Biden Pardons Veterans Convicted under Military Ban on Gay Sex | BBC News

Jun 27, 2024 | US President Joe Biden has pardoned thousands of veterans who were convicted of crimes under a military law that banned gay sex for more than 60 years. The veterans were convicted under a provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which criminalised sodomy from 1951 to 2013. The US Congress had repealed the portion of the code that outlawed consensual sodomy in 2013.

This military provision is separate from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" President Bill Clinton-era policy, which banned openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military.

The BBC’s Caitríona Perry spoke with Steve Marose, a former US Air Force officer who was charged with three counts of consensual sodomy in the late 1980s. Marose served two years in prison for those charges.

US Soldier Intentionally Crossed North Korean Border - BBC News

Jul 19, 2023 | North Korea has detained a serving US army soldier who crossed the heavily fortified border from South Korea without permission. Travis King, 23, was on an organised tour of the UN-run zone dividing the two countries. Officials in Seoul have confirmed that King, a Private 2nd Class, recently spent two months in prison in South Korea previously for assault charges. He was then released from prison on 10 July and escorted to the airport for a US-bound flight. According to reports, he was able to leave the terminal and get a tour of the border, from where he crossed over into North Korea.

Commentary: The Powerful 'Pansies' of the U.S. Military

Major General Randy Taylor
ADVOCATE: Former Army Secretary Eric Fanning has a few thoughts on Republicans smearing the armed forces.

This week, under questioning from Matt Gaetz, perhaps the least ethical member of Congress right now (and wow, that is a hard title to get!), the Joint Chiefs Chairman, Army General Mark Milley, fought back at the pervy congressman’s whine about the military being woke.

"And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, noncommissioned officers of being, quote, 'woke' or something else, because we're studying some theories that are out there."

Later, Gaetz had the gall to tweet about Milley: "With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won." Gaetz wouldn't last 10 minutes at West Point.

Never in American history has a political party gone after the U.S. military. The military is sacrosanct. It is revered. It protects our freedom, our democracy. It is the envy of the world.

Gaetz and his bigoted lot are trying to ignite shitstorms over being "woke" and the teaching of critical race theory. These are attempts to score political points with the racist Trump base, and they are using the venerable U.S. military as the whipping post for their lies and slander.

This is the same Republican party that wrapped itself in knots for years over trying to label itself as vanguards of the armed forces. But now the party follows someone like Gaetz's lead on how to untie itself from the military. The old Grand Old Party, now renamed as the Grotesquely Obnoxious Perjurers, are falsely accusing the military of being weak and disgustingly lambasting it for supporting equality. » | John Casey | Friday, June 25, 2021

Why Is the US Removing Military Assets from Saudi Arabia? | Inside Story

The United States is removing its Patriot anti-air missiles, and other weapons systems from Saudi Arabia. Donald Trump says it is part of an effort to scale back on a military presence that he says doesn't benefit the US

American weapons and fighter jets were sent to the Kingdom last year after Saudi-Aramco oil facilities were attacked. They were also intended as a deterrent, as tensions rose between Tehran and Washington.

But the reduction in the U.S. military presence is believed by some to be based on assessments Iran no longer poses an immediate threat to U.S. strategic interests. So, what's exactly changed? And is oil politics at play?

Presenter: Peter Dobbie | Guests: Joel Rubin, President of the Washington Strategy Group; Mahjoob Zweiri, Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University; Mohammad Marandi, Head of the American Studies Department at Tehran University

Bertram Schaffner on Helping Gay Soldiers during WWII

WWII Veteran Bertram Schaffner, a gay man himself, talks about how he dealt with the military's anti-gay policy while evaluating draftees.

Trump Allegedly Said Dead Soldier ‘Knew What He Signed Up For’, Says Congresswoman

A Florida congresswoman alleged on Tuesday that Donald Trump told the widow of a soldier who died in combat that he ‘knew what he signed up for’. Representative Frederica Wilson said she was in the car with Myeshia Johnson on the way to Miami airport to receive the body of Johnson's husband, Sgt La David Johnson, when Trump called. Wilson said she heard part of the conversation on speak

Don't Be a Sucker - 1947

In this anti-fascist film produced by US Military in the wake of WWII, the producers deconstruct the politically motivated social engineering of Germany by the Nazi regime. Its argument is just as timely today.

How a 1947 US government anti-Nazi film went viral after Charlottesville: Don’t Be a Sucker, a 17-minute film made in 1947 by the US war department to warn against fascism, was retweeted over 130,000 times last weekend »

Bill O'Reilly On ‘The Glenn Beck Show” (July 28, 2017)

Bill O’Reilly joins Glenn to discuss the GOP’s healthcare failure and his theory on why Sen. John McCain voted against getting rid of ObamaCare. What is going on between President Trump and Attorney General Sessions at this point? Why is President Trump allowing The New York Times into the White House? Who is the high level leaker in the West Wing? Why did the president bring the transgender debate into the week’s news cycle? Are things moving to another nasty level with Vladimir Putin and Russia?

