Pastor John Hagee: We're Not Winning Any Wars Because Of Pagan U.S. Soldiers

SAN DIEGO: Hundreds Of Active Duty Military March Openly In Pride Parade

For first time in American history, yesterday hundreds of openly gay servicemembers marched in a gay pride parade as the military town of San Diego cheered.

The crowd roared as the group waving military flags and holding placards identifying their military branch walked past the thousands. Every branch of service was represented Saturday, including the Coast Guard. Marines and sailors ran out carrying their branch's flags over their heads. One Marine stopped to pose with two towering bikini-clad blondes in stiletto-heeled boots. Onlookers stepped into the parade route to salute them. One man in a rainbow colored shirt waved his feather boa and yelled "Hooah!" the military battle cry. The national Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - representing gay and lesbian active-duty military personnel - informed organizer Sean Sala that they are warning members that it is still a risk to come out as long as "don't ask, don't tell" is on the books. Sala, a former Navy operations specialist, said it's time for the gay and lesbian community to stop hiding in fear.

Photo above and video by Rex Wockner. Many more photos at the link.

Soldiers Lip-Dub Britney Spears

Are we tired of these clips yet?

(Via - Buzzfeed)

BREAKING: Pentagon Orders Halt To DADT Dismissals, Welcomes Openly Gay Troops

Just in from the Army Times:

The Pentagon has ordered a halt to all separations of gay troops under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and will begin accepting applications from prospective recruits who identify themselves as homosexuals. The moratorium issued Friday came after a ruling Wednesday by a federal appeals court in California ordering the Defense Department to immediately stop enforcing the law. The court said the law is unconstitutional because it treats gay Americans differently under the law. Meanwhile, defense officials will continue to prepare for the law’s formal repeal, which Congress approved in December. The law will be formally repealed 60 days after the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs “certify” that it will not adversely impact military readiness.

Elaine Donnelly On DOMA & DADT

Elaine Donnelly of the anti-gay Center for Military Readiness is backing a bill that bans federal policy changes that violate DOMA.

"The reason this [amendment] is necessary is because the Department of the Navy, in particular, has already signaled that contrary to assurances given to Congress, they are quite prepared to start conducting same-sex marriages on military bases -- which would, for the sake of consistency, lead to the extension of benefits to these same-sex couples," says Donnelly." And the Defense of Marriage Act would preclude that, she argues. "In fact, the extension of benefits to same-sex couples on the same basis as opposite-sex couples probably could blow a hole in the Department of Defense budget."

The bill, coauthored by wingnut GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx and GOP Rep. Dan Burton, has no real shot of passage in the Senate.

Maddow On DADT Ruling

With Col. Victor Fehrenbach.

Ninth Circuit Ends DADT Enforcement

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously ordered the end of the enforcement of DADT for military forces worldwide. The ruling overturns the stay of an earlier such order by a lower court. Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

The three-judge panel -- Judges Alex Kozinski, Kim Wardlaw and Richard Paez -- based the decision to lift the appellate court's earlier stay of Phillips's order pending the appeal of the LCR case is based, the judges write, because, "The circumstances and balance of hardships have changed, and appellants/cross-appellees can no longer satisfy the demanding standard for issuance of a stay." Among the citations by the court is the July 1 filing in Karen Golinski's federal case seeking health insurance benefits for her wife and the related Feb. 23 letter from Attorney General Eric Holder declaring that he and President Barack Obama had decided that heightened scrutiny applies to classifications -- such as DADT. The judges also note that "the process of repealing Section 654 [-- the DADT law --] is well underway, and the preponderance of the armed forces are expected to have been trained by mid-summer."

Servicemembers United react:

"With the wait for certification dragging out beyond a reasonable time frame, the Court has once again stepped in to require the Pentagon to stop enforcing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and this time it very well may be for good," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and the sole veteran plaintiff on the case. "I am proud to have worked personally worked with Log Cabin on this case for more than five years now and to have represented the gay military community as the sole named veteran on this lawsuit. Despite the criticisms and years of waiting, this case has yet again successfully eviscerated this outdated, harmful, and discriminatory law."

CALIFORNIA: Three Marines Face Charges In Alleged Marriage Scam

Three Marine corporals stationed at Camp Pendleton are facing charges over allegedly sham marriages created in part, those charged say, to evade the restrictions of DOMA.

The scam was hatched when a lesbian couple, one a Marine and the other a civilian, decided to live together off base, according to 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton. The female Marine found a male Marine willing to get married, allowing them to collect a $1,200 housing benefit, Dooley said. The civilian woman also eventually married a male Marine and collected government funds, according to officials.

The corporals, assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Pendleton, will face fraud and larceny charges, Dooley said, adding that other charges could come later. It was not clear whether the civilian woman would face charges, but the military would not have jurisdiction in such a case, Dooley said. "It doesn't matter what their sexual preferences are, if they're violating the law and making fraudulent use of government money, they will be held accountable," Dooley said. In addition to the charges, the three Marines could have to pay back $75,000 to the military.

The female Marine, Cpl. Ashley Vice, told San Diego's KGTV-TV Friday that she and her partner, Jaime Murphy, were forced to enter sham marriages because the military does not provide allowances for unmarried couples and they couldn't afford to live off base without the extra money. She and her partner only wanted to "be a family," Vice said.

Only legally married military couples are eligible for the housing allowance. Thanks to DOMA, that will not change even with the repeal of DADT. The three Marines face a year in jail.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

Elaine Donnelly: The DADT Fix Was IN!

"The results of the Pentagon survey had actually been pre-scripted as early as July of 2010, even before the survey of the troops went out. Somebody leaked to The Washington Post a highly misleading story. It misrepresented the views of the troops and suggested that about 70 percent of them were just fine with repeal of the law on gays in the military. They were used as props in a campaign to create the illusion of military support for repeal of the law. All of this was done to help the president to deliver on a political promise." - Center For Military Readiness hate group head Elaine Donnelly, claiming that the DOD's survey on the repeal of DADT was "fixed" in advance.

SAN DIEGO: Active Duty Military To March In Gay Pride Parade For First Time

Some real American history will be made at San Diego Pride.

"To my knowledge [it is] the first time in the history of Pride in the United States, ever, that we have said, 'Active duty, you are welcome,'" organizer Sean Sala said. "We want you to be there without fear of repercussions, because we love you." Sala, an active-duty sailor, said he was bothered to see that police and firefighters were represented in the Pride parade, but not the people who serve this country. "I thought it was weird because San Diego has the biggest military installation in the United States, and military are public servants as well," he said.

About 200 service members have reportedly signed up to march. They will not wear their uniforms, as per military regulations.