Obama: Lift 'don't ask, don't tell' »
Posted by: AlphaGnosis 10 months, 2 weeks agoCharles City, Ia. - The U.S. military should scrap its "don't ask, don't tell" policy that punishes service members who disclose they are gay or lesbian, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said here today.
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AlphaGnosis10 months, 2 weeks ago
"Obama made the comments in response to an audience question.
"Anybody who is willing to serve our country and die on a battlefield for us and our patriots, that's the criteria for whether or not they should be able to serve in our military," Obama said. "England doesn't have this policy. Israel doesn't have this policy. It's an outdated policy."
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CactusAnnie10 months, 2 weeks ago
Wonder what he'd have to say about the unwritten "don't ask, don't tell" policy that punishes service members for adultery?
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Beau789010 months, 2 weeks ago
He seems to be getting back to his old candor. I'm glad to see it.
This statement is a lot like the one from yesterday's story about him not wearing the flag lapel pin--Obama is taking an unpopular stand in order to inject some honesty and real thought into the campaign.
Regardless of whether one likes his answers, at least he's bucking knee-jerkers on both sides.
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doggammit10 months, 2 weeks ago
Really Alfalfa, I see only two putzes posting here - you and six pack - knee jerkers of the first degree. Also of note - I am IMPRESSED by AG's unusal display of candor. Really!
If you'd bother to think for half a second, you'd realize that Obama's comments tred over some serious moral issues that go well beyond the question of invisible minorities and their "place" in military or non-military society. These include "glass ceiling" limitations on women, racial, religious and economic sterotyping etc., and how denial of these issues merely allows for the sub-rosa continuance of a number of very outworn, traditionalist, arch-conservative social attitudes - the stubborn vestiges of patriarchal hypocrisy mostly. So, go stand in the vestal closet and polish your own putz, People are tired of your mumbling masturbatory political fantasies and in this case, rather than a neg, I'll give you a virtual wedgie.
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RiccoRizzo10 months, 2 weeks ago
You mean another same ole tabloid type story, celebrated by the same ole crew? No waaay Jose!
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doggammit10 months, 2 weeks ago
No, it's not SPAM. There is plenty of "protean" in this issue and people who try to spin it for propaganda purposes risk getting badly burned. What's under attack here is bigotry and hypocrisy - outworn mores - and the people who like to keep other people in dark closets - issues swept under the old Victorian carpet - and more. All Obama and anyone with a conscience has to do is simply open the wardrobe door and see for themselves. Human society is diverse and part of any leader's job is to strive for accommodation of as wide a plurality as possible. Obama may be attempting to cultivate a base with this pitch for amnesty, but I find it difficult to take issue against the principle of openness and equality understating his comments.
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joeeddie10 months, 2 weeks ago
Check this out:
About 25% of the stories have a political background. You better get busy eradicating.
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doggammit10 months, 2 weeks ago
Oops! Well the comment was - er - kind of strange. But I see your point. Not sure if the story can be moved to a different fry pan - but I agree that it does deserve political attention. It is one man saying a lot with very little and I would imagine that Obama's personal experience with marginalization makes the match of message and messenger a fairly credible one. Either way the topic has legs and we will probably have a chance to see how far he carries it in the coming months.
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libsRfunny10 months, 2 weeks ago
"Sorry, did you think I was attacking his message? I wasn't. =)
It's a Politically energized article, as you pointed out, but it's posted under the G&L forum. It belongs in politics. ;)"
Ahhh yes, the worst of Netscape/Propeller raises its hideously ugly head once again. A story about gays and lesbians in the military BELONGS under the gay and lesbian heading. SInce there is no bill introduced, being written or in place, it clearly DOES NOT BELONG under the "politics" heading.
It's really unfortunate intolerant fools try to hard to attack people like AG just because they don't like the stories she posts.
It's be nice if the folk in charge eradicated jerks like eradicator who go around trying to quash dissenting information. How much you want to bet he supports shutting down conservative talk radio?
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libsRfunny10 months, 2 weeks ago
"What's under attack here is bigotry and hypocrisy - outworn mores - and the people who like to keep other people in dark closets - issues swept under the old Victorian carpet - and more. All Obama and anyone with a conscience has to do is simply open the wardrobe door and see for themselves."
Yeah, I remember when the Clintons were supposed to open up the military to gays. Yet another of their unfulfilled lies.
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libsRfunny10 months, 2 weeks ago
"Say,...this looks an awful lot like SPAM. ; )"
Say, your comment looks like a 2-year-old thought it up! But that would be offensive to accuse a 2-year-old of such childish behavior as yours and Rico's
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stephen-johnson10 months, 2 weeks ago
Gay activists want military personnel to be openly gay without repercussions. But in your face activism has no place in the military.
There are numerous gay military personnel who are known (or suspected) to be such by their comrades but who also are discreet about it. As a result, these personnel serve their time without incident. This type of informal policy makes more sense to follow than formal directives that cause friction that could be avoided.
