Posted on 12/20/2010 11:56:32 AM PST by LonelyCon
One week after warning the distraction of repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” could risk Marines’ lives, Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, pledged to lead the effort to integrate openly gay Marines.
“I, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps [Carlton Kent], will personally lead this effort, thus ensuring the respect and dignity due all Marines,” Amos said. “On this matter, we look forward to further demonstrating to the American people the discipline and loyalty that have been the hallmark of the United States Marine Corps for over 235 years."
Amos’ statement sent to reporters came Sunday evening, one day after the Senate adopted the repeal, capping a stunning, climactic day on the chamber floor.
Marine Corps leaders have shown the most resistance to repealing the 17-year old law. Former commandant Gen. James Conway said the Corps’ “pretty macho” recruits set them apart from other services.
On Dec. 3, Amos – who became the 35th commandant in October – and the chiefs of the Army and Air Force told Congress they did not want repeal now, based on the results of a DOD troop survey. The survey found Marines in combat arms units much more opposed to the repeal than other elements of the force, or the complete military.
[Snip]
Here is Amos’ full statement:
"Fidelity is the essence of the United States Marine Corps. Above all else, we are loyal to the Constitution, our Commander in Chief, Congress, our Chain of Command, and the American people. The House of Representatives and the Senate have voted to repeal Title 10, US Code 654 "Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the United States Armed Forces." As stated during my testimony before Congress in September and again during hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, the Marine Corps will step out smartly to faithfully implement this new policy. I, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, will personally lead this effort, thus ensuring the respect and dignity due all Marines. On this matter, we look forward to further demonstrating to the American people the discipline and loyalty that have been the hallmark of the United States Marine Corps for over 235 years."
(the commies are celebrating...and the so-called “Right” and the Military are helping them...the more we give them, the more they take)
The Culture War Ain’t What It Used to Be.
Jonathan Bernstein makes an excellent point about the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell:
[T]his issue will now promptly go away, entirely. Oh, we’ll have a bit of reporting on implementation, but seriously: does anyone think that Republicans are going to run in 2012 on re-instating DADT? Or, even less plausibly, on re-instating the ban that DADT replaced? Forget it. It’s possible to believe that a DADT vote could be used in a GOP primary down the road, but it’s utterly implausible to believe that the policy would ever be revived, no matter what happens in the 2012 (or any future cycle) elections.
With the possible exception of John McCain, pretty much every conservative knew they were going to lose this argument eventually. And many of them know they’re going to lose the argument on marriage equality, too. As Jon Chait asks, “it was only six years ago that Republicans used the bogeyman of gay marriage to help win a presidential election. Does anybody expect that to happen again?”
Outside of some local issues and races in the South, we’ve reached a point where The Gay Menace just doesn’t have much political potency anymore. Not that that means the culture war will disappear and all we’ll talk about is economics forevermore. We’ve still got the anti-Muslim culture war (Rep. Peter King, the new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will be holding hearings on the threat posed by American Muslims, which should be a veritable hate-apalooza). And there’s always the War On Secularism. Truth is, the culture war never ends, it just shifts its focus. A hundred years from now, we’ll be arguing about whether advocates of the Robot Citizenship Act of 2111 hate God and America and everything we believe in.
But it’s never bad to remind ourselves that with the important exception of abortion rights, the culture war moves in only one direction, and that direction is the one progressives want. In all of the spheres the culture war touches on, we’re a more progressive country than we used to be. Gay people can serve in the military, women can own property, beating children is generally frowned-upon, and so on. You can say that’s simply the march of modernity, but whatever you want to call it, it’s a long line of victories for progressives values.
And as a bonus to the weekend’s developments, this group of bigots need never be heard from again.
— Paul Waldman
Your response says it all. Thanks.
As a former Army officer, I consider obeying my oath one of the things I *must* do. That oath says I must support the Constitution. The Constitution says, as a poster has pointed out previously, that Congress has the authority to dictate the regulations under which the military operates. So, yes, were I still on active duty, I would consider upholding the oath as something I *must* do.
Jacquerie,
In speaking to Flycatcher and Trisham, you speak of “homosexuals” as if there were such a thing. This implies a class, group, or species of human who carry a trait which sets them apart from other groups sufficiently enough to warrant a descriptive title. Yet, in all of the most recent studies of DNA we find no scientific support of anything producing this trait. So, in fact, scientific fact that is, there is no species known to be homosexual.
We do have humans pursuing homosexual behavior. This is an action, not a state of being. Trisham and Flycatcher both make this distinction.
Sincerely,
Daisy Mae
But there are other duties in play here. See my post 172.
Holy mackerel.
Thank you for stating the obvious. I swear, this thread could be evidence that FR's been overrun with Westboro Baptist members lately.
What response? I asked you a question.
That’s exactly right.
Would this be an SA at FR? Throwing the “westboro baptist” grenade and hoping to see everyone scatter?
I do not believe that anyone is born "homosexual". Rather, I believe it is a form of mental illness caused by a traumatic event, or more likely, a series of traumatic events. Like many other forms of mental illness, it can be cured. It is a cruel thing to tell someone that they are born this way, and why some would prefer that to trying to help those so afflicted I do not understand.
You are welcome, Trisham. There is a spiritual war going on and I am on the Lord’s side.
I think the repeal of DADT is awful. There is no doubt that it will negatively affect the effectiveness of the most professional military force in history.
How does allowing openly homosexual people in the military violate God's law? It does not, anymore than the admittance of homos in your church does.
For violations of Natural Law, consider that our government has become an instrument of plunder, giving the property of one to another, it violates contracts, government provides funds to kill the unborn . . . the list goes on.
Homosexuality is sin against God. Allowing sinners into the military is not a violation of God's Law.
Military officers (and enlisted, for that matter) don't get to decide or debate the morality of a given order -- only the legality. Officers are only free to disobey illegal orders, not orders they consider immoral.
There's good reason for this. What happens if my superior officer believes that various sexual acts within a marriage are immoral and orders me not to perform them with my own wife? Or if my superior officer believes that marriage itself is immoral and that all soldiers should be single ascetics? It's a way to prevent officers from injecting their personal beliefs and opinions into their commands.
I asked if you would obey an immoral order. You gave no answer.
Now you are comparing FReepers to the Westboro Baptist Church?
The principle is "military obedience to civilian authority".
The chain of command is president-secretary of defense-chairman of the joint chiefs, etc., down to this guy. Our disgusting and despicable congress just passed a law creating this appalling situation, which has surely been signed into law by our equally disgusting and despicable president.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps has three choices: 1) pretend it's an illegal order and refuse to obey; 2) resign and lambaste congress and obummer for their crap; 3) act like a Marine and do his best to follow orders.
He's doing #3. Leadership implies followership, even if you don't like the orders.
And I asked you.
Still waiting.
Uh, I don't know what you mean by SA.
I said it because, reading through some of the posts here, I half expected to see someone simply post "God hates fags" and be done with it.
God bless you, FRiend. :)
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