US Army Warns Against Gun Nuts

Via the Stars & Stripes:

The Army has warned its recruiters to treat the gun-toting civilians gathering at centers across the country in the wake of the Chattanooga, Tenn., shooting as a security threat. Soldiers should avoid anyone standing outside the recruiting centers attempting to offer protection and report them to local law enforcement and the command if they feel threatened, according to a U.S. Army Recruiting Command policy letter issued Monday. Armed citizens — some associated with activist groups and militias — were standing vigil outside recruiting centers in Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, Idaho and elsewhere this week, saying they want to provide protection to servicemembers barred from carrying firearms on duty. Four Marines and a sailor were killed by Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a 24-year-old Kuwait-born native of Tennessee, during an attack Thursday on a strip mall recruiting center and a Navy facility that is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Recruiting officers have been warned not to "acknowledge or interact" with the militia members.

FRC Has The Trans Troops Sadz

"The Pentagon must answer whether this proposed policy makes our military more capable of performing its mission. The answer is a very clear and resounding no. This has everything to do with President Obama’s social agenda for the military, but it has nothing to do with enhancing military readiness. No new science has led to the Pentagon’s transgender study—only the politics of the Obama administration and the transgender movement. Allowing the Obama administration to use the military as a tool of social re-engineering will only undermine morale, unit cohesion, and readiness. It’s time that we allow the military to focus on its only job—defending our country against its enemies." - Family Research Council vice present Jerry Boykin, via press release.

Trans Troop Ban Nears End

The Pentagon is finalizing its plans to lift the ban on transgender service members. Via the Associated Press:

An announcement is expected this week, and the services would have six months to assess the impact of the change and work out the details, the officials said Monday. Military chiefs wanted time to methodically work through the legal, medical and administrative issues and develop training to ease any transition, and senior leaders believed six months would be sufficient.

The officials said Defense Secretary Ash Carter has asked his personnel undersecretary, Brad Carson, to set up a working group of senior military and civilian leaders to take an objective look at the issue. One senior official said that while the goal is to lift the ban, Carter wants the working group to look at the practical effects, including the costs, and determine whether it would affect readiness or create any insurmountable problems that could derail the plan. The group would also develop uniform guidelines.

During the six months, transgender individuals would still not be able to join the military, but any decisions to force out those already serving would be referred to the Pentagon's acting undersecretary for personnel, the officials said. One senior official said the goal was to avoid forcing any transgender service members to leave during that time.

It's estimated that as many as 15,000 trans troops are already serving in secret.

John Oliver On Torture

Former Southern Baptists Head: Gays Are Stealing America's Cultural Icons

US Army General Introduces His Husband At Pentagon Gay Pride Event

Via the anti-gay Washington Times:

A married Army general on Tuesday introduced his spouse at a Pentagon event that featured lots of top brass, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the keynote speaker. What made this seemingly routine introduction noteworthy is that Brig. Gen. Randy S. Taylor introduced his husband, Lucas. “My husband Lucas is sitting up front here,” Gen. Taylor said of the man in the same row as Mr. Carter, Army Secretary John McHugh and other senior officials. He said Lucas has subjugated his own career to support the general’s frequent moves over an 18-year relationship. “We bet everything on my Army career,” said Gen. Taylor, whose 27 years of service spanned an outright ban on gays, then “don’t ask, don’t tell” and finally, the ban’s lifting in 2011. Gen. Taylor was the master of ceremonies for the Pentagon’s 4th Gay Pride celebration that showcases a month of gay-themed posters and history.

(Tipped by JMG reader Adam)

FRC Celebrates Vote Denying Benefits To Veterans In Non-Marriage Equality States

Via press release from the FRC:

There may be a consensus in the courts for same-sex "marriage," but not Congress. In a quiet -- but significant -- vote, the Senate made it clear that the legislative branch understands exactly where the people stand on marriage -- and it isn't where the Left would have you believe. During yesterday's vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, the upper chamber took an important step to protect states by blocking an amendment that would have extended gay spousal benefits to veteran couples living in states that haven't redefined marriage. This is an enormous victory, since it was the first time Congress signaled to the Supreme Court where it stands on benefits for same-sex couples who are living in states that don't recognize their marriages.

As part of the Defense debate, Senator Jeanne Shaheen [PHOTO] had been trying for months to leapfrog the Court's decision and invent benefits that -- to this point -- are still unconstitutional. Essentially, the measure would have let the government bypass states that don't recognize same-sex couples as "married" and force them to dole out benefits their own laws reject. At least for now, the President's party has been stopped from tearing down the last two federal holdouts that respect state marriage laws: the social security and veterans' administrations. Unlike other departments, these agencies have consistently recognized marriage for couples based on the state where they live -- not the state where they "married."

The statement goes on to denounce the Republicans who did vote for the amendment.

Freep This Denver Post Poll

Left column on the front page.

