America's first openly gay general

[yllus]

Congratulations to Ms. Smith; I agree with her when she says that "All of those facts are irrelevant,” she said. “I don’t think I need to be focused on [sexuality]. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries."

Foreign Policy - Our first openly gay general

Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith became our first openly gay general on Friday when she was promoted from colonel. It is an interesting moment, in part because it is so uncontroversial.

...

Stars and Stripes interviewed Smith last summer before the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal was finalized. Speaking under a pseudonym, she said she had no plans to come out to her colleagues, but was looking forward to the relief of knowing that her career wouldn’t be threatened if she was found out.

“Finally my partner and I will be able to go out and have drinks together without worrying,” she said then.

A year later, Smith, 49, said she is still more focused on the work ahead than the significance of her personal life. But her wife, Tracey Hepner, said the last year has been a dramatic transformation for both of them.

“The support we’ve received has been amazing,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised that people were so accepting, but in some cases it has been even celebratory. It’s like nothing has really changed for us, and yet everything has changed.”

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Good for her.

 

[OCGuy]

I'm actually happy to see that this isn't a bigger deal.

 

[Jaskalas]

...was looking forward to the relief of knowing that her career wouldn’t be threatened if she was found out.

Anyone who was negatively impacted for being 'found out' was unjustly harmed. The end of that policy is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[PricklyPete]

I'm actually happy to see that this isn't a bigger deal.

Agreed. It is exactly as it should be.

 

[OCGuy]

Another Clinton-era failed policy crumbles.

 

[blankslate]

Another Clinton-era failed policy crumbles.

wow, it was the compromise that Clinton could make with republicans and still get reelected.

President Clinton did at first propose gays openly serving in the military during his first national campaign but it was conservatives that forced him to adopt don't ask don't tell.

 

[cybrsage]

I am surprised she is not being kicked out for lying previously. To be a general, you have to had been in the service for a long time. This means she was in when she had to lie about her sexuality.

Hmmm...maybe not. I cannot find when she entered service. If she entered before December 21, 1993, then she falsified documents to enter the military. If she entered after, then no wrongdoing has been done.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by OCGuy
Another Clinton-era failed policy crumbles.

wow, it was the compromise that Clinton could make with republicans and still get reelected.

President Clinton did at first propose gays openly serving in the military during his first national campaign but it was conservatives that forced him to adopt don't ask don't tell.

Republicans caught constantly lying.

Why are they allowed to post again???

 

[Jaskalas]

Republicans caught constantly lying.

Why are they allowed to post again???

To keep you in good company.

 

[OCGuy]

wow, it was the compromise that Clinton could make with republicans and still get reelected.

So much for "The Buck Stops Here."

I guess we get to blame Bush for all of Obama's troubles, and congress for all of Clinton's.

Imagine that!

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by blankslate
wow, it was the compromise that Clinton could make with republicans and still get reelected.

So much for "The Buck Stops Here."

I guess we get to blame Bush for all of Obama's troubles, and congress for all of Clinton's.

Imagine that!

Imagine that you hang around P&N long enough and you can learn. :thumbsup:

 

[werepossum]

wow, it was the compromise that Clinton could make with republicans and still get reelected.

President Clinton did at first propose gays openly serving in the military during his first national campaign but it was conservatives that forced him to adopt don't ask don't tell.

It was Democrats that forced Clinton to adopt don't ask don't tell, not conservatives. After the Hilarycare debacle, no conservatives were ever going to vote for him again no matter what policies he adopted. Hell, Clinton could have proposed making homosexuality in the military mandatory and not lost a single conservative vote.

As for the general, meh. I couldn't care either way. But I am glad for her sake that she no longer has to fear losing a career she loves (and at which she is apparently quite good) for being a lesbian.

 

[woolfe9999]

It was Democrats that forced Clinton to adopt don't ask don't tell, not conservatives. After the Hilarycare debacle, no conservatives were ever going to vote for him again no matter what policies he adopted. Hell, Clinton could have proposed making homosexuality in the military mandatory and not lost a single conservative vote.

First of all, they should be voting for the national interest, not based on grudges. You're basically admitting that they would never have voted for anything he backed for reasons having nothing to do with merit, which not so ironically is also what has been happening for the past 3.5 years.

Second, the GOP has in general opposed allowing gays in the military. Most opposed it under the Obama admin as well, so I think you're being disingenuous here. Quite the contrary, I suggest that the GOP would not have voted for it regardless of Hilcare or anything else.

 

[blankslate]

It was Democrats that forced Clinton to adopt don't ask don't tell, not conservatives.

Nevermind the fact that it is possible for Democratic members of congress to hold conservative views on certain issues. the most obvious example are the blue dog democrats who tend to be more fiscally conservative.

Liberal Democratic members didn't support DADT a notable example was the late Senator Kennedy.

 

[werepossum]

First of all, they should be voting for the national interest, not based on grudges. You're basically admitting that they would never have voted for anything he backed for reasons having nothing to do with merit, which not so ironically is also what has been happening for the past 3.5 years.

Second, the GOP has in general opposed allowing gays in the military. Most opposed it under the Obama admin as well, so I think you're being disingenuous here. Quite the contrary, I suggest that the GOP would not have voted for it regardless of Hilcare or anything else.

Oh, I agree with all that. I'm just saying that Clinton and his fellow Democrats did not want to take the political hit from their own voters and that Clinton lost no conservative votes in his re-election. THAT is why Clinton pushed DADT rather than pulling an Obama and simply passing it (perhaps as a rider) in his own Democrat-controlled lame duck session.

