Dueling (Boston Globe) Op-Eds on DADT

[unhappycamper]

From today's Boston Globe:


Open door creates problems
By Elaine Donnelly
February 8, 2009

REPORTS describe President Barack Obama as aloof from the drive for gays in the military - a cause he championed during the campaign. Cool posturing will not hide real problems if Obama signs legislation forcing the gay agenda on the military.

Within minutes of Obama's inauguration, the White House website pledged to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The catch-phrase inaccurately describes a constitutional statute, Section 654, Title 10, which states that homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the military. In 1993, Congress rejected President Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" proposal to accommodate discreet homosexuals. Instead, it approved language almost identical to longstanding Defense Department regulations.

But Clinton imposed his convoluted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" concept on the military anyway, issuing administrative regulations that the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recognized in 1996 as inconsistent with the law. Restoring "the question" about homosexuality on induction forms (no new legislation required) would reduce the comparatively small number of discharges for homosexuality to near zero.

If Obama signs a bill repealing the statute, he will bear full responsibility for consequences that would devastate the volunteer force. The new policy would force straight servicemen and women to cohabit with professed (not discreet) homosexuals, in all military communities. That would include Army and Marine infantry battalions, Special Operations Forces, Navy SEALS, surface ships, and submarines.

A corollary policy would enforce "zero tolerance" of dissent. This means that service members confronted with inappropriate actions conveying a sexual message, short of assault, will face career-killing presumptions and counter-accusations questioning their own attitudes and motives. In emotionally charged disputes, commanders who take sides against gays could be accused of "intolerance." Would dissenting chaplains also be punished? In the military, denied promotions end careers.



Military just catching up
By Aubrey Sarvis
February 8, 2009

SPECULATION is mounting as to when the Obama administration will take action on eliminating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The president is likely to follow through on this campaign promise to get rid of the law, but not in the immediate future. Nor should he.

Stimulating the economy is the top priority for all Americans. And over the next few months, there are bigger military challenges to address than getting rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the law barring gays and lesbians from serving openly. But this is not to say that lifting the ban that has resulted in the discharge of 12,500 service members shouldn't be done later this year.

Fortunately, the environment Obama just stepped into is much more amenable to eliminating DADT than that of 1993, when President Clinton tried to deal with the issue.

First, Clinton didn't consult soon enough with the Pentagon when trying to integrate gays and lesbians into the military. Wisely, Obama has consulted early with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Pentagon on repeal. He understands that the support of the military is integral to repeal and the successful implementation of a nondiscrimination law.

Second, about 50 percent of Americans in the early 1990s were in favor of gays serving openly. Today, an overwhelming 81 percent favor open service, according to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll.

[bluestateguy]

1. This woman is kindly asked to shutup and stop bumping her gums

Doesn't she know that it's not patriotic to second guess the commander in chief?

[BR_Parkway]

4. It's her one and only job - raising money to fight the "menace of homos

in the military"

With this economy, you don't expect her to give up all that income and find something productive to do, do you?

:sarcasm:

I hope we keep seeing more and more layoffs in the "Professional Gay Hating for Cash" groups.

[davidinalameda]

2. she's using the old queers in the shower bogeyman

at least she's consistent

[ruggerson]

3. Did the Globe identify her as a one woman longstanding crusader against gays and lesbians

Did the Globe mention that 80% of the country supports gays serving openly?

[sniffa]

5. No they didn't

This was just an Opinion piece and the globe usually doesn't do that. They occasionally will have an editorial in the same day that goes along with an OP but it really depends on the day. I think the majority of us should write an LTTE. On Saturdays they post a chart showing the most popular letters and whether they're positive or negative.

Some Saturdays though, I'm confused about whether the LTTE's are negative in response to the author or the subject matter. They should clear that up.

[davidinalameda]

6. you're kidding?

I don't think that I've seen too many op-eds that don't identify the author and their current affiliations

that helps me weed out the wingnuts