DADT Likely To Be Part Of Defense Bill: Barney Frank

The Advocate:

Repealing "don't ask, don't tell" will likely be included as part of next year's Department of Defense authorization bill in both chambers of Congress, Congressman Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Wednesday.

"Military issues are always done as part of the overall authorization bill," Frank said, insisting that this has been the strategy for overturning the policy all along. "Don't ask, don't tell' was always going to be part of the military authorization."

Read the whole story: The Advocate

Comments

[vicco]

Hey,America elected a black dude as president, must mean they are a world class country,eh? Yea, right.... Likely to be part of....LIKELY is the key word here. Never happen, way too much repressed idiocy running rampant in America today. Or running it...into the ground. I got an idea, let's start another war. Can't win 'em, can barely fight 'em, so let's just keep them going forever, like the Romans did. And we all know how well that ended. Just like health care, never happen and if anything does come of all this so called "debate", it'll just be some idiotic deal making it a crime NOT to pay outrageous amounts to those criminal gangsters , the health insurance companies. I'd rather have the Mafia running the country, at least the little guy would know who to pay off. Or even have the chance. I wanna be the first one to do time for not paying the insurance criminals.

[jeremyfive]

God, it is depressing that someone has to even suggest that such oppression visited upon one group of taxpaying Americans needs to be repealled.

How far this country has fallen.

The incidents of race, religious, gender and sexual orientation descrimination that has been practiced among our military, and at their training academies in particular, is a powerful indictment of those in command currently.

It is no wonder that the wars drag on and on. These military commanders cannot control their troops, think bigotry is A-ok, stand idly by witnessing ongoing incidents of religious and other oppression, and have no problem with singling out groups of people for unreasonable punishments and career destruction. Obviously there is a problem with unit cohesion, but the presence of gay military volunteers has nothing to do with it--poor leadership does.

What a sorry state the American military is in currently. What a despicable policy is "Don't Ask Don't Tell", and one that has been abused by those same military commanders--the ones who cannot win a war. It is clear why they cannot.

[hollybork]

Good going, Barney Frank. I am routing for the US to rescind this ridiculous policy and put all our people on an equal footing with full civil rights. It is not morally right to deprive gays or any other minority of opportunities in the military. We need the talents of all of our people now.

[hhayden]

What next, pedo'philes rights in the military or people who bug'ger sheep?

[Grunty1]

Actually, until those people are arrest, they are both allowed int he military already.

And after Dubya lowered the standards so much, probably AFTER too.

[lily31]

That's my Barney!

[jordan327]

Too much information

[audit]

How does Barney know so much? The other day he didn't know what a pot plant looked like and was so arrogant when questioned about it. Something about him doesn't ring true......

[keepemhonest]

audit,

are YOU high? There are a LOT of people who have no idea what a pot plant looks like - and - there are a LOT of plants that look like pot plants that aren't

WHO CARES!!!! Legalize pot and repeal DODT

[jordan327]

Especially when your boyfriend is growing it in THEIR place. HAHAHHAHA> Yeah, O.K.

[hhayden]

Repeal DADT. Gays should be able to wear their pink fatigues and high healed brogans. And those barracks could use some new curtains.

Don't legalize pot. It will probably drive up the price. Government will just see it as something else to heavly tax.

[uvymopka]

Barney suffers from a condition known as homophobic-overloadus. It’s a combination of too much pot and too many……other things.

[hhayden]

Not caring about gays and their "issues" is not fe'ar. It's just not caring.

[grata2ude]

Even though I partook in a puff or two in my youth I wouldn't have the faintest idea what the plant looks like.

[hhayden]

http://images.google.com/images?client=dell-usuk-rel&channel=us&hl=en&source=hp&q=marajuana&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[Enlightened22]

Oh no, Obama is gonna do another thing he had promised he would do. Can't this guy act more like any other politician?

[hhayden]

Trouble is, Obama only keeps his bad promises.

[Billar]

Barney is simply a Wall Street Shill.

[FHTB]

Barney. let's stop what has become a Washington detritis:

Might as well be singing Dionne Warwick's "Promises, Promises"...

People are sick of proclamations that either get watered down, neutralized, or outright eviscerated...shut up until you get it done...

And didn't you give us your a=sinine nonsense about "imprints on the grass"?
Marches do more than empty gobbledygook like this, Barney...

And do something about derivatives, BTW...and stop kissing Wall Street
's behind.

[hhayden]

If Barney wanted to kiss Wall Street's behind, he'd have to push Obama out of the way.

[hhayden]

Are you Heckle or Jeckle?

[mcmutter]

Justice delayed is justice denied. Thank the GOP for defeating the ERA Amendment back in the 1970s. They have been dividing this country for a long, long time to gain political advantage.

[wdw505]

It is just freedom of speech that killed the era Amendment

[keepemhonest]

W

You are wrong ..

[hhayden]

You mean like Obama is today? We don't need special amendmants for special interests - we just need to uphold the Constitution.

[superstition]

Every day the Dems continue to betray the Constitution and America by firing troops for being gay is a day too many.

Frank needs to understand that some of us realize what the delay means. It means more fired troops. It means more unnecessary injustice. It means more waste and harm.

There is no excuse for it.

