Obama Cites ‘Generational Gap’ As Explanation For Difficulty In Repealing DADT
Obama Cites ‘Generational Gap’ As Explanation For Difficulty In Repealing DADT
On MSNBC last month, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a decorated U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who served in both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, said he was told last year that he was being discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, but planned to fight it, hoping that President Obama would quickly change the policy once he assumed office.
Yesterday, the president hosted a meeting commemorating the 40th anniversary of the gay rights movement where he reiterated his desire to end the policy, saying it “doesn’t contribute to our national security.” Appearing again on MSNBC last night, Fehrenbach, who attended the White House meeting yesterday, said that Obama told him privately that a “generational gap” is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of overturning DADT:
FEHRENBACH: I told him the situation for me was urgent and I needed his help. [...] He looked me right in the eye and he said, “We’re going to get this done.” And then he continued to say, you know, everyone seems to be onboard. We’ve got about 75 percent of the public that supports this. He said, but we have a generational issue. And so, there is some convincing to do, that there is a generational gap it seems and some of the senior leadership.
Fehrenbach called it a “reasonable answer,” adding that “the young officers and the young enlisted corps” he works with find this to be a “a non-issue.” “I sort of suspected that maybe the people that were a little bit disconnected were some of the senior leadership,” he said. Watch it:
Fehrenbach said that he “didn’t get the impression” that Obama was just trying to placate the gay community by offering a photo-op with the president for not acting on gay rights issues thus far. “He likened these efforts to the efforts 40, 50 years ago for the African-American community,” he said. “So…this discrimination is something he’s felt his whole life. So, this sounded like it was a personal issue for him, that he really did believe in these causes and wanted, you know, equal rights for all Americans.”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
WOW
What a lame excuse – this dude does not take responsibility for anything, does he.
“Yes We Can” increasingly looks like a cheap campaign slogan. This is going to be a problem in 2012 when he expects those that remember progressive/liberal political traditions in this country are expected to forget all the sell-outs and get behind a man that, increasingly, stands for very little.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:06 pmQuestion: If 75% of the American public supports gays serving opening in the military, why is the “generational gap” an issue?
June 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pmF uck off, Another Joe. You have become worse than useless.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pmKnock it off , Obama
You’re the President of the US ; “generational gaps” aren’t any type of excuse or stumbling block to removing unconstitutional laws which limits the civil rights of gays and lesbians …………….
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pmHe’s the friggin CINC, he should start acting like one.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pmScrew the generation gap, and the generals and colonels who rode in on it.
Not that the economic collapse is his fault, but he will be left holding the bag in 1012 if things don’t turn around. Failing to do anything meaningful on issues, especially health care, will become problematic.
There is no such thing as a “jobless recovery” – obama needs to fulfill some of the other promises he made to maintain some of the base that got him elected in the first place.
Relying on the repugs to self-destruct should not be his only strategy. Now is the time for meaningful action.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm.
Not much “change” when that “change” is about retaining generational gaps.
.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:10 pmWe’ve got about 75 percent of the public that supports this.
We are in deep doodoo when 75% support does not equal, gitrdone.
I’m sorry, but are you waiting for 125%
June 30th, 2009 at 1:12 pmLOL
Zooey calls another commenter “less than worthless” and then chimes in support of the said commentators observation!
TP is not the thoughtful blog it once was, but it is still fun to come and see what the left-behinds and backwash have to say.
KUDOS, TP, for posting a meaningful thread that addresses a significant national figure and a significant national issue. Whether we agree or not, these topics are much more important than the most wacho hill-billie that no one has ever heard of has to say.
In fact, some would say focusing on the backwash gives them a platform that they otherwise don’t even have – after all, not even faux news covers some of these lame wingnuts.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pmRelying on the repugs to self-destruct should not be his only strategy. Now is the time for meaningful action.
I just hate it when trolls say things that make sense.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pmEven worse, obama is acknowledging the “generational gap” but refusing to take responsibility to deliver his promises to the demographic group(s) that overwhelmingly elected him.
He beat the repugs/neocons fair and square and now uses them as an excuse not to deliver change.
