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Pentagon starts countdown to repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | January 30, 2010 at 06:51 am

335 views | 38 Recommendations | 5 comments

In Washington, DC, the Department of Defense and the Pentagon have started the clock ticking for the repeal of the DADT policy for gays in the military. The process will likely take several years.

Gay groups have been calling for the repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy for homosexual servicepersons in the military for years, claiming their right to serve openly.

Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to announce the start of a special investigation on how the bill can be repealed while keeping troop morale intact. An urgency has been felt by the gay community since Obama spoke of the repeal Wednesday in his State of the Union address.

At the White House, officials continued reviewing options to repeal the Clinton-era policy that the president vowed to repeal. The administration still believes that any repeal should start in Congress and have the backing of top military leaders.
To that end, Obama and Gates planned a meeting next week to discuss, among other topics, ending "don't ask, don't tell" policies. The president was also likely to speak with Mullen, who has signaled he would carry out a repeal if ordered by Obama and Congress.

Lifting the ban poses some emotional questions that go to the heart of the military's command structure and the trust relationships within military units. Among them: Will U.S. troops and leaders tolerate openly gay members in their midst? And if they don't, what should the Pentagon do about it?

The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was imposed by a 1993 law intended as a compromise between President Bill Clinton, who wanted to lift the ban on gays entirely, and a reluctant Congress and military that said doing so would threaten order.

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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 07:02 on January 30th, 2010

Seems to me they have been there once before. Don't ya wish they had taken that much care with their Health Care Reform?

Congressional opposition to lifting the ban on gay and bisexual people in the armed forces was led by Democratic Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia who organized congressional hearings that largely backed the armed forces position that had remained unchanged since the 1981 directive. While congressional support for reform was led by Democratic Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who fought for a compromise, and retired Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, who argued for a complete repeal of the ban. After a large number of people flooded the Congressional phone lines with oppositions to lifting the ban, President Clinton soon backed off on his campaign promise to lift the ban on homosexual and bisexual people in the armed forces.

YankeeJim

at 11:22 on January 30th, 2010

This is like saying, let's have a countdown to democracy and freedom. Let's get ready for it. Counting down is not an option. Get on with it or resign your commissions.

Amy Judd

at 08:54 on January 30th, 2010

Several years!? sigh...

Rory Cripps

at 09:18 on January 30th, 2010

' . . .and retired Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, who argued for a complete repeal of the ban.'

Imagine that!

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:24 on January 31st, 2010

There is no reason NOT to repeal DADT. In fact:

The Nation's largest doctors' group has joined efforts to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), the United States military policy term about homosexuality in the U.S. military mandated by federal law that prohibits any homosexual or bi-sexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation while serving in the United States armed forces.

Source: my.nowpublic.com

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