[quote]WASHINGTON — Under pressure from more than five dozen House lawmakers, the Navy late Tuesday abruptly reversed its decision that would have allowed chaplains to perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon decides to recognize openly gay military service later this year.
In a one-sentence memo obtained by The Associated Press, Rear Adm. Mark Tidd, chief of Navy chaplains, said his earlier decision has been "suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination."
The Navy said its lawyers wanted to do a more thorough review of the legal decision that allowed Navy chaplains to receive training to perform civil unions on military bases, but only in states where same-sex unions are legal.
Military training to apply the new law allowing gays to serve openly began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by midsummer.
House members wrote to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus (Pdf) to object to the Navy's initial ruling, saying the service was violating the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act by appearing to recognize and support same-sex marriages.
That law defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, and it also says states don't have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states where they are legal.
"We find it unconscionable that the United States Navy, a federal entity sworn to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, believes it is their place alone to train and direct service members to violate federal law," said the lawmakers' letter, which was signed by 63 House members.
The lawmakers asked Mabus to direct the Navy to defend the Constitution, adding that individuals should not be allowed to pick and choose the laws they will follow.
No military-wide guidance
The Navy's decision triggered an uproar, particularly since the Army and Air Force had not made similar decisions, and there was no overall Defense Department guidance issued on the same-sex union issue.
Navy officials had said Monday that they updated the training after questions came up about civil ceremonies for gay couples.
In earlier training guidelines issued by the Defense Department and the military services, same-sex ceremonies were not mentioned and therefore not explicitly prohibited.
When first asked about the Navy's decision to allow the training, the Pentagon said the federal Defense of Marriage Act does not restrict the types of ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military base. And officials have repeatedly stressed that the military would not compel chaplains to perform a same-sex union if it was against their religious beliefs.
The military dust-up comes against the backdrop of the Obama administration's decision in February to no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time that President Barack Obama concluded that the law was unconstitutional.
The Pentagon has been moving carefully to implement the repeal of the 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. Under the law passed and signed by the president in December, final implementation would go into effect 60 days after the president and his senior defense advisers certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight.
Under the Navy's initial ruling, the civil union ceremonies would be allowed at military facilities such as chapel and catering centers, but only in states that already recognize same-sex unions.
And even if a same-sex union ceremony is performed, same-sex partners would not get any health, housing or other benefits that are provided to married couples involving a man and woman.
The Air Force and Army did not include discussion of same-sex union ceremonies in their training.
Under Pentagon guidelines, chaplains and other key military leaders were among the first tier of service members to be trained about the new law repealing the ban on openly gay service. Much of that instruction has been completed, so the Navy will send out updates to include the same-sex union ceremony provision.
Under the military's present "don't ask, don't tell" policy, service members face discharge if they revealed they were gay.
[/quote]
[url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42987351/ns/us_news-life/[/url]
Looks like the Navy is capable of firing tomahawk missiles at foreign countries but when it comes to the gays, they can't take the heat.
Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
They should remove breeding rights from conservatives, maybe that'll fix the country.
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
They should remove breeding rights from conservatives, maybe that'll fix the country.[/QUOTE]
It fucking would
V:v:V
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]I'm joining al Qaeda.[/QUOTE]
ban for terrorism plz
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
They should remove breeding rights from conservatives, maybe that'll fix the country.[/QUOTE]
im sure al qaeda will accept gays
I swear people need to move on about this, it isn't a big deal and it shouldn't be their business if people want to be legally wedded.
[editline]11th May 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Magistrate;29760523]im sure al qaeda will accept gays[/QUOTE]
Of course, Osama needed those big jars of vaseline for rough, sweaty, muslim buttsex.
[quote]"We find it unconscionable that the United States Navy, a federal entity sworn to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, believes it is their place alone to train and direct service members to violate federal law," said the lawmakers' letter, which was signed by 63 House members.[/quote]
Enforcing the law isn't your job congressmen.
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
[/QUOTE]
fuck yah, combat extremism with extremism. that'll show those conservatives!
Marriage is a religious institution, why won't the U.S. government just say "fuck it" and make marriage a variety of civil union, and make civil unions the standard?
