Yawn.I didn’t even watch the SOTU.  I’m sure Obama sounded really good though, because that’s what he does.  He’s real good with words.  Actions, not so much.
I think the Apple Ipad launch yesterday is a perfect metaphor for the Obama admin to date.
What could have been.
http://thetimchannel.wordpress…
Enjoy.

Our TroopsAnyone who cares about the safety of our troops should be outraged that skilled workers have been discharged from the military, including Arabic interpreters.
How many people died needlessly because skilled and qualified soldiers were not there to do their job?

The military’s already pretty heavily sexualized –Homophobic joking banter among heterosexual and closeted men quite often carries a pretty heavy erotic charge — though talking about that to the wrong insecure man can get ugly.

were not going to do anythingunfortunatly i feel the answer to question about what are we going to do about it is NOTHING. the president will do nothing about it. congress will do nothing about it. we as gay people will be to busy this summer to care. after all theres all the gay pride parties , gay disney, gay cruises, the gym etc etc. not much time for civil rights after all that. i also believe that in the next 4 yrs obama will see that he cant do anything to move the country forward with the sorry bunch of people in congress. they arent interested in that. this is why in 2012 there will most likely be some randon white smiling smooth talking snake oil salesman christianist elected.  

Question for FRCSo why would a DADT repeal make things any different from the way they are right now with 66,000 GLBTs in the military at this very moment?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

It’s all so sillyOur major allies including our closest,Britain have long allowed us to serve openly.
I guess the FRC thinks our troops are singularly bigoted. Not to mention that polls have long shown that most soldiers could care less.
Unless Obama goes beyond these nice words he will give credence and cover to FRC and all of their cohorts. Allowing the “gays are sexual fiends who will attack their straight peers” if they are allowed to be honest about themselves.
Sexual assault knows no orientation.They were be incidents of every type. And since we are the minority we will never make up a large percentage of it.

DADTPlease correct me if I err, DADT, put into place by the last Prez who jerked us around as our ‘allie’, can be eliminated by Executive order, no?  

Interesting…“This would put our military in the strange position of actively recruiting personnel who have an expressed intention to violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice (which still prohibits certain forms of sexual conduct, including homosexuality)”
I don’t know if the FRC’s email talked about the adulters in the Military whose expressed intention to violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice” is ever taken to  heart, or if it is just more bullshit like DADT.

Because there’s obviously no sexual harassment in the military *now*Even completely putting aside the LGB aspect of his statement, it does a monumental disservice to all the women in the armed forces who deal with astronomical rates of sexual harassment and abuse every day. Pretending that queers would make it worse is moronic, but trivialising the actual, underlying problem is despicable.  

With both eyes openAs usual in some areas we come to the table with Eyes wide open and then in some areas our eyes wide shut. It is not the intention of the FRC to belong to any conglomerate of organizations to do away with DADT, or DOMA or gay marriage. It is the intention of the FRC to lead that advancement and stop the acceptance of gays on any and all fronts both morally, politically and socially in American society. They are in essence our KKK or Al-Qaeda if you will. They don’t just want to block either, they want to see whatever gains we have made in society rolled back on the moral and political and social fronts in which they work.
But we come to this fight a lot more educated and a lot less naive. With actual real data on the effects of DADT and on what the military should and would look like without DADT. We carry the support of the vast majority of retired general officers and a number of current officers not in fear of the loss of their career advancement potential and their rank. We also have a great number of allies in congress the best being a straight retired captain who has his own personal views for why DADT is wrong for America.
The US population even supports the dissolution of DADT by incredible numbers and that support is still growing. For a change this is actually a popular movement for our community and we should not discount that fact. How great would it be to start seeing our military young people able to marry openly in the 5 states where this is now legal!
We also have a real history of the shameful and deliriously dishonest actions that gave us dadt in the first place so we don’t have to watch that show all over again.
Yet more than anything we have gay soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in our armed services who can’t fight for themselves and no other choice but to shut up and do what we can to be their voice and their support and jump in with both feet if there is any chance that we can do anything to make their lives of dedication just a little bit better.
Otherwise we are the same as our everyone else, granting lip service to those who would lay down their lives for us but unwilling to take any action that would acknowledge that sacrifice and support it. As a nation we have been here before. These same moralizers did not want black Americans to serve, our Japanese Americans, and what of Native Americans.
For all their great service the Military would hide their accomplishments for years rather than acknowledge their key contributions of service. How about we say not again to that. not on our watch, in our generation. I have no idea what to do next but there is no question there is plenty to be down.

