Today is an historic day as Don't Ask - Don't Tell is officially ended. Gay men and women have served proudly in the American armed forces since America was founded. Those brave soldiers no longer will be subject to possible blackmail thus bringing honesty and integrity to our military. Over 13,000 troops who were removed from service under suspicion of being homosexual since DADT began can now serve their country again if they so choose.
It is a good day for America!
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"Honesty Returned to Military"?
As someone who has generally been supportive of allowing gays to openly serve in the military, I would just like to point out that "honesty" was never absent in this matter on the part of the military.
They were always perfectly clear and honest about their judgement that a homosexual orientation among servicemen was incompatible with military service.
The only actual dishonesty was on the part of homosexual servicemen who choose to lie in order to serve in the military.
Those are the simple facts of the matter. Honesty has not "returned to the Military", it has perhaps been returned to a small minority of servicemen and women who previously had freely chosen to remove it (whether motivated by a sincere desire to serve their country in this fashion, or by reasons related to their own personal self interest).
It is certainly a good day for those Gay men and women who wish to openly serve in the military.
Whether or not it is also good day for America remains to be seen. If, as it's proponents have claimed, allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military will only strengthen the military, then yes, it will have been a good day for America.
If, on the other hand, this only ends up weakening the military, then it will have been a bad day for America.
I remain basically agnostic on the issue...though if I had to make a prediction, I suspect that this new policy will turn out to have a basically neutral effect on the quality of our Armed Forces and on their ability to carry out their mission to defend our country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/us/marine-recruiters-visit-gay-center-in-oklahoma.html?_r=2&hp
As usual, the Marines get there first!
Pretty cool.
Of course the effect will be neutral. Gays have always been in the military.
The military is not an entity in itself. By definition it is a collection of soldiers. Of course we have no proof, but I would contend with some certainty that there have been gay soldiers of almost every rank throughout American history. Therefore if the soldiers are forced to lie - the military by default is lying.
Now, your argument may have had some justification back when there was a total ban on gays serving - but only if each one was asked the question "Are you a homosexual?". As far as I know that was never done. Everyone was allowed to serve if they passed health tests etc. and it was only when it was determined later that they were gay that they might be released from duty. I may be wrong on this - I didn't research if the question was asked.
However, when the GOP forced the Clinton administration into the compromise that resulted in DADT, the situation changed. Now homosexuals were allowed to serve - but only if they kept their sexuality secret. This opened the door for dishonesty and possible blackmail because a soldier would be forced to lie if their true sexuality was revealed. It was an insane policy with regard to military integrity. That integrity has now been restored.
Anytime a step to equality, liberty and justice for ALL is reached, it is indeed a good day for America.
When I joined the Coast Guard in the early 80's, I was specifically asked that question (and immediately afterwards we all had to bend over and have our anus's examined....excuse my naivete, but I have always just assumed that the two must have been related?).
I also know that question routinely asked during the 60's, because it was a common ploy for draftee's to reply Yes, in hopes of avoiding having to go to Vietnam.
Wiki: "The Clinton Administration on December 21, 1993,[20] issued Defense Directive 1304.26, which directed that military applicants were not to be asked about their sexual orientation."
I didn't realize they had stopped asking that in '93 (not an issue that I have payed much attention to), so that does substantially weaken my argument about the gay servicemen being the "dishonest" ones.
The "blackmail" argument is probably one of the best reasons to dump DADT, from a purely "what's best for the military" point of view.
I believe that this discrimination will finally come to an end now that the military has made this change.
I'm thrilled, I'm jumping up for joy and I hope that this is the beginning of the tidal wave to destroy discrimination once and for all.
Yippee!
Lisa in Indy
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