US Senators put false spin on DOMA

By Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

By now, you may have heard about U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) having introduced the “Military Religious Freedom Act.” The Wicker-Inhofe legislation explicitly outlines their thoughts on how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) should be applied to the Department of Defense.

Specifically, the bill would prevent military chaplains from being “forced” to perform a marriage ceremony if the chaplain objects for reasons of conscience. It would also “prohibit” marriage or marriage-like ceremonies at military facilities that are not a union between one man and one woman, even in states where these unions are recognized.

In a statement released to the press on Sept 11, Inhofe had this to say:

“President Obama and his administration are dismissing their responsibility to uphold the law of the land by unilaterally deeming DOMA unworthy of enforcement. Since the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, they have begun to pressure military chaplains to fall in line with their liberal same-sex marriage agenda. This bill protects military chaplains from being forced to go against their conscience and religious beliefs in regard to this issue. This is something the chaplainsthat serve this country need and deserve.”

We contacted to SenatorInhofe’s officeasking him to provide proof that he has of President Obama "pressuring" these chaplains into doing things “against their conscience and religious beliefs.” Further, we asked for the opportunity to interview these chaplains, forced by President Obama to act against their own beliefs.

(from the October 2012 Gayly issue) After multiple attempts to contact Senator Inhofe’s Communications Director, Jared G. Young, we were unable to get the information requested.

The Oklahoma City LGBT advocacy group, Cimarron Alliance, denounced the Inhofe Bill as “Bigoted.”

“Sen. Inhofe should know that a clergyperson can refuse to marry anyone for any reason,” said Scott Hamilton, the group’s executive director. “This bill puts the comfort of military chaplains above the rights of the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country every single day.”

Hamilton himself is a member of the clergy.

“This is yet another transparent attempt to stir up Inhofe’s base at the expense of freedom for all Americans. A recent academic report indicates that the elimination of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has had zero effect on our nation’s military. Why he won’t accept this and move on is beyond understanding. Clearly his bigotry has blinded him to the concepts of freedom, justice, and equality, the very things he should be advancing for everyone,” Hamilton continued.

According to yet another study; a statistical analysis of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) sponsored by the Palm Center (www.palmcenter.org) and authored by Danny Kaplan of Bar Ilan University and Amir Rosenmann of the University of Haifa, the presence of openly gay soldiers does not undermine unit cohesion.

 “As we reach the one year anniversary of repeal of the United States military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy, this new study responds to the central concern that an integrated military would harm cohesion,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center.

The authors surveyed 417 male Israeli soldiers from 22 military installations. The full report can be found in the current issue of Political Psychology and is available at: http://bit.ly/PAxJI3