Rep. Ridicules Gov't Policy Toward Gays

N.Y. Congressman Jokes Administration May Fear "Platoon Of Lesbians" More Than Terrorists

(AP)  A New York congressman on Wednesday jokingly suggested the Bush administration may fear a "platoon of lesbians" more than terrorists in Baghdad, given the military's resistance to letting homosexuals openly serve.

Rep. Gary Ackerman's criticism of Pentagon policy came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ackerman, a New York City Democrat, complained to Rice that the military had fired Arabic and Farsi translators after learning the translators were homosexuals.

"For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists. They're very brave with the terrorists, and if the terrorists ever got ahold of this information, they get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad," said Ackerman, prompting laughter in the hearing room.

The lawmaker, who in 2002 voted for the invasion of Iraq but is now a fierce opponent of the war, made one other crack, too, this time in reference to the Bush administration's opposition to gay marriage.

Ackerman suggested the State Department could hire dozens of outed — and ousted — former military translators.

"Can we marry up these two — or maybe that's not the right word. ... Can we have some kind of union of those two issues?" Ackerman asked, prompting a fresh outburst of laughter.

Rice, in diplomatic fashion, played it cool.

"Congressman, I'm not aware of the availability of people, but I will certainly look," she said, adding that her department has quadrupled the number of employees in critical languages.

A Washington-based gay rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, said Ackerman was right to criticize the military's policy of "don't ask, don't tell" concerning gays.

"It is clear the congressman was underscoring the ridiculousness of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy and how it's hurting our efforts to fight the war on terror," said HRC spokesman Luis Vizcaino.

[antoniof123]

You know if this was not real life it would be a comedy.

[susanhelit]

Amazing how we're so obsessed with what goes on in other people's bedrooms.


You couldn't make this stuff up - write a fictional novel about some department firing a bunch of much needed translators who help track down terrorists because they're gay, and it'll be rejected as unrealistic by any editor. But here it is in our capitol.

[rray52]

"a platoon of lesbians"

Is that like a gaggle of geese or a covey of quail?

[bm6005]

Yah, they have to be vetted neocons to be translators. War on terror my a$$!! Just like the competent people run out of Iraq and replaced by neocon sycophants! If these jacka$$e$ (Bush admin) were in WWII we surely would have lost

[hillaryin08]

This guy is not being a good liberal. Where is the Tolerance?

[hillaryin08]

Now for a little Liberal Trivia:

Which president constructed the current regulations regarding Gay's in the military and made them federal law?

Bill Clinton with the infamous "Dont ask, dont tell" Policy.

[omded]

Get ready for the Jesus Brigade! As soon as they get finished with evening prayers, they'll be logging onto the comment board and going through the same old blabber about how homosexuality's a sin. Too bad they can't let God speak for Himself/Herself/Themself! Oooops! They'll have to tell me that I'm a sinner because I didn't say that Jesus is the only God--or that THEIR Jesus is the only God!!! Surely I'm doomed to Hell now!

[omded]

What ever happened to the good old days when "Conservatives" were the ones calling for smaller government? Now they want to turn our country into a theocracy, getting involved in the personal lives of every American! Oh where, oh where have all the real conservatives gone? They're asleep at the wheel! Their movement's been hijacked!!!

[frankly6]

hillaryin08

The policy was an attempt to allow good servicemen and women to keep serving the country and to begin to move the miltary towards tolerance. Before that if you smelled gay you were out.

[themartyred]

When our family found out that several top Arabic-fluent translators were fired for being gay we cackled out of incredible disbelief that our country was so obsessed with the attraction of one group of people that they would put our service men and women in harm's way out of bigoted spite.

