Morning Report, April 2: McHugh backs off, and free speech goes to court
Published: April 2, 2010
A lot out there for military readers today. Hope you've got some time to sit back and pick through the top stories of the morning.
From Stars and Stripes, Jeff Schogol turned out three stories on three topics that are bound to get readers talking. He interviewed Al Snyder, the father of a fallen Marine who has been ordered by a federal court to pay $16,000 in court costs to the Westboro Baptist Church after he sued them for protesting his son's funeral.
He also reported on Army Secretary John McHugh backing off comments he made earlier in the week that suggested a de facto moratorium on "don't ask, don't tell" discharges. Not the case, he now says. Despite calls for an honest discussion of the issues, gay servicemembers must still be careful who they confide in. Read Jeff's story and see a transcript of McHugh's statement issued Thursday evening.
And in another court case, Jeff reports that a judge ruled the father of a fallen USS Cole sailor has every right to park his car on base at Camp Lejeune, even with the decal that reads "Islam=Terrorism."
The Links:
Funeral protest case will be a test for the Supreme court (Stars and Stripes)
Judge: Lejeune can't ban car decals linking Islam and terrorism (Stars and Stripes)
Iraq visa requirements may push interpreters out the door (Stars and Stripes)
Army secretary does and about-face on DADT moratorium (Stars and Stripes)
Only one gay couple affected by new DODEA teacher transfer rules (Stars and Stripes)
Military's refusal to discharge lesbian a new Catch-22 (Los Angeles Times)
Karzai criticizes foreign presence in Afghanistan (The Washington Post)
Pentagon to boost security measures (The Washington Post)
In Swat, military's footprint endures (The Washington Post)
Gates orders overhaul of mentor program (USA Today)
Weight falls on soldiers who've taken a life (USA Today)
