Pentagon likely to stop enforcing key parts of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

[tekisui]

Source: The Raw Story

Fresh off a promise from President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address to repeal a law barring gays from serving openly in the military, the Pentagon is expected to announce that they will stop enforcing the most controversial elements of the law.

Buried in a New York Times article Monday is news that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to announce he will suspend the discharges of gay servicemembers whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties.

While the law's repeal is being debated, "Gay rights leaders say they expect Mr. Gates to announce in the interim that the Defense Department will not take action to discharge service members whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties or jilted partners, one of the most onerous aspects of the law," the paper's Elisabeth Bumiller wrote. "Pentagon officials had no comment."

"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," the president said in his State of the Union address last Wednesday night.

That one sentence was the sum total of Obama's declarations on the issue, but "you only need one sentence for the military leaders in this country to hear their commander-in-chief," House Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said after the speech.

more: http://rawstory.com/2010/02/pentagon-expected-stop-enforcing-don/

[Mari333]

1. get rid of the law, period.

[napi21]

2. Congress has to do that. This is the best outcome you could hope

for in the interim.

[dsc]

3. So if this ends up happening I wonder how many of the people who called us whining liars

for suggesting this course will get apologies. Let's just say I won't hold my breath.

[marshall]

4. I wonder if "third parties" includes Perez Hilton, et al?

To some it is an act of political expression to out folks who for whatever reason aren't out on their own terms.

[Solly Mack]

5. but what if you reveal it yourself?

"...whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties/jilted lovers"

That's a very good thing indeed. I'm not discounting that in any way.

But what about when you reveal it yourself?

Will discharges still go forth?

Why not suspend both the 3rd party reveals and the self reveal discharges while working toward repealing the law?

There are 2 parts to Don't Ask/Don't Tell, and suspending discharges for one part doesn't effectively end DADT as some might suggest.

[donheld]

6. Why not stop enforcing ALL parts of DADT