Posted on 08/10/2007 9:20:07 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Senator Susan Collins ignored thousands of letters delivered to her office beseeching her to allow gays in the military, and polls suggesting that as many as 79 percent of Americans believe gays should be able to serve openly in the armed forces.
And though her office was barely cajoled into issuing a bland two-sentence statement for a Phoenix story three months ago (see “Ducking the Question,” by Tony Giampetruzzi, May 11), she’s starting to sing with the choir now, crediting a gay retired admiral from Maine who recently sat down with her to tell her his thoughts on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the law that requires gays to camouflage their personal lives if they want to keep serving (and to avoid being “outed” by comrades with personal beefs).
At a hearing last week leading up to the Senate confirmation vote on whether Admiral Michael Mullen should be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a single question from Collins signaled that her thinking had changed, prefaced with the admission that the unnamed gay admiral “urged [her] to urge [Mullen] to reexamine” DADT.
“Admiral Mullen, this morning you described our troops as being strained and stretched. And this is a concern that I share and that I think every member of this panel shares. We’ve seen longer deployments, more waivers granted to recruits with criminal records. We’ve actually seen an extension of the age limit for recruits. We’ve also experienced considerable difficulty in filling specialty positions such as for linguists, which are obviously very important in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Collins, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Press reports have said that more than 50 Arabic linguists have been discharged from our armed forces since the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was instituted,” she continued. “In addition to the loss of translators, the estimates are that there were more than 11,000 other service members that have been separated since ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was instituted by Congress back in the early ’90s. In your view, should we reevaluate this policy?”
Mullen’s stammered answer saying he supported the policy and wants Congress to make its own decisions didn’t amount to much; her question caused the most reaction.
A source close to Collins tells the Phoenix she is likely to become the lead Republican senator backing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would reverse DADT and create a non-discrimination policy for the military. The bill is picking up sponsors in the House, and activists have long hoped Collins would join them to take the debate to the Senate.
“We hope that she will now be a part of the effort to topple the law and put a non-discrimination law in its place, particularly if she takes a leadership role in the Senate,” says Steve Ralls, spokesman for the SLDN, a group advocating for the repeal of DADT.
“Currently, we don’t know if we have the votes to be victorious in the Senate, but Collins could be very instrumental in educating people in her own party. Her support could move this forward by leaps and bounds,” says Ralls. So could poll numbers: A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 79 percent of Americans favor allowing gays to serve openly; only 18 percent are opposed. Moreover, Republicans now tilt 49 percent to 42 percent in favor of repeal, according to a June survey by Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio.
Why did Collins shift now? She is up for reelection in 2008, and her opponent’s camp sees that as the reason.
“An original co-sponsor of legislation to lift the ban, [US Representative] Tom Allen has been a consistent supporter of equality and an opponent of the flawed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” says Valerie Martin, campaign manager for Allen, who is challenging Collins. “It seems as though a tough election-year challenge may be part of Susan Collins’s potential change of heart.”
Perhaps she is playing politics, but those champing at the bit to repeal DADT may just consider the ranking Republican a better ally in the war against the policy than a senator-wannabe who has opposed the law from the very beginning.
Barf is right.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“don’t ask, don’t tell” has always been a matter of unit morale based on sexual attraction, disease, blood borne pathogen, first aid, and morality.
It has absolutely nothing to do with fairness. The military is NOT fair. Otherwise, there would be no basis for preventing 400 pound teenagers from joining. We discriminate against them for MISSION reasons.
DADT is a way of saying: It’s not appropriate for someone who’s attracted to the same sex to be here, but your thoughts are your own. Make sure you don’t act on them.
People in the military have to bunk and shower together, don’t they? Men and women are put in separate barracks so that there’s no hanky-panky. But there would be nowhere to put openly gay men or women.
I would hope that even in a liberal toilet like Maine there are plenty of decent people left who will tell Collins that she better not help the sodomites and the Democrats foist their sick agenda on the US military.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
There might be nowhere to put gay men and women but there would STILL be rules AGAINST unwanted sexual harassment or prohibited fraternization.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
If "anti-discrimination" laws (or even "hate crime" provisions) protecting the sodomite class are made part of the UCMJ, there will be normal Marines, soldiers, and sailors brought up on charges fifty times a week for simply saying things like, "What are you looking at, you faggot?" in squad bays around the world.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
You’re right - there should be a full ban. I used to support DADT, back when it was a liberal position to hold. I thought questioning someone was too much like the Thought Police.
Now look where we are: Today DADT is called a rightwing policy, and now people want to serve openly. So, I see your point.
But, if not a full ban, I’d insist on keeping DADT, rather than allow people to serve openly.
Send them all to a single unit specifically made for them and make sure they are the first to the front lines ;)
Personally, I'd like to see those polls because I think if that was reality the gay community would be shouting it from the rooftops. However, even IF this were true, my guess is they didn't poll anyone actually IN the military. IMO, they're the ones who's opinions matter here.
Cindie
I have a long understanding and appreciation of the terrible all-embracing hold that this vice can have on a man and an even greater conviction that one should move heaven and earth to prevent any soul from being sucked into the homosexual vortex.
How did the MSM miss the Senator Susan Collins - (R) part?
Collins is just another insurance policy why no senator, past or present will be elected to the WH, thank Heavens.
This kind of stuff is really going to hurt her in her re-election fight against uberliberal Tom Allen. She has made too many mistakes that are going to keep the base from even holding their noses and voting for her. Shes going to be a goner in 08 I think. Im a Mainer and the few conservatives up here are at the end of our ropes with her. BTW, lots of rumors up here about her sexual preferences.
Under either the old no homosexual or the “don’t ask, don’t tell,” homosexuals have been in hiding in the military.
Even under the old policy, there was no hunt to find out who was or wasn’t. It has always been that when a homosexual soldier was IDd that he would then be ushered out of service.
They hid then. They hide now. When found they’re put out. Really, it is no different.
Not an independent source.
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