ELEVEN MORE…. The White House has begun the process of reviewing, and eventually scrapping, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The sooner officials can wrap up the process and put an end to this nonsense, the better.
The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military’s policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman.
Representative Jim Moran, a Democrat, said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the effect of the policy until it is repealed. In a statement released yesterday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a healthcare specialist, a motor-transport operator, and a water-treatment specialist.
“How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?” asked Moran, a member of the House panel that oversees military spending.
That need not be a rhetorical question. The U.S. military is looking for patriotic volunteers, willing to put their lives on the line for their country, who are ready and able to wear the uniform. Some of these Americans are gay. Are we, as a country, safer after kicking them out of the military? Does this improve or detract from military readiness in the midst of two wars?
Look again at that list of personnel discharged in January. They included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a healthcare specialist, a motor-transport operator, and a water-treatment specialist. Who benefits after the military, which recruited and trained these patriots at considerable taxpayer expense, removes these 11 Americans from their duties? How does this help the country?
Matt Yglesias added, “At this point, top commanders ought to be able to see the handwriting on the wall and basically cut this nonsense out. Everyone knows that equal opportunities to serve are coming around the corner, and it doesn’t help anyone to drum out the last few dozen gay and lesbian military volunteers just before the buzzer.”
And yet, the nonsense continues. I will never understand why.
