Saturday, March 14, 2009

DADT: US Army Fired 11 Soldiers in January 09.

Our military has fired and destroyed the lives of thousands of talented LGBT personnel since 1993. As if firing translators in the middle of the Iraq war wasn't bad enough, would you believe they're still at it? Why does the Pentagon hate America? Homophobes, and that's a fact.
From Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON – The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military's policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed.

In a statement released on Thursday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.

"How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?" asked Moran, a member of the House panel that oversees military spending.

The Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was instituted after President Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gay service members in 1993. It refers to the military practice of not asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members are banned from saying they are gay or bisexual, engaging in homosexual activity or trying to marry a member of the same sex.

The military discharged nearly 10,000 service members under the policy in a 10-year period, from 1997 to 2007. The number fired each year dropped sharply after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, when forces were stretched thin. Whereas more than 1,200 were dismissed in 2000 and again in 2001 for violating the policy, about half as many — 627 — were fired in 2007.

The Pentagon has not released its 2008 figures.

The White House has said President Barack Obama has begun consulting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen on how to lift the ban. But the administration won't say how soon that might happen or whether a group of experts will be commissioned to study the issue in-depth, as some Democrats have suggested.
Ya gotta wonder...

And so it goes.

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2 comments:

  1. It's times like this I have to ask, 'why bother?' these decisions make no sense in light of the current situation that our troops are in.
    Fucking stupid, fearful, bureaucrats who think every gay or lesbian wants to get into their pants.

    As you say - the stoopid, it burns - and as usual, you're on the mark.

    ReplyDelete
  2. with so many 'fronts' right now USA wants to fight/stick its nose in, you would think any warm body with military competence would be welcome.

    ReplyDelete

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