Comments on: Fewer vets support ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By: Amym440

Amym440 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:16:07 +0000

As a heterosexual identifying TS Vet I support the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell but I also realize simply doing that doesn’t help end TS/TG exclusion.So far the President has done a better job of recognizing the need for TS/TG inclusion than hrc and many of my supposedly lgb allies.What gives?

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:01:10 +0000

Obama seems to get bills delivered on his desk when he demands them — when he WANTS them. Trillion dollars for the banks? Here sir, please sign. Re-organization of the health sector with billions in subsidies? Here sir – please sign. Re-organization of the financial sector? Here is your bill, Mr. President. A simple repeal of old law, unconstitutional law, a law hurting veterans, a law hurting national security! Rahm! Quick! Tell them the president is powerless: Tell them he does not MAKE law, he only SIGNS the bills. They are weak, compliant idiot gays. They will buy anything we say, and ignore the fact that I can get much larger, complex legislation on my des to sign when I demand them. Tell them that they need to go back to school or something — that they don’t understand how a bill becomes law.”

By: coxhere

coxhere — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:46:43 +0000

DA/DT/DP is NOT A POLICY. It is A FEDERAL LAW. Only the United States Congress can rescind the law. A president of the United States does not have this authority. A president attempting to rescind the DA/DT/DP law would be a violation of the Separation of Powers that the drafters of the U. S. Constitution wrote into the document and the representatives of the original 13 colonies ratified. The concept of Separation of Powers is embodied in the U. S. Constitution in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Articles.

By: Tabatha Parker

Tabatha Parker — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:56:25 +0000

Another commenter posted that Obama needs to have the understanding “to get a simple repeal of a hate law on his desk and off the books”, yet this argument in itself frustrates me to know end. It is well known that it would be very simple for Obama to repeal this policy. He would just have to sign it out of effect and everyone would go about their merry way. That is until someone less liberal becomes president and immediately decides to sign that same discriminatory policy right back into action and rid the military of all those LGBT individuals who had come out. I understand the frustration that this policy, which blatantly goes against the rules of equality, and I agree that Obama needs to work harder to repeal this. I also understand that it’ll take time to get the support he needs to get this sort of discrimination in the military banned permanently.

Studies such as this which prove that support of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is dwindling and that many soldiers themselves don’t care if an openly gay individual serves with them are wonderful. And I think that these sort of things will indeed help make it so that the president cannot just repeal the policy but set a law or some such thing in place so that something like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell cannot happen again.

By: randy

randy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:07:47 +0000

This day, thanks for the service of those LGBT veterans, and those who were lost. One day soon your country will respect you.

By: MavsFan

MavsFan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:30:35 +0000

Does anyone else find it deeply disturbing that an openly practicing Islamic-extremist (a.k.a. the Fort Hood Massacre guy) is allowed to continue serving in the military while gays are dishonorably discharged?!

This to me is more offensive than anything “God is Good” could conceive to spew.

Thank you Fred Stanley, and all others who so bravely put their lives on the line to serve and protect this nation, even when this nation often refuses to serve and protect you.

By: Fred Stanley

Fred Stanley — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:17:44 +0000

I am gay and served as a Captain during the Vietnam War. Nobody cared, and all I had to do was a very good job, which I did.

By: Fred Stanley

Fred Stanley — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:11:06 +0000

I am gay and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. And nobody cared. All I had to do was a very good job and everybody was very happy!!

By: Love is Love

Love is Love — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:51:13 +0000

Anyone else think that maybe another reason that they are dragging to repeal this is the use of DADT in the Sexual Misconduct cases brought up by women in the service?? I mean the rapes and how they twist it to keep them silent?? Without DADT wouldn’t they really have to prosecute these cases instead of dismissing/hiding/burying them??

By: Cameron

Cameron — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:29:46 +0000

I hope that they do continue looking into empirical evidence that shows the contradictions involved in the DADT policy. It’s important for our military to work as a cohesive unit- and allowing persecution within the ranks brings us no closer to that. It was nice to see that the low and mid grade enlisted personnel were more supportive of integration- and that views of competency did not decrease even when there was a known gay in the ranks.
I think empirical evidence is what is going to help us most in this fight. Ideas straight from soldiers and veterans mean the most. There is a growing awareness that DADT is more about unfounded fear and hate and less about morale, efficiency, and competency- as studies are clearly showing us that gays in the military effect none of that.