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Update: Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s statement is after the flip.
And Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is right on that last point in the headline — what is the purpose of a study – hasn’t this been studied enough? Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of SLDN:
“We strongly applaud Sec. Gates supporting the President’s view that DADT needs to go. It’s a matter of when and how, he said, not if. We also strongly applaud Chairman Mullen who unambiguously personally supported gays and lesbians serving openly. The top military brass of the United States just laid out a roadmap for full repeal.“We also welcome the new direction coming out of the Pentagon over the next 45 days. The direction seems to be a focus on reducing DADT discharges and has adopted or is considering adopting six of SLDN’s regulatory changes we provided the Department of Defense last summer.
“Top military officials also announced today they wanted to study the issue for a year or longer. Like Sen. Udall (D-Colo.), we think a one-year study is far too long and unnecessary and this process must have finality. SLDN would support a reasonable implementation and transition period if the Military Readiness Enhancement Act — Rep. Patrick Murphy’s legislation that repeals the law and replaces it with a policy of nondiscrimination — was simultaneously moving through Congress this year and the President signed the bill into law this year.
“All studies, including the decisive 1993 RAND study commissioned by the defense department, that openly gay service members do not have an adverse impact on unit cohesion, recruitment, retention, or readiness. Service members will be fired almost daily while the study is going on.”
“Some during the hearing today tried to claim DADT is working and is successful. It hasn’t been working for 16 years. Nearly a quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they know who is gay and who is not. This means gay and straight troops are talking about it. Having a law on the books that fires 300+ talented linguists and medics, at a time of two wars when all manpower is needed, is un-American, and practically speaking, makes no sense, not to mention the cost to the taxpayer of kicking out qualified men and women.
“SLDN renews our call for Congress to include repeal in the defense authorization bill, which continues to be drafted and will not be finalized until late spring. The overwhelming majority of the public, including 61 percent of weekly churchgoers according to Gallup, is with the President and the 187 members of the House of Representatives who have cosponsored Rep. Murphy’s bill.”
Like SLDN, Rep. Gillibrand and so many others, Rep. Baldwin doesn’t see the need to wait until the end of the year.
Statement of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
On Today’s Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing
On the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy
February 2, 2010“President Obama has done the right thing in calling for an end to the un-American and discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. I thank Chairman Levin for holding today’s hearing and was pleased to hear Secretary of Defense Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, clearly state their support for ending the policy that prevents gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Since 1997, our armed forces have forced out nearly 11,000 dedicated, skilled, patriotic service members solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. At a time when we need them most, we have lost trained Arabic linguists and other specialists, putting all of our troops and our national security at greater risk. It is high time the U.S. catch up with many of our allies, including some fighting with us in Afghanistan, by ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ These allies have welcomed openly gay and lesbian service members into their ranks with no loss of morale, unit cohesion, or other adverse effect. Certainly we can do the same.
I hope today’s hearing marks the first step toward expeditiously ending the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. I look forward to the results of the Department of Defense (DOD) 45-day review of policy to assess what can be done immediately. However, I believe an implementation study can occur in a much shorter time frame than the eleven months that is currently being proposed.
Secretary Gates testified, ‘We can only take this process so far, as the ultimate decision rests with you, the Congress.’ Secretary Gates is correct and I will continue my strong efforts to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283) to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in our military.
It’s time for Congress to act. Every day this policy remains in place, it does further damage to individuals, to our armed forces, and to our national security.”
26 Comments
1000 Line and Flag OfficersMcCain sure is proud of having 1000 signatures on his anti-gay screed. You have to wonder how many of them are from the Spanish-American War.
Now, now, McCain isn’t THAT oldWorld War I, on the other hand….
Well they can fix itAnytime Congress wants to shorten the implementation time, they can JUST FRIGGING REPEAL THE LAW!
HonestlyI know it’s dangerous to say this as our hopes get dashed so often, but I’m kind of optimistic now. It really sounds like this might happen.
Pie in the sky! Pie in the sky!
FREEZE DISCHARGES NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
DADT won’t be any less dishonest, unConstitutional, and damaging of our national security a year from now than it is today.
Why are some people willing to swallow today’s bullshit song and dance?
That’s exactly the pointWe should disect that list. As it currently stands; at least 3-4 are dead and another when contacted was unaware he sign the petition. The rest are ‘grampa generals’ and haven’t served since WWII.
It’s time to move on boys.
BecauseMichael it wasn’t ALL bullshit and dance. You have been intimately involved in this issue for years. I didn’t want to get my hopes up; but you must admit the statements Admiral Mullen made in his support of repeal were powerful. Those statements were not bullshit. Since I always learn from your historical perspective, when else have we had such high level support for repeal? In particular from the level of Joint Chief? I think one of the reasons McCain and co were so twisted was because they know the power of Gates and Mullens statements in the rank and file.
