Obama Camp Denies "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal Delay

Washington Blade:

A member of Barack Obama's transition team is denying media reports that the president-elect has decided to delay efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" until 2010.

An Obama transition team spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the decision on how to approach repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prohibits gays from serving openly in the military, would be made after more experts have joined the Obama administration.

Read the whole story: Washington Blade

Comments

[hildutus]

"Throughout Greece there is also evidence that homosexual friendships were a contributing factor to unit morale" (Victor Davis Hanson, The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece, p. 124). Yes, that was a culture as yet unenlightened by the finest contributions of Puritan Christianity.

[gaydm]

In ancient Greece, there was the Sacred band of Thebes. This band was part of the army of Thebes and were considered the top fighting unit of the Greek armies. They consisted of 150 selected pairs of homosexual lovers. The rationale for this band was that they would fight with their lover's at their side fiercely, and to their death without fleeing. They had several great victories during the 40 years of known existence, until finally being defeated by Alexander the great in battle. All 300 were killed after the rest of the Thebes army broke ranks and fled back to Thebes. The sacred band died where they stood their ground, taking with them many of Alexanders own forces. A statue of a lion stands today at the sight of the battle and burial sight where the sacred band died. King Phillip, upon encountering the bodies fallen one upon the other, and recognizing who they were, exclaimed,
"Perish any man who suspects these men did or suffered anything unseemly."

[mikeant50]

How about letting President-elect Obama fix the economy first? It just amazes me how we expect him to fix everything his first week in office. People get real. This issue is important, but not the first thing he should tackle. I would like to have a job.

[rajunk007]

Who cares!? This is such a stupid issue to be hung up upon!
Gay's should be happy they don't have to do military service!

[gaydm]

Currently no one "has" to do service in the military. And as an Navy veteran it is not a "stupid issue" to me. Please do not get to hung up on yourself to think your thoughts on the subject are importent to others who serve or wish to serve there country.

[canucklivinginUSA]

This is another example of the media making up stories that are unsubstantiated. I am seriously fed up with them

[harriscrl3]

Good!!

Carol

[LaFilleEnRose]

I hope they do delay it a little bit. My God, that's just how Clinton started off and caused an uproar. There's time to do it after he gets the economy urgencies handled and plans set for Iraq/Afghanistan decided and implementation started. Certainly, as they work with the Defense Dept. on Iraq/Afghanistan, changing that policy will come naturally. I mean, my God, we've let go valuable translators because they were gay! What stupid people we can be. But it should not be the top priority no matter how stupid it is. Obama needs to do things in the order of importance, and I assume he will.

[DonCosenza]

'Course, if the 65,000 or so estimated gays in the military all decided to publicly out themselves... what then?

I do wonder if/how they're going to handle partner benefits, since the federal gov't doesn't recognize gay marriages.

[gaydm]

Partner benefits will be solved by the governments passing of gay marriage laws. The gay military men and women will receive the exact same goodies non gay service people do.

[randyjet]

The gays simply used the policy to get out of the military so they could get more lucrative jobs. They could have stayed in as long as they kept their sexual activities private. The military is NOT going around looking for gays. They have to out themselves to be kicked out. They will not be thrown out because somebody said I think he/she is gay. GET REAL! They felt their sexual activities were more important than serving their country. Thousands of gays have served and retired successfully with NO problem if they stick to the policy. They know what the rules are when they enlist.

[benne]

I certainly hope he isn't going to delay rescinding a policy, which is discriminatory. After all, even brass now think that it is long overdue. And, while we're at it, what is he going to do about the archaic rule that women can't go into battle?

[randyjet]

The military discriminates ALL the time, for good reasons. You cannot be too tall, too small, too fat, cannot be handicapped, color blind,, women are not allowed on submarines. I was denied a full airline career because I was too tall and could not fly for the military. Be careful what you wish for too. If you think women should be allowed in combat, then the physical standards for women will HAVE to be the exact same for them as well as men. In that case, there will be FEWER women in the military since so few will pass the tests. They have lesser physical requirements for women so that they will have a chance to serve. The FACT is that if you are in the military and male, your first MOS is rifleman, infantry thus the reason for the standards for men. The Marines are even tougher as ALL Marines have to be constantly ready for combat, the women get a pass on that. Even Marine pilots have to be combat infantry qualified.

[freshnotbitter]

Right now the conservatives are very busy fighting the gay marriage issue. Newt Gingrich was just in
Pale Sister Ridge, Tennessee, gathering support for his latest poltical committee which is pointing a crooker finger at the Fascist Alliance of Gays and Seculars (F.A.G.S.) while passing around the seedy hat in gatherings of the faithful.

I am not too familiar with the don't ask don't tell issue as it now stands but you have to wonder if it isn't another try by the Redumblicans to find an issue - any issue - that will give them some importance. May I suggest they concentrate on the upcoming appointment of Hillary Clinton? I think they'll find plenty of free miles for their old beater in that one. Ok, Ok, gay marriage it is. Go to it Newt. Show us what a great, big ball of s===t you are.

[harriettubman]

He must think of something else then. When I was in the military don't ask, don't tell worked just fine. I worked with people I knew who were gay and they did an excellent job. Living in the barracks was another issue. I heard complaints of people not wanting to take showers, not to be in fox holes, etc. We had another incident of a male being accosted by his other gay roommate. Things happen and there are idiots in all walks of life but the military is going to have to come up with something else in place of "don't ask, don't tell" for everybody to be satisfied.

[luvobama]

In that case they better have completely separate bases for women in the military. Have you seen the statistics for women being accosted by their male counterparts? I think they'll need separate ships as well. And tanks.

[tabaqui]

Exactly. And I'm sorry, but if you're biggest concern is someone 'looking at you' in the shower, you need to shut up and grow up. Every straight man out there looks at women and maybe even has as moment of fantasy about them if they like how they look - doesn't mean they actually act on that thought. So what if a man 'looks' at you? Unless you actually get physically or verbally assaulted, you're not living with anything any woman hasn't lived with most of her life.

[gaydm]

Gay people already see your pee, pee in the shower. They serve beside you in fox holes. They fly the fighter bombers, and they are the ones who risk their necks to go out under fire as medics to save your life. By openly stating they are gay, does not mean that we would be doing any more than what our jobs are already. It just means we would not have to lie to protect your sorry a*&es, from having to DEAL WITH IT. All that would be required of lifting the ban is some readjustment counseling for a few malcontents, and if they could not adjust, then they could be tossed out where they would not be offended.

[ivillage]

Lieberman: Obama 'About Perfect' in Cabinet Picks: http://www.sefermpost.com/sefermpost/2008/11/lieberman-obama-about-perfect-in-cabinet-picks.html