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Author Topic: Military to ease recruiting restrictions  (Read 4805 times)

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Offline woodshere

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  • ain't no shame in my game
Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« on: November 06, 2007, 03:58:00 pm »
You can be a felon, have low aptitude scores, drug related convictions and asthma, but if you like to suck a little dick every now and then or take it up the ass, you ain't gonna get in or stay in if you get caught.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071106/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_waivers
"Let us give pubicity to HV/AIDS and not hide it..." "One of the things destroying people with AIDS is the stigma we attach to it."   Nelson Mandela

Offline anniebc

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2007, 05:29:48 pm »
Hi Woods

When we were stationed in Aden my father was a Warrent Officer in the Black Watch, he had a young corporal in his battalion, he was pretty open about being gay, and apart from a couple of idiots my father had to deal with he was well respected by the rest of the men.

I remember my father saying if he had to rely on anyone to stand beside him in a time of crisis this young coproral would be the one he would choose, he was committed to his army duties and his regiment and was a good soldier...he was also a good family friend, he would take my brother and I fishing on his weekends off.

That young corporal ended his career (with honors) in the Black Watch as a Captain of his battalion....just saying.

Hugs
Jan :-*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline megasept

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2007, 06:03:00 pm »
I was never in the service. There have always been gay members, some pretty open about their sexuality. I do know a little guy (short guys are perfect for submarines) who has plenty of sex at sea while doing his top-secret job aboard their top secret US nuclear sub; he's an active serviceman right now, and obviously part of a trusted elite within the Navy.

Things may have gotten tighter since Clinton's (Yeah, I blame him) Don't Ask Don't Tell. There have always been and always will be gay people, some career, some not, who are gay. I went with a clerk on an aircraft carrier. Perfectly normal gay guy who just wanted a change of scenery after a failed relationship. Gay men love to travel.  ;)

I don't blame the officers or enlisted members for a ludicrous policy. It will change. Turkey and the US will be the last blatantly anti-gay members of NATO.

 8)  -megasept
« Last Edit: November 06, 2007, 06:41:52 pm by megasept »

Offline pozattitude

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2007, 06:20:21 pm »
the navy wanted to recruit me, they were all about how my languages and travel would be such a great fit for the navy intelligence, until I said "I"m gay".

never heard from them again

Rich
POSITIVE PEDALERS... We are a group of people living with HIV/AIDS, eliminating stigma through our positive public example.

Offline bocker3

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2007, 07:16:28 pm »
Hi Woods,

I saw this earlier today too and had the same thought you did.  Utterly nuts!!

The interesting thing is that the military is probably the easiest environment in the US to allow gays to be treated as equals.  Not necessarily to change people's minds, but to insure equal treatment.  There is so much less freedom in the military and so much more demand for conformity.

I did serve in the Army, including combat service in Desert Storm.  I have a number of medals, years of stellar performance appraisals and promotions to show I did a great job.  Shortly after being promoted to Captain, I decided that I had enough of hiding.  So....  while no one asked, I started telling.  I told my Commander, I told Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy (I lived in Mass. at the time), etc, etc.  The amazing thing -- no one asked me to resign my commission.  In fact, my Commander (a full Colonel), told me that he didn't care one bit -- I was doing a great job and that is all that mattered to him.  The Executive Officer of my unit (my immediate boss) even told me that, while he had agreed with the ban in the past, he now needed to reassess his position after serving with me for 8 yrs.  I went on to resign my commission because,while this Reserve unit had no issue with me,  I did not want to deal with this if I went to another unit, or got called up again (I didn't serve with my Reserve unit in Desert Storm, rather I was attached to an Active Duty Infantry unit out of Germany).
I tell this story to show that there is definitely not a universal agreement that "homosexuality is incompatible with military service" in the US Armed Forces.  This is a POLITICAL issue.  The military is designed to take orders and will adjust to anything.

Mike

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2007, 07:30:56 pm »
Restrictions on homosexuals serving in the Australian Defence Forces were overturned back in 1992.

In fact the first angry political speech Matty the Damned ever gave was on this issue at the 1991 New South Wales Young Labor Council Annual Conference. It was a huge issue. Sections of the Party's Right faction opposed us bitterly. That debate lead to the policy changes within the Party which saw the then Labor federal government remove the restrictions.

MtD

Offline sdcabincrew74

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2007, 02:08:43 am »
Of course they are easing restrictions.  They cannot find enough people willing to go die in "the war on terror" which we all know is hype and should really be called "the war for oil" or the "war to make the rich even richer"
The difference between an overnight and a layover is luck!

