# Apparently some people need clarification as to what country they live in **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802 "2004-02-06T05:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/21 "2004-02-08T07:00:03Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > What the American policy is supposed to achieve, I don’t know. That’s easy. It’s meant to keep all those little midwestern and southern farm boys from staying out of the military for fear that they’ll be seen nekkid in the shower by fags… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/22 "2004-02-08T07:05:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Under Clinton in the US the American military had a “Don’t ask, Don’t tell policy” on gays. Basically, so long as no one knew you were gay, they couldn’t remove you from duty. That’s still the policy. The full name was “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue”- that is, officers were supposed to not make an effort to find out if someone was gay. My understanding from reading articles about it some years ago was that that part wasn’t really being honored. If a Democrat wins the election this year, the policy may be toast. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/23 "2004-02-08T08:17:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > … If a Democrat wins the election this year, the policy may be toast. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was legislation enacted by a Democrat. What makes you seriously think the Democratic party is actually going to step up to the plate this time vs. more token lip service? I would not expect the gay/lesbian community to embrace the Republican Party (gu-fah!) but I find the loyalty to the Democratic Party kind of misplaced as they’ve really not done a whole hell of a lot either. Eh, perhaps I’m just too jaded anymore. Flame away. MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/24 "2004-02-08T08:36:33Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > Flame away. > > MeanJoe I thought the point was they couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/25 "2004-02-08T08:37:40Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > I thought the point was they couldn’t. _snort_ Okay, I should have seen that one coming a mile away. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/26 "2004-02-08T17:45:09Z")
> [@Jack Batty](#): > > But you had to go throw in that 55 yard line, didn’t you? You thought that extra 2% of alcohol in your beer would divert our attention. And could your endzones be any bigger? What is it? Like a quarter mile? Oops I mean a half a kilometer? Hey, the end zones are bigger because the goalposts are stuck smack-dab in the middle of them. Keeps the pass receivers on their toes. “I got it, I got it…” _crunch_ Yep, he got it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802/27 "2004-02-08T20:29:33Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s still the policy. The full name was “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue”- that is, officers were supposed to not make an effort to find out if someone was gay. My understanding from reading articles about it some years ago was that that part wasn’t really being honored. If a Democrat wins the election this year, the policy may be toast. Well, the problem there is that it’s not a policy. It’s a [law](http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/dontasklaw.html). The president does not have the authority to rescind it on his own. Repeal would need to be passed by Congress and as long as it’s in the hands of Republican extremists that isn’t going to happen (and yes, I know it Democrats voted for it and it was signed by a Democrat and blah blah blah so you can spare me those comments). Interesting little side note: part of DADT makes it illegal for a servicemember to marry or attempt to marry someone of the same sex. Remarkable prescience on behalf of the authors? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-some-people-need-clarification-as-to-what-country-they-live-in/227802.md?page=1)