 

[OCGuy]

Nevermind the fact that it is possible for Democratic members of congress to hold conservative views on certain issues. the most obvious example are the blue dog democrats who tend to be more fiscally conservative.

Liberal Democratic members didn't support DADT a notable example was the late Senator Kennedy.

Exactly. Liberal democrats think that their whole party thinks like they do. The fact that Obama JUST came out for gay marriage because he is trying to shore up the base is very telling.

Black/religous Democrats are not for gay rights. Oh how easy it is to distort reality.

 

[werepossum]

Nevermind the fact that it is possible for Democratic members of congress to hold conservative views on certain issues. the most obvious example are the blue dog democrats who tend to be more fiscally conservative.

Liberal Democratic members didn't support DADT a notable example was the late Senator Kennedy.

Again, I'm saying only that Clinton lacked the necessary support within his own party in Congress because they made a political calculation about the votes that would be lost from their own voters, not from "conservatives". How many Congressional Democrats in Clinton's day do you think really had a problem with gay marriage and/or gays in the military? For that matter, how many Congressional Republicans, who are admittedly worse on the issue, really have moral objections? Politicians have ONE central moral principle - gaining and retaining power. To the extent that Clinton did not allow gays to openly serve, it was because of Democrat voters, not Congressional Republicans.

This tendency of the left to blame everything on conservatives or Republicans has just gotten laughable. Even when the Democrats had an absolute lock and could pass anything they wanted without the Republicans being able to do a thing about it, the left still blames conservatives and Republicans for Obama's not achieving more.

 

[woolfe9999]

Again, I'm saying only that Clinton lacked the necessary support within his own party in Congress because they made a political calculation about the votes that would be lost from their own voters, not from "conservatives". How many Congressional Democrats in Clinton's day do you think really had a problem with gay marriage and/or gays in the military? For that matter, how many Congressional Republicans, who are admittedly worse on the issue, really have moral objections? Politicians have ONE central moral principle - gaining and retaining power. To the extent that Clinton did not allow gays to openly serve, it was because of Democrat voters, not Congressional Republicans.

This tendency of the left to blame everything on conservatives or Republicans has just gotten laughable. Even when the Democrats had an absolute lock and could pass anything they wanted without the Republicans being able to do a thing about it, the left still blames conservatives and Republicans for Obama's not achieving more.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that republicans in Congress at the time (not speaking of conservative voters), were not in any way to blame for DADT. Well, the context in which this came up is that another poster had blamed Clinton for it. How does a conservative get off complaining that Clinton did not accomplish something that conservatives opposed and have never tried to accomplish themselves? I'm sorry, but did I miss where Reagan, GHWB, and GWB tried to end the gay ban? Now two dem POTUSES have attempted it. One succeeded. Neither with any help or support from conservatives. Blaming Clinton is perhaps a valid criticism if coming from the left. It's a comical farce when coming from the right. It's like the right saying, why couldn't you pass socialized medicine, you incompetent fool!

Where is your evidence that dem voters did not favor ending the gay ban at the time? To the extent that there was a political calculation, it may have been a consideration about independents, if memory serves.

 

[blankslate]

This tendency of the left to blame everything on conservatives or Republicans has just gotten laughable. Even when the Democrats had an absolute lock and could pass anything they wanted without the Republicans being able to do a thing about it, the left still blames conservatives and Republicans for Obama's not achieving more.

When key members of a political party go to a dinner at the Caucus Room (a washington D.C. restaurant) on the evening of President Obama's innaugeration and make a pact to obstruct his policies then yes I am going to assign some blame to them.

Could President Obama have made bolder moves in his first term? Arguably yes, he made certain safe appointments in key areas when he could've been more bold considering the situation at the time.

However, it is absolutely laughable to ignore how determined Mitch McConnell and his cohorts were especially when he boldly stated what the purpose of the republicans in congress should be.

 

[techs]

I am surprised she is not being kicked out for lying previously. To be a general, you have to had been in the service for a long time. This means she was in when she had to lie about her sexuality.

Hmmm...maybe not. I cannot find when she entered service. If she entered before December 21, 1993, then she falsified documents to enter the military. If she entered after, then no wrongdoing has been done.

She was born in 1963 so she would have had to enter the service at 30 and rise to the rank of general in 19 years.

Is that usual?

 

[jackstar7]

I am surprised she is not being kicked out for lying previously. To be a general, you have to had been in the service for a long time. This means she was in when she had to lie about her sexuality.

Hmmm...maybe not. I cannot find when she entered service. If she entered before December 21, 1993, then she falsified documents to enter the military. If she entered after, then no wrongdoing has been done.

The way your mind takes in the information in the OP and prompts you to write this is fascinating.

 

[nehalem256]

I am surprised she is not being kicked out for lying previously. To be a general, you have to had been in the service for a long time. This means she was in when she had to lie about her sexuality.

Hmmm...maybe not. I cannot find when she entered service. If she entered before December 21, 1993, then she falsified documents to enter the military. If she entered after, then no wrongdoing has been done.

The policy was "Don't ask, don't tell". You appear to have fallen for the liberal lie that they would waterboard you yearly to determine your sexual orientation.

Since they could not ask her sexual orientation there would be no reason for lying.

 

[techs]

The policy was "Don't ask, don't tell". You appear to have fallen for the liberal lie that they would waterboard you yearly to determine your sexual orientation.

Since they could not ask her sexual orientation there would be no reason for lying.

Yet somehow people kept getting kicked out for being gay.

 

[RampantAndroid]

Republicans caught constantly lying.

Why are they allowed to post again???

Where's the lie? Hmm? He said CLINTON ERA.

An era is a commonly used word for long period of time.