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You are here: Home / Civil Rights / LGBTQ Rights / Gay Rights are Human Rights / Chuck Hagel vs. Republican Governors Update

Chuck Hagel vs. Republican Governors Update

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From the Tulsa World (what passes for a liberal newspaper in this state):

The Fallin administration said Wednesday that Oklahoma-owned National Guard facilities will continue to deny military identification to same-sex spouses despite an order to the contrary from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel…

Four federally owned National Guard bases, including one in Tulsa, will comply with the directive issued by Hagel last week…

The four facilities that will begin processing same-sex spousal identification applications are the Air National Guard bases in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, the Regional Training Institute in Oklahoma City and Camp Gruber…

Essentially, this means that any OK National Guard facility outside of the armories (which don’t issue ID cards anyway) or the Joint Forces HQ which does do ID cards, will now comply with Federal Regulations and Federal Law.  The Regional Training Institute, which provides residency courses for Officer Professional Development programs for several states is about a 10-minute drive from the OKJFHQ.  So Fallin and OK Attorney General Scott Pruitt get to claim a “victory” of sorts and so does the DoD.  I don’t know, and the article doesn’t say if this was the result of a deal, or if Fallin’s counsel found a creative way around the issue.  The article also doesn’t say whether or not this was signed off by DoD.  I can tell you that the facilities which have always provided ID cards (except JFHQ) will now keep doing their mission, and not exclude same-sex married couples.  I don’t know if the mobile teams that go around to remote armories from time to time will comply with Federal or State laws, but I suspect they’ll only comply with the State laws.  It’s been my experience that these teams cannot process ID cards for family members anyway.  The Active Component facilities in OK, Fort Sill and Altus AFB in the southwest part of the state, Tinker AFB in OKC, Vance AFB in the northwest part of the state, and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in the southeast part of the state have all been issuing ID cards in accordance with DoD directives for some time now.

 

Reader Interactions

39Comments

  2. 2.

    Villago Delenda Est

    So, essentially, Oklahoma military installations that do not issue IDs will militantly not issue IDs to same sex spouses of NG members.

    This is pretty much the equivalent of I, VDE, Tsar of all the Russias, refusing to ennoble those icky gays and grant them estates along the banks of the Volga. So there! Take that! And that! And that!

  4. 4.

    gogol's wife

    Open thread, so — I turned my Balloon Juice calendar to November the other day, but didn’t have time to really look at it. This morning I was looking at all the cute pets on the page, and came to one imposing white cat with an imperious stare — Tunch! It broke me up. I miss him so much.

  5. 5.

    scav

    how very true they are to their homo economicus fvckhighpriestessicus anus randymus principle that cash is trump card in deep moral quandaries, although they deny it with or without the calls of male chickens.

  8. 8.

    max

    Essentially, this means that any OK National Guard facility outside of the armories (which don’t issue ID cards anyway) or the Joint Forces HQ which does do ID cards, will now comply with Federal Regulations and Federal Law.

    Why anyone thought this would work out any other way is beyond me.

    “Oklahoma law is clear,” Fallin said in a statement. “The state of Oklahoma does not recognize same sex marriages, nor does it confer marriage benefits to same sex couples. The decision reached today allows the National Guard to obey Oklahoma law without violating federal rules or policies. It protects the integrity of our state Constitution and sends a message to the federal government that they cannot simply ignore our laws or the will of the people.”

    It is true that the law is on the books, and it is true the executive branch of the state of Oklahoma has to comply with that, but the only message sent is that you made a pointless fuss in a fight you was gonna lose anyways.

    max
    [‘Protecting the integrity of your bullshit more like it.’]

  9. 9.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    Well, of course it went down this way after all the assurances from the Balloon Juice deadenders that Hagel and Obama were going to smack some bitches around and OMG Hagel leaves me breathless aren’t you glad Obama nominated a Republican to DEFSEC apologize firebaggers eleventy!

  10. 10.

    Yatsuno

    C’mon Obummer. Can’t you let us stick it to the kweerz just ONCE?? I mean, there ain’t any round these parts anyway right?

  14. 14.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    @Belafon: That motherfucker better not let me catch him out on the street.

    ETA: Either one of them, because I can’t tell them apart either.

  15. 15.

    FlyingToaster

    @Belafon:

    The names are too close, not to mention the personalities.

    Different hair.

    Probably different exercise equipment.

    Otherwise indistinguishable.

  20. 20.

    scav

    OTOTOTOTOT OOOHHH The things that are coming out of people’s mouths. What brought on this sudden attack of rock-thick dim people? Lululemon founder blames some women’s bodies for pant debacle

    The founder of Lululemon said women’s bodies may have caused the sheerness problems the plagued its high-priced yoga pants earlier this year.

    “Frankly, some women’s bodies just don’t actually work [for the yoga pants],” Chip Wilson said Tuesday in an interview on Bloomberg TV. “It’s more really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.”

    Our damn customers just weren’t up to spec. Shoddy state of affairs. Somebody clearly needs to be sued.

  22. 22.

    Soonergrunt

    @srv: Funny enough that you mention that. National Guard and Reserve Retired ID’s for guys like me, who are “grey area retirees”–earned enough credit to retire with pension but not yet 60 years old–are pink. The dependents IDs are the same wierd orange they’ve always been.

  25. 25.

    srv

    @scav:

    Chip Wilson

    Awesome name. He just needs to do what A&F does, no XL – ripped people only.

    Or maybe someone can do a flash-dance leotard with ripped inner thighs and charge $100 for them.

  30. 30.

    scav

    How I managed to escape this fount of bubbling insanity during my years of yoga . . . . granted, I didn’t frequent the exquisitely dressed end of the pool attending sessions at work for the exquisitely stressed . . .

  31. 31.

    Mnemosyne

    @scav:

    Yanno, if they would just get plastic surgery like all the women he sees, then the problem would be solved!

    I am suddenly less sad that I’ve never managed to find anything I like at Lululemon.

  32. 32.

    mai naem

    Maybe the next time it’s tornado season Chuck Hagel can make sure the Oklahoma National Guard has better stuff to do than help during a tornado.

  36. 36.

    NorthLeft12

    How many military installations do they need in Oklahoma anyways?

    Guys, I think I just figured out why you can’t afford to provide decent health care to your citizens. Sheesh.

  38. 38.

    NotMax

    Hm. Oklahoma is not the only state where this is occurring.

    Haven’t heard a word from Mr. Cole about the same national guard/ID situation in WV.

  39. 39.

    boatboy_srq

    @Belafon: That’s a better idea than you know. Imagine what would happen if the DoD pulled every last federal dollar from these a##w!pes’ budget until they complied.

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