Today the Pentagon releaseda long-anticipated surveyregarding military service by gay men and lesbians. The study states, as predicted, that service by openly LGBT personnel would have little to no impact on long-term military cohesion and effectiveness.
The study took place over a period of 10 months, and is expected to have huge implications for the future of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—the 17-year-old controversial law prohibiting military service by openly gay and lesbian citizens. Officials familiar with the results of the study—which was based on responses by about 115,000 service members and 44,200 military spouses—said that a clear majority of respondents indicated opposition to the law, with 70% predicting that lifting the ban would have positive, mixed, or no effect on their units. Furthermore, about 70% of respondents reported working with someone whom they believed to be gay or lesbian, and 92% of these reported having a neutral or positive experience in their unit’s ability to work together. The survey authors write that “both the survey results and our own engagement of the force convinced us that when service members had the actual experience of serving with someone they believe to be gay, in general unit performance was not affected negatively by this added dimension.” Over 60% of respondents said repeal would have a positive or no effect on their personal morale, and 67% believed there would be a positive or no effect on their personal readiness.
Those sneaky gays! Always proving to us that they are human beings and more than their sexuality! It makes it so much harder for us to discriminate against them!
Filed under: DADT, gay | Tagged: gay rights |
The Confluence 
Those are some very positive results.
Hopefully, they will be a step towards some action done on DADT. It seems like no one, Dem or Repub, want to touch the issue. However, both parties occasionally dangle the issue like a carrot to their supporters.
The caveats in the report are that no benefits and no protections will be extended to service members or their partners… so while you can’t lose your job, you still are entitled to little…
Notes of caution comment
(I know, I know… pushy gays! We want everything all at once! 😉
My perspective is basically that I want gays to serve openly, but I want the transition handled well. Given the utterly reprehensible levels of sexual assault that women in the military are experiencing, I want there to be serious protections in place for queer servicemen and women before they scrap DADT.
Sometimes it’s best to just do it. If you draw stuff out then people over think it and it goes bad.
Sounds right.
I’m not sure that’s an LGBT-speciic issue. What’s needed is better enforcement of the UCMJ against rapists across the board.
Time.com. Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, thinks Hillary should resign. I’m so pissed, I can’t even read the article.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2033771,00.html
I think Julian Assange should resign. I guess we’re both fucked.
I came to post the same thing: I am really pissed off now. First, he was just an irritating nuisance. Now he’s dictating demands to the Secretary of State from his bunker? Who the hell is this guy and why is he being given this kind of platform? Let him debate Hillary face to face and then we’ll see who is the true patriot.
Wonder when Obama will step up and say something?
Perhaps you should, Assange says that if Hillary gave the order to spy she should resign.
Assange is an afflicted man.
Who the fuck is Assange…and why do his disciples worship him so. Do they have any answers or actual solutions for our society. Would they make themselves useful and serve in government or in some capacity with public responsibility. They remind me of Halloween night vandal runs. Those were fun but I was in junior high school.
The results of the study are great, but reading them over I can’t freakin’ believe we had to do a study.
‘Cause you know what? Even if the study had showed adverse effects, it’s a civil rights issue!
When Truman officially integrated the military, he didn’t say “please guys, do this only if your feelings aren’t hurt” he said “get it done”. (ok I don’t know if he used those words exactly, but wev).
The military is supposed to be able to get the job done, whatever the job is, so, suck it up, boys.
They aren’t all boys but I do agree with your assessment. The military is subject to civilian leadership. So the civilians should lead and quit playing mother may I.
The study was intended to derail repeal or at least delay it. I suspect that the positive results for LGBT service members was neither desired nor expected.
Off Topic :: I get messages to my gmail address all the time that are clearly meant for another katiebird… usually I just delete them or send them to spam. But, in the past couple of weeks I’ve started getting some that are sort of personal. Invitations to private dinners … stuff that if the person didn’t get a response feelings could be deeply hurt and it could be hard to trace the problem. So I reply to those letting the people know that they’ve got the wrong katiebird.
Well, I just got a wrong-katiebird-message that was like reading a script for a soap opera! A friend was filling another in on the tribulations of a mutual friend …. and it was so interesting and well written I couldn’t stop reading it even after I realized it wasn’t meant for me! I feel so dirty….
I had to get it off my chest. ….
