Despite zero guarantee of anonymity, Defense Sec. Robert Gates still wants LGBT soldiers to fill out the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell survey that went out yesterday to 400,000 American soldiers.
“This survey is a very important element of this effort … because … this size sampling is the most significant element of getting the views of the troops,” he says. And what about SLDN’s concerns about privacy — a factor so great the group is recommending queer soldiers not fill it out? Still fill it out, he says, even though queer soldiers have no discharge immunity guarantees.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
Well, OF COURSE, she wants them to! Because President Gates wants to be able to say in December when she uses the “study” as an excuse not to stop discharges that it was fair because even The Fagroes participated.
And did j’all hear that LCR offered not to go to trial next week with their suit against DADT that the ODOJ has repeatedly tried to kill if there was a freeze put on discharges pending repeal and Obama, Inc. REFUSED?
jason
Since when is military policy survey-based? Military policy is order-based, not survey-based. Mr Gates, you’re a disgrace to the office and the US military in general.
Baxter
@jason: I wouldn’t blame Gates for this. I’d look at the president and congress who pushed the need for a survey so they could stall on this issue until after elections.
Soakman
Question 1: Are you gay? By answering yes, your survey results may be forfeit as if you are discharged you will no longer be considered part of the demographic to which this survey is meant to be administered…..
Ben K
Is this the wrong video? The question of anonymity never comes up.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
@Baxter:
With respect, WHAT are you talking about? GATES was the one who first brought up the phony study in the February 2nd Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, saying even then that he “hoped” Congress wouldn’t do ANYTHING until the “study” was in.
He said it even more forcefully in a press conference on March 25th:
“REPORTER: Do you support—on the legislative side of things, do you support a legislative change to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” whether it’s a moratorium or outright repeal, this year, before the Pentagon completes its study on the issue?
SEC. GATES: I do not recommend a change in the law before we have completed our study. There is a great deal we don’t know about this in terms of the views of our service members, in terms of the views of their families and influencers.”
At the end of April, he said in an interview that it was “stupid” to do it any other way, and sent that letter requested by Cong. Skeletor to try to stop a vote even on “delayed” repeal, which closed with:
“I STRONGLY OPPOSE ANY legislation that seeks to CHANGE this policy prior to the completion of this vital assessment process. Further, I hope Congress will not do so, as it would send a very DAMAGING message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, CONCERNS, and perspectives do not matter on an issue with such A DIRECT IMPACT AND CONSEQUENCE for them AND THEIR FAMILIES.”
AND, when our allies in Congress finally got Obama to agree to meet with them, clearly at Gates’ insistence, he turned the tables on them and gutted any guarantees that discharges would end as had existed in the now dead Military Readiness Enhancement Act which he’d vowed during the campaign to fight for.
“Pelosi said the House weakened its repeal language to mollify the White House. Military leaders REFUSED to accept language that would BAR discrimination, so the clause was dropped.” – The Huffington Post, June 3, 2010.
Kev C
Does Gates think gay people are stupid? No one shold answer this phoney, delay-tactic, probably unconstitutional survey. This survey is causing our troops grief, and harming group cohesion and readiness. It’s invasive and troubling to our troops, so don’t answer it.
DR
Look, this is not surprising. Gates knows full well that the LGB soldiers aren’t going to participate for fear of discharge, and there goes a huge demographic in the survey which would favor repeal. So now the survey is stacked with the anti-repeal folks who can legally speak up, while once again the LGB community has to hope that enough straight folk speak up to create some shred of balance.
Now are y’all seeing why I kept saying this process was going to bite us in the ass and we needed a real legal repeal instead?
dfrw
I have never been in the military, but when did it all become so touchy-feely? In the company that I work for, which isn’t taxpayer funded, the CEO doesn’t survey me to find out what I think about company policies.