Happy 15th birthday, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell!” We don’t wish you many more.
Two weeks ago, Sen. John McCain proclaimed to fanfare in front of Republican debate moderator and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, “It is working, my friends! The policy is working! And I am convinced that that’s the way we can maintain this greatest military.”
America has been scared of gay soldiers ever since Lt. Gotthold Frederick Enslin was dishonorably discharged by George Washington from military service in 1778.
With troop levels stretched thin today, it’s inane that the military has dishonorably discharged over 11,000 troops since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” went into effect, for the sole fact they admitted to being gay.
The policy says allowing homosexuality into the military would “create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”
We’re not going to comment on the current state of morale (see: “up-armored vehicles”) or discipline (see: “Abu Ghraib”); however, we don’t think the gays pose any more of a threat to the military than they do to our public school system, marriages, cartoon characters, scouting organizations, national security, football teams or dance clubs. This childishly mindless drivel is ridiculous and needs to stop now.
Just last May, the Pentagon discharged its 58th gay Arabic-speaking linguist. Lawmakers, organized by Democratic Rep. Marty Meehan, reminded the House Armed Services Committee chairman in a letter that the loss of “capable, highly skilled Arabic linguists continues to compromise our national security.” We agree with Aaron Belkin, director of the Michael D. Palm Center which specializes in research for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, that it’s probably more hurtful to be discharging these valued translators than it is helpful.
Keeping homosexuality out of military service is actually a relatively new practice and arrived with the onset of Christian indoctrination in the world. Ancient cultures believed that a military full of intimate lovers would fight harder, have stronger cohesion and generally have higher morale. Therefore, commanders strongly desired gay men for their most respectable military units. The Sacred Band of Thebes is a wonderful example of this. This troop comprised 150 pairs of men who were the quintessential Delta Force of their time.
All this was inspired by Plato’s Symposium, when he writes, “For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger?”
We’re not asking for units of Navy SEALs marching under the rainbow flag. It’s simply time to repeal the silly law and get back to business. The British military began allowing GLBT service members in 2000 with a certain level of uncertainty. Harassment, bullying and erosion were all concerns that have came and gone, according to the Ministry of Defense and top commanders of the forces.
Both former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Shalikashvili and former Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen have come out against the policy. Last year, Shalikashvili wrote in The New York Times, “I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces.”
Just a month prior to his column, almost 30 retired generals and admirals came together to urge congress to repeal the silly law. Twenty of the 26 NATO nations have no bans on GLBT servicemen and women.
Most importantly, though, we feel it to be inherently immoral to force our GLBT service members to shove their sexual orientation — a huge part of anyone’s existence — inside. Hiding it as though it were some form of disease or ailment.