Military Shows Their Support For Obama Over McCain With $$

Money talks and bullshit walks, isn't that how the saying goes? Well if that is true, it is McCain spewing all the bullshit and the military is taking notice. McCain is full of it when it comes to our nation's veterans, paying them lip service without voting for the programs they truly need and deserve. Barack Obama is ready to deliver for our nation's troops and veterans and the military is putting their faith in him and in the only way that can be truly shown before casting their ballots.

From OpenSecrets:

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain's haul.

Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall -- whether stationed overseas or at home -- are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Although 59 percent of federal contributions by military personnel has gone to Republicans this cycle, of money from the military to the presumed presidential nominees, 57 percent has gone to Obama.

Are you shocked to see this, well, some of the experts are:

"That's shocking. The academic debate is between some who say that junior enlisted ranks lean slightly Republican and some who say it's about equal, but no one would point to six-to-one" in Democrats' favor, said Aaron Belkin, a professor of political science at the University of California who studies the military. "That represents a tremendous shift from 2000, when the military vote almost certainly was decisive in Florida and elsewhere, and leaned heavily towards the Republicans."

The shift may be dramatic from past elections, but injecting a little commons sense into the discussion solves this. The troops are, by and large sick of being in Iraq where they do their very best yet it isn't enough because they shouldn't be there in the first place. Our soldiers want out and they see which nominee wants them to stay for a hundred years and which wants them home in sixteen months.

How The Military Views John McCain

While McCain may be the war hero and Barack Obama is not, merely having worn a uniform does not qualify someone to represent veterans. The real test is how the Presidential candidate has supported troops with their votes in the Senate. Instead of buying rhetoric wholesale, military voters are looking at the big picture, and they do not like what they see in John McCain.

Lose An Arm, A Leg And Your Bonus

How heartless is the army and the Bush Administration that governs it? Sending our troops into harms way for an illegal and immoral war is already well known, but could it be worse? Oh you bet your a-s-s it can. When those shiny commercials come on and bait young men and women into serving your country with those $30,000 enlistment bonuses. Well they should add an asterisk, because if you get injured during your tour, the army is going to want some of it back.

From The Carpetbagger Report:

In Jordan Fox’s case, he was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle, causing back injuries and blindness in his right eye. He was sent home, unable to complete the final three months of his military commitment.

Last week, the Pentagon sent him a bill: Fox owed the government nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus.

“I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they’re telling me they want their money back,” Fox said.

Yep, thats our military screwing over wounded combat veterans. This is why I would trust an used car salesman over a military recruiter any day of the week. The former just wants to sell you a car, the latter is getting you to risk life and limb.

Thankfully Jordan's Congressman is stepping into help. Altmire (D-PA) is introducing a bill that stops George Bush and his military brass from demanding veterans pay back their bonuses. The legislation should be easily passed by Congress, the question is will George veto it? He says he supports the troops, we'll see if he means it this time.

UPDATE: The Pentagon claims that Fox's little letter was a mistake, but no word on the policy as a whole.

A Vindicative Military

Somewhere in the army brass, there is a pathetic little human being that is obsessing over Adam Kokesh. Adam served honorably in Iraq and was discharged from the service accordingly. Now that he is an active part of the anti-war movement the military wants his discharge status changed. This has nothing to do with his actions as a Marine Sargeant. Protesting with his uniform on was their excuse, despite him not being an active member of the military.

From RawStory:

The March demonstration involved Kokesh and other vets performing mock patrols around the nation's capital to offer Americans a peek at what life is like in Iraq. Kokesh wore his Marine fatigues with his name, rank and Marine Corps insignia patches removed. The military told Kokesh that wearing the uniform violated Defense Department regulations, despite the fact that he had been honorably discharged from the service the previous year. Kokesh is still part of the Inactive Ready Reserve, which allows for discharged troops to be called back to service in case of an emergency.

Kokesh was informed via e-mail that he may be violating regulations, and he did not take the admonishment lightly. He responded to the officer who had sent the e-mail, advising him not to waste time on "such petty issues, (while) our fellow Marines continue to die in futility...."

"So no, I am not replying to your e-mail in order to acknowledge my understanding of my obligations and responsibilities," Kokesh wrote, " but rather to ask you to please, kindly, go fuck yourself."

Adam says as a Marine he doesn't pull punches and the military certainly got hit by him in his reply. He's right, the army does not need to waste their time with this matter. The fact that the Veterans of Foreign Wars is supporting his case against the military shows this has nothing to do with his conduct as a soldier.

Despite the letter's irritating effect on the officer who it was sent to, he should have just sucked it up and taken Kokesh's advice to concentrate on other matters. In the end, this is just going to be another black mark for the Pentagon. You would think they've had enough of them over the conduct of the war.

A Gay Linguist Is Still A Linguist

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" must be one of most idiotic policies in the armed forces concerning their personnel since the days of segregation. Homophobic morons claim that knowing there is a gay individual amongst the ranks reduces moral or some crap like that and it actually got passed into law. The reality is that many people do not care and those that do can generally be convinced by example that gay people are pretty much like the rest of us and can serve their country just as well as someone who is straight.

