"That's so gay" and Gen. McChrystal
Dave Schechter
CNN Senior National Editor
There is another problematic issue – unrelated to the war in Afghanistan or the chain of command – in the Rolling Stone article about Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
The writer is privy to a conversation between McChrystal and his aides as the general prepares to attend a dinner in Paris, a dinner the general clearly does not want to attend. McChrystal leaves the room and the writer asks one of the aides with whom the general is having dinner. “Some French minister,” the aide answers. “It’s f***ing gay.”
“That’s so gay” has become a popular phrase (I hear it most often from teenage boys) to express distaste for an activity, to put down another person or just to convey a negative impression of almost anything.
The aides around Gen. McChrystal are anything but teenagers. Presumably these are senior military officers or their civilian equivalent.
If the aide had made derogatory reference to a race, a religion or an ethnicity, there would be public outcry. I’ll wait to see if that happens with use of a homophobic slur.
Often, the person saying “that’s so gay” doesn’t think of the phrase as being insulting. But, as with all such remarks, it is hurtful. And unless you call out the person using it, they’ll use it again.
To the end, there is a movement to persuade middle- and high school students not to say “that’s so gay,” offering them alternatives.
Perhaps President Obama, Defense Secretary Gates or Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mullen should order Gen. McChrystal and his aides to check it out.
Evening Buzz: Will the Top Commander in Afghanistan Resign?
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Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
The top commander in Afghanistan has received orders to meet with Pres. Obama tomorrow at the White House. It's a meeting Gen. Stanley McChrystal likely wishes didn't have to take place. McChystal has come under fire for a controversial article set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone magazine, in which he and his staffers complain about top officials, including Vice President Joe Biden.
In the profile written by Michael Hastings, members McChystal's inner circle refer to Vice President Biden as "Bite Me," call a top U.S. diplomat a "clown" and claim McChystal's first one-on-one meeting with Pres. Obama in the Oval office was as a "10-minute photo-op" where "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him (McChystal), who he was."
Pres. Obama was "angry" when he read the article last night, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today. Gibbs called the comments by McChystal and his aides an "enormous mistake".
A senior national security official tells CNN McChystal is prepared to resign if told tomorrow he has lost the president's confidence.
McChrystal has apologized for the article. " It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened," McChrystal said in a Pentagon statement. "Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard."
Tonight on 360°, you'll hear the Michael Hastings, who wrote the profile.
"There where no ground rules that where given to me. I was lucky , I had a tape recorder and a notepad throughout the entire time. So I think it was very clear that it was all on the record. There where parts that where off the record that I did not use," Hastings told CNN earlier today.
We'll also dig deeper on the fallout with CNN's National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, Democratic Strategist James Carville and Sr. Political Analyst David Gergen.
We're also tracking developments in the Gulf. On day 63 of the oil disaster, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. The White House says it will appeal the decision. Though, Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, are asking the Obama administration not to take that step. Anderson will talk with Jindal tonight on the program.
Join us for these stories and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET. See you then.
Town votes to ban public singing
Gabriel Falcon
AC360° Writer
Sing in the shower, not in public. That's the message to anyone visiting one South Carolina beach community. The town of Sullivan's Island has proposed an ordinance that would make it illegal to belt out show tunes, pop songs, or any musical notes, for that matter, if they disturb the peace. "I haven't had one islander complain about it," Andy Benke, the town administrator, told CNN. "There are places where you can go and be loud and vociferous. Sullivan's Island is not one of them."
"We want you to have a good time but in the same sense we want you to act respectful and if you don't we have a tool to deal with it," Benke added. That tool would be a ticket from a police officer for a maximum fine of $500. And the ban isn't just for singing. The measure reads as follows:
"It shall be unlawful for any person to yell, shout, hoot, whistle, or sing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the comfort, or repose of persons in any office, or in any dwelling, or other type of residence, or of any persons in the vicinity."
The town, which is on a barrier island just north of Charleston Harbor, has a population of about 2,000 but swells to around 5,000 during summer weekends, Benke said. He called it "first and foremost a single residential community. "There are a lot of visitors to the beach 24 hours a day," he said, "and we just need a way to maintain the quiet family atmosphere."
The town council has already voted two times for the ordinance and after a third vote in July, it is expected to be put into effect in August, Benke said. He said the welcome mat is always open for people to enjoy the town but made it clear loud, disruptive noises, including public singing during quiet hours, will not be tolerated.
"There are probably six or seven little restaurants in the town that stay open until 2 a.m.," he said. "People are leaving, (having) had a good time all night. Maybe they don't know they are being loud and think it's okay. But it's not."
Gen. McChrystal Under Fire: Join the Live Chat
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Tonight on 360°, the top commander in Afghanistan under fire due to an article in Rolling Stone. See what Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his aides said that has a lot of people talking. Plus, the W.H. is defeated in it's quest to block deepwater drilling in the Gulf.
Want to know what else we're covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
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Video: Survivor: Leak spotted, not fixed on rig
Drew Griffin | BIO
CNN Investigative Correspondent
Video: Moratorium anger
Chris Lawrence
CNN
Video: Gen. McChrystal: Interview was a mistake
Barbara Starr
Pentagon Correspondent
Interactive: How oil has tarred presidents
John Blake
CNN
The president was young, a Harvard-educated intellectual admired for his charisma and skill with the written word.
His foe was pious but ruthless, the head of a massive oil corporation that supplied 90 percent of America's oil.
When Theodore Roosevelt tangled with oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, near the turn of the 20th century, he became the first president to pit the power of the White House against the power of oil.
Roosevelt ultimately won that battle in 1911 when the U.S. Supreme Court approved the breakup of the Standard Oil Company, Rockefeller's company. But oil has tarred other presidents, and may do the same to President Obama as he tries to manage the Gulf of Mexico disaster, says Nancy Koehn, a historian at Harvard Business School.
Video: Oil rig worker warned of danger
Drew Griffin | BIO
CNN Investigative Correspondent
Program Note: See the full story and interview with Tyrone Benton tonight on AC360° at 10pm ET
General recalled to Washington after controversial remarks in article
CNN Wire Staff
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Gen. Stanley McChrystal, America's top military commander in Afghanistan, has been recalled to Washington amid his controversial remarks about colleagues in a Rolling Stone article, officials said.
McChrystal was summoned to attend a meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan in person rather than by video conference, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
"He has been recalled to Washington," another official said.
McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which the general and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general has also fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