Senate Rejects Same-Sex Benefits For Veterans In Non-Marriage Equality States

Via the Washington Blade:

An amendment failed in the Senate on Thursday that would have ensured veterans in same-sex marriages have access to certain spousal benefits wherever they live, although eight Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the measure — which is along the lines of her standalone legislation known as the Charlie Morgan Act — on the floor of the Senate during debate on the fiscal year 2016 defense authorization bill. The vote on the measure was 53-42, which was short of the 60-vote requirement needed for passage. U.S. code for veterans benefits looks to the state of residence, not the state of celebration, to determine whether a couple is married.

The eight Republicans who voted for the Shaheen amendment are: Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Susan Collins (Maine), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Rob Portman (Ohio). Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who are pursuing the Republican nomination to run for the White House in 2016, voted against the amendment. Not casting a vote were Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who are also seeking the Republican nomination. In a statement after the vote, Shaheen vowed to continue the fight to ensure veterans in same-sex marriages have access to spousal benefits wherever they live.

The issue, of course, may be moot very soon.

Air Force Eases Trans Service Ban

Via USA Today:

The Air Force announced policy changes Thursday that will make it more difficult to discharge transgender troops, a move that mirrors one made in March by the Army and puts the Pentagon a step closer to allowing transgender people to serve openly. Troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender are generally discharged from serving, based on medical grounds. Those decisions have been made by doctors and unit commanders. The new Air Force policy requires those decisions to be reviewed by high-level officials at Air Force headquarters. "Though the Air Force policy regarding involuntary separation of gender dysphoric Airmen has not changed, the elevation of decision authority to the Director, Air Force Review Boards Agency, ensures the ability to consistently apply the existing policy," Daniel Sitterly, a top Air Force personnel official, said in a statement.

Earlier this year Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that ability to perform the required tasks should be the standard for transgender eligibility to serve.

Air Force Academy Graduates First Class That Entered After DADT Repeal

From the Colorado Springs Gazette:

The Air Force Academy class of 2015 is the first to come through four years at the academy with the open acceptance of gays and lesbians in the ranks. Tricia Heller, a 1987 graduate, and Tara Sweeney, a '95 grad, attended the ceremony to support Lydia Hill of Boston. Heller and Sweeney helped found Spectrum, the Air Force Academy gay and lesbian support group, of which Hill was one of the first members. "We all served under 'don't ask, don't tell,' so it was important for all of us to be able to be open about who we are," said Heller, a board member of the Blue Alliance, a support group for cadets. "For us, it's been awesome to watch cadets like Lydia be able to serve openly."

REPORT: Pentagon Set To Add Sexual Orientation As A Protected Class

Via the Washington Blade:

The Pentagon is preparing to update its Military Equal Opportunity Policy to include sexual orientation as a protected class and the change could be made final as soon as the end of next month, the Washington Blade has learned. A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed late Friday the Defense Department is planning to update the Military Equal Opportunity Policy to add the words “sexual orientation” as part of the non-discrimination policy.

The proposed change is set to be delivered as early as the middle of next week to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for his review and final approval, the official said. Each of the military services has already agreed to the change, the official said. The planned change follows an internal review at the Pentagon of the Military Equal Opportunity Policy, which the official said lasted about 12 months. Efforts to include sexual orientation in the revision were languishing, but were re-energized after the appointment in April of Brad Carson as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the official said.

The Military Equal Opportunity Policy identifies classes of service members that should be protected from discrimination to allow them to rise to highest level or responsibility possible. As it stands, the Military Equal Opportunity Policy includes race, color, religion, age, physical or mental disability, sex and national origin. However, service members as of right now have no recourse for anti-gay discrimination outside of their chain of command.

TENNESSEE: Chattanooga NBC Affiiliate Refuses To Air Freedom To Marry Ad

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed:

“It’s just a very controversial and personal issue, and we just choose to not air a commercial on either side of that debate,” Tom Tolar, the president and general manager of Chatanooga-based WRCB, told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. The ad crossed the station’s lines, he explained, because “people probably have really strong opinions on one side or other of the debate. It’s just an emotional debate for many people.” The station, an NBC affiliate that also broadcasts in parts of Georgia and North Carolina, didn’t have a position on ads about same-sex marriage until executives reviewed the commercial featuring Ehrenfeld on Wednesday, said Tolar. “We had not had a request before to run an issue-ad like that.”

Freedom To Marry says that no other station in the country has ever refused their ads, which have also appeared in Memphis and Nashville.

In The Navy

Via the Navy Times:

Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Ted Carter issued a challenge to the 2018 plebe class Monday afternoon: Try to beat the 1 hour, 20 minutes it took his class of '81 to scale the Herndon Monument and replace the plebe Dixie cup with a midshipman's cover, signifying the end of the grueling plebe year. The fourth classmen came close at 1 hour, 38 minutes and 36 seconds, when 19-year-old Javarri Beachum stretched his 5-foot-7-inch frame to nudge the cover over the top of the obelisk as the few thousand spectators roared their approval. Beachum, a native of Port St. Joe, Florida, told reporters he knew he'd be the one to get to the top. "My sponsor was the first one — I told her, 'Don't worry, I'll be the one to put it up there,' " he told reporters.

The clip below is by the Naval Academy. Odd musical choice.

ILLINOIS: Nation's First LGBT Veterans Monument To Be Unveiled Near Chicago

On Memorial Day the nation's first-ever federally approved monument to LGBT veterans will be unveiled at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near Chicago. Via the Windy City Times:

The monument, which was spearheaded by Stanley J. Jenczyk, junior board member of the Chicago chapter of the American Veteran's for Equal Rights ( AVER ), was approved late last year by Robert E. Walters, the Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. along and within the Memorial Walkway and will feature music by the Windy City Gay Chorus; blessings from Rabbi Cindy Enger, Fr. Chris Myers and Rev. Wayne Bradley; remarks from elected officials including Rep. Robin Kelly ( whose district includes the cemetery ), and a Flag Line led by members of Organized Chaos Chicago ( OCC ), some of whom are active duty or veterans of the military.

Above is a rendering created by artist Tod Tatsui.

Mike Huckabee: Don't Join The Military Until After Obama Leaves Office

"When you have a president whose administration orders its chaplains to put its Bibles away, not to pray in Jesus name, not to counsel people on the issues of sexual morality; when you have this attitude that is more about promoting gay marriage and gay rights in the military than it is about being able to protect religious liberty for those people of faith, it’s going to be hard to find people that are truly devoted people of faith and Christian believers and Orthodox Jews and others. There’s nothing more honorable than serving one’s country and there’s no greater heroes to our country than our military, but I might suggest to parents, I’d wait a couple of years until we get a new commander-in-chief that will once again believe ‘one nation under god’ and believe that people of faith should be a vital part of the process of not only governing this country, but defending this country." - Mike Huckabee, speaking on Iowa talk radio.

KANSAS: Military Court Reverses HIV Assault Conviction For Swinger Airman

Via the Associated Press:

The highest U.S. military court's reversal of a Kansas airman's aggravated assault conviction for exposing multiple sex partners to HIV at swinger parties in Wichita will effectively end such prosecutions in the armed forces, his attorney said. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces unanimously ruled Monday that prosecutors failed to prove that any of David Gutierrez's acts were likely to transmit HIV to his partners. That decision overturns a 25-year precedent that had allowed military personnel to be convicted of aggravated assault solely on the basis of a positive HIV test, attorney Kevin McDermott said Tuesday. Gutierrez was not accused of infecting anyone with HIV.

Gutierrez could still be issued a bad conduct discharge, rather than the more severe dishonorable discharge that he had previously faced. In his appeal, Gutierrez challenged whether the risk to his sexual partners was high enough to constitute aggravated assault. Defense lawyers argued the risk of infection by an HIV-positive man during sexual intercourse with a woman ranged from a 1-in-10,000 to 1-in-100,000 chance per sexual encounter, which they contend is so low that it doesn't meet the legal standard for assault. Prosecutors countered that the exposure risk was closer to 1 in 500. The court concluded that even if the risk were 1 in 500, transmission of the disease was not "likely" to occur.

The airman has been imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth for almost five years and should be released shortly.

Obama Speaks On War Powers Request

I've replaced the live stream with a recording.

Obama Asks Congress For War Powers

Via TIME Magazine:

President Barack Obama asked Congress Wednesday to formally authorize military force against the Islamic State group, arguing the militants could pose a threat to the U.S. homeland if their violent power grab goes unchecked and urging lawmakers to “show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat.” The president elected on a promise to end America’s wars is sending Congress a proposed joint resolution to authorize military force against the swift rise of Islamic State extremists, who are imposing violent rule across Iraq and Syria and have brazenly killed U.S. and allied hostages in brutal online propaganda videos.

In a five-paragraph letter to lawmakers accompanying the three-page draft resolution provided to The Associated Press, Obama said the Islamic State “poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and to U.S. national security.” “It threatens American personnel and facilities located in the region and is responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller,” he said, listing the American hostages who died in IS custody. “If left unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland.”

The president will speak about his request today at 3:30PM. I'll post a live-stream.

SAN DIEGO: Gay Submariner & Boyfriend Chosen For Ceremonial First Kiss

Via NBC San Diego:

A San Diego man and his partner were the first male same-sex couple to be chosen for the ceremonial first kiss during the homecoming of submarine warship USS San Francisco. The fast-attack submarine reunited with its home port at Naval Base Point Loma Monday afternoon while families lined the dock awaiting the arrival of husbands, sons, dads and brothers returning from a seven-month stint in the Western Pacific. Thomas Sawicki and his boyfriend Shawn Brier were the lucky couple chosen to share the first kiss off the ship. "Everyone was cheering for me when they announced it over email," Sawicki said. "Everyone was very excited, very supportive, very happy."

(Tipped by JMG reader Cricket)