People in Tennessee and Texas and wherever there's a Nascar flag hanging off a front porch, need to start learning that gay and lesbian people are no different than the people in their own family, and a lot of them are very intelligent and could be used wisely by our country.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC OR VOTE FOR CORPORATE LOVIN', YOUR CHOICE
cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[themartyred]

singinrick, there is no separation between straight and gay, female and male, black and white, in God's glorious heaven. He will search the hearts of mankind and find if they loved His Son - so get off your soapbox of focusing energy on the *** lives of other humans. We're not talking about orgy *** or prostitution hiring by esteemed Evangelical leaders, we're talking about two people finding love with one another, and in some cases, loving Christ with all they are - God bless you

JOHN 3:16 - you unbelievers - read it and weep for the love that CHRIST has for you in your life, that He'd die for all of our sins and give us victory over sin and death to WHOSOEVER BELIEVES!

[zzmonkeyzz]

Singinrick -

The Bible is a book. Deal with it.

I do not ascribe my adherence to what is good and right to some manmade words in a book - I enjoy that gift directly from the higher power without the need of metaphorical, institution-serving fiction. Deal with it.

There are people who do not believe the Bible is the spoken word of God, but rather of men - just like you. Deal with it.

The United States of America is a free country. Deal with it.

[fryedbread]

singinrick-

I trust you are aware that the word "homosexual" did not appear in the Bible until 1946? What was God's view on the matter during World War II?

[Ed0719]

First, what does some mistranslated and twisted verses from a bible have to do with serving in the military? By the most generous interpretation, adultery and divorce/remarriage are also condemned in that same book yet those offenses don't get you kicked out or unable to serve in our military.

Second, the admonitions that some so-called "christians" use against homosexuals only show THEIR ignorance of the book they deem so inviolate. They only read into it what they choose, negating the context and believing erroneous translations over facts and evidence that would show them they are wrong.

If "christians" will lie about something as serious as that, what else are they lying about?

Lastly, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was a badly conceived compromise made necessary because the GOP controlled congress would not allow Clinton to completely open up the military for gay people to serve openly. It is rather disingenuous for GOP'ers to now blame the policy on Clinton. But then, that is the GOP way, isn't it?

[swensrq]

Seems to me that singinrick is somewhat obsessed with the homosexuality theme. I think the man doth protest too much.

[luvny-2009]

People in Tennessee and Texas and wherever there's a Nascar flag hanging off a front porch, need to start learning that gay and lesbian people are no different than the people in their own family, and a lot of them are very intelligent and could be used wisely by our country. - Posted by themartyred

LOL perfect, this is so true. They are just 30 years behind the times and don't forget those with their confererate flags too!

[skyk-2009]

It's ok for you to offend us with your slamming of the Bible, but it's not ok for us to retaliate with our beliefs right???
Posted by singinrick at 08:28 AM : Feb 08, 2007
+ report this comment

Well Ricky Dazzle us here!! Here's your chance!! List all the great and glorous things the Religious Reich has stood for! Give us all those great leaders who have stood and fought on the RIGHT side of Social and Moral issues in our past! That's the posters point and a VERY good point indeed. What have you low lifes EVER done in the history of this nation except keep a brain dead woman alive while putting the iron boot of the federal government on the neck of the husband. When I left college and went to Selma during the 60's I approached your kind and asked for you to step up and help us in our fight to overturn those laws that allowed citizens to be treated as garbage because of their skin. What did I get? I got clowns like you quoting from the Bible why it was necessary to drag a man out of his house and lynch him. So come on Ricky Boy, dazzle us here! Give us some names of those Great Leaders of the Religious Reich who stepped up to the plate during that or any other debate on these things. Where was Robertson, Falwell, Kennedy, Dobson when we were being hit with water cannons? Well??? Oh you are NOT allowed to use the actions of LIBERAL Christian's by the way. LOL Don't quote from the Bible and expect that to justify your past Sparky... won't work. Sieg Heil!!

[skyk-2009]

Possibly you wonder whether the issue is really this cut-and-dried. After all, for the last half-century, judicial activists on the Supreme Court and lower courts, ACLU lawyers, the press and the secular culture in general have embraced "the constitutional separation of church and state" as though it actually existed somewhere in the Constitution. Of course, none of these words %u2013 "separation," "church" or "state" %u2013 are in the First Amendment.


