Don't Ask but Tell all You Like

“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.”― George S. Patton Jr.

The recent repeal of the 1993 military personnel eligibility act went live a few days ago. It went live in spite of the fact that it was unconstitutional for the judicial or the executive branch to address a matter that is quite clearly delineated to the Congress and no one else. (US Constitution, Article 1, section 8)

The quote at the beginning of this post is pertinent and timely. Everyone does not have a right to serve in the military. There are and always have been strict entrance requirements. There is a reason for those requirements and that quote says it as eloquently as can be managed. But for those who don't understand the reasoning, who would label me homophobic or other less prettified names, the point of those entrance requirements is to limit the number of casualties incurred by our military.

I know a fine young man who planned to make the military his career after high school. he was denied admission due to a hearing defect. Surely those with hearing defects should be able to serve if they have that desire. Yet there is no outcry about the hearing impaired not being allowed to serve.

I know others who didn't meet the height/weight/intelligence criteria required to enlist. Where are the political movements for them? There are none. Why not? Because we recognize the value of being able to hear orders clearly in relation to a unit's ability to survive in combat. Because we recognize the ways in which these other things can cost our military lives.

The problem here is that unit cohesion is not seen as being just as vital to that struggle to "make the other guy die for his" as are the physical/mental requirements I mentioned above. This action on the part of the executive and judiciary branches, along with the badly skewed survey on how this change will affect our military will cost lives. Some of the highlights of the flaws that Congress ignored are :

"The Pentagon report admits “the majority of views expressed in [140 focus group sessions] were against repeal of the current policy.”

It based its “no-risk” assessment of open homosexuality for military effectiveness on a panel of 11 unidentified, nonscientific personnel.(emphasis mine)

It dismissed 67% negative views expressed by combatants by suggesting their lack of service with homosexuals feeds the negativity."


Shame on us for not speaking out more, but more shame on Congress for allowing their Constitutional powers and authorities to be so usurped. We have failed our military. I can only pray that the cost is not more than we can pay.

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." ~ Matt 15:14

Reid seeks to move 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal legislation - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

"Reid seeks to move 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal legislation - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
by Roxana Tiron

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) intends to bring the 2011 defense authorization bill to the floor next week.
The defense bill contains critical military policy as well as a provision that would repeal the ban on openly gay people serving in the military. Reid was scheduled to meet with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Monday afternoon to discuss his plans.

Gay rights groups view September as a critical month in the Senate for the fate of the defense authorization bill and the provision to repeal “Don't ask, don't tell.” Any action delayed until after the Nov. 2 elections could diminish the chances of repeal for the Clinton-era law.

They applauded Reid's decision to move to the bill.

“We applaud the Senate Majority Leader's courage and his statement tonight to bring the defense bill to the floor. Now, we must deliver,” said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization dedicated to repealing the ban. “Repeal proponents may well need 60 votes in the Senate to get to this important debate in September. We are now in the final stretch and we must prevail."

It’s unclear if Republicans will agree to consider the defense bill given the inclusion of the don't ask, don't tell repeal and other controversial provisions. Reid will need 60 votes, including at least one Republican, to move the legislation to the floor.

So far, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has opposed bringing up the defense bill and threatened a filibuster. McCain opposes several parts of the bill, including the repeal of “Don't ask, don't tell” and a provision allowing abortions to be performed in military hospitals as long as they are not paid for with federal money. "


I generally don't post other people's work to my blog, but this is an important issue which seems to be flying under the radar. I have to ask myself, if they are so certain that it won't be approved after the elections, is it something Congress should be voting on now?

If it were truly for the good of the nation, couldn't it stand up to the results of the Dept. of Defense study regarding the implementation of such a huge change in policy? (It is ironically fitting that a bill which has the potential to do so much damage to our military and our nation includes provisions for forcing military doctors to kill unborn American citizens.) Mr. McCain, whom I view as a RINO in most other things, seems to be serving his country's best interests here.

"And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. " ~Exodus 10:10