From Stars and Stripes:
Pentagon chief Mattis freezes Trump's ban on transgender troops, calls for more study
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced Tuesday that he is freezing President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military, saying that he will first establish a panel of experts to provide advice and recommendations on how to carry out Trump's direction.
The Pentagon confirmed the move in a statement attributed to Mattis, saying that the Pentagon will develop a study and implementation plan "as directed." Soon-to-be arriving political appointees at the Defense Department "will play an important role in this effort." The plan will address both the potential for transgender people looking to serve in the military for the first time, and transgender troops who already are serving.
"Our focus must always be on what is best for the military's combat effectiveness leading to victory on the battlefield," Mattis said. "To that end, I will establish a panel of experts serving within the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of the president's direction."
Mattis added that panel members "will bring mature experience, most notably in combat and deployed operations, and seasoned judgment to this task." The panel will "assemble and thoroughly analyze all pertinent data, quantifiable and non-quantifiable."
Like Richard's wedding day in "The Lion in Winter", we'll see the Second Coming before Mattis lets this pass.
The paperwork alone can last for years.
Top. Men.
Behold, a Tip Jar!
9 comments:
This is the end of this story. Mattis has essentially tabled Trump's directive, the evangelicals have been thrown their bitter bone, Trump has long since moved on. The adults win.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mattis-tells-troops-hold-line-us-divided/story?id=49441935
Mattis also held an impromptu talk with US troops in Afghanistan telling them to "hold the line until the US is less divided." No doubt said that, in part, because so many of the troops are minorities, who are now the scourge of their CiC. Sigh.
Speaking as someone who's been pretty anti-MIC most of life (having spent years in demos against various Wars, Inc, fwiw, amongst other actions), it's a bitter pill to swallow that now We the People pretty much have to rely on the Military to protect and defend the constitution - that is, the Military has to do it on their own because they certainly cannot count on their putative CiC to do so.
Herr Trump: too busy daily tossing as much red meat to his slavering Nazi brown-shirted base as possible... mainly because he's under so much scrutiny that he's gotta pump up his idiot base for his own personal protection.
Say Buh-bye to democracy.
True that the Military Transgender ban has probably been deep sixed. This is helpfu. Kudos to Mattis for having some nous and ethics.
What's next? Will there be another Mattis who can sensibly step in and stop the next train wreck? You know that there will be one in 5...4...3...
Republican voters have been swallowing Trump's ignored declarations, unfunded executive orders, and tweets as "Promise kept! Liberals Mad! WINNING!!!"
I highly doubt the fascist 30 percent of our country even knows Mattis did this or, even if they do know and understand what Mattis did, are just pleased to imagine transgender soldiers living in fear going forward. Just like they love hearing stories about Spanish speaking citizens being scared and uncomfortable and those who made them fearful and uncomfortable getting away with it.
But so it goes with people whose most important belief is cultural domination over all not like them.
General Mattis also (and more importantly, I think) had to walk back Trump's tweet "Talking is not the answer!" about diplomacy with North Korea. What this fucking guy thinks he's doing (and I'd posit that RUKidding is right, he's throwing red meat to his base), I don't care if he's insane, fixated solely on himself, not very bright and a boor, all of the above, the President of the United States is threatening a tinpot dictator, over the medium of twitter of all things, and this is all so dangerous and stupid. I don't think anything is going to happen with North Korea, but why roil up all this trouble? (to throw red meat to his base... this guy, what an asshole)
Also, I suppose that banning transgender military is just to be an asshole and throw red meat to his base. And they don't even know that Mattis has to clean up after Trump, as trgahan says. Trump knows nothing about how anything works and neither does his base, and he's in charge of the country right now. Major hurricane with zillions of $s in damage, lives lost, thousands of lives displaced: 'wow, look at all these people that showed up to my press conference.' All he cares about is himself. I wonder if his supporters see that, and don't care, or what. Because it's pretty obvious, only every single thing that he does points in that direction.
Another purifying republican purge. This time for the Religious right and all those end time prepers (militia types). Like the ones in Texas who find themselves not so prepared and distracted from becoming the "Road Warrior" (new government) by something they strongly deny.
Climate Change and and water.
All that Ammo wasted that they buried in their backyard to hide from the Obama weapons confiscators.
Believe me when I say, they tried to defend their homes from the threat of it being over taken by the flood. No matter how many shots, no matter if the ammo was hollow point or Armour piercing. The caliber(s) nor the auto firing with a silencer did not stop the water from intruding into their homes.
What would be different if Texas banned the transgender when the hurricane bore down on them?
Begs the question asked,
If you were being swept away in over powering currents of a flood and someone on the side bank tosses you a rope to pull you from certain death. Do you ask them if they are transgender before grasping on for life to the rope?
One thing for sure, Mathis is aware of the prior studies over this during the"O" Adm.
The problem here might be Trump knows more than the Generals and all the prescription Viagra the military pays for (straight males) is not going to soften the their problem at hand.
"as directed" apparently being the operative phrase here, at least according to Slate. They say Mattis isn't doing anything Fergus didn't tell him to do.
"Trump notoriously tweeted his ban on trans troops in July, but the Pentagon—which had reportedly not been consulted—declined to enact the new policy without further information. So on Friday, Trump issued that information in a memo directing the implementation of his ban. The memo ordered the secretary of defense, in consultation with the secretary of homeland security, to “determine how to address transgender individuals currently serving in the United States military.” Their study must focus on “military effectiveness and lethality, budgetary constraints, and applicable law.” By Feb. 21, 2018, the secretaries must submit a plan explaining how best to implement the ban. And on March 23, 2018, the full ban will take effect. Until then, “no action may be taken” against openly trans troops who are now serving."
That said, to whatever extent he can slow down the process and save his military from unnecessary disruption, he probably will.
He did, on the other hand, slap down Fergus' latest threat to North Korea in very clear language...
-Doug in Oakland
This little bureaucratic gambit is fine with Caligula. All his EO's have two functions. One, they're scraps for the trumpanzees since he has no policies or major bills to pass. And two, a sharp stick in the eye of his enemies. He's here to loot, not do things
When do you stop your obsessive self cogratulatory cut and paste trips down brooks and Co memory lane and address what's happening now. I'm a big fan of pro left as well but don't expect this comment to publish. I also chop in when I can. Don't go Jean Shepard in his later years.
Esky: Perhaps when Brooks et al. stop enabling the worst of the worst to get away with their crimes, scot-free and all the richer for their trouble?
Just a guess.
-Doug in Oakland
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