Posted by singinrick at 08:15 AM : Feb 08, 2007

Of course not you babbling moron!! LOL The leaders of this nation have since the FIRST Congress used the term "Seperation of Church and State" to explain ALL the provisions of our constitution that they used to make sure what we have fought against would NOT happen in this nation. It was used by President U.S. Grant in 1876 in a speach to defeat an attempt to get PUBLIC funds for Religious Schools. It's even been used by Southern Fascist, Southern Baptist had it in their policy until just recently. How do you moron's get through a day... you are so stupid you are dangerous!! LOL If you like merging State and Religion you should move to Iran!!

[skyk-2009]

Hey Ricky I'm waiting for all those Glorious stands the Religious Reich has taken. Where were they in the struggle to stop Child Labor? How about the right to vote for Women and Blacks? Then there's the issue of Safety in the Work Place and the 40 hour week. Surely you can come up with ONE name Sparky!! ROFLMAO You clowns are so phoney you stink!!

[skyk-2009]

Well I guess singingrick is like the rest of the Religious Reich, good at telling the rest of us how to live but VERY short on actually DOING it themselves!! LOL I'll tell you one thing, when the end come's I want to be as far away from Singingrick and the Religious Reich as I can get! Talk about getting what's coming to you? LOL

[grumpas]

"Us "Bible idiots" as you imply will NEVER keep our Jesus quotes to ourselves!" I hate to be the one to tell you singinrick but the more you quote the more people like myself get turned off of your nonsense and tune you out! You do more to hurt religion than you ever will promote it! So keep up the good work singinrick! Maybe the day will come when religion doesn't rule in this great country! When people start using common sense again instead of letting myth and superstition rule them!

[huskerarmy]

"The national government will maintain and defend the foundations on which the power of our nation rests. It will offer strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality. Today Christians stand at the head of our country. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theatre, and in the press -- in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of LIBERAL excess during the past years."

-- Adolph Hitler

[bks59]

An Honorable Representive critizes a US military policy and this blog has become about religion. Well then, God, the only Power, created All, Man (humans) included, God gave us the power to reason and be self aware, choices. The only good or bad in our lives is that which we create, the feeling or opinion about a situation. Christian theology is no more or less correct than any other theology, therefore the after life is the same for Everybody. This puts Hitler and Sadam with Mother Teresa.

[skyk-2009]

"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and private schools entirely supported by private contributions. Keep the Church and State FOREVER separate."

President U.S. Grant, Des Moines IA 1876

Well so much for Dobson and his attacks on the ACLU! Let's NOT allow our son's and daughters to die trying to SEPERATE Church and State while allowing this 200 plus idea be wiped out. We have allowed the Religous Reich, through their choosen one, George Bush, to distroy ONE American Belief over 200 years old. That Belief? The United States will not attack a nation that has NOT attacked us. You see our founders BELIEVED in Compromise and Negotiations... it's a shame the Religious Reich and George Bush NEVER found that out.

[skyk-2009]

*** are part of our society, if we like it or not is not important. We are in a War we are losing, we have a Dictator and we're trying to "Give" Government of the People to another nation which WE invaded. The people who are shooting our kids, who ARE dying as we speak, can use ANY AMERICAN who can help STOP that. IF we don't stop OUR Religious Extremist from letting this nation keep moving FORWARD, we will most certainly LOSE this fight! It WAS NOT the Religious Reich who fought and defeated OUR OWN Religious Extremist...they WERE the Extremist. Those they spew hate at, the "Liberal's" out there? They were the one's who kicked the KKK's Butt all over the South... maybe we should listen to these folks don't you think?

[plowhandle]

Religious extremism has run this nation since Ronny Ragoon won back in 1980 - and look how the nation has suffered.

Instead of the "heartland" people rising up angry and booting the Republishit Party out of office, these ignorant, green-teeth Baptist Cracker idiots voted them in time and time again - because of their insistence that GOD was on the side of the Republicrap Party...that they would save America from the kweers and would protect the tadpole babies (unborn 'rights' over a mother's health and well-being). The goofs fell for it all - and here we are.

