12,000:
By on Dec 1st, 2007 at 9:36 am
12,000:
Number of American flags on the National Mall this weekend, as part of a “3-day salute” honoring the “12,000 members of the United States military who have been discharged under the practice of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” Marking the law’s 14th anniversary, 28 retired generals and admirals yesterday sent a letter urging Congress to repeal the legislation.
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Agreed. We are almost always stationed along with the British when overseas, and they allow gay soldiers to serve openly. So any arguments about “if we allowed this, look what would happen” are moot. American soldiers already serve side by side with openly gay soldiers from foreign militaries.
December 1st, 2007 at 9:57 amOT- Yet another story of Free Trade shame. Next time you buy an item at Victoria’s Secret keep this in mind:
The Victoria’s Secret workers toil 14 to 15 hours a day, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., seven days a week, receiving on average one day off every three or four months. All overtime is mandatory, and workers are routinely at the factory 98 to 105 hours a week while toiling 89 to 96 hours. Treatment is very rough, as managers and supervisors scream at the foreign guest workers to move faster to complete their high production goals.
Workers who fall behind on their production goals, or who make even a minor error, can be slapped and beaten. Despite being forced to work five or more overtime hours a day, the workers are routinely shortchanged on their legal overtime pay, being cheated of up to $18.48 each week in wages due them. While this might not seem like a great deal of money, to these poor workers it is the equivalent of losing three regular days’ wages each week.
Workers are allowed just 3.3 minutes to sew each $14 Victoria’s Secret women’s bikini, for which they are paid four cents.
The workers are housed in primitive dorms which have only irregular access to water. During winter months, when the temperatures can drop to freezing, the workers’ dorms have neither heat nor hot water. Many workers fall ill from the constant cold.
Full Story:
http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=490
*** End All our Free Trade agreements and make new FAIR Trade agreements in its place. Vote KUCINICH!
December 1st, 2007 at 10:03 amwow. just wow. what a beautifully patriotic means of protesting.
December 1st, 2007 at 10:23 amCheney likes…’Don’t ask..and ‘am not going to tell…’
December 1st, 2007 at 10:43 amAnyone who thinks America has a free-market system has been living in a hole for the past four decades. Corporate welfare has been a main fixture of the American economy since the seventies.
December 1st, 2007 at 10:46 amComment by Fred Thompson
Didn’t someone (with intelligence) vet that script before letting you have it?
Go take another nap, Fred. we’ll wake you when it’s over.
December 1st, 2007 at 10:48 amWhat do 28 retired Generals and Admirals know about the military? Only 28? Where are all of the others? Retired Generals and Admirals are not deciderers.
Freekin’ right wing – they’re all gay, yet they hate gays. They’re all hawks, yet they’re all cowards.
December 1st, 2007 at 10:51 amWhat about Frederick’s of Hollywood and the independent sex shops? Where’s their stuff made?
December 1st, 2007 at 10:54 am“It’s merely receiving the millions back from the government we pay. ”
Just like the lower-income workers who must sometimes use social services.
“Our businesses strengthen, and it shows that we should have never had our money taken from us.”
That Chrysler bailout sure did the trick, eh? All those lenders who were bailed out of the S&L/Hud meltdowns sure learned their lessons, and never again issued risky loans, right?
December 1st, 2007 at 10:57 am“Will do. I break nap records and get paid milllions for it.”
Perhaps you should ask your campaign accountant how much you’ve been getting lately. You’re not doing so well in the contribution department.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:00 am“What could be better for this country than eight more years of the Clinton co-presidency?”
Comment by O. Bigfoot
For the likes of Ann Coulter, it would mean a fat payday, that’s for sure.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:02 amNorhtern Iraq is now invaded by Turkey.
Reason : Chasing Kurdish terrorists..,
But Kurds now are allies of the USA and Israel…
Turkey is also ally of the USA.
America is in very tough and piculiar situation trying to please one side over the other.
Something will be proven hard to do…
And the war in Iraq goes on, and another front is open.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:03 amsad sorry shame that this thread has been so easily derailed…
by such sad sorry shysters…
of course the legislation should be repealed…
except that it may come in handy when the DRAFT is reinstated…
just sayin’…
December 1st, 2007 at 11:03 amSomeone wake Fred up. He’s snoring again. And he’s soiled his undergarment, by the smell.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:06 amThe flag display should include the gay Arabic interpreters since they also worked for the defense department, and were fired just for being gay.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:08 am“You don’t have an effing clue.”
That you’re P- stain, wearing his cloak of keyboard anonymity?
I figured that out after the first post, P.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:13 amFrom the article:
According to the Pentagon, the number of service members discharged under the policy has declined noticeably since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, dropping to 612 in the 2006 fiscal year from 1,227 in the 2001 fiscal year.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that there were no efforts at the Pentagon or across the military to alter the policy.
“There are no changes being contemplated in the department,†Mr. Whitman said. “It is the law, and we are following the law carefully.â€
So, while outwardly announcing that da/dt is still in force, they just refrain from strict enforcement of the current statute. That’s at least a tacit acknowledgement that the program isn’t addressing the problem.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:25 am“Values” is a codeword for “prejudices!”
December 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am“Values†is a codeword for “prejudices!â€
so simple… so true… yet, those words were an epiphany!
December 1st, 2007 at 11:56 amthanks doc!
12,000 patriotic soldiers kicked to the side and being called UNEQUAL
December 1st, 2007 at 1:04 pmIt’s upsetting to the Democratice front runner, Hillary Clinton, to have one of her husband’s political legacies, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†mis-represented in this manner.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 1, 2007 @ 10:57 am
When Clinton gave us “don’t ask, don’t tell” early in his first term, it was the best compromise he could manage with a homophobic military. It’s served its purpose, but it’s now time to abandon it and allow gays to serve openly. It’s not a trashing of Bill Clinton — he was the first president to even address the issue. I doubt that Hillary is all that upset.
December 1st, 2007 at 1:13 pmWhat could be better for this country than eight more years of the Clinton co-presidency?
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 1, 2007 @ 10:57 am
Historically speaking, not much. I suppose that a Gore-Edwards co-presidency would be safer, and maybe more progressive than another clinton co-presidency, but since the last Clinton stanza resulted in peace and prosperity for almost all Americans, rather than 2 losing wars and a destroyed economy, along with major successful terrorist attacks presided over by Bushco, I’ll withstand the possibility of another blowjob if it will save so many thousands of lives.
Of course, bigfart will be against saving lives and money, that’s how unevolved he is.
December 1st, 2007 at 2:02 pmGays in the military legitimize immoral behavior – the same as adultery. And the military would never set the stage for immoral behavior.
As much as I am confident in my heart that no military kid away from home the first time has ever taken part in an extramarital affair or otherwise behaved like a sailor on shore leave, …….
I’m still trying to to understand why the military provided information on how to “do” the carnal act and avoid STDs. As I remember, they gave out the false info to drink a lot of beer so that you’d wash out all the bad stuff.
(You know – its a lot of fun to start posts with troll-like comments.)
December 1st, 2007 at 8:15 pmThat was a really good job, Maple. I had a visceral negative reaction to that first sentence.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:18 amThose who want to serve our country admirably should be allowed to serve our country. Who better to have in our military than those who want to be there? Gay or straight, a soldier who wants to serve, should serve, and should be able to serve without having to start their military careers lying about who they are. I want honest soldiers, not ones who are forced to lie. Doesn’t that make sense?
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:16 pm