Top Marine: Soldiers could lose lives if ‘don’t ask’ repealed

[Lost-in-FL]

Source: APF


General James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, cited a Pentagon study saying Marines fighting in Afghanistan were worried that permitting gays to serve openly could disrupt "unit cohesion."

"When your life hangs on a line, on the intuitive behavior of the young man ... who sits to your right and your left, you don't want anything distracting you," Amos told reporters at the Pentagon.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/top-marine-soldiers-lose-lives-dont-ask-repealed/

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Forget about the freaking enemy bullets flying over us...!!! We are under attack by teh gays..!!!!!! Turn on your gay-dars... I repeat, We are under attack!!!!!!

[msongs]

1. Marines used to say the same thing about people like Obama nt

[Lost-in-FL]

2. Sad but true. nt

[24601]

21. You mean lawyers? n/t

[Ter]

28. No, he means people of color

n/t

[No Elephants]

34. Yeah, we just can't think of enough groups to hate.

[bowens43]

3. I really can't think of anyone whose opinion on this issue I value less............ nt

[rfranklin]

4. there are no homophobes in a foxhole...

to quote a famous aphorism.

[pasto76]

5. Hey, Commandante...why not say instead that the gay marines in harms way right now are still marines

How about "affecting unit cohesion" that way, assclown.

Marines are good in a fight, never been a fan of the jarhead culture.

sgt pasto

[Angry Dragon]

6. If he is so afraid that Marines can not control their sexual urges

then he should declare that all Marines are confined to base, including all the way through Generals.
Need to protect the American population from these sex crazed Marines.

[Tanelorn]

7. So they finally found one guy to oppose the repeal of DADT

[24601]

24. You must have missed the testimony - the Army and Air Force

Chiefs of Staff also said to wait. The Chief of Naval Operations said go ahead and repeal.

Of course if you don't want to know what they think, don't call them as witnesses and don't put them under oath,

[No Elephants]

41. OMA. Oath, my ass. The ones who oppose it make up the flimiest bs reasons.

Nothing, but nothing has been said to support making gays in the military lie. What's been said may, to a bigot, justify keeping gays out of the military entirely.

But no one with half a brain, even Amos, can truly believe troops are better off looking to their right or their left, as long as the know that the man or woman on one or both sides of them may be a closeted gay.

So, I repeat, OMA.

[wmbrew0206]

47. Seeing as over 55% of frontline combat Marines oppose DADT, I think you need to go tell them

they don't have half a brain.

[Tx4obama]

8. It's time for General Amos to retire. n/t

[wmbrew0206]

49. You do know he was hand selected by the Obama Admin, right?

First time there has ever been a non-infantry officer as CMC.

If you don't want the CMC's opinion, don't ask for it.

[Lost-in-FL]

9. Makes you wonder why the DoD opened the USMC for females then.

Aren't females in combat "distraction" enough for marines?

[sakabatou]

10. Mr. Amos.... Fuck you.

[grahampuba]

11. carte blanche

... but neo-nazi's serving with non-aryan enlisted is just fine.
the dont ask dont tell isn't applied to bigots or racists with their doctrines of hate.
pathetic.

[boppers]

12. Spoken like a man who's never been on the firing line himself?

I had a hunch that he's never actually had to look to "your right and your left" while in combat, and I was right... he's never actually been in that situation. He's an aviator, not infantry.

[No Elephants]

39. This crap is about who's a neo theo, not who's been in combat.

[BlueJazz]

13. Sounds like this "Top Marine" has some issues of his own.

Plus....I do believe a bullet kills exactly the same no matter who pulls the trigger.

[No Elephants]

40. Clearly, his issues are bigotry and abuse of power.

[prolesunited]

14. Although women are not in direct combat,

there are many in combat areas. What has prevented the wild sex orgies or persistent random gropes? Do they think so little of U.S. soldiers that they don't think they can control their sexual urges or behavior?

