Petraeus: Troops may not care if gay ban repealed

[WillParkinson]

Petraeus: Troops may not care if gay ban repealed
By The Associated Press
02.22.2010 8:52am EST

(Washington) The U.S. commander overseeing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan says he’s not sure that troops in the field care about the sexual orientation of fellow service members.

Gen. David Petraeus says he’s served alongside gays and lesbians, and what matters are someone’s skills and smarts.

Petraeus tells NBC’s “Meet The Press” that he supports Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plan to study how the ban could be repealed. Advocates for a quick repeal have said the yearlong review is a stalling tactic. But Petraeus says it’s a good idea to look at potential problems.

He wouldn’t give his personal opinion on whether the ban should be lifted. He says he’ll do so when he testifies to Congress in the spring.

http://www.365gay.com/news/petraeus-troops-may-not-care-if-gay-ban-repealed/

[Rhiannon12866]

1. The guys in Dan Choi's unit certainly do...

And countless others that we don't know about. x(

[Deep13]

2. concern #1: don't get shot or blown up.

concern #2: I hope my family is not too worried.

* * * *

concern #158: The Danish curling team lost to Germany.

concern #159: There might be gays in my unit. Me, for example.

concern #160: How come there's so much lint in my pocket?

[TheWraith]

8. +1. But I think curling really should come higher on the priority list.

It's so strange that it's kind of cool.

[unblock]

3. any soldier who is concerned about gays in their unit

needs to be told, loudly and from a distance of only one inch, that soldier who do not focus on their mission usually come home in a box.

seriously, any soldier who worries about the sexual preference of other soldiers is not merely bigotted, but also a poor soldier.

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. +1

[Meeker Morgan]

5. At this point the problem is neither the troops nor the brass.

It's the politicians.

[TheWraith]

9. I wouldn't be so sure about the brass.

There's a lot of very conservative, hawkish career officers in the Pentagon who have their own agenda that's unrelated to pretty much anything else outside. Watch the movie "The Pentagon Wars" sometime to get a sense of the separate world they've carved out for themselves.

That said, the real roadblock is and always will be the Senate. Fortunately it looks like they're going to append DADT to the defense authorization bill, meaning it would take 60 votes to remove it.

[sui generis]

6. sui generis to petraeus: they don't care.

We're already there.

[Amimnoch]

7. Some will care, others won't.

The majority of new troops always comes from the youth.. late teens to early 20's.

Where does everyone think they come from? They come from civilians who enlist.. duh.

Those who care and are homophobic before entering the military, are more than likely to still care and be homophobic while in the military.

Those who don't care one way or the other before.. same.

Those who support us.. same.

Luckily (well, luck and the education pushed for and provided by many of us) over the last few decades the younger generation has, tend wise become more inclined to be tolerant and accepting, therefore it doesn't shock me at all that now (as opposed to, say, the 80's) troops serving are likely to be more accepting.

regardless of the ones who are against, indifferent, or support us in the military.. it's about CIVIL RIGHTS, and right and wrong dammit!