In Obama's State of the Union, he rejected "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military, and called for it to be repealed immediately. Many military leaders and others have already expressed hesitation at the idea, and the stated views of Pentagon leaders is that repealing the ban would take a year or more and be a disruption to the entire armed forces.
However, a comprehensive study that updates existing studies on openly gay service members in Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other countries, holds the belief that gay soldiers do not cause a disruption. The study, “Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer,” was conducted by the Palm Center of UC Santa Barbara.
The report found that there were no increased instances of harassment, none of the countries had to install separate facilities, and that transition was speedy and uneventful.
However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012, said that he continued to support “don’t ask, don’t tell” because “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Um, ignorance much?
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8 comments:
"However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012, said that he continued to support 'don’t ask, don’t tell' because 'if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.' Um, ignorance much?"
What's ignorant about that statement? It's logical to me. Of course there weren't any instances of harassment b/c, for the last time, the policies don't encourage or discourage ANY HARASSMENT WHATSOEVER! This because your personal life is of LITTLE VALUE to the military and shouldn't be revealed or forced upon other serving members.
Logic.
Well doesn't this violate the first amendment right to freedom of speech. I'm not too informed on the actual rules of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but I view it as very discriminatory and believe it should be repealed. As long as homosexuality does not affect the performance of the person in the military, it shouldn't matter.
Except the system is broken. Gays aren't allowed to be open about who they are. Of course one's personal values aren't of concern to the military, but Don't Ask Don't Tell removes gay soldiers from the military for releasing the fact that they are gay. It is a policy depriving men of jobs in order to ensure something that is clearly not a problem isn't a problem.
Depriving men of jobs and depriving our military of soldiers because of a non issue is illogical.
Andrew, I agree that personal life SHOULD be of little value to the military. However, it obviously holds some value, because if it's found that your homosexual, you are discharged. So doesn't that mean it's important to somebody?
It may not encourage harrasment per se, but the idea of "don't ask, don't tell" breeds a feeling of shame towards ones sexuality. In my opinion, no one should be ashamed (although I realize many would not agree), but this military policy insinuates that being homosexual is a bad thing.
It's also discriminatory that heterosexuals are allowed to openly express their feelings whereas homosexuals are required to keep theirs hidden.
Forgive me for not being clearer, but the ignorance I was commenting on was the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" Obviously something discriminatory is broken, so it should be fixed. That's logic to me.
-Katie Jensen
Wow this is crazy. This is definantley a break in the constitution. I dont think that anyone should care about this. This is the least important thing going on right now and there is so much more to think about. I mean really wether gay's affect anything has no concern. People fight the way they do because that is how it is; noone can stop that. Honestly this needs to stop being discussed because there are bigger issues in the world right now to focus on. I mean seriously there are people without homes and this is there concern. This is crazy
"This is the least important thing going on right now and there is so much more to think about."
I understand that there are other crucial issues out there such as the one you mentioned. However, I disagree on the notion that "this is the least important thing going on right now."
Some people claim that the fight for equal rights for homosexuals is the civil rights campaign of our generation such as the rights of African Americans were for one generation and womens' rights were for another generation.
I think its just people prioritize different things in different ways. For example, you mentioned homeless people as one of the issues we should consider "more important". However, others might prioritize rights over property. I guess it just varies depending on the person.
Why does it matter if someone is gay or not. Everyone should realize that people do not have control over who they like whether it's a man or woman. People should not be harassed or made fun of because of who they are.
"Some people claim that the fight for equal rights for homosexuals is the civil rights campaign of our generation such as the rights of African Americans were for one generation and womens' rights were for another generation."
Jenny, I think you bring up a really great point that I was thinking about while writing this post.
However different gay rights may be from, say, the rights of African-Americans, I think their plight is similar in one key way. They will both succeed. It's just a matter of time, in my opinion, until homosexuals are granted full rights. It's just history.
And Sabina, I disagree that this is the "least important thing." Sure, there are may be "bigger" issues like the war in Iraq or Haiti. But it's also priorities. Think of how important this is to the people it will effect. And, obviously if our President cares enough to mention it in the State of the Union, it must have some importance.
-Katie Jensen
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