Mullen Advises 'Measured' Approach To Gay Policy

WASHINGTON — The nation's top military officer said Sunday he has advised President Barack Obama to move "in a measured way" in changing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military.

Obama as a candidate pledged to end the ban. As president, he has not said when or how he will take steps to do so, drawing criticism from gay rights activists and others. The president has pointed out that Congress in 1993 made into law a policy begun by President Bill Clinton.

"It's very clear what President Obama's intent here is. He intends to see this law change," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I've had conversations with him about that. What I've discussed in terms of the future is I think we need to move in a measured way," Mullen said.

Mullen said he has discussed with his staff what steps might be taken to implement a change in the policy.

"I haven't done any kind of extensive review. And what I feel most obligated about is to make sure I tell the president, you know, my _ give the president my best advice, should this law change, on the impact on our people and their families at these very challenging times," he said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week that he has lawyers studying ways the law might be selectively enforced as part of an effort to find "a more humane way" to apply the law until it is changed.

Comments

[josephRoehl]

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Coretta Scott King "Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions." "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood. This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

OBAMA COULD AND SHOULD HAVE SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DAY ONE ENDING DADT, he's just balking at his own promises and pledges because he'd rather kowtow to neocons and neonazis passing as christians rather than stating unequivocally that all American citizens already have the same rights implicit in the Constitution, and it's damn time to live up to those 14th Amendment protections and all the hype about equality and "with liberty and justice for all".

[eternalkerri]

legally he cannot sign anything.

[superstition]

Nonsense.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-belkin/obama-to-fire-his-first-g_b_199070.html

[jdt67]

So how exactly does repealing DADT effect families? This is the worse kind of conservative crap and once again the president allows it to happen. Who's the commander-in-chief here? It sure doesn't seem to be President Obama.

[MrBurlesk]

So Obama lets his top military advisers pee on his leg -- and apparently likes it. How interesting that this story -- the one development in the Gay Issues so hot last month -- has been yanked from the Huffpo front page after less a day (other, far less influential stories are allowed to linger there for what seem weeks). Is it possible Huffpo has actually pledged to help Obama bury Gay issues now that everyone's supposed to be focusing on health care??? I sure hope not.

[Waiting4Hope]

Maybe Obama is waiting? If he waits till all the gays are kicked out of the military, before he stops gays from being kicked out, there will be no problems, as they will be no more gays.

[texasteph12570]

what about all the soldiers who are not gay? like the men in my husbands flight they do not want this and they may leave the service over this. be careful that you dont upset the men that fight for you. they may not stand up when you need them to. last time i checked we dont want to hear who you "trick" with in the bathroom at the gay bar. dont you get it we dont care just do your job like everyone else and shut up about that which doesnt concern us..
maybe we can change to that so cool pink camo.

[eternalkerri]

if they cannot work with people who are open about who they are, just like your husband and his team mates. then they don't deserve to be in the military.

the constant thing that they tell you in the service is that everyone is green (or blue). there is no color, no creed. women are females and men are males. there are no ladies and gentlemen.

women are not to be subject to the mens blathering of their latest conquest and the men arent to hear women talking about it either. that is standing military sexual harassment policy. you think it will change for gay people?

[PlaceboStudman]

If your husband or his co-workers leave the service because they have a problem with gays leading an honest open sincere life with integrity, then that is your husband and his friends' problem. You are sadly and ashamedly mistaken that homosexuality is about "who we trick in the bar with". It is about who we LOVE with our hearts and souls, and express that love in a physical manner. If your husband or his friends have a problem with gay soldiers spending quality time with their partner, then maybe they shouldn't be in the service in the first place, because the military and the entire federal government has no place in dictating who a person loves, or how a person loves, so long as that expression of love does not harm anyone else. And there is no evidence that homosexuality does any undue harm to anyone save for those who are forced to live a dishonest deceitful life "in the closet" otherwise be bashed by the likes of your husband or his friends

[eternalkerri]

while yours is all nice and flourishy and an appeal to emotion (which is great and true), there is a fundamental fact.

open discussion of ones personal sex life in a group environment where those who do not wish to hear about it is a violation of UCMJ sexual harassment policy...one that would apply to both gay and straight. therefore making her argument a non-issue.

[madtom]

They're looking at "selective enforcement", which is a certainly a helpful copout for now.

Similar to the way bad immigration and marijuana laws have ways of not getting enforced.

Having some gay ex-military as family, and having heard about a lot of homophobia in the ranks, it is probably best for all concerned to make "coming out" in the military a judgment call for those affected.

