Petraeus: Dancing With The Four Stars

General David Petraeus, the four-star Army general who is the top dog running the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan says “the time has come” for the military to rethink its current “don’t ask don’t tell” policy.

However, this doesn’t mean he supports repealing the ban on openly gay servicemembers. Earlier today, Petraeus stopped short of saying whether he supported or opposed “don’t ask, don’t tell”. Speaking to a a Senate panel he said he wants to see the results of an internal study that Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered before any changes are made to the current policy. He stated his biggest concerns were whether or not allowing gays to serve openly might diminish recruiting and retention, and if repealing the law would hinder the military’s ability to fight.

Whether or not Petraeus supports the ban or repealing it remains somewhat of a mystery, but one thing is for sure, Petraeus has the political two-step down pat as he’s great at dancing around the issues without stepping on anyone’s toes.

The Stupefying Idiocy Of DADT

Contributed by Lyndon Evans and cross-posted at: Focus On The Rainbow – Opine -

Recently Jeff Hawkes of the Intelligencer Journal (see Army Times) wrote about Army National Guard chaplain Aris Fokas, one of the latest victims of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Surgeons went to work on five Marines mangled by a roadside bomb.

Multiple blasts near Ramadi, west of Baghdad, had torn off the legs of one soldier. Another Marine required amputation of both legs.

Though the time for prayers would come, Army National Guard chaplain Aris Fokas saw the immediate need in the operating room was for an extra set of hands.

He offered his as doctors and nurses labored late into the night in December 2005.

Fokas got busy retrieving medical supplies, hanging intravenous drips and hand pumping blood through a warmer.

When the need for those tasks waned, Fokas slipped back into the role of chaplain. He spoke and prayed with the wounded and with their buddies, who paced and waited for news.

Fokas, a United Church of Christ minister, joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2003. He was 39 years old and felt called to serve his country by pastoring to soldiers on the front lines.

Fokas warmed to the challenges, and many colleagues came to admire his professionalism and humanity.

But now that he’s home, Fokas, 46, is facing a challenge that threatens his future with the military.

An officer has accused Fokas of telling him he is gay.

Although Fokas denies any such disclosure, a commander at Fort Indiantown Gap has ordered an inquiry.

“It is the policy of the United States Army … that homosexuality is incompatible with military service,” Lt. Col. David W. Wood informed Fokas in a memorandum. “Therefore … an investigation is in process to determine if separation action is warranted.”

Fokas, for now, remains in the Guard, but his chaplain duties are suspended pending the investigation’s findings.

And so here we are yet again seeing another brave and dedicated member of the U.S. military caught up in what is tantamount to the Salem Witch Trials or Joe McCarthy’s paranoia about communists, reds and pinkos.

Men and women alike, from all branches of the U.S. military, have been caught in this tangled web ever since DADT was made policy. Thrown out like this morning’s garbage without even so much as a thank you for their service, often kicked out with no benefits or pay because of dishonorable discharges.

Of course we know how homophobic the military is, or at least seems. But not necessarily among the ranks, but the higher ups who of course are like any good solider only following and enforcing an idiotic and archaic doctrine and policy. It always seems funny to me when these stories appear that the fellow compatriots of the men or women brought down by DADT have no problem with the fact they are gay or lesbian.

No it’s always the ranking officers, duty bound to carry out an unjust policy, making one wonder if they question and have a problem with their own “closeted” identity. After all isn’t the old saying those who protest the most, are ?

So you can help save lives, aid in the fight against terrorism, be the bravest solider on the field of battle or the smartest tech on a sub, but it’s all for naught once you are found to be a faggot. Oh they say homosexual, but faggot is really what this policy and they mean.

We can’t have “them” sharing the same fox hole with another solider or God forbid what would happen if one of “them” was in the shower and someone dropped a bar of soap. We can’t have “them” in the same barracks when the lights go out nor one of “them” being a commander of a same sex unit. No we can’t have this, our military will become the laughing stock of the world if we have “them” in it.

Point is, our military at least as far as DADT policy, is the laughing stock of other countries which don’t bar gays of lesbians from serving.

Oh that’s right, neither does the United States.

You just can’t admit to or be found out that you’re a faggot.

Lieberman Introduces Repeal of DADT

Yesterday, Independent congressman Joe Lieberman, along with supporters, introduced historic legislation aimed at repealing the military’s current discriminatory policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell into the U.S. Senate.

Have a look!

Republicans Cry Biased on the Military’s Study on Gay Ban

According to CBS.com:

Some Republicans are dismissing a planned nine-month Pentagon study on gays in the military as biased because it assumes Congress will eventually repeal the 1993 law known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

GOP lawmakers are likely to use the argument to try to chip away at the credibility of the assessment, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates envisions as the first comprehensive look at the policy in its 17-year lifetime.

Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and U.S. Army Forces Europe commander Gen. Carter Ham were expected to testify Wednesday before a House Armed Services subcommittee for the first time since being tapped to lead the study.

“Many of us on this committee have serious concerns with putting our men and women in uniform through such a divisive debate while they are fighting two wars,” said Rep. Buck McKeon of California, the full committee’s top Republican.

So, set aside GOProud and the Log Cabin Repubs, but what exactly is it about Republicans and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Do they realize being anti-gay, which has been a huge part of their platform is breaking apart? Do they realize once being gay is no longer viewed as a threat of terrorism they will have even less of a leg to stand on when voters exercise that right? Is it simply that yes, the religious right has hijacked the GOP?

DADT and ROTC

According to the G.W. student newspaper the Hatchet, University Freshman Todd Belok was dismissed from the Navy ROTC program after his fellow midshipmen learned that he was gay. Belok didn’t explicitly inform the Navy that he was gay, but after he was observed kissing “another male” at a fraternity party, Belok was “officially dismissed from the program in December,” the Hatchet writes.

On September 13, 2008, Belok attended a party at Beta Theta Pi, a fraternity which he later pledged, when two other midshipmen [MIDN], Dave Perry and Squad Leader Nick Trimis, said they saw Belok kiss another male on the lips.

More at: Focus On The Rainbow!

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