Gays in the Military? Support troops say yes, combat troops say no
The big headline out of the Gays in the Military survey is that 75% of active duty troops see no problem with it. Left largely unreported is that the 25% opposition is concentrated in the combat arms.
The vast majority of our military is logistics and support "tail," while only a small percentage make up the "teeth" that do the actual fighting and other field activities outside the safe confines of the garrison. Combat troops live cheek by jowl in rough conditions where trust in one another is critical. Support troops have it much better and enjoy the luxury of retreating to semi-private living quarters and latrine and shower facilities.
This will have to be resolved before proceeding. You can call the combat troops bigots if you want, but they are the ones doing the fighting. Doing this the wrong way could have grave consequences.
An encouraging statistic out of the report shows that most gays now serving simply want to get on with soldiering and have no interest in "coming out" once the ban is lifted.
President Clinton provided a way for gays to serve, but that wasn't good enough for the activists. The vast majority of those kicked out under Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) were self-identified. For some it was an "I'm here and I'm queer!" statement, while many others who didn't like the military life used it as a get out of jail free card.
Activists that join to act out will quickly find themselves bounced from the ranks. Military life is arduous, especially the first few years. Trying to maintain a separate agenda, even while not breaking regulations, will simply interfere with the training one must accomplish. Spend too much time on your activist agenda, and you will fail your training and find yourself a civilian again.
DADT Undermines the Code of Honor
For those of us who place military effectiveness first in this discussion, one aspect of DADT is disturbing: We are asking gay people to live a lie. The military bans gay sex, but you can break that law as long as you don't tell anybody. This is very un-military. The US Armed Forces is an institution built upon a foundation of trust and honor, and DADT undermines that.
My Simple Solution
Decriminalize homosexual acts. Strike from the UCMJ those article and clauses that outlaw homosexuality. This confers no special status on gays, but no longer subjects them to witch hunts either. Current rules would prevent bigots from discriminating against them, as well punish the activist gays bent on acting out. Everyone must be treated equally and behavior codes are much stricter in the military.
The Chaplain Corps and conservative Christians are dead set against repeal, but decriminalizing homosexual acts would put gays in the same category as another class of sinner currently serving, those having sex outside of marriage. The military is full of them. And in Christian theology, fornication is no better or worse than sodomy.
If Christians can tolerate fornicators in the ranks, why not sodomites?
WaPo - Gays in the Military Report
WaPo - Right Move, Wrong Time
Wikipedia
5 comments:
A gay friend of ours is quite outspoken against Chik-Fil-A because the company is (according to him) anti-gay. My response to his rants on this always go something like this:
What the hell do your sexual preferences or proclivities have to do with enjoying a damn good chicken sammich?
Well, I kinda have the same mindset when it comes to gays in the military... Does sexual orientation really have any bearing on one's effectiveness as a soldier? What I do and how well I perform at work has nothing to do with what I do in my bedroom. Boundaries, people, boundaries.
I do agree that the whole notion of DADT does seem to run counter to the ideal of the necessary military command structure. So, you're encouraging soldiers to decide which orders they should or should not follow or to what degree they should be compliant?
I like the way you break things down, Rob.
It is about boundaries. I don't care what you do in your private life.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was a universal social contract long before the DoD turned it into a policy.
If the gays want to serve, fine, but there is no need to flaunt their lifestyle or force anyone to accept it.
As long as that lifestyle will not effect or hinder any military personnel or duty, or cause endangerment to another soldier.
No special treatment, either.
I am dead set against the gay agenda and will fight them on every front including this one.
Trestin, I'm not especially fond of homosexuality, but I respect others rights to do in private what they choose. Last I checked, this is still America, dammit.
But I will say that on the other hand, gays (as a group) do tend to cause and perpetuate many of their own problems in much the same way as other social groups do. I'm friends with Black, Mexican, & Filipino people and I never even think of their race. But I also know a coupla guys (one Indian and the other Mexican) who constantly call attention to the fact that they're non-white and sure enough, that keeps it fresh in my mind as well.
Let me be bold - blacks & gays are quite often their own worse enemies. Why should there be a "United Negro College Fund" instead of a "People Who Have a Pulse and Would Like More Education Fund?" Why should Disney World have a "Gay Day," when there should -never- be a day that anyone is having sex at that amusement park?
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