Don't Ask. Do Tell!

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

Is Gays in the Military Really about Gay Marriage?

My opposition to gay marriage is a definitional one.  To Western Christendom, marriage has traditionally meant one man and one woman.  I support partnerships that deny gays none of the rights of married people save the name of the relationship.

The constitutional rights argument is specious
The military discriminates against women, old people, the handicapped, drug users and convicted criminals.  You surrender many rights when you put on a uniform, including the right to free speech, free assembly, and freedom from search and seizure.  You go where they tell you to go and do what they tell you to do.  You shut your pie hole when they tell you to, and you submit to random drug tests and room inspections on demand.

Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell will not be the end, but the beginning.  I wonder if it isn't a Trojan horse for smuggling gay marriage inside the walls of Mainstream America.   

Is Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell Really About Gay Marriage?

Allow gays to serve openly, and the disparity in treatment between a traditional family and a gay partnership will be glaring.

Military members receive additional monetary, food, housing, moving and medical benefits to support spouses and dependents.  Boyfriends and girlfriends don't count.

This is significant since military people move frequently with the government picking up the tab.  A single person with a significant other receives reduced benefits and must pay out of pocket the cost of moving and housing and caring for the partner. 

This can be a major factor when stationed at a remote location.If the significant other is even allowed there, she can't be housed, or seen at the clinic, or even go shopping in the military community. The military is a self-contained world, and military life is much harder when "family members" are shut out of the system.

Allowing gays to serve openly is only step one

The obvious disparity in benefits and treatment of significant others will spur a whole new debate on fairness and marriage and civil unions.  The US Military led the way on civil rights for people of color, and the homosexual lobby is hoping for a gay repeat.

Think this through all the way to the logical end, and Christianity, or any religion that teaches that homosexuality is wrong would now be in a very precarious position, with concepts like hate speech and discrimination hurled at it.

I support equal rights for all, to include the right of people to hold, teach and espouse traditional religious beliefs that do not conflict with our constitution.

Update:  I've posted quite a few articles on this subject.  I am a libertarian who believes in equality for all, and I am also a Christian who believes marriage is a life-long commitment between one man and one woman.  So it appears that I'm kinda stuck in that mushy middle I so often criticize.

Concerning gays in the military, I agree with combat veteran Uncle Jimbo:

“If I am lying by the road bleeding, I don’t care if the medic coming to save me is gay. I just hope he is one of those buff gay guys who are always in the gym so he can throw me over his shoulder and get me out of there.”

Here are links to my previous posts:

DADT should be decided by military necessity and effectiveness, not political correctness
Judge Walker's Rape of Reason
Gay Rights, States Rights
New Hampshire - An Ominous Harbinger