Trump's Transgender Backlash

Donald Trump Bans Transgender People from the US Military

Trump's Military Transgender Ban Draws Quick Outrage

The 'Special Report' All-Star panel weighs in

Outrage as Trump Bans Transgender People from Serving in US Military

Outrage as Trump bans transgender people from serving in US military. There is growing anger in the US after President Donald Trump abruptly announced he was banning transgender people from serving in the military. Tweeting his decision, Trump said Washington cannot be burdened with the medical costs and the disruption of having transgender people in the armed forces. Protests have been growing since his announcement. Al Jazeera's White House correspondent Kimberley Halkett reports from Washington, DC.

Spending Blitz: Trump Unveils $54 Billion Hike in the Military Spending (Parts 1 & 2)

America to Allow Women to Serve in All Military Roles

THE TELEGRAPH: Ash Carter, the defence secretary, announces that woman will be able to apply for any job in the military

America is to allow women to serve in all roles in the military – including in front line combat roles – in a sweeping decision announced on Thursday by the defence secretary in a historic move to strike down gender barriers.

Ash Carter, speaking at the Pentagon, said he had decided to overrule objections raised by the Marine Corps that mixed-gender units were, in some cases, less efficient.

"I am announcing my decision to proceed with opening of all these remaining occupations and positions to women," said Mr Carter. "There will be no exceptions." » | Harriet Alexander, New York | Thursday, December 3, 2015

Pentagon Plan to Allow Transgender People to Serve in US Military

Defense Secretary Ash Carter

THE TELEGRAPH: Plan would give recognition to the 15,000 transgender people serving in silence in US military

The US military is finalising a plan to allow transgender people to serve openly in the armed forces it emerged on Monday night, ending what is seen as one of the last discriminatory barriers to active service.

The move would also offer recognition to the 15,000 transgender people who are thought to be currently serving in the military, many of whom keep their status a secret.

Ash Carter, the US defence secretary yesterday announced the plan to study "readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly".

“We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines - real, patriotic Americans - who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that's contrary to our value of service and individual merit," he said.

"Transgender men and women in uniform have been there with us, even as they often had to serve in silence alongside their fellow comrades in arms."

The armed services are expected to have six months to assess the impact of the change before it is introduced.

During that period, transgender individuals would still not be able to join the military, but any decisions to force out those already serving would be referred to the Pentagon, the Associated Press reported. » | Barney Henderson, New York | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Pentagon Investigates 'IS Online Threat' to US Military

BBC AMERICA: The US defence department says it is investigating an online threat allegedly made by Islamic State (IS) to about 100 of its military personnel.

A list of names and addresses was posted on a website linked to the group alongside a call for them to be killed.

The group said it obtained the information by hacking servers and databases but US officials said most of the data was in the public domain.

A US security source told the BBC that those on the list were being contacted.

The group, which called itself the Islamic State Hacking Division, said the personnel named had participated in US missions against IS.

It urged its supporters in the US to "take the final step" and "deal with" those named. » | Saturday, March 21, 2015

Arizona Professor Claims U.S. Military 'Greater Threat' to Peace Than ISIS

FOX NEWS: An Arizona college professor charged that American soldiers are anti-Muslim rapists who pose "a greater threat" to world peace than ISIS, and says he leveled the charge to make the U.S. "stronger and better."

University of Arizona instructor Musa al-Gharbi, who also is an academic affiliate at the university’s Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle East Conflicts, made the comments in a column penned for the online forum TruthOut, and defended them when reached by The Washington Free Beacon. He called Americans "hypocritical" for expressing moral outrage at the Islamic State, which has raped, murdered and beheaded thousands of Muslims and Christians in its quest to establish a Muslim caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

“It would not be a stretch to say that the United States is actually a greater threat to peace and stability in the region than ISIS — not least because U.S. policies in Iraq, Libya and Syria have largely paved the way for ISIS’ emergence as a major regional actor,” al-Gharbi wrote in the article titled, “How Much Moral High Ground Does the U.S. Have Over ISIS?” » | FoxNews | Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Russian View: The Murky Side of Exceptionalism: US Military Footprint All over Arab World

After declaring captured Iraqi territory an Islamic State, ISIS reveals its plan to take over a dozen countries. They call on jihadist fighters to help build an Islamic caliphate. What is Washington's role in this story? RT's Marina Portnaya finds out.

Pre-paid Strike: Arab States Ready to Pick Up US Tab for Syria Attack

Meanwhile the US is rallying support for a military intervention in Syria at home and abroad. Secretary of State John Kerry has said some Arab nations have offered to bear the cost of a US-led campaign. He made the comment when briefing American lawmakers on plans to strike the war-torn country.

Pentagon Poised to Extend Some Benefits to Partners of Gay Soldiers

THE GUARDIAN: Access to on-base stores and support programs likely to be included, but military cannot violate Defense of Marriage Act

The military is poised to extend some benefits to the same-sex partners of service members, US officials said Tuesday, about 16 months after the Pentagon repealed its ban on openly gay service.

Defense secretary Leon Panetta has not made a final decision on which benefits will be included, the officials said, but the Pentagon is likely to allow same-sex partners to have access to the on-base commissary and other military subsidized stores, as well as some health and welfare programs.

Panetta must walk a fine, legal line. While there has been increased pressure on the Pentagon to extend some benefits to same-sex partners, defense officials must be careful not to violate the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. The federal law forbids the federal government from recognizing any marriage other than those between a man and a woman. » | Associated Press in Washington | Tuesday, February 05, 2013