whether the military should pay benefits to partners of gay service members. Is the real reason this policy is still in place . well that and republican homophobia !
On Oct 17, 7:54 pm, Tommy News <[email protected]> wrote: > Dithering on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ > Published: October 13, 2010 > Twitter > comments > Sign In to E-Mail > > Print > > Reprints > > Share > CloseLinkedinDiggMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalink The Obama > administration professes to oppose the odious and misguided policy of > banning gay soldiers from serving openly in the military. So it was > distressing to hear that the Justice Department plans to appeal a > federal court order that the military immediately stop enforcing the > law that is used to drum out gay service members once their sexual > orientation becomes known. > > Related > Times Topic: Don't Ask, Don't Tell > The Future of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ > Should the decision be left up to the courts? > > Post a Comment > We believe the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law was wrong from the day it > was passed 17 years ago. But, in any case, circumstances have changed > radically. As Judge Virginia Phillips pointed out when she ruled it > unconstitutional, the original premises for the policy have been > proved wrong, and there is no longer any good reason for continuing to > ruin people’s lives by enforcing it. > > Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the policy should not be lifted > abruptly because there are unresolved questions like whether straight > and gay soldiers should share barracks and whether the military should > pay benefits to partners of gay service members. > > He said he wanted to wait until a review of practices and policies was > submitted on Dec. 1. > > There is no need to wait. The answer to both questions is: Yes. It > would be a disaster if the military replaced this misbegotten policy > with official segregation and discrimination. > > The breadth and vigor of Judge Phillips’s ruling provided a welcome > jolt to an issue that had been stagnating. The best solution by far — > because it would reflect political consensus — would be for Congress > to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” as President Obama has requested. > The House voted to do that, but Republicans have blocked action in the > Senate. The climate is apt to get worse for civil rights after the > elections. > > The next best solution was Judge Phillips’s injunction, which ordered > the military to drop any investigation or discharge proceeding mounted > under the law against any gay service member anywhere. The injunction > would provide immediate relief to gay men and women while the > political and judicial wrangling over whether to repeal the act moves > sluggishly forward. > > Judge Phillips had earlier ruled, based on persuasive evidence, that > “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unconstitutional because it infringes the > due process and free speech rights of gay service members, who are > forced to lie about central elements of their lives. She also made a > powerful case that the law was harmful to military readiness, the > opposite of what its authors said they intended. > > Some 14,000 or more service members have been discharged under the > law, including many hundreds if not thousands with critical skills in > foreign languages, military intelligence, counterterrorism, weapons > development and military medicine. Meanwhile, the military was having > such trouble finding qualified recruits that it issued “moral waivers” > to convicted felons and lowered its educational and physical fitness > requirements. > > The original rationale for “don’t ask, don’t tell” was that it would > enhance unit morale and cohesion — and thus military preparedness — by > shielding heterosexual soldiers from any knowledge that some of their > colleagues were gay. That rationale has not held up in the real world. > The judge found that the military has routinely delayed investigations > and discharges until suspected homosexuals completed their deployments > on combat missions. Their service was deemed vital in the war zones, > not detrimental. > > Now that the administration is expected to appeal Judge Phillips’s > ruling unnecessarily, we hope the appeals court lets it take force > immediately. It is unfair to persecute valued service members under an > outmoded and harmful law that should have been scrapped long ago. > > More:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/opinion/14thu1.html?scp=9&sq=gay&st... > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
