I'm wondering, did they do the same when allowing minorities to serve in the military, or when they allowed the military to integrate the units?

I served with blacks, latinos, gays and women. I had superiors who were black, latinos, gays and women. Hell, at one point, my platoon sergeant, squad leader, and assistant squad leader were all women, and one was black.

It seems to me that our military leaders are just now recognizing that a lot of ignorant, uneducated, prejudiced people serve in our military…

Impact on them and their families? What the hell does that mean? How on earth could it affect a serviceman's family if he serves with someone gay? That's absolute nonsense and scare tactics and appeal to “family values” hardliners.

they should vote to repeal the law with implementation to occur starting January 1, 2011 based on taking suggestions from the plan recommendations that are due Dec 1, 2010. During the interim, discharges are stopped and those personnel temporarily reassigned back to the states in non-combat roles. Then then can get reassigned in Jan 1, 2011 per the new plan.

I should be Commander In Chief, because it seems like we don't have one now.

“It seems to me that our military leaders are just now recognizing that a lot of ignorant, uneducated, prejudiced people serve in our military.”, you are dead on target. I think they knew for a long time that the military was a place where people like that could hide out and act that way by using the cover of he or she is your superior officer to hide their contempt, hatred and intolerance. And your right, they didn't use a poll or whatever he's doing to decide if minorities should serve in the military or if they should desegregate the military. What they did was their commander in chief said this will happen and they did it. And the ones that didn't like it or didn't do it got slammed for it and/or arrested for disobeying a lawful order.

Something else should be gleemed from that statement of Gates. What I took from it by reading through the lines is that he's afraid that the military won't do what their Commander in Chief tells them to do, in essence a soft or quiet mutiny. This is what happens when you give the wink and a nod to hatred and intolerance, eventually you get to a point that it's not covert anymore, it's overt. We see it in our society in increasing numbers, and since the military reflects our society we see it in our military. And just because someone is religious doesn't make them any less intolerant, in fact they can be more intolerant because in the game of whos the god man every religion thinks they are right and the rest are wrong.

We have allowed this cancer to keep grown and know it's in every part of this body we call America. And to be honest with you it may just end up killing this body and changing the US from the United States of America to a bunch of regions goverened and controlled by different groups. Welcome to America, the land where you can be free including to be free to hate.

You are right on target, sadly.

And yes, when the hatred and intolerance becomes mainstream, like we are seeing right now all over our country, there has to be concern that a “soft mutiny” could happen in our military.

My cousin grew up in Austin, TX (fantastic city, btw) and then moved to Connecticut. One time I was talking to her about the prejudice I saw that was so open in Texas (I lived there for 7 years, 3 while serving at Ft. Hood, and 4 while attending UT Austin), and I assumed it was that way everywhere in the south. Her response to me was “Don't kid yourself, it's everywhere, just less overt in the north”. She was correct, and it took Obama becoming president for me to see it.

The difference is the religious right. The last stand of the religious right is keeping gays out of the military and marriage. Once those are enacted what will the religious right do? So, I guarantee you, you've got some religious right wing nutjobs threatening Gates with quitting and/or mutiny. During peacetime the repeal would sail through but with two wars going on, the threat contains weight. How would Obama look if a bunch of top generals running the war suddenly quit over this? The progressives would say good riddance but the independents would blame Obama. And the repubs and the neocons would have a field day.

Gates and Obama want to wait until after August when all but those 50,000 troops have returned so if generals quit, they can replace them without a lot of fanfare.

Gay, black, male, female who cares ? They all stop a bullet the same.

YES..
Thanks to you both

It seems to me that rawstory mindlessly repeating a bunch of fear mongering crap from war criminal Gates on why this country should continue to treat the GBLT community like dirt.

There are many ways raw could report this, one would include covering from the GBLT perspective instead of giving us the lies of Gates straight up.
As for rawstorys bendoverbackwards effort to claim that Gates is some sort of Bush holdover. That is BS. He is a neocon pig, loved by Bush, true. But Obama has embraced him and kept him in charge and has full ownership of Gates. Christ, the lies around here seem to be getting bigger.
Obama and Gates.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=…

http://www.alternet.org/world/123508/obama_gath…

http://www.truthout.org/topstories/111409jl01

Gates and Obama are tight. Gates is attacking Gay people, again. Obama apologists are trying to do damage control, again.

