Obama’s Excuse for Not Overturning ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’–”It’s a Generational Issue”

Sorted under GLBTQ, politics on July 5, 2009

Barack Obama has been in the White House for six months now and in the minds of many Americans, Obama has transformed into two different people. On one hand, there’s Barack Obama the 2008 presidential candidate. He was the candidate who (obviously) most of the country was in awe of; who made our jaws drop and our hearts fill of legitimate hope for ourselves, for our families, and for our country every time we tuned in to watch a town hall meeting or debate, or when we heard clips of his speeches being played on the radio, or when we repeatedly listened to that damn addicting Yes We Can song from will.i.am. He was the person we woke up early to cast our ballots for on election day and whose name we repeated throughout the day when we excitedly proclaimed that we had voted for the person who we believed could repair our crumbling America.

On the other hand, there’s Barack Obama the President of the United States of America. He is a man who still retains much of the support he had when we were rushing to our local polling stations and picking up carloads of our friends and family to make sure that they could vote in such a historic and meaningful election and could be a part of the New America we had envisioned. But there are many who are tired; who are restless and who don’t glue themselves to the television every time he speaks anymore or get teary-eyed when they listen to his image of the ideal America. We have our own images of the ideal America; the America where each and every single American citizen matters and whose voice counts for something and we had entrusted Barack Obama to put an end to the Republican-coddling government that we were faceless, nameless, and voiceless sheep for. We have an image of an America where each and every single person is created equal, no matter what.

We have been a country lead by the Obama Administration for six months and we are very far from all Americans achieving equal rights and we are frustrated.

Obama talked a good game during his candidacy about the future of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He made it abundantly clear that he was morally and professionally against the ruling that strictly forbids openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving their country. Most notably recently, the US Army National Guard willingly lost Arabic linguist Lt. Dan Choi merely because he happens to be a gay American. While he may be the poster person for the push back of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell at the moment, Lt. Dan Choi is one of 12,500 Americans to be fired from their jobs because of who they are. Choi sent an open letter to Barack Obama and to every member of Congress asking them not to deny him the right to serve and protect his country but regardless of his efforts, he was fired and more Americans are dealing with the same circumstances because of a law that denies that America is the free and equal country that it claims to be. The America that our troops are serving and protecting right now is a lie and until every American has the right to excel in a career of their choice and to exist without having to hide who they are, the soldiers who we send overseas to protect our country will continue to serve in vain.

Below is a segment from the Rachel Maddow show (although Rachel Maddow is not present, boo!) about a recent speech that Obama had given regarding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. His charisma attempts to cut through the thick air of waiting and frustration, and as he acknowledges that fact that he can’t tell the American people to be patient anymore, he merely… you guessed it, tells us to be patient.

But what’s the holdup regarding overturning the bigoted and hateful law that is Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

Saying “We’re going to get this done” is yet another tactic used to ease people’s concerns at the present moment, satisfy them enough so they think they have received an answer, and you can move on to the next person to give them the same vague, unresponsive response.

Obama knows that about 75% of the American public supports the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and he is worried about the “generational issue” or “gap,” what’s the plan of action, then? Is Obama waiting for all of the older people who are offended by the fact that a gay man or a lesbian woman is protecting the country they live in die so he can have the support of all living American people who believe in equality? To state that there is a generational issue and that you need to convince these people that allowing people to serve in the military and also exist as the human being that they are is a cop out answer to me. There are going to be people who do not agree with your position but as the president, you have the power to stand up for the people who are looking to you for help and who are looking to you to stand up for what you believe in and know is right. If Bush could start two wars, royally screw the economy, and send the entire middle class into a downward spiral, can’t the president also repeal a law that is ruining the careers and the lives of the people who wish to serve their own country, or at the very least put something into effect that prohibits the discharge of gay and lesbian soldiers until we can completely overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?



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  • JTK
    The time to overturn policies like that is when the army is not involved in two wars on the far side of the world. The leaders are of an older generation and the possibility, even a remote possibility, that those leaders will actively resist this policy during a time of war are in fact a good reason to move calmly and carefully toward the goal.
  • Even a remote possibility that a leader in the military would actively resist a policy that lets a person work in the same profession as they do during a time of war would really make me reconsider their position in the military and if they are capable of doing their job in the first place. Like you said, this is a time of war. We are in the middle of two atrocious wars that we should have never been in in the first place; but nonetheless, there are American people who wish to serve their country and fight this war so who is to stop them? The military is the only profession I know of that can be excused for openly discriminating against a certain type of people and Americans should not have to deal with being discriminated against by a country that they are a citizen of and that they love and wish to serve; no matter what.
  • JTK
    If we lose a fraction of our best leaders during a time of war, that would be a bad thing. Great changes are best done when the consequences are minimized. Now is simply not the best time to make sweeping changes. A well reasoned approach would likely involve gradually moving out those who seem most resistant to this change, not a sudden and radical and potentially dangerous move just because Obama is new in office and wants to impress the LGBT community. Calmly, slowly, effectively. No rush. Don't panic.
  • we have big dream with obama but he was dissappointed us now
  • Well, I agree for the most part, but for God's sake the man has sooo much on his plate. He doesn't wear a cape after all. I choose to do as he says and be as patient as possible. By the way, he sure as hell beats the other choice of McCain/Palin. Think about that and get back to me.
  • We have been a country lead by the Obama Administration for six months and we are very far from all Americans achieving equal rights and we are frustrated.
  • JTK
    Seven and a half years to go. Relax.
  • No matter how much you like President Obama, at the end of the day he is a POLITICIAN.
  • I agree with you on most of the points. There is one though, about Bush screwing this economy. Obama has quadrupled what Bush borrowed in his eight years, in just 3 short months. Two wars don't have a grip on what Obama has borrowed, of your and my grandchildrens taxes. However, the sense that Obama is two different people, is completely correct. I believe that he is treating America as a business, with Americans being the customers. It is getting crazy.
  • I do think Mr.Obama really folows the principles of Martin Luther King. Six months are not enough to change the world, but changes for better really happen.
  • I think a lot of people are lowering their expectations of Obama. He's spending like Bush while drunk and expanding governments role over the people. I hope he stops.
  • JTK
    It sounds like you need a quick course in economics. Spending is the way to get out of or avoid a recession. Without this spending there would have been many more lost jobs and companies out of business. In fact, the experts think that more should have been spent. They are experts for a reason, these aren't just random guys on the internet who don't even understand the basics.
  • I think we should give obama some time. He took the charge of the country at a time when the global economy was down and the US economy was in bad shape. All this happened over a period of 2-3 years, so i guess we should give him at least half of that time.
  • you said that this is a time of war. We are in the middle of two terrible that we should never were not in the first place, but nevertheless, there are American people who want to serve their country and fight this war until you to stop it? The Army is the only profession I know of that can be forgiven for public discrimination against a certain type of people and Americans should not have to deal with exposure to discrimination by the State of which they are citizens and that they love and want to serve; important.
    undated20pcoin
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