The New York Times editorial page Wednesday suggested President Barack Obama should find a way to temporarily suspend discharges of gay and lesbian soldiers.

"President Obama should see if there is indeed any action he could take on his own while awaiting the military’s assessment," the Times concludes. "In the end, it will be up to Congress to root out 'don’t ask, don’t tell' by overturning the law that brought it about."

The editorial notes that thousands of gay military personnel, including highly skilled interpreters and intelligence analysts, have been discharged under the military's gay ban, known as "don't ask, don't tell," at a time when the Armed Forces are stretched especially thin.

"Advocates for gay soldiers believe that the administration, on its own, has the authority to prevent the discharge of gay people, perhaps by issuing “stop-loss” orders such as those used to keep troops serving past their original commitments in Iraq — many unwillingly," writes the Times. "How much better to use the power to prevent the loss of gay service members eager to keep serving."

The piece also says that although Obama said he would overturn the ban during the campaign, "has made no move beyond asking the Pentagon to assess the implications."

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid89315.asp

NYT editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/opinion/10wed2.html?_r=3&ref=opinion

Love This Email Print Facebook Stumble It! Report