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Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state, has come out in favor of eventually repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay and lesbian service members.
“In the almost seventeen years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” Powell said in a statement released by his office Wednesday. “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I will be closely following future hearings, the views of the Service Chiefs and the implementation work being done by the Department of Defense,” Powell said…
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solomonese said…“His powerful voice for ending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is a tipping point in favor of the brave men and women who are serving our nation in silence. The support of respected present and former military leaders brings us closer to repeal, signaling that we’re moving forward and will get there soon.”
“The truth is that there are no more excuses, the death knell for ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ has been rung and now is the moment to send this law into the history books where it belongs.”
I forget there used to be conservatives with a conscience. There are so few left.
Powell has lots of blood on his hands, allowing himself to be used by Cheney to pimp the Iraq war. He should spend the rest of his life doing good stuff like this to make amends.
Too bad he didn’t have a conscience when he needed it the most. If he’d stood up against the Iraq war, thousands of Americans might still be alive and we’d have billions of dollars less debt (not to mention the countless Iraqis killed).
Too bad C Powell was such a pushover during the Cheney administration. After working just one term for the group of thug nutbags he eventually quit.
He recovered nicely after telling the truth but he will always be tarnished.
Glad he is trying hard to become an elder statesman by weighing in on this GLBT issue. I’m sure the Christian Taliban will fight this but me thinks the tide is finally turning.
Foxholes are for fighting wars not for making love. This country is on the path to writing its own history of failure.
Just more statements by Powell the Democrat. He can claim to be a Republican and Elton John can call himself straight.
“I forget there used to be conservatives with a conscience. There are so few left.”
wow, brilliant put down there. Any other lame comments you’d like to add from your talking points?
Powell is not a conservative he is a RINO and what exactly does this story have to do with conscience? it repeal of a law passed by Clinton
Robbie R. said “Foxholes are for fighting wars not for making love.”
So you’re arguing that women shouldn’t be in the army?
jman said,
Powell is not a conservative he is a RINO and what exactly does this story have to do with conscience? it repeal of a law passed by Clinton
I was going to post something about wondering how long it would take for someone to cal Powell a RINO but I was too slow. 4 posts. Impressive. Robbie R.’s post was close but he went with calling Powell a Democrat instead.
Regarding what repealing a law passed by Clinton has to do with conscience, I don’t see any indication in the original post that just because you are a Democrat you have a conscience and certainly no indication that a serial adulterer like Clinton has one.
“I forget there used to be conservatives with a conscience. There are so few left.”
if you aren’t willing to fight in the front lines, and you are calling ‘faggots’ those who are willing to do what you are not, then who deserves respect and who deserves denigration?
I remember when the country had bigger issues to take care of than something that frankly is a non-issue.
I mean really? This is what Obama is spending his time on?
#8 It’s not a non-issue to the homophobe wingnuts. They’ll be screaming about the fall of Western Civilization. Just like they did when Eisenhower integrated the armed forces.
But pssst… this article is about Colin Powell, not Obama.
Just so long as soldiers aren’t forced to shower with men who are attracted to them. That’s really the issue. The military has a lot of people in tight quarters. Men and women are separated out, but how do you protect someone from assault by someone of the same gender who shares your shower or bedroom? Don’t ask, don’t tell at least kept someone from being open about his attraction to you while you slept in the same room. Now what?
If there were an overwhelming number of qualified straight white men that were demanding entry into the armed forces, there would be no compelling reason to let anyone else join the club.
But because you aren’t curently willing to do what Female/racially diverse/GLBT people are willing to do, they deserve the respect afforded others willing to do the job you are not.
I don’t understand why people, who have been trained to shoot and stab other people to the point that guts and brains are spilling out into the dirt, are afraid of a flascid penis.
#10 Just so long as soldiers aren’t forced to shower with men who are attracted to them. That’s really the issue. The military has a lot of people in tight quarters. Men and women are separated out, but how do you protect someone from assault by someone of the same gender who shares your shower or bedroom? Don’t ask, don’t tell at least kept someone from being open about his attraction to you while you slept in the same room. Now what?
lol. Is that what you think? Our highly motivated and highly trained soldiers, among the best in the world, will quiver into a heap of jelly thinking that some man might be looking at them with lust in his heart?
And assault… that’s already a problem, high spirited and aggressive guys living in close quarters… there’s gonna be fights, and they’re dealt with.
And brace yourself… but fraternization already happens. Yes, there really are gay guys already in the military! Gasp! And fraternization is dealt with, just like assault. And just like fraternization between male and female soldiers.
“Hi, my name is Gunnery Master Sergeant Rupert (my friends call me Rupy) and I’ll be your DRILL instructor today. Now get down there and give me a hundred.”
In addition to #10 comment: When US military did bring both female and male troops in the same area, what ensued? – 1/3 of all female soldiers deployed in Iraq claim rape or sexual assault by fellow, opposite sex soldier.
Conundrum with gays and lesbians is even worse because while you can separate male and female forces to minimize abuse possibilities, what do you do with groups that have sexual drive toward each other…
It is same as many other PC (and this administration) decisions. On the surface they seem to confirm rights and sound good but when you implement them you end up with unsolvable clashes be it with market forces or human nature.