The military is as stupid and entrenched as any other bureaucracy.And NO bureaucracy, in either the government or the private sector, can do anything, however quick or simple, without complicating the process with needless studies, focus groups, committees, select committees, blue-ribbon panels and whatnot. That’s the way our wonderful system works. Want to do something quickly? Commission a study first–which will make it take longer. Want to do something more cheaply? Commission a study–which will add to the cost. Etc., etc. This ludicrous year-long “study” won’t tell us anything we don’t already know, but it’s clear the Greatest Military in the Greatest Country in the World won’t (and probably can’t) budge without it. It’s partly a delaying tactic, of course, but it’s also a symptom of the institutional imbecility that dominates our military (and the rest of our government).
That said, today’s haring–and Mullen’s testimony in particular–left me more hopeful than I’ve been that we will actually see an end to this horrible policy someday. I’m just not hopeful that we’ll see it any time soon, that’s all.
Oops–today’s HEARINGKeith Haring had nothing to do with it.
I have immense respect for you….
…but I want progress in ACTION not just words. I’m not Sally Field so I don’t give a flying fuck if they like us. I’m “old and ornery” but I can handle lactose. But I am recycled excuses and pie in the sky intolerant.
Don’t reinforce the homohaters “sky would fall” lies if yet another year-long study isn’t done first. Don’t put in charge of that study a rent-a-lawyer hack who’s already shown he’s incapable of reading DADT law…or lied about it. Don’t suggest that they might need some Super Sized version of the UCMJ because the current one might be incapable of controlling sex-crazed homos and their “fraternization and misconduct.”
Don’t just send me Valentines early but give your real love to the Troglodytes screeching NOT NOW.
Stop discharging my friends like Dan Choi NOW!
Give Blenders like Keori and her active duty partner the DIGNITY and the SECURITY of being able to love outloud NOW!
THEN we’ll talk about a little under the sweater action.
Sen. Arlen Specter tweets his backing of DADT repealSpecter tweets:
sea changeThey’re slow, those sea changes, but amazing. I listened to Mullen and though two things: “We’re watching an enormous cultural shift” and 2) “For all my griping, Obama’s behind this.”
The above was in response to T2inDC :- )
well….they also have to find rifles for all those paper-pushers currently occupied in “investigating” teh gayz and find them real work to do. That takes time, ya know.
Peter Spriggtoday on Hardball with Chris Matthews, in a discussion of the DADT Repeal, stated unequivocally that “homosexual’ conduct should be a crime anywhere in the USA. He further stated that gays and lesbians, if the want to serve their country (outside of prison, I guess) should choose civilian service. We are, in his opinion, unfit to protect the country. I was not surprised to hear this from him, but still it’s a shock to the system to see such baldfaced hated proudly on display on national television.
of course we know it’s unnecessary…and so do they.
it probably won’t be an entire year.
it will most likely be 9 months.
that’s how long it takes to birth a November Midterm election!
I’m working on action I hope my posts are not misunderstood as giving our opponents any credibility. Yes, I want repeal today. Not next year, or the year after. If you watch the hearings on CSPAN you’ll hear Sen. Levin discussing a variety of options that may bring about repeal quicker, after the formal hearings. I’m not familiar with the lawyer Gates appointed, but I do have some knowledge of Gen. Hamm. He’s worked closely with Admiral Mullen. Already Mullens comments give other high ranking officials ‘permission’ to be open about their support of repeal. Today I attended the trial and spoke personally to Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Levin and Rachel Maddow. Specifically I asked them to include active duty LGBT military members and their families in the discussion. It will be tricky, but that’s the point. In 45 days Lt Col. Victor Fehrenbach maybe ‘pardoned’ and allowed to stay in. Lt. Dan Choi is still out. It will illustrate how stupid this is. But that’s the point. The ‘sky will not fall’ after repeal. I intend to hold our lawmakers feet to the fire. Especially those, and I have their letters, that were defering to military leadership on the issue. Well now they have it. DADT will be repealed!
BRAVO for you!
And another day when I regret having ever moved away from DC. Color me green with envy but lavender happy you were there today AND workin’ it! THANK YOU!
I didn’t see Levin’s supplemental comments [will try to track them down] but was most encouraged by two things:
1. often unpredictable Lieberman, at least in what I heard, enthusiastically supporting repeal. I hope I didn’t miss any caveats on that. And,
2. Levin’s mentioning inserting repeal through the defense budget which means he’s still open to it tho Obama/Gates chose to leave it out, AND that it wouldn’t require 60 votes!
Downsides [beyond those I've already identified]:
1. Our spokespeople are still failing for the most part to focus on the ONLY relevant issue that nongays would care about: DADT weakens national security, and repeat it again and again and again.
