Arabic-speaking linguist dismissed from Army National Guard due to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Arabic-speaking linguist dismissed from Army National Guard due to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
During the presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama said that if elected, he would repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which bars openly gay men and women from serving in the armed forces. To support his position, Obama argued that “We’re spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need.” But since taking office, the Obama administration resisted moving to repeal the policy, with Defense Secretary of Defense Robert Gates saying he hoped to “push that one down the road a little bit.” Now, Aaron Belkin reports that the first Arabic linguist is being dismissed from the military under Obama’s watch:
Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard who is fluent in Arabic and who returned recently from Iraq, received notice today that the military is about to fire him. Why? Because he came out of the closet as a gay man on national television.
According to Belkin, a soon-to-be-released study by a group of experts in military law will show that “President Obama does, in fact, have stroke-of-the-pen authority to suspend gay discharges.” “An executive order would not get rid of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law, but would take the critical step of suspending its implementation, hence rendering it effectively dead,” says Belkin.
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That’s right. Let’s get rid of our talented people because they might like someone of the same sex so the bigots and homophobes can avoid feeling threatened. Makes a lot of sense.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:12 pmJust like the nine Arab translators who were fired right after 9-11.
Sounds like we need some in-depth CHANGE at the Pentagon. Of all the corporatist crony nuts, that one will be the hardest to crack. No President’s done it yet, and they even took one out…
May 7th, 2009 at 6:14 pmI have to wonder – do the troops feel more threatened by having a homosexual there – or by not having anyone who speaks Arabic?
May 7th, 2009 at 6:18 pmSend President Obama an e-mail reminding him of his promise and asking him to meet his promise NOW! If nothing else, he can, as Commander In Chief, instruct the military to not expel any soldier under DADT until he can get around to repealing the stupid rule. A Military Times poll showed that most members of the military continue to serve if DADT was rescinded.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Instead of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, let’s shoot for Don’t Give A Damn….
May 7th, 2009 at 6:21 pmSorry….Send Obama an e-mail at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
May 7th, 2009 at 6:21 pmChris LeJune, may I add in a friendly manner, not to mention the number of misunderstandings as the local civilians are kept in fear, arrested, and thrown in Abu Ghraib because the soldiers don’t know the landuage.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:30 pmOfficer Choi will be speaking with Rachel Maddow again tonight. Like I said before, I hope he rips the policy a new one.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:33 pmWith all due respect, Mr. President, I didn’t spend my days, nights and weekends working on your primary win in Pennsylvania and then your landslide win in the general for you to tell me “One thing at a time, we have inherited a lot and our plates are full.”
I understand all of that, but it isn’t rocket science to simply repeal a military rule that violates basic human and civil rights at best and endangers our country thru the loss of arabic speaking service people at worst.
Get with it, Mr. President. By playing to the middle, you’re not pleasing anyone.
PEACE
May 7th, 2009 at 6:34 pmWell… so much for being all that you can
May 7th, 2009 at 6:37 pmbe…
Every time we kick one of these people out of the military it is a huge waste of taxpayer resources. How much more bleeding is required before Obama gets over his homophobia?
May 7th, 2009 at 6:37 pmthank you
May 7th, 2009 at 6:50 pmhttp://www.maxipaylasim.net/
Lt Choi,
Thank you for your service to our country. I sincerely hope that you will be able to continue doing so. The United States needs people like you. I hope your Commander-in-Chief does the right thing and blocks your discharge. I won’t vote for him again if he doesn’t.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:56 pmObama is afraid of his own.
The black community is as backwards on this subject, or more so, as the christianista, racist, peckerwoods.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:57 pmFor those who haven’t figured it out yet, Obama’s glib, beautiful campaign rhetoric passed its expiration date shortly after the inauguration. Clinton wooed gay voters, took their money and their votes, promised them the moon, and enacted DADT and signed the Defense of Marriage Act. They shouldn’t expect more from Obama, a gifted orator and slick liar.
He’s put us on the hook for over $12 trillion in support of his bankster contributors without an appreciable effect on credit availability, planned a permanent occupation of Iraq, is reviving the Military Commissions and denying due process to Bagram detainees, ramped up the Afghan war and thus destabilized nuclear-armed Pakistan, expanded Bush’s state secrets doctrines, continued illegal spying on American citizens and promised immunity and continued employment to torturers and murderers. Change we can believe in.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:50 pmThis is just sad! I hope that Obama does something about DADT ASAP. What the hell is the holdup? Obama has not given a good enough explanation for not doing something about this injustice.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:50 pmI watched his stint on Rachel’s show and thought to myself, “It’s just a matter of time.” The military is so predictible……and so 19th Century. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face……..no wonder our soldiers did so poorly in the renovation department over in Iraq……all the people who could speak the language had been kicked out!