[XanaDUer]

15. Sadly, many female soldiers are raped and harassed

SNIP- Some soldiers and commanders show their hostility by undermining women's authority, denying them promotions, or denigrating their work. Others show it through sexual harassment, assault, and and rape (of which there is a shockingly high rate in the military). These problems occur throughout the military, on US bases all over the world, as well as at war.

In 2003, a survey of female veterans found that 30 percent said they were raped in the military. A 2004 study of veterans who were seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder found that 71 percent of the women said they were sexually assaulted or raped while serving. And a 1995 study of female veterans of the Gulf and earlier wars, found that 90 percent had been sexually harassed...

The military's retrograde attitude towards rape gets even more sinister. More female troops have died in Iraq of non-hostile causes than have been killed in battle, and several of those deaths have either been labeled suicides or been left unexplained by the military. Four of those women had earlier been raped, and at least sixteen others died in such suspicious circumstances that retired Army Colonel Ann Wright and Congressman Ike Skelton have called for Congress to compel the military to reopen the cases and investigate, so far to no avail.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103844570

[No Elephants]

35. But not because males are unable to control themselves.

When the law discriminates against any group, it emboldens assholes and, in their minds, justifies theit violence. And women have been discriminated by law around the world. almost as centuries as gays have.

[provis99]

16. the military does have very high rates of females being raped.

something like 1 in 3 are raped. So I would indeed say male soldiers are not interested in controlling their sexual behavior.

[Rozlee]

26. When I left in 04, it had gotten worse than I've ever seen it.

Sexual harassment was bad when I was in during the 80s. Then, things started improving as sexual harassment classes and zero tolerance policies started being instituted. But, it broke down immediately once we were in theater in Iraq. And when I say immediately, I mean as if someone had thrown a switch. After I left, my daughter remained behind for three more tours and where her safety was concerned, I think she actually had less to worry about from the Fadayeen Saddam.

[ChumbawambaFan]

42. Another non issue 'threatening the troops safety' nt

[No Elephants]

36. "Nor interested in" and "not able to" are very different.

[wmbrew0206]

51. Actually, you would not believe the stories about what happens in theater in terms of consesual sex

happenings. It is an issue that is routinely dealt with but the military doesn't like to talk about it.

Not that it's a shock considering you have young men and women ages 18 to 23 living in close proximity to each other and dealing with life and death situations everyday.

[DeadEyeDyck]

17. K&R

[madrchsod]

18. what a fucking moran....

i always thought a marine was a marine and nothing more.

ya the guy has some issues he does`t want to explore.

[QC]

19. Who appointed this asshole, anyway? n/t

[boppers]

22. Mabus/Gates' pick.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/15/Gates-pegs-Amos-to-lead-Marine-Corps/UPI-70421276608371/
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/06/defense_commandant_amos_061410/

[Tx4obama]

23. Here ya go....

From Wikipedia.org

Amos became the 31st Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on July 3, 2008.<3> In June 2010, Amos was recommended for nomination by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to succeed James T. Conway as Commandant, while recommending Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. to fill his role as Assistant Commandant.<1><4> He was formally nominated by President Barack Obama on July 20,<5> who interviewed him for the job on June 17.<6><7> He received support from the Senate Armed Services Committee during a confirmation hearing on September 21,<8> and confirmed shortly thereafter. On October 22, 2010, Conway turned the position over to Amos at a ceremony at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.,<9> thus breaking the tradition of the Commandant being an infantry officer.<1><4>

[boppers]

27. Your 1 and 4 point to the links I posted....

Ah, wikipedia!

edit: subjects strip gt and lt.

[wmbrew0206]

52. This was an Obama/Gates pick.

Mattis is not press friendly, Allen was seen as too close to Petreaus, and Dunford is too young. Amos was the default pick at that point.

He is basically holding down the fort until Dunford can take over.

FYI - I doubt Dunford's opinion on this matter will be much different.

