Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Don't ask, Don't tell?
I ran across this article on yahoo talking about the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. The U.S military is considering lifting this ban that was in effect since 1933. I feel that this is not a reasonable move.. The military is more just a branch of the government that protects us; it's a symbol of strength also. I believe it's more of an iron clothe that protects us, provides an image to other countries and our enemies that we are a strong, fearless, nation that is not weak by any means. Lifting this ban will weaken that image of a strong force. I do not believe that allowing gays in the military secretly much less openly gives a fierce and strong positive image. When people think of gays, they do not think of tough stand up men. The most portrayed image of gays are feminine, scare, guys who run around in tights and play grab ass. How in the world can an image like that put any kind of fear into an enemy that we are opposing? If anything, they will look at us and laugh and probably make it more likely that we will be attacked. This is just my personal thought and I know that this is not politically correct or maybe not even ethically right. This is just how I was raised and I highly doubt that my thought on this issue will ever change...
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So what your saying is we should decide government positions based on stereotypes? Based on your logic I assume we better go stop Obama from riping out the white house rose garden to plant watermelon.
ReplyDeleteThese men are not asking to rubbed their life in other servicemen and womens faces. All they want is the freedom to live a life true to who they are. Isn't that what our overinflated army is meant to protect?
Plus, speaking from personal experience, there are many more gay men and women in the military then most people think.
I joined the Marine Corps in '02. I invaded a nation, and helped rebuild a lost society.
ReplyDeleteI left the Corps in '07 and joined the ranks of the civilian populace.
I've since learned much in the way of tolerance towards humanity, regardless of sexual orientation.
Some issues that many fail to realize is that there are many logistical reasons to continue the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. First concern is that of billeting.
We invaded a country where women and men do not have public contact with one another. They also like to strap weapons and explosives under their burkhas, as the mujahadeen knew that we wouldn't check under the dress of woman.
So we have had to adopt new policies to include female Marines at our checkpoints to ensure maximum security.
Finally getting to my point. The females could not be billeted along with the males, as the last thing a commander needs is to have a pregnant female Marine on his hands, on top of the other casualties. So to adjust to this new obstacle, we would convoy the females from the main base to all of the checkpoints across all of Fallujah, back and forth, every day.
As a result, eight Marines died due to poor policy and the need to separate males and females.
Now imagine if we have to create billeting for not only males and females, but now Straight Males, Gay Males, Straight Females, and Gay Females. That's now four separate billeting requirements, adding to the already logistical nightmare that comes from invading a nation and the counter-insurgency operations in a Military Operation Other Than War (MOOTW).
We all except that there are those who are gay. As a whole, we don't really care. Sure, with any large demographic, you're going to have those who are 'uncomfortable' with gay men and women. I've had experiences where a fellow Marine walked in on his roomate doing some inappropriate 'activities' to gay porn. Was the gay Marine thrown out or even slightly punished? No. They just changed rooms. It was a non-issue.
You just keep your private life private, and your professional life professional.
I digress.
Nay, I don't digress, in summation; this is just another example of when the civilians want to poke their heads into military business. There's a reason why World War II was considered such a noble war, because we didn't have civilians playing armchair general against our commanders. They sat back and let us do our jobs. The day we let policy be determined by civilians who have never spent a day in uniform, is the day that we set our service men and women up for failure.
ReplyDeleteNow I digress.
I agree with the first comment that you are stereotyping. You have never met EVERY single gay person in the country, therefore I don't feel it's right to categorize them and say that they ALL are that way. Many gay men are feminine, but not every single one of them. And so what if they are feminine? Are you saying women shouldn't be allowed to join the military? Also, what about gay females? You didn't really touch on that. Everyone should have the opportunity to serve our country. And remember that there are gay men and women fighting for your freedom just how straight men and women are. As for our image, it will make this country seem more accepting and as truely being "the land of the free."
ReplyDelete