May 7th, 2009 at 8:07 pmAnd BTW, Yay! spencer’s mom!
May 7th, 2009 at 8:09 pmI’m confused here. What did he talk with a lisp or something?
How many qualified translators do we have that speak Farci or other Arabic languages?
Do we have so many that we can afford to dismiss them over some peoples personal bigotry?
The guys no regular grunt. He’s a WEST POINT GRADUATE! How hard was that to get through? What skills do they think his sexual preference impacts? How many of us could go through WEST POINT?
Do we really want to fire the best and the brightest simply because of a sexual preference???
Damn that’s stupid. Just plain stupid.
At least the guy is going to be able to go out and get a six figure job translating for a private firm. At least big business isn’t so stupid as to give a rats ass about anyones sexual preference.
Meanwhile our military will continue to settle for second best because of simple bigotry.
Heckuvajob.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:10 pmfreedom.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:40 pmI read Belkin’s article. He said:
“Once people see gays and lesbians serving openly, legally and without problems, it will be much easier to get rid of the law at a later time.”
Wishful thinking.
There are a lot of closed minded people who will never see the light on this issue.
If Obama gave an executive order the Congress would not “get rid of the law at a later time”. Congress would be happy to let Obama carry all the weight on this.
The next President on the other side of this issue would rescind Obama’s executive order.
It’s better to repeal it through legislation.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:51 pmCowards die a thousand times before their deaths, a hero dies but once.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:14 pmI agree with Bilbo Huessein Baggins: register your complaints at the White House…….I did. I think Obama’s staff at least reads the e-mails they get from the American public because they are so attuned to the grass roots. Here’s the link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Go for it. Make your voices heard…..it’s the only way we can get things done in this country. That’s how Obama got elected.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:22 pmWho else was ashamed of being American when they heard this today? This is a victory for our enemies because our Army is probably going to lose a hreo.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:31 pmThe military is a unique institution and does not operate by the usual “rules” of civilian society.
That’s an oversimplification, but I’m trying to keep it simple for the simple-minded here!
I’m with all the experts on this – homosexuals should not be in the military.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:37 pmWhat I find infuriating are the posts that are spot on in this thread, yet because they are (rightfully) slamming Obama’s about-face, there are few, if any ‘Recommends.’
Get over it.
Obama is, in fact, dropping the ball on several crucial issues. Let him have it. People worked incredibly hard to get him elected; it’s a slap in the face to return the favor with some razzle-dazzle excuse-making and cowardly website shuffling. If some scummy republican did this crap, we’d be all over his lying a$$. Obama is no different because he’s a democrat. They’re both politicians.
On an earlier thread, I slammed Pelosi for her politically craven attempt to sidestep and deny her role in allowing waterboarding, arguing that she had a duty to protest this torture. I, of course got few “recommends” even though I supported my position with Constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald. It’s as if I had violated some sacred loyalty cow of the democratic party. Screw that.
Now, of course, a report has been released revealing that Pelosi likely lied about being briefed and the extent of her knowledge of waterboarding. She should step down in favor of Kucinich. We need credibility, not more slimy liars, republican or democrat.
Obama made some tall promises to get into office; he doesn’t get a free ride when he betrays those pledges, and he’s racking them up.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:48 pm23 nations have gays serving openly in the military
link
One of the larger differences between the military and civilian worlds is that military leaders have more power to check the negative effects of attitude than civilian leaders do. In order for gays to serve openly in the military without them being harassed and/or harmed by bigots, it will be necessary for military leaders from the top to get on board.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:49 pmhanshiro the antlion
I agree……..I believe, sometime during the campaign, Obama echoed the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt when he told the American people how to get him to do what they wanted: “Make me.” So, get to it American citizens…..flood the White House website with e-mails demanding that he repeal that stupid DADT. Don’t let a few homophobic uptight military religious types keep such a discriminatory law in place.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:00 pmConservativeForProgress
Another stupid and inane post by you. What else should we expect from a moronic piece of garbage troll like you?
May 7th, 2009 at 10:08 pmTimmeh. You are stupid. FAR too stupid to be talking about dumbing it down for us. It would simply be impossible to dumb down virtually ANYTHING to the point someone as stupid as you could understand it. Having gays in the military certainly didnt hurt the ancient greeks. You dont really care what the experts say you are a bigot and a moron just looking for a reason to BE a bigot and a moron
May 7th, 2009 at 10:13 pm23.ConservativeForProgress Says: Another broken Obama campaign promise. What do you expect out of a Chicago politician?
More than what we’ve been driven to vomiting over the last eight years. Here’s Letterman to explain it to you…
May 7th, 2009 at 10:23 pmI am not making a post to inflame…only trying to state the obvious. This service member made a choice to openly come out of the closet on National TV. That is not in question.
