If You're Going To Repeal DADT

go whole hog...

The honor of the first kiss off the USS Oak Hill, upon returning to port, was raffled off. The winning ticket was drawn by Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, who was met on the gangplank by her girlfriend Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell.

David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, didn’t appear terribly surprised about the moment, which ‘officially’ signaled to any leftover doubters that the Navy has caught up to the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
"It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't overshadow the great things that this crew has accomplished over the past three months," Bauer said.
According to the AP, both Gaeta and her partner Citlalic have been dating for over two years, working as fire controlmen on various Navy ships, and hiding their relationship under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

(photo from the AP)

As The Washington Post blogs:

When the couple began dating, they had to hide their status under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The 17-year-old policy was repealed in September. On Wednesday, in front of Gaeta’s entire ship and a cheering crowd, the two women made history as the first same-sex couple to share the coveted kiss.

“It’s nice to be able to be myself. It’s been a long time coming,” said Gaeta about life after the repeal. “It’s been pretty awesome to say the least.”

poll by twiigs.com

By: Brant

Terminal Lance on DADT

check out more at Terminal Lance

By: Brant

Fighting a Losing Battle

House Republicans are still trying to win a fight in the culture wars that they've clearly lost.

Intent on delaying the new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, the House voted on Friday to prohibit military chaplains from performing same-sex marriages on the nation’s bases regardless of state law.

On a 236-184 vote, the House attached the amendment to the defense spending bill, one of several steps the Republican-controlled chamber has taken this year to delay President Obama’s new policy. Pentagon leaders have said they see no roadblocks to ending the 17-year ban, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is likely to certify the change for mid-summer after months of training for the services.

Still, opposition remains strong in the House.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., sponsor of the amendment, said he wanted to ensure that “America’s military bases are not used to advance a narrow social agenda.”

His measure would block funds to train the Chaplain Corps on the new policy. Huelskamp said the intent was to prevent chaplains from performing same-sex marriages, especially on Navy bases.

Guys, that "narrow social agenda" has about 58% backing of the population...

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Apple has dumped a WikiLeaks app from the App Store. Caving to the government? Or was it just a crap program?

Secretary Gates has released a statement on the new START Treaty.

The President has signed the DADT repeal. Now here comes the "woe is America" rhetoric.

Are the Brits training Bangladeshi "death squads"?

France has warned their nationals to leave the Ivory Coast as the incumbent not-gonna-quit president threatens to starve out the UN peacekeepers.

So the AP is all up in arms about a high percentage of recruits "failing" the military "entrance" exam. OK look, first of all the ASVAB is not an "entrance" exam. It's not designed to tell you whether or not you should be in the military. It's designed to tell you what specialties you'd be good at in the Army. Now, it's possible you could come back with a result that says you're qualified to be a doorstop, or a target goalie, or a the stick pusher on freefall wingsuit testing without a chute or something else undesirable. But it's not a "test" to see if you can join the military. It's there to tell you what job you might be good at.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Apparently the Brits caved to "economic warfare" in fast-tracking the release of the Lockerbie bomber to Libya.

DADT
President Obama is planning to sign the repeal of DADT on Wednesday. The DoD has released statements from Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, regarding the repeal of DADT.

Korea
The Southies are preparing for a possible Nork attack and the Chinese are pushing the Norks to accept nuclear inspectors. Bill Richardson somehow claims it's all some sort of progress.

Is the US pushing NATO for raids into Pakistan? NATO says "no" but c'mon...

The Senate seems more and more likely to pass START II.

Palestinians lob rockets. Israeli strikes back by air. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

The Brits have started making some arrests in anti-terror raids across the country.

The DoD has released a new report on sexual harassment/assaults at the military academies, and finds that the number of assaults being reported is going up. Unknown is whether it went up because the overall number went up, or because more are being reported.

How far has Afghan war coverage dropped off in the US? The New York Times says it's down to 4% of coverage. No doubt everyone is focusing on the budget and the US fiscal meltdown. Which begs the question, should the US try to cut its deficit by scaling back on the overseas wars?

Emboldened by their DADT victory, Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing ahead on ratifying START II. Even with the DADT repeal this past weekend, some restrictions remain.

The Norks pussied out. I mean, really, how else would you put it?

By: Brant

GrogNews Weekend Headlines

WikiLeaks is fighting to keep the site live as people are wondering if/how they'd survive without Assange running the show.
Today's revelations? A US-Yemen bombing deal and Pakistan's army feeling the need to endorse democracy after the leaks made them look, well, Islamic.

Bombs in Baghdad targeted Iranian Shia pilgrims.

Uncomfortable moment? How about the President being serenaded by a soldier to the tune of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl"? Don't ask, don't tell, indeed.

Iran is accusing the UN of sending spies instead of nuclear inspectors.

Mexico arrested a 14-year-old they accused of a being a hitman.

By: Brant

GrogNews Late Daily Headlines

WikiLeaks keeps dripping... They've been forced to change domain servers due to DNA attacks. They're under legislative attack by Senator Lieberman, and ASSange is still wanted on a warrant his lawyer says isn't valid. Wired says that the leak hasn't "broken" U.S. Intelligence... yet.
Today's leak 'revelations'? Karzai is "paranoid". Oh, and gravity holds people to the planet. There was a 'spat' between the US and UK over spy flights from Cyprus.