Lots of interesting reading. Thanks.

I think Obama has been trying hard not to antagonize those who he thinks are most dangerous in the US, and especially those most likely to want to try to assassinate him. I have a hard time believing even Obama predicted the amount of anger and antagonism would result simply from him being elected president.

What is going on right now is such a sad demonstration of just how backwards America really is. Seems Edwards was right, we do live in two America's, the enlightened America and the willfully-ignorant America.

“Gay people, again. Obama apologists are trying to do damage control, again.”

Obama is anti-gay marriage himself, as he has openly stated. So yeah, they're on the same page.

Screw Gates and everyone like him. They should shut up and follow orders.

Frankly I hope the “Rapture” is true. The sooner these religious bigots are taken up and out of our hair the better. The world will be better off without them.

go Cheney yourself, Gates.

and if Obama would grow a pair, he'd get rid of this POS and get moving on a campaign promise.

gutless fucktards.

DADT was a hard fought for compromise during the early part of Clinton's presidency. At first Bill Clinton tried to have gays serve in the military by executive order. But the Pentagon led by Colin Powell himself openly refused to obey the lawful order from the Commander in Chief. It was a military mutiny. And the military has the guns. America is the world's craziest militaristic country, and what the Pentagon does not want, does not happen. It doesn't matter what Obama wants just as it didn't matter what Clinton wanted . . . all that matters in America is what the people with guns are willing to accept.

Since when does a General or any officer “survey” the troops about how to do anything?
Stonewalling is stonewalling!

Exactly. When the CIC says “JUMP”, Gates should ONLY open his mouth to ask “HOW HIGH, SIR! YES, SIR!!”

Because homosexuality is contagious. There is a hand spray I heard you can carry with you in case you encounter one.

(/sarcasm)

Perhaps he is afraid to face his own ill-defined sexual identity?

I thought Gates was only hanging around for a year? So much more good could be done… Oh well :-/

uncle tom black bush is very proud to keep neocon secdef gates & his cia connections
cheney just had a bit of a mix up with those missing b52 nuke warheads
you go to war with what you have not what you need
extortion blackmail bribery

Do you think that Sec. Gates talking Congress out of passing DADT repeal is part of any good plan though.

the old white guys are afraid of a few gay men. sad, sad ,sad.

Since when do appointed cabinet members “warn” Congress about what laws to pass?
This is the new “real world” where the Mr. Prissies dictate the laws.

Did you hear that Women will be allowed in submarine duty– what’s next? Chimps in uniform!.
Regarding Homos in military–did you read sometime ago that America funded a company to come out with a Homo bomb that desperses a gas to convert the enemy troops in gays. Just imagine what the end result would be– What a sight numerous rear enders :^/

As a Captain in the Army 68-70 in the Medical Service Corps.. it was clear then, and likely remains true that there are a large number of Gay men and women serving in our armed services. I would be more fearful of all of the people who are glbt serving leaving the forces than any of the Generals.. ( a fair percentage of whom may be gay too).

While no one can be sure of any other person's motive for service, I'd guess that the preponderance of motives are those of service to country, and patriotism, and on and on for gays just the same as for straights.

If there is a problem with sexual predation it can be dealt with under the current UCMJ.. the problem of male's raping females is a very much larger problem than homophobic worries of being in the same space as an out gay person. Dr John A Olsen

Hey General, By stating that you need to consult with the troops, do you mean all those “Christian” ones that have been making policy for the past 9 years? I could see back in the 70's where the military was headed, and that is the reason I decided to cut and run rather than spending another 10 years with a bunch of xtian nut cases running around.. Now that I am French, I don't have any problems with religion. You keep religion away from me and I keep away from your churches…

And you wonder why the rest of the world thinks that you in the USA are crazy???

It's a ruse, to kick the can down the road, across the election, to a less gay friendly congress. Then they will cry crocodile tears when it can't be passed. We're being snookered. If a delay really is needed they will support passage this year in the DAB with a delay built in to implementation, just like the HCR, won't they? Won't they?