Can Obama Avoid 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' For Long?

Perhaps one of the most discriminatory policies enacted against gay people, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" could be something that Obama can't avoid much longer. That was the policy of Clinton - just avoid it and then we can leave it for the next guy to deal with. Well, Bush was the next guy and no way was he about to repeal it.

So now it goes to President Obama. His advisers have already told him to avoid the issue ... but can he?

The White House might not get to decide on the timing of this issue. A storm has been brewing in the blog world and on cable TV over Dan Choi, an officer in the National Guard who received notice that he'll be discharged after admitting he is gay on the Rachel Maddow Show in March. Choi, who recently returned from a tour in Iraq, is a fluent Arabic speaker - a skill the military needs and sorely lacks.


Rachel Maddow Interviews Lt. Dan Choi

Obama could simply sign an executive order directing the military to stop investigating the sexual orientation of members, effectively rendering the policy inactive. Over time, the military will just have to accept the fact that all people are equal, not just heterosexual people.

If this policy is not repealed soon, it is going to cost the government and military millions in lawsuits. That is something we cannot afford in this time of recession.

Really, would you rather have a gay soldier save your life or not have one there to save you at all?

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 10, 2009 and is filed under , , . You can leave a response and follow any responses to this entry through the Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) .
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3 comments

Lisa  
May 10, 2009 at 7:02 PM

Very good article and video! I hope that Pres. Obama does follow through with his promise to repeal the "Don't ask,don't tell
. policy. It's the right thing to do. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with whether you are a good soldier or not. And Lt. Choi's colleagues backed that up by what they told him after they found out that he was gay...that it didn't matter.

Karen  
May 11, 2009 at 1:46 AM

Your last statement is the crux of this issue to me. It applies to all aspects of life. Should it matter that it's a gay, lesbian, heterosexual, black, white, asian, hispanic, male, female, old person, young person??? My first husband was a black man and I am white, my parents were against this relationship from the start because they are both prejudice. When my son, from another man, was talking to my mother one day, he was telling her about his friend from school. She asked him if this friend was black or white. He looked her straight in the eye and said.......Grandma, he's my friend, does it matter?? He was just 6 years old at the time. I was so proud of him i could have burst. That goes to show you that prejudice is learned, you're not born with it.

Anonymous  
May 11, 2009 at 10:17 AM

i hope they don't. I have nothing against gays or anything of that sort. but if everyone starts stating what orientation they are it's going to make things more difficult in the military. right now the barracks are set up girls share dorms guys share the other. if you start having people state their sexual orientation then they're going to have to split it up even more to make sure that no problems happen.

I also like the dont ask dont tell, because I'm a firm believer in it's nobodies business who or what you would prefer to sleep with.

I know for a fact that their are PLENTY of gays and lesbians who are happy to be in the military and have no problem with the the dont ask dont tell. they are still able to stay true themselves without flaunting it around.

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