2. While Gates & Mullen did “give permission” for other brass to support repeal, more importantly they gave the study group VETO power.
3. I was actually shocked at how vicious McShame’s comments were. Mr. Military virtually said Gates and Mullen were violating the responsibilities of their offices. So now we know he’ll be attached at the primordial tale with Madame Defarge er bansee Elaine Donnelly.
4. Was it complaints about Super Bowl ads and Grammy nominations that caused CBS Evening News to so nakedly tilt their hearing coverage in favor of the homohaters? From the Senators whose comments they excerpted you’d think the whole Committee was pro DADT: McShame and some other Trog and NONE of the anti DADT statements [save G&M].
5. PBS Newshour had the longest segment of any of the noncable evening news programs but they gave too much [ANY is too much] time to Donnelly who has no record of military service but a record of demonstrably false and inflammatory claims. As so often happens, they would NEVER allow her racist equivalent, say a KKK quack, such airtime. What Bayard Rustin said over twenty years ago is still true: “gays are the new ‘niggers’” about whom it is permissable to say anything … and be broadcast saying it.
NO EXCUSES! NO DELAY!
Study Delay = Election politicsHate to be a party pooper here amid all the hope, but the reality is that the military is pushing for a one-year study for two reasons:
1) The delay between the end of the study and the development of revised regulations will push this issue into election-year politics, and damn few Democrats (or otherwise) will stand by letting queers openly serve in the army in an election year.
2) By then there is supposed to be a draw-down of troops from both wars, so they can legally discharge a lot of people without risking their missions, or assign “less desirable” recruits to non-combat positions (no cuddling in bunkers).
Maybe Adm. Mullen’s statement was sincere, but Gates didn’t offer one, and the whole tone was pretty grudging. They’ll drag their heels while a few thousand more gay and lesbian soldiers are discharged for no other reason than being queer, and the loved ones/partners of the gay and lesbian soldiers who are deployed abroad, injured or die are excluded from military recognition and military family support services.
Anybody hear NPR’s coverage Tuesday evening?
The money quote from Hunter: “It’s like if you went to work for NPR, you don’t go to work on the first day and say, ‘Hey, I want everybody to know that I’m gay.’” Yeah, like recruits would do that, and like someone working at NPR would get fired and stripped of all benefits if they were eventually to come out.
Clarification on GatesSorry, I said he didn’t make a statement. He did make a prepared statement but not a personal one. Adm. Mullins’ statement that repealing DADT is the right thing to do was a statement of personal belief. Gates is acting on orders from his commander in chief.
it augurs wellAt least this time a President got the leadership in line. Mullen is a big plus, and his statement seemed heartfelt. Gates is a holdover from the bad old Bush days and in a way that enhances the argument. All we need now is a statement like, “Yes, it may be a difficult mission — maybe needlessly so, because of the pundits behind our own lines — but the military deals with difficult missions as a matter of course, in wartime in particular.”
here’s the catchIf Obama means it, there should be either a moratorium on DADT discharges or very stiff rules of procedure before a discharge. At the very least, a presumption of falsity against 3rd-party allegations.
With respect to recriminalization?Now it bears repeating that all LGBT Americans wish for – is to live unmolested and protected by an equal administration of justice in this country . . .
However, (and to paraphrase Jason Bourne)
“If you come looking for a fight – provoke me by attacking me or my family – there is no measure to how fast and how hard I will bring that fight to your doorstep . . .”
But firstwe’ll have to commission a study to see if we can do it without a study.
I’m tired of supporting what’s turned into a huge chapter of Promise Keepers with my tax dollars. How did the armed services morph from an institution intended to protect us into a fundie boy’s club? One where many of its members are at a greater risk from their colleagues than from seeing combat? Emails will be sent. Candles will be lighted, and meditations done for this DADT crap to be eliminated.
MichaelDuring the hearing when Admiral Mullen spoke out in support of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly and spoke of individual and military integrity, you could hear the muffled weeping. The scares and wounds of this terrible policy run very deep. Those soldiers in the room just received a salute.
I agree with the downsides; 1- We have to do a better job at preparing our most vocal advocates. They need to be better prepared to support our position. 2- I didn’t catch the veto power statement with the study group. I just got off the phone with the Sen. Armed Ser. Committee asking about the details of the Feb. 11th DADT panel. They should release the time and location at the end of the week, but I plan on attending. Really see first hand how this is unfolding.3-McCain actually walked out. He acted like a big baby. Yes they are getting their (old) info from Elaine.4-I don’t know who owns CBS.5- Yes, Elaine is the front person, but there is an endless cash flow behind her. I’d like to know who is behind that curtain!
I do like living in DC. Tonight- Protest against “The Family” on C street.