New Pentagon Rules for Discharging Gays

As predicted in a post early this morning, Secretary of Defense Gates did announce new Pentagon rules today for discharging gays under DADT. While DADT continues to be an abomination - as are its Uber -Christian supporters like Elaine Donnelly - I hope these new rules will reduce the witch hunts and anonymous "outings" that have been a reality in areas with large military personnel populations. Currently, our military has recruited (and continues to recruit) convicted felons, those without high school diplomas, and others with questionable records. But honorable, intelligent, and decorated gays are persona non grata. Truly a f*cked reality. Here are highlights from the New York Times on the new rules:
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday approved new rules that will make it harder to discharge gays from the military, calling the changes a matter of ''common sense and common decency." . . . rules which essentially put higher-ranking officers in charge of discharge proceedings and impose tougher requirements for evidence used against gays.
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The new guidelines go into effect immediately and will apply to cases already open. . . . To discourage the use of overheard statements or hearsay, from now on any evidence given in third-party outings must be given under oath, Gates said. Cases of third-party outings also have included instances in which male troops have turned in women who rejected their romantic advances or jilted partners in relationship have turned in a former lover.
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Some kinds of confidential information also will no longer be allowed, including statements gays make to their lawyers, clergy, psychotherapists or medical professionals in the pursuit of health care.
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Nathaniel Frank, a senior research fellow with the Palm Center, which supports a repeal of the ban, said it is unclear how much of an impact the new guidelines would have because regulations already restrict third-party allegations. ''Anything that continues to allow the discharge of service members for something that research shows has no bearing on military effectiveness will not go far enough,'' Frank said.

The Rantings of An Uber Christianist Lunatic

This morning I did a post discussing Google's decision to oppose Proposition 8 which would take away the right of gays to marry in California. I guess I should have known that the post would be simply too much for the Uber Christian crowd - who think this country exists ONLY for them and their fanatic beliefs and take a f*ck everyone else approach to legal rights - to pass up. Sure enough, I received a loony as bat shit comment from someone who used the name Karen Grube (the profile was bogus since "Karen" is apparently a gutless wonder) letting loose hate directed at Google's Sergey Brin, the California Supreme Court, and of course gays.

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Among the writer's rantings were the standard thread about boycotting Google. Frankly, given the extreme ignorance and anti-knowledge/intelligence mindset of most Christianists, I was a bit surprised he/she was savvy enough to set up a bogus blogger profile. However, he/she made up for that surprise by ranting on ad nauseaum in favor of what best can be described as mob majority (i.e., lynch mob) rule. The writer demonstrated that they were utterly clueless as to the separation of powers among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government and the role of the courts in PROTECTING the rights of minorities from the majority.

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As I have noted before, one has to wonder how people end up so delusional and full of hate that they embrace a hate based version of religion and seek to marginalize - or worse - minority groups who differ from them in skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. I can only conclude that someone that takes such a course has SERIOUS emotional and mental health issues them self. "Karen Grube" certainly struck me as one in need of very serious mental health (probably residential) treatment. That he/she thought I'd publish their comments is equally delusional. My policy is to never expose my readers to bat shit crazy, hate-filled bile written by those whose parents sadly failed to use effective birth control.