For those of you who are unfamiliar with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, here's a quick low-down. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell,"sometimes referred to as DADT, is the policy used to restrict the United States military from efforts to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members. It prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation while serving in the U.S. armed forces. It basically means what it's called: Don't Ask. Don't Tell.Republicans and some GOP senators are in favor of keeping sexual orientation a secret, and thereby support the DADT policy. Democrats, on the other hand, are fighting to repeal this act, but their efforts are easier said than done. They need a total of 60 votes to open debate on this matter, and the only way they stand a chance of getting the numbers is to earn the vote of either Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, two Republican senators who are against the bill. However, it seems unlikely that either of these senators will join the Democratic stand, at least for this act.
The debate over this act has brought along hoards of people protesting and rallying for and against DADT. However, the advocate gaining the most media attention over this issue seems to be famous pop singer Lady Gaga. Fighting for the repeal of DADT, this celebrity pushed for the two senators to join the Democratic cause.
So what are your thoughts on this issue? Should DADT stay in place, or should we listen to Gaga's guidance: "If you are not honorable enough to fight without prejudice, go home."?
6 comments:
LG is making a good point... but its REALLY hard to take it the point seriously the way she's dressed
I agree that DADT should disappear, but my natural pessimistic view of life says that the Democrats won't get those final two. Maybe even less after Lady Gaga...
The thing to take into most consideration is clearly not what Lady Gaga is wearing while she is addressing this issue. It does not matter what she is wearing, but more what she is saying. I strongly believe that DADT should no longer exist, in that I KNOW that sexual orientation does not affect how a soldier performs on the battle field. When one is faced with bullets and death, what does it matter if you prefer men, women, or both? Since when does sexual orientation influence how strong or brave someone is? Most importantly, we should keep in mind that entering into the army is voluntary. The military should be grateful that they even have members who are willing to sacrifice their lives for a country that does not even give them the equality that they deserve.
I agree with what Lady Gaga is saying, in my own opinion i don't really like Lady Gaga but im putting my dislike towards her aside and have to agree with what she is saying. She brings up a good point and i also believe that those who have a homophobia and it will hurt their fighting ablitlies to know, they should not be apart of the army and should not fight for thsi country because we are all one. And us Americans believe in equality and Dont Ask, Dont Tell is taking away our right to equality!
So here's the thing: McCain says that gay reduce the efficiency of the military. Um, excuse me Mr. McCain, but don't you think kicking out some 1,000 soldiers that are HARD TO COME BY in the first place would be HELPING military efficiency? I used to respect McCain. I actually sort of liked him during the Obama/McCain race. He was a nice sweet middle-of-the-road guy who wasn't like the other extreme right-wing politicians. But now that's he's probably ending his political career, maybe his true colors are starting to show. I am extremely disappointed that Cindy McCain's husband (Cindy McCain and her daughter are super gay activists, btw) spearheaded the Republican filibuster that prevented this bill from being passed. This is a sad day not just for gays/supporters but for everyone who likes having a military to protect them. Dan Choi, one of the poster-children of the anti-DADT movement, was an Arab translator who got discharged. That's cool, now we don't know what our enemies are saying. nbd. I think the issue of whether or not DADT is wrong is tired. The real question now is: what do we do about it? Do we just ALLOW the Republican filibuster to take place or do we act like students of our parents' generation and do something about it? Food for thought.
LG and everyone else raises a very good point. Sexual orientation should have NOTHING to do with a soldier's performance in the military. However, I hate to be A Debbie Downer, but I think the Democrats are not going to receive the support they need simply because, people today are not willing to put theses types of issue and views aside.
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