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Loading ...Little traction on DADT repeal
05.11.2009 9:34am EDT
(Washington) President Barack Obama’s national security adviser says there has been “preliminary” discussion on allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.
But retired Marine Gen. James Jones said that it uncertain whether “don’t ask, don’t tell” will be overturned, even though Obama has said he wants it eliminated.Jones, who spoke on ABC’s “This Week,” said the decision to go forward lies with the president but added that the administration already has a lot on its plate.
Last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the House may take up repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“Members will make a priority of issues like gays in the military. And where we have prospects of success, we always want to expand to a place of more opportunity and more freedom for all – for all Americans,” she told reporters at her weekly briefing.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking last month at the Army War College, said he was not yet taking a position on repeal of the ban.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on Monday accused the administration of “caving in” to opponents of the ban in the military and the religious right.
“Jones’s answer, along with Secretary Gates’s remarks to the Army War College on April 16, make it clear that a calculated political decision has been made that the President is not going to take ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ on publicly – himself – and instead his defense team is doing it,” said Aubrey Sarvis, SLDN executive director.
“There should be no waffling in this Administration – whether from Jones or Gates, on whether repeal is going to happen. The discussions should be when and how.”
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) has reintroduced legislation to repeal DADT. Tauscher’s bill attracted 148 co-sponsors last year. This year the bill has not been taken up at the committee level.
A poll released April 30 found that by 56-37 percent, voters think the ban should be repealed.
Among voters with family in the military, the margin was 50-43 percent for repeal. Almost two-thirds of Catholic respondents supported repeal, but white evangelical Christians supported the current ban, 53-40 percent.
The survey of 2,041 registered voters nationwide was taken by Quinnipiac University’s polling institute.
Since DADT was enacted, more than 12,000 servicemembers have been dismissed when it was learned they are gay. According to statistics from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network which advocates for gays in the military an average of two service members are dismissed under the law every day.
I voted for Obama because it was him or McCain, and that old man is scary. Obama has made many noises in the past that were gay-supportive. He’s backed off of every one of them. We are not a priority for him, and we won’t be until we force the issue.
A leader takes risks. Obama is more risk-averse than an insurance adjustor. He can keep being risk-averse. There are midterm elections in November 2010, and now is the time to start looking for and donating to people who support us instead of enabling discrimination. Obama’s failure to lead is a choice, not an inability.
NOTE: Kniights Out and SLDN want us to do action TOMORROW.
Call Whitehouse.
Here is link to action described.
gayrights.change.org/actions/view/call_the_whitehouse_on_tuesday_may_12_in_support_of_ltchoi_and_all_the_12500_others
Maybe someone might be able ask the adminstration why countries such as Canada, Israel, England and several other countries are able to allow gays to serve openly in their military without any “real” problems, but our country which prides itself on liberty, freedom, “separation of church and state (and there will be pork in the tree tops in the morning)”, can’t find the balls to do the same. What do these other countries know that our brilliant politicians and military geniuses don’t know?
Obama already has a full plate? GET A BIGGER PLATE!
I don’t know why our government foot drags on this one. Obama is not getting directly involved because he doesn’t want to upset or offend his fellow “christian” cultists. He’s a coward. He has to stop kow-towing to the religious wingnuts and right wingers almost of whom are in the party of NO. Almost all western European Union countries, Canada, Australia, New ZeaIand, Israel allow their gay citizens to serve openly, including our closest ally the UK. The UK in fact allows its gay military personnel to have their partners live on base when away from home.
You watch, these same right wingers and religous bigots will push for a ballot initiative and ask the voters to decide as with everything they don’t like when it comes to LGBT equality.
Another thing, does anyone really believe that in the absence of the economic downturn, we’d be any further along than we now are? I don’t buy it. This all gets back to homophobia, from the White House down.
I wonder how much traction they would find if every gay/lesbian service member walked up to his/her CO and came out.
I’ve really had enough of being a second-class citizen.
Jamison took the words right out of my mouth. He shouldnt have promised somthing he probably could care less about.
Over 64% of our gay tax dollars go to the military.
Gandhi, told his followers to refuse paying the English tax on salt, one of the main revenues for the British Government at that time.
What I’m trying to say is, whether it be, woman’s suffrage, desegregation, or equality for gay people, it won’t happen without peaceful civil disobedience.
When you wait for someone to give or allow you equality, you give them the power to continue to make you wait and wait and wait, or deny it.
We should not allow our rights to be voted on.
we should not give anyone the power to allow or disallow what is our right by constitutional law.
We should not be forced to pay our gay taxes for a military train, that others have the privilege to ride on, make a career of, get pensioned , and all the while, we are not allowed to enter the station.
We better start growing some balls, take the equality that is rightfully ours, and stop waiting for someone, maybe at sometime, may or may not give it to us!
DADT teaches prejudice. We will never reach full equality as long as our government continues to teach discrimination. Write, call, or whatever you do, to Obama and your representatives. Repeal is a must, and the sooner the better. If you haven’t made your voice heard to the people in charge, you have no right to complain.
Did anybody read Eugene Robinson s column in this weekend’s newspapers on marriage equality and dont ask dont tell?? awsome essay !! he gives Obama hell–as he should,,, check it out !!! worth the look !!
Sarrellec, on the contrary they DO get housing, and if they choose not to have housing, then they get an allowance for it. To the tune of approx 1200 per month off base.
this I know for a fact because I live right next to Camp Pendleton and my friends are in the military. Also, if you live on base, you get housing, AND have no utilities to pay for othr than the extras phone, cable etc.
To Jim Angone:
You’ve got to be kidding.
Military people’s families today don’t get housing. They barely get any of the other “benefits” the military routinely lies young, impressionable CHILDREN into thinking they’ll get when they enlist.
Again, this isn’t rocket surgery–or brain science–, there are plenty of other models out there to follow, just like in national healthcare.
The American administration, regardless of who the current presidential sock-puppet is, simply will not let go of their theocratic rule.
Asking the American government to rid itself of theocracy is about the same as asking the same of Iran or the Vatican.
It ain’t gonna happen.
It would appear that we have made a wrong choice in Obama. He is a two faced politician and I am officially loosing all hope.
Hell, were loosing all hope in everything these days. All day every day we keep hearing about how a person isnt ready for this, or they cannot accept that as of yet. So while we wait for everyone else to grow to accept us, our lives are put on hold?
I have grown weary of this game.
Obama has let us down.
In august 2007, then Senator Obama said “America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership.”
Where’s that leadership now?
The problem in repealing Dont Ask Dont tell that President Obama and Secty Gates have confronted is what do they do with equal treatment of Gay soldiers families.
If DADT is repealed there is the thorny issue of recognizing the spouses of Gay married soldiers, their children, housing them on military grounds, providing the gay soldiers family with all the same benefits and treatment that heterosexual soldiers are provided.
i dont think Obama is opposed to Gay soldiers, its the sudden realization of how to integrate gay fmilies into the military system
“a lot on its plate” ?
I think the “Adminstration” can handle lifting DADT, no matter what other issues abound!
If you boss says do someting, then do it, what kind of military man is this Ret. Marine Jones? Obviously he needs to go back to Basic Training and learn “Sir, Yes Sir” and do it!
LIFT DADT NOW! Period.
When they integrated the Military with Race and with Females it was not “easy” for some, but you know what nothing in Life is easy, so tell the soldiers to not be pussy and learn to deal with it or they can resign, lose pay, pensions, etc. and I believe most will accept LGBT in the ranks real quick!