Snow?

Snow?  What is this snow? 

It seems like every place in the world that gets snow at this time of year has been getting lots of it, more than usual.  The east coast has been hit, the Plains, Europe--snow, snow, snow.  Buffalo just got slammed extra hard.  But southern Michigan, which is also famous for lots of snow, has gotten none.  Oh, we got a light dusting a couple days ago and we're scheduled for a feathering of it tomorrow, but more than that?  Nope.  We have bare ground and chilly temps.  That's it.

So odd for early December.

Does Anyone Else Remember . . . ?

The last time the debate over gay and lesbian soldiers serving openly in the military came up, we weren't officially at war with anyone.  The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell actually came quite close to happening, except the Pentagon argued heavily against the repeal.  Why?  Because, said Pentagon officials, we weren't at war and there was no way to tell how troops in battle would react to openly gay/lesbian troops.

Does anyone else remember this?

Now, these SAME proponents of DADT are arguing that we can't allow openly gay/lesbian troops because we ARE at war, and it's too risky to put this policy in place while our troops are in combat.

What the hell?

We can't repeal DADT during peacetime because we don't know what the impact on combat will be.  And we can't repeal DADT during combat because it's a risk.  We can't have our cake, and we can't eat it, either.

I also love the way the GOP blocked the repeal on the basis that we needed an independent study.  The spineless Democrats bowed to them and allowed it.  The study was performed and it showed quite conclusively that allowing openly gay/lesbian troops to serve would have no measurable impact on our armed forces.  Period.  So now that the Democrats want to call a vote on the issue, the GOPpies are howling that 1) the Dems delayed this issue into a lame-duck session (when they were the ones who delayed it in the first place) and 2) the study needs more study (because it didn't give the GOPpies the answer they wanted).  And oh--isn't that a further delay?

Some GOPies argue that the repeal of DADT would raise some extremely difficult issues.  What about same-sex partners of military personnel, especially ones who got married in states where same-sex marriage is legal?  Do the partners get military benefits?  Do their children get access to military schooling?  Visitation rights in military hospitals?  Military housing?  Spousal treatment at military funerals?  These issues, the GOPpies argue, are just too difficult to resolve, and therefore DADT should be left alone.

I was stunned at this statement.  Imagine that a platoon of marines arrives at a riverbank.  The commander tells the troops, "Our orders are to cross this river by sunset."  And the men say, "I dunno, sir.  Crossing that river raises a whole host of issues that are just too difficult to resolve."  "Yeah, there's the whole water thing, and the mud, and the fact that there are so many of us."  "And I don't want wet boots, sir.  Do you know how long it takes to dry out wet laces?"  "We should just give it up, sir, and leave it alone."

What would the reaction of the commander be?

Yeah.

The GOP is a party based on hypocrisy.  They are homophobic and anti-equality.  That's just the way they are.  The Democrats have been spinelessly bowing to them for two years, cowering before the fear of the filibuster.  (They should bring the vote to the floor and make them filibuster.  Make them stand there for days and do it every time, see how long they last--and start to look like right assholes in public.)

It's time for Don't Ask, Don't Tell to end, and it's time for the Democrats to grow a set.