Listening to talk about Trump’s transgender ban discussion on MSNBC - turns out that in a practical way this will be a big fat nothing burger. However, Trump’s coming out (get it, coming out) with this reflects on both his psychopathology and his character. Perhaps somebody whispered the suggestion in his ear and it occurred to him that he didn’t want those “icky people” in the military so he obsessed about it all night and without thinking through the consequences or discussing it with his generals, he Tweeted it out in the wee hours of the morning.
Still, this is a win for him with the homophobes in has base.
I won’t get all psychoanalytic on anyone by speculating about whether Trump is homophobic himself and, if he is, what the underlying psychodynamics are for this. There is far more dangerous psychopathogy in his malignant narcissism to write about.
Thursday, Aug 24, 2017 · 7:35:27 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
From what I am hearing is that nobody will be discharged from the military because they are transgender. That is what Trump wanted. Therefore it is a defeat for hm. Unfortunately transgender people won’t be able to serve in the military — which is our loss. Trump, being Trump, will say he won on this but clearly he didn’t get his way — therefore a nothing burger. Pence will let it stand but all it will take for the next president — a Democrat — to reverse it.
Thursday, Aug 24, 2017 · 7:40:32 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
This is what the generals are doing to thwart Trump (or Pence’s homophobic ban):
“DoD will provide an update upon receipt of formal guidance,” Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick told The Washington Blade’s Chris Johnson. “The Department continues to focus on our mission of defending our nation and on-going operations against our foes, while ensuring all service members are treated with respect.”
That guidance was also watered down from the complete ban Trump ordered to one that would allow active duty trans service members to continue serving after even Republicans opposed the policy change. The weakened policy requires that recruitment and the accessions policy be halted (they are now), enlistment contracts not be renewed, promotions result in discharges, and transgender-specific healthcare be prohibited.
At an Aug. 14 news conference, Mattis indicated support for trans service members, noting the United States Armed Forces is “a widely diverse force. We look at E Pluribus Unum on our coins. Out of many, one. They were simply emphasizing on the battlefield we are one team and that’s the way we stay.” from the Daily Blade
Saturday, Sep 2, 2017 · 10:42:15 PM +00:00
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HalBrown
This is what I was trying to say when I wrote this.
NEWS & POLITICS
The president already got what he wanted.
August 31, 2017, 7:14 PM GMT
A ban on trans service persons is ridiculous on its face, because it’s almost unenforceable. There are too many ways to be transgender to list them all. Trans people live across a whole spectrum of intersecting identities.
The Trump administration's eventual memo detailing the ban was written with a six-month window of discretion for Defense Secretary James Mattis that seems designed to ensure its failure, since lawsuits are already filed to challenge the ban.
The defense secretary knows the ban is blustery foolishness and has done everything but say so. Mattis announced he won't implement the ban during his discretionary window, using the time-honored stall tactic of claiming a need for additional study. While Mattis isn't standing in the way of the ban (yet), he’s not acting like a person who believes it's going to happen either.