No easy answer. Pres. Clinton decision makes for optimal conditions, not perfect. Due to the human nature we will never have perfect solution. It is time to realize that and forget PC nonsense.
Most interesting part of this discussion is seeing the rational people debate the drive by bigots and ignorant.
This site is truly a cross section of America!
dusanmal, if sargasso didn’t “like” his DI, he could turn him in as a faggot under DADT, and be rid of him. Right?
DADT undermines the whole system by empowering people to challenge others based on their sexual preference.
The military is suppose to operate on a system of respect and honour. If its members have to hide from that system, then it is in total a big lie.
#12- are afraid of a flascid penis.
A what?
So as Panama John McCain said a year or so ago, if the military tells me that they want to repeal DADT, I’ll be there with them. Now that the Obama administration wants to actually do it, and has the blessings from military higher ups, it’s not okay.
These double standards have to stop. If you were listening to military commanders when Bush was in office, you HAVE to listen to them now.
The whole thing stinks of racism to me.
I “don’t ask,don’t tell..” and I “Don’t Tell, or ask” But If you ask me, I might Tell, But I cant ask you. Don’t Tell on me, or I might ask you to leave.. 🙂
Here is a thought for you all..
In a Mirror Image, Doublespeak World were the President of the Free World, upon accepting The Noble Peace Prize, -gives a War is Peace, Peace is War Speech..
It is quite obvious to many that there a huge effort going on to “change the narrative” -they are changing (spinning) the meaning of almost everything. -like history revisionists gone mad.
Those awake know this to be all too true. Aside from being used as distraction..
-What if the real (or double) meaning or intention behind repealing “Don’t ask Don’t tell” is not about gays at all, but meant as a new meme (or message) to all those who have been (for years) in effect told: “Don’t ask me any questions and I wont tell you any lies”
-to now repeal this insane policy and start “telling all” they know..in an effort (to save their own hides) while at the same time, outting all the lies and corruption that have led us to this point in time..
-a sort of last ditch effort or command to right a century of wrongs that have been allowed to happen to this once great country, -and perhaps, save it.
We know this “Don’t Ask” policy applies to much more than gays, when one talks of the military (and politics)
If you look at all that has been “revealed” in the past year, it definitely appears many are no longer keeping quiet about information they have been sitting on for perhaps, their entire careers..which in part, is responsible for the major (war is peace, peace is war) change in the narrative..
Think about it.
-s
——
We live in a Mirror Image of the true Reality. it’s time to shatter the mirror.
(did you ever stop to think just how far the saying “it’s all done with smoke and mirrors” could be taken with the level of “realistic illusion” that can be created and produced with today’s technology?)
Since Art does indeed, imitate Life. I am left to ask, Who’s Life is it that it is imitating?
Think about it.
Too bad Powell won’t run for the presidency, he’s one of the few on the right I would actually support.
#22 Agreed. Me too.
Powell has the ability to coalesce a third political party – one that the Republicans once stood for.
He should move forward and challenge the Palin/Tea Party/Christian Taliban party in the making.
I’m sure there are a lot of military men who can hardly wait to identify who is gay. Liberal conscience can be so useful in times of war.
RBG
#9, Phydeau,
Partial correction. Integration was done during the Truman Administration in 1947. While there were still a few commanders that fought the implementation, generally it went over fairly well. You are very correct there was a lot of problems outside the military as evidenced by Strom Thurmon’s run for President in 1948 using this as a platform.
I fully expect the right wing nuts to attempt to use this as a wedge issue in the mid-terms. We’ll see how well the Democrats can answer them. In my opinion the easy way is to tie their bigotry to the inane comments of Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, and other tea baggers. You know that when the Republicans start calling their elder statesmen RINOs, the conservative have been overtaken by the tea baggers.
dusanmal, RBG: Just like the anti-black bigots weren’t welcome in the army after racial integration, I suspect the anti-gay bigots won’t be welcome in the military either.
What people do after hours is their own damn business. Other than that, any soldier who harasses another soldier will be disciplined, just like it’s always been. Gay or straight, doesn’t matter.
Just because it gives you the willies to think a gay man is lusting after you (or maybe it gives you a forbidden thrill; lots of you anti-gay types are closet cases) doesn’t mean our soldiers feel the same way.
All Obama has to do is write an executive order similar to the how the military was racially integrated. done. But he doesn’t have the spine to do this.
Of course they are talking about it taking a couple of years to get rid of DADT. The British were told by the EU to get rid of their restrictions on gays in the military, and they did it in a matter of weeks, IICR.
It was Bill Clinton’s failure on this issue that soured me on him at the very beginning of his administration.
This is a no-brainer, and if Congress, the military and Obama can’t get it done by say June, we’re done for as a nation.
Soundwash,
Meaning no disrespect, but you sound a lot like Adam Curry.
#15 & #10 Good post but you are sure NOT preaching to the choir here. (Libs please excuse the religious reference) I doubt most of them have ever served the military. Too bad their pseudo intellectual arguments don’t make any sense in the real world.