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Originally Posted by Mtn
DADT was never a solution, it simply "sounded better at the time", and I suppose it was slightly better than the witch hunts and people vanishing in the night that happened before that....when I served....I was extremely disappointed in Clinton...it was a cowards way out, and I don't see that Pres. Obama will make it any different...it is an interesting question about the discharges under DADT...In my day they were either dishonorable, or general discharges...which was pretty much the same thing....I knew I couldn't have a family under the situation, so I got out after 6 years, but they lost a good soldier in the process...I am saddened that things have not changed for our glbt soldiers that continiue to offer their lives for this country, where they are still second class citizens in everyway....sorry about the soap box, I served honorably and with pride!
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I agree that DADT was never a real solution, and like you, I was pissed at Clinton for a long time for not doing what he said he was going to do and abolish this issue all together. However, when I really took a hard look at what he was up against, I understood why he did what he did. DADT did, to some degree, stop the witch hunts. At the time, Clinton was facing a Congress that would have surely, without a doubt, never allowed the ban to be lifted. He didn't have the votes he needed and he knew it. As a result of him trying an outright ban, there very possibly could have been a knee-jerk in Congress that would have not only disallowed the ban, but also placed new restrictions in place. I think he took the furthest step forward he felt would squeak by and amount to some improvement. Trying to force the issue of lifting the ban on gays in the military would have blown up in his face and we would still be having the witch hunts. The philosophy was something is better than nothing. The funniest thing of all though is that if every gay person in all the armed forces turned OD green tomorrow, there really wouldn't be any debate to be had in the White House, the Congress or society at large.
Glynn