Obama Reaffirms - "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Won't Stand.

[Harvey]

In a bold stroke of common sense, rational behavior and humanity, President Obama announced that he will end the military's counter-productive half-assed homophobic "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule.

Obama reaffirms will end 'don't ask, don't tell'

By CHRISTINE SIMMONS, Associated Press Writer Christine Simmons, Associated Press Writer ? 17 mins ago

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama pledged to end the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military in a speech Saturday, but acknowledged to a cheering crowd that the policy changes he promised on the campaign trail are not coming as quickly as they expected.

"I will end 'don't ask-don't tell,'" Obama said to a standing ovation from the crowd of about 3,000 at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay civil rights advocacy group. Obama reaffirmed his commitment to end the ban, but did not give a timetable or the specifics that some activists have called for.

The law was passed by Congress in 1993 and signed by President Bill Clinton, who also promised to repeal the ban on homosexuals in the military but was blunted by opposition in the military and Congress. Obama said he's working with Pentagon and congressional leaders on ending the policy.

"We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country," Obama said. "We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage ... especially when we are fighting two wars.

Obama said it was no secret "our progress may be taking longer than we like." He followed this by asking supporters to trust his administration's course.

"I appreciate that many of you don't believe progress has come fast enough," Obama said. "Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach."
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It's about freaking time. This article published in 2005 put the cost to the military at nearly $200 million;

?Don't ask, don't tell? hurts military, study says
Loss of skilled troops due to policy said to cost nearly $200 million

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of highly skilled troops, including many translators, have left the armed forces because of the Pentagon?s rules on gays, at a cost of nearly $200 million, the first congressional study on the impact of the ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? policy says.

The estimated cost was for recruiting and training replacements from 1994 through 2003 for the 9,488 troops discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps because of the policy, the General Accountability Office estimated.

The study released Thursday said the government does not collect financial information specific to each individual?s case. The investigative arm of Congress estimated the costs based on how much the Pentagon and each service branch spends to recruit and train the general military population.

Some costs not included

Other costs, such as for discharging officers, are not included.

Congress approved the policy in 1993. It allows gays and lesbians to serve as long as they abstain from homosexual activity and do not disclose their sexual orientation.

Of those who left, 757 held critical jobs for which the Pentagon offers re-enlistment bonuses because of their specialized nature, such as data processing technicians and translators.

Many who were discharged had intelligence-related jobs. Also, 322 spoke foreign languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Korean, and Mandarin, which the Pentagon has called critical skills amid threats from terrorists.

The report said most gays left within the first 2½ years of enlistment.

?What the research has found and what the GAO confirmed is that ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? harms military readiness,? said Aaron Belkin, director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California-Santa Barbara. The center released its own similar study last year.
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As noted, the military has blindly continued to maintain their bigotry despite losing badly needed, highly skilled personnel, those with critical technical skills and trained, experienced translators in Arabic, Farsi, Korean and Mandarin.

Maybe the sheer cost in dollars of such folly will be of some comfort to the bigoted wingnuts and help them to get over themselves and their blindness.

 

[sciwizam]

Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

----------------------------------------
The referenced thread does not go into enough detail to flag this thread as a repost

Senior Anandtech Moderator
Common Courtesy

 

[OCGuy]

Its obvious that it is right at the top of his agenda, along with closing Gitmo, firiing Blackwater, and stoping renditions.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

I searched before I posted, but the title of the other thread doesn't mention DADT and only notes it in passing. I think the topic is worth its own thread. It's my thread so I'll leave this open, but you can ask another mod to look at this if you think it's a problem.

Originally posted by: OCguy

Its obvious that it is right at the top of his agenda, along with closing Gitmo, firiing Blackwater, and stoping renditions.

No, it's obviously not for exactly the reasons you imply. The Bushwhackos left him a lot of messes to clean up, and getting stuff done in Washington takes more than mere announcements.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

I searched before I posted, but the title of the other thread doesn't mention DADT, and only notes it in passing. I think the topic is worth its own thread. It's my thread so I'll leave this open, but you can ask another mod to look at this if you think it's a problem.

Originally posted by: OCguy

Its obvious that it is right at the top of his agenda, along with closing Gitmo, firiing Blackwater, and stoping renditions.

No, it's obviously not for exactly the reasons you imply. The Bushwhackos left him a lot of messes to clean up, and getting stuff done in Washington takes more than mere announcements.

You are correct sir!

So ummm... when does he plan to stop making announcements and actually do something?

 

[irishScott]

Quite simple. Obalexama the Great is figuring out that he can't follow through on the major issues he took a legit stand on during his campaign, so he's downsizing. Looking for smaller yet significant issues that he can take care of to see if he can drum up some momentum (in the press anyway). Quite honestly I'm not surprised. Sure IMO he's still a major upgrade over Bush, but I sense the Obamatons shifting in their chairs.

