When will Obama end Don't Ask Don't Tell?

There are a few things regarding "DADT" and its repercussions.

1. It's expensive. Over 500 million dollars has been spent retraining personnel, funding investigations and recruitment fees.

2. It promotes hate. Not just gays but anyone even suspected of being gay is harassed by peers and has to debate whether to report it for fear of losing everything.

3. Sabotages future jobs. Gay soldiers are given anything but honorable discharges (no surprise) and those are the exact one's that can prevent you from getting a job, for years even.

4. It's based on "old house-wife" superstition. In fact the only science involved actually disproves the effectiveness of "DADT."

If you join the Military to be an individual, to be "seen" and "known" for anything less than your service, than your in the wrong place!

In the Military there are no White's, Black's, Brown's, or Yellow's!

In the Military, you are GREEN! You are lite GREEN or dark GREEN, but you are GREEN!

GREEN, NOT PINK!

What does serve openly really mean?

Does it mean if I were in the service you'd find it necessary to share your sexual exploits with me or that I should tolerate flirting?

There is no way in hell that being open about butt-effing contributes to the mission or moral or anything else. For your information, the same standard should apply for straight people. If it doesn't relate to your job... don't bring it to work.

And I have served in the military (alongside gay people that left their private affairs away from "the office").

Why the F**K is it so imperative for sexual orientation to be discussed in the military? There are missions that need executing, period. Freely discussing what some may find offensive is an irrelevant distraction accomplishing that mission. There are proper venues for expressing your beliefs... the military is not one of those places. It depends entirely upon a chain of command that takes the thinking out of the equation, and for good reason. If it were a pulpit for coming out than productivity would suffer. Just focus on the mission at and and keep your private lives private. Seriously.

How many of you have served in the military? Hello? Anyone?......Therefore, your opinion means nothing.

his memory must be FU)KED up from all that WEED he been smoking ~!~ FIRE IT UP !!!! BO; FIRE IT UP !!!!!

he's not telling, so don't ask.

This seems more of an issue for people that have never served than people who have. The arguments employed to prevent repealing the ban are the same pathetic arguments that were utilized to prevent desegregating the military.

In my personal experience, serving 6 years in the navy as a nuclear machinist mate, homosexuality was never used to force people out. I knew people that got out for rainbow chits (said they were gay), they weren't. They, the individual and the command, wanted a quick way to get rid of someone and rainbow chit is the fastest way.I knew people that were openly homosexual and never had a problem. Hell we used to torment the homophobes the same way we tormented the people that were racist (it gave us something to do I guess). If you actually look at the UCMJ, oral sex between consenting adults, even between husband and wife, is sodomy and illegal. Cohabitation between non-married couples is technically illegal. Its what you get when you use a set of laws set up in the 1800's.

The issue is this I found with a lot of the UCMJ. Its very easy to fall victim of it. Hell, I love the general article, which basically means that you are guilty of your command just being pissed at you. I ended up at mast for "Following a lawful order with malicious intent" which is no where in the UCMJ. People that go around trying to get others kicked out for stupid shit, like what they do in their personal life that affects no one else....they don't last long in the military at all. For all intents and purposes, the ruling isn't followed unless there are extenuating circumstances. They might use homosexuality as an excuse to separate someone...but that is never the reason. At least in my experience.

All that said, the UCMJ needs some serious updating. Its like trying to live your life according the freaking Victorian Age standards.

The main question of these days..

Tell me when.

He'll probably do it when he lives up to his other campaign promises. Jus' sayin'

Seriously, though, I would like to know that his Administration has established some kind of guidelines, rules, directives, whatever...governing the manner in which this transition is to occur. I mean, the current rule is "don't ask, don't tell," so the several branches of the armed forces do not, as a rule, require its members to disclose the nature of their sexuality...and the members may maintain their silence.

Well, if that goes away, is there going to be some expectation that all of the gays and lesbians in the military are going to "come out?" Not bloody likely. Are commanding officers now going to be free to inquire? Is a subordinate going to be expected to tell the truth even when he or she knows based on prior knowlege of his or her unit that there will be negative repercussions?

If there ARE negative repercussions, does the existing military code contain all the provisions it needs to handle the transgressors? Would there be any benefit to a bit of training, especially among the junior officers who will be leading these people into combat situations as to how to handle any such conflicts effectively? Don't know...just asking.

I am not advocating additional delay...but I strongly suspect that the foregoing issues and others are among the reasons the decision has not already been announced. Let's face it. If President Obama announced the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and in the aftermath dozens of soldiers were injured and a few killed, it would be politically disastrous. He would be asked why he didn't anticipate such problems by the same people who are screaming for immediate change right now.

Assuming they ARE working on these issues, it would be nice to see the rule change by the end of 2009 or sometime in the first quarter of 2010 at the latest.

Dpn't ask me; I'm not telling...

I cant believe this is news! Gays have always and will always be in the military since the don of time. Just look at the samurai for craps sake. So with or without don’t ask don’t tell your rack mate or head mate may be a FaFaFaFAG oh no what will we do! How will he hold that M-16 A1 with that limp wrist. Good god this crap is killing me aren’t we still at war?

I love this guy.

Stop protesting and actually make them feel the want...make them see. Protests are easily ignored. Do something that they cannot avoid.

When do I want it done? Now.

When does it need to be done? In his first term.

I, despite being gay, understand Obama has some very pressing issues at hand, and I can afford to wait. I also understand that not all gay people can afford to wait.

"The ban on openly gay men and women in the military should be repealed, American voters say 56 - 37 percent" and "Voters reject 58 - 35 percent, including 56 - 39 percent in military households, the argument that allowing openly gay men and women to serve would be divisive . . . " and "57% of Americans support the idea of allowing gays and lesbians to enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships to protect their rights."