Reports of the death of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are greatly exaggerated.
Despite yesterday’s historic passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of the Murphy Amendment, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal compromise that will now be attached to the Defense Authorization Bill, and passage of a similar amendment in the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is, in fact, alive and well, and will be responsible for hundreds more discharges before its possible demise, thanks, in part, to the efforts of Senator John McCain and the military’s foot-dragging and unquenchable desire for power and control.
The fact of the matter is, (regardless of what you may have read or heard,) that even if and when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed, and months — or years — later, if and when the military decides how and when, and to what degree, to implement the DADT repeal, repealing the law that is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” does not remove the policy nor the practice of discrimination or military discharges for homosexuality or homosexual conduct.
There will still be nothing in writing, no non-discrimination clause or policy, that forces the military to not discriminate against a person’s sexual orientation or sexual identity. There is, in essence, no ENDA for the military.
And remember, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a policy before it was enshrined into law in 1993. Behaviors are hard to change, especially after decades of use.
So, issue one: The military will be able to discriminate against someone’s sexual orientation if and when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed and implemented.
Issue two: With the signing into law of the Defense Authorization Bill, with the attached “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal compromise amendment, the military will have been given total control to decide when to implement the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, how to implement the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, and to what degree to implement the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.
The military could, and there have been hints that it will, take its time, and take years to fully implement the policy. Last year, Secretary Gates strongly mentioned the military took five years to implement racial integration.
The military chiefs, such as Gates and Mullen, who spoke intelligently, bravely, and with courage in front of Congress months ago to support ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” may be a plus, but Senator John McCain, in his despicable politicking attempt to defeat Tea Party wing-nut J.D. Hayworth, has managed to get on record the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marines, saying they are “opposed [to] legislative action at this time.” So, now that they’ve lost ground on this point, they’ll be none-too supportive going into the process if the Defense Authorization bill is signed into law.
(And speaking of “if the Defense Authorization bill is signed into law,” Towleroad, via Politico, today reports yet another snag: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Threatened By Obama Veto Of Defense Bill Over Engine Funding Item. One more bump on the road.)
Oh yeah, and there is that small item of McCain threatening to filibuster the Defense Authorization bill as well, when it actually comes up for a vote this summer, because of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” amendment.
One has to ask, as Justin Elzie (the first Marine to come out under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”) mentioned to me, why is the Pentagon putting so much weight on this as-yet unfinished study to determine if — oops — when and how, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will be repealed? And, since this study is being funded by your tax dollars, will the American people be privy to the full, unedited report? Or, will the Pentagon cherry-pick and make public the parts they like best? Or, none at all…
(Pam Spaulding of “Pam’s House Blend” tweeted today, “Asked Gates’ Sp. Asst Michelle Jones about #DADT Pentagon Study. She said, smiling, “you’ll see some surprising things in it.” The mind reels…)
One also must ask, how on God’s green earth can an LGBTQ group, such as GOProud state, “Congress should not be involved in micro-managing military personnel decisions. Those decisions should be made by our military leaders – not by opportunistic politicians.”
Granted, GOProud supports the repeal compromise, but only because it does what we all fear: it grants total control to the military, the very organization that has, for centuries, discriminated against its own gay and lesbian servicemembers.
So, equality in military service is being threatened by John McCain in the Senate, along with the entire lock-step GOP, a potential filibuster on an as-yet un-scheduled Senate Defense Authorization Bill vote, the service chiefs’ “insubordination,” an un-finished “study,” the Pentagon’s lust for power and control, a threatened presidential veto of the entire bill over funding of two fighter engines, a president unwilling to twist arms for LGBTQ rights, a media giving false hope via misleading headlines, and, ultimately, the granting to the Pentagon free-range to determine when, how, and, essentially, if, to implement the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.
Yes, make no mistake: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is alive and well. The fight is far from over. In fact, the fight has just begun.