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doggammit10 months, 2 weeks ago
I somewhat agree, S.J. It's one thing to open the issue to moderate political discussion and quite another to invite radical extremes to romp through the garden patch unchecked. Even if they are absolutely justified in condemning the emplacement of artificial gender boundaries in any corner of society, the avant guard is also partially responsible for inflaming reactionary responses - like the "sexual depravity" nonsense dribbling out of joe's empty six pack.
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Beau789010 months, 2 weeks ago
Obama's comment doesn't advocate activism or "in-your-face" homosexual behavior. All he's saying is that soldiers can admit to their sexual preferences and not have to live a lie.
Contrary to what many believe (and I'm not saying you're one of them, Stephen) most homosexual men don't wear hot pants and lisp, and most homosexual women don't wear only flannel and many even shave their underarms.
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stephen-johnson10 months, 2 weeks ago
"VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT IS GAY.
DON'T BE G A Y."
I'm not a Democrat, but your tag line is silly. He would agree with that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig
You must have drank more than one six pack.
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kedirian10 months, 2 weeks ago
Well, joe, fortified by the contents of those 6-packs, your brain ought to at least be able to figure out that as "depravities" go, homo sex cannot come close to hetero (or, in your view, "normal") sex in causing overpopulation, deforestation, widespread poverty, disease, and wars - not to mention Global Warming!
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libsRfunny10 months, 2 weeks ago
"...or procreating more ignorant "joe sixpack"s."
I see earthgoofball is displaying his typical lack of class.
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libsRfunny10 months, 2 weeks ago
"Well, joe, fortified by the contents of those 6-packs, your brain ought to at least be able to figure out that as "depravities" go, homo sex cannot come close to hetero (or, in your view, "normal") sex in causing overpopulation, deforestation, widespread poverty, disease, and wars - not to mention Global Warming!"
WOW! Someone's been choking on too much of something and cut the oxygen off to the brain. Pull out! Pull out! Let kedrian breathe before shoving that thing back in there!
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stoutkraut10 months, 2 weeks ago
General Pace just stated the military's position on this...homo sexual behavior is a deteriment to moral and is an unacceptable behavior for good order and discipline. "Don't ask, don't tell" was a comprimise shoved down the throat of the military community because most in the GLC want to flaunt their perverse lifestyle. The military has been turned into a social experiment in so many ways since the late 1960's. I guess if I weere Mormon I'd start a campaign for multiple wives....if we can legislate that immorality is morality I would guess that an act that wasn't immoral, multiple wives, be made legal again. Perverse and immoral conduct belongs in the CLOSET, not on Main Street!!
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earthlingerer10 months, 2 weeks ago
See? You mention it yourself. We cannot legislate morality.
Why is homosexuality immoral between consenting adults? It seems that the same arguments denigrating homosexuality also condemn heterosexuality.
Then again, there's a huge problem with all kinds of sex in the US.
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Beau789010 months, 2 weeks ago
Pace's ideas about morality aren't really an issue he's commissioned to speak of.
And most in the GLC don't want to flaunt their lifestyles--that's a reaction to society's attempt to sweep them under the rug--a policy much like "don't ask, don't tell." If they were accepted every bit as much as heterosexuals, that kind of flaunting would end, eventually--or at least be reduced to the same amount as heteros who flaunt their sexuality in public.
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Rinaldi10010 months, 2 weeks ago
Let me see if I can understand anything here?
First I hear self proclaiming "moralists" saying that homosexuals in the military is wrong.
And on the same note these "supposedly" immoral individuals are putting their lives of the line to serve and protect a loud group of biggots.
What I am trying to understand here, is, where is the line that these biggots are forming to volunteer to replace these honorable service people.
Therefore when the "Biggots" suggest that there should be no homosexuals in the military, they should also inform the genaral public on where and when they will be repoting to active duty to replace these service men.
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TweekerchickQC10 months, 2 weeks ago
Reading some of the things people have written in here is like watching 4 monkeys try to eff a football.
God.
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HanymanComment removed: User banned.
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amazed10 months, 2 weeks ago
Regardless of the rules, there have always been gays in the military. When they were "forbidden" to serve, they were subject to blackmail and posed a security risk -- especially if they were officers or otherwise placed in a position to know sensitive information.
"Don't ask, don't tell" is not much better, because if it becomes public knowledge that one is gay, they must separate -- again, making them vulnerable to blackmail.
Allowing gays to openly serve is in the best national interest of the country -- from a strictly pragmatic point of view. As a practical matter, the flamboyent queen types are probably not likely to enlist anyway.
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Commodore110 months, 2 weeks ago
I must say that I agree w/Obama Bin Laden. OUCH! That hurt.
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Submitted By:
AlphaGnosis
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it. - Voltaire
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