Any way you slice it, that is hard to justify and doing so only enables him to continue selling he real base (and the majority of voters) out.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pmIt has nothing to do with a “generational gap” and everything to do with the fact that the right wing has to have something to make everyone afraid with. It’s the only way they can control the masses in their opinion.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:15 pmFunny how here, when you post something that a vocal minority disagree with, you are a “troll”.
And when you post things that almost everyone agrees with, those same know-it-alls proclaim “troll.”
I just hope TP gets back to a more reasonable dialog before 2012 because, if obama keeps accommodating the backwash, we are going to need to have more rational dialogs.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:16 pmGenerational gaps? WTF does that have to do with doing the right thing? A very simple thing at that! Oh yeah, Obama is proving that he is just another American politician. Bankers, Wall Street schemers and CEO’s are all that matter.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:17 pmToo many of the senior military officers were promoted in the last 8 years based on politics rather than merit. That is why we have this imbalance in the military command and the hard right view on things like DADT. It is another reason why elections matter.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:18 pmEven worse, obama is acknowledging the “generational gap”
And AJ is acknowledging that beating up old people is ok?
But seriously, we need to do what is right and if old fart Republicans get their undies in a bunch, life can be tough sometimes.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:19 pmSo we just have to wait for all the old farts to die off? That seems a bit impractical, and I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Yes, you would think that if 75% of the country wants something, it shouldn’t matter what the other 25% think. Unless Obama figures that by spending all his political capital on the DADT issue, he may not get any cooperation from the old fossils on issues where he really needs it — such as health care.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:19 pmAnother Joe Says:
LOL
Zooey calls another commenter “less than worthless” and then chimes in support of the said commentators observation!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
We may be in basic agreement on this issue, but I do not support your constant whining, pissing and moaning on EVERYTHING — usually off topic.
You are less than worthless because it’s apparent you do nothing about trying to change the situation, other than b!tching on TP.
Spend some of your time writing your congress people and President Obama, and less of it pissing and moaning here.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:22 pmI wish Pres. Obama would act a little bit like Pres. Bush as just pass an executive order making descrimination against sexual orientation illegal ANYWHERE in the US.
Just as Pres. Bush used an Executive Order to bypass the FISA law, Pres. Obama could follow his (egregious, but convenient) example and do the RIGHT THING.
Then again, the ultra-extreme radical-right-whiners would complain like it was the end of the world: “How DARE Prs. Obama follow the example set by Pres. Bush!?!?!”
June 30th, 2009 at 1:23 pmSpeaking of selling-out his base – here’s the latest out of Iraq
US general in Iraq will not say how many troops remain
AFP
Funny how some want to focus on how the military treats gays but gives obama a “free pass” for not getting those same soldiers out of Iraq!
WFT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:24 pmmisscoleopteramolly Says: #16
The thing is if Obama wanted to have prayer and teach creationism in public schools the republicans would be against it just because it came from a Democrat. They will oppose him no matter what. He needs to lead and stop trying have a bipartisan solution to every issue. You are the president Mr. Obama. Grow a pair and act like one!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pmProud Says:
Two words: Executive Order.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I agree that President Obama should issue an EO suspending enforcement of DADT.
On the other hand, you and your kind will positively go off the rails if he does it. Basically, no matter what Obama does, it will not be right for your crowd.
Piss off.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pmAs I recall, he said it was the “wrong war” at the “wrong time” when he needed our support…
June 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pmHey Ferenbach… still fired?
Then you accomplished nothing but drinking Failbama’s kool aid. Good job.
I’ll wave to you in the unemployment line, you drone.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:27 pmAJ:
Last week I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but it now appears that you are either a concern troll, or a bitter progressive doing a fine imitation of one.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:28 pmNo, Senator Lieberman, you become a “troll” when your criticism extends beyond merely something that “a vocal minority disagrees with” and becomes a full-on obsessive quest to clog up every thread with your own repetitive perspective, wasting time, bandwidth and the patience of others.
See the difference?
June 30th, 2009 at 1:28 pmAnd then there is this one:
Fein: Obama ’shuts his eyes’ to ‘open confessions’ of Bush-era war crimes
Enabling torture and becoming complicit in it (by ignoring the criminality) is more important than DADT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
WTF – that one is pretty hard to justify too, but I am sure some will give it a mighty whack.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:29 pmAnother Joe Lieberman is responsible for seven of the first twenty-seven posts in this thread, all saying pretty much the same thing.
