FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bethany Haley or Ben Carnes at (202) 225-4576
Calls On President Obama to Refrain from Social Engineering with our Armed Forces During a Time of War
December 2, 2010 — Following a briefing by Jeh Johnson, General Counsel for the Department of Defense, and General Carter Ham, the U.S. Army’s Commanding Officer in Europe, on the Pentagon’s new report on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and in light of recent attempts by Congressional Democrats to overturn current military policy, Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) today released the following statement urging Democrats to stop using our military as a test bed for their own radical social agenda:
“It is disturbing to me that despite the fact that an overwhelming number of our commanding generals oppose repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, particularly during a time of war, the Obama Administration is insisting on imposing its ideological commitment to ‘fundamentally transform America’ on the men and women of our armed forces who even today are fighting to keep us all free.
“The DOD report cited as evidence justifying the repeal of this policy was obviously engineered to bring about a predetermined result. It also remains to be seen whether a climate of intimidation helped generate some of the survey findings. The fact is, in repeated Armed Services Committee hearings, our warfighters have raised concerns that the implications of repealing DADT have not been given full consideration as they should, in public hearings as well as in the public forum.
“Just today, a coalition of 40 million Americans sent a letter to Senators urging them not to repeal DADT. Among the concerns they raise is also the potential effect that repealing DADT would have on religious freedom. Those who oppose a repeal of DADT have already been labeled “bigots” by one general, and it is possible that chaplains would be forbidden to teach about their denomination’s position on homosexuality were the repeal to pass. Furthermore, they point out that the time between the release of the DOD report and adjournment is simply inadequate to thoroughly investigate all these related issues.
“Either Democrats’ have not fully realized the negative impact a repeal of this policy would have, or they don’t care. Either way, their blind commitment to social engineering and ramming a DADT repeal through the Congress will have a tangible and potentially dangerous effect upon our service men and women on the ground.”
Attached is a copy of the coalition letter referenced above. It can also be accessed here.
Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.
so in other words, just keep telling lies about your girlfriend Pat and the guy who you’re showering with will never know Pat is really a guy. MKes perfect sense to me.
The protest of allowing gay and lesbian americans are empty and false and based on bigotry. The U.S. military represents ALL americans, not just republicans and religious fanatics. There is no room in our society for publicly supported institutionalized discrimination.
The majority of our military allies have allowed gays and lesbians to serve in combat and they have stated that they did not experience problems with integration.
Minorities have had to fight, protest and sue for equal rights throughout the history of our nation and this is no different. One thing you have to say about americans, we will fight to the end for the right to discriminate against other people.
Yes, Klute,
I’m sure Trent Franks is as proud of his “endorsments” of proven liars Vermin Parker and Tony Bouie as he is of this. Who is doing his prep work? Does he have complete idiots working for him? Why is he even interjecting here? How many Gays are in the military anyhow?
Franks has proved to me that he is just another phony politician when he endorsed pro-choice and convicted drunk driver Lori Klein for the Arizona Senate and he never did endorse Jan Brewer for Governor.