[afrographia]

Right. And every day we leave another child homeless is a day too long. Every day we stay in Iraq is a day too long. Every day Guantanamo is open is a day too long. Every day we cut funding for domestic violence prevention is a day too long.

There is injustice all around. And apparently, there is a strategy in place to end DADT. By next year. We haven't ended all the other injustices I mentioned. Our job is to work extra long days to make sure we make progress. On all fronts. But your expectation that this one issue should be addressed yesterday is simply unrealistic, and implies that this is a greater betrayal of the Constitution than all the other injustices that need to be addressed. All during the same day(s). We all have work to do.

[superstition]

"There is injustice all around." What a weak rationalization.
"And apparently, there is a strategy in place to end DADT." There was one before it was implemented, too. It's called fact over fiction. But that didn't stop it from being implemented.

[billy goat]

And that line is a thing of beauty

[OscarthePug]

It should have been part of this year's DOD Authorization Bill and even then it must be considered long overdue. The President could have fulfilled his campaign promises easily by signing an Executive Order eliminating this disgraceful affront to civil liberty, human dignity and equal protection for all, but he chose to play it safe, politically. Undoubtedly, Rahm, the ultimate political maneuverer, had a hand in delaying what should have been one of Obama's first presidential acts.

One of these days, these guys and gals are going to realize that they were given a mandate by 70 million Americans, 53%, to govern on principles, and the politics will follow, as the results of your programs become evident.

Stop trying to please everyone. Govern for the majority who elected you while protecting the rights of the minorities who have been left out for too long. The rest of the country will follow and the extremists be damned.

[HadBetterDays]

I guess some people are only able to point to the negative when truly this is a historical decision that was not an easy one to make with a majority of Americans against it. It's the right decision, why not celebrate it and let go of what "should have/ could have?"

[xlntcat]

As you must know by now, an Exeuctive Order can be overturned by the next executive. DADT was a law passed under Bill Clinton by the legislative branch, the branch given the power under the constitution to pass or to repeal laws. Patrick Murphy has 183 signatures now for the repeal of DADT but it will require 218 for repeal. No one ever told you that someone else would do everything for you. It does not now nor has it ever worked that way. What evidence do you have that Rahm, at any time or in any way, had anything whatsoever to do with any kind of delay? You seem to be the only soul priviledge to this information.

[DinkSinger]

Only the Don't Tell (and also don't do) part of DADT are written into the statute law. The Don't Ask and more importantly Don't Pursue part are contained in Defense Department regulations. For example the regulations specify "A commander will initiate an inquiry only if he or she has credible information that there is a basis for discharge. Credible information exists when the information, considering its source and the surrounding circumstances, supports a reasonable belief that there is a basis for discharge." The number of discharges could be immediately reduced by adding a regulation that information shall not be considered credible unless it is corroborated by a second, independent source.

[OscarthePug]

Yup, we all know that, but as CIC Pesident Obama can temporarily suspend the DADT and its effects that force thousands out of the military who are integral to the "wars" as Arabic and Farsi translators and multi-language speaking officers performing important functions.

[keepemhonest]

DADT is a LAW and thus can only be repealed by CONGRESS - NOT the President.

[superstition]

Straw man.

[Chipher]

Big Oil Bubble Brewing: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/KK11Dj02.html

[masher]

Social issues are one area of difference between the GOP and the Democratic party. Good to see they are at least fulfilling this small part of their usefulness. Then of course, Obama will go back to bankrupting the nation. Yeah!

[xlntcat]

Breaking News. When Obama took office the nation was not only bankrupt but the deficit was at 1.2 trillion and the national debt had doubled to over 10 trillion. You didn't do well in economics, did you.

[keepemhonest]

SPOT ON!

[Jefferson78]

It will not happen. The military needs to focus on maintaining an effective fighting force, not playing politically correct games.

[bgofca]

the military has bee kicking out people who were earning medals and doing great jobs such as interpreters when it was discovered they were gay. The military is less effective due to the loss of it's gay members and potential members;

[EWeiss]

Which is why DADT should be overturned. We need the best army we can have - even if that means that some people get in who offend your delicate sensibilities.

[keepemhonest]

EWeiss

Jefferson78 does NOT have "delicate sensibilities" ... Jefferson78 has rigid hatefilled sensibilities.

[keepemhonest]

Jefferson

You clearly are a) not a veteran of the military and b) have NO CLUE what you are talking about.

[cal5000]

As a veteran it isnt really going to matter to most people serving and the people it does make upset who are in the military can leave if they dont like it.

[Grunty1]

So its ok that the military is constantly playing POLITICAL games with whom it does or does not allow in, right?

Are you ok, that Dubya lowered recruitment standards because he needed more bodies?

[avchavis]

I love you Barney Frank! One of my heroes in Congress! At least we have a timeline for when DADT will be repealed! If only the WH would've made this publicly known months ago and silenced Gates.

[xlntcat]

Making this publically known could very well work against getting the law repealed. Barney Frank just alerted the GOP who when Murphy introduced the bill on the house floor last month equated it to child molestation and beastiality. I didn't say they made any sense whatsoever but that is how they responded. Now I guess they will round up the teabaggers to protest.

[DinkSinger]

The Republican's are powerless over the defense authorization bill. That's why the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act was tacked onto the defense authorization bill this year.