Obama and the End of the Military's Ban on Gays

[chefmike]

Obama and the End of the Military's Ban on Gays
John Ridley

Wouldn't that be novel; gay soldiers serving openly in the military. People willing to fight and perhaps die for freedom allowed to freely be themselves.

With Barack Obama as president it's not just possible. Thankfully, it's probable.

Out on the stump candidate Obama promised to work toward lifting the ban on gays serving openly, calling the ban is a "counterproductive strategy." A typically Obama-esque way to intellectualize what is a moral imperative: the obligation of the government to fight discrimination which, obviously, includes the institutionalization of "separate but equal."

While this will not be an easy fight -- the passage of the bigoted Prop 8 in California only demonstrates the glacial pace the acceptance of Sexual Orientation moves -- it also won't likely be a return to the belabored hearings of the Clinton presidency which produced the Bizarro World Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) non-policy of not asking what nobody's saying.

But attitudes are changing. According to a Washington Post-ABC news poll 75 percent of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly. That's as compared to only 45 percent in 1993 when Clinton made his effort.

Intentions aside, this policy reversal isn't one Obama can perform alone. That is to say, by Executive Order. As Federal law, DADT must be repealed by Congress. To that end California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher has introduced a bill to overturn the ban which has picked up nearly 150 cosponsors. And CNN reports: "More than 100 retired U.S. military leaders -- including the former head of the Naval Academy -- have signed a statement calling for an end to" DADT.

For those who believe spiking DADT is just some social do-goodery, it's much more than that. It's a matter of national security, and not merely in terms of filling the "boots" of our military. Since 1998 the US military has discharged more than 58 Arabic and Farsi translators because they were gay. As I've said previously, here we are told again and again that Americans are in a decades-long struggle to secure Western civilization which will require shared sacrifice from all, yet all are not allowed to share the fight.

And all the talk of negative effects on unit cohesion among the ranks, the ability for gays to serve effectively under pressure... Lies. And we know they are lies. They are lies because have already demonstrated distinguished service in some of the hottest spots on the planet. Just not openly so. And the bromides about lack of ability or the erosion of unit cohesion; same nasty things that were said of Black soldiers prior to President Truman signing EO 9981 which ended segregation in the military (at least as policy).

While it will not likely be Obama's priority to dismantle DADT, and honestly it should not be, I would be personally willing to take the bet that as change truly comes to America, the days of this flawed and failed policy are numbered.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/obama-and-the-end-of-the_b_145567.html

[JonnyT]

as in life, this is as it should be. time to stop the hate.

[tsntx]

um they already let queers serve openly

my x tried the whole "i love cock" routine to get out and they said "its 2008 we dont care anymore, we need EVERY soldier"

so yeah.... this is already done deal

[addicted]

Obama is a fraud and his whole hope and change rally was the biggest con job in american history. Its only fitting he wants to let gays in the military since this clown plans on increasing the already overbloated military budget.

[tsntx]

Obama is a fraud and his whole hope and change rally was the biggest con job in american history. Its only fitting he wants to let gays in the military since this clown plans on increasing the already overbloated military budget.
yeah bc mccain was so against staying in iraq

?

:idea:

[SarahG]

um they already let queers serve openly

my x tried the whole "i love cock" routine to get out and they said "its 2008 we dont care anymore, we need EVERY soldier"

so yeah.... this is already done deal

Exactly, and there is no way the ban would have been able to survive another draft anyway. If don't ask stayed around & practiced, all conscripted civilians would have to do is make out with each other before the draft board.

But they do have a rule against taking people with "modified genitals"- and on paper an orchi would be able to keep someone out. Of course if they're desperate enough, all bets are off- a forked tongue is, on paper, enough to keep someone out of the service ATM, likewise for having... I think it is more than 30%(???) of your body covered with tattoos.

[chefmike]

Sorry, but if they are so desperate to retain gays in the military then how come ridiculous shit like this continues to happen?

"For those who believe spiking DADT is just some social do-goodery, it's much more than that. It's a matter of national security, and not merely in terms of filling the "boots" of our military. Since 1998 the US military has discharged more than 58 Arabic and Farsi translators because they were gay. As I've said previously, here we are told again and again that Americans are in a decades-long struggle to secure Western civilization which will require shared sacrifice from all, yet all are not allowed to share the fight. "

[chefmike]

Obama is a fraud and his whole hope and change rally was the biggest con job in american history. Its only fitting he wants to let gays in the military since this clown plans on increasing the already overbloated military budget.

LMAO...this coming from the cretin who was recently banned as worthy2...still crying over Ron Paul and Raph Nader, worthless? Or are you being a troll because you just can't help yourself? Either way you'll end up getting banned again...and you can rest assured that I'll enjoy helping that happen even more this time, you pathetic waste of oxygen.

[addicted]

Obama is a fraud and his whole hope and change rally was the biggest con job in american history. Its only fitting he wants to let gays in the military since this clown plans on increasing the already overbloated military budget.

LMAO...this coming from the cretin who was recently banned as worthy2...still crying over Ron Paul and Raph Nader, worthless? Or are you being a troll because you just can't help yourself? Either way you'll end up getting banned again...and you can rest assured that I'll enjoy helping that happen even more this time, you pathetic waste of oxygen.

