Florida Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Military officials say that over one million members of the U.S. armed forces have completed training on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This means that more than half the troops have completed their training.

So far, there has been none of the turmoil or consequences predicted by the opponents of the repeal of DADT. During the debate over repealing DADT, opponents said that dropping the ban of gays and lesbians serving in the military would cause resistance, cause enlisted members to quit the military early and a drop in recruiting.

One army general has referred to the training as having been a “non-event” and that the military is doing everything they can do to head off problems in training.

ARLINGTON, VA – The Pentagon admitted that an Airman was discharged under the country’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law last April. Last December, Congress abolished “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” giving full rights to gays and lesbians to join the U.S. Military and President Obama signed the repeal legislation. The Department of Defense did not reveal full details or the name of the Airman discharged.

TUPELO, MS – American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer recently claimed that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will allow gay activists to commit “virtual genocide against Christian soldiers as systematic hate crimes are perpetrated against people of faith in the military”.

DEAR EDITOR,

I wanted to personally thank Michael French for his fine article regarding Military Service which appeared in the May 19th issue of the Agenda.

Time often erases the memory and historical meaning of what it means and meant to have served honorably in the U.S. Military regardless of the DADT cloud over our heads which is seemingly facing a very slow but deserving ending.

As one of the founding members of the early vet’s = movement here in SE Florida it’s always heart warming to see our service members and vets remembered on Memorial Day regardless of their sexual orientation.

Thank you and the Agenda for the hats off article reminding our community and its many supportive business leaders, activist organizations, and family members about the importance of May 30th and those who live and died defending our country while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

God Bless you and America.
A-JAY?EDDIE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Republican controlled House Armed Services Committee approved a $553-billion defense bill that also contained a provision which strikes down President Obama’s repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The bill also limits the President’s authority to slash the nation’s nuclear arms arsenal. The 60-1 vote increased military pay by 1.6%, funds numerous armaments and requests an additional $118-billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The lone dissenting vote was cast by Rep.

John Garamendi, Democrat from California.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US Navy has revoked its guidance allowing chaplains to conduct same-sex marriages in some states following outrage from Republican lawmakers and social conservatives.

The suspension came late Tuesday after opponents of same-sex military marriages claimed the move would violate a law prohibiting federal recognition of gay marriage. A copy of a memo revoking the guidance was obtained Wednesday by FOX News Channel.

“My memorandum of 13 April 2011 is hereby suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and inter-Departmental coordination,” the memo, issued by the Chief of Chaplains Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, read.

Despite the revocation, military officials said the US Defense Department might still permit gay troops to marry in military chapels in states that recognize homosexual marriages after US President Barack Obama lifts a ban on openly-gay service members known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Washington Post reported.

As part of its DADT Repeal Training, the Navy had decided that facilities on U.S. Naval Bases may be used for same-sex marriages and that Naval Chaplains will be permitted, though not required, to perform such ceremonies. The ruling only applied to Naval bases located in states where same-sex marriage is permitted by law.

Citing “additional legal review” by Navy attorneys, the Chief of Navy Chaplains, Admiral Michael Tidd originally said the Navy “has concluded that, generally speaking, base facility use is sexual orientation neutral.”

The April 13 memo signed by Tidd said navy chaplains would have the option to officiate at a same-sex union if it agreed with their religious beliefs and the laws of the state.

But in the new memo dated May 10, Tidd reversed course and suspended his guidance.

Training programs about the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for US Navy chaplains and sailors would continue as scheduled, a navy spokeswoman said.

Details of the April 13 memo led to an immediate backlash in congress. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) released a letter signed by 62 other members of congress that called on the secretary of the navy to obey the Defense of Marriage Act.

“The law of the land is that the federal government defines marriage as between one man and one woman,” Akin wrote. “This new guidance from the navy clearly violates the law. While our President may not like this law, it is unbelievable that our navy would issue guidance that clearly violates this law.”

PALO ALTO, CA – Sanford University has joined other large universities in the U.S. to lift its ban on allowing the ROTC on campus. Last week, the university’s faculty voted to invite the military’s Reserve Officers Training Corps back after almost 40 years of banishment. Sanford University, Harvard and other large universities barred the military program amid strong anti-war sentiments during the Vietnam War era and left the ban in place in protest of the military’s ban on gays and lesbians. Since December, when Congress repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the universities have been inviting the ROTC back to recruit and operate on campus. The Stanford president will now begin discussions with the U.S. military about re-establishing ROTC on campus; however, there is no time frame of when ROTC programs will be available at Sanford again.

WEST POINT, NY – An openly lesbian cadet who left West Point saying she could not live a lie any longer was rejected for re-admission because of the lingering military ban on gays in the military.

She said she has decided to give up on her dream.
Katherine Miller, now attending Yale University, says she plans to graduate from Yale then join the military through officer candidate school.

She said that although she always wanted to serve alongside her comrades as an equal, she holds no resentment toward the military and looks forward to the day they deem it appropriate for her to put the uniform back on.

West Point issued a statement explaining that it couldn’t accept Miller because of the still-existing ban but hinting that re-entry wouldn’t be a problem for her in the future.

“While at the academy, Ms. Miller remained in good standing and had done exceptionally well academically, militarily and physically,” said Lt. Col. Sherri Reed, director of public affairs at West Point. “The choice to seek re-admission is available to her once the repeal process is completed.”

ARLINGTON, VA – The chiefs of the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps said that they are moving along on schedule with the full repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; however, no one was specific as to what the target date is.

In prepared testimony, the leaders of

the armed services said the training of the rank and file is under way and they are working to ensure compliance with the new law.
President Barack Obama signed the law last year repealing the 17-year ban. Training and certification by the Defense Department are required before the ban is lifted.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A three-member disciplinary board at the Lemoore Naval Air Station in California voted unanimously against discharging Navy petty officer, Derek Morado for violating the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Morado will be permitted to serve out his remaining three years of enlistment. Morado, 26, had been under investigation for violating DADT since 2009 when someone reported to the Naval officials that they had seen Morado’s profile on Myspace claiming he was gay.