Homophobia is conduct unbecoming!!!!
On 10/19/10, dick <[email protected]> wrote: > What happens to these people if the court finds against the judge's > decision. Do these new military just get kicked out then? > > On 10/19/2010 08:03 PM, Keith In Tampa wrote: >> This must be stopped, post haste. >> Over 85 percent of our servicemen have made it clear that they do not >> wish to serve with openly gay individuals. >> We have a far left extremist judge, who on her own volition, has >> decided to "modify/halt/make" military policy? >> What is wrong with this picture? What in the Hell is wrong with our >> Nation! >> Wake Up America!! >> >> >> On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 7:56 PM, Tommy News <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> Military Recruiters Told to Accept Gays >> By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS >> Published: October 19, 2010 >> Sign In to E-Mail >> >> Print >> >> Single Page >> >> Filed at 7:44 p.m. ET >> >> SAN DIEGO (AP) — The military is accepting openly gay recruits for the >> first time in the nation's history, even as it tries in the courts to >> slow the movement to abolish its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. >> >> At least two service members discharged for being gay began the >> process to re-enlist after the Pentagon's Tuesday announcement. >> >> Meanwhile, a federal judge in California who overturned the 17-year >> policy last week was likely to reject the government's latest effort >> to halt her order telling the military to stop enforcing the law. >> >> The Justice Department will likely appeal if she does not suspend >> her order. >> >> The Defense Department has said it would comply with U.S. District >> Judge Virginia Phillips' order and had frozen any discharge cases. >> Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said recruiters had been given >> top-level guidance to accept applicants who say they are gay. >> >> Recruiters also have been told to inform potential recruits that the >> moratorium on enforcement of the policy could be reversed at any time, >> if the ruling is appealed or the court grants a stay, she said. >> >> Gay rights groups were continuing to tell service members to avoid >> revealing that they are gay, fearing they could find themselves in >> trouble should the law be reinstated. >> >> "What people aren't really getting is that the discretion and caution >> that gay troops are showing now is exactly the same standard of >> conduct that they will adhere to when the ban is lifted permanently," >> said Aaron Belkin, executive director of the Palm Center, a think tank >> on gays and the military at the University of California Santa >> Barbara. "Yes, a few will try to become celebrities." >> >> An Air Force officer and co-founder of a gay service member support >> group called OutServe said financial considerations are playing a big >> role in gay service members staying quiet. >> >> "The military has financially trapped us," he said, noting that he >> could owe the military about $200,000 if he were to be dismissed. >> >> The officer, who asked not to be identified for fear of being >> discharged, said he's hearing increasingly about heterosexual service >> members approaching gay colleagues and telling them they can come out >> now. >> >> He also said more gay service members are coming out to their peers >> who are friends, while keeping their orientation secret from >> leadership. He said he has come out to two peers in the last few days. >> >> "People are coming out informally in their units," the officer said. >> "Discussions are happening right now." >> >> An opponent of the judge's ruling said confusion that has come up is >> exactly what Pentagon officials feared and shows the need for her to >> immediately freeze her order while the government appeals. >> >> "It's only logical that a stay should be granted to avoid the >> confusion that is already occurring with reports that the Pentagon is >> telling recruiters to begin accepting homosexual applicants," said >> Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a >> conservative advocacy group based in Washington that supports the >> policy. >> >> The uncertain status of the law has caused much confusion within an >> institution that has historically discriminated against gays. >> >> Before the 1993 law, the military banned gays entirely and declared >> them incompatible with military service. There have been instances in >> which gays have served, with the knowledge of their colleagues. >> >> Twenty-nine nations, including Israel, Canada, Germany and Sweden, >> allow openly gay troops, according to the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay >> rights group and plaintiff in the lawsuit before Phillips. >> >> The Pentagon guidance to recruiters comes after Dan Woods, the group's >> attorney, sent a letter last week warning the Justice Department that >> Army recruiters who turned away Omar Lopez in Austin, Texas may have >> caused the government to violate Phillips' injunction. Woods wrote >> that the government could be subject to a citation for contempt. >> >> The White House has insisted their actions in court do not diminish >> President Barack Obama's efforts to repeal the ban. >> >> In their stay request, government lawyers argue Phillips' order would >> be disruptive to troops serving at a time of war. They say the >> military needs time to prepare new regulations and train and educate >> service members about the change. >> >> Phillips has said her order does not prohibit the Pentagon from >> implementing those measures. >> >> Douglas Smith, spokesman for U.S. Army Recruiting Command based at >> Fort Knox, Ky., said even before the ruling recruiters did not ask >> applicants about their sexual orientation. The difference now is that >> recruiters will process those who say they are gay. >> >> "If they were to self-admit that they are gay and want to enlist, we >> will process them for enlistment, but will tell them that the legal >> situation could change," Smith said. >> >> He said the enlistment process takes time and recruiters have been >> told to inform those who are openly gay that they could be declared >> ineligible if the law is upheld on appeal. >> >> "U.S. Army Recruiting Command is going to follow the law, whatever the >> law is," he said. >> >> The message, however, had not reached some recruiting stations. >> >> In Pensacola, Marine Sgt. Timothy Chandler said he had been given no >> direction. "As far as we are concerned everything is the same. The >> policy hasn't changed," he said, as others in the office nodded. >> >> Chandler said no one had come to the small office questioning the >> policy or asking about being openly gay and serving. >> >> Recruiters at the Navy office next door referred all media questions >> to the Pentagon. Air Force recruiters said they were not authorized to >> talk to the media. Army recruiters referred questions to another >> office in Mobile, Ala. >> >> In New York's Times Square, Dan Choi, a 29-year-old Iraq War veteran >> who was discharged for being gay, began the process to enlist in the >> Army. In San Diego, recruiters took an application from Will >> Rodriguez, a former Marine who was discharged under the policy in >> 2008. >> >> Phillips said at a hearing Monday that she was learning toward denying >> the Obama administration's request to delay her order. That would send >> the case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. >> >> After Phillips' ruling last week, Lopez — discharged from the Navy in >> 2006 after admitting his gay status to his military doctor — walked >> into an Army recruiting office in Austin and asked if he could >> re-enlist. >> >> He said he was up front, even showing the recruiters his Navy >> discharge papers. But they told him he couldn't re-enlist because they >> had not gotten word from the Pentagon to allow openly gay recruits. >> >> Smith was unable to confirm the account. She said guidance on gay >> applicants had been issued to recruiting commands on Oct. 15. >> >> On Tuesday, upon hearing of the changes to recruiting, Lopez said, >> "Oh, my God! I've been waiting for this for four years." >> >> Lopez said he'll try again Friday and will go to a Navy recruiting >> office in Austin to see if he can enroll in ROTC as an officer. He is >> currently studying hospitality services at Austin Community College. >> >> "I'm hoping they'll let me in because I was able to switch over from >> an enlistment to an officer. I'm really hoping they can accept me," he >> said. >> >> ___ >> >> Flaherty reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kristin M. >> Hall in Nashville, Tenn., Lisa Leff in San Francisco, Melissa R. >> Nelson in Pensacola, Fla., and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md., >> contributed to this report. >> >> >> More: >> >> >> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/10/19/us/AP-US-Gays-in-Military.html?hp >> -- >> 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/ >> <http://www.politicalforum.com/> >> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. >> * Read the latest breaking news, and more. >> >> >> -- >> 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. > > -- > 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. -- 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.
