Anonymous wrote:

tip: the real leaders have already decided LBGT are fine)

Please supply some quotes. Do you have any idea how much time is already spent on social training in the military? Any idea? When you spend time in social training, you are taking it away from other duties. This is a problem when funds are already very tight.

Of course Chelsea Manning's demands for surgery are not helpful

Anonymous wrote:

tip: the real leaders have already decided LBGT are fine)

Please supply some quotes. Do you have any idea how much time is already spent on social training in the military? Any idea? When you spend time in social training, you are taking it away from other duties. This is a problem when funds are already very tight.

Of course Chelsea Manning's demands for surgery are not helpful

tip: the real leaders have already decided LBGT are fine)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever commanded a military unit of any type?

For right now, this makes perfect sense. There are many issues to be resolved--for example: PT tests for starters. Does a transgender man have to meet the requirements of a man or a woman? Sexual harassment. This is confusing to people. And complicated.

Sure training can be provided. Training for this costs money and time when we have many hotbeds of activity around the world. And, yes, it appears that the military is attractive to people who wish to transgender because of the healthcare costs. And, think about this, the surgery must surely require a lot of time off from work--as well as the expense. Do we really want to deploy someone who is going through transition?

This is a military readiness issue.

This is not an easy topic. It is complicated and expensive.

It's also expensive to recruit and train 15,000 people who will now replace those being ejected from service.

Bottom line, if someone wants to sacrifice for the liberty and freedom of our country, what difference does it make whether they are white, black, brown, mail, female or trans?

It doesn't.

Any answer to the contrary is simple bigotry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The military doesn't have time to play cross-dressing dress up games like hey are school children. They should focus on fighting without wasting time on such frivolous things.

So in a time when the US Military spends many millions a year recruiting for voluntary service, it is ok to not only turn away those who would live to serve and are otherwise qualified, but to also jettison those who are already serving? You are right though, it isn't a game, and if your conception of the issue is akin to dress-up games, then you are very narrow minded and clearly don't understand. I feel for your children should any of them confront this issue themselves.

Anonymous wrote:This is two-pronged...

1) to distract from everything else going on
2) to force Dems in "flyover" states to consider making this a campaign issue

Ultimately, the RAND report said this is a non-issue and the Pentagon had already stated as such.

Anonymous wrote:

The military doesn't have time to play cross-dressing dress up games like hey are school children. They should focus on fighting without wasting time on such frivolous things.

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can only hope the American people do not fall for this clear attempt at diversion.

You need to realize it can be a diversion and also be something worth addressing. This is disgusting.

Don't fall for it, PP.

Do you think me acknowledging it here is somehow strengthening him or weakening the healthcare issue? Come on.

I just don't want you, personally, to see this as anything more than what it is - a trump diversion.

trump's Secretary of State is taking time-off, trump is at war with his AG, trump's son was caught lying, trump's healthcare plan is pathetic and will probably fail, there are investigations into trump and Russia - and trump tweets about transgendered service people ? Classic diversion.

Impingements of civil rights should not be ignored. Rather than learning to ignore Trump's transgressions, we need to learn to focus on multiple issues. Rather that taking attention off of Trump's inept presidency, this is just more evidence.

Mattis is on vacation...so this is happening outside of his purview. He was already on record of supporting the previous policy.