Tag Archives: Congress

President Trump Issues Ban on Transgender Military Service

In what has become his trademark fashion, President Donald Trump issued a major policy statement 140 characters at a time yesterday, effectively re-enacting the DoD’s prohibition on transgenders serving in the US military.

The critics immediately pounced.

As accurately noted, the tweet does not explain how this new policy will be implemented — specifically, what it means to transgenders who have been allowed to served openly since President Obama made a similar unilateral decision last year. That said, it seems reasonably obvious that the ban on enlistment will continue.

This is, of course, exactly what the policy was just one year ago under President Obama — as well as Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, etc, etc. President Trump has done nothing more than restore a longstanding policy.

The rebuttals were predictable, and weak:  Read more

US General: Transgender Delay is Due to Medical Issues, Science

Transgender activists were caught off guard on Tuesday when the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the “delay” in transgenders being allowed to enter the US military wasn’t due to feelings, religion, or bigotry — but science and medicine.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his reappointment as Vice Chairman, US Air Force Gen Paul Selva said [emphasis added]

Our decision to delay the accessions of transgender individuals into the services was largely based on a disagreement on the science of how mental health care and hormone therapy for transgender individuals would help solve the medical issues that are associated with gender dysphoria.

Read that carefully. Gen Selva said the current treatment for the medical condition currently called “gender dysphoria” not only isn’t settled, there’s disagreement that it even works.

(That comes as no surprise to transgender activists, Read more

Diversity in the US Military, and the Right Priorities

In an interesting piece at Military.com, US Navy PO2 Guldeep “Geena” Kaur Sidhu describes what it’s like to be a Sikh woman serving in the US military, noting:

In today’s politically charged and increasingly globalized world, it’s more important than ever to be open to the beliefs and cultures of those around you.

Kaur notes there is virtue in promoting and highlighting religious liberty and the values of religious belief:

I believe that it will lead us to greater unity. By better understanding the identities of our brothers and sisters in arms, we can become closer as a unified force. I hope that the changes brought about by this new directive will serve to educate my fellow service members on the Sikh religion, and how closely it aligns with the American values we’re fighting for day in and day out.

As has been noted in the past, there has been Read more

Activist Ashley Broadway: Unequivocal Proof Transgenders Strengthen Military

Last Friday the US military decided to delay enlisting those who identify as transgender, with Secretary of Defense James Mattis saying the policy proposal initiated under the previous Obama Administration would be reviewed with “one standard” in mind [emphasis added]:

Mattis said he believes the department must measure “each policy decision against one standard” — whether it affects the ability of the military to defend the nation.

This is unnerving to LGBT activists who have made a concerted effort to claim allowing people who identify as “transgender” to serve would ultimately have no effect on the military.  Thus, if anyone is able to demonstrate a negative affect on the ability of the military to defend the nation — say, the monetary cost, distraction to the primary mission, disruption to unit morale, loss of moral integrity, logistical questions and complaints, just to name a few — the LGBT’s progressive social agenda emplaced under President Obama could come to a screeching halt.

(Notably, there is an important precedent for this concern: The repeal of DADT Read more

Ed Brayton’s Cluelessness on Religious Tests for Office

Ed Brayton, a long-time secularist blogger and ally of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein and Chris Rodda, recently wrote a post entitled “Klingenschmitt’s Cluelessness on Religious Tests for Office.”

One of Brayton’s pastimes is keeping up with former Navy Chaplain and former Colorado state legislator Gordon Klingenschmitt, himself a prolific public speaker and writer.

Brayton quoted Klingenschmitt from a LifeSite news article in which Klingenschmitt was commenting on the decision by Tennessee state legislator Mark Green to withdraw from nomination as Secretary of the Army.  Klingenschmitt said

The bully left is now openly creating an unconstitutional religious litmus test for public office. If you believe the Bible, or quote the Bible in public, they claim you are unfit for office and apply their political labels until you quit.

Brayton mocked Klingenschmitt’s statement as “absurd,” and then followed it with his own absurdity:  Read more

Heather Wilson Confirmed Secretary of the Air Force. Mikey Weinstein Cringes.

Heather Wilson (USAFA ’82) is now the first graduate of the US Air Force Academy to become Secretary of the Air Force, thus ensuring her legacy as a bullet in every four degree’s issued Contrails. She becomes only the second DoD appointee under President Trump to successfully take office, coming just after the second nominee for the Secretary of the Army, Mark Green, withdrew last week.

Even Wilson’s relatively easy confirmation was delayed, with some reports indicating an “unnamed Senator” had put a hold on her confirmation. Mark Green had cited the threat of just such a “hold” on his potential confirmation — which would have kept the Army from getting its new Secretary indefinitely — in his reasoning for withdrawing his name last week.

At one point, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein was facetiously Read more

Reconciling Morality: Misunderstanding Respect and the Military

US Army SFC Timothy Seppala is a Religious Affairs Specialist, otherwise known as a chaplain’s assistant. He recently wrote a few articles about the chaplaincy and one on “Reconciling your Morality: Finding the Common Ground.”

The article begins with a fairly reassuring statement that morality is “highly objective”, but it soon becomes clear SFC Seppala meant the other word [emphasis added]:

The truth is that morality can come from almost anywhere and is something that is unique to each individual.

As you can imagine, having so many sources of morality leads to many different views on what is right and wrong.

In other words, Seppala mean to say morality is subjective, not objective.  That doesn’t bode well for the rest of the article on morality.

Seppala goes on to note that social issues divide society — and the US military reflects the society from which it is drawn, even on issues of morality [emphasis added]: Read more

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