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The much anticipated Pentagon questionnaire went out today to 200,000 active duty and 200,000 reserve American military personnel, so they can weigh in on whether they’re gonna get the heebie jeebies if one of their female comrades tapes a photo of her girlfriend next to her bunk.
There are over 100 questions — sent via email, so it’s “confidential,” hah– asking for soldiers to talk about their emotions and their feelings about repealing DADT. Questions about morale! Quitting! Showering! CNN’s Barbara Starr (above video) says the research firm Westat claims the 400,000 respondents will make for a statistically accurate sample size, which sounds about right.
Now everyone please remember to promptly respond to the survey, because America’s taxpayers just spent $4.4 million making it happen, and Pentagon leaders are dying to know what your wife and children think about the sexuality of your co-workers.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
CJ
This survey makes me SICK.
They have NO clue as to how discriminatory these questions are. What if it were, “If you were to have a black supervisor, how would you feel about it?” It really shows how blind they are to their own prejudice.
It’s a SHAME that Obama is pushing for this ongoing “study.” I really wonder why in the world Obama even attempts to help the LGBT community. He obviously doesn’t believe in full equality. And, this survey is insulting.
Lamar
I doubt they’re gonna get the heebie jeebies if one of their female comrades tapes a photo of her girlfriend next to her bunk they’ll probably just use it to pleasure themselves :P, if its a guy they’ll probably report it.
Lanjier
Who gives a flying fuck what they think? They have to be told that they have to follow their orders to treat other soldiers with professionalism and respect, and to report any inappropriate conduct toward them by any fellow soldiers.
You don’t like your fellow soldier, private? Too fucking bad. Soldiers serving a free and equal nation come in all stripes, colors and labels. If you can’t handle it, go work for some other country.
Devon
So much bullshit.
Since when has the military operated as a democracy?
If they want to survey the troops about something, let’s take a poll to find out how many of them want to keep fighting two pointless wars, being re-deployed over and over again, or if they’d rather pull out and come home. Let’s base military policy on that survey…
Brutus
I think it’s strange to say that anyone has a “right” to serve. With an all-volunteer force, it’s more like a privilege. And if we still had the draft, it would be the right of the government to call YOU into service, not the other way around.
Republican
Seems to me that making major policy decisions based on what the majority of servicemen want doesn’t fit very well with the fundamental concept of an ordered and disciplined military. Not that one can expect bigots to have any brains..
GEW
I’m amazed that, for all it’s bravado and hoo ha-ing, the US military is deathly afraid of Teh Ghey… or at least the top brass are.
Whadda bunch of wussies.
GEW
I’m amazed that the US military, for all their Be the Best that You can Be and ho ha-ing et al, are SO afraid of Teh Ghey. Or at least the top brass are.
Whadda buncha wussies.
If other countries militaries can survive with little impact,in allowing LGBT people to serve, I’m sure the BEST militia in the world can.
They’re out there literally dying in some cases, for a country and military that have no use for them. It’d be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.
jason
This is a horrible, horrible survey. Imagine if they sent out a survey on whether whites liked serving next to blacks. There’d be hell to pay. Obama needs to take responsibility for this travesty. Obama IS a travesty.
alan brickman
if you bring the game then you belong..it’s just that simple…
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
“OVER ONE HUNDRED QUESTIONS”????
A cynical person….not moi, of course, might say that ridiculous number is meant to assure SOME negative answers even from the most gay-friendly.
Imagine being asked over 100 questions about, say, your lover. Isn’t it likely that SOME of your answers would be “negative”?
And, thus, they can say, “Well, we asked Pvt. Tater, Mrs. Tater, and the Tater tots what they thought about letting the Fagroes out of the camo closet and they said, “HELL, NO!!!!”
Which brings me back to MY question….and it’s free:
[img]http://02b4964.netsolhost.com/images/509_1OBAMA-WHOM-DID-WE-ELECT.jpg[/img]
reason
@jason: Well I believe when they were integrating the Army, which I believe they did, it would have been beyond intelligent to find out how the whites felt about serving next to blacks, in order ascertain were safeguards can be put in place in order to make sure things go as smoothly as possible. When they were integrating schools it would have been excellent to know the percentage of people that disagreed so you know how to prepare with national guard protection etc. When an oil company plans to drill a new well don’t they send out geologist to survey the land in order to learn about what they may be facing.
The survey is an obvious necessity in order to know what safeguards need to be in place. If 8% say they will drop out of the army, well then they an idea of the amount of extra resources need to be allocated to recruitment to ameliorate the potential loss. If 80% say they will be hostile showering with a gay soldier, something needs to be done to prevent an obvious disaster which may lead to the death of a gay soldier. If 97% of soldiers say they have no problem being lead by an openly gay commander, well then you know very little needs to be done to prepare for that particular change over. I am sure the blacks that had there feet cut in the bathroom shower after bigots broke glass in the shower to injure them would have been pleased if a more comprehensive study was done and safeguards put in place in order to avoid that.
This is not about the military personal deciding whats going to happen vis a via DADT, it is about being aware of potential problems that may boil up when the policy is changed. If you still believe just because an order is sent down from the top people are going to fall in line, then you are very naive. An order was sent down from the top that secession was illegal surly didn’t stop the states, and we ended up fighting a civil war. Well in the midst of two wars, if the military and the presidential administration did nothing to prepare for the change that repeal of DADT will bring, would not just purvey naivety but but would be a display of gross negligence and abysmal incompetents.