But the characterization of him as a troll is simply because he “posts something that a vocal minority disagree with”.
Right.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:31 pmLOL ralphie…
Let the syncopate continue – all hail our little group leaders and blog gods!
If everyone would just play their little part in the play that the high and mighty have scripted, what a great dog-and-pony show we would have.
Now everyone – PLEASE GET IN LOCKSTEP AND START GOOSE MARCHING!
The future of this administration, according to some here, demands it.
Accountability to voters? Evidently, that is just for the other guys.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:31 pmObama could easily use an Executive Order to temporarily halt the DADT discharge processes until Congress can pass permanent legislation. If he wanted to. The thing is, I don’t think he wants to because I think he is just as homophobic as the Senior Officers in the Military.
Many people that attend conservative black churches are very homophobic, why should Obama be any different? His campaign promises are based on nothing more than trying to get a large donor base (gays) in the Democratic party to support him.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:31 pmLefty – do you think this has anything to do with all the noise larry sinclair made?
June 30th, 2009 at 1:33 pmDoes anyone have a copy of the updated list of TP bloggers who took offense to AJ’s spamming last week.
This may be the perfect time to cue the list
June 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pmI see Another Joe still has his head up his a$$
June 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pmevidently, some that proclaim repugs hate facts don’t exactly cozy up to them either.
*Torture, OK
*Continuing illegal war, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, OK
*Not repealing DADT, not ok
Anyone that posts about other topics related to military but not directly DADT, BAD
LOL – now GET IN STEP!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pmReggie, please add me to the list.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:36 pmThe military either follows orders, or they do not. If any of the older officers refuse to follow an order from their Commander-in-Chief, then they can GTFO.
I mean, look how many generals Bush went through just to keep troop levels low in Iraq (until later on he belatedly followed the fired generals’ advice, called it “the surge” and pretended it was his idea all along).
June 30th, 2009 at 1:36 pmIn general, blacks despise the couching of the “right’s of gays” as a civil liberty issue on par with their struggle for equality.
Being owned by another human and treated as an animal has NOTHING in common with sucking another man’s dick.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:36 pmspamming = not in lockstep, goosemarching with self-proclaimed leaders
LOL
Someone give me the definition people use for “progressive” and “liberal” here again?
Didn’t know that it demanded a single-mindedness and turning the eyes away from related topics/ideas.
Funny place, this blog you call “think progress”
June 30th, 2009 at 1:36 pmThink = parrot what the blog god says
Progress = expecting now change and limiting areas where it can even be discussed.
Of course, someone will quote a dictionary somewhere to “prove” that this is exactly what these 2 words mean.
And the proud progressive/liberal traditions in this county – some will deny they exist and shove them down the memory hole.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:39 pmAJ:
Spamming is making 13 out of 43 the first comments posted on this thread!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:39 pmmisscoleopteramolly Says:
So we just have to wait for all the old farts to die off? That seems a bit impractical, and I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Yes, you would think that if 75% of the country wants something, it shouldn’t matter what the other 25% think
But if the “Majority” are against same sex marriage….then that’s wrong? Come on now it can’t be both ways, can it?
June 30th, 2009 at 1:41 pmZooey Says:
Question: If 75% of the American public supports gays serving opening in the military, why is the “generational gap” an issue?
Maybe because those people serving in the upper echelons of the military belong to the old generation (pre-”Will and Grace”) and are therefore very homophobic. Maybe they haven’t said so publicly, but there could be many of them threatening to retire if President Obama repeals DADT, and you don’t want to lose experienced military personnel in the middle of a war.
Of course, I’m just guessing here…
June 30th, 2009 at 1:41 pm.
Joe,
Remember, no bashing
BushObama..
June 30th, 2009 at 1:46 pmI see Another Joe Lieberman took to heart my explanation of why he gets tagged as a “troll”.
Oh wait — no he didn’t. He simply admonished us to PLEASE GET IN LOCKSTEP AND START GOOSE MARCHING!
Nothing trollish there.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:46 pm.
In the mean time…
… Another Arabic translator dismissed.
