Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell Overturned

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gays_military#mwpphu-container

This is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. They need millitary spending and they refuse it on the grounds that it would allow more people into the army.

Its sickening that American homophobia has reached Stupid Evil levels. I don't even thing the GOP senators are represeting their voters anymore. This study shows that even most conservatives support this now.

And I'm even more dissapointed that most of the comments seem to support this. Even one treating mentioning your have a boyfriend like wearing a fursuit in public (no offense to more moderate furries).

So why can't we kick this policy in the but?

I wonder if they're afraid that if it's not forbidden, it will become mandatory, Sacred Band of Thebes style.

Do you know why they failed to gain enough votes?

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine)  ^*

"It's not not fair. I am a strong supporter of repealing DADT, It's not fair to block out amendments from people who disagree with my position. For the life of me, I don't understand why the majority leader doesn't bring this to the floor and allow free and open debate from both sides. That would be fair."

42 others shared the same opinion.

So in essence the reason why it failed was because Harry Reid wanted to play politics on the issue and ram it through like everything else along with a thinly veiled attempt at amnesty.

Make no mistake, I have no love for DADT (A Democrat put the policy in place anyways) but I have a lot less love for such idiotic politicking.

edited 21st Sep '10 2:40:36 PM by MajorTom

I have words not suitable to say in On-Topic Conversations.

Tom, clearly 42 senators did not vote no on that bill just because it was tied to a spending bill, because I guarantee you all 42 of those senators have themselves attached totally irrelevant riders to other bills.

^ Of course they have. Why do you think the Tea Party idea of throw all 535 bums presently serving out is popular?

^ Because the Mad Hatter put mind control cards in people's hat bands?

^ If only it were that awesomely sinister...

I'm guessing this was a token effort by the Democrats since there wasn't a big hullabaloo about it on the news (unless I missed some lead up) like with HCR. I'm guessing they're going to try and bring it back up later.

I'm a little confused: This was the Defense Authorization Bill that got voted down, right? And wasn't today the last legislative meeting for the season? I swear I know the terminology better then this, I'm just a little off right now... So...is the Army going to get defunded, or am I completely confused?

No, the Democrats just suck at messaging.

Anyway, yes, blame the Democrats. Shame on them for trying to have an agenda, instead of folding to what the minority party wants. Voting against this on the grounds of its DADT provision is abhorrent, and Susan Collins is a hypocritical, lying bag of shit.

IT's Xanatos Speed Chess. I mean, you know that next time some republican brings up how they Support Our Troops that the Dems are gonna be "Then why did you vote NO on this military funding bill? You fucking PACIFIST!"

Just as Planned

@Major Tom: If Sen. Reid wanted it to pass, then why did he vote no?

^ I read that was for procedural reasons...

What if some of us want to see our military go about all Sacred Band of Thebes style? Mmmmm...

/cough

Anyways, it's all dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. There are some social policies that will require a good deal more time to change since we have way too many loud people with pine trees up their collective ass.

This is not one of them.

edited 21st Sep '10 5:03:53 PM by Bur

If Republicans had been allowed to take this bill and amend it, they would have either 1. Pushed DADT out of it, or 2. Sat on it until the next Congress, when they could pass their own, DADT-free bill. Forcing a vote on this bill was the only way Reid could get a vote on DADT before November, and Republicans blocked it for purely political reasons, or because of DADT. Being outraged at Reid 'ramming through' legislation has nothing to do with it.

And yes, Reid changed his vote at the last minute because this allows him to re-introduce the bill at a later date.

Ok.

Huh.

As for why opposing gays in the military would play well today, it's all about the fact that extremists in both parties contribute more campaign contributions and volunteer time than anyone else.

So the next time it goes up for vote needs to be in a "Lame Duck" session right? Or else it'll have to get through a Republican-Majority Congress?

The House, at least.

^ Of course they have. Why do you think the Tea Party idea of throw all 535 bums presently serving out is popular?

Because the elite of this country have brainwashed the American people into acting against their own interest and voting what are effectively class enemies for 90% of the population of this country into power, or at least into the primaries. The Tea Party are the most dangerous group of politicians in the entire country.

edited 21st Sep '10 5:56:29 PM by WoolieWool

Especially since they've gone from "Libertarian" to "even more conservative than the regular Republicans."

And the House's Republicans tend to be more doctrinaire than the Senate's. The big reason stuff stalls out in the Senate is just because party unity or lack thereof is so essential. But the House members (Dems too) only have districts to worry about, and so the incentive actually runs to be as ridiculous as possible.

^^ Libertarians are mostly plutocrats who disguise giving corporations even more leeway to fuck you in the ass as individual rights, or people who have been duped by said plutocrats to believe that anyway. "Corporatists" would be a better name for them.

I'm afraid that the public's aren't going to do anything about this until life is absolutely unbearable for them, and then the public's course of action would be a violent revolution that leads to some horrible despotic form of government (historically a far more likely outcome of a revolution than what happened in the 1770s) or gets beaten to the punch by a military coup. The United States becoming the world's largest Banana Republic, doesn't that sound fun?

edited 21st Sep '10 6:10:35 PM by WoolieWool