’)If you want to serve, who cares what gender the person in your bed is?
A House panel weighed overturning the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy Wednesday, the first time Congress has considered the rule since it was implemented 15 years ago.
The policy, adopted in 1993, allows gay and lesbian individuals to serve in the armed forces as long as they do not publicly engage in homosexual behavior. The law also prevents military leaders from asking a service member about his or her sexual orientation.
In the near future some kid is going to ask his dad: “You mean they really stopped people for serving their country, not because they couldn’t perform the job but because they were gay? That’s dumb.”
Oliver, that is one really tortured sentence. “If you want to serve, who cares what gender the person in your bed is?”
Wow. The Democrats are doing something the American people support, even at the risk of being called names by the bigot minority and their Republican enablers.
I don’t care nearly as much as I used to, but I don’t think most people adequately consider the effects of close-quarters living. In our society, we separate genders primarily in consideration of sexuality. What happens when those same considerations occur within a single gender that has no separation? And no, it has nothing to do with being molested or “hit on.”
That said, some of the people with whom I served were gay, and that doesn’t bother me a bit, nor make me think any less of them.
When we were shipping out to the Persian Gulf in 1980 for a 9 month cruise, a lot of gays discovered their gayness and got out. That really pissed me off.
It shouldn’t be so easy to shirk your duty. And who the hell cares if someone is gay, anyway?
I wonder if Jay is eating crow today after that whole “but the Democrats won’t do anything to get rid of the law!” tantrum the other day.
“I wonder if Jay is eating crow today after that whole “but the Democrats won’t do anything to get rid of the law!” tantrum the other day.”
I wonder if he will show up in this thread.
His argument was stupid (“If it was a winning issue, the Democrats would be using it.”), but this is the icing on the cake.
Wow. The Democrats are doing something the American people support, even at the risk of being called names by the bigot minority and their Republican enablers.
Yeah, the American people support it including the majority of conservatives, Republicans and evangelical Christians. The BRAVERY of those Democrats to raise this issue when the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans support.
Awesome. Just awesome.
I wonder if Jay is eating crow today after that whole “but the Democrats won’t do anything to get rid of the law!” tantrum the other day.
Tantrum? If you go back and read that thread, I wrote the following:
They’re finally having a military sub-committee hearing on the issue, but the Democrats are too chicken-shit (as they have been) to make this an election year issue.
What Oliver is writing about is the sub-committee hearing I was talking about so I knew about this before Oliver even wrote about it. The latter half of my statement fits as well because at the bottom of the article is this:
Tauscher said she did not expect her bill repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to pass this year because of opposition from the current administration, The Associated Press reported.
“We need a new president in order to get this passed,” Tauscher said, referring to presumed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, the AP reported.
And there you have it. More yapping and no action. A cursory review of history reveals that an opposition Congress will often force the President’s hand, passing bills they know he is going to veto in order to use it to their political advantage. Tauscher knows no political advantage comes from this, so the issue will be shelved. Typical.
His argument was stupid (”If it was a winning issue, the Democrats would be using it.”), but this is the icing on the cake.
No, you’re stupid. My argument is spot on and the fact that Tauscher is already signaling the bill isn’t going go anywhere is proof of that.
Jay’s pretending that conservatives favor gay rights, and not liberals. Kind of like with Civil Rights. That’s really stupid.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee doesn’t give a rats ass about our troops…gay or otherwise:
++ Visit to US Military Bases Cancelled ++
1:42 p.m.: SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. “Barack Obama will not be coming to us,” a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. “I don’t know why.” Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.
I guess it’s more important to hold a political rally in Berlin than visit with wounded US troops.
What a moron.
Ohh look – McCain canceled a planned capaign stop on some oil rigs in the Gulf today! He must hate the oil industry!
Ass.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee doesn’t give a rats ass about our troops…gay or otherwise:
Not only that, but he’s a Muslimofascist who hates America. You’re spot on Christie: that controversial New Yorker cover wasn’t parody at all!
“he’s a Muslimofascist who hates America.”
Interesting opinion you have of Barry, but I was thinking that he was dissing registered voters who happen to be in the military. I would think that you would want to shake hands with potential voters insted of giving a speech to a bunch of German hippies. On the other hand, giving a speech to tens of thousands of campaign contributors instead of wounded troops who won’t give you a dime is probably the better play.