One of the examples brought into question in recent years is the number of Arabic linguists who have been discharged from their service because of their sexual orientation. In all, 58 have been let go. That means over a thousand hours a week is lost when we could have been deciphering information from Al Qaeda and other nefarious sorts all over the Middle East. One ex-linguist recently gave an interview to give his side of the story.

From the AP:

Former Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Benjamin said his supervisor tried to keep him on the job and urged him to sign a statement saying he was not gay. Benjamin said his lawyer advised against signing because the statement could be used against him later if other evidence surfaced.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Benjamin said he was caught improperly using the military's secret level computer system to send messages to his roommate, who was serving in Iraq. In those messages, he said, he may have referred to being gay or going on a date.

"I'd always had been out since the day I started working there," Benjamin said. "We had conversations about being gay in the military and what it was like. There were no issues with unit cohesion. I never caused divisiveness or ever experienced slurs," said Benjamin, who was in the Navy for nearly four years.

"I'd always had been out since the day I started working there," Benjamin said. "We had conversations about being gay in the military and what it was like. There were no issues with unit cohesion. I never caused divisiveness or ever experienced slurs," said Benjamin, who was in the Navy for nearly four years.

Benjamin's story blows holes in the current law on the books, the one the Pentagon vows to follow, despite all of the evidence that shows the law is a failure. Thankfully outgoing Rep. Marty Meehan is taking up the issue and trying to force a change.

"At a time when our military is stretched to the limit and our cultural knowledge of the Middle East is dangerously deficient, I just can't believe that kicking out able, competent Arabic linguists is making our country any safer," Meehan said.

Meehan has organized a letter signed by 40 other members of the House to seek an investigation on the sanity of letting all of those linguists go. It isn't a repeal of the law, but it is a start. The issue is just one small piece of the picture that shows the policy is a sham and that we need to treat all of our soldiers equally, no matter who they want to sleep with.

Bush's Pay Increase For The Troops Is Illegal

Not only is it immoral to raise the income of our brave fighting men and women less than the rate of inflation, it is illegal. The law provides troops with receiving a pay increase of at least 0.5% higher than their civilian equivalents. Since inflation was at 3.3 percent, that gives then 3.8, almost a full point more than what the President wants to give our soldiers.

From BradBlog:

Increases in military salary are traditionally determined by increases in average civilian salary, according to a method of measurement called the Employment Cost Index. Regardless of the actual dollar increase in salary, the base pay for service-members must be at least 0.5% above the corresponding civilian pay because of a Defense Authorization Act which Congress passed in 1999.

The Democrats forgot about the law as well, but they want to fund the troops an extra half-percent, a move the White House "strongly opposed." Now both are required to adhere to the rules on the books. Democrats shouldn't mind at all, but the President has a history of not caring about pesky little things that get in his way. It would be nice if the House Republicans still left over from 1999 would remind George about the bill they passed, but Bush doesn't really care for their opinion either.

McCain Still Swimming In The Deep End: Panders To Homophobes

John McCain is truly pathetic. As he tries desperately to move back up in the polls, he continues to reach new depths of stupidity, ignorance and playing to wing-nut fears. This time he echoed a right wing talking point that bashes gays that serve in the military. Most members of the armed forces are comfortable serving with men and women with a different sexual orientation, but that doesn't stop McCain and the religious right.

From the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:

In an April 16 letter to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), McCain says the law, passed in 1993, “unambiguously maintains that open homosexuality within the military services presents an intolerable risk to morale, cohesion and discipline.” Senator McCain goes on to incorrectly assert that the U.S. Supreme Court “has ruled that the military may constitutionally discharge a service member for overt homosexual behavior.” […]

“Most importantly, the national security of the United States, not to mention the lives of our men and women in uniform, are put at grave risk by policies detrimental to the good order and discipline which so distinguish America’s Armed Services.”

McCain has his facts all wrong while trying to make the spin sounds just right for his targeted audience. That Supreme Court ruling doesn't exist, no one really cares outside of wingnutopia about gays serving in the military and most importantly, it is hateful policies like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that hurts our mission and makes the military less capable. Kicking out Arabic translators because of their sexual orientation is mean-spirited and childish, not to mention stupid as we are fighting so much in countries where they speak Arabic. I hope McCain keeps falling in all the polls, along with any Republican that thinks like he does.

Go Back To Africa And Do Your Gay Voodoo Limbo Tango

This creative anti-gay slur and many others were part of a heated email exchange between an army recruiter and a member of careerbuilder.com. The army recruiter, Sgt. Marcia Ramode contacted Corey Andrew about a position in the army, but got nasty after he disclosed that he was an openly gay man. Today Andrew got press on the issue, bringing the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" program back into the spotlight.

From RawStory:

After posting his resume on online job site CareerBuilder.com, Corey Andrew was contacted by an army recruiter about a job.