South Korea is raising the rhetoric and promising air strikes if the Norks attack again.

Puntland is standing up a private military that has the US concerned.

The Ivorian military has sealed the borders after the government declared the winner in the recent election.

More uniformed grumbling over the end of DADT.

And we need to stop panicking over incompetent terrorists, says Ackerman. Hell, Kung Fu Monkey has been telling you to "sack up" for years.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

So South Korea's intel chief is saying that it's likely the Norks are going to attack again. Isn't that a lot like predicting rain? I mean, it's going to happen sooner or later, you just don't know exactly when or how hard, right? In a totally-staged PR move, the media were given access to a Nork soldier at the border who just wants peace. Yippee!

Ah WikiLeaks, how much do we hate thee? You jeopardize lives with your anti-US crusading, then tie up our time with our desire to read what you divulge. Ugh. The US is now set to pass a new whistle-blower bill as the rest of the country wonders the same thing we asked a few days ago: How could a PFC intel weenie in an infantry division get access to everything that WikiLeaks has dropped? If you're in China, you're not reading WikiLeaks. Today's great revelations? The Paks blew off US concerns about their nuclear arms; Israel is worried about the US arming Arab nations as a deterrent against Iran.

In the wake of yesterday's DADT report from the Pentagon it looks like there aren't too many objections left to repealing DADT, even though there are still some holdouts in uniform.

The DoD has certified another WMD-CST team, for New York.

That secret military mini-shuttle is coming in for landing.

The new programmable grenade launcher headed to Afghanistan is being called a "game-changer".

Putin is still whining about missile defense.


By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

The updates from Korea:
The Norks are warning that the region is on the brink of war is the US and South Koreans go ahead with their planned exercises. The region is apparently not on "the brink of war" because, y'know, they fired artillery at unarmed civilians or anything or anything. And just to join the fun, China is issuing warnings, too.
The Chinese media is also claiming the South Koreans are "relaunching" psychological warfare against the Norks. Oh, and Fox News thinks they know how to "take down" North Korea without a war.


View Larger Map


In other less exciting news

The Russians have opened a plant to destroy chemical weapons.

After finding a 'bomb factory' in a house in southern California, law enforcement had pulled out of working on it, claiming that they're scared shitless of blowing themselves up it's too dangerous.

Saudi Arabia has arrested 149 people they claim are al-Qaeda suspects.

The Paks claim to have foiled a bomb plot in their capital.

And yes, there are still loud and proud opponents of repealing DADT in the US military.

The Karzai government is blaming the British for the Taliban "impostor". Can we blame them for the 'real' Taliban?

The US is warning its allies about the upcoming Wikileaks dump.

Mugabe's Prime Minister is taking him to court, for all the good it'll do.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Even before the shelling starting, South Korea's President Lee was threatening to strike the Nork's missile base. Is this the provocation the Norks were going to claim? South Korea has reported 2 civilian deaths caused by the Nork artillery barrage. The US is sending the USS George Washington to Korean waters. Exactly why are the Norks this crazy? Is it because military leverage is the only leverage they have?

With a lesbian discharged under DADT be reinstated to the Air Force Reserve?

Afghan poll results in. Violent protests erupt. Just like New York City, eh? Oh, wait...

Want to un-nerve the TSA? Wear a kilt to security screening - the traditional way, and then opt out of scanning.

Is the DHS going to do away with color-coded terror alerts? No more Sesame Street levels?

If we start shooting with Iran, we might need the B1 bomber back in action.

Did Al Qaeda just denounce Iran? Really?

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

As noted earlier this morning at GN (and everywhere else in the world), the Norks shelled a South Korean island‎ this morning, killing two South Korean Marines. The BBC asks Why now?. If you're looking for details on the military forces on the Korean peninsula, Reuters has it for you.

Is the deal for Georgia to join NATO already done?

The Pentagon had no discharges under DADT last month.

Gambia to Iranian diplomats: GTFO!

Was the Afghan Taliban duped by a "fake" leader?

TSA thinks that resisting scanners will lead to delays. Here's a thought - not resisting them results in acquiescence to illegal behavior by the government.

So apparently the military has now awarded over 857,000 medals for OEF and OIF. Wow.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Will the USMC toe the line on DADT?

Wikileaks might be dropping another massive trove of documents.

So there's a NATO envoy claiming that children are safer in Afghan cities than in New York City. That may be, but ours are also educated, well-fed, hopeful, and turned into pawns of megalomaniacal religious nutjobs competing over control of rock farms... Object, you say? Look, at least our kids are literate before they join the police force.
And if you want an update on casualties in the fight, check out iCasualties.org.

The Norks are getting nukey again.

Dislike the TSA? Get in line. No, really, get in line, as a Thanksgiving weekend protest is sure to disrupt travel.

