Thursday, July 07, 2011

Daoist Diary: They're Here, They're Queer, They're Heavily Armed...

Maybe now retired reserve Air Force JAG officer Lindsey Graham will feel safe to ooze out from under the closet door.
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SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. government on Wednesday to immediately cease enforcing the ban on openly gay members of the military, a move that could speed the repeal of the 17-year-old rule.

Col. Lindsey Graham, USAF (Ret),
leading DADT proponent
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy must be lifted now that the Obama administration has concluded it's unconstitutional to treat gay Americans differently under the law. The appeals court noted that Congress repealed the policy in December and that the Pentagon is preparing to certify that it is ready to welcome gay military personnel.

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As a senior naval officer I considered Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to be the dumbest of a host of ill-advised personnel regulations.  I knew so many brass hats who made Hugh Hefner look like Saint Paul but who considered homosexuals and lesbians too “perverted” to serve in “their” Navy.

Get used to it, old boys. 

Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired) is author of the critically lauded novel Bathtub Admirals, a lampoon on America’s rise to global dominance.

2 comments:

  1. Retired USAF General Johnson married a woman 40 years his junior back in the middle 80's. One of her siblings was gay. I caught him on WTTW (Chicago public TV) one night defending the rights of gay troops to serve in this country's armed forces. The next time I caddied for him, I thanked him for his principled stand. He appreciated it, but mentioned that he got into a lot of hot water with the USAF and Army brass. Guess he didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with the Naval Jags (and I do NOT mean Judge Advocate Generals!). Thanks, commander, for you attention to this matter.

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  2. You know, Mark, I've been mulling over your story and keep coming back to how even a retired four-star speaking up on the right side of something feels pressure from the mob for doing so.

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