I need a cartoon drive by with a caricature of these two....
Fed. Judge Just Issued Worldwide Permanent Injunction Against Don't Ask/Don't Tell
by Justitia Themis 62 Replies latest social current
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leavingwt
A federal appeals court says the military should keep in place its "don't ask, don't tell" policy for now.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday granted the Obama administration's request for a temporary freeze of a California-based federal judge's order telling the military to stop enforcing the policy.
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leavingwt
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Extended Indefinitely By Federal Appeals Court
A federal appeals court on Monday indefinitely extended its freeze on a judge's order halting enforcement of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, heightening pressure on the Obama administration to persuade the U.S. Senate to repeal the law before a new Congress is sworn in.
A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the U.S. government's request for a stay while it challenges the trial court's ruling that the ban on openly gay service members is unconstitutional.
The same panel, composed of two judges appointed by President Ronald Reagan and one appointed by President Bill Clinton, on Oct. 20 imposed a temporary hold keeping "don't ask, don't tell" in place.
Monday's decision means gay Americans who disclose their sexual orientations still can't enlist in the armed forces and can be investigated and ultimately discharged if they already are serving.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/dont-ask-dont-tell-extended-appeals_n_777349.html
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leavingwt
"Chris Matthews invited Lt. Dan Choi on Hardball last night to ask him to speculate on the unknowable motives of what drives politicians to oppose repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Results were fiery."
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leavingwt
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military to remain in place while a federal appeals court considers the issue.
The court did not comment in denying a request from the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to step into the ongoing federal court review of "don't ask, don't tell." The Obama administration urged the high court not to get involved at this point.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_supreme_court_gays_in_military/print
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leavingwt
Defense Secretary Gates to Congress: Repeal DADT Now
Defense Secretary Robert Gates today urged the Senate to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell before the end of the year, saying a Pentagon review showed repeal won't damage troop readiness. He warned that those who vote against repeal are "rolling the dice," risking the courts overturning the policy by "judicial fiat" -- a move that would, he said, hurt the military.
The review, ordered by Gates, found that most troops don't care if they serve alongside homosexual colleagues. Some 70 percent of troops overall said repealing the law would have positive, mixed or no effects. And a whopping 92 percent, according to the AP, of troops who've worked with a gay service member said the experience was either good or neutral.
Gates said today the review found that more than two thirds of troops do not object to serving alongside gay men and women. He said that although repeal is "potentially disruptive in the short term," it is not the "wrenching, traumatic change" that some had predicted.
"This is a policy change that we can make," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said, adding that that is his professional as well as his personal opinion.
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DanaBug
Well, that's good news! I've never understood what horrible thing everyone thinks will happen. It's the military, you follow rules and orders. The effect of a repeal of DADT on the military will depend on how the leaders handle it. You follow their rules or you get kicked out. It's simple.
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leavingwt
Army, Marine Chiefs Cast Doubt on Gay Service
The top uniformed officers of the Army and the Marines told a Senate panel Friday that letting gays serve openly in the military at a time of war would be divisive and difficult, sharply challenging a new Pentagon study that calculates the risk as low.
Their assessment was likely to become political ammunition for Arizona Sen. John McCain and other Republicans fighting to keep Congress from repealing the 1993 law that prohibits gays from acknowledging their sexual orientation. Democrats have promised a vote this month to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law, although its chances of passing this year were considered slim.
"If the law is changed, successfully implementing repeal and assimilating openly homosexual Marines into the tightly woven fabric of our combat units has strong potential for disruption at the small unit level, as it will no doubt divert leadership attention away from an almost singular focus of preparing units for combat," the Marine commandant, Gen. James Amos, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, who led the Iraq war under President George W. Bush, was somewhat more optimistic. He said the policy shift, if implemented properly, wouldn't keep the Army from doing its job, and he predicted repeal would pose only a moderate risk to his force.
But, he added, changing the law now would "add another level of stress to any already stretched force" and be more difficult on the Army, particularly its combat units, than the recent Pentagon study suggests.
McCain said the testimony by the service chiefs should be given special consideration.
"It is the job of the service chiefs to ensure that our military is ready and able to win the nation's wars," he said at the beginning of Friday's hearing.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101203/ap_on_re_us/us_gays_in_military/print
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leavingwt
One more vote needed in the Senate to pass standalone repeal of DADT. . .
Two new developments in the long saga of DADT repeal: The House just passed a standalone bill to repeal DADT, which was expected; the bigger news is that Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has now committed to voting for repeal, after she voted no last week over what she said were procedural issues.
You never know with those two Maine senators, but if Snowe keeps her commitment, that gives DADT repeal 59 of the 60 votes needed to get past the Republican filibuster. Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are the key uncommitted senators at this point.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/12/gettin_closer.php?ref=fpblg
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leavingwt
GOP Senator Brown to Vote for Repeal, 61 Votes Reached
Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown today voiced his support for a stand-alone repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, bringing the bill one vote over the 60-vote threshold that it will need to reach if and when the Senate votes on the measure in the coming weeks.
“Sen. Brown accepts the Pentagon’s recommendation to repeal the policy after proper preparations have been completed. If and when a clean repeal bill comes up for a vote, he will support it,” said Brown spokesperson Gail Gitcho.
Brown’s backing means that – on paper – supporters of the repeal have 61 senators in favor of the bill. On Wednesday Republicans Olympia Snowe of Maine and Lisa Murkowski both announced their support for the stand-alone repeal. The House passed the clean repeal on Wednesday and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has vowed to bring it to a vote in the Senate before the end of the year.