With a temporary stay in hand, the Department of Defense is still going to let gay soldiers get kicked out of the military — but it’ll take the signature of a freakin’ military branch secretary (like United States Marine Corps Gen. James Conway, who thinks you homos are a bunch of pussies), according to new guidance issued today by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Meanwhile, an unnamed Pentagon attorney says DoD is “planning for multiple scenarios,” indicating the military is at least considering DADT could die via court ruling, not Congress.
Reads Gates’ memo, addressed to service chiefs, in part: “Effective immediately and until further notice, no military member shall be separated … without the personal approval of the secretary of the military department concerned, in coordination with the under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness and the general counsel of the Defense Department. These functions may not be delegated.” Which means any candidate for discharge would have to be “nominated” by a branch chief, then approved for dismissal by the Pentagon’s top attorney and Dr. Clifford Stanley, the under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness.
So in order to get kicked out of the U.S. armed forces for being gay — at least for the time being — you have to be a super special soldier. Who’s gonna be first?!
SF Dragon
Does GetEqual have Gate’s home address? We need to keep up our successful fight with Obama and the Military. They should be in front of his house yelling and screaming all night long!
Plus, please make a donation: http://www.getequal.com Activism isn’t free . Join the fight OR pay up.
B
No. 1 · SF Dragon wrote, “Does GetEqual have Gate’s home address?”
Hey, I have Obama’s address for this evening, and it’s about 30 miles from San Francisco … found it in a newspaper. Hope he has a nice dinner.
What they should do is to rule that any indication that one is gay released during periods when DADT is suspended cannot be used to kick someone out, particularly new recruits – you don’t want someone to sign up, quit his job, vacate his apartment, and then be thrown out of the military after a few weeks (maybe because he told the recruiter he was gay), which means finding a new job and a new place to stay.
Basically, if they let you in when they know you are gay, they shouldn’t be able to kick you out because you are gay.
Polyboy
Fuck those cowards in Congress. We’re so damned close to a theocracy now, this might as well be the prequel to The Handmaids Tale.
reason
@SF Dragon: I doubt anyone is going to be able to get within shouting distance of where the secretary of defense sleeps, also pissing of the secretary when he is going to help write post DADT military code may not be the wisest thing in the world.
@B: I agree with you, they should keep those individuals in, granted they were admitted during a lull in DADT. You would have to refer back to the DADT language to determine if that is possible.
I wouldn’t read to much into this decision, the pentagon is getting the leadership involved for more accountability during a tumultuous legal period. The leadership is going to be up to the second on legal matters, and will be able to help the military avoid making legally binding mistakes. It does not mean that separation under DADT policy will stop or even slow down. The suggestion that you have to be “supper special” may be misleading, an individual that qualified for dismissal a month ago will likely meet the same fate if he was being considered today.
SF Dragon
@B: What are you a pussy B? We have to fight these military bigots. I want GetEqual to go to his home and demand that he stop the bs. If they have to make his life miserable, fine. GetEqual is our only hope. Lobbying and supporting Democrats is stupid.
I was lucky enough to meet Robin and she told me she would own Obama within the first year. That is true. Now, she is going to won the Congress. Do you have a better idea?
Get off you lazy ass and make a contribution to http://www.getequal.com or shut up. We have made a bunch of progress and you’re just a little whimp. Let Robin fight for you, you can’t handle it.
JennyC
Robin McGehee just tweeted that Joe Solmonese was quitting HRC. She said he agreed to quit if DADT Repeal failed. She won again.
We owe GetEqual our support and our thanks. They have redefined politics and our standing this year. Now, we have more Republicans, but these people know how to fight. Robin is our MLK, wake up.
IloveKip
@JennyC: TOLD YOU SO BITCHES! Robin is our leader. HRC is out of business! Great news.
B
No. 4 · reason wrote, “@B: I agree with you, they should keep those individuals in, granted they were admitted during a lull in DADT. You would have to refer back to the DADT language to determine if that is possible.”
The DADT language includes a “Don’t ask” part so I think you can argue that by saying it is now OK to accept gays, any divulgence (I’m thinking primarily of recruits) shouldn’t be used because it is tantamount to entrapment – there was a public announcement that it was OK to be openly gay. People already in the military were warned that the rules could flip-flop and that there could be a problem if they divulged that they were gay, but the average recruit can not be expected to follow the news closely enough to know that. So basically you say, “we are going to be very careful to not screw up on the ‘don’t ask’ part of the law in any way, avoiding even an appearance of impropriety.”
Military recruiters apparently target lower-income neighborhoods, selling the military as a way out of poverty. People in that situation are vulnerable, and it is important to not do things that make life even harder for them by “baiting and switching”. That’s something President Obama or even McCain should have no trouble agreeing with – its a “treat the troops fairly” issue.
Finally, note how all of our comments are getting a negative rating from someone – I guess the homophobes are active tonight.
jack e. jett
Joe Solomese should have retired years ago. If this is true and GetEqual had something to do with it…..then they have entered the awesome zone.
tinkerbell
It really is time for the Obama administration to go. I started out 100% behind him, but now am close to 100% against him. I hate to think of life under the Christian Nazis again, but I can take out and open fascists over closeted fascists (Democrats in general and Obama in specific) any day.
