It's gone without being gone

The latest on Don't Ask, Don't Tell (I hope by now you know what that refers to) is that the Sec. Defense has said all discharges of gays must be finalized by the Secretaries of Army, Navy, or Air Force. A retired Army soldier says that by saying the Sec. Defense wants to hear about every gay discharge means he doesn't want to hear about any discharge. That effectively ends DADT. And it's a big deal. But…

Soldiers still can't come out of the closet safely and their partners still don't get military benefits, acknowledgement at shipping-out-ceremonies, or notice their loved one has died. Even worse, it gives the public the impression that DADT is gone, therefore Congress doesn't have to do anything. And the whole issue becomes a Cinderella Crumb -- a benefit tossed to gays that lasts only until the next Sec. Defense or next Prez. decides he wants to reinstate the still legal ban.