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Loading ...White House: Legislation key for gays in military
05.13.2009 8:09am EDT
(Washington) The White House says it won’t stop gays and lesbians from being dismissed from the military while the Obama administration works to repeal a decade-old policy banning openly gay people from serving in uniform.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that President Barack Obama does not plan to intervene in current cases against men and women who announce their homosexuality.Gibbs says the president wants to do away with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy through legislation.
Gibbs says the policy does not serve the national interest and that Obama is working with lawmakers for what Gibbs calls a “durable legislative solution.” He says a repeal of the policy requires “more than the snapping of one’s fingers.”
Critics of the policy have called on Obama to stop the dismissals now.
not that its gonna happen..but it would be a REAK Happening IF – EVERY GAY/LESBIAN SERVICE MEMBER ALL CAME OUT SAME TIME….what are they gonna do/fire’m all??? It would cause them/gov’t/president to HAVE TOO confront this Once and for all!
I agree disgusted, i blogged about that earlier…
It’s a bit frustrating that he doesn’t just do an executive order however in the political sense I can understand that Obama has bigger fish to fry (ahem universal healthcare where you be?). Like with Vermont, it just feels better when it is done through the legislative branch. I would like to see the Obama administration be more assertive to the legislature with this issue though. It’s not easy to forget the Clinton betrayal so I am cautiously optimistic..
Too bad Obama will not follow in the footsteps of Truman, who issued Executive Order 9981, requiring the desegregation of the armed forced. He could even use the same escape phrase that Truman did, “This policy shall be put into effect as rapidly as possible, having due regard to the time required to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing efficiency or morale.” At least it would be something.
Just a note re 2012…per an LCR blog yesterday with New Yorks vote yesterday there have have been 58 Republicans voting for Marriage Equality in NE… They are doing way better than Obama in supporting us.
I don’t think he should be ‘pressured’ by a demonstration, bu then, this is one of the things he could quietly have done the day he took office!
YES he can do it with the stroke of a pen, but that would take
courage… he’s getting as wimpy as Cheney.
I can’t believe they said “President Barack Obama does not plan to intervene in current cases against men and women who announce their homosexuality.”
Announce?? I’d like to know if all those ex-service people who were hounded out of their jobs because someone pointed a finger at them and the military dredged up their private life realize that they ANNOUNCED their homosexuality to the world, thus bringing this upon themselves. Using that language seems like a clear attempt to disguise the still-rampant discrimination that goes on every day in the military.
I could not be more disappointed with Obama. Yeah, yeah, I know the alternative would have been worse, but I feel used and manipulated.
The guy has lost his cred with me.
It’s a little nauseating to read how so many people on this website continue to give Obama a psss on gay rights legislation. Meanwhile gay military service members are being persecuted. President/Savior Obama is busy right now. I guess that means we’re supposed to go sit down, be quiet and wait patiently until he decides he has time for us. Would we accept it if a republican told us to wait? Are we afraid that if we push Obama we’ll discover he’s not the friend he claims to be?
We must get our representatives to repeal DADT. While Obama could get around it (I am told) repeal must be sent to him through congress. The very existence of DADT teaches that prejudice and discrimination are acceptable. We will never get full equality as long as our government continues to teach discrimination. While marriage equality is important, repeal of DADT should be a priority for gay equal rights groups. Contact your representatives as well as Obama and tell them DADT has to go ASAP.
Obama – get a backbone already.
This does not surprise me at all. What WOULD surprise me is if Obama actually does anything about it. Let’s face it folks, the President has ZERO intention of addressing any gay issues, even the relatively minor and no-brainer issues like DADT and the Matthew Shepard Act. The ONLY reason why it’s better for us on gay issues to have a democratic president instead of a republican one is because a democratic one probably won’t veto any gay rights legislation sent to him by the REAL POLITICS AND LEADERS in our government.
Bah, I’m still waiting to see this ‘change’ he boasted we’d see if he was president, so far it’s more of the change.
” He says a repeal of the policy requires “more than the snapping of one’s fingers.”
two snaps down…
Hiding behind Nancy Pelosi’s skirts is an effective way for Obama to duck this issue. This way, when the Right gets their undies in a bundle, he’ll be able to share blame with Congress. Of course, Pelosi’s not playing either, so she’s not pushing for the legislation. So nothing moves forward.
Handwringing won’t help us get equality and defeat insitutionalized bigotry. Call, e-mail and write to the President, your Senators, your Representative. Here’s a message I sent to Obama today:
I read with disappointment this morning that you plan to continue supporting the anti-gay bigoted “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of kicking good GLBT soldiers out of the military. You could change this with a snap of your fingers (I guess that’s not change you believe in), and you should have done exactly that on the day you took office. In 2008 I donated to your campaign and voted for you; but if you continue to betray GLBT people, I will not support either the Democratic party in 2010, or your reelection in 2012. Shame on you!
If he was to immediately take down DADT I think the far right would have a field day and claim that all their “gay agenda” theories were correct. I suppose the president doesn’t want that to happen, and who can blame him? He’s a politician, if he repeals DADT through anything other than legislation, he would ruin his approval rating with the few republicans that like him – and even fewer conservatives.