DADT repeal was my sentinel bell-weather for this administration and they sadly failed. It is a shame that the Log Cabin Republichristos have done more for the country in that regard than our lying president.
B
No. 9 · tinkerbell wrote, “It is a shame that the Log Cabin Republichristos have done more for the country in that regard than our lying president.”
Meanwhile, according to http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/10/dont_ask_whose_side_log_cabin.html , “Of the 10 incumbent House Republicans endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans, six of them voted against the amendment that would repeal don’t ask don’t tell. File that under ‘hypocrites.'”
tinkerbell
@B: I agree, B, the Log Cabins are hypocrites. I stated that as a point of shame as to how betrayed our community has become. It is sad when the Log Cabins are the ones filing suit to overturn civil discrimination.
I am so disillusioned with politics right now. I have supported anything and everything anti-Republican for so long due to the way they treated us throughout the last decade. I now feel like I have been punched in the stomach by my best friend, though, because the ones who promised to undo so much of the bigotry are now the ones defending it.
I just wish there was a more progressive alternative that is politically viable. I feel like a man without a country. I am too progressive for either political party and feel that the one that I supported just betrayed me to the n-th degree.
Brutus
@JennyC: “They have redefined politics”
Lol, no, they haven’t. Nobody but people on here are paying serious attention to this. They’re worrying about China and the economy.
Brutus
@tinkerbell: News flash: if the Obama administration goes, you’re only going to get something worse.
Brutus
Dear Queerty:
This Is Good News. Please report it as such. Thanks!
<3
Casey
@Brutus “News flash: if the Obama administration goes, you’re only going to get something worse.”
Now really – that is NOT an effective method of arguing in favour of the Democrats.
Personally I don’t see how life under the Dems has been any better than under Bush.
Obama is full of kind words and hot air but his administration has failed miserably in advancing our rights.
Obama is a spineless, cowardly, homophobic career politician.
Cam
Sec. Gates ALREADY warned Congress that if the Courts strike down DADT and it is decided to be unconstitutional that the military could be liable for the people they dismissed for civil damages. McCain who said he would always follow what the Pentagon recomends ignored him.
I think Gates is wisely covering the Pentagon’s budgetary ass, and good for him. With Gates doing this, it will bge hard for the DOJ to argue in court that gays are bad for the military. When the SEc. of defense is basically making it impossible to get kicked out, pretty hard for the DOJ to argue that the military isn’t ready.
As for Joe Solomnase, good riddence. You had no connections, no access to anybody in Congress and you thought you could come and take an overpaid cushy job that paid you a lot, bought you your clothes for free, and you thought you were going to be a glorified party planner. Gee, sorry that we actually expected you to DO something! BUH BYE!
Daez
@SF Dragon: When GETEqual manages to accomplish anything other than throwing huge parties for A-Gays, I’ll consider giving you a few dollars. Until then, know your place.
Daez
@JennyC: Mind naming one accomplishment GetEqual has actually accomplished? Just one. Come on, you can do it…
Oh wait, NO YOU CAN’T. They haven’t accomplished anything, and now they are fighting with the HRC. Rather you like the HRC or not, they still have more connections than GetEqual does, and if you want to thank anyone for anything that has been accomplished regarding DADT you end up thanking the Log Cabin Republicans (which would not affiliate with GetEqual or HRC by choice).
Perhaps the three groups should stop fighting with each other and start working to actually fight for gay rights, but with the egos of all three groups I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
In the end, the whole thing is a pointless fight. We are honestly fighting for the right to defend the country that doesn’t think we should have the right to get married, have children, work or have housing. I think our priorities are very skewed.
Daez
@Brutus: Ahh come on, President Palin in 2012. It would completely solve the gay rights issue because Canada would get a huge immigration of gays.
Cam
@Daez: said..
@JennyC: Mind naming one accomplishment GetEqual has actually accomplished? Just one. Come on, you can do it…
___________________-
Wow, how soon they forget. I was a very vocal Obama supporter and I’ve had it with this White house for a while, as for your “One thing” I’ve got a few, but you only asked for one so here it is…
The Administration with the full backing of HRC said that there would be no DADT repeal, they even made Rep Alcey Hastings pull back a repeal bill he had offered in the House. Barney Frank said that gays needed to be quiet etc…
So then Get Equal starts doing sit in’s at Pelosi’s offices and suddenly Pelosi is telling the White House that a repeal bill is coming whether they liked it or not. And since everybody uses the fact that the bill got brought up to defend Obama I’m remdinding them that the White House and HRC didn’t want it, and that Get Equal seemed to force the issue.
Ok, there’s one, let me know if you need another.
Activists Need Your $upport
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Cordless Screwdriver ·
i admire party planners coz they really know how to make a great and memorable party *
False Nails
you don’t need party planners if you are just going to hold a very small party for your personal friends `.: