tvashtarkatena

Finally, although its neither hear nor there regarding this principles of this case, the AF might have considered not decorated Witt...twice...if they thought she was such a shitbag. We're all entitled to our own opinions, however discounted yours may be, but not our own facts. And that, my friend, is why our side wins stuff like this and your side loses.

You'll also be comforted to know that Congress has been waiting for this decision as an instruction on how to move forward with or without DADT, so this case will have immediate, far reaching ramifications. Which is why we choose to pursue it, duh.

She admitted to it under oath, the AF doesn't need to prove anything. She either faces adultery or perjury. The military usually prosecute adultery under UCMJ with non judiciary punishment. However, in this case it'd be multiple counts so Maj Witt would more likely be facing Conduct Unbecoming. Its funny how the ACLU glommed onto this shitbird just so they could get a crack at DADT, they certainly didn't pick the exemplary officer in the AF. Probably because an exemplary officer wouldn't be trying to nail the spouses of other soldiers/officers. Witt shouldn't have been an AF officer in the first place, this long drawn out court battle seems to highlight that. While you're out there whining, opining, speculating, and pontificating about an imaginary world full of wonder and promise, we're out there winning court cases. In the end, you kind of have to suck on that, whether you like it or not. I thought our higher agenda of ending DADT was just a wee bit obvious to everyone. Guess not. Apparently, we picked the right Major and the right case cuz, like, we won.

As for our system, it's really no better or worse than any other democratic system out there. It's the people both in and outside the system that matter.

I agree that public campaign financing at the minimum amount to give a candidate a meaningful shot would be a good reform, but I don't think campaign financing matters that much, nor do I think that our system is any more broken than it ever was. Most get-out-the-vote volunteers are just that - they work for free, and in the age where anyone can make a campaign commercial with a $200 camera and post it for free, when network viewing is headed into the dirt, it's just not as big a deal as it once was. Political apathy and lack of participation is a much bigger deal, IMO. If you want your agenda put into practice, send money and manpower to an organization with a measurable track record of getting results...in addition to any personal lifestyle choices you might be willing to make to chip away at the problem. It's pretty much that simple. Interesting how few people actually do those things, however shrill the conversation becomes.

Reforming the process requires working within the process. It's always a mixed bag...always has been. Bigotry is going down in this country - racial, gender, and sexual equality are all on the rise through statute, jurisprudence, and just plain social norms. Conversely, we're now in our fourth decade of a drug war that puts blacks in prison with a documented, court recognized 3x bias. So now it's time to tackle that one. The progressive myth has always been that there will be some magic sea change in 'global consciousness' and that everything will suddenly be rainbows and friendly unicorns afterwards. Don't hold your breath. The boxing match never ends. The key is this: if you're not in the ring, someone else will be.

You get the government you deserve.

Fair enough. Try restating it, cuz I couldn't dig it out of your post, which seemed to be all over the place, at least to me. I grew my own (veg) garden because: 1) Mowing is pointless 2) The kids in the neighborhood like it 3) I hate going to the grocery store 4) Quality and variety of commercial produce blows 5) I like to learn about shit...literally.

If you choose not to participate, you can continue to complain all you want. Just don't expect anyone to give a fuck. Of course, you can whine about that, too, which is, after all, probably the real emotional need being indulged here. And no, it's not just about number one, unless you're content with being an eating, shitting, sleeping, and fucking bag of smelly protoplasm.

Yet another excellent idea, Nitrox. The USAF just got its ass handed to it in what is certainly one its highest profile cases in history for failing to prove that Witt's gayosity eroded unit cohesion or effectiveness. Why would the USAF ever dream of passing up an opportunity to blow another several million dollars trying to prove exactly the same thing regarding Witt's discrete, brown-chicken-brown-cow liaisons with USAF wives? Plus there's no better way to cure an officers bringing discredit to the armed services through their secret hawt-tongue-action than to splash every detail of same over the national news for months on end. And all this after Bush issued an order requiring adultery to be dealt with at the lowest possible level? And, finally, if the military DID prosecute adulterers, it would have about 4 members left to keep 'murica safe from all them Eye-rainians. WHAT IS THE USAF THINKING? The real question here is: Why the hell aren't YOU in charge?

Lesbionage.

British Navy, fo sho. That's what the American Navy says about the Air Force. I think the Army concurs, but they might throw the Navy in as a target as well.

No guns = tyranny = getting laid more often Totally worth it.

No cartwheels. Sad.

And of course there's zero chance that a freedom fighter cache of weapons could be captured and wind up as IEDs.

The good thing about flooding an unstable country with weapons is they're pretty easy to keep track of who winds up with 'em afterwards, especially with Facebook and stuff. Certainly a peaceful transition away from fuckheadedness in Iran isn't possible. Gotta go for maximum chaos and violence. Otherwise, how are the Ollie North's of the world gonna be able to achieve an erection? If the Iranians had a bunch of weapons already, they wouldn't be in this fix in the first place. That's the first thing I think of when I think of Iran: not enough weapons.

And here I thought you couldn't get into the Air Force unless you were gay.

I think pumping a lot of weapons into an unstable region is always a good idea.

Court Rules Sexual Orientation Not a Bar to Military Service for Major Witt Case Brought by ACLU of Washington State TACOMA, WA. Today U.S. Federal District Court Judge Robert Leighton ruled in favor of Major Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force flight nurse who had been dismissed on grounds of homosexual conduct, and ordered the U.S. Air Force to reinstate her. After six days of trial, the Court found that Major Witt’s sexual orientation does not negatively impact unit morale or cohesion. ACLU of Washington attorneys have directly represented Major Witt since her case began in 2006. Upon hearing the judge’s ruling, Major Witt said, “I'm thrilled about the decision today. I appreciate the Court's belief in the professionalism of the military. Many people forget that the U.S. military is the most diverse workforce in the world--we are extremely versed in adaptation. Thousands of men and women who are gay and lesbian honorably serve this country in our military. Wounded personnel never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me. I can't wait to rejoin my unit,” she added The first breakthrough in the case came in 2008 when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Air Force must prove that discharging Major Witt is necessary for purposes of military readiness. Although the ruling left in place the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, it sent the case back to the trial court saying that before discharging a soldier under the policy, the military must prove that the individual’s conduct actually hurts morale and unit cohesion. This requirement is now known as the “Witt Standard.” The lawsuit has drawn national attention. At her confirmation hearings, then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan discussed the significance of the “Witt Standard” established by the case. “Today we heard the hammer of justice strike for Major Margaret Witt. We look forward to the day when all members of our military can serve our country without invidious discrimination.” To discharge her simply because of her sexual orientation was entirely unfair to her and unwise for the military, which needs her significant skills,” said ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor. ACLU-WA Legal Director Sarah Dunne said, “The U.S. military integrated different races and women over the last 50 years. There is zero evidence to suggest that gay and lesbian soldiers can’t serve openly. The time for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell has ended. American is in a different place and so is the U.S. military.” A 1986 graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Major Margaret Witt was a flight nurse assigned to McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma. During her 19-year career in the Air Force, Major Witt served in the Persian Gulf, received many medals and commendations, and always had superb evaluations from her superiors. In 1993, she was selected to be the “poster child” for the Air Force Nurse Corps recruitment flyer. Major Witt served in Oman during Operation Enduring Freedom and received a medal from President Bush, who noted that she had delivered “outstanding medical care” to injured service members and that her “outstanding aerial accomplishments … reflect great credit upon herself and the United States Air Force.” In 2003, Major Witt received another medal for saving the life of a Defense Department employee who collapsed aboard a government chartered flight from Bahrain. From 1997 to 2003, Major Witt was in a committed relationship with another woman, a civilian. In the summer of 2004, Major Witt was notified that the Air Force had begun an investigation into an allegation that she had engaged in homosexual conduct. In November 2004, Major Witt was placed on unpaid leave and told she could no longer participate in any military duties, pending formal separation proceedings. In March 2006, the Air Force informed Major Witt that she was being administratively discharged on grounds of homosexual conduct. The following month, the ACLU filed papers for Major Witt challenging the discharge and seeking her reinstatement. In its 2008 ruling, the Court of Appeals emphasized that generalized or hypothetical assertions about the impact of gay and lesbian service members would not be sufficient. The military provided no evidence that her sexual orientation or conduct has caused a problem in the performance of her military duties. To the contrary, the ACLU had several of Major Witt’s military colleagues testify that her forced absence is harmful to her unit’s morale. Representing Major Witt are ACLU-WA Legal Director Sarah Dunne and Sher Kung, a Perkins Coie Fellow, and ACLU-WA cooperating attorneys James Lobsenz of Carney Badley Spellman and Aaron Caplan of Loyola Law School. In a previous military case, ACLU-WA and Lobsenz represented Army Sgt. Perry Watkins, who was dismissed in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan decided no homosexuals could serve in the military. In 1989, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that, as a matter of basic fairness, the Army could not discharge Watkins since the military had known he was gay when they drafted him in 1968.

Right now, we'll be lucky enough to salvage our rapidly eroding first world lifestyle.

Or, we could throw another trillion worth of Chinese debt on the fire. LET'S ROLL!

That's like saying it's better to plunge a knife into your face rather than an ice pick. How about option 'C'? Continue to do fuck all...yeah, that sounds good right about now. We've proven over and over and over that any involvement we have over there just adds to the existing shit pile.

Classic example of back-to-the-future thinking. "No, seriously, it'll work this time, I promise".... Yet another formula for increasing overall human misery, brought to you from Planet Conservitard.

Yeah, covert ops to overthrow the Iranian govt., hell, 'regime change' in general, has really worked out well in the past LOL

Why don't we send some job applications? All the Persian's I've worked with have been a blast.