What's the first step to MidEast peace? The Economist says fix those borders first.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

The Taliban are ramping up attacks in Afghanistan and some of them are the worst in six months. And despite the troubles in Afghanistan, NATO are stressing a "global role" for their future.

Let's put this one to bed: the explosion in Cancun was not a terror attack.

More Norks are heading south... as in "defecting."

The DoD is not happy with leaks over the DADT working group.

By: Brant

GrogNews Weekend Headlines

On the heels of reports of the Chinese trying to bury a report on Nork arms dealings comes a report that the Chinese are also pissed off about a Darfur arms report that claims their arms are heading out of Khartoum and into Darfur.

The Supremes are not going to review DADT, leaving it to Congress and the lower courts. No one can claim that it's an 'activist court' this time.

A series of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan included an on a NATO base.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

(running later so as not to interfere w/ our Veterans' Day articles)

Were Raytheon layoff announcements delayed until after the elections?

With budget cuts looming, the F-35 JSF is back in the crosshairs.

There's been a report commissioned that shows there would be little risk to the war effort if DADT is repealed.

The Iraqis might finally have a deal for their government, and it looks like the Kurds are on board.

The Russian media thinks they have identified the 'double-agent' that turned in the world's least-dangerous spy ring.

By: Brant

DADT - Even the Pentagon Can't Agree

Secretary Gates is hoping Congress will end it and get on with life.

Asked about the prospects for repeal during the so-called lame duck session, Gates said: "I would like to see the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' but I'm not sure what the prospects for that are. And we'll just have to see."
Gates made the comments to reporters aboard a U.S. military aircraft shortly before landing in Australia for annual bilateral talks.
For the past 17 years, homosexuals have been allowed to serve in the U.S. military as long as they hide their sexual orientation. They are expelled if it becomes known.
Polls have said most Americans support lifting the ban. The House has voted to change the law but unless the Senate takes it up in the final weeks of the "lame-duck" legislative session, it will effectively die.
Obama is under pressure to act after a series of court decisions created confusion for the Pentagon.

The Marines are opposed to ending it.

The new commandant of the U.S. Marines Corps said Saturday that now is the wrong time to overturn the "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting gays from openly serving in the military, as U.S. troops remain in the thick of war in Afghanistan.
"There's risk involved; I'm trying to determine how to measure that risk," Gen. James Amos said. "This is not a social thing. This is combat effectiveness. That's what the country pays its Marines to do."
Last month, the Pentagon was forced to lift its ban on openly serving gays for eight days after a federal judge in California ordered the military to do so. The Justice Department has appealed, and a federal appeals court granted a temporary stay of the injunction.
Amos said the policy's repeal may have unique consequences for the Marines, which is exempt from a Defense Department rule for troops to have private living quarters except at basic training or officer candidate schools. The Marines puts two people in each room to promote a sense of unity.

It's remarkable that the Commandant is so openly contradicting the Secretary's view on this.

By: Brant

GrogNews Morning Headlines

Who bombs the Swiss? That's what Athens police want to know after the Swiss embassy was attacked.

Anglo-French defence cooperation may expand to include a joint nuclear testing treaty.

As the appeals courts in the US extend DADT's time on life support, others wonder if the experiences of our allies matter in the way gay troops were integrated.

The Norks are still claiming they didn't sink the Cheonan, and they're offering torpedo samples to try to prove it.

Japan's busy these days, too, recalling an envoy to Moscow after President Medvedev visited a disputed island claimed by both nations and getting the US stuck in their tug-of-war with China, which the Chinese are not happy about.

Was there a "test run" back in September for the toner cartridge plot?

By: Brant

GrogNews Morning Headlines Bonanza

Wow... here are a LOT of headlines to start your week.

Somali pirates have snatched another Philippine-crewed vessel.

How is al-Qaeda paying the bills? Apparently drug money is covering the costs for AQ, Hezbollah, and others.

The UK and the French are talking joint deployments, presumably somewhere other than the Suez, eh? And following the UK's massive budget cuts, they are looking for a buyer for their Harriers. Hey, the Bolivians were going to buy a bunch of aircraft from Iran, why not talk to them?

How seriously should we be taking WikiLeaks?

So is the CIA's role in Yemen still covert if the Wall Street Journal reports on it? And how's the future of the Army look
for special operations forces?
Speaking of the future of the US Army, it looks like the DADT opinions are pretty sharply divided along a generational fault line. So are we just waiting for the old guys to all retire/die off before DADT finally goes away?

The final body count in the Baghdad church siege is 52 dead, including the priest. That's much higher than the body count on the latest US missile attack in Pakistan; we only got 5 there.

By: Brant

GrogNews Weekend Headlines

Iraq's parliament is still deadlocked, but now the Saudi king has offered to help break the deadlock.

Remember that joint US-Russia drug raid? Well, it looks like Karzai isn't too happy about it, claiming it violates Afghan sovereignty. Y'know what violates my sovereignty? Your inability to control your own country, which means we have to do it for you...

Are there lessons to learn for DADT by looking backwards toward desegregation?

A suicide bomber in Turkey has wounded 22 in Istanbul.

And commercial air traffic returns to Baghdad.

By: Brant