House GOP Still Griping Over “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Repeal

Despite President Obama signing legislation to enact repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy back in December following a near year-long working study into the effects of a repeal, House Republicans are still calling the repeal damaging to military readiness and cohesion, are still predicting a mass exodus from the military and are labeling the Obama Administration’s advocacy of the repeal as being pure politics.

All this was said Friday at a U.S. House subcommittee hearing where members of the military that are overseeing the repeal reported on their progress toward retiring the open service ban. At the committee hearing lawmakers were told that military leaders would likely be ready to begin the repeal process in earnest within the next few months.

From On Top Magazine:

Clifford Stanley, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told members of a House Armed Services subcommittee that “Implementing repeal embodies that view of total force readiness – more simply put – it is about respect. … no matter their race, color, creed, religion or sexual orientation.”

“My focus is total force readiness, caring for our people and creating a culture of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency,” Stanley said.

[...]

Republicans on the panel criticized the move, embracing the view that repealing the policy at a time when the nation was at war was a mistake.

Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler called the change “radical.”

“I’m very concerned that in a time of war … that we are making such a radical major shift in our policy,” she said.

[...]

Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado said open gay service would undermine the military mission.

“I think this is a political decision obviously made by the executive branch and the military will follow it under whatever circumstances and ramifications it has to the combat effectiveness to our forces,” Coffman said.

Freshman Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia predicted an exodus of troops from the military.

This recap of arguments against DADT repeal is unsurprising given that lawmakers like Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a possible contender for the GOP presidential ticket, have been keen to keep talking about the repeal and have said that they would like to defund the repeal process to effectively stop it in its tracks. In fact, Pawlenty has even said that, should he be successful in his presidential bid, he would reinstate the policy.

Pawlenty’s threat is likely unenforceable given the amount of resources it would take to once again enforce the ban, as well the fact that there is wider public support for open service (not to mention that the repeal was enacted with bipartisan support).

We can gather from this, however, that DADT repeal will probably feature in the 2012 presidential race and will continue to be part of political discourse for some time. We can also assume that while the repeal process is still underway, advocates would be best maintaining their attention until the policy is formally (and finally) retired, especially when some officers are still facing DADT discharge hearings.

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to the U.S. Army Photostream.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Storm W.

12:29PM PDT on Apr 6, 2011

Do you really want to know what will cause a "mass exodus" from the military, GOP? Try blocking progress on the budget that will result in a government shut-down, when our SOLDIERS will continue to fight on behalf of this country with NO PAY until you get your heads out of your posterior orifices. If I had a family to feed and my EoS was coming up, you can bet I wouldn't wait around to see if you jerked around with NEXT year's budget with procrastinating and partisan politicking.

April 6
send a green star

Marianne C.

11:57PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

William Y:

You said it.

Christianity is supposed be be based upon the teachings of Christ. He wasn't a fundamentalist, nor was he a conservative. He was a rebel, a revolutionary, a reformer, a radical, a progressive. He believed in equality between men in women, that women had rights in marriage, that sexual "ins" were fairly inconsequential, and that man had no business judging others. He taught love, inclusion, forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance, compassion, mercy, and charity as the true path to spirituality. He did not prefer the rich and powerful to the poor and downtrodden. He told us that religion and government should be separate: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. Render unto the Lord that which is the Lord's."

He told us we should pray for our enemies, even love them, that we should do good for those who were spiteful to us, that we should make peace, that we should love one another.

Our modern right wing extremists not only reject those teachings, but try to reverse them. They try to do the exact opposite of what Christ taught, and hope that by doing it in his name, to make it holy.

It doesn't work that way. You can't be a "fundamentalist Christian" because a man cannot serve two masters. You can be EITHER a fundamentalist OR a Christian, but not both at the same time, because the two philosophies contradict each other. Right wing extremism fails to understand that.

Law is law and religion is religion. Two separate entities.

April 5
send a green star

William Y.

9:27PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

Christopher Fowler says, "The GOP has become the political arm of the church, trying to turn this nation against the successes created under a secular government and trying to turn it into a theocracy, which history has shown to fail in every instance."

Actually it is the political arm of the right-wing Pseudo-Christians

kenny s.

7:29PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

Vote DEMOCRAT in 2012. Keep this imaginary "god" out of OUR government.

Shell S.

6:37PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

Sigh....sending loving kindness to the GOP. May they find their method to their intended essence. Namaste

Wayne M.

2:01PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

The Republicans need to "put a royal sock in it"!

If they were true conservatives, they would be pushing for more people to serve in the armed forces as a matter of duty to country-- particularly since the United States is currently involved in at least two situations of armed conflict.

Laura T.

1:32PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

They need to grow up and get their minds out of other people's bedrooms. And anyone quoting Leviticus I would remind them that it also approves of slavery...provided the slaves are not from your country. Also that raped women are not fit for marriage, that people who have orgasms, semen emissions, menses, need to be ritually cleansed because they are 'unclean'. Food cannot be eaten more than two days after being prepared (there goes leftovers frozen or not) and you can't plant more than one crop in a field. It also spends an inordinate amount of time on telling how, when and why to do a burnt offering. There is much more but whoever wrote it... seriously he was a headcase.

Jamie C.

1:24PM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

Give the GOP something real to gripe about throw them all out of office.

Drusilla P.

11:21AM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

Some people are too interested in what other people do in bed...

Thanks for the post.

Christopher F.

9:59AM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

The GOP has become the political arm of the church, trying to turn this nation against the successes created under a secular government and trying to turn it into a theocracy, which history has shown to fail in every instance.