AI
Sunday, December 12, 2010 3:29:20 AM
Gates sets alarm clock for Congress homophobes. HELLOOOOOOOOO, *&^&%&*^, it's a WAKE UP plea.
Gates Warns on Failure to Repeal Gay Ban*
By ADAM ENTOUS .. DECEMBER 10, 2010
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT—U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Congress Friday that its failure to pass legislation to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces will put the U.S. military at the "mercy of the courts," urging lawmakers to act in the limited time left before the end of the year.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates answers questions from reporters
aboard his plane returning to the U.S. on Dec. 10.
Senate Republicans blocked legislation to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on Thursday in a major defeat for the Obama administration. Mr. Gates said he was "disappointed in the Senate vote but not surprised," and urged lawmakers to try again for passage to avoid leaving the issue to be decided by the courts.
"There is still roughly a week left in the lame-duck session, so I would hope that the Congress would act,'" Mr. Gates told reporters aboard his plane at the end of a nearly week-long trip to Oman, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
The repeal was part of a larger defense-policy bill, and while several Republicans said they could support overturning the policy on gays in the military, Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on the terms for debating the underlying legislation.
Related Video
* Pentagon: Safe to Overturn 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
* The Big Interview with Admiral Michael Mullen
* News Hub: Judge Halts 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Journal Community .. Comment: Repeal DADT? Poll inside Yes 51% No 49% now, which could suggest, in comparison with this one, WSJ on-line readers are more conservatively homophobic than the general population, then again it may mean nothing.
Supporters of the repeal now plan to bring the measure to the floor as a standalone bill before the congressional session ends. But given the tight calendar and many competing priorities, it is unclear whether lawmakers will be able to move the legislation in the time left.
Mr. Gates said passing the legislation was critical because it will give the Pentagon the time it needs to prepare troops for the
change in policy. The courts, he warned, could force the military to act immediately, without adequate time for preparations.
"My concern is being faced with the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law being overturned with no time to prepare," Mr. Gates said. "The way we get that time most assuredly is with the legislation that's before the Congress today."
He said the decision by a district judge in California in October to strike down the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law was a "wake up call." An appeals court has stayed the district judge's decision and is expected to hear the case in the spring, but Mr. Gates said the uncertainty was disruptive.
Should the current Congress, which is controlled by President Barack Obama's Democratic party, fail to act this year, the prospects for repeal are dim. Republicans, who will control the House of Representatives starting next year, generally support the existing policy, and aides to Rep. John Boehner, the presumptive next House Speaker, says he doesn't intend to bring legislation changing the policy to the floor.
Officials said the policy could be changed with little risk if the military is given time for an orderly transition, whereas morale could be hurt if a court orders a hasty change and doesn't give the Pentagon time to conduct training of troops.
"I think it would be a serious mistake to start training and preparing before the law is changed because I think it'll just confuse the troops—what is the law and what's not the law, if you're being trained to go in both directions," Mr. Gates said. "So while we have the blueprint and we have a plan, I think it would be a mistake to begin that process until there is action with respect to the law."
The repeal drive was backed by a lengthy military study of the views of service members that found combat readiness wouldn't be harmed by repeal if the military was given time to prepare the force by conducting a training program.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704457604576010913448035314.html?mod=WSJASIA_newsreel_us
If you haven't seen Al Franken's plea, it's in the one this is in reply to, and here.
Gates Warns on Failure to Repeal Gay Ban*
By ADAM ENTOUS .. DECEMBER 10, 2010
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT—U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Congress Friday that its failure to pass legislation to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces will put the U.S. military at the "mercy of the courts," urging lawmakers to act in the limited time left before the end of the year.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates answers questions from reporters
aboard his plane returning to the U.S. on Dec. 10.
Senate Republicans blocked legislation to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on Thursday in a major defeat for the Obama administration. Mr. Gates said he was "disappointed in the Senate vote but not surprised," and urged lawmakers to try again for passage to avoid leaving the issue to be decided by the courts.
"There is still roughly a week left in the lame-duck session, so I would hope that the Congress would act,'" Mr. Gates told reporters aboard his plane at the end of a nearly week-long trip to Oman, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
The repeal was part of a larger defense-policy bill, and while several Republicans said they could support overturning the policy on gays in the military, Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on the terms for debating the underlying legislation.
Related Video
* Pentagon: Safe to Overturn 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
* The Big Interview with Admiral Michael Mullen
* News Hub: Judge Halts 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Journal Community .. Comment: Repeal DADT? Poll inside Yes 51% No 49% now, which could suggest, in comparison with this one, WSJ on-line readers are more conservatively homophobic than the general population, then again it may mean nothing.
Supporters of the repeal now plan to bring the measure to the floor as a standalone bill before the congressional session ends. But given the tight calendar and many competing priorities, it is unclear whether lawmakers will be able to move the legislation in the time left.
Mr. Gates said passing the legislation was critical because it will give the Pentagon the time it needs to prepare troops for the
change in policy. The courts, he warned, could force the military to act immediately, without adequate time for preparations.
"My concern is being faced with the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law being overturned with no time to prepare," Mr. Gates said. "The way we get that time most assuredly is with the legislation that's before the Congress today."
He said the decision by a district judge in California in October to strike down the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law was a "wake up call." An appeals court has stayed the district judge's decision and is expected to hear the case in the spring, but Mr. Gates said the uncertainty was disruptive.
Should the current Congress, which is controlled by President Barack Obama's Democratic party, fail to act this year, the prospects for repeal are dim. Republicans, who will control the House of Representatives starting next year, generally support the existing policy, and aides to Rep. John Boehner, the presumptive next House Speaker, says he doesn't intend to bring legislation changing the policy to the floor.
Officials said the policy could be changed with little risk if the military is given time for an orderly transition, whereas morale could be hurt if a court orders a hasty change and doesn't give the Pentagon time to conduct training of troops.
"I think it would be a serious mistake to start training and preparing before the law is changed because I think it'll just confuse the troops—what is the law and what's not the law, if you're being trained to go in both directions," Mr. Gates said. "So while we have the blueprint and we have a plan, I think it would be a mistake to begin that process until there is action with respect to the law."
The repeal drive was backed by a lengthy military study of the views of service members that found combat readiness wouldn't be harmed by repeal if the military was given time to prepare the force by conducting a training program.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704457604576010913448035314.html?mod=WSJASIA_newsreel_us
If you haven't seen Al Franken's plea, it's in the one this is in reply to, and here.
Jonathan Swift said, "May you live all the days of your life!"
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