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News & ArtsFriday, October 9, 2009
Politics / Homo What He Said
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 9:13 PM
New Rule: Everyone deserves equal rights. That's why they're called "equal" and "rights." Tomorrow night President Obama will speak before a gay rights group, and on Sunday there will be a massive gay rally in Washington, or as I call it, the Million Mo March. Which makes this weekend the perfect time for Obama to announce he's repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and committing to a full-throated endorsement of gay marriage. One, because it's the right thing to do and two, because it will throw the conservative base into such a frenzied, pants-shitting panic that they'll drop all that BS about death panels and socialism and let us all get some actual work done.But of course that's not going to happen. I can tell you what the president is going to tell his audience tomorrow: How much he supports them. How much he agrees with them. And how he wishes he was President so he could help them out. But here's the thing about being president. There isn't a lot you can do without either Congress, Oprah or Goldman Sachs behind you. But there is one thing the president can do with the stroke of a pen: He can let gays serve openly in the military. It's called an executive order. Harry Truman wrote one in 1948 for blacks in the military, and that was that.
1
It's neither here nor there, but I find it irritating that Maher is so sloppy with his history. "Harry Truman wrote one in 1948 for blacks in the military, and that was that."
See this timeline and note the final entry:
October 1953: The Army announces that 95% of African-American soldiers are serving in integrated units.
So more than 5 years after Executive Order 9981 was signed, integration wasn't complete (apparently the army was particularly recalcitrant). Of course the broader point is correct, that Truman did the right thing and so can Obama, but let's not pretend that all Truman had to do was sign a piece of paper and that was that.
See this timeline and note the final entry:
October 1953: The Army announces that 95% of African-American soldiers are serving in integrated units.
So more than 5 years after Executive Order 9981 was signed, integration wasn't complete (apparently the army was particularly recalcitrant). Of course the broader point is correct, that Truman did the right thing and so can Obama, but let's not pretend that all Truman had to do was sign a piece of paper and that was that.
2
um- I think you mean segregated units- integrated units are exactly what Truman desired by his executive order. Not to be a jerk, but to clarify. Otherwise, the point definitely makes sense.
3
Integration required reorganization of units and all that reshuffle, by definition, takes time.
Ending DADT just means "leave everyone to do their fucking jobs," which is much simpler to arrange.
Ending DADT just means "leave everyone to do their fucking jobs," which is much simpler to arrange.
5
Ending DADT also means "We need 50 (or 60!) votes in the Senate." We're getting there - and Obama is helping - but we're not there yet. I'm looking forward to the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing later this year.
6
People...sit down for this! I just got back from clubbing and read a tweet that said Barack Obama has just won the Fields Medal!
Yeah, and it's usually only given to the very finest mathematicians not over 40 years of age. Yet, Barack Obama is over 40 years of age, and not a mathematician!
Wow...amazing...fantastic day all!
People...sit down for this! I just got back from clubbing and read a tweet that said Barack Obama has just won the Fields Medal!
Yeah, and it's usually only given to the very finest mathematicians not over 40 years of age. Yet, Barack Obama is over 40 years of age, and not a mathematician!
Wow...amazing...fantastic day all!
7
Good on Maher. I suspect that his predictions about Obama's speech will be rather depressingly accurate.
8
@2
It indeed says integrated. If you click on the link and read it for yourself. And the point makes complete sense.
It indeed says integrated. If you click on the link and read it for yourself. And the point makes complete sense.
9
@8 --- So @1 is wrong-o in spirit of his/her post.
When did the last 5% serve in fully integrated units? I looked briefly but didn't find anything..
When did the last 5% serve in fully integrated units? I looked briefly but didn't find anything..
10
There is an important difference. The segregated military was executive policy, not Congressional law, and therefore more easily changed by executive order. DADT was passed by Congress and signed into law, so the President cannot simply unilaterally repeal it.
But the biggest lie about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, (Don't Pursue)" is that the military has never lived up to their end of the bargain. They have asked, and they have pursued, even when they weren't told. President Clinton said that his original intent was that LGBTs could, on their own time, go to gay bars, march in parades, etc., without reprisal. That never happened. They do ask, and they do pursue.
