Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout

**Jason** · 06-09-2009, 03:07 PM

When Barack Obama sought the presidency, he pledged to reverse the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy preventing gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military. Yet on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a gay Ohio soldier's challenge to the law — with the legal backing of none other than the Obama Administration.

James Pietrangelo II, the former Army infantryman and lawyer whose case the high court declined to review, reserved most of his ire for President Obama instead of the court. "He's a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar," Pietrangelo said in an interview with TIME shortly after the high court declined to hear his appeal. "This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people," he added. "If there were millions of black people as second-class citizens, or millions of Jews or Irish, he would have acted immediately" upon taking office to begin working to lift "Don't ask, don't tell." Pietrangelo fought in Iraq in 1991 as an infantryman, and returned as a JAG officer for the second Iraq War, before being booted out in 2004 for declaring he was gay as he was readying for a third combat tour. He was representing himself before the high court. (See pictures of the gay rights movement.)

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...ies-cnnpartner

**40sondacurb** · 06-09-2009, 04:27 PM

I'm just waiting for him to prove he's the most radical liberal ever to be elected office.

**djaburg** · 06-09-2009, 05:31 PM

Perhaps Obama didn't realize the true impact of that promise and its affect on the service's morale? I don't think there's a whole lot of people in the military, especially in close quarters combat situations that are really all that supportive of having homosexuals in their midst.

bry623 · 06-10-2009, 05:36 AM

But the law is still the law. Don't ask, don't tell. He told.

06-09-2009, 03:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jason Faugh a ballagh Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Pasco, FL Posts: 8,465 OS: Windows Vista My System Blog Entries: 2	Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout When Barack Obama sought the presidency, he pledged to reverse the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy preventing gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military. Yet on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a gay Ohio soldier's challenge to the law — with the legal backing of none other than the Obama Administration. James Pietrangelo II, the former Army infantryman and lawyer whose case the high court declined to review, reserved most of his ire for President Obama instead of the court. "He's a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar," Pietrangelo said in an interview with TIME shortly after the high court declined to hear his appeal. "This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people," he added. "If there were millions of black people as second-class citizens, or millions of Jews or Irish, he would have acted immediately" upon taking office to begin working to lift "Don't ask, don't tell." Pietrangelo fought in Iraq in 1991 as an infantryman, and returned as a JAG officer for the second Iraq War, before being booted out in 2004 for declaring he was gay as he was readying for a third combat tour. He was representing himself before the high court. (See pictures of the gay rights movement.) http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...ies-cnnpartner __________________ Posting Tips \| Advice for New People \| Common Fixes \| Agus na damnaithe fágtha gan focal Glaoigh ormsa i measc na naomh

06-09-2009, 04:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
40sondacurb Don't be a menace Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 6,285 OS: Vista sp2	Re: Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout I'm just waiting for him to prove he's the most radical liberal ever to be elected office. __________________ Donate to keep the forum running

06-09-2009, 05:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
djaburg TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,315 OS: XP SP3/Vista/7 Server 2K/2K3/2K8	Re: Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout Perhaps Obama didn't realize the true impact of that promise and its affect on the service's morale? I don't think there's a whole lot of people in the military, especially in close quarters combat situations that are really all that supportive of having homosexuals in their midst. __________________ Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. The inherent vice of capitalism is the uneven division of blessings, while the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal division of misery.

06-10-2009, 05:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
bry623 Manager, The Conversation Pit/Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NW Territory circa 1787 Posts: 11,692 OS: winxp pro sp2	Re: Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout But the law is still the law. Don't ask, don't tell. He told. __________________ "If you aren't a liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. If you aren't a conservative when you are 50, you have no brain"