The only question that remains is how Barry’s campaign is going to launder all the German deutschmarks?
Shorter christie: Obama’s a big poopy-head who objectively hates The Troops.
Did christie weigh in on how she feels about gays in the military?
christie, my guess is he’s in a rush to head back to the states to address various economic issues, after all McCain goaded him into this trip and is now criticizing him for being abroad when Americans are suffering due to the bad economy. Catch-22 anyone? It’d be unnerving if McCain weren’t such a horrible campaigner..
And Obama has no fundraisers in Germany, in direct contradiction to McCain’s fundraisers on England and Canada. Hypocritical half-wit.
Oh, and christie, they’re not Deutschmarks, they’re Euros (€). The good news for currency junkies is that McCain still accepts £s.
The only question that remains is how Barry’s campaign is going to launder all the German deutschmarks?
Maybe he can get some tips from the bankers who took care of Mr. McCain’s English pounds.
QIB, I don’t care if we’re clones, you can’t have my liver, I’m still using it (a lot, as a matter of fact).
Yeah, well, I’d probably ruin it anyway. The liver, I mean.
Obama did visit wounded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq but in Christie’s world (urrrgh, shudder… must… bleach.. minds eye) if you don’t do the same thing everywhere You Hate America.
Or perhaps Obama didn’t have any manly war stories to share with our wounded veterans.
Linkie: Manly War Stories
Oh screw it here it is
CEDAR COMBAT!!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060101.html
“Obama did visit wounded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq”
Yeah… on the taxpayers dime.
When it comes to visiting troops with his own scratch or that of his donors, “it’s not appropriate”…Nice.
sometimes, I wonder how the dumbest wingnut might interpret a particular event, thanks to christie, I never have to wonder again. Thanks christie!
The kids already do this. I teach in our local schools and the vast majority of children are accepting and tolerant of alternative lifestyles. The ones that don’t are the ….ummm….slower paced learners.
christie never told us how she feels about DADT. christie? christie?
Christie, how many wounded has W visited. IMO he should crawl to them over broken glass each day asking for forgiveness for the lack of planning, armour and etc. he presided over, until the day he dies. How many soldiers’ funerals has he been to? He could make a news blackout happen until it was a month old if he wanted to. Then again, when does the news cover such rites, it’s not good PR for Bush and co.
Did Bush II personally pick up the gas-tab after he was flown by jet to land on that carrier to announce “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED AMIRITE!!!”
Hmm. Didn’t think so.
“Yeah, the American people support it including the majority of conservatives, Republicans and evangelical Christians. The BRAVERY of those Democrats to raise this issue when the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans support.”
And yet the Republicans in charge want to keep it. What does that make them?
Huh?
Barry’s excuses just don’t hold up…again –
From NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
A U.S. military official tells NBC News they were making preparations for Sen. Barack Obama to visit wounded troops at the Landstuhl Medical Center at Ramstein, Germany on Friday, but “for some reason the visit was called off.”
One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama’s representatives were told, “he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers.” In addition,
“Obama could not bring any media. Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.”
The official said “We didn’t know why” the request to visit the wounded troops was withdrawn. “He (Obama) was more than welcome. We were all ready for him.”
“for some reason the visit was called off.”
Right. Because Obama hates The Troops. Hates them. The Troops.
christie, how do you feel about gays serving in the military. You haven’t addressed that just yet.
“One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama’s representatives were told, ‘he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers.’ In addition, ‘Obama could not bring any media. Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.’”
And that was the plan. But the PENTAGON decided it was a political event and canceled at the last minute. Not Obama, the Pentagon.
As someone currently serving in the military, and who is a lesbian, I do believe this ban should be lifted. People act like if the ban was lifted we (homosexuals) would just walk in to work and shout, “Hey, I’m gay, just to let you know!” Things would not really change. Instead of me always having to use the term “he” for my signifcant other I could use “she” and I would no longer be afraid to hold her hand when we go out for fear someone may see me. It will not change the way I serve my country, or the fact that everyday I live with the notion I may be shipped off to the desert. I know what I signed on for, but it would be nice to be able to put her name down as someone to be notified in case I won’t be coming back from there.