Top Brass Testify on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Posted by admin on February 8th, 2010
3rd February 2010
From The New York Times:
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top two defense officials called Tuesday for an end to the 16-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time.
Read the rest of the article from the New York Times here
“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The article from the New York Times provides a summary of the testimony given in the senate yesterday. Having the country’s top military leaders supporting the repeal of DADT is impressive and hopeful.
Meanwhile, polls cited by supporters of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell are as high as 79% of Americans are in favor of Gays & Lesbians serving honorably in the U.S. military. The trend of support for the repeal among Americans seems to hold consistently through most of the demographics.
In stark contrast was Peter Sprigg, spokesperson for the Family Research Council appeared on Chris Mathews Hardball. At the end of the clip from the show which aired on February 2, 2010, In response to questions from Mathews, Sprigg not only voices strong opposition to gays & lesbians serving in the military, but also admits that homosexuality should be criminalized. Sprigg asserted that the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v Texas overturning sodomy laws was wrongly decided.
In addition to Family Research Council Peter Sprigg, Senator John McCain has come down on the side of opposing the repeal of DADT. McCain’s position is surprising considering his statement made in 2006 on the Chris Mathews Hardball show:
“The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, ‘Senator, we ought to change the policy,’ then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it,’ ”- Sen. John McCain
That day has come in very clear terms. Yet Senator McCain opposes the counsel given by the military’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense (who served under two Presidents), as much as 79% of the American public, and the President who serves as the Commander-in Chief of the armed forces.
Interestingly, U.S. military personnell have long been serving along side gay & lesbian soldiers.
“I have served with homosexuals since 1968,” Admiral Mullen told the committee. He added, “Everybody in the military has, and we understand that.”
But another very interesting view of gays in the military emerges from the 28 NATO member countries. NATO which stands for the North Altlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance which constitutes a system of collective defense whereby its member countries agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.
These are many of the same countries which in recent history have been coalition partners in the Gulf War and the Iraq War. Our troops serve with the military of these countries, not only in time of war but actively train with them.
Of the 28 NATO member countries, 25 of these countries allow for gays & lesbians to serve in their military. Only Greece, Turkey, and U.S. have prohibitions against gays serving.
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mushroom soup, and canned fried onion ring industry look forward to this time of year. Most folks will sit down to their dinner tables, including the card table set up for the kids, earlier than usual. A lot of folks will be up very early the next day for Black Friday. That always sounds like some sort of religious holiday of some sort, but it is the day that retailers across the country look forward to as they go from being in the red to being in the black.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Portland Oregon Gay Pride Parade June 2009

