooks' date='01 February 2010 - 05:27 PM' timestamp='1265063233' post='109317']

I don't think it's a ridiculous policy. Let's call it a stepping stone. It is definitely an improvement over the previous outright ban. Following this, gays were able to join and prove that there is no difference in their capability, and their good service records changed public perception and enabled what will happen next.



I just don't understand why it would take so long to repeal the silly thing.

[/quote]

It's ridiculous from the get go and was abused. Many people were let go with little or no proof of the accusation. And then there is the poster child for everything that is wrong with DADT, Dan Choi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Choi



Do you think the military can really afford to discharge the precious Arabic translators because of sexual preference? It's awful and needs to go sooner rather than later.

[quote name='TennesseeRain' date='01 February 2010 - 04:15 PM' timestamp='1265062545' post='109307']

In the first Congressional hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 17 years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will go before Congress Tuesday to unveil plans for repealing the military's long-standing law that "led to the discharge of more than 13,000 gay men and lesbians" from the armed forces.



President Obama has long been in favor of overturning the law but shied away from the issue during his first year in office because of his focus on health care and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year, though, repealing the law will be his priority.



A repeal would require an act of Congress and take some time, but "gay rights leaders say they expect Mr. Gates to announce in the interim that the Defense Department will not take action to discharge service members whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties or jilted partners."



Gates told Obama last year that "it was no longer a question of if the ban would be repealed, but when," according to the NY Times. It looks as if now is when.





This has been one of the most ridiculous policies ever implemented, largely to appease homophobes. It's the only federal law that requires a person to be fired because of their sexual orientation.

What is it about someone's sexuality that makes them unable to serve their country? It doesn't matter is someone's straight as long as they can shoot straight.

Instead of leading the modern world, the U-S is joining the modern world, where most countries already include gays in their military units, and no one gives s damn about sexuality.

There are still those with their undies in a bunch, and it's hard to believe they have any compelling reasoning other than a fear or loathing of homosexuality. In a withering Weekly Standard feature, William Kristol accuses President Obama of foolishly tampering with a revered American institution because of some "sincerely held if abstractly formed views" about right and wrong. He argues that it would be "reckless" to force the military through a "major sociological change" in the midst of two wars, especially considering that "there is no basic right to serve in the military."

And he asserts that a DADT repeal "isn't a change an appreciable number of Americans are clamoring for." That seems rather odd in the face of a Washington Post editorial claiming that 69 percent of Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, would support a repeal.

"Surely," writes Kristol, "there are more pressing and important matters for our political and military leaders to be spending their time on."

If this is hardly a pressing issue, why is the law still in effect? Why even waste time debating the matter? At least he realizes that sexual orientation isn't a pressing and important matter. All the more reason to dump it, which Messers Gates and Mullins are effectively doing by saying essentially, "We care so little about sexual orientation that we aren't going to prosecute anyone for it. After all, we have more pressing and important matters to deal with."

If Congress is smart, they'll heed Kristol's sole legitimate point and not spend any more time on this policy than it takes for a vote to abolish it.



Full story

[/quote]





About damn time!