Comments

1
$20 says the injunction is appealed.
2
Excellent!
I've been defending Obama so far, given the precarious situation he's in and the general wimpiness of most of Congress. Whether or not he appeals this ruling will be the real test of his intentions. I think he'll try to stay out of it, but it would be nice to see him throw his weight behind this ruling.
3
The injunction will be appealed by the DoJ including a brief comparing gay soldiers to pigfuckers. We already know their position on the matter.
4
"Worldwide"?
5
@4 US military ships, planes, and bases exist worldwide.

Your tax dollars being wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example. Even though al-Qaeda left there half a decade ago.
6
Since when do civilian courts have jurisdiction over the military?
8
@6 - Since civilian elected governments have had jurisdiction over the military.
9
Get your hate right here. Extra Extra, Tea Party nutballs enraged!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news…
10
@6 DADT is a restriction mandated by federal law under Defense Directive 1304.26 (issued by Bill Clinton) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (passed by Congress).
11
@9 - wow, the hate flying around in there is overwhelming!
12
yada yada yada. It's over.
13
If the civilian congress can pass laws affecting the military, then the judiciary should be able to review them just like every other fucking law congress passes.
14
Fuck I love the Judiciary, the only branch left with principles.

But Obama's Justice Dept will appeal, either losing and angering liberals for appealing, or win and leave it to a more conservative Congress that will fail to repeal it. And his alienation of the gays will be complete.
15
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is the Democratic way, just watch.
16
@15 i really really wish you weren't right. maybe i should accept that invite to talk with President Obama when he lands ...
17
Well, it seems like the courts are our only hope. Congress was unable to come up with enough votes to repeal DADT, and they sure as hell won't have the votes after November. Obama won't lift a finger to help.

So... yay for the judge.
18
God, sometimes Civilians piss me off.

You guys just don't get it. We are not a private corporation. We are not the department of Transportation, or the EPA, or the FBI. Certain rules are bent for us, and they have to be.

You decry the discrimination of gays in the military. And you're right, it's discrimination. And it's not right - I personally have no problems with gays, in or out of the military. I think it's a wrong policy, and should be changed. When the brass thinks it's *right*.

Here's what a lot of civilians don't get. They see the discrimination of homosexuals and think it's horrible. But that's not even a small percentage of the people we discriminate against.

You're not harping about all the kids we turn away because of medical issues. I worked as a recruiter for two years, and I can't tell you how many kids whose hearts were broken because they had something in their past - most of the time that no longer even affected them - that prevented them from joining. You have any sort of disability - even minor - and you can't even get your foot in the door.

We discriminate even if you're already in. I know half a dozen guys with severe PTSD who hide it because that's an instant ticket out the door. You have any kind of serious depression or psychological issue and you get a med discharge. If you're lucky, the VA might give you some help, but I wouldn't count on it.

But where's the rallies and marches for them, hmm? Hell, at least gays and lesbians can serve, as long as they keep quiet about it. But they still get all the attention while my friends stick pistols in their mouth and paint the ceiling with their brains.

Where will all of you activists be when DADT is repealed? You'll be looking for the next issue to bitch about while we're still bleeding out in some Afghan shithole.
19
@18: Medical issues (ESPECIALLY mental problems like PTSD) can endanger a soldier and those around him; sexual orientation has NO bearing whatsoever on the workings of the military, apart from a few people being squicked out.
Now, the system could use an overhaul. There are plenty of non-combat positions that people with certain disabilities could fill. But the bottom line is that soldiers suffering from PTSD should not be serving; they should be at a clinic where doctors help them get their heads back together. And Veteran's Affairs does need to step up to help them, more than it does currently.
20
If Obama or his DOJ announce that they aren't appealing before election day (gov Schwarzenegger did for gay marriage) then I'll go ahead and vote Dem. Otherwise I'm just leaving my ballot blank.
21
Here's my problem, which is kinda similar to @18's, though not quite as volatile.

There's a growing rift between the military world and the civilian world. Unless you live near a base or have friends/family in the military, your only exposure to servicemen/women is the news.

(As an aside: A few years ago, our C/O sent down a memo, asking us to wear our uniforms when we travel through airports, to remind the people that there was a war going on)

So all these activists - the vast majority of whom are not and never have served - are taking up this cause that they care so much about. They're demanding the military change it's policies, even before they've finished polling the troops to get their feedback.

And @18 is right: Where will you all be when DADT is repealed? Are all the pro-gay activists going to march when they cut our pay? Or alter our benefits? Or increase deployment times? Once your issue is resolved, will you still care?

Right now, it feels to me and to a lot of servicemen that the military is being dictated to by people who don't understand or appreciate it. Even if we support the repeal - and I do, and most guys in my command do - we should be able to do it on our terms.
22
The military has been polled:

"A December 2006 Zogby International poll found that 73 percent of military personnel said that they were comfortable interacting with gay people. More importantly, of those who responded to the question, “Do you agree or disagree with allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military,” roughly 63 percent of respondents either agreed or were neutral."

But don't worry, I'm sure your soft bigotry will be affirmed by the jerry-rigged and biased "poll" from the Pentagon.

As for but one reason why civilians may be interested in this subject:
the cost [of DADT] to the American taxpayer jumped to $363.8 million
but even more important and an even more valid concern:
Since 1994, the military’s “Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has resulted in the discharge of more than 13,000 military personnel across the services[1] including approximately 800 with skills deemed “mission critical,” such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very specialties for which the military has faced personnel shortfalls in recent years.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2…

We're also concerned that the military has been forced to lower standards of admittance to convicted felons and high-school dropouts, while dismissing qualified gays and lesbians.

But most important, we're dismayed that a segment of American society is unjustly denying basic civil rights to American citzens.

Kinda that whole American ethos, ya know? Something the Founding Fathers were concerned with, too.
23
As a matter of fact, I know a number of civilians (although progressive, rather than conservative) who have been activists on military pay, benefits, and stop-loss.

If you're looking for supporters for military issues that affect service men and women, you'd be likely to find them among those who are also "pro-gay," than not.

It was the Bush administration, and Republican Congress, that starved the VA, sent our troops on innumerable stop-loss missions, cut military benefits, and so on and so forth.

If you want to hang with those who share your prejudice, you'll pay a price, including being sent, repeatedly, to war on trumped up evidence.

Best of luck to you, and thank you for your service.

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