(USMC Gen.) Sheehan: Gays weakened European militaries (xpost from GD)

[unhappycamper]

Sheehan: Gays weakened European militaries
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 18, 2010 18:46:32 EDT

The Dutch military’s failure to intervene during a 1995 massacre in Serbia suggests that allowing gays to serve openly — as the Dutch military does — hurts military readiness, a retired Marine Corps general said Thursday.

Gen. John “Jack” Sheehan, who commanded Atlantic-based NATO forces in the 1990s, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that European militaries — many of whom allow open service by gays — were weakened in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nations such as Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and others, he said, believed active combat capability was no longer needed and, as a result, those nations made conscious decisions to “socialize their military.”

The focus, Sheehan said, became peacekeeping operations.

“That led to a force that was ill-equipped to go to war,” he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/military_dontask_hearing_031810w/

[ShortnFiery]

1. And so it begins.

The powers that be will delay DADT until the corporate democrats defeat themselves out of the WH. Then there's no chance of getting this vital legislation passed.

The GAME is rigged folks. :(

[offog]

6. I don't f**king believe this.

How does allowing gays in the military weaken the military? If Sheehan is so keen to stand up for his principles, he should just come out and say that he thinks gays are wimps. I hang out with gays and some of them are the bravest people I know. They are also decent, honest people. Military leaders should be happy to have people of such character in the forces.

[Lerkfish]

2. that is such bullshit.

the scariest thing is he is a high ranking idiot officer.

[jeremyfive]

3. Wars that Don't End are Just Welfare Payments For Old Military Bigots

It is time we totally redo the military to reflect American values--we are a multicultural society that has not place for these aging bigots. Since our wars don't end anymore, they are just on the welfare dole--and with freedom to discriminate against honest Americans, the corruption has been institutionalized.

End the military WELFARE.

[mcollins]

4. Damn. So that's what happened to

Alexander the Great!

[Betty Karlson]

5. Please see this topic:

Sheehan flat-out lied.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x157699

[Crowman1979]

7. I don't take opinions from ex-generals who work for no-bid contractors very seriously.

This liar was also a VP of Bechtel, who bilked the US treasury millions of dollars for bad construction projects in Iraq.

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. Israel? nt

[ShadowLiberal]

9. Psst... general, it's generals who give orders to intervene to stop massacres, not regular soldiers

It doesn't matter if you have the most 'ready' military in the world if your generals fail to give them the orders to do what's necessary. I mean blaming gays on that massacre in Serbia is like the Union in the civil war leaving Washington DC unguarded, and then blaming blacks in the military for the confederacy marching in and seizing the capital. Your military can't do anything to stop events from happening in an area if you don't tell them to go to that area.

And another thing, maybe people like the Dutch and others who allow gays in the military don't go marching into places like Serbia to prevent a massacre or whatever because they aren't stuck in the mindset of thinking they're the kings of the world who have to get involved in everyone else's business with their military. Our founding fathers agreed with that philosophy, Washington even warned us not to get involved in the politics and wars in Europe (which was about as unstable back then as the mid-east is today), maybe we should follow his advise in the mid-east and Asia. The US didn't even have a standing army of more then 30,000 troops during peace time until after WW1, our founding fathers didn't want large standing armies, as that was a tool of a corrupt big government to use to take away people's rights and control them.

[donco6]

10. The Dutch deny Sheehan's claim

http://blog.taragana.com/politics/2010/03/19/dutch-reject-us-ex-generals-claim-that-gay-troops-were-partly-to-blame-for-srebrenica-fall-24332/

Dutch fuming at retired US general’s gays comment

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch prime minister Friday denounced as “irresponsible” a claim by a retired U.S. general that gay Dutch soldiers were partly to blame for allowing Europe’s worst massacre since World War II.

Dutch officials, from the Cabinet to the military, were outraged by retired Gen. John Sheehan’s remarks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

[joeybee12]

11. I want to rec yout post....

Probably should read "Dutch B-Slap Lying Coward Sheehan."

[donco6]

12. And it would be utterly appropriate. n/t