No – Congressional LegislationWhen Sam Nunn – who deserves as special place in political hell for his self-serving bullsh*t during the 1993 debate – helped lead the charge in the Congress to codify the ban on LGBT soldiers – whether they are our or not. The implementation of that law led to DADT – the military allegedly won’t ask and the soldier won’t tell so they can stay in. The Congressional legislation IIRC actually went beyond the military regulations at the time.
What Obama could do with an Executive Order is temporarily halt all current investigations and discharges.  

Yep!Unfortunately, I have to agree on all counts.

but of course

… to increased sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault.

Quoth the FRC, and this is in fact business as usual in the military right now WRT male-on-female sexual harassment. Maybe that’s the conservative mindset: project on us precisely what they do to others. Yet I haven’t heard them, from Tailhook ’91 (a date that should live in infamy in Navy history) onward, calling for a crackdown on that. If they don’t care about that version of sexual harassment, maybe they don’t really care about this.
I’m sure they care about this, though. Get rid of DADT and FRC and Donnelly’s group lose their meal ticket. It is a swell fundraiser for them, isn’t it?
Oh, and by the way, have the Australian, British, or Israeli militaries reported increased sexual goings-on?

“But what good came of it at last?” quoth little Peterkin.
“Well, that I do not know,” said he,
“But it was a famous victory.”
– Robert Southey, “The Battle of Blenheim”

Art. 125If they mean the UCMJ statute against “sodomy”, they probably mean most of the military, since Art. 125 isn’t specific to same-sex practices. Indeed, judging from soldiers’ banter I well remember, “unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex” [Art. 125], or at least the latter, is common and even bragged-about.
If Congress can bring itself to repeal 10 USC § 654, then it can certainly modify Art. 125 (10 USC § 925), perhaps to criminalize sexual harassment, something that the UCMJ doesn’t explicitly do.
And, since the Manual for Courts-Martial is an Executive branch document, Obama can modify that to severely limit the instances where Art. 125 would trigger a prosecution. He can do that any time he wants, as the 1993 RAND report mentions.
(Fun fact: the UCMJ does not explicitly criminalize adultery, either, except under the “conduct unbecoming” statutes, Art. 133-134).

HOT LIPS: I wonder how a degenerated person like that could have reached such a position of responsibility in the Army Medical Corps!
FATHER MULCAHY: He was drafted.
– MASH, the film

amenIn fact, “don’t ask” was supposed to mean just that. Clinton let the military turn it into “search and destroy” instead and just sat there and watched it happen. Obama can change the implementing regulations (DoD Instructions, Army Regulations, etc.) to require substantial proof simply to begin an investigation, not relying on gossip or anonymous e-mails, and not putting the burden of proof (what Clinton bragged about as a “rebuttable presumption”) on the accused.
And maybe tack on administrative penalties for eager-beaver witch hunts. He is the Commander in Chief, and this is all in the province of administrative law, which he controls. If he or Gates bother to.

That’s the slovenly way in which these Acts are always drawn.  However, cheer up, it’ll be all right.  I’ll have it altered next session.  Now, let’s see about your execution–will after luncheon suit you?  Can you wait till then?
– “The Mikado”, Gilbert & Sullivan

I’m doing something.I started this morning by signing the Courage Campaign’s petition to the President.  You can do the same.  Tomorrow, I’m getting on the phone to my members of Congress to see where their thinking and plans are regarding a repeal.
Saying “we’re not going to do anything” is self-defeating and just plain wrong.  You may sit back and do nothing, but I am working daily to get my rights.  Don’t presume to speak for me or anyone else.  

The FRC needs a reminder‘Nuff said:

never let them forget that oneGood find! Keep using that picture in this debate.
You can also find fun facts in this Tailhook ’91 roundup –
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/…
The Navy IG report on Tailhook seems to be in print (see Amazon) but is online from time to time (doesn’t seem to be a current link to an online copy, though). Worthwhile if you’re researching and really want a good example of the current “good order and discipline.”
http://www.amazon.com/Tailhook…

A common thread running through the overwhelming majority of [NIS] interviews concerning Tailhook 91 was – “what’s the big deal?”
Those interviewed [by the NIS] had no understanding that the activities in the suites fostered an atmosphere of sexual harassment and that actions which occurred in the corridor constituted at minimum sexual assault and in many cases criminal sexual assault. That atmosphere condoned, if not encouraged, the gang mentality which eventually led to the sexual assaults.