Well -- one, or one and a half, or maybe two hurrahs for moving in the right direction. Powell is on board too, saying it's time to review DADT. This is good news.

Gosh, I don't mean for this to sound wishy-washy and weaselly -- but look at it this way --

As a veteran community organizer, President Obama understands the necessity of educating people to move in the direction you want to lead them. Unfortunately -- or even not -- that's how it works.

[PlaceboStudman]

I just dont see what all the hubbub is about. 70%+ of the general populace approves of repeal of DADT. So we're just going to let the 30% homophobic bigoted ideology rule over logic and raitonal thought?

[eternalkerri]

no. but you have to have a plan in place.

[MrBurlesk]

It's because we're all starting to see that Obama over promised things to gays he apparently hasn't the balls to take action on now that he's in office. We think the President is the top of the political food chain, but that's obviously Not True At All, and there are powers beneath or surrounding the office of the President that actually call the shots. This is a great disappointment not just to LGBTs but likely to any American who voted for Obama with the hope of real, actual, promised "Change" since as each day goes by there is less and less transparency in our government and policies of the Bush administration are being adopted left and right. Today Joe Biden came out and admitted that the White House vastly underestimated the effect of the economic cataclysm we've all been experiencing first hand. Washington is completely out of touch with what the rest of America wants, and that is Progress. Progress on Energy fronts (go electric on all vehicles in 5 years or less); Progress on Health Care (Public Options for Single Payers); Progress away from bailing out banks and toward staying home foreclosures; Fair Treatment for All Americans as protected under the Constitution; Progress toward Educating for those who need it -- badly; Progress toward a society that takes care of each other rather than feeding off of eachother.The only serious "Change" Obama seems to be providing is two nickels and a dime!

[ramal]

If President Truman had waited until all members of the military and the American population in general were ready for the armed forces to be intergrated, we might still be waiting today.

[youngharry]

Yes, they want our minds and our bodies, but they don't want us. I am a former Naval Officer with a specialty in WMDs,. My record says I served with distinction, but it would change if they knew I was gay the entire of period of my service.

[eternalkerri]

agreed whole heartedly. its was groundbreaking and bold, especially in an election year.

but people forget it took 6 years before the final unit integrated....

[MrBurlesk]

We've evolved, agent kerri. We can do it in three!

[rockingbeat]

It's easy-apply the Employment Non Descrimination Act to the Government-settled

[PlaceboStudman]

ENDA has to pass first. And even if it does, the military will say it does not apply, because they live by different rules and regulations than greater society

[eternalkerri]

they do. UCMJ.

[eternalkerri]

the military actually falls under a seperate set of laws called the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Yes, the military has its own separate set of laws outside of regular constitutional law.

[wonketteRAWKS]

What kind of "extensive review" would you like to do Admiral?

[MrBurlesk]

Probably digital rectal exams. You know how perverted those Military men can get...

[superstition]

"The 1957 Crittenden report found that gay men posed no great national security risk in terms of susceptibility to extortion. The 1988 PERSEREC/S­arbin-Karo­ls report concluded that homosexuality was as unrelated to military job performance, as was right- or left-handedness. The 1989 PERSEREC/McDaniel study found that in terms of background characteristics prior to entering military service, gay men were "as good or better than the average heterosexual" in terms of suitability for positions of trust.

The 1993 RAND study was not the first time that a group of researchers had reached the conclusion that the sexual identity of service personnel is not relevant to military service or job performance...The Crittenden report was buried for 32 years. The PERSEREC/S­arbin-Karo­ls report was tied up by the Pentagon for almost a year. The second PERSEREC report (McDaniel) was never submitted to DOD."
http://books.google.com/books?id=Go9XsJ47GswC

They include: “Working Group of Retired General/Flag Officers Condemns Gay Ban” (Palm Center, 2008); Blue Ribbon Commission report, co-authored by former defense secretary William J. Perry (UC-Santa Barbara, 2006);

There are at least a dozen studies or papers on this topic, and all, without exception, say the same thing,” said Sarvis.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0209/Anything_but_another_study.html

"Obama abandons DOMA/DADT?"
http://www.americablog.com/2009/07/obama-deputy-campaign-manager-abandons.html

[eternalkerri]

studies that analyze effect are not implementation studies and execution plans. its an accepted fact by all but those who bury their head in the sand that there is no major effect of fighting capability.

but there hasnt been a published paper that shows how the military would implement it.

[superstition]

Implementation plan:

Stop the firings.