Now forward it to me so I can feel dirty too
Are you kidding? I’m all over it! — I’m going to use it for the basis of a novel.
I read those findings in Stars and Stripes days ago. They are surely taking their sweet time publicizing this.
So what now?
Anyway, I find it deeply offensive putting people’s civil rights up to a poll…
There are some *very* gay gays in the military already.
This report is silly. This is a non-issue, and it’s a damn shame that this even has to be seriously ‘studied’ for 10 months.
With that said, now I’m pissed at this Assange guy. Hillary, resign? Kiss my ASSang!
ASSange is also wanted in other countries for rape and sexual assault, so he is obviously a stand up judge of character.
OT: O’s are getting shocked again: OFA asks Os to astroturf for the pay freeze
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/jr-jr-asks-os-to-praise-pay-freeze-now-youre-getting-shocked/
It’s disgusting. He’s abhorrent.
OT, but Huffington Post has a pic of Hillary on their FP with the headline, “wikileaks founder says Hillary should step down”. Like, who the f*ck cares what the wikileaks founder says Hillary should do? Those frigs will never give up their Hillary hate.
OT, but Marc Ambinder has interesting info up how that spying directive with Clinton’s name on it really works:
So…. very interesting there are all these calls for Clinton’s resignation, but none for Sec of Commerce, eh?
No calls for Obama’s resignation?
Since when does a Secretary of State make policy?
I smell a huge Dick Cheney sized rat.
I think it’s the CIA at fault for this one.
What the hell has the CIA done in the last 30 years but make us less safe?
OT: Holy Sh!T Newtie (on Greta) just praised Hillary up one side and down the other for looking out for America first and wished there were more public servants like her. For real–all sincere. What’s becoming of this world?
That guy is so not getting the Republican nomination.
The video is here:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4442395/gingrich-on-obamas-bipartisan-meeting/?playlist_id=86925#/v/4442415/core-conservative-values/?playlist_id=86925
Greta begins asking at about 4:20
Newt’s lavish praise of Hillary begins at 4:43
The CIA has been so screwed up, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing! It was the CIA who were pressured to make the case for Iraqi Freedom.
Like Bush, there was delibrate leaking, and I am thinking, it is the responsiblity of Obama, who took the oath of office, to step it up in regards to Hillary.
I’ve been sick for two days with clownfluenza.
I got it from some bad greasepaint.
I hate it when I’m too sick to drink beer.
I am so sorry …. Are you feeling a little better now?
Too sick to drink beer? {shudder} That’s sick. Hope you’re on the mend.
The best flu and cold medicine: Hot fresh ginger tea with lots of lemon and honey. It cleans the lungs of all that phlegm.
I shred about 1/4 a cup and boil it in about 1 qt of water to make a strong tea. After the ginger has simmered for about 10 minutes, I strain the ginger out and add lots of lemon, as if making lemonade, and add honey to taste. If the tea is too strong, add more water. If it’s too weak, add more shredded ginger. I keep it on the stove and drink a a warm cup of tea throughout the day.
The amount of ginger depends on the person’s taste.
Repeat everyday until healthy.
Rest and watch movies, but sleep lots.
I should have said fresh lemon juice.
ITA. Ginger is the best for colds & respiratory sicknesses.
Just know that it is also a blood thinner (like aspirin) so if that is an issue for you don’t overdo it.
My mom’s recipe:
Equal parts
Fresh lemon juice
Honey
Bourbon
Warm or not, to taste.
Even if you’re too sick to drink beer, I’ll bet you could choke this down.
O/T, but State Dept has removed its cables from the Pentagon’s SIPRNet — “One military network cut off from cables” (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AS3WJ20101130). And this is how Robert Gates spins the diplomatic fallout:
I’m glad Hillary is the Secretary of State.
And she continues to be on message: “In Central Asia, Clinton Defends Openness” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/world/asia/01diplo.html?_r=1)
More at No Quarter link
Here’s a response from one of the subjects of the leaks: “WikiLeaks: India declines comment, defends U.S. ties” (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article923898.ece?homepage=true)
I bet that for the Indian govt, it is good for their own national security to confirm for themselves — through the leaked cables — that the US is desperately trying to secure nuclear materials in Pakistan.
Funny! Sue Sylvester is a riot! Her character on Glee is a hoot and smart as heqq! Gimme satire every time–woot!