Mullen Finds Little Resistance to Gay Troops

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was nearing the end of a 25-minute question and answer session with troops serving here when he raised a topic of his own: “No one’s asked me about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” he said.

As it turned out, none of the two dozen or so men or women who met with Mullen at Marine House in the Jordanian capital Tuesday had any questions on the 17-year-old policy that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military — or Mullen’s public advocacy of its repeal.

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Darryl E. Robinson, who’s the operations coordinator for defense attache’s office at the U.S. Embassy here, explained why after the session. “The U.S. military was always at the forefront of social change,” he said. “We didn’t wait for laws to change.”

Some Republicans in Congress have expressed outrage at repealing the ban in wartime and the Pentagon has embarked on a year-long study on what impact the repeal might have.

At a Senate hearing earlier this month, Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., urged Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to “keep the impact it will have on our forces firmly in mind.”

Yet those gathered at Marine House made it clear they’ve already accepted the idea of gays and lesbians serving among them.

More at: McClatchy!

Repeal the Ban – Our Soldier’s Lives Depend On It

President Obama’s announcement of his intention to work with Congress and the military to repeal the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is the sort of change that should receive broad bipartisan support. The public backs such a change. A poll last year by the Washington Post/ABC news found that 75% of Americans supported the repeal. The same poll found that 64% of Republicans wanted to allow homosexuals to serve openly. This is now a mainstream opinion of both Democrats and Republicans.

President Truman’s landmark decision to integrate African-Americans into the military was particularly noteworthy because it led a transition in public opinion. Today, public opinion has already shifted, which makes this repeal even more overdue.

Many advocates of the repeal of this policy have strong moral and human rights arguments. Although such arguments are appealing, the stronger rationale for this repeal is simply that it will make America safer.

Even though the public is on board, there are some political leaders who still support the ban. John McCain, who once said that he would follow the advice of the military leadership regarding the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy has changed his tune and says that now is not the right time to change the policy because we are in the midst of two wars. House Minority Leader John Boehner said, “In the middle of two wars, and, and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?” This is where McCain and Boehner get it wrong. This is precisely the time to make such a change. Today our forces are stretched thin in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, at this time of tremendous need in the military we are kicking out brave soldiers simply because they admit openly to being gay.

More at: Partnership for a Secure America!

Not All McCains Believe in LGBT Equality

“In his State of the Union address, President Obama asked Congress to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. I am immensely proud of, and thankful for, every American who wears the uniform of our country, especially at a time of war, and I believe it would be a mistake to repeal the policy.

“This successful policy has been in effect for over fifteen years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels. We have the best trained, best equipped, and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy.”
Even though his daughter and wife have come out in support of marriage equality for LGBT Americans, John McCain, the Republican former presidential hopeful is staying true to his party’s general sense of homophobic bigotry by staying in opposition to President Obama’s pledge to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Keeping consistent, at a forum in New York in March of 2007, McCain stated:

“I recently had a conversation with some other military leaders on this issue and their point to me was ‘It’s working, so leave it alone. Generally, overall, it’s working.’ I don’t think there’s any doubt that there are evolving attitudes in America about many issues, including this one, but every military leader that I talk to, I say ‘Should we change it?’ They say, ‘It’s working.’ And right now we’ve got the best military we’ve ever had – the most professional, best trained, equipped and the bravest. And so I think it’s logical to leave this issue alone. I really do.”

Another McCain Joins the Battle for Equality

It would appear that Cindy McCain, the mother of Republican gay rights advocate Meghan McCain and wife of former presidential candidate John McCain has joined the league of ‘mavericks’ when it comes to Republicans who support equality for LGBT Americans!  Maybe there’s hope of rescuing the GOP from the religious right yet?

According to Bouska.net:

Aligning yourself with the platform of gay marriage as a Republican still tends to be very stigmatic, but Cindy McCain wanted to participate in the campaign to show people that party doesn’t matter – marriage equality isn’t a Republican issue any more than it is a Democratic issue. It’s about human rights, and everybody being treated equally in the eyes of the law that runs and protects this country.

Meghan McCain was asked to be the keynote speaker at next month’s National Equality Week at George Washington University for her advocacy. In an odd bit of timing, a student Republican organization has become upset that she’ll be giving that speech — and have publicly voiced their disapproval over the ordeal.

You can also read more at: Gay Rights – Change.org!

The Devil Took My Money

From MotherJones.com:

Rod Parsley, a fundamentalist pastor who John McCain praised as a “spiritual guide” during the 2008 presidential campaign, is in big trouble—demonic trouble. Parsley has claimed that Islam is “the greatest religious enemy of our civilization and the world,” and argued that the historic mission of America is to see “this false religion destroyed.” (You can watch a video highlighting those comments here. After weeks of controversy, McCain finally repudiated Parsley in May 2008.) But it’s not Islam that’s causing Parsley problems these days. It’s Satan himself. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Parsley is saying his ministry is under a “demonically inspired financial attack.” Here’s the clip from his television program, “Breakthrough”:

Read more here!

On a side note, I’ve never been able to write a check for $3 million.  Of course, I don’t have “tax-exempt” status as a religious institution.  I haven’t played upon the ignorance of others to induce enough fear into them that they send me money to protect the world from Satan.

Of course, you’re curious as to the reason he had to write that check. Well,  in 2006 a two-year-old child attending a daycare affiliated with Parsely’s ministry spanked, and as a result, his “buttocks and legs were covered with welts and abrasions.”  I wonder if Satan made the child deserve the beating or if Satan made the teacher beat the child?

Either way, I suppose Parsley could have put some of that money to much better use, like fighting the evils of the homosexual agenda such as marriage equality.

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