There was a moment this week that many thought they would never see. Brig. Gen. Randy S. Taylor rose to address a major conference and introducing his spouse. However in this case his spouse was his husband Lucas who was sitting in the same row with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter Army Secretary John McHugh and other senior officials. Taylor has served 27 years through the ban on gays, the “don’t ask don’t tell policy,” and now the new policy of openness. He and Lucas have had an 18-year relationship.
Taylor discussed the sacrifices that Lucas made for his career and how they both bet everything on the Army. The bet paid off.
This week also saw the adoption of a new policy barring discrimination against members of the U.S. military based on their sexual orientation. Sexual orientation now joins discrimination based on race, gender and other protected categories.
The event itself is notable as the Pentagon’s 4th Gay Pride celebration that featured a gay Marine officer, a gay Army sergeant who is a criminal investigator, a lesbian chaplain and a transgender, Amanda Simpson, who is executive director of the Army’s Office of Energy Initiatives.
Carter set the perfect tone and told the crowd that “We need to be a meritocracy.” Indeed, our military will only stay competitive if we take the best and brightest from our ranks. Many gay and lesbian citizens have answered that call throughout history and they have now achieved true equal status with their peers in service.
Source: Washington Times
Simon Squeeky Legree @ 1:52…
You see – this is exactly what the guy in the billowy bonnet is talking about. You’re not supposed to respond. Especially with this nonsense. It doesn’t reflect well for your side.
@BFM
It would take too long. But, if you are truly interested, Just go to this site and grab you a copy of this book, or click on the sample read thingie.
http://www.blksvsnggrs.com/
I am about half way through it, and it will make you sick, and make you disgusted, and also make you think. It is also where I got the phrase, “feral blacks.” It is part of Starkes’ definitions, and you can find it on page 7 of the book.
You can also learn more about this from Colin Flaherty. He has his own youtube channel, with some very informative videos. And he has a couple of books, one of which I am reading now on Kindle.
https://www.youtube.com/user/BamaFanatic12345
I would give you more links, but am limited to 2. If you get through these, and want more, I will provide them.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Wadewilliams
Residents, of a peaceful and quiet southern town, in Texas, needed no special gifts or talents to anticipate the violent mobs, protesting some perceived police brutality. Yes, they managed to evade that violence, burning and looting by having this schmuck officer resign and the Chief denounce him. Don’t like the word LIKELIHOOD? Fine, don’t use it. Better that you should be offended by the destruction, by angry mobs, of blocks of businesses by looting and arson. Better that you use some of that righteous indignation against the perpetrators of that violence and mayhem, as opposed to being offended that anyone, with more than two working brain cells, could anticipate the LIKELIHOOD of mob violence unless the situation in Texas was quelled quickly.
Oh and the cute poo poo poems, always entertaining and revealing.
Wade don’t forget the blackface videos and frequent use of racial epithets. To come to the conclusion that such a person is a racist, doesn’t take a rocket scientist.
@Wade
Anyone who refuses to call black people who are acting like ‘drooling, feral blacks’ — “drooling, feral blacks”, deserves to be called a politically correct twit, and a racist. And a coward to boot.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
“Anyone who refuses to call black people who are acting like ‘drooling, feral blacks’ — “drooling, feral blacks”, deserves to be called a politically correct twit, and a racist”
So would you care to take us through the argument that demonstrates ‘drooling, feral black’ is an accurate description rather than a loaded, racist slander?
Paddy, write to the Secretary of Defense and notify him.
Bam Bam,
Every service person is tested for a battery of blood born pathogens before they go into theatre. The rest of what you write seems to elude to you’re own bias toward homosexuals, unless you can provide some evidence of high rates of transmission resulting specifically from the scenario(s) you outlined.
Annie, no, it doesn’t. Taylor has been in the military for 27 years, during the time of a direct ban (which he disobeyed) and “don’t ask, don’t tell”. If he disobeyed during the time of the direct ban (which he admits he did, it seems), it is still a violation.
bam bam
Anyone who writes ‘drooling, feral blacks’ DEMANDS to be called a racist.
Anyone who allies themselves with such comments DEMANDS to be called a racist.
Anyone who coyly falsely writes about the LIKELIHOOD of riots and burning of businesses DEMANDS to be called out.
Buffoons in billowly bonnets who simply make up stories about people deserve to be called out.
Too bad that makes you cranky. Maybe more bible study will calm your nerves.
john530
First, and foremost, thank you for your service.
