Don't ask, Don't tell

[Grace]

Interesting article from Newsweek by a major in the Israeli Army.

[phesina]

Thank you, Grace. That's really good to read.

So much for demoralizing the troops..

[blue]

Interesting article from Newsweek by a major in the Israeli Army.

An OpEd piece is not an "article"

Thank you, Grace. That's really good to read.
So much for demoralizing the troops..

It was a good read, To me it makes a point that the Israeli gays arent pushing for special status in society, that they are integrating into society instead of demanding society make changes for them. If American gay culture acted the same way we would have had gays in our military for decades.

[wombat2u2004]

That was very interesting...he did raise a bunch of good points.

[lizbud]

Thanks for the article Grace.

[lizbud]

An OpEd piece is not an "article"



If American gay culture acted the same way we would have had gays in our military for decades.

The article meets all the criteria of an article, therefore is in fact
an article.

We already have had gays serving in the military for decades. They don't
wait for Government approval, they just want to serve their country.

[Grace]

An OpEd piece is not an "article"

article - A story, report, or opinion piece in a newspaper, magazine, journal, internet etc.

source

article - a written composition in prose, usually nonfiction, on a specific topic, forming an independent part of a book or other publication, as a newspaper or magazine.

source

[Grace]

Latest news on DADT.

From POLITICO -

New rules coming on gays in military
By: Jen DiMascio
March 25, 2010 08:22 AM EDT

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will make it more difficult to kick gays out of the military, imposing new rules for their discharge under the Pentagon’s don’t ask don’t tell ban on open homosexuality.

The changes rolled out in a Pentagon press briefing Thursday will apply to all open and future cases, but only Congress can repeal the current law barring gays from serving openly.

“It remains the law and we remain obligated to enforce it,” Gates said. “At the same time these changes will allow us to execute the law in a fairer and more appropriate manner.”

Now, the Pentagon won’t entertain anonymous complaints against members of the military, requiring third parties to give information under oath. It will also place “special scrutiny” on third parties who may be trying to harm the accused. And the Pentagon will only allow more experienced officers to initiate claims or to actually “separate” gays from the military.

The rules for what information can be used in a case will change too. Now, the Pentagon will outlaw discharges based on confidential information provided to lawyers, the clergy, psychotherapists and doctors. And information picked up during investigations of domestic or physical abuse or security clearance proceedings is also out of bounds.

The changes are being applied after a 45-day review of how service-members are discharged for their sexual orientation. The Pentagon’s yearlong study of how to implement full repeal is ongoing.

Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated that any repeal of the current law should take place only after that review, due Dec. 1, is complete.

“I think it’s very important for us to go through this process,” Mullen said. “Haste could very easily generate a very bad outcome.”

The top civilian and military leaders of the Pentagon also denounced Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, for writing a letter to Stars and Stripes that publicly outlined his opposition to repeal.

“It is often stated that most service members are in favor of repealing the policy. I do not believe that is accurate,” Mixon, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific, said in the letter. “I suspect many servicemembers, their families, veterans and citizens are wondering what to do to stop this ill-advised repeal of a policy that has achieved a balance between a citizen’s desire to serve and acceptable conduct.”

Gates and Mullen said the general would have been allowed to express his views within the chain of command and should not have spoken out publicly and that the Army is addressing the issue.

“As a three-star leader in command, by virtue of that position alone, he has great influence,” Mullen said, adding that when the secretary announced the Pentagon’s review, the Army issued written guidelines about it. “If there’s policy direction that someone in uniform disagrees with … the answer is not advocacy, it is in fact to vote with your feet.”

source

[Lady's Human]

“As a three-star leader in command, by virtue of that position alone, he has great influence,” Mullen said, adding that when the secretary announced the Pentagon’s review, the Army issued written guidelines about it. “If there’s policy direction that someone in uniform disagrees with … the answer is not advocacy, it is in fact to vote with your feet.”

How,exactly, can you vote with your feet in the military when soldiers are signed to four to six year contracts?

[Grace]

In the Washington Post and NY Times, the comment by Admiral Mullen reads . . . if officers feel so strongly that they cannot abide by policy changes, "The answer is not advocacy. It is in fact to vote with your feet."

The Officer in question is Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, the head of Army forces in the U.S. Pacific Command.