Execution plan:

Stop the firings.

So complicated.

[hyjanks]

"Gradulism in theory is perpetuity in practice."

--William Lloyd Garrison (when asked about the freeing of slaves over a period of time)

[eternalkerri]

this is not Gradualism. This is an intent to enact. A period of policy and regulation creation, then implementation.

Even when the slaves were suddenly freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, they still had to go back and write laws like the 14th Amendment to ensure that it was legally clarified and regulated.

[MrBurlesk]

So are you the official apologist for this Mullen nonsense and further DADT damage control? Bought and paid for? Appointed by the White House to ease the pain LGBTs will no doubt feel at getting cornholed by the Obama administration? How many sites do you blog on?

The president himself has said he believes DADT is not in our best interest. He won't do anything about changing it and instead appears to have STONEWALLED everyone (especially LGBTs) for six months while his top military advisers cook up some "let's split the baby in half" rhetoric to keep DADT on the books, just implemented differently. If Obama truly threw this at the Military's top brass, as if to say, "find a way to make this work or it's gone" I am sincerely dissappointed.

The continued bi-partisanship policy (let's please everyone so nothing gets done) is going to drown the Obama administration and this mamby-pamby handling of DADT is proof again that either the president's logic is dangerously skewed or he's being controlled. The USA needs decisiveness, direction, action and progress -- NOW. Not a lot of handwringing over how this will affect everyone. It's the military: YOU DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!

[mrh3]

This is about indulging Christian nut jobs and other assorted bigots within the millitary. The brass are in some instances nut jobs themselves and in other instaces afraid of what the nut jobs will do.

[eternalkerri]

as opposed to the assorted bigots in everyday life and the Christian nut jobs in everyday life.

before you start talking about bigots in the military. did you know its got a higher percentage of senior leadership that is demographically minority than most government entities AND corporations.
per capita there are more interracial marriages in the service than in the rest of American society?

[PlaceboStudman]

The ignorance and bigotry in the military that does exist though should be (at least in theory) easier to deal with because it is a closed entity with a smaller population than society at large. At the very least there should be, and should always have been tolerance and sensitivity training regarding life in the barracks as much as there might be or should be tolerance and sensitivity training toward the foreign communities where bases are located

[MrBurlesk]

You and your statistics and historical talking points. Do you pull them all out of your hat or your...

[MrBurlesk]

You're right on the money mrh3. Obama is far too concerned with placating the very people he vowed to protect everyone against when he said he would repeal legislature like DADT and DOMA. And now he's showing his true colors and letting them pee on his leg. And he seems to like it. Where does that leave the rest of us? I ask you, and everyone else: What do we have to do to MOTIVATE our president to be more of a "Fierce" advocate -- which is how he described himself in his campaign???

Because it's really up to US.

[fcsakes]

Let's be sure to 'study' this at least until the current war is ended. We need all the bodies in harm's way that we can get.

Do you think all those worthless little ribbons hide the fact you're an a*s and a bigot?

[Bass123]

Good grief!! How many gay men have fought, gave their blood and died in your sorid war...and you want a measured responce!!!

[PlaceboStudman]

tens, maybe hundreds of thousands

[madatnewsmedia]

I think all of you do a real disservice to those military personnel who aren't gay or lesbian. Gays and lesbians don't deserve special recognition, because they are gays and lesbians. They chose to become a part of the military, even though they knew some of the rules. I think the path taken will be one tha will give gays and lesbians what they want, but it doesn't give them the right to blackmail the President. Personally, I am tired of listening to them whine :woe is me", we're dying, but can't tell the world that we are gay and lesbians. The world doesn't necessarily want to know.

[PlaceboStudman]

Just because the world doesn't necessarily want to know doesn't give them the right to tell us who we can or can't tell. By not being allowed to tell, we are essentially of cowtowing to people's discomfort and ignorance that leads them to unwarranted fears which only perpetuates the whole thing in a giant catch-22. If we were allowed to live our lives out with honesty and integrity, everyone would benefit in the long run as they adjust to the changing environment and realize that LGBTs living an honest open life has very little if any negative effect on anyone relative to the negative effects of those who are forced to live a life of lies and deception

[eternalkerri]

by a person telling someone that they must deny who they are to show patriotism is no patriot to a society that teaches equality.

gays should never have to hide who they are and how they feel about a person they love to defend the very rights they are fighting to gain.

[Rendon76]

The military and politicians are just being archaic gorillas about it. They have no business to concern themselves with the sexual orientation of people who are serving.