Offline megasept

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Re:the ARMY has eased recruiting restrictions
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2007, 12:55:38 am »
Of course they are easing restrictions.  They cannot find enough people willing to go die in "the war on terror" which we all know is hype and should really be called "the war for oil" or the "war to make the rich even richer"

The Army has lowered it's recruitment requirements. The other branches of the US Military have considerably higher requirements and expectations.

If you think Don't Ask Don't Tell is NOT being enforced the # of folks dismissed or somehow separated from the Military, the figures have been 200% over the years since Clinton's "compromise." Homosexuals weren't legally allowed in the service before either, it's just twice as many have been thrown out, lost benefits, or even charged for their education. Sen Sam Nunn held bogus televised hearings on the issue of gays in the service. The first testimony was from an enlisted man...who came to report that he didn't like the idea of taking showers in front of homosexual men. I also remember Sen Dianne Fienstein coming to the hearings with no statement, no position, and after listening to Sen Nunn, said "Gee, thanks, Senator. I learned a whole lot today." With friends like these...

How the military is used is a political issue. It goes well beyond the Iraq war. I would support a draft, oppose mercenaries, and appreciate that the Constitution makes the President the Commander in Chief. The Constitution says Congress must declare war; that little technicality was ignored in the Korean "conflict" and thereafter. Was anyone amused when our President's tough words to Pakistan's Musharref included "You can't be both head of the Military and President," or something to that effect. Uh...Pres. Bush is Commander in Chief.   The thing is, he does actually know that.  :o lol.

 8)  -megasept

Offline pozattitude

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Re:the ARMY has eased recruiting restrictions
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2007, 12:15:30 pm »
I also remember Sen Dianne Fienstein coming to the hearings with no statement, no position, and after listening to Sen Nunn, said "Gee, thanks, Senator. I learned a whole lot today." With friends like these...

Dianne Fienstein is a true politician...all talk and lies and if you look at her voting record (especially lately) she is a  BUSHEEP....I am disgusted at this senator who is sopposed to represent my district.

Rich
POSITIVE PEDALERS... We are a group of people living with HIV/AIDS, eliminating stigma through our positive public example.

Offline marc11864

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2007, 02:29:43 pm »
The underlying message that is dually being sent is that the people they are willing to recruit are highly expendable. I wonder how many realize that...  ::)
Let us cavort like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean.

Offline woodshere

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #10 on: November 09, 2007, 03:03:54 pm »
The underlying message that is dually being sent is that the people they are willing to recruit are highly expendable. I wonder how many realize that...  ::)

Oh, I am not too sure about this.  Otherwise they would be recruiting gays and lesbians in mass with hopes of getting rid of us in an "expendable" way.  Let's hope no one in the Pentagon or religious right checks out the forums and gets any ideas...... :)
"Let us give pubicity to HV/AIDS and not hide it..." "One of the things destroying people with AIDS is the stigma we attach to it."   Nelson Mandela

Offline pozniceguy

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2007, 06:13:37 pm »
Being GAY has nothing to do with how a person will perform whatever duties a particular Military service may need to perform......the issue about gays in the Military is and has been the  "effect on morale...."  it is still widely believed among many Political and senior Military leaders that  having gays in close contact with fighting men or in close quarters with "straight men" will somehow affect morale in a negative way..... I was in the Military for over 20 yrs and frequently heard this line of thinking...It is all BS of course...as stated in a previous post many persons who are known to be Gay by their fellow soldiers/sailors/airmen...have performed in an excellent manner and have been more than a good influence on their comrades......I personally know a retired Maj Gen ( two stars) that was commander of a major unit ( thousands of people) it was widely known and accepted that he was Gay...he recently retired.....so if there is to be any hope of changing this issue then the senior leaders/ politicians will have to die off and eventually be replaced by the "kids" of today who don't seem to have any issue with being gay at all...  at least no the ones I see and hear at the local High Schools...
remember the good times...honor the past but don't live there
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Offline 404error

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Re: Military to ease recruiting restrictions
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2007, 04:06:37 pm »
My dad is in the Canadian Military.  He works as an Aircraft Maintenance Tech.  Basically he fixes helicopters and airplanes.  He works with a MTF tranny.  This person is in their mid to late 40's.  The military is paying for all gender reassignment surgeries.  I'd say that's pretty progessive stance for the military.
A social critic who promotes equality...

 


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