U.S. Air Force Stops Enforcement of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
116 replies, posted
[QUOTE=The Huffington Post]WASHINGTON - A gay rights group says the Air Force has told its legal officers to stop enforcing "don't ask, don't tell" because of a judge's ruling Tuesday. But the order to halt discharges could end soon.
The Obama administration will ask the judge to allow the ban on homosexual servicemen and women to continue in force pending an appeal to reverse the ruling, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Lawyer Dan Woods said his client, Log Cabin Republicans, which won the "don't ask, don't tell" ruling on Tuesday, has been notified that the Justice Department "will appeal and seek a stay" in the case later Thursday. That word was confirmed by the person in the government knowledgeable about the administration's discussions.
The government source said the delay in responding to the judge's order resulted because the Obama White House weighed in on the Justice Department's handling of the case.
This person, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's internal deliberations, said a couple of White House lawyers did not want to seek a court order that would temporarily suspend the judge's ruling.
The source said the process was back on track and that court papers seeking the stay will be filed.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, Calif., ordered the military "immediately to suspend and discontinue any investigation" or other proceeding to dismiss gay service members. The 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law says gays may serve in the military but only if they keep secret their sexual orientation.
Phillips wrote that the law "infringes the fundamental rights" of current and prospective service members.
The administration's decision to appeal the "don't ask, don't tell" ruling comes just one day after it filed an appeal against a separate judges ruling that part of the Defense Of Marriage Act is "unconstitutional" because it withholds health and retirement benefits for the spouses of federal employees in same-sex marriages.
Before news that Department of Justice would appeal Phillips' ruling, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network circulated an e-mail on Thursday that it said was written by the Air Force's Judge Advocate General Richard Harding. In that e-mail, Harding says the Defense Department "will abide" by a court order that says the military can no longer discharge service members who are openly gay.
Such guidance would represent the first time in decades that the military would not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that "don't ask, don't tell" is "going to end" -- it's just a matter of how.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters traveling with him in Europe that repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law should be considered only after the Pentagon completes a study of the impact of lifting the ban, including an assessment of service members' attitudes toward the change. The study is due Dec. 1.
Allowing gays to serve openly "is an action that requires careful preparation and a lot of training," Gates said. "It has enormous consequences for our troops."[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/14/air-force-dadt-enforcemen_n_763192.html[/url]
:golfclap:
Good thing they were to "immediately to suspend and discontinue any investigation". Otherwise, isn't this law the only thing that gives any gay soldier the option to serve, under this strange military system we have?
The Airforce is always forward thinking. Good for them. My plan has always been to join the Air Force if absolutely necessary. That being a major, justifiable war or the reinstatement of the draft.
[QUOTE=Zeddy;25407377]The Airforce is always forward thinking. Good for them. My plan has always been to join the Air Force if absolutely necessary. That being a major, justifiable war or the reinstatement of the draft.[/QUOTE]
No such thing as justifiable.
[QUOTE=Swilly;25407535]No such thing as justifiable.[/QUOTE]
So it wasn't justifiable to enter WWII?
[QUOTE=The Vman;25408222]So it wasn't justifiable to enter WWII?[/QUOTE]
Yeah you dolt, we could have and should have stopped Hitlers global hate machine with flowers, rainbows, puppies, candy and love, ignorant fucking warmongers.
Either that or your perspective on the world becomes less silly and surreal after the age of 14?
Surely I thought it would be the navy first.
[QUOTE=Swilly;25407535]No such thing as justifiable.[/QUOTE]
Oh my god, this shit is getting out of hand. You just come off as an arrogant prick when you say things like this. No, you aren't a better person on a pedestal of enlightened morals just because you realized war is bad.
This is fantastic news :)
surprised the navy wasn't first
Nice to see them being proactive about this. Not sure how many gays were trying to get into the air force but if one drops it then chances are the others should hopefully follow.
Yay :). But I doubt it will stay. It does go to show we are one step closer though :).
That's gay.
BURN DOWN gave you a box.
He must hate the gays.
I think people are getting the wrong message from this policy. It seems like people think when you join the army you should strut your stuff and say you're gay to everybody and make it known no matter what circumstances. In my opinion I don't see why it matters if you're gay or not in the army, I mean you're going there to defend your country, not to have gay pride.
