Retired military officers: Keep DADT

[WillParkinson]

Source: Associated Press

(New York City) More than 1,000 retired military officers, including several who were top commanders, are urging President Barack Obama and Congress to maintain the law that bars gays from serving openly in the armed forces.

Obama is consulting with the Pentagon on the issue and says he supports eventual repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which prohibits gays in the military from being open about their sexual orientation. A bill that would allow gays to serve openly has been introduced in Congress.

A statement issued by the retired officers Tuesday said passage of that bill “would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all levels, have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, and eventually break the All-Volunteer Force.”

Read more: http://www.365gay.com/news/retired-military-officers-keep-dadt/

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Wow. Old men. Old canard.

[atreides1]

1. This line is total BS

"on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service"

When I enlisted I was 18 and my mother didn't sign any "loan" papers.

To "lend" means that you return the item in the same condition you received it. 4200 "loaned" sons and daughters came back in bags, and more then 30,000 have returned with parts missing, or their minds twisted by what they took part in.

Maybe these retired officers should be kicking the VA and the military in the ass so that the troops get the care that they've earned, instead of wasting their time and effort attacking gays who want to serve their country and be open about who they are.

[zipplewrath]

2. "like them"

"would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all levels," of people like them. What they don't understand is that the military can be better lead, and recruiting can be better accomplished, without people like them driving people away, and/or out. They've always been there, they always will be there, and we need them. We don't need these bigots of a past generation.

[CaptJasHook]

3. Break it down.

Let me try and get into the hidden message of Military leadership.

would undermine recruiting and retention,
A large portion of the volunteer military comes from Red "Christian" States and counties, Patriotism and religion go hand in hand. Any fool who doesn't question his church and whose soul can be threatened can be controlled by superiors (just ask Al Queda). A good soldier is a Christian soldier is one of the beliefs I encountered way too often in the military.

impact leadership at all levels,
See above. If you start recruiting people who cannot get basic Christian morality right, what happens when they start asking the big questions in the middle of a war. Questions like, why am I killing Akmhed's family so my president can have a hard on? Those fucking gays are all liberal and we all know that liberals ask too many fucking questions.

have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service.
We don't want liberal parents sending their sons and daughters into military service. Liberals do not understand the values of unquestioning loyalty. Conservative parents who think their sons or daughters might be consorting with liberals will forget their Christian values. The obedient sons and daughters of good Christians will listen to their parents (just like they will listen to their commanders.

and eventually break the All-Volunteer Force.
How are we going to fool or coerce people into fighting bullshit wars if they ask too many questions? How can we control the soldiers mind if we can't control their genitalia?

[bemildred]

4. Translation: fundamentalist homophobes will be less inclined to join up.

I for one would be glad to see the "all volunteer force" revert to the citizens army it once was.

[CaptJasHook]

5. Awww, come on. You don't want all them Republicans getting free military training?

How else are we going to have our citizen militias?