The email exchange between Andrew and the recruiter, Sergeant Marcia Ramode, quickly turned hostile when Andrew revealed that he was a homosexual.

"You are definitely unqualified," wrote Ramode. "Now take you gay self [sic] back to someplace else we do not tolerate gay people like you in any part of the military."

"Her response was appalling," Andrew told CNN.

The email exchange grew more heated, with Ramode suggesting that Andrew should, "go back to Africa and do your gay voodoo limbo tango and wango dance."

Thankfully the recruiting station based in Brooklyn had some common sense on their part and put the Sargeant on leave, saying her childish behavior is not acceptable for the ambassadors of America's army. Nevertheless, the episode reveals how the military's policy dealing with homosexuals is flawed.

While the army has no qualms about inducting convicted felons and other ilk, they are still repulsed by the fact that a man or woman may be attracted to their own gender. I feel bad for Andrew because he had to deal with the recruiter's homophobia upclose and personal. Hopefully there is a silver lining in all of this and the military finally takes a hard look at their failed policy and ditches it. Of course, I'm not holding my breath either.

Don't Ask, Don't Know

Stephen Colbert wants to keep the army's policy for gays in the military just the way it is. His logical assessment of the situation is right on. For instance, over 11,000 troops have been let go and hundreds of millions spent to prosecute their ousters. Colbert does have one piece of advice however: If the army tells soldiers to not know what the word means, then ignorance can solve the problem. Brilliant!

Support Rep. Marty Meehan Today!

At 2pm eastern standard time, Congressman Marty Meehan will introduce a bill to end the inequality in the military. After many years of a failed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' recruitment policy, we have the power to end the systematic revokement of gays in the armed forces.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act will be re-introduced by the Democratic Representative from Massachusetts. The bill (H.R. 1059) was originally brought to the house with 122 co-sponsors, yet it still failed to become law. Backed by the new Democratic majority, this time around things look more positive to end this ridiculous policy that our military imposes on its troops, including the $250 million to $1.2 billion that has been spent to enforce it.

The Service Members Defense Network has been a huge supporter of revoking the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy and is standing behind Congressman Meehan tomorrow. Here is part of their press release:

WHO: Congressman Meehan will be joined by C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), as well as by BG Evelyn “Pat” Foote, USA (Ret.), a member of SLDN’s honorary board, and SLDN client and Former Marine Sergeant Brian Fricke, an openly gay veteran of the war in Iraq. Another participant will be an Iraq war veteran from Texas who lost his right leg in combat and will be coming out of the closet publicly at the press conference in his support for the repeal of the law. Other military veterans will also join Congressman Meehan as he announces re-introduction of the bill.

WHY: Since 1993, the Department of Defense has fired more than 11,000 service members under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” On average, 2 - 3 people are dismissed under the law every day. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) at least 800 of those had skills deemed ‘mission-critical’ by DoD, including more than 300 linguists, of which at least 55 were proficient in Arabic.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 ● 2pm

WHERE: House Armed Services Committee Hearing Room 2216 ●
Rayburn House Office Building ● Washington DC

Despite the issue of how our President has misused our troops in Iraq and his war on terror, it is a travesty to deny Americans the chance to serve based on their sexual orientation. The old policy perpetuates a culture of fear in the military of being outed and in many cases, being thrown out of something that one is thrilled to be a part of. The stories of these servicemembers in hiding is incredibly moving, such Serena Storm.


Here is a small portion of her story:

A few years ago, I met Audrey* who was my girlfriend for two years. She was a smart and caring woman who I could talk to about anything; she was also my first relationship with a woman. I learned so much from her about functioning in an intimate relationship; (I was ignorant when it came to committed relationships since the majority of my previous relationships failed miserably or ended before it could get started) from communication to appreciation; from compromise to acceptance. I often spoke of her at work with my co-workers by using a male name by referring to her as Aidan* vice Audrey.* Our relationship ended over our careers and the fact that she had met someone who had more in common with her and could meet her needs. Despite all that I learned from her, I know it was hard on her to deal with deployments, extended hours, and other demands of the military life just as it was hard for me to understand and empathize with the demands of being a nurse. Audrey* and I are still friends; I would rather have her in my life in that capacity than not at all. That don’t ask, don’t tell policy limits everything. It’s hard being in a committed relationship with someone whose picture you can’t put on your desk while everyone else is able to just because they’re straight. I’d love to be able to put my lover on a pedestal and show her off just like my co-workers do with their significant others. Unfortunately I can’t; I’ve learned to accept it and keep my professional and private life separate...to the point of having it down to a science and creating my own language.

That is only one tale of thousands. The damage to people that live in this state-sanctioned hiding is atrocious. A human being should not be forced to be ashamed of their sexual preference while serving their country. This is why Marty Meehan needs all the support he can get from us to tell our representatives to pass this bill so it will not have to be re-introduced for a second time.

Check out the Human Rights Campaign position on why this bill should be passed and then contact your member of Congress today!