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Friday, June 11, 2010
"Repeal Deal" Rammed Through House
On Thursday, May 27, a combination of liberal and misguided legislators exploited or fell for a contrived "Repeal Deal" that began the process of eliminating the 1993 law regarding gays in the military while denying that result and the price that would be paid. This abnegation of congressional authority occurred despite strong letters of opposition from the four military service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
Disregarding the still-unheard views of active-duty personnel worldwide, an impressive array of veterans and civilian groups, and the professional advice of 1,167 retired Flag & General Officers for the Military, the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee voted for an amendment to the 2011 Defense Authorization bill that repeals the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military, Section 654, Title 10, usually mislabeled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).
The House vote was 234-194, with five Republicans defying their party's National Platform by voting for Pennsylvania Democrat Patrick Murphy's amendment for gays in the military. The unfaithful five included Libertarian Ron Paul (TX), Joseph Cao (LA), Charles Djou (HI), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), and Judy Biggert (IL). Twenty-six Democrats, including House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Ike Skelton (MO), senior HASC member Gene Taylor (MS), and the newly-elected congressman Mark Critz (PA) voted "no" on the amendment and supported the current law.
Earlier the same day, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved a similar amendment, 16-12. (15 votes were required.) Sen. Jim Webb (VA) was the only Democrat to vote against the measure, while Sen. Susan Collins (ME) was the only Republican to vote for it.
The House and Senate amendments to the defense bill were cleverly described as a "compromise" even though passage would repeal the 1993 law. Final action will not occur until the Pentagon finishes its review of how it would impact the military, due on December 1. At that point President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen are supposed to "certify" that repeal will not harm "military readiness, military effectiveness and unit cohesion, recruiting/retention, and family readiness that may result from repeal of the law and recommend any actions that should be taken in light of such impacts."
The legislation lacks any definition of these terms, and crystal balls are as scarce as magic wands. Nevertheless, this designated triumvirate of officials (Obama, Gates & Mullen) will have the power to define those phrases and to pull the trigger on the military 60 days after "certification" of their own previously-stated opinions. With Congress and the statute out of the way, the Obama Administration will have full power to impose the full LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) agenda on the military.
Nevertheless, there remains strong dissension among the Service Chiefs and within Congress on this issue. The upcoming installments of SITREP will deal with each of these groups in turn.
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