Thursday, May 27, 2010

Don't Ask Don't Tell? Don't Care, Do You?

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is about to move out of the Senate's Armed Services Committee and onto the floor for a vote as early as today. Yes, folks, Congress may finally repeal the 1993 law that represented Clinton's compromise between the gay community and the military establishment.

  It was a stupid law that offended many and pleased few  from the very beginning but it replaced a prior policy that made it  totally illegal for soldiers to be gay in the first place which made it a step in the right direction at the time. Now, just in time for Memorial Day, when we honor all our fallen soldiers, would be a good time to get rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Don't you agree?

There has been a sea change both in society and in the military since the Clinton era, and while there is still much resistance to repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell in some quarters,  ordinary soldiers don't much care whether their buddies are gay or straight.  They are more interested in a soldier's ability to watch a buddy's back in battle than who gets turned on by whom. In a world which recognizes civil unions, gay marriage, and even gay adoption, DADT seems like a real anachronism.To anyone under 40, who grew up with gays out of the closet, it seems dumb.

Polls indicate that 75% of the American public wants the law repealed, I find it interesting that statistics also indicate that as many as one out of every three women soldiers gets raped in the military-- a situation about which a military establishment that is outraged at the thought of homosexuality remains remarkably silent.  According to Time, a female soldier in Iraq is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by the enemy in the field.

Isn't it fascinating that the military brass that sweeps rape under the rug, still wants to make a big thing out of homosexuality? Could it be that all those macho men  are afraid they might get attacked if they drop their soap in the shower?  Or could it be they are afraid they might do the attacking. 

Think about that for a minute, and ask Congress to repeal " Don't Ask Don't Tell."

6 comments:

Frieda Babbley said...

Your stats are reminiscent of the Vatican and their ease of consciousness when it comes to covering up their secrets.

Great post.

Unknown said...

yes and just as sexually skewed too -- in some ways the VAtican is run like an army.

iwalkiwrite said...

Great post. I never understood why who a person fancies is anymore significant than their preference for vanilla over strawberry ice-cream.

The rape stats make me shiver. Sadly, not because I'm shocked, but because I know it's true. For women, sexual assault is a fact of life. I wish that wasn't so, but it is.

Let's get rid of this fucked up DADT nonsense and deal with the rape. These women are expected to be prepared to risk their lives for the men who rape them...who needs enemies!?

LondonGirl said...

The whole "don't ask, don't tell" thing seems well odd to me. Very out of date, get rid of it and bring in proper equality.

JamaGenie said...

Odd that women soldiers aren't raped by gay soldiers, supposedly the worst of all evils in the military. Even odder that heterosexual soldiers who rape "couldn't help themselves" and were only "doing what comes naturally".

Gawdforbid one of those "manly men" should be raped by a gay. The gay would be kicked out of the service (if not killed first), while a raper of women gets a slap on the wrist...maybe.

'Bout time the military AND the Vatican adopted a policy that male members...no pun intended...who can't control their "uncontrollable" urges will get a lot more than a slap on the wrist.

Unknown said...

Thanks all for taking the time to read and comment-- much appreciated. I am happy to say it looks like DADT is on its way out-- it really made no sense ever- I mean there have been gays in the military ever since Alexander the Great:-) What is the big deal anyway????