The repeal of the policy has been one of the most controversial issues for the military in recent years, and some service members are still resistant to gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

…

Despite such training, service members expressed opposition to the repeal. With “more than enough stressors and dangers for young men that are risking their lives daily, why, if you care about the military, would you make it so much more difficult?” said Matthew Thomas, a Marine from Washington. Corporal Thomas says that sexuality is too controversial an issue and has no room on the battlefield.

Lance Cpl. Chris Cavey of Baton Rouge, La., who deployed to Afghanistan with an openly gay Marine in 2012, said, “It was probably one of the worst decisions in military history. It makes everything more awkward and tense than it has to be.” Lance Corporal Cavey’s opinion is based on his religious views. But he said his view was also colored by what he considered unprofessional comments and actions by the gay Marine in his squad. He added that serving abroad in the infantry was stressful enough, with fear of gunfire and improvised explosive devices, without adding the additional complication of openly gay Marines in his unit.

I’m sorry that LGB people (let’s not forget that Transgender folks cannot openly serve) are such an absolute burden to you on the battlefield because of your beliefs. I know it’s hard to focus on your orders when pesky homosexuals are constantly trying to have sex with your pure Christian American souls.

All joking aside, give me a break. The U.S. was one of the last Western nations to allow gay members to serve openly. Time to leave the Dark Ages and focus on the fact that the American military is a volunteer military.

If you don’t like being told what to do, don’t be a soldier.

PS: While I give no credence to statements arguing “who has suffered more”— people of color OR LGBT people OR women OR religious minorities, etc. etc— I do think that a comparison can be made regarding de-segregation of the American military and repeal of DADT. And I can assure you that bigots in both decades weren’t happy about either policy meeting its maker.

The move would place the party in line with President Obama, who is the first sitting president to declare that gays and lesbians should be able to marry.

It’s about fucking time.

Fault Lines’ Seb Walker travels to the Persian Gulf to look at US policy in the region, and to explore why the US has taken an interventionist policy in Libya, but not in Bahrain, where there has been a brutal crackdown on protesters. Why does the White House strongly back democracy in one Arab country, but not another?

Jesus, I love Fault Lines. And I really do love Al Jazeera English. I am well aware of issues related with the Arabic outlet, Qatari funding, etc. Yet compared to the major cable news outlets in the States, Al Jazeera is a quality step above. Real and in depth reporting that asks the tough and serious questions that no one else is fucking asking. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News— even as a self-identified liberal, I don’t care about Rachel Maddow’s views on healthcare. I don’t care what the homophobes and Islamaphobes at Fox think about Obama. I want to see how people in the world react to issues that directly affect them and their lives. I want the stories, not the punditry. 

As for the complex situation in Bahrain, watch this episode to understand the lack of US response. The episode is from 2011 but unbelievable in its scope and coverage; still very much relevant. The responses from prominent Sunnis and American military personnel is comedic. A Sunni businessman mentions that no Shia mosques have been destroyed; a minute later, the reporter drives to one of the destroyed mosques. 

Sigh. I have a huge crush on Al Jazeera English.

With the specter of mounting violence in some countries, the threat of future mass killings was a prime concern at a symposium in Washington.

The Obama administration’s latest overuse of executive authority at Guantánamo Bay is a decision not to let lawyers visit clients in detention under terms that have been in place since 2004. Because these meetings pose little risk and would send a message about America’s adherence to the rule of law, the administration looks as if it is imperiously punishing detainees for their temerity in bringing legal challenges to their detention and losing.