West Point graduate to stand trial Tuesday for being gay
Published: June 29, 2009
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/06/29/arabic-translator-to-stand-trial-tuesday-for-being-gay/
Dear Mr. President,
How’s that pre 9/11 mentality working for ya?
.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pmMaybe because those people serving in the upper echelons of the military belong to the old generation (pre-”Will and Grace”)
I believe they call it attrition. There was a time when the old guard wanted to keep horses and sabers as the primary military force. Thought airplanes were newfangled and a fad.
Time marches on and you either keep marching or get stomped on.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pmAn EO ending DADT would effectively reinstate the outright ban on gays serving in the military.
Congress has to repeal the underlying ban before DADT can be eliminated.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:50 pmNice try at conflating two separate issues.
missmolly is pointing out the political expediency of ignoring the 25% opposed, in order to implement a measure.
You’re talking about subjecting basic civil rights to a vote of the people. Two different issues, two different standards of measurement.
Had segregation been put to such a vote in the 1960s, blacks would still not have equal rights across the south, maybe even much of the nation.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:51 pmHere’s the latest version of The List™ that I have, but I suspect it’s a bit outdated:
TROLL – ANOTHER JOE STFU LIST
1) Dbadass
2) tony and lido?
3) Reggie?
4) ralph?
5) angels81?
6) joe cantwell?
7) Shadowboxer?
8) pastcaring?
9) shayne?
10) gummitch
11) StratRat?
12) vinylspear?
13) toasterhead
14) RUC
15) Game of Life
16) Gregor Samsa?
17) Pachydiplax de St. Augustine?
18) Buckie Boy?
19) Zooey?
20) wiley?
21) hormiga brava chavez?
22) Dr. Matt
23) pete
24) livelongandprosper
25) Jane E. Schneider
26) AmericasBack
27) Leftside Annie
28) Jim Wolfe359
29) Bobwurst
30) OutstandingInAPlagueofLocusts
31) ranus69
32) Wayne A. Schneider
33) spencers mom
Those who have no signed but wish to, please copy the list, affix your name to the end,and re-post it.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:53 pmPresident Obama is the CIC of the military. He can pass the word down that enforcing DADT is counterproductive without using an EO.
And he can light the fire in Congress to get the law repealed.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:54 pmI’m in ralph. :-D
June 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pmSorry, ralph but AJ ain’t worth the effort. He likes the idea that the posters here think enough of his bilge to post a list about his sorry butt.
AJ is goat droppings from an imaginary goat.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:57 pmTROLL – ANOTHER JOE STFU LIST
1) Dbadass
June 30th, 2009 at 1:58 pm2) tony and lido?
3) Reggie?
4) ralph?
5) angels81?
6) joe cantwell?
7) Shadowboxer?
8) pastcaring?
9) shayne?
10) gummitch
11) StratRat?
12) vinylspear?
13) toasterhead
14) RUC
15) Game of Life
16) Gregor Samsa?
17) Pachydiplax de St. Augustine?
18) Buckie Boy?
19) Zooey?
20) wiley?
21) hormiga brava chavez?
22) Dr. Matt
23) pete
24) livelongandprosper
25) Jane E. Schneider
26) AmericasBack
27) Leftside Annie
28) Jim Wolfe359
29) Bobwurst
30) OutstandingInAPlagueofLocusts
31) ranus69
32) Wayne A. Schneider
33) spencers mom
34) belaccifer lacca
So, this sounded like it was a personal issue for him, that he really did believe in these causes and wanted, you know, equal rights for all Americans.”
And he’ll get right to it, as soon as there is no chance of a confrontation.
Change you can believe in.
Just outta curiosity, why is it that it seems to be only Arabic linguists who turn out gay, this one fighter-pilot notwithstanding…
June 30th, 2009 at 1:59 pmDADT is a relic of a by-gone era. There are probably senior officers in the military that still have a problem with the service of non-whites and with women.
So what?
Let the military prove its flexibility. Those senior officers who can’t cope should be given some golf clubs and a watch and a fond farewell.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:59 pmbelaccifer lacca Says:
TROLL – ANOTHER JOE STFU LIST
I am not a ‘joiner.’