 

[nageov3t]

wake me up when Obama puts the screws to congress to actually do something.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

I searched before I posted, but the title of the other thread doesn't mention DADT, and only notes it in passing. I think the topic is worth its own thread. It's my thread so I'll leave this open, but you can ask another mod to look at this if you think it's a problem.

Originally posted by: OCguy

Its obvious that it is right at the top of his agenda, along with closing Gitmo, firiing Blackwater, and stoping renditions.

No, it's obviously not for exactly the reasons you imply. The Bushwhackos left him a lot of messes to clean up, and getting stuff done in Washington takes more than mere announcements.

You are correct sir!

So ummm... when does he plan to stop making announcements and actually do something?

I don't think he should do anything until the right has had time to have a good cry and a few temper tantrums and sessions with their shrinks. Bigots need time to adjust. It's not right to just haul them off to their toilets and stick their heads straight in. Give them time to mature a bit and their wrists to heal.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

I searched before I posted, but the title of the other thread doesn't mention DADT, and only notes it in passing. I think the topic is worth its own thread. It's my thread so I'll leave this open, but you can ask another mod to look at this if you think it's a problem.

Originally posted by: OCguy

Its obvious that it is right at the top of his agenda, along with closing Gitmo, firiing Blackwater, and stoping renditions.

No, it's obviously not for exactly the reasons you imply. The Bushwhackos left him a lot of messes to clean up, and getting stuff done in Washington takes more than mere announcements.

You are correct sir!

So ummm... when does he plan to stop making announcements and actually do something?

I don't think he should do anything until the right has had time to have a good cry and a few temper tantrums and sessions with their shrinks. Bigots need time to adjust. It's not right to just haul them off to their toilets and stick their heads straight in. Give them time to mature a bit and their wrists to heal.

the left has...

control of congress? check
control of the presidency? check

what does the right have to do with this again?

 

[BarrySotero]

Since Obama appointed a "School Safety Czar" who wrote forward to book called "Queering Elementary Education" it's only logical (in an illogical kind of way) that Obama would seek to homosexualize the military as well and serve the gays in Hollywood like Geffen that got him elected over Hillary. Since Obama is unilaterally disarming the US, and sees US intelligence agencies as the real enemy I suppose it hardly matters if the military is homosexualized anyway (of course the 70% of service members against it will just have to suffer the folly of it all). In June the Supreme Court correctly turned down a challenge to DADT but I am sure Obama can pull something out of his you-know-where to erode commons sense further. Liberalism - it's the cutting edge of civilization in reverse.

 

[Fear No Evil]

He's only been a bigot for a year of his Administration.. I guess that makes it OK. I mean the guy can win the Nobel Prize in 11 days, but can't find a way to sign a document saying DADT should be repealed?

 

[sciwizam]

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
Since Obama appointed a "School Safety Czar" who wrote forward to book called "Queering Elementary Education" it's only logical (in an illogical kind of way) that Obama would seek to homosexualize the military as well and serve the gays in Hollywood like Geffen that got him elected over Hillary. Since Obama is unilaterally disarming the US, and sees US intelligence agencies as the real enemy I suppose it hardly matters if the military is homosexualized anyway (of course the 70% of service members against it will just have to suffer the folly of it all). In June the Supreme Court correctly turned down a challenge to DADT but I am sure Obama can pull something out of his you-know-where to erode commons sense further. Liberalism - it's the cutting edge of civilization in reverse.

as if that they are not presently in the military already, and I didn't realize that a military career is a much desired career choice among gays, much more so than any person, to the point that they will "homosexualize" it.

:roll:

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
He's only been a bigot for a year of his Administration.. I guess that makes it OK. I mean the guy can win the Nobel Prize in 11 days, but can't find a way to sign a document saying DADT should be repealed?

well, how can you expect Obama to be able to pass any legislation in a republican-contr... oh wait.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
He's only been a bigot for a year of his Administration.. I guess that makes it OK. I mean the guy can win the Nobel Prize in 11 days, but can't find a way to sign a document saying DADT should be repealed?

well, how can you expect Obama to be able to pass any legislation in a republican-contr... oh wait.

Yes, those damn Republicans and their obstructionism. Too bad the Democrats don't have enough of a majority to pass anything they want regardless of how the Republicans vote. Oh wait......

 

[bfdd]

Don't all the gay guys join the Navy anyways?

 

[BarrySotero]

Originally posted by: sciwizam

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
Since Obama appointed a "School Safety Czar" who wrote forward to book called "Queering Elementary Education" it's only logical (in an illogical kind of way) that Obama would seek to homosexualize the military as well and serve the gays in Hollywood like Geffen that got him elected over Hillary. Since Obama is unilaterally disarming the US, and sees US intelligence agencies as the real enemy I suppose it hardly matters if the military is homosexualized anyway (of course the 70% of service members against it will just have to suffer the folly of it all). In June the Supreme Court correctly turned down a challenge to DADT but I am sure Obama can pull something out of his you-know-where to erode commons sense further. Liberalism - it's the cutting edge of civilization in reverse.

as if that they are not presently in the military already, and I didn't realize that a military career is a much desired career choice among gays, much more so than any person, to the point that they will "homosexualize" it.

