Push for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Review Gains Steam

[babylonsister]

Push for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Review Gains Steam

In the last week both Gen. Colin Powell and the Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, have gone on record about reviewing the military's gay ban, leading some D.C. insiders to conclude that the incoming administration has put the wheels in motion behind the scenes.

By Kerry Eleveld
An Advocate.com exclusive posted December 17, 2008


Back-to-back statements about the military’s policy on gays from former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell, and the present chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, have some LGBT activists guessing that more explicit directions have been given behind the scenes by the incoming President.

Powell’s semantic shift from previously saying the military “can” review “don’t ask, don’t tell” to last week suggesting that it “should” do so was followed up by Tuesday’s revelation that Mullen has had initial conversations with his top commanders about changing the policy, which would ultimately require congressional repeal.

“The president-elect’s been pretty clear that he wants to address this issue,” Mullen told The New York Times. “And so I am certainly mindful that at some point in time it could come.”

Steve Ralls, who spent eight years as director of communications for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group lobbying for repeal of the ban, said the dual statements leave “little doubt” that change is coming to the Pentagon.

more...

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid68649.asp

[Toasterlad]

1. Gee, I Hope They're Not Planning On Bringing That Change Through the White House

I'm pretty sure the president will be too busy praying to his gay-hatin' god to so much as glance at any anti-DADT paperwork.

[kevinbgoode]

3. OH...don't worry. I'm sure there will be too many heterosupremacist

issues to attend to for the first four years or more. . .to be bothered with our second-class citizenship.

But we'll have a marching band invited to entertain the heterosupremacists at dinner - while they discuss how liberal they are by letting us serve the meal.

[babylonsister]

5. Gimme a break. That's ignorant. Read

this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8006388&mesg_id=8006410

And this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=409822&mesg_id=409822

[Toasterlad]

6. Done. And?

You've given me a list of things Obama SAYS he's going to do, and a pathetic defense of something horrific he's ABOUT to do.

When you can come to me with something substantive Obama's DONE, we can discuss ignorance.

[babylonsister]

7. And things he's supported. Your reading comprehension suffers,

but your indignation doesn't. OK, I hear you, loud and clear. You are free to complain, I'm free to support. Neither of us is wrong.

[Toasterlad]

8. I Support Stuff Too, And Yet, Strangely, Nothing Changes.

Obama and I have a lot in common, it seems.

Like I said, when he DOES something substantive for GLBT people, please let me know.

[Mari333]

2. it would be a start......n/t

[PVnRT]

4. It's a start

It would go some of the way towards reassuring the GLBT community that he's not going to be hostile.

I'm sure, though, we'll have people heere who will call this "pandering to a minor part of the left."