The Beginning of the End for DADT

Jess · 10-13-2010, 07:41 PM

Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration is expected to appeal as soon as Wednesday a federal judge's ruling that halted the Defense Department from enforcing its policy that bars openly gay people from military service, according to senior administration officials familiar with the government's plans.
U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Philips issued an injunction Tuesday that bans enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy throughout the military services.
While the government has up to 60 days to file an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco, California, officials familiar with the case said that could happen in the next day or two.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...s-in-military/

If this is how this administration shows its full support for LGBT then I sure wish they would back off our wagon.

Jess · 10-13-2010, 07:47 PM

Other Democrats urge admin to not appeal

http://minnesotaindependent.com/7236...nt-tell-repeal

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem...ion_til_we.php

Jess · 10-14-2010, 05:25 AM

Rachel Maddow tells Obama admin to End DADT or Stop saying you will.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/185506/the...aying-you-will

Jess · 10-14-2010, 07:30 AM

From the NY Times Opinion page:

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate...nd-unnecessary

Jess · 10-14-2010, 07:37 AM

In case it wasn't all on the previous link. BTW, sorry the direct video didn't link, I am having issues with performing that feature.

I think this segment was taped before her show last night.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...42458#39642458

Jess · 10-14-2010, 05:31 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/us...er=rss&emc=rss

Jess · 10-15-2010, 05:11 AM

From Change.org
Christian Ascher
Oct 14, 2010

What’s it going to take for President Obama to finally step up and make good on the promises he’s repeatedly made to the LGBT community? A little over a year ago he stood in front of 2,000 of us at a Human Rights Campaign gala and swore he’d get rid of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT). He’s reiterated that commitment multiple times since then. Yet when the bill which would have authorized a repeal of the policy was stalled in the Senate last month, he was silent — no phone calls to senators pushing them for a “yes” vote, no public statements about the importance of the bill. Nothing.

Now, when the law has been judged unconstitutional and a federal judge has placed an injunction on it, the President is apparently happy to have the Justice Department defend it — to not only not help make this hateful, homophobic policy, which even the Pentagon wants to get rid of, go away, but actually to fight for its survival.

How, exactly, does this match up with his promise? How does “I will end the policy known as 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,'” morph into defending it in court over and over again and refusing to let it die? As Rachel Maddow said last night, the President needs to step up and support us at this point — or else he needs to stop pretending that he supports us at all.

The New York Times has stated in an editorial that the best way for DADT to end would have been through Congressional action. This is what the President wanted, and the vision he is still apparently clinging to. But Democrats in the Senate were unable to overcome the red-faced blustering of Sen. John McCain and his coterie; the Senate chose to stop all funding for the Pentagon rather than afford gay and lesbian soldiers equality.

The next best solution is for the Justice Department to decline to appeal this injunction and to allow the law to die without further drama. Overwhelming majorities of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly in the U.S. military — just as they do, without any problem or incident, in the militaries of all our NATO allies. Even Pentagon leadership has come out in favor of repealing the policy. They all agree with Federal Judge Virginia Phillips when she finds that DADT doesn’t increase military readiness or unit cohesion, and that instead it actually destroys them.

All of us out here in the real world of logic and practicality have been saying that since this discriminatory policy was first proposed 17 years ago, but now that the military establishment, the public, and the courts have all caught up, the right thing for the White House to do — if it can’t provide actual leadership on this issue — is to at least follow along quietly and allow the policy to die under this Federal injunction. To defend it by appealing, instead, is to stand with John McCain and support homophobia.

When President Obama promised us at that HRC dinner that he was going to end DADT, he also called on us to “hold him to it.” Now’s the time.

What’s the problem, Mr. President? Everybody wants this. You say you want it. You promised leadership on this very goal, and now it’s being handed to you. Mr. President, let DADT die.

