Out of the blue and without notice, US President Donald Trump has announced a ban on transgender people serving in the US military.
Quixotic, impulsive, impetuous? Well, possibly but there is another game afoot and it is mired in dark politics, tales from the swamp of Washington no less.
I suspect Trump is agnostic on this issue and his announcement is based on an attempt to breathe some life into his legislative agenda and kick off what must be seen as his totemic political promise, the construction of a wall across the US-Mexican border.
The ban, which will affect current transgender troops estimated anywhere between 2,000 and 15,000, depending on where you get your figures from, may be subject to constitutional challenge but again, this is not Trump’s main game.
The White House and senior House Republicans feared the US Homeland Appropriations Bill would die on the floor unless it included a specific provision refusing government funding for gender reassignment surgery for transsexual members in US military forces.
Full column here.
What an asshole.
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/australian-women-need-us-to-fertilise-them-halal-chief-slams-white-men-in-facebook-rant/news-story/ec80593236bd78ebdaeedfce2b1d65b6
I thought Hansen was an all-sibling boy band. Now it looks like it might be a political party.
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay, Mr 77 votes, tinfoil hat wearing NASA conspiracy spruiking Anthony Roberts not eligible to sit in Parliament. Unfortunately there is no doubt about Pauline Hansen’s eligibility.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-roberts-expert-anne-twomey-believes-one-nation-senator-may-have-breached-constitution-20170727-gxkeol.html
Werribee duck. I’m on this now. Should be up on The Aus shortly.
A particularly interesting article as a comparison to your previous one, JTI. Despite the oddities of our Senate, I reckon the Australian system of democracy is considerably better than the US system, as proved yet again by the current POTUS. For example, we should be very grateful for having an independent electoral commission. Despite the criticism it gets in some quarters, we should be thankful for compulsory voting at Federal and state levels. While there are sometimes questionable deals to get legislation through in Australia, it pales into insignificance in comparison to what happens in the US. Yes, the US is still a great country, but give me Australia any day.
Agree with that, especially compulsory voting, NFY.
Oh I see another howard era defence decision that defied the advice of experts at the time has come home to roost with 2 Spanish designed and built ships not living up to expectations just as the advice at time stated.. No surprises.
How does this transgender operation go jack do they take out all the equipment and at what cost?
This citizenship thing is becoming ridiculous.
My entire family on my mother’s side is British born and bred – and there is no way I automatically am a dual citizen of the UK.
It’s becoming a bit like studying thoroughbred breeding lives over there in Canberra.!!
This latest policy is just another disturbing example that Donald Trump doesn’t care about anyone but himself.
I blame the GOP. When will they realise that Donald Trump is totally unfit to be POTUS, and dump any support they have for him?