In view of the controversial tactics the military employs to increase the number of recruits, as reported in this article on CNN.com, please consider pushing for elimination of the don't-ask-don't-tell ban on gays in the military.
ABC News reported on 7 April 2005 that Army Sgt. Robert Stout, a decorated officer, "is believed to be the first gay soldier wounded in Iraq to publicly discuss his sexuality."
(AP photo)
Stout, 23, says he would re-enlist in the military if it wasn't for the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which permits gay men and women to serve in the armed forces if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves and abstain from homosexual activity.The ABC News article reported that in 2004, 653 soldiers were discharged under the DADT policy. If all of those soldiers served honorably otherwise, we have lost 653 good soldiers at a time when the military is scrambling to find more.
A recent congressional study on the impact of "don't ask, don't tell" said that hundreds of highly skilled troops, including many translators, have left the armed forces because of the rule.The DADT policy was an evolutionary step that was necessary in 1993, but in the twelve years since then, we as a society have moved past the need for it.
3 comments:
Wow. Such venom. Such hatred. You are singularly focused on your issue, however, so I have to give you credit for that. It just seems when you consider the great writers in history who were also gay, none of them described their chosen profession as a "gay writer". Something to consider.
Why anonymous?
Venom, hatred? Compared to Arvin Hill, I'm quite benign.
Fortunately, I don't aspire to being a great writer. Just a good writer who is methodically honest.
Karl Rove, was that you?
The tremendous irony in all of this is that heterosexuals were considered unfit for military service for thousands of years. The samurai took male lovers because they thought women made men effeminate. We've forgotten that gay and bisex guys have traditionally been the warrior class. We need to "wake up."
I. Remember
http://fightinghistory.blogspot.com/
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