[rasputin1952]

20. I was Army...and we used to say...

USMC was "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children"...seems to fit.

There is absolutely NO difference in persons ability to fight..or get wounded or killed in combat because of their sexual identity. It was bullshit during the Revolution and bullshit throughout history right up to today...and will be bullshit in the future.

[riderinthestorm]

25. So now teh gay is responsible for Marines losing their legs in a war zone??!!

What. The. Fuck.

This guy needs to be shitcanned. Now.

[EC]

29. Gee, I thought the Marines are supposed to be the

tough guys...and here they are - afraid of getting hit on by another Marine? Are they afraid that saying no will hurt them?

[alp227]

30. and under DADT/a bigoted environment gays lose their lives by their own hands n/t

[gtar100]

31. What news! Top marine admits he's a whiny cry-baby.

He's sort of tarnishing the image of the marine as the bravest and best we've got in this country.

[HEyHEY]

32. Yes, Canada's military is being wiped out left right and center cause of it

:eyes:

[justiceischeap]

33. Sounds to me like he's suggesting that the foxhole buddies might put a bullet

In an openly gay marine in the same foxhole. I submit that openly gay marines are not going to be any different than they are now, they just don't have to worry about being "fired" if their sexuality is discovered. It seems that people who are against the repeal have not taken the time to really THINK about what they're saying before they say it. They also haven't taken the time to educate themselves about "teh gay."

[No Elephants]

37. Amos is a transparent, lying POS.

If troops are that homophobic, wouldn't they also be in danger just from wondering if the person in the foxholw with them was a closeted gay or not? The only solutio to Amos's problem is to keep gays out of the military entirely, not to make them live a lie.

Besides what about the lives keeping DADT in place ruined? What about troops going nuts and dying because DADT discharges added to their tours of duty? What about gay troops worrying about a homophobe being emboldened by Jim Crow laws against gays?

[Vinca]

38. This is ridiculous. Booga! Booga! Booga! Be afraid of the gays.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

43. Who knew Marines were such flamin' --

titty-babies? :shrug: :freak:

[MurrayDelph]

44. Dear General Amos

Tell your boys to "suck it up"

[Ratty]

45. Last line of his Wikipedia entry

He is a born again Christian

Quelle surprise. I'm sure that had nothing to do with his honest evaluation of the impact of the end of DADT.

[wmbrew0206]

53. Seeing as wiki can be edited by anyone, I'd hold off on believing that one.

[LanternWaste]

46. Seems to me that a soldier who is more concerned

Seems to me that a soldier who is more concerned with the sexual orientation of the other men in his unit than of the unit objective should find another line of work.

[underpants]

48. Didn't people say basicallly the same thing before Army units were desegregated?

I believe they did.

[underpants]

50. Hey General Anus - maybe we need someone in your position who knows how to COMMAND

because you just admitted that you don't know how to do that.

[wmbrew0206]

55. Bullshit. The man was asked his opinion and gave it.

If given the order to end DADT, Tamer will carry it out to the best of his ability.

Don't confuse opinion with disobedience.

[underpants]

56. I didn't say or think that it was disobedience

He takes commands (after being able to weigh in on them) and is supposed to execute them

He admitted that he can't do that. Time for another General, we have plenty of them.

[wmbrew0206]

57. Like I said: Bullshit.

Tamer will execute the order to end DADT if ordered to do so. And I have no doubt that he will do it to the best of his ability. Trust me, Tamer has spent plenty of time arguing for one thing or another, only to have his CO go a different direction and still expect him to carry out those orders. The fact he is CMC shows that he can do it.

As far as having plenty of generals: Really? OK, please tell me the Marine general who should take over for him. There was a reason Tamer was picked as the first non-infantry CMC.

[forty6]

54. Soldiers will lose lives as long as this Neanderthal is the head of the Marines!

I guess he doesn't get that honesty makes Marines BETTER!

Who appointed this nut?