"As expected, the Pentagon's review of DADT found that repeal of the flawed policy would not have an adverse effect on unit morale or cohesion. But Gates' unequivocal call for repeal by Congress was perhaps a surprise. The argument he made for repeal cuts particularly sharply for Republicans: if Congress doesn't repeal DADT in orderly fashion, the federal courts may do it in a haphazard and disruptive way.
Gates message to Republicans in Congress was pick your poison: You can repeal this policy in a way that lets us implement it with minimal disruption or you can fail to act and the courts will act by "judicial fiat" forcing the Pentagon to react with no time to prepare, which Gates said was his "greatest fear."
h/t TPM
By engaging in this obstructionist behavior, the GOP contributes to the perception that it is homophobic and will do everything in its bag of dirty tricks to deny Mr. Obama the repeal of the offensive program DADT (yes, I thought it was offensive when Clinton implemented it).
However, as has happened in the past with every battle to give dignity, equal protection, and civil rights to all American citizens, the GOP will be remembered as the party that embraces, promotes, and loves bigotry and the party that obstructs any attempt to implement justice. And John McCain's name will lead all the rest.
Why there is such a group as the Log Cabin Republicans is a mystery to me--why would gay men and women want anything to do with a party that is perceived as homophobic, and full of fearful liars, I don't know.
You can go here and read what Sue of "Hellooooo...Mr. President Are You Listening?" has posted on the subject and see for yourself an example of the sick mind some GOPers proudly reveal over the DADT issue.
This is frustrating to be sure, but in the end DADT will fall, and the Republicans who oppose the end of DADT will look like the anti-gay reactionaries that they are.
DADT is going down. What the GOP is engaging in by denying the means to repeal this policy is nothing but a cynical dog and pony show to mollify members of their base who embrace homophobia as a religious tenet, and that will bring contempt and shame on the GOP for all time.
More info here.
From "Foreign Policy" magazine:
They're Here, They're Queer, It's No Big Deal
Gay Israelis have been serving openly in the military for 17 years, and their country is safer for it.
UPDATE:
"What we've observed these past two years is a political party that knows nothing but scorched earth tactics, cannot begin to see any merits in the other party's arguments, refuses to compromise one inch on anything, and has sought from the very beginning to do nothing but destroy the Obama presidency. I see no other coherent message or strategy since 2008. Just opposition to everything, zero support for a president grappling with a recession their own party did much to precipitate, and facing a fiscal crisis the GOP alone made far worse with their spending in the Bush-Cheney years. There is not a scintilla of responsibility for their past; not a sliver of good will for a duly elected president. Worse, figures like Cantor and McCain actively seek to back foreign governments against the duly elected president of their own country, and seek to repeal the signature policy achievement of Obama's first two years, universal healthcare.
I know it is the opposition's role to oppose. But the sheer scale and absolutism of the opposition, and its continuation in the lame duck session, even over such small but integral reforms such as the new START and DADT repeal, is remarkable."
11 comments:
From all the "surveys", it seems the military members THEMSELVES are perfectly fine serving alongside gays--OPENLY. I would assume that would MATTER the MOST, but hey, I'm just an ignorant American who thinks gays DESERVE the SAME rights as ALL Americans, so don't take MY word...maybe just go by the MILITARY SURVEYS! I'm just sayin...
It seems the only military members who fear serving with gays are the infantry. I thought about this; do they fear they will not be able to control themselves and rape their fellow soldiers? Do they consider the gay soldier to be a woman? Because as I understand it women in the infantry are being raped.
This needs to be changed. Any American who volunteers to serve should serve in any job the military has open!
Why there is such a group as the Log Cabin Republicans is a mystery to me
Gay Republicans are those who judge libertarianism by its self-definition twenty or thirty years ago (when it really was about freedom instead of just being against taxes and regulation) and are still hoping the Republican party as a whole will come around someday.
To be fair, there are a few Republican leaders who want the party to drop its anti-gay obsession, but they're pretty marginalized.
As other commenters have mentioned, the majority of rank-and-file soldiers don't have a problem with this. Most rank-and-file soldiers are a lot younger than most Congressmen and grew up in a more tolerant world. And they know they've got gay soldiers in the military with them anyway, even if they can't be open about it.
As with black civil rights and votes for women, eventually the inevitable will happen -- and the conservative movement will be remembered as having fought to the end against doing the right thing.
A republican sec def...
thanks Shaw!
There is nothing the republican party does(or doesn't do) that surprises me. I really can't be objective in my opinion of them anymore either. I find them offensive and noxious....
(Pamela not included!)
The same type of bigots who were against African-Americans integrating the military are with us today in opposing gay and lesbian Americans being able to serve their country openly--without having to lie about who they are.
It's a sickness in this country, and we know who the majority of the sickos are.
This has been under discussion and debate for nearly 20 years. You can't tell me that they couldn't repeal it in short order.
"Why there is such a group as the Log Cabin Republicans is a mystery to me--why would gay men and women want anything to do with a party that is perceived as homophobic, and full of fearful liars, I don't know."
Shaw,
As repugnant as DADT is I can only believe this group exists because they find, on balance, the Democratic parties policies are unacceptable to them with respect to isues other than DADT.
I suspect they perfer working within the framework of a party that more closely alligns with the majority of their concerns. Rather than being just a "one issue" group.
Of course this is JMHO. I am sure there are others.
I personally would find it hard to work with a political party that regarded me as unworthy of basic human rights because of how I was born and that used my sexuality to agitate its most base elements. If my other concerns aligned with such a party, I'd take a good hard look at my concerns.
K - Good point.
However, this group, and the individuals that make up the group, made the decision to do what they do and support the party of their choice. I suppose that is the wonderful thing about freedom of choice.
Good and bad, honest and dishonest, intelligent and not so intelligemt exits in both political parties.
Perhaps when each stop calling the other names and start listening,really listening to each other things might get better.
I don't hold out much hope for this to occur in my lifetime.
"Why there is such a group as the Log Cabin Republicans is a mystery to me"
Especially as it was a Republican President who gave us DADT n the first place!
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