An excellent op-ed in today's New York Times by Owen West, a Marine and veteran of the Iraq War. Some highlights:
"[T]his fight is not about rights, but about combat readiness".
"[T]he principal architects of 'don’t ask, don’t tell,' former Gen. Colin Powell and former Senator Sam Nunn" appear to favor repeal of the ban.
The argument that excluding openly-serving homosexuals is necessary because they present a "threat to good order and discipline" is "flawed" and based on the same "underlying fears...as with [racial] integration".
"Maintaining 'don’t ask, don’t tell' ignores a vast social shift since 1993". An overwhelming majority of the public now supports lifting the ban, which wasn't the case 16 years ago.
DADT impacts military readiness: "to choose a felon over a combat-proven veteran on the basis of sexuality is defeatist".
Will President Obama and activists listen, or repeat the mistakes of the early 90s? Only time will tell for sure, but I'm not very encouraged from what I've seen thus far.
(this is also posted over at Gay Patriot)
2 comments:
I'm not trying to be difficult or intolerant or anything like that, but I just don't understand why gays feel it's so vital to remove DADT and force gay marriage on the whole of society.
I live in a world where gays live openly, both as singles and couples. I live in a world where gays adopt children. I live in a world where gays serve openly in politics. In short, I live in a world which is about as gay friendly as you can get, especially compared to the past. So I have a hard time buying the notion that DADT and the rejection of gay marriage inflict unbearable oppression on gays. When gays and their straight allies promote that notion I feel like my intelligence is being insulted.
Society, including the gay part of it, is functioning quite well in spite of DADT and no gay marriage. Gays CAN serve in the military and they CAN have committed relationships. Nobody and nothing is stopping them from doing that. Obviously, though, that's not enough for the gay community.
What gays really seem to want is not tolerance, as they claim, but APPROVAL. That's what I think ditching DADT and legalizing gay marriage is really all about. It's not about rights or equality. It's about getting an OFFICIAL stamp of approval on the gay lifestyle. It's about allowing gays to say to their critics, "You can't condemn us. What we're doing is right. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS SO!!!!!" That's what this is really all about. And one more thing.
As a Black person I'm really tired of gays comparing their inclination and "oppression" to the struggle of Blacks. Homosexuality is not a race, ethnicity, nationality, or culture. It's a sexual desire. And if gays can equate the disapproval of their sexual desire to racial discrimination, so can can the polygamists, the pedophiles, and the bestiality people. How can gays object without apperaing totally self-serving and arbitrary?
Oh, and I'm also sick and tired of being called a bigot because I don't and won't bow down and worship homosexuality.
I'm rambling, I know, and I apologize. I just don't understand. I don't get it. I really don't. Any light you can shed on the subject would be appreciated. Thanks.
No one expects you to bow down and worship homosexuality - that one sentence shows your bigotry. And while homosexuality is not a race nor nationality as you state it IS a culture and it IS NOT a sexual desire any more than your skin color was an ethnic desire of your choosing. Yes, we may serve in the Military but we may not be honest about our sexuality as you may be.
As far as gay politicans, they account for 3% of our politicans. And gay adoption is geographically subjective and challenging. Finally, we don't wish to "force gay marriage on the whole of society" - not at all. Only on gays. When I hear African Americans (you refer to yourself as Black) spew such bigotry and ignorance I wonder if you would have marched with Dr. King and participated in equal rights demonstrations or just sat back and waited till the war was over before you "came out" to enjoy your new freedom.
Note: Average Gay Joe - you are far from average and I wish you had more time to post blogs.
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