Several people described the third floor hallway as smelling of spilled beer, vomit and urine at the height of the party on Friday and/or Saturday nights. One Navy squadron XO told us ‘…the hallway was gross…People-I’m sure they peed in the corners or wherever they happened to be standing, loss of bladder control. They puked there. It was terrible.’ Others said the hallway carpet was saturated with spilled beer to the point that it ‘squished’ when walked on. Reportedly, the Hilton Hotel replaced or repaired and cleaned the third floor hallway carpeting each year following the Tailhook convention because of the extensive damage.
– excerpts, DoD IG report on Tailhook 91

This is OUR time….and WE have to step up to the plate.
Sign the petition Lurleen posted.
Give John McCain a call 1.202.224.2235 and tell him how you feel regarding his comments to keep DADT in place.
Give John Boehner (OH) a call 1.202.225.6205 and tell him how you feel about his comments to keep DADT in place.
Give Kristen Gillibrand (NY) a call 1.202.224.4451 and thank you for being our fierse advocate. Also we must financially support her. She is up for election in 2010.
250,000 marched on DC for equality. A 5 dollar donation form ech of us and you top 1 million. We must demonstrate our collective power.
Do not it still people. We are ALL frustrated. This is our wake up call!!!

LOBBY DAY FRIDAY MARCH 19thplease join me,
It’s that time again! As you know, SLDN holds a Lobby Day each year to push for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Last year, nearly 200 people took part in Lobby Day, participating in more than 125 meetings in both the House and Senate. Since then, a record 187 representatives have signed onto the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA).  
This year, we will be storming Capitol Hill once again. On March 19th, SLDN will hold its 8th Annual Lobby Day. Now, more than ever, we need to speak out. Repeal is on the horizon, but we must continue to push our legislators to make it happen. I hope that you will be able to join us.
To register online, please visit http://www.sldn.org/LobbyDay2010.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at jwilson@sldn.org.
Jeremy Wilson-Simerman
Legislative Manager
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
202-621-5420
http://www.sldn.org
 

We need to step up!Get involved. Lobby your reps. Participate in the March 19th DADT Lobby Day here in DC. Financially support the reps that are our fierce advoctaes and are single handedly moving this issue forward.
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (NY) 202.224.4451 call her and thank her. Send her a contribution.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA) 202.225.4276 thank him for leading the charge in the House.
Rep. Joe Sestak (PA) 202.225.2011 a retired Admiral leading the fight for repeal and challenging Arlen Specter for a critical Senate seat.
Our lawmakers must know we are behind them in both word and deed. The opposition is attacking them and has a line up of challengers for the 2010 election.
Don’t stand on the sideline and wait for others to do the heavy lifting. Get involved. Send a check and a thank you note. Do something!!

The FaRC(e) is at it again!More BIG LIE communications from people who lie, cheat and steal, and tolerate others who do.
Perhaps it’s time for defamation lawsuits whenever clowns like them open their mouths and spew forth their lying filth.  It’s perfectly okay for them to have opinions, but when they lie about the underlying facts, and those lies are defamatory of an entire class of people, a class action on behalf of the defamed class calling for compensatory and punitive damages, retractions, corrections and apologies, might be in order.

Thank you, Lurleen!I didn’t know Courage Campaign worked so quickly on this.
I got ‘er done and posted on my FB page!

MisconceptionI think the major problem is that a lot of congress and a good number of the American public buy into the bile put out by the Religious Reich talking machine in that they believe that all gays and lesbians are sex-crazed maniacs whose only concern is where and when their next sexual encounter is going to be.

British Military: “Respect for others is not an optional Extra”http://activecitizen54.wordpre…
This is a posting I did months ago about the British Military position on LGBT service in the military.
These are the kinds of things we have to get into the mainstream to stop the Hate and Fear-Mongering of the Cults of Jesus.
I’ve adopted “the Cults of Jesus” because this allows a clear distinction between a “Christian” and a hate & fear monger.   The “Cults of Jesus” is effective for me in communication because it’s better understood by our opposition to be accurate.
I’m encouraged by this President and the “leaked” news that the process of removing DADT is moving forward rapidly.