[QUOTE=melonmonkey;29763075]Marriage is a religious institution, why won't the U.S. government just say "fuck it" and make marriage a variety of civil union, and make civil unions the standard?[/QUOTE]
Because republicans
Alright Navy you have ships that can blow stuff up
Fire something at Washington
Do they realize that the navy still only allowed these marriages in states that also allowed it?
They weren't letting gays in the navy break the law or anything, they were just making it a lot easier for them to get married.
[editline]11th May 2011[/editline]
God damn this is a huge step backward, just because someone actually [i]took away[/i] a right that was finally added.
they're just trying to erase the memories of that Village People song is all
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw[/media]
Disgusting, people like these 63 congressmen will go down in history as bigots and people socially assbackwards. In the year 2011 there isn't an excuse.
[QUOTE=melonmonkey;29763075]Marriage is a religious institution, why won't the U.S. government just say "fuck it" and make marriage a variety of civil union, and make civil unions the standard?[/QUOTE]
Because some people are backwards and just simply don't want to see people who want to be together if they disagree with them.
[QUOTE=Mr. N;29763322]Because some people are backwards and just simply don't want to see people who want to be together if they disagree with them.[/QUOTE]
Also marriage is not a religious institution.
[QUOTE=deathstarboot;29763375]Also marriage is not a religious institution.[/QUOTE]
It is... It gives state sanctioned benefits, yes, but it was created by some religion and they deserve to have their rights respected.
[QUOTE=deathstarboot;29763375]Also marriage is not a religious institution.[/QUOTE]
I'd say it is, and has been regarded as such for a long time. I see keeping it as it is while letting gays be together would be the perfect resolution, but people are stubborn.
[QUOTE=deathstarboot;29763375]Also marriage is not a religious institution.[/QUOTE]
How is it not? Explain this.
lol what is this seperation between church and state
home of the free
wait, America=Byzantine Empire
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
They should remove breeding rights from conservatives, maybe that'll fix the country.[/QUOTE]
Yeah you might disagree with them, but isn't it just a [b]TINY BIT[/b] extreme to want to commit genocide and revoke basic human rights from conservatives. I thought the liberal philosophy was tolerance.
It's times like this I'm angry I wasn't given a choice whether or not I wanted to be an American citizen.
[QUOTE='[sluggo];29766402']Yeah you might disagree with them, but isn't it just a [b]TINY BIT[/b] extreme to want to commit genocide and revoke basic human rights from conservatives. I thought the liberal philosophy was tolerance.[/QUOTE]
Obviously he's exaggerating. The main basis of Liberal ideology when it comes to social policies is indeed tolerance.
[QUOTE=nikomo;29759808]Right.
America, either you stop being fucking retarded or I'm joining al Qaeda.
I'm getting a bit fed up here and I'm not even American.
They should remove breeding rights from conservatives, maybe that'll fix the country.[/QUOTE]
You act like ALL Americans are homophobic, just shut up.
[QUOTE=melonmonkey;29763462]It is... It gives state sanctioned benefits, yes, but it was created by some religion and they deserve to have their rights respected.[/QUOTE]
Christmas stopped being a religious holiday when the government declared it a statutory holiday so marriage is the same
The ceremony and ritual that you participate in (for both) can be religious but the event itself isn't
Was I the only one who read the subject line as "Navy Turns Ship on Gay Unicorn by Chaplains" and wondered "who is Chaplains and why is he writing books about the Navy and unicorns?"
[QUOTE=Zeke129;29766630]Christmas stopped being a religious holiday when the government declared it a statutory holiday so marriage is the same
The ceremony and ritual that you participate in (for both) can be religious but the event itself isn't[/QUOTE]
:foxnews:[b]Top liberal on internet leftist thinktank says Christmas is not Christian, equates it to gay marriage. More at 11.[/b]:foxnews:
[QUOTE=Zeke129;29766630]Christmas stopped being a religious holiday when the government declared it a statutory holiday so marriage is the same
The ceremony and ritual that you participate in (for both) can be religious but the event itself isn't[/QUOTE]
The date christmas is on is a government holiday, but the actual rituals surrounding it are religious.
[QUOTE=ThatHippyMan;29766846]:foxnews:[b]Top liberal on internet leftist thinktank says Christmas is not Christian, equates it to gay marriage. More at 11.[/b]:foxnews:[/QUOTE]
:foxnews:[b]obama bin ladin has just died. More at 12.[/b]:foxnews:
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