Tag Archives: marriage

Senate Defense Bill Adds Marriage, Removes Sodomy Rules

Update: The Pentagon has said bestiality would still be impermissible.  Aides in Congress are saying the repeal may not stand anyway.

US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) successfully submitted an amendment to the 2012 Defense Authorization Act that would explicitly protect US military chaplains in regard to homosexual marriage:

The Wicker legislation would prevent military chaplains from being forced to perform a marriage ceremony if the chaplain objects for reasons of conscience…

“This amendment will allow the chaplains of our Armed Forces to maintain the freedom of conscience necessary to serve both their Nation and their religion without conflict,” Wicker said.

Nothing officially requires chaplains to perform Read more

DADT: Pentagon Authorizes Homosexual Weddings

Though “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, its controversies continue.

Military chaplains can preside over same-sex marriages on military installations in places where same-sex marriage is not prohibited by state and local laws, according to a new Pentagon policy unveiled Sept. 30.

Having the ability to “preside over” ceremonies was never really in question.  Rather, the grand controversy was the use of federal facilities to conduct ceremonies not recognized by federal law.  Though not specifically referring to same-sex ceremonies, this, too was addressed:  Read more

Congress Calls for Delay in Tomorrow’s DADT Repeal

The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), and committee member Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) have called on the Department of Defense to delay the planned repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The Committee and others have complained the DoD has failed to provide any of the documentation required for the certification to the President that occurred two months ago.  The documentation was supposed to cover policies and regulations implementing repeal.

Since it is evident that the department does not have final, approved policies in place, we believe it is essential that you take immediate action to Read more

Women in Combat Have Three Times Suicide Rate

USA Today notes preliminary data from the US Army indicates “the suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war.”

The findings…show that the suicide rate rises from five per 100,000 to 15 per 100,000 among female soldiers at war. Scientists are not sure why but say they will look into whether women feel isolated in a male-dominated war zone or suffer greater anxieties about leaving behind children and other loved ones.

Some might earlier have called that last statement sexist, particularly in light of recent recommendations that women be allowed in combat Read more

Sailor: Next Step, Equal Rights for Gay Servicemembers

Chris Patti, reportedly a Navy cryptologist, wrote an opinion piece at the Washington Post saying repeal of DADT was the “easy” part, and now Secretary of Defense Robert Gates faces “difficult” questions.  Oddly, Patti raises no questions that have not already been addressed.  Just like the terse answer to those who wondered if they could resign early if they had moral reservations about repeal (“No.”), the military working group on DADT repeal provided terse answers to Patti’s questions.  For example, he asks:  Read more

Christianity and Morality in the Military

Gays have been in the military since the beginning of armed conflict, and allowing them to admit that fact does not change the fact that they take the same risk as straight service members and are due the same respect.

Quotes like these are increasingly common — even from Christians — and demonstrate ignorance of the point of those who have opposed repeal of the law banning homosexuals from serving.

The fact that homosexuals have served within the military, in violation of the law, does not nullify the validity of the law (anymore than violation of any other law does so).

Risk, sacrifice, etc, are all irrelevant.  There is no Read more

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