Bill submitted to allow gays in military

[paineinthearse]

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050302-065604-3210r.htm

Bill submitted to allow gays in military

By Pamela Hess
Pentagon correspondent

Washington, DC, Mar. 2 (UPI) -- Fifty-two Democrats and a single Republican Wednesday sponsored a bill that would allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military, and give those who left under the policy banning gays a chance to rejoin the armed forces.

As this is a development in a post started Monday, see the complete news report at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1632718, #14

[aquart]

1. Necessity is the mother of legislation.

Think this will stave off the draft a few months???

[AndyTiedye]

4. If They Crank Up the Draft, Lots of Guys Are Gonna...

...suddenly discover that they're gay
(unless they pass this bill first).

[aquart]

24. Yup. It closes the loophole

Used by so many dear friends to evade Viet Nam.

[jdj]

21. no shit.

[ohtransplant]

2. This is a great step

in not letting bushco continually set the agenda. Glad to see the Dems get off the sidelines.

[bluestateguy]

3. They'll pass it when the draft is brought back

Just watch.

[kedrys]

6. Agreed - trying to stanch the bleeding before it starts

That's cuuuuuute... :puke:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Gotta have someone to throw on the frontlines

[MADem]

5. It's all about the MONEY

It costs a bundle to recruit and train each service person. When advanced training is factored in, the costs go way up. Then you have PCS moves, and, if as a result of DADT the servicemember is outed or self-outs, and is shuffled off the rolls, you've got to deal with the expense of an unprogrammed loss.

Many, many millions have been wasted. They should just take the next damn step and lift the ban totally. I remember when Clinton took the initial step, all the rightwingers said that the sky would fall and it would ruin unit cohesion, blah, blah, blah. Well, it's Clinton's military doing the heavy lifting in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a percentage of those folks are living in the closet. Time to air out the closet!

[paineinthearse]

7. This is a re-direct post. Discussion is at......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1632718

[paineinthearse]

15. Bill number has been designated, I have an advance copy.

Go to POLITICS at the link above.

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. An important development that needs to be watched. Recommended. n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

10. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is dumb policy . . .

.

[Skittles]

11. it is indeed

when I was in the Air Force I and some other gals in the dorm served as "dates" for gay pilots at official functions - we loved it - we'd get a good meal and certified no-groping. But why they just could not bring their REAL dates was just stupid.

[Sleepless In NY]

12. They wont let them marry, but they'll let them die for their country

I suppose this is good news, they shouldn't have to hide who they are. They have every right to be proud. Just ironic that it comes at a time when the military is having trouble meeting their quotas. I wish they would be submitting a bill to induct all bush voters, to make up for those who arent enlisting. They were so against giving Gays any rights then.

[0007]

22. At least the gays get a Christian funeral!

[HeeBGBz]

13. Ooh, new cannon fodder

Nice try, fuckwits.

[hector459]

14. So children of the working poor and the working poor are not enough

cannon fodder. All of a sudden gays have climbed the social ladder in the minds of the bigots to become cannon fodder?

In my opinion, no gay or black should ever fight in the US military.

[paineinthearse]

16. HR1059

Not yet in Thomas but I have an advance copy from Rep. Meehan's office.

Am posting in POLITICS - see link in first post above.

[Ian David]

17. I'm against gays in the military because I believe in gay rights

However, if there was ever a time for gay people to learn how to use a weapon, that time is now.

Perhaps that is the real reason they don't want gays in the military-- the same reason they didn't want slaves to learn how to read.

It would become too hard to "keep them in their place."

I'd suggest enlisting and then "coming-out" at the end of bootcamp.

[Rush1184]

19. Nice pic, lol

[Misunderestimator]

18. Oh for god's sake... this is how they avoid a draft for a bit longer...

Highly doubtful that they will be giving back benefits to all the gay men and women they forced out UNLESS the rejoin.

[paineinthearse]

20. self-delete

[paineinthearse]

23. In case you get an error when linking to the original post....

Try http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1632718&mesg_id=1632718

[Jamastiene]

25. They just want to find a way to kill more of us off.

Creating germ warfare to kill us off and refusing to allow a hate crimes law at the federal level to protect us from a special form of violence to kill us off and torturing us with preaching and hate on a daily basis isn't enough. Now, they want to come on out and send us into a human meat market, which is what this "war" on terrorism is. Are they admitting they want us dead now? Is that it?