June 30th, 2009 at 1:59 pmIt is SO UNFAIR that if gays proclaim their sexual orientations some don’ want them to be part of an illegal war, torture, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Its just so damn unfair!
June 30th, 2009 at 2:00 pmsure glad some here are “keepin’ their eye on the ball” – after all, that is what obama himself proclaimed when he needed progressive/liberal votes.
Now he says, because of the “generational gap” (translation: the minority that did not vote for him), he cannot deliver change.
And don’t kid yourself, it isn’t just DADT
June 30th, 2009 at 2:03 pmThe men in the military who oppose having gay colleagues are telling us so much about their own secret sexual fantasies.
These so-called “straight” men have male/male rape and penetration fantasies.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pmOT – Just in: Minnesota Supreme Court affirms Senator Franken’s victory over Norm Coleman
Booyah!
June 30th, 2009 at 2:10 pmAJ, teh gay are coming to get you! Make sure you where the leopard skin thong.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:13 pmTROLL – ANOTHER JOE STFU LIST
1) Dbadass
2) tony and lido?
3) Reggie?
4) ralph?
5) angels81?
6) joe cantwell?
7) Shadowboxer?
8) pastcaring?
9) shayne?
10) gummitch
11) StratRat?
12) vinylspear?
13) toasterhead
14) RUC
15) Game of Life
16) Gregor Samsa?
17) Pachydiplax de St. Augustine?
18) Buckie Boy?
19) Zooey?
20) wiley?
21) hormiga brava chavez?
22) Dr. Matt
23) pete
24) livelongandprosper
25) Jane E. Schneider
26) AmericasBack
27) Leftside Annie
28) Jim Wolfe359
29) Bobwurst
30) OutstandingInAPlagueofLocusts
31) ranus69
32) Wayne A. Schneider
33) spencers mom
34) belaccifer lacca
35) Zooey
36) Lefty Liberal
Zooey, I assumed that your post saying you were in was meant for this list, that is why I included your name. If not please correct me, and accept my apologies for misunderstanding your post.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pmOops, I just saw Zooey’s name on the list. Sorry..
June 30th, 2009 at 2:19 pmrepublicans hate facts Says,Keep up the good work!! I agree with everything you have said.
You are not the only one who feels this way.
Cheers!!!
June 30th, 2009 at 2:33 pmReading comprehension alert.
The generational gap Obama identified is in the senior military command rather than in the civilian population. Bush holdovers in other words. We will see some turnover in the Joint Chiefs pretty soon and have a new generation of senior officers.
Too many people are jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the issue.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:34 pmHey , spencers mom shouldn’t be on that list!!!
June 30th, 2009 at 2:35 pmI kind of figured that.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:38 pmrepublicans hate facts Says:
Then again the same “Majority” falsely believe “Marriage” is a religious institution. “Marriage” is a “Government” institution. Any church can “Claim” to marry someone, but it’s only marriage when the “Paperwork” is signed. And you can go into a court house and be “Married” by signing the paperwork.
Maybe in your world marriage isn’t a religious institution….it always has in mine and all the other world religions also. The paper is so it is recognized by the state. You have something like that don’t you…oh yeah civil unions.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:39 pmThere is some “convincing to do” with the “senior leadership”?
Am I wrong, or doesn’t the “senior leadership” still have to follow orders?
June 30th, 2009 at 2:40 pmI would think that an order from the commander-in-chief should be all the “convincing” they should need.
So are you saying that, because my wife and I were married by a Justice of the Peace, we are not “married”? We have a “civil union”?
June 30th, 2009 at 2:48 pm.
Dear jrzguy,
Not quite. But keep trying.
.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:48 pmI wonder if this ‘generational gap’ refers to members of Congress.
President Obama has three choices: 1) do nothing, 2) act like Bush and sign an executive order which ignores the law, or 3) use his persuasive ability to convince Congress to change the law. I vote for option 3.