I'm all for removing the don't ask don't tell policy, it's not fair to be kicked out due to gender preference, but I don't see why you should also slap on a big I'M GAY sticker when you join it
no one is saying that you're just trying to be contrarian shut up
[QUOTE=ThePutty;25412659]I think people are getting the wrong message from this policy. It seems like people think when you join the army you should strut your stuff and say you're gay to everybody and make it known no matter what circumstances. In my opinion I don't see why it matters if you're gay or not in the army, I mean you're going there to defend your country, not to have gay pride.
I'm all for removing the don't ask don't tell policy, it's not fair to be kicked out due to gender preference, but I don't see why you should also slap on a big I'M GAY sticker when you join it[/QUOTE]
Your entire post is one big uneducated assumption.
good
[QUOTE=DoctorSalt;25407024]Good thing they were to "immediately to suspend and discontinue any investigation". Otherwise, isn't this law the only thing that gives any gay soldier the option to serve, under this strange military system we have?[/QUOTE]
The policy was meant to be: You can serve if you keep it to yourself.
The policy became: We won't ask you about it, but we'll try to find out anyway.
Let's just hope that we won't have soldiers discriminating against each other because they are homophobic.
I still can't believe Gates is wanting a study to be done before they allow this. Truman didn't need a study to de-segregate, we don't need a study for this. Any jackass that has a problem can deal with it.
[QUOTE=Xen Tricks;25413728]I still can't believe Gates is wanting a study to be done before they allow this. Truman didn't need a study to de-segregate, we don't need a study for this. Any jackass that has a problem can deal with it.[/QUOTE]In any case, the fact that nearly all NATO members allow homosexuals to openly serve is proof enough it won't destroy morale or whatever bullshit idiots are claiming about it nowadays.
[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;25414966]In any case, the fact that nearly all NATO members allow homosexuals to openly serve is proof enough it won't destroy morale or whatever bullshit idiots are claiming about it nowadays.[/QUOTE]
What are you talking about? Look at all the upstanding, civilised and wonderful countries that disallow gays.
* Cuba
* People's Republic of China
* Egypt
* Greece (The Greek ban on homosexuals is the object of criticism by the European Union, as EU law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation)
* Iran
* Jamaica
* North Korea
* Pakistan
* Saudi Arabia
* Serbia
* Singapore
* South Korea
* Syria
* Turkey
* Venezuela
* Yemen
Who wouldn't want to be part of this wonderful league?
hey man, South Korea's a good country.
Just give us time, we'll get more tolerant, and hopefully allow gays to serve.
We're making progress and we're becoming more tolerant of em. It's only matter of time.
sides, those tons of south korea gay bars.
[QUOTE=BBKF;25408535]Yeah you dolt, we could have and should have stopped Hitlers global hate machine with flowers, rainbows, puppies, candy and love, ignorant fucking warmongers.
Either that or your perspective on the world becomes less silly and surreal after the age of 14?[/QUOTE]
Or we could not have destroyed Germany economically and not have made the people of it angry enough to elect a crazy fucking Nazi. But whatever. I mean, pacifism is a philosophy that should be boiled down to war/no war, right?
[editline]15th October 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=lolwutdude;25415517]hey man, South Korea's a good country.
Just give us time, we'll get more tolerant, and hopefully allow gays to serve.
We're making progress and we're becoming more tolerant of em. It's only matter of time.
sides, those tons of south korea gay bars.[/QUOTE]
Pft, if you really were a good country you would have just cured gayness like Best Korea.
[editline]15th October 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=kidwithsword;25413491]Let's just hope that we won't have soldiers discriminating against each other because they are homophobic.[/QUOTE]
let's hope that soldiers don't sexually harass women in the military
oh
wait
[QUOTE=Devodiere;25415456]
* Turkey[/QUOTE]
I've been at Turkey and to be honest it's pretty civilised there
[editline]15th October 2010[/editline]
Well, some cities of it
Thank you God. :) Progress is being made after all.
Apparently gays can't actually keep it to themselves, but they like to spread it around for some reason.
[QUOTE=wndash;25416956]I've been at Turkey and to be honest it's pretty civilised there
[editline]15th October 2010[/editline]
Well, some cities of it[/QUOTE]
You could say the same about some places in Iran and Syria as well, doesn't mean they're good countries.
[editline]15th October 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=Bllasae;25416986]Apparently gays can't actually keep it to themselves, but they like to spread it around for some reason.[/QUOTE]
Kind of like your uninformed comments
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.