Your unconditional devotion to obama appears to have clouded your judgement. You should get your tongue out of his ass and stop it with the paranoid delusional posts.

I dont know who you are or who worthy2 is but the fact you admit you are a RAT and a common stool pigeon is nothing to be proud of.

[chefmike]

Save it you sorry sack of shit. I've been on this forum too long to suffer trolls and adolescents like yourself. You had long since worn out your welcome and I was glad to help. Braveman also recognized you as soon as you came back. You're not that smart. Actually, you're not smart at all.

[addicted]

Save it you sorry sack of shit. I've been on this forum too long to suffer trolls and adolescents like yourself. You had long since worn out your welcome and I was glad to help. Braveman also recognized you as soon as you came back. You're not that smart. Actually, you're not smart at all.

You seem obsessed with this matter as if you own this board. I think being a fan of obama is not enough for you. Instead you take it to the maximum and act like a male groupie fanatic. I knew when I was reading this board it was a good ole boy system between you and a few of your fellow klansmen. This is getting really out of hand.

[BrendaQG]

So what if the military ban on gays is lifted? That does not affect transgender people. We are considered mentally ILL and on that basis we are excluded from military service. Unlike some queens who like to portray a stereotype of femininity I would gladly go into AirForce OTS. Just gimme that fighter jet baby!

For real though. A person I went to highschool with was and is in the millitary and does not paint a picutre of a service where people don't care if one is gay. She is not gay. But let me just say her opinion of gay people is not great. The objection she has, and many others have is that gay men would not stand up for themselves.

[thx1138]

George Bush was a cheer leader. It's reputed he had gay sex with Jeff Gannon (male prostitute) while Gannon atayed overnight at the WH. Karl Rove is gay. Was spotted numerous times at a gay bar in Texas.

[chefmike]

George Bush was a cheer leader. It's reputed he had gay sex with Jeff Gannon (male prostitute) while Gannon atayed overnight at the WH. Karl Rove is gay. Was spotted numerous times at a gay bar in Texas.

I heard that Elvis was also a prominent figure in these homosexual hijinks, thx. What do you know about that and can you confirm or deny these allegations? It's also been rumored that the skull and bones cabal have held the king in captivity these many years at Bohemian Grove to use in their satanic sodomite rituals...and what about those reports about possible extraterrestrial and/or Illuminati involvement in the whole sordid affair, thx1138?

Inquiring minds want to know...

[thx1138]

I only know what I read. By the way it's also Scott McClellan was with Karl Rove in those gay bars. I'm not criticizing anyone for their gayness. I just think they should be treated the same as heteros. (or tranny chasers).

[SarahG]

Sorry, but if they are so desperate to retain gays in the military then how come ridiculous shit like this continues to happen?

"For those who believe spiking DADT is just some social do-goodery, it's much more than that. It's a matter of national security, and not merely in terms of filling the "boots" of our military. Since 1998 the US military has discharged more than 58 Arabic and Farsi translators because they were gay. As I've said previously, here we are told again and again that Americans are in a decades-long struggle to secure Western civilization which will require shared sacrifice from all, yet all are not allowed to share the fight. "

Sorry I forgot I even posted in this thread, if this is a response to my post the key word was IF.

I am not saying they're desperate to retain gays at the moment. But that doesn't rule out the possibility of them being that desperate at some unforeseen time in the future.

I am fairly confident that don't ask would end the moment the draft is brought back- and I am not even going to pretend to guess when that would be. I was always taught in poly sci that the draft will not be used again while 'nam is in living memory, but academic theory and reality are always two different things.

There are lots and I mean lots of ways someone can be disqualified to serve besides being openly gay, and when demand for soldiers is great enough, these disqualifications are subject to change. During the world wars England certainly took people into the service that would never have been allowed in during the 1880's. If we ever had such a need for sacrifices, I highly doubt we'd care how much a given person's body is covered with tattoos.

We've already changed our criteria on who can serve during the war in Iraq. So this isn't just theory. It hasn't been done to deal with gays, tattoo'd people, or those who like body modifications- but we're really not that desperate right now (or at least that's the party line?).

[SarahG]

So what if the military ban on gays is lifted? That does not affect transgender people. We are considered mentally ILL and on that basis we are excluded from military service.

The rules about having modified genitals would keep a lot of trans people out, even if GID was dropped from the DSM.

As long as you pass the psy screening, I believe it is ok to have a prior psyc diagnosis but don't hold me to that. I do not believe they would refuse to accept someone who had an adjustment disorder 8 years ago, for instance.

I wouldn't want to be trans & in the military as things stand today. Supplying hrt to trans patients is explicitly forbidden in military health care, even for retired veterans in the VA system. If you are a trans veteran, the most the military will do is tell you where the door is if you need hrt slips or hrt related blood work. Part of this is because commissioned officers can be recalled in times of war... during the Gulf War the USN recalled a lot of Vietnam & even Korean war veteran gunnery officers because no one was left in the service who had seen combat with conventional naval cannon. Therefore the military is not in a position to supply a service to a retired commissioned officer that would also end that individual's qualifications to serve in the future.