Link to petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view...ce_and_for_all

10-13-2010, 07:41 PM	#1
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	Obama administration expected to appeal ruling on gays in military Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration is expected to appeal as soon as Wednesday a federal judge's ruling that halted the Defense Department from enforcing its policy that bars openly gay people from military service, according to senior administration officials familiar with the government's plans. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Philips issued an injunction Tuesday that bans enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy throughout the military services. While the government has up to 60 days to file an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco, California, officials familiar with the case said that could happen in the next day or two. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...s-in-military/ If this is how this administration shows its full support for LGBT then I sure wish they would back off our wagon.

10-14-2010, 07:30 AM	#4
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	Unconstitutional and Unnecessary From the NY Times Opinion page: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate...nd-unnecessary

10-14-2010, 07:37 AM	#5
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	More Maddow In case it wasn't all on the previous link. BTW, sorry the direct video didn't link, I am having issues with performing that feature. I think this segment was taped before her show last night. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...42458#39642458

10-14-2010, 05:31 PM	#6
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	Obama Seeks Stay on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Ruling http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/us...er=rss&emc=rss

10-15-2010, 05:11 AM	#7
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	The Audacity of (Destroying) Hope? From Change.org Christian Ascher Oct 14, 2010 What’s it going to take for President Obama to finally step up and make good on the promises he’s repeatedly made to the LGBT community? A little over a year ago he stood in front of 2,000 of us at a Human Rights Campaign gala and swore he’d get rid of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT). He’s reiterated that commitment multiple times since then. Yet when the bill which would have authorized a repeal of the policy was stalled in the Senate last month, he was silent — no phone calls to senators pushing them for a “yes” vote, no public statements about the importance of the bill. Nothing. Now, when the law has been judged unconstitutional and a federal judge has placed an injunction on it, the President is apparently happy to have the Justice Department defend it — to not only not help make this hateful, homophobic policy, which even the Pentagon wants to get rid of, go away, but actually to fight for its survival. How, exactly, does this match up with his promise? How does “I will end the policy known as 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,'” morph into defending it in court over and over again and refusing to let it die? As Rachel Maddow said last night, the President needs to step up and support us at this point — or else he needs to stop pretending that he supports us at all. The New York Times has stated in an editorial that the best way for DADT to end would have been through Congressional action. This is what the President wanted, and the vision he is still apparently clinging to. But Democrats in the Senate were unable to overcome the red-faced blustering of Sen. John McCain and his coterie; the Senate chose to stop all funding for the Pentagon rather than afford gay and lesbian soldiers equality. The next best solution is for the Justice Department to decline to appeal this injunction and to allow the law to die without further drama. Overwhelming majorities of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly in the U.S. military — just as they do, without any problem or incident, in the militaries of all our NATO allies. Even Pentagon leadership has come out in favor of repealing the policy. They all agree with Federal Judge Virginia Phillips when she finds that DADT doesn’t increase military readiness or unit cohesion, and that instead it actually destroys them. All of us out here in the real world of logic and practicality have been saying that since this discriminatory policy was first proposed 17 years ago, but now that the military establishment, the public, and the courts have all caught up, the right thing for the White House to do — if it can’t provide actual leadership on this issue — is to at least follow along quietly and allow the policy to die under this Federal injunction. To defend it by appealing, instead, is to stand with John McCain and support homophobia. When President Obama promised us at that HRC dinner that he was going to end DADT, he also called on us to “hold him to it.” Now’s the time. What’s the problem, Mr. President? Everybody wants this. You say you want it. You promised leadership on this very goal, and now it’s being handed to you. Mr. President, let DADT die. Link to petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/view...ce_and_for_all

10-13-2010, 07:47 PM	#2
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	Other Democrats urge admin to not appeal http://minnesotaindependent.com/7236...nt-tell-repeal http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem...ion_til_we.php

10-14-2010, 05:25 AM	#3
Jess Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: decidedly indifferent Preferred Pronoun?: other Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Patrick Springs, VA Posts: 2,812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,247 Thanked 5,700 Times in 1,682 Posts Rep Power: 0	Rachel Maddow tells Obama admin to End DADT or Stop saying you will. http://www.hulu.com/watch/185506/the...aying-you-will Last edited by Jess; 10-14-2010 at 05:27 AM.