As a stop-gap (because being forced to be closeted at work even when open elsewhere is not equality), President Obama could easily enforce the Don't Ask and Don't Pursue portions. And then pressure Congress to repeal the whole damn mess -- and affirmitively prohibit banning LGBTs from the military so that a future President won't have the power to use an executive order to reinstitute discrimination.
But the biggest lie about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, (Don't Pursue)" is that the military has never lived up to their end of the bargain. They have asked, and they have pursued, even when they weren't told. President Clinton said that his original intent was that LGBTs could, on their own time, go to gay bars, march in parades, etc., without reprisal. That never happened. They do ask, and they do pursue.
As a stop-gap (because being forced to be closeted at work even when open elsewhere is not equality), President Obama could easily enforce the Don't Ask and Don't Pursue portions. And then pressure Congress to repeal the whole damn mess -- and affirmitively prohibit banning LGBTs from the military so that a future President won't have the power to use an executive order to reinstitute discrimination.
11
@9 - not clear on what is wrong-o in the spirit of my post. Imagine that Truman had signed Executive Order 9981 and then been defeated in the 1948 election. Imagine that his replacement was committed to maintaining segregation in the military, but didn't dare to issue an executive order to that effect (no idea what Dewey thought - imagine a generic Republican instead). It would have been very simple to disband the Fahy Committee, accept the army's word that segregation was necessary, allow the army's 10% quota to remain in place, etc. Truman didn't do those things because Truman wanted an integrated military and was ready to fight for it. Nevertheless the army wasn't fully integrated in 1953, 5 years after the order was signed.
I admit it's a minor point, but it's galling to see history simplified to the point of inaccuracy. "That was that" pisses me off because Truman had to do so much more than sign an executive order. He had to stand up to an army that was claiming that integration was dangerous and unworkable, that insisted on a 10% quota on blacks in the army, that issued several grossly inadequate integration plans.
And that took balls, and Harry Truman had balls, and people forget that because they think integrating America was a matter of signing a few pieces of paper.
I admit it's a minor point, but it's galling to see history simplified to the point of inaccuracy. "That was that" pisses me off because Truman had to do so much more than sign an executive order. He had to stand up to an army that was claiming that integration was dangerous and unworkable, that insisted on a 10% quota on blacks in the army, that issued several grossly inadequate integration plans.
And that took balls, and Harry Truman had balls, and people forget that because they think integrating America was a matter of signing a few pieces of paper.
12
And the brazen chutzpah continues.
Last i checked the army isn't asking service members if they want to go to bed with the same sex. You enter the service to serve our country in battle not to talk or promote about your sexual desires. So once again the failed comparison with the desegregation of African Americans units with people who may already be serving integrated but who have to observe military rules of conduct in order to keep from distracting and affecting the purpose of the military in the first place is totally out of place and insulting to the memory of those who had to endure real segregation in our military.
Last i checked the army isn't asking service members if they want to go to bed with the same sex. You enter the service to serve our country in battle not to talk or promote about your sexual desires. So once again the failed comparison with the desegregation of African Americans units with people who may already be serving integrated but who have to observe military rules of conduct in order to keep from distracting and affecting the purpose of the military in the first place is totally out of place and insulting to the memory of those who had to endure real segregation in our military.
14
Politically Naive as always, Dan. Learn how a bill becomes a law before you run your ignorant mouth.
15
...Maher for the win! He called it on the nose.
And of course the march was held on a weekend when Congress was recessed and out of town for the Columbus Day holiday. Check your calendars before you schedule crap, okay???
Barney Frank was right. 10 pounds of talk are worth less than an ounce of lobbying and letter writing.
And of course the march was held on a weekend when Congress was recessed and out of town for the Columbus Day holiday. Check your calendars before you schedule crap, okay???
Barney Frank was right. 10 pounds of talk are worth less than an ounce of lobbying and letter writing.
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