Having an LGBT meeting at the White House is putting the issue forward. None of us can really say how much President Obama and his staff are pushing Congress on this behind the scenes.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:49 pmralph,
June 30th, 2009 at 2:52 pmYou and your wife aren’t gay enough for jrzguy’s argument.
jrzguy Says:
Why do many religious organizations refer to “holy matrimony” or “holy marriage”? Doesn’t this imply that there is a separate “secular marriage” that only becomes “holy” when sanctioned by the church? So, why shouldn’t gays be able to participate in the secular marriage as part of their overall rights as human beings? Of course, I also think a church should have the right to sanction a gay marriage as “holy” also if there is truly going to be religious freedom.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:54 pmMaybe in your world marriage isn’t a religious institution….it always has in mine and all the other world religions also. The paper is so it is recognized by the state. You have something like that don’t you…oh yeah civil unions.
Then why can’t the churches that don’t have a problem with same-sex marriage marry people of the same sex? Why does marriage have to be defined by just a few churches?
The best solution is to make marriage available to everyone, and if a particular church doesn’t want to recognize the marriage or perform the ceremony they don’t have to.
Simple
June 30th, 2009 at 3:03 pmPresident Obama has three choices: 1) do nothing, 2) act like Bush and sign an executive order which ignores the law, or 3) use his persuasive ability to convince Congress to change the law. I vote for option 3.
The executive branch can sign an executive order that can clarify the procedures used in following the law. For example, the original intent of DADT was that the soldier could be gay, but just not say anything to their commanding officer or other troops. The way it was implemented was that there would be “witch hunts” that the military would argue that your parents finding out was “telling” so you would be discharged.
Obama could very easily sign an executive order clarifying what is meant by “tell” and order the current cases to be re-evaluated based on that order until Congress could repeal the law
June 30th, 2009 at 3:10 pmMr. Obama, you are the commander in chief. You can command these soldiers to go into battle and risk their lives. You can certainly command them to stop ejecting good soldiers from the army simply because they were audacious enough to admit their sexual orientation. The fact that you refuse to do so speaks volumes of your own bigotry.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:11 pmi’m sure there is a sizeable “generational gap” that doesnt accept a black president…does he wanna tiptoe around them as well?
June 30th, 2009 at 3:14 pmThis “generational gap” meme, more than anything else, has to do with the U.S. military being turned into an arm of the Khristian Koalition, with a dash of neo-Nazi right-wing militias thrown in.
So when someone recently rolled out the argument that DADT couldn’t be repealed because doing so would hurt “troop morale,” they were actually saying that repealing DADT would upset the religious fundamentalist-types in the U.S. military, the very ones who’ve endangered the lives of U.S. troops overseas in combat zones by proselytizing the native people and handing our right-wing-approved versions of the Bible…which has nothing at all to do with our military’s mission…or at least didn’t when I served in the U.S. military years ago during the Vietnam Era and Cold War.
This is definitely a case where hardcore right-wing ideology trumps sanity, and actually compromises our national security, especially where Arab linguists are concerned, no matter what their sexual orientation. Neither our nation, nor our military, should be held hostage any longer to failed and dangerous right-wing religious fundamentalist quirks and judgments, which invariably do more harm, and have nothing at all to do with what Jesus Christ was teaching, nor anything to do with the founding principles of our liberal, democratic nation.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:02 pmA generational gap is the reason not to repeal DADT? Hmmm, perhaps Obama needs to see the generational gap that we can create in donations to the Democratic Party. Perhaps then he’ll see that it’s better to be a moral compass that leads instead of a weather vane that follows the 25% who don’t want to see change…
June 30th, 2009 at 5:11 pmSo how come the frantic feelies of religion allowed people to be married by a JP or judge? And since we are supposed to be a secular country what the fu(k does what religion wants to believe have anything to do with a civil contract between two parties?
Are they going to start requiring the church to bless off on setting up a car dealership?
June 30th, 2009 at 5:41 pmThere is a saying in the military—Sh!t rolls down hill. It describes an elemental truth about the military. If gays are allowed to serve openly and the top brass aren’t committed to making it work, then the sh!t isn’t going to roll down on those who are doing harm to their fellow gay soldiers, just like the sh!t isn’t roll down on those who rape their fellow soldiers.
I think that President Obama is doing the right thing as Commander in Chief and working to get the brass on board. I understand the feeling of urgency that people have, but I suspect that some of that energy is residue from the Bush years, and fear of being similarly stomped again.
