Gates To Military Who Object To Serving With Gays: "You Are The American Military & We Will Do This"

[Hissyspit]

'Don't Ask' Repeal Would Not Be 'Wrenching,' Gates Says
Categories: Military, National News
02:14 pm

November 30, 2010

by MARK MEMMOTT

A survey of men and women in the military, and a study of what would likely happen, shows that repealing the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy would not produce "the wrenching, dramatic change that many have feared and predicted," Defense Secretary Robert Gates just said. As we reported earlier, the Pentagon is today releasing its report on repeal of the policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. military.

The House has already passed legislation to repeal don't ask, don't tell, and "I strongly urge the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the president for his signature before the end of this year," Gates said. His concern: If action is delayed, courts may become even more involved in the issue and that could make the Pentagon's job more difficult.

- snip -

Update at 2:25 p.m. ET: Asked about members of the military who object to serving with gays, Gates said that if Congress votes to repeal the policy it is expressing the will of the American people. "You are the American military," he would say to any of those who object, "and we will do this."

[uppityperson]

1. Good. Enforce the rules also. GOod.

[Lisa D]

2. Good for Gates.

The military is supposed to follow orders. Most of these soldiers will soon discover that ending DADT will not be a 'scary' as they feared.

[gratuitous]

3. Who does Gates think he is?

He can't just order the troops around like that! Freedumb!

[Oceansaway]

4. K&R...n/t

[kestrel91316]

5. When the order comes down from the top, the only soldiers we WANT

to serve will obey without question. The others? We don't want their kind anyway.

[mitchtv]

6. talk is cheap

Although I hope for the best, personally I will be amazed if it passes.

[dgibby]

7. In 22yrs of military service,

I never once got a vote on policy/rules/regs, and I was a senior officer. We did what we were told to do when we were told to do it. The only time I refused to obey an order by a CO was when the order he issued was illegal.

IMO, anyone who resists this needs to go, esp. the Commanding of the USMC. If he can't implement changes to DADT, he should resign his position and retire. Why he was ever promoted to that position in the first place is a mystery to me, considering his objections to repeal of DADT.

[joeybee12]

8. Yup, the military is not a democracy...

orders come from on top, and you obey them...it's that simple.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

9. Except that Congress won't vote to repeal DADT, so it's all just posturing.

The only serious hope for DADT repeal is the courts, and Obama is actively trying to stifle that one.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

10. paranoia or evidence? n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

11. Simple maths - the numbers are not there.

Repealing DADT would require the number of Republicans in Congress for to be a lot larger than the number of Democrats against.