:roll:

Exactly - the do get to serve anyway. You wouldn't think homosexuals would flock to the church either but they did (and look at the damage). Navy boats are already floating red light districts with gals getting preggers left and right. Once homosexuals can openly engage in their compulsions I am sure nothing good will come of it. Of course the anti-male feminists, gays and neo-Marxists have sought to de-ball the military for years. If DADT would go away they could promote homosexuals to leadership more easily and hasten things along (like they are doing with police depts across the country)

 

[bfdd]

Barry... WTF? You realize that the LARGE majority of homosexuals are no different than you or I right? They're just people also, in fact you probably know a few and don't even know about it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally posted by: bfdd
Barry... WTF? You realize that the LARGE majority of homosexuals are no different than you or I right? They're just people also, in fact you probably know a few and don't even know about it.

Barry is the right's equivalent of Dave McOwned -- good for a laugh, not much else.

 

[sciwizam]

Originally posted by: bfdd
Barry... WTF? You realize that the LARGE majority of homosexuals are no different than you or I right? They're just people also, in fact you probably know a few and don't even know about it.

Don't mention it, I don't think his heart could handle it.

 

[Firebot]

The Republican partisan sheep do have a point for once. What exactly has Obama done yet this year other then the Stimulus bill which arguably was the previous administration's anyways? All talk and no action.

By this time in 2001, Bush had already had the No Child Behind Act passed by Congress, and the Patriot Act signed in late October. Bush even had a war started by now. Sure the No Child Left Behind Act destroyed American education and the Patriot Act stepped on American civil rights, but at least Bush was a man of action.

The Republicans had tons of fun with a Republican controlled Congress, the Democrats should be able to do the same by now.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: BarrySotero

Originally posted by: sciwizam

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
Since Obama appointed a "School Safety Czar" who wrote forward to book called "Queering Elementary Education" it's only logical (in an illogical kind of way) that Obama would seek to homosexualize the military as well and serve the gays in Hollywood like Geffen that got him elected over Hillary. Since Obama is unilaterally disarming the US, and sees US intelligence agencies as the real enemy I suppose it hardly matters if the military is homosexualized anyway (of course the 70% of service members against it will just have to suffer the folly of it all). In June the Supreme Court correctly turned down a challenge to DADT but I am sure Obama can pull something out of his you-know-where to erode commons sense further. Liberalism - it's the cutting edge of civilization in reverse.

as if that they are not presently in the military already, and I didn't realize that a military career is a much desired career choice among gays, much more so than any person, to the point that they will "homosexualize" it.

:roll:

Exactly - the do get to serve anyway. You wouldn't think homosexuals would flock to the church either but they did (and look at the damage). Navy boats are already floating red light districts with gals getting preggers left and right. Once homosexuals can openly engage in their compulsions I am sure nothing good will come of it. Of course the anti-male feminists, gays and neo-Marxists have sought to de-ball the military for years. If DADT would go away they could promote homosexuals to leadership more easily and hasten things along (like they are doing with police depts across the country)

Wow, the bigotry is strong in this one. I'd say go fuck yourself, but you're probably against that as well.

 

[BarrySotero]

"Wow, the bigotry is strong in this one. I'd say go fuck yourself, but you're probably against that as well."


Lol - no surprise the Apple guys are mad at me.

 

[BarrySotero]

Originally posted by: bfdd
Barry... WTF? You realize that the LARGE majority of homosexuals are no different than you or I right? They're just people also, in fact you probably know a few and don't even know about it.

I work in the arts and know lots. I have very good friends that are homosexual. God no doubt loves some more than me. The homosexual political groups on the other had are deadly. They would render the whole society broken to get their ways.

 

[sciwizam]

Originally posted by: BarrySotero

Originally posted by: bfdd
Barry... WTF? You realize that the LARGE majority of homosexuals are no different than you or I right? They're just people also, in fact you probably know a few and don't even know about it.

I work in the arts and know lots. I have very good friends that are homosexual. God no doubt loves some more than me. The homosexual political groups on the other had are deadly. They would render the whole society broken to get their ways.

PROTIP: Don't ever drop the soap.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Repost



Edit: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2341306&enterthread=y

No it`s not a repost at all....
First of all at the time we thought we knew but did not know what the speech would be about!

This post is commenting noty on the entire speech but the portion having to do with Don`t ask don`t tell....
Therem is nothing in the other posts title that mentions don`t ask, don`t tell.
Instead the other post announces that there will be a speech tonight!!