He’s a very patient, and persuasive man who is committed to the long-term. Change that has staying power often requires more deliberation and negotiation than just barking out an order and expecting people to comply. He cannot be an effective Commander in Chief if the military brass resents him. Give him time. Whatever you think of President Obama, he is not a sociopath. He’s not just taking everyone for a ride. He really does care.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:13 pmTo HELL with DADT. Why didn’t ZerObama extend federal pension and healthcare benefits to LGBT federal employees? He could end DADT with a stroke of the pen. Just more lip service garbage, just like the much advertised “withdrawal” of troops from Iraq. They are just changing the names of the combat brigades to “advisory and assistance brigades”. Check out how many US soldiers have died this past month to see how realitiscally the war has ended allowing a “pullout”. We are there for DECADES. ZerO is no different than Bush.
June 30th, 2009 at 7:15 pmZerObama is expanding the Faith Based Initiative garbage, the most anti-Jeffersonian policy in American history. Why would anyone think he’d be progressive on gay and lesbian issues. Duped you all are.
June 30th, 2009 at 7:18 pmOT, but related and important that the teabaggers know: the first stimulus $ is finally being spent in GA to improve a highway system near Atlanta. More to come.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:42 amJune 30th, 2
He’s the friggin CINC, he should start acting like one.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:52 amScrew the generation gap, and the generals and colonels who rode in on it.
Funny thing. We thought you were our generation.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:03 amSorry, the Military has obviously convinced the President that open gayness in the military is a bad idea. Therefore, it’s a bad idea.
Besides gay is a choice, that can have some pretty phsycotic sub-culture associated negativities. For national security reasons, I don’t think that forcing this upon the people serving in the military is a good idea. Freedom to choose is one thing, stuffed down everyone’s throat is quite another.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:43 amYou know what, he could be right. Think about it….
July 1st, 2009 at 10:43 amYou have a bunch of hard liner, career military, older guys in charge of all aspects of the military. This are your grandfathers and great grandfathers mind set. If this is indeed the fact, you know as well as I do that being openly gay in the military is going to be a problem.
Can not teach an old dog new tricks.
Peashooter Says:
——————————————————–
“reedom to choose is one thing, stuffed down everyone’s throat is quite another.”
July 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Well, I never “chose” to have heterosexuality shoved in my face when I served in the Army, but I still had to listen to all my straight cohorts extol about how they plowed one chick after another, or how they got so wasted they didn’t remember how many they slept with over the weekend.
It was even worse when they WEREN’T drunk, beccause then they went into graphic detail about HOW they had sex!
Talk about “stuffed down everyone’s throat”. It’s the straight people who “stuff down everyone’s throat” THEIR sexuality!
Funny how you seem to have a double-standard about someones heterosexual “choice” of a lifestyle.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm#98 – lvdragonlady Says:
———————————————————–
“You have a bunch of hard liner, career military, older guys in charge of all aspects of the military. This are your grandfathers and great grandfathers mind set. If this is indeed the fact, you know as well as I do that being openly gay in the military is going to be a problem.
Can not teach an old dog new tricks.”
July 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Simple solution: mandatory retirement for these “old dogs” that refuse to learn new tricks, and explain it as “detrimental to the cohesion of the military”. Since they’re so willing to exclude others for this fabricated reason, I’m sure they’ll be fine with it when it’s used on them!
July 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pmDemocrat Soldier Says: Well, I never “chose” to have heterosexuality shoved in my face when I served in the Army…
Yeah but who cares? I don’t like to hear about my parents having sex but it comes up sometimes.
If you choose to be the abnormal from the normal then go for it, but don’t expect the world to change for you. If men can’t be men in the barracks because there is a woman there, then she shouldn’t be there. For that same reason neither should you and you are not even a woman. Yet you still want to have you way.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:25 pm#101- Peashooter Says:
———————————————————–
“If you choose to be the abnormal from the normal then go for it, but don’t expect the world to change for you.”
July 1st, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hey, I never lambasted you for your being ab-normal! You are one of the 25%-ers who refuse to grow up and accept normal gay people as being equal to every other American, so why should the rest of the 75%-ers change the world for your minority view?
When you’ve spent some time in a barracks and see how the real men & women act, then maybe you can talk about it. Until such time, you’re simply giving your uneducated opinion on something of which you know nothing.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm