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Senate Repeals Dont Ask, Dont Tell

New York Times ^ | DEcenber 18, 2010 | Carl Hulse

Posted on by lbryce

The Senate on Saturday voted to strike down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, bringing to a close a 17-year struggle over a policy that forced thousands of Americans from the ranks and caused others to keep secret their sexual orientation.

By a vote of 65 to 31, with eight Republicans joining Democrats, the Senate approved and sent to President Obama a repeal of the Clinton-era law, known as dont ask, dont tell, a policy critics said amounted to government-sanctioned discrimination that treated gay, lesbian and bisexual troops as second-class citizens.

Mr. Obama hailed the action, which fulfills his pledge to reverse the ban, and said it was time to close this chapter in our history.

As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best-led and best-trained fighting force the world has ever known, he said in a statement after the Senate, on a preliminary 63-to-33 vote, beat back Republican efforts to block final action on the repeal bill.

The vote marked a historic moment that some equated with the end of racial segregation in the military.

It followed an exhaustive Pentagon review that determined the policy could be changed with only isolated disruptions to unit cohesion and retention, though members of combat units and the Marine Corps expressed greater reservations about the shift. Congressional action was backed by Pentagon officials as a better alternative to a court-ordered end.

Supporters of the repeal said it was long past time to abolish what they saw as an ill-advised practice that cost valuable personnel and forced troops to lie to serve their country.



(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...

TOPICS:

News/Current Events

KEYWORDS:

gay

gayagenda

homosexualagenda

pentagon

senate

Supporters of the repeal said it was long past time to abolish what they saw as an ill-advised practice that cost valuable personnel and forced troops to lie to serve their country.

If they are so concerned about those having to lie to serve our country, they ought to start with Congress where lying in service to your country is an art form. If they are so concerned about those having to lie to serve our country, they ought to start with Congress where lying in service to your country is an art form. We righted a wrong, said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut and a leader of the effort to end the ban. Today weve done justice.

No, you have wronged a right. Today, you have done an injustice.



To: lbryce

Join the Army - test positive for AIDS/HIV - draw 100% disability for the rest of your miserable life. If you don’t believe me check the VA regulations.



by 2 posted onby satan (Plumbing new depths of worthlessness on a daily basis.)

To: lbryce

65 of our elected representatives voted to destroy the United States military, disrespecting those that have served in harms way and those that have sacrificed for this Nation. If we do not vote each and every one of them out of power we deserve to lose this Nation.........



To: lbryce

"voted to strike down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military" vs "the Senate approved and sent to President Obama a repeal of the Clinton-era law, known as dont ask, dont tell, So which is it? Did they end the ban or did they repeal DADT? Like the 13 month extension of unemployment that still has some fox news guests claiming the 99 weeks is now 155 weeks...there seems to be some confusion on what was actually done here.



by 4 posted onby icwhatudo ("laws requiring compulsory abortion could be ustained under the constitution"-Obama official)

To: lbryce

It’s called orientation for a reason. It’s under your control.



by 5 posted onby 1010RD (First Do No Harm)

To: lbryce

Prepare for a reactivation of the Selective Service System.The Only way the military is going to meet its manpower needs is with a Draft.That was Probably the plan all along. I hope I’m wrong because I wouldn’t want my child going into that circus.



by 6 posted onby puppypusher (The World is going to the dogs.)

To: lbryce

Well, the Military just had too many dedicated, senior NCO’s, you know, the ones who are going to retire now. We’ll be much better off with a bunch of Marine Gunnery Sergeants wearing skirts leading the attacks on the National Republican headquarters.



by 7 posted onby Rembrandt (.. AND the donkey you rode in on.)

To: lbryce

This will effectively decimate the U.S. Military. Honorable men will not want to live with sodomites who view them as easily-accessible prey.



by 8 posted onby backwoods-engineer (Onward to the battle royal!)

To: lbryce

In anticipation of the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell, in 2007, the Pentagon prepared a list of new or reinterpreted nomenclature and practices familiar to many older veterans. The gay EM who supplied Wikileaks sent us a copy just before his arrest. Some of the more interesting items are below. All marching commands ending in March will now end in either MINCE or SWISH, at the option of the individual issuing the command; The command Right dress right, will be replaced with Right strapless evening gown, allrighty; Due to the distinct possibility that it may be misinterpreted, the command To the Rear March will be replaced with OK, Fellas, Turn Around; Marching cadences employing Jodie will now replace that archaic appellation with the more metro-sexually appropriate Brucie: The humorous but now out-dated phrase Drop your c**ks and grab your socks is to be replaced with Drop your c**ks and grab the fellas over there; A Junk on the bunk inspection will now allow a soldiers junk to actually be displayed on his bunk; If it will not interfere with his duties, a Latrine Queen may wear a pair of high heel pumps if they are OD in color; The rank of Private will be replaced with Newby. For those still smoking, as it could lead to serious unit cohesion break-down, the phrase Field strip that butt will no longer be used. As we did deeper into the documents we were provided, we will add other changes. PS: A bonus INVESTMENT TIP: Buy shares in firms that manufacture SOAP-ON-A-ROPE!



To: lbryce

It’s painful to see the destruction of this country by “elected” officials. No quarter must be given to all the bastards that voted for this repeal. Any rino that tries to justify this kind of crap must be run out of the party. We start with the scum rinos that voted with the rest of the traitors in the rat party!



by 10 posted onby ABQHispConservative (Fire all the damn rino!)

To: lbryce

Why isn’t anyone talking about the possibility/probability of overturning it in the House when our new folks get in there in January?



by 11 posted onby CincyRichieRich (Keep your head up and keep moving forward!)

To: lbryce; fieldmarshaldj; Clintonfatigued; Impy; campaignPete R-CT

We righted a wrong, said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut and a leader of the effort to end the ban. Today weve done justice. << >>< I wonder what happened to all those freepers who proudly donated to Al Gore's running mate and boosted about it on FR. We never hear from them anymore. How are the donations to the "Independent" workin' out for them? Conrad Burns, Jim Talent, and George Allen sure could have used that money instead of the socialist they helped elect.



by 12 posted onby BillyBoy (Impeach Obama? Yes We Can!)

To: lbryce

Did any Republicans vote for this?



To: lbryce

Make no mistake, this was a vote that codified, and etched in stone, the now unstoppable American decline. America is finished.



by 14 posted onby Obadiah (BHO -- out the door in 4!)

To: puppypusher

“Prepare for a reactivation of the Selective Service System.The Only way the military is going to meet its manpower needs is with a Draft.That was Probably the plan all along.” Well, then we can throw the “Hell no, we won’t go” thing right back at them.



by 15 posted onby GenXteacher (He that hath no stomach for this fight, let him depart!)

To: puppypusher

I wouldnt want my child going into that circus. Same here. Until this week I thought it would be good for my son to enter the military; I even thought about preparing him to apply for West Point. Now I don't want him going anywhere near the military. I'm not so worried about gays hitting on the straight guys - there probably won't be more than a handful of gays who actually will serve - but there will now have to endless sessions of "diversity" and "sensitivity" training, and the few gays who do enter the service will spend all their time creating incidents. I've seen it all happen in corporate America in the last 15 years, and now it's going to happen in the armed forces. It's no big deal when all this crap happens in the business world, only money is at stake, but it's different when people's lives are on the line. And one more thing, the main recruiting ground for the armed forces has been conservative families. Red State conservatives have been the backbone of the service. At one stroke, that is undercut. A lot of conservatives will now discourage their children from serving. And in exchange for what? A handful of gay mascots? We really can't afford that. God help the USA. Now the shield of our armed forces has been cracked.



by 16 posted onby Martin Tell (ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it)

To: lbryce

by 17 posted onby FrankR (The Evil Are Powerless If The Good Are Unafraid! - R. Reagan)

To: lbryce

Thing that gets me is that most work in America is “at will” employment. So if you wander in to work and brag about your sexual conquests or openly discuss your sexual proclivities, you can be fired! No recourse! So why should the armed forces not be able to set their standards? Once again, this is NOT about equal rights. It is about THE GAY AGENDA which is to FORCE US TO BELIEVE that what they do is normal and acceptable. It is not normal. And they themselves know that. That’s why they are trying so hard to get acceptance from us. THEY KNOW IT’S NOT NORMAL!!!



by 18 posted onby djf (Touch my junk and I'll break yur mug!!!)

To: CincyRichieRich

Why isnt anyone talking about the possibility/probability of overturning it in the House when our new folks get in there in January? Even if the House passed the law, the Senate would vote it down. If the Senate were to pass the law, Obtuse would veto it.



To: lbryce; Jim Robinson

It is unlikely that the new Congress will be able to re-institute DADT anytime soon. So, in the spirit of helpfulness, I have some amendments I would like to see Congress pass. 1. All males who have openly declared themselves to be homosexuals shall report for HIV screening each year on the anniversary date of enlistment. Failure to report shall result in a reduction of one rank and 50% of pay for each month the member fails to report. 2. All females who have openly declared themselves to be lesbians shall report for psychological counseling each year on the anniversary date of enlistment. Failure to report shall result in a reduction of one rank and 50% of pay for each month the member fails to report. 3. Any enlisted member who receives unwanted sexual advances from another enlisted member of the same sex who has openly declared themself to be homosexual or lesbian shall have the absolute right to file a complaint directly to the senior enlisted member of the command. If there is a true finding of the unwanted sexual advance, the person found guilty shall receive a bad conduct discharge and loss of benefits. Failure to adequately investigate allegations of unwanted same sex advances shall result in a reduction of one rank and pay reduction of 50% for one year to the senior enlisted member who is responsible for conducting the investigation. 4. Any officer who receives unwanted sexual advances from another officer who has openly declared themself to be either gay or lesbian shall have the absolute right to file a complaint directly to the senior officer of the command. If there is a true finding of the unwanted sexual advance, the person found guilty shall receive a bad conduct discharge and loss of benefits. Failure to adequately investigate unwanted same sex advances shall result in reduction of one rank and 50% reduction in pay for one year for the officer who is responsible for conducting the investigation. 5. Anyone who retaliates against a service member who files a same sex complaint shall be punished by courts martial. The libs just love sexual harassment complaints. Let's see if they love THESE types of complaints.



by 20 posted onby Enterprise (TSA - The Silly Agency)

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