CJ
The results of this survey will likely show a certain degree of homophobia amongst many of the 400,000 respondents. That being said, the military will have tangible evidence to further delay (or deny) repeal of DADT.
Interesting that they didn’t survey gays before DADT was implemented. “How will you feel about risking your life for your country’s freedoms… to only later be fired because you tell us something about yourself we are scared of and don’t know how to handle?”
McMike
Wow. The red flags going up with the military suddenly turning into a Club Med makes you wonder WTF is really up. This survey is just a front for some major bullshite.
CJ
Ran across this when during a search on DADT and the survey. It’s a military-related forum. This particular section is entirely relating to discussions on gay/lesbian issues in the military. You see all sides.
http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/27819558
jeffree
Gay men & women are already serving in the military. Even if they’re not out, they’re there, and have been along. The only difference that repeal of DADT would create is that they don’t have to hide their orientation. Existing rules about sexual relations betwween members of the Armed Forces would have to be updated & reworded, but the gay/ lesbian members won’t suddenly be pre-dators on unsuspecting hets.
If a similar poll was conducted previously about “allowing” Moslems to serve —something they’re already doing — the results would have been “NO WAY”
on a recent Qty post which I cant find @ the moment, they linked to a USMC web page whre thie issue of DADT repeal was discussed. Responses were about 3 to 1 against the repeal…..
i don’t think that math will change much on this survey. I hope i’m wrong.,
Mr. Enemabag Jones
And who do we have to thank for this? Bill fucking Clinton. His mother should have ripped him out of her womb with a coat hanger when she had the chance.
reason
In much simpler terms the survey is not about the troops making a decision in whether or not gays serve openly. It is about gathering as much information on how they will react. Safeguards will be put in place depending on the results of the survey. The president already made the decision on the repeal of DADT and will pursue repeal in congress no mater what. As the president, secretary of defense, and the chairman of JCS have all stated this is not about if DADT will be repealed, it is about what is going to happen when we repeal it.
If the survey comes back negative, the only repercussion is the military will have to work hard to make sure homosexuals are safe. DADT repeal will go forward with a positive or negative survey. Those 100 questions are going to bring in the information on how to make sure gays are safe, personally I would like to probe further. It is important to know what negative views even our allies hold, granted they are probably going to be playing a major role in making the environment safe.
McMike
@reason: It is the US Military. They are service members whose job is to follow orders. The US Military has never been so “concerned” with how it’s members will react to a new policy and this new-found concern is a red flag and a half.
Bambam
Let’s pretend that the response is overwhelmingly positive. Would it actually make a difference to the people who issued it?
Brutus
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: “And who do we have to thank for this? Bill fucking Clinton. His mother should have ripped him out of her womb with a coat hanger when she had the chance.”
Please rewind to 1990, if you’re old enough to do so. You’ll notice that, at that time, people could be kicked out of the armed forces simply for BEING gay. Under a (proper) DADT proceeding, they have to come up with actual reliable evidence that you regularly engage in homosexual ACTS. Nobody ever said it was perfect — and it’s time for it to go — but as I recall, it was hailed as a big step forward at the time. Think about the title — “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The whole point was, “OK, gays, you can serve, and we’re not going to ask about your sexuality. But if we find out anyway, we’re still going to kick out out. So don’t tell us. (And keep it on the DL from your superiors and others who might report you.)”
Again. Not ideal. Not what we want now. But attacking Bill Clinton is totally out of line.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
@Brutus:
While I agree that Clinton is unfairly demonized about failing to lift the ban [and did NOT, contrary to many claims, craft DADT], the fact is that one can STILL be discharged simply for “being gay”…UNLESS you can PROVE to their satisfaction that you never have nor NEVER WILL commit homosexual acts.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
@reason:
Thank you for your crock of steaming bullshit from the Obambot Gay Uncle Toms League.
jason
This military DADT survey is part of the co-ordinated set-up secretly supported by Obama. Obama doesn’t want to repeal DADT, and this survey, with all the negative spin it will generate, gives him and the Democrats an escape hatch to go back on their promise to repeal DADT.
The Democrats are beyond hideous, and have harmed us immensely with their lies and procrastinations.
reason
To many sensationalist here, yall share the same emotional underpinnings as the hard right. After DADT is repealed there will be more crying about the sky is falling on another topic.
@Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com: Your comments are incomprehensible, and don’t mean anything to me. I take it they are supposed to be a display of rage or insulting, to me it just makes you seem crazy. Judging by your previous post… at least it is good for a chuckle here and there.
reason
The comment about Clinton is disgusting, and pushing the blame toward him is disingenuous. The reason DADT was passed is because the majority of this community was to lazy to get out there and lay the groundwork for Clinton’s agenda. Spent more time demonizing him then the people that were actually working to hurt the community. To many people spending the night at the club, then ranting and raving at politicians after they wake up with a hangover and bitterness about the previous nights escapades. The buck stops with you, take some responsibility in life.
@McMike: Actually they were just as concerned during desegregation. It is every Americans job to do there job, yet how many hours are wasted with people idling around and skipping out on work. Just because an order comes down doesn’t mean it is going to be followed with robotic like effort. If that were the case, the many abuse’s that already take place in the military would not exist.
Michael
It’s a survey, not a vote. Every respondent has an equal opportunity to skew the results. Non-participation helps, who? Fear of filling out a survey isn’t much of a show of conviction.
Ben K
Don’t fill out the survey over fear of being identified as gay and serving in the military? Isn’t that the goal?
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…..
zzx
This is a thing of beauty, it is the paradise of the woman, man
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