The tide has finally turned - Republiscum Party dispatched out of power and the Democratic majority put back in place. Soon to be "Madame President Clinton," but it will take DOZENS of years to get America back from the Fundamentalist Trolls that still think they matter.

Republishits...........buh bye.

[legendary240]

Keep the pervs out of the military. Let them sew uniforms.

[pakaal]

Go platoons of lesbians! That's so hot.

And yeah, that last comment is so completely non-PC of me.

Israel and England - both accept gay/lesbian soldiers in their armies, and the world hasn't collapsed. Big surprise there. Meanwhile we lead the back of the pack once again thanks to fringe Christianists who feel a need to deny people the right to serve their country.

Bks59, the Government's current military policy is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible. Like it or not, this debate is ALL about religion.

[Ed0719]

In Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, our American troops already serve along side openly gay miliary personnel from other countries such as the UK and Australia, Italy, etc. Those countries have seen no problems with gay people serving openly. Are detractors trying to say that American military personnel are too immature to accept someone different? Are they really using the same tired and false excuses that were once used to demand segregation of blacks in the military?

American men are so backward when it comes to sexuality. They are like middle school children. It is time they grow up and act like men, whether they are gay or straight.

[fryedbread]

singinrick you never answered my question. :(

You are aware that the word "homosexuality" does not appear in the Bible before 1946?

[bm6005]

Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to Iraq. When does your flight leave. Remember they raised the age limit to 42 just for you crackers. Couldn't make it to any previous wars so let's see you in this one and if not you how about your kids!!

[pakaal]

bm6005, why do you think anyone should send themselves or anyone else into this misbegotten war? Fighting for a reason I can understand, but fighting to save Bush's PR image? Screw that!

[newsjeff-2009]

I think it is still funny how the GOP party claims and speak about being against homosexual marriages or same-*** marriage, I think I have figured out why so many GOPers and Bush voting red republican states are so anti-homosexual, I read about how the top 10 states that have the highest divorce rates(traditional marriages of course)with so many domestic tradional marriages failing in 10 of the Bush-voting republican states it makes sense to bad-mouth Massachucetts,New York, and a few other democrat voting states that have the lowest divorce rates in the nation.(Massachucetts has the lowest divorce rate.)When domestic marriage and traditional marriages are failing all around the country, I guess that is why many GOPers are jealous that some people actually have marriages or realationships that do not failure and without divorce rates. Maybe some of these top republican voting 10 divorce rate states should work on the failure rate of traditional marriages, before trying to tell others how to live their lives.

[skyk-2009]

singinrick you never answered my question. :(

You are aware that the word "homosexuality" does not appear in the Bible before 1946?
Posted by Fryedbread at 02:42 PM : Feb 08, 2007
+ report this comment

Now now! You shouldn't confuse this fraud or you'll face a good 15 minutes of quoting from the bible. I have gone up against his kind time after time and one story sticks in my mind. When in Selma in the 60's we went to one of the Religious Reich's Church's to ask them to help us stop the Lynching and Bombing. We stood in front of them and explained how these citizens had a right to due process and a right to have the kids of people NOT taught that Equal but different was the word of God. They stood and looked at us with a glazed look in their eye... it was obvious we were not getting through to them. They then attacked us, the "Police" threw us in Jail and if not from their HATED ACLU Attorney, there is little doubt they were going to KILL us. Why? Because we did NOT look at "Christianity" right! LOL That's what they told us... honest to God!!

[bm6005]

bm6005, why do you think anyone should send themselves or anyone else into this misbegotten war? Fighting for a reason I can understand, but fighting to save Bush's PR image? Screw that!
Posted by pakaal

Because they (rightwing nutjobs) support sending someone else to fight their war. Because Iraq had nothing to do with the W.O.T. It was & is an illegal war of their choice. Because they ignored and continue to ignore the facts.