The current policy is “Don’t ask/ Don’t tell”…is it not? I served 20 years in the Submarine Force…and am a disabled vet. I understand the significance of this persons decision. It is what he chose to do…so now he is going to pay the price.
Do not be mad at the military for enforcing the current law…it is what we have to do in order to keep a balance of integrity. To make offensive remarks about our men in uniform…including the leadership…is just wrong!
Until the law is changed…the military will continue to enforce the rules.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:56 pmPresident Obama has got to repeal this policy immediately!
Not only is it absurd! It is an insult to the American public.
E-mail him. Tell him to end it NOW!
The Republican legacy of Unconstitutional Bigotry has got to end forever!!!!
May 7th, 2009 at 11:57 pmThis is exactly the sort of thing that will make President Obama move on this. I know he has a lot on his plate, but we cannot continue to lose well-trained people from the military because of some idiotic law.
Lt Choi said he will fight this thing, and that’s what we need him to do in order to change this law.
Lt Choi, I dub thee a Squeaky Wheel.
May 8th, 2009 at 1:16 am.
Sibel Edmonds addresses this issue in her movie…
KILL THE MESSENGER
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6063340745569143497&ei=wsIDSv7OB6LaqAPtkcC4Cw&q=sibel+edmonds&hl=en
WATCH IT!~!!
I want to know what she knows about Plame.
I want to know what she knows about lies told to America.
I want to know what she knows about wiretapping.
.
May 8th, 2009 at 1:32 amRC a reasonable post. I understand the military will enforce the law. What we are saying is that the law is wrong. We think the law should be changed.
May 8th, 2009 at 1:41 amAccording to Belkin, a soon-to-be-released study by a group of experts in military law will show that “President Obama does, in fact, have stroke-of-the-pen authority to suspend gay discharges.”
Then what in the hell is taking him so long?
May 8th, 2009 at 8:26 am@15
This is really not fair, Obama is multi-cultural and if he answers to his peers that includes lots of Democrats, progressives, academics, Chicagoans, etc. that support freedom of sexual orientation.
And African American service members are probably more concerned about veterans’ care and military policy than DADT. And education.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:18 amOK let me get this right you people really think that the President should jump into the full on repeal of this DADT policy when the economy is still on a spiral and unemployment rates are still soaring.Aren’t these more important and by the way don’t forget the DADT was signed into law and pushed through by none other than then Demorcrate President Bill Clinton to win some reelection votes of the gay population.Also lets investigate the real issue why these people are all of a sudden poping out of the closet when they know its going to get them kicked out Were they soon getting orders to serve their country in its war on terror is it just becoming the easy way to dodge their responsibility of going to war.The reason that it has been a federal law making it illegal for gays to serve was mainly because until recently it was listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as being a mental disease. And most Gay people that I have and still are friends with does have a very unstable mental condition that when I served in the Army with an Infantry unit I wouldn’t have wanted to really on them to help whatch my back.Bottom line is lets get the economy back on track get people their jobs back then return to these issues after we have saved everyone as a majority and not get side tracked on an issue that really only affects a handful of American citizens.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:27 am42. ICE72 Says: And most Gay people that I have and still are friends with does have a very unstable mental condition that when I served in the Army with an Infantry unit I wouldn’t have wanted to really on them to help whatch my back.Bottom line is lets get the economy…heehaw..heehaw…
You. Are. An. Idiot.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:40 amThis war is just absolutely horrible. It’s bad enough that ouah boys are gettin’ blowed up over there and now one of them has done come home with the Gay. Damn them Iraqis for unleashing the Gay on our boys!
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You that are so thoughtful of Gay Rights, do not take into account the Military Soldier that protect your rights. He or she is generally a principled understanding person. They understand that in close quarters that queers have away of disrupting life in any organization. They understand that seeing Gay’s in parades showing their asses that they really have no self control. They also realize that Gay’s tend to be thinking of their Gayness rather then on the task at hand of protecting this Country against it enemies.
May 11th, 2009 at 2:33 pmI for one believe that you would see a mass exodus from the military of the very people that are sworn to holdup our freedom in the face of danger.
Those of you here which are griping about the military should in fact sign up to take advantage of your strong sentiments. Join up and live the life of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Coastguard, Marine and see what close quarters means in combat situations. I believe your view would change from that of a juvenile complainer to one that would appreciate what our forces do for us every day. There is not enough money to pay these men and women for their sacrifice for this great nation.
So do me a favor and go to your Gay Night club and blow or lick one another. Just shut the hell up about our forces and how you see them in a bad light. The Fag that want to come out the closet do so because they want to get kicked out and should not have been in the service to begin with.