Dang, that group is so simplistic!Well, for one, the majority of all armed forces are between 18 and 25. The plain fact is people in that age bracket are very sexual beings and they tend to express that a lot… even in the civilian sector. Ever wake up at 4am and see ‘Girls Gone Wild’ commerials? Or just hang out with any guy who’s 18-25? Those guys think of sex every 30 seconds. But,that’s part of being human.
The Uniformed Code of Military Justice, it was written a long time ago… have you ever actually sat down and had formal training on it? Like with a military lawyer? (ok, it does tend to dry out your eyeballs and is a garrenteed cure for insomnia) but, the truth is, the UCMJ actually bans every from of sex, except sex used directly for procreation. Really, name a sex act and its either named out right or its still considered covered under the Sodomy Code.  Even masturbation is illegal in the military and actionable. I know, I’ve written people up for it.
As for ‘sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault’ that is being delt with now and it has been for every day I was in. ‘Normal’ hetrosexual men are known to sexually harass and even sexually assault other men. It happens, it gets delt with and belive it or not, typically the asailant isn’t even close to being gay.
‘America’s military exists to fight and win wars –not to engage in radical social engineering.’
Where to start…. African Americans in the military, Women in the military, Catholics and Jews in the military, non-native born citizens and the list goes on of those who have been banned at some point in time from military service and always people say its “experimenting”  with the military and it shouldn’t be done, not ever. I was in the military. I participated in several medical/dental experiments. Up until the 1990′s, medical/dental experimentation on active duty military members without informed consent was considered acceptable since we had ‘volenteered’ to serve our country. Around the mid-90′s after several incidents that policy changed. I know, I got recalled 3 weeks after having an experimental dental product used on me to sign the informed consent form. The military experiments on service members every day on a number of things.  One of those experimental studies saved my life recently. It experiments every day, and every day we find out what works and what doesn’t. That’s how advances are made. So, yeah, someone said that whites and blacks could work together and we do, someone said men and women can work together and we do, and someone said that Catholics, Jews and Southern Baptists could work together and we do.  The United States Miliary? An experiment? Well, so is the United States of America why not the military as well?

uhhh…. I wasn’t there…but my squadron did have a suite on the infamous 3rd floor. Even though I wasn’t there I still had to deal with uhhhhh well, direct out fall from it.
suddenly, I think I know what its like to realize what the after math of a drunken black out was years later.  

as a party, it may rank with the sack of ConstantinopleEven the Tailhook’s president seems a little perturbed.

This year our total damage bill was to the tune of $23,000.00 Of that figure, $18,000 was to install new carpeting as a result of cigarette burns and drink stains. We narrowly avoided a disaster when a “pressed ham” pushed out an eighth-floor window which subsequently fell on the crowd below. Finally, and definitely the most serious , was “the Gauntlet” on the third floor. I have five separate reports of young ladies, several of whom had nothing to do with Tailhook, who were verbally abused, had drinks thrown at them, were physically abused and were sexually molested. Most distressing was the fact an underage young lady was severely intoxicated and had her clothing removed by members of the Gauntlet.
I don’t have to tell you that this type of behavior has put a very serious blemish on what was otherwise a successful symposium. …
– President of the Tailhook Assn., 11 Oct 91, to the membership (hyperlinked on the PBS Tailhook site)

Footnote: a “pressed ham” is/are bared buttocks pushed against a window. The letter is not clear whether this is a service tradition or unique to Tailhook gatherings.
Not pretty, no my preciousss.

Sex sex sex sex sex sex“This would put our military in the strange position of actively recruiting personnel who have an expressed intention to violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice (which still prohibits certain forms of sexual conduct, including homosexuality). Forcing soldiers to cohabit with people who view them as sexual objects would inevitably lead to increased sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault. America’s military exists to fight and win wars –not to engage in radical social engineering.”
They doth protest too much, methinks.

they want to manipulate our service members till they shoot their seamenthe other side seems more preoccupied with same-sex sex than I could ever be.

MAJ. BURNS: God meant us to find each other.
MAJ. HOTLIPS: His will be done! Ohhh!
– MASH, the film

I don’t even want to knowEven masturbation is illegal in the military and actionable. I know, I’ve written people up for it.
I had to do that once, but it was because the guy was standing in a urinal in the schoolhouse, whacking it. OK, I can understand in a locked stall, but at the urinal? WTF?
This guy had other mental problems and was eventually kicked out. And to the best of anyone’s knowledge, he was nominally straight.

Sexual assualts, nah, never happen …You gotta love the “sexual assaults” part.  I guess the memo about female soldiers being raped with impunity just slipped by these people in their effort to stoke homo fear.
It’s almost interesting how deep this fear runs.  On that Freeper post the comments expressed fear that gay men would need to be coddled and protected from being beat up by the “normal” soldiers, amongst other silliness.
Is hetero sexuality so fragile?   A casual google search will show the military is a breeding ground for hyper-sexual predators already.  So, which way do they think these assaults would go?  Sex crazed gay soldiers being the aggressor, or the other way around.  Hmmm, I’d guess the latter.  
I can already see it, a scene straight outta high school.  “Let’s teach the f-g a lesson!” The only difference is the gay boy in question has gone through the same military training as his attackers.    

Thanx Lurleen! One person can’t bring about the change we want and deserve.  It’s gonna take ALL of us.  
And jmdintpa, not that we needed a reminder about how some of us are obsessed with the frivolous, but thanx anyway.  We do have to keep reminding each other not only to get involved, but to stay involved.  Because the self-righteous right barely stops to breath.