Retired officers urge ‘don’t ask’ repeal
A little late, guys.
Marking the 14th anniversary of legislation that
allowed gay people to serve in the U.S. military, but only if they kept their
orientation secret, 28 retired generals and admirals planned to release a letter
Friday urging Congress to repeal the
law.
“We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” the letter says. “Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish.”
The former officers offer data showing that 65,000 gays and lesbians now serve in the U.S. armed forces, and that there are more than one million gay veterans. “They have served our nation honorably,” the letter states…
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashvili refocused attention on the issue this year when he wrote that conversations with military personnel had prompted him to change his position…
“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,” Shalikashvili wrote. “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”
It’s a strain to comment politely about a policy as rooted in ignorance by the bigots who defend discrimination. Science, reason, rational analysis and the history of democracy in this nation lead one naturally to oppose such foolishness.
On the other hand - why be polite to fools? I ain’t running for office.
“We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” the letter says. “Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish.”
The former officers offer data showing that 65,000 gays and lesbians now serve in the U.S. armed forces, and that there are more than one million gay veterans. “They have served our nation honorably,” the letter states…
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashvili refocused attention on the issue this year when he wrote that conversations with military personnel had prompted him to change his position…
“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,” Shalikashvili wrote. “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”
It’s a strain to comment politely about a policy as rooted in ignorance by the bigots who defend discrimination. Science, reason, rational analysis and the history of democracy in this nation lead one naturally to oppose such foolishness.
On the other hand - why be polite to fools? I ain’t running for office.
Posted: Sat - December 1, 2007 at 05:49 AM