So letting minorities into the military would have been an affront to any Mormon soldiers back then "Mormons did not allow blacks to become full members of the church until 1978" and yet they didn't use that as an excuse not to integrate. So inorder to protect bigots sensibilities we should deny people civil rights? Is this the quality of our military leadership?

This has actually been a long fundamental argument for DADT. However, expect this argument to be used again and again in the debates on the repeal. Consider this fact, that in the late 80's between 10-20% of Military Chaplains were endorsed/sponsored by an "evangelical" ecclesiastical endorsing body. Currently approximately 80% of Chaplains are now endorsed by an evangelical group. At last count, gay friendly denominations such as the United Church of Christ or Unitarian Universalism, had 3 and 5 chaplains respectively, a minor fraction of all military chaplains. Our own military is quietly being taken over by fundamentalists right under our own nose.

Here I was thinking this nation was founded on the belief of "separation of church and state"? How come the only time "separation of church and state" is brought up is when the religious right wants the government out of their activities?

It is really funny to hear people like Baldwin talk. What about the gay soldiers that are forced to live in secret. Why isn't respect for them and their service ever part of the equation.

To hell with the military murder machine that serves only to enrich the government and the rich – let that religious buffoon join and get himself killed if he's so passionate about his convictions. And how does he reconcile his christian faith with clear commands like "Love thy neighbour as thyself" and "Though shall not murder"?
Stupid christian nuthead. Jesus will spit you out of his mouth.

He acts as though none of the gay soldiers are people of faith. And Christianity, Judaism and even Islam (to a smaller extent) have sects that are welcoming. Not everybody in the military practices Baldwin's brand of religion.

This argument does not surprise me at all. I have read about soldiers being evangelized by force. Christian fundamentalists were given access to our soldiers by the Bush administration. The administration's theory was the more soldiers they converted to born again Christians, the more republican voters they would have. This policy is very sick since the soldiers cannot just run away from these freaks thereby being forced to listen to the fundamentalists religious rants.

There are many, many Air Force officers who believe it is their duty as Christians to convert as many service men and women as they can. I once had an email argument with a fundie officer who quoted scripture when I quoted the manual. He never understood his power as an officer precluded his proselytizing.

I had to block his emails, he was becoming belligerent.

Thanks for the post…evengelical batshit crazy propoganda is a common part of the military culture and the power structure…this danger is not acknowledged often enough, nor considered often enough in the process of how to PERMANENTLY repeal DADT.

An executive order is not enough to resolve this problem long-term. Evangelicals need to be beaten down with a LAW, or they will return like weeds, or "Night of the Living zombies for Jesus" to fuck things up, and attempt to get any executive order overturned the first chance they get.

@galefan2004: Well put!! Very well put!

@InExile: the 'fundamentalists' are probably the biggest terrorist threat out there.

Why can't these elderly and profoundly stupid bigots just die off already? I don't know how this man can dress himself he's so dumb.

"3) that the U.S. military gives a shit what its soldiers believe in. Because they don't."

Actually, the U.S. military very much gives a shit about "faith" and there's a creepy amount of evangelism and "born again" activities going on all the time and with official sanction. There's been some good reporting on this lately.

And Obama should not be consulting with Pentagon brass about dadt. Those people are hardline fundamentalist christians who consult the bible as to how to counsel the president about military policy. These people are scary crazy.

Repealing DADT has absolutely nothing to do with religious beliefs..This guy is not serious at all!!!

DADT is a stupid law to apply to the military. If any American citizen wants to don the Serviceman colors and go protect our national and international security then i say let them. I certainly dont want to do it! If anyone in the army does not want to serve because he does not like his "gay comrades" then he should discharge himself and join KMART. Homosexual lifestyle has nothing to do with a soldier's ability to serve.

So once again..REPEAL DADT..IT IS STUPID

What about the religious belief in "Thou shall not kill"?

@Stevious:

OH, I think Aquinas reconciled that little problem with the double effect.

What about the religious belief to kill all nonbelievers?

Deuteronomy 17
17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant; 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

@Stevious: That one doesn't get as high of a rating. The Jewish law, which is what Leviticus actually is, took that commandment and came up with 1000s of ways to over look it. The whole book is about ways to justify breaking the 10 commandments. Its no wonder Jesus absolutely hated the people that wrote that book so much.

The Generals statement that gays would be offensive to Relegious people does not hold water when one of the most combat tested militaries in the world already allows gays and that is the militay of Isreal

He looks like someone easily imagined to be sitting on his front porch whittling a cross/dildo and talking about how evil jews and blacks are…

@Stevious: That's more of a suggestion.

To answer the main question, when stupidity became a requirement in the Republican Party. I'm sick and tired of watching bigots use religion to excuse their own bigotry. As if Jesus Christ would ever choose to spout hatred at anyone.