Obama to allow gays in the military
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Sixteen years after Bill Clinton tried to end restrictions on gays in the military, the US armed forces under Barack Obama may be forced to give homosexuals the same welcome as non-gays.
Under president Clinton, the policy that once saw homosexuals discharged from US military service evolved to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” allowing gays to remain in the military so long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation.
Obama has pledged to overhaul current law.
I wonder if those people pissed about the Warren pick will now shut their pieholes?
January 7th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
He is only doing this because he wants gay people to die in battle.
January 7th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I just LOL’d at VinNay’s comment. Oh dear me.
January 7th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
“expected to end” and “pledged” does not warrant a “wow”.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
It’d be hard to make any other decision after saying: “The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited,” reads an entry on the president-elect’s transition website.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
No, bc Obama supporters will bitch until the day he leaves office. You all are a miserable lot, even when you get your way you complain.
January 7th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Take it easy, Sunshine. I don’t recall a lot of passive acceptance whenever Bush didn’t adhere to the conservative principles you so love.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Well, that’s the point. We rarely-to-never got our way.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
And Dawn, Obama scoffed about Iran being a threat one day and literally the next called it a grave, grave threat. This is a man who can backpedal like nobody’s business and has a friendly press to let him do it. He might make it ok for gays to serve, then again he might not.
January 7th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I won’t give it a wow so much, as he certainly implied this is what he’d do when he was on the campaign trail. If he actually does it, I’ll give it a wow.
January 7th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I mean, even Barry Goldwater said gays should be allowed to serve in the military.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Damn! Fishburne was Cowboy Curtis. S. Epatha Merkerson for Postmaster General!!
January 7th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I’m sure he will treat this promise as seriously as he took his pledge to use public financing during his campaign, and completely keep it unless breaking it would benefit him in some way.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Obama can’t just do this unilaterally. Clinton would have done that if he could. The UCMJ is based on law, so Obama is gonna have to get Congress to pass his “overhaul”. And I wouldn’t assume a Democratic Congress will necessarily do that.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Happy! So Dawn, are you & Ugarles finally going to ’sign up’ now?
Oh darn! There’s that scrabble tournament next week and a poker tourney the week after, followed by pizza. Sorry America!
January 8th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Ha. It’s so funny to call people gay.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I agree with Gib. Obama’s failure to keep his promise about campaign financing undoubtedly won him the election, and also undoubtedly killed campaign finance reform. Who knew that when he was talking about “change” he meant all the change in those individual donor’s pockets?
I do think it means that we cannot count on him to keep any promise in particular, unless it is politically expedient for him. It will be the job of his base to make sure keeping his promises is politically expedient for him.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
“Ha. It’s so funny to call people gay.”
No, it’s funny to call fat, lazy people “fat & lazy”!
“I do think it means that we cannot count on him to keep any promise in particular, unless it is politically expedient for him.” Damn, that’s some hard-hitting analysis, Pearatty. You must have had a publik edjumakation.
I only you were a journalist before November 4th, perhaps that point could have been raised!
Oh snap!
January 8th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Snoop: do you always attack people who are agreeing with you? Seems a lonely way to live.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
People!! People, people, people….It’s like we all forgot, all of a sudden, what politics is all about. nobody has ever been 100% honest when it comes to politics or being elected. I think Robin Williams said it best,” Politics: “Poli” a Latin word meaning “many”; and “tics” meaning “bloodsucking creatures”.” But let’s focus on the issue at hand. To allow gays into the military would be like putting Reginald Denny, a caucasian truck driver beaten on live television during the LA Riots, back into that same situation on purpose. It would break down morale, and cause a large amount of hate and discontent. There will be a huge social breakdown amongst military service members and many problems will arise within the well structured chains of command within the US military. Equality for all? Yes, but everything has it’s limits and you cannot always impose the laws of nature onto that of a bureaucracy. That is a recipe for disaster.
June 13th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Ok so you all want to have your opinions? Some of you agree with the whole gays serve openly in the military and some of you dont agree!! well lets put it this way to the people that say its ok for gays to serve openly I PERSONALLY THANK YOU!!
As for you selfish homophobe people i think you all need to think real freaking hard!! I am LESBIAN and in the MILITARY…i put my pants on the same way you all do every morning and i do every day to day thing that you all do! Ok big freaking deal i am gay and in the army but you all need to think. If i am willing to fight for OUR freedom and stand proud and be in war and chance myself to die for all you selfish cruel homophobes then i think you can deal with the fact that i am gay and i serve to fight for our country. Wait or is it that i only fight for my family? no i fight for everyone and anyone that is on this earth, i dont care if your gay, straight, bi, in to beastiality i dont give a crap if you are willing to fight for the country you should be allowed to serve in the military with no problem! when i shower i go in and shower and do what i got to do i dont stare at any other female and i dont hit on any of them!
SO EITHER DEAL WITH IT IF HE PASSES THE LAW OR GO DIE IN A HOLD BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS BORN THE SAME WAY AND DRESSED THE SAME WAY!! Im gay and i love everyone unless you screw me over!!
June 14th, 2009 at 12:02 am
vinnay and to you personally f**k off cause honestly if im over there and im gay and straight people are over there then doesnt that mean that he sending any of us no matter our sexual orientation for us to die! so before you write anything i suggest you to think before you write!
LOVE NO GENDER!