You do, however, state that sexual orientation was irrelevant, as it pertained to the several marines you knew to be gay. I get it. We all just want to be surrounded by competent individuals who perform their respective jobs. No disagreement there. I suppose that the concerns, regarding the high incidence of HIV infection for bi and gay men, enter into the fray when soldiers are not merely performing administrative duties and are actively involved in combat. Not all soldiers, as you are well aware, are in the trenches. Maybe you and your buddies didn’t give a hoot about the gay soldiers as long as they performed their tasks and cooperated with others. The $60,000 question is whether one of those openly gay soldiers, critically wounded on the battlefield, bleeding profusely, would give pause to one of those marines, previously mentioned as oblivious to anyone’s sexuality? Marines, and others, sign up to protect and defend this country, risking life and limb to do so. They don’t sign up to contract a deadly disease from a fellow soldier.
@bams
For some of these people, name calling is all they got. That is one reason why that big group left here. One of the most prolific writers over there is not a stupid person, but he could never really engage in an argument here with me without calling me names. I recall once he wrote an article about some gay park fairies being rousted by the po po, and sooo I started in about how people having sex out in public was a bad thing, and gay men having sex with anonymous strangers was a pretty dangerous activity, and therefore the cops probably saved a few of them from getting HIV. Whether one agrees with that position or not, it is at least a cognizable and reasonable argument. But all that dude could do was huff and puff and call me a homophobe. He couldn’t address the issues of dangerous behavior, and IIRC, didn’t even try. He was used to putting out his drivel and everybody who agreed with him was smart, and everybody who disagreed was a homphobe, or racist, or theocrat, or whatever. End of story. Behavior like that was where the “lack of civility” stuff got it legs.
That is also why I call them “smug” and “The New Puritans.” They are in their little pulpit, and they are preaching out their little sermons, and everybody is supposed to sit there and nod their heads “yes.” And if you don’t, you are just like somebody who argues with the pastor. This excerpt was in a link by either you or KarenS about “pathological altruism”, and it is the essence of these extremist partisan twits:
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Paddy,
Does this answer your question?
http://www.abajournal.com/mobile/article/us_miliary_bans_discrimination_based_on_sexual_orientation
And BamBam, even to this day we are seeing the same individual doxxing others here, making accusations about their mental and physical health, what sort of dwelling they live in, the status of their family and social relationships, trying to imply to other commenters that they ‘know’ private information about other commenters here, all manner of ‘suggestions’ about other commenters that hold an opposing view, based on absolutely NOTHING. These comments are mostly deleted but not always. You should’ve seen it before a certain person was reined in by JT. Too bad he wasn’t reined in sooner, we lost many great commenters and weekend bloggers.
Did a brigadier general, just admit to violating the UCMJ in public?
BamBam,
Some folks are never right. Opposing opinions always receive pushback and challenges, from both sides of the political spectrum. Intolerance seems to be much more pronounced from certain individuals. Perhaps you weren’t commenting here before the civility rules were implemented, and then enforced in a more equitable manner, and when all sorts of abusive behavior occurred from the same few commenters. You need to have a thick skin to comment on political forums, lol. Females here were targets by certain individuals, you’re being treated with kid gloves compared to what the rest of the liberal females here were treated like a while back.
” person who writes terrible ‘poems’ ”
I believe the word you are looking for is ‘doggerel’.
But I like doggerel. Sometimes it is funny. And people tend to let down their guard when they are making jokes. So doggerel can be revealing of attitudes we might not talk about in other ways – nah these people have few social inhibitions. They will say most anything, anytime.
@ 1:15
The lack of introspection is astounding.
I. Annie
If you detect anger, it’s anger that various opinions are not tolerated on this site. Why is it than an opinion cannot be expressed without the much expected inferences of being ignorant or stupid? Don’t be shocked when there is pushback and people react. Perhaps Nick is correct when he states that those who wish to discuss issues, freely and without condemnation and ridicule, should just ignore these toxic and disturbed people. No other way to put it. They feed on the reaction. Fuel for the fire. Probably the best solution, as they are incapable of conducting themselves with a modicum of respect. If one dares to disagree with them, out come the labels: racist, bigot, homophobe, etc. It is frightening to imagine what life must be like with some of them.
@BFM
What do you call a sissified twink in the military, you asked??? Hmmm. Maybe you could just call them Bradley Manning. Or is it Chelsea now???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter