As most of you know, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is under scrutiny right now. Among the right wingers in opposition to allowing gays in the military are Senator John McCain and Ike Skelton (Missouri dem who chairs the House Armed Services Committee).I was listening to the Stephanie Miller Show this morning and they made and excellent point when someone asked if the military was afraid disco balls would suddenly appear in the chow hall. I pose the same question? What do they really think is going to happen?! Well, I can tell you what Senator Saxby Chambliss thinks will happen... Chambliss expressed his concern at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday that repealing DADT would lead to "alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art".
Hmmm...
Body art you say?
Well then...
Honestly, I really don't think Chambliss has any right to say who can and cannot join the military, after all, it was five college deferments and a bum knee that kept him out of Vietnam (while his 2002 opponent and incumbent, Max Cleland, left three limbs over there). Oh...and by the way, his bum knee didn't stop him from playing college ball. I can also tell you what California Republican Duncan Hunter thinks will happen. Hunter was on NPR Tuesday and spewed this onto the airwaves:
"I think that its bad for the cohesiveness and the unity of the military units, especially those that are in close combat, that are in close quarters in country right now. Its not the time to do it. I think its – the military is not civilian life. And I think the folks who have been in the military that have been in these very close situations with each other, there has to be a special bond there. And I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians."
It's despicable.
But, as they say in Sound of Music "When God (or in this case, small minded bigots) closes a door, somewhere he opens a window". Although there are a number of people wholeheartedly against DADT, we do have allies in Israel, France and Great Britain where gays in the military is the least of their worries and it is widely accepted. Also- Colin Powell has recanted his previous statements on gays not belonging in the military and is backing President Obama's bid to end this unconstitutional law.
I say, if people want to serve this country, let them serve. I for one am an American and would not risk my life - so, I am grateful for those who are willing to do so.
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Do these people think there are no gays currently serving? I think they have no idea how many gay soldiers are in the military already. It would be interesting to know how many service people *don't* have tattoos!
Posted in the NPR Facebook comments:
"The critics say this will make the military worse, even though 60k+ homosexuals currently serve. The other option, of course, is that the military gets stronger. More flexible. Able to think through more complex problems. And so forth. And the folks that are too insecure to shower with a homosexual? Perhaps we don't need them in the military anymore. After all, if they struggle that much with something so simple, how will they cope in a foreign country? How will they reason through complex social situations that the new military of today faces every day? Soldiers, like all of us, need to be strong, not weak and fearful. I think the military is up to the challenge.
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