Submitted to a Candid World

I’d like to begin instituting a laudable practice already carried out by our friend, Progressive Conservative of “The Big Stick”: elevating particularly insightful comments to the frontpage.  On that note, I’ve wanted for some time to comment on the wisdom of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy – while maintaining combat unit cohesion is laudable, I’m sure, does it need to come at the cost of expelling highly needed soldiers, just because of their sexual orientation?  And must we let the lowest common denominator of American society hold our military’s moral standards hostage to their backwards beliefs?  I think, no.

But I wouldn’t have come up with those well-focused arguments without Trey’s insights, below:

I have found an interesting change in the way that people advocate against gay rights lately.  It seems that in our society, it is no longer acceptable to base one’s argument on the idea that gays and lesbians are immoral or inferior.  In a recent hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, the witness insisting that gays should not be allowed to serve in the armed forces predicated his entire argument on the worries of losing “troop morale and cohesion”.  When pressed by a Democratic member whether he personally thought being gay was immoral or wrong, the witness stated that no, he did not.  In fact, he did not believe that being gay was a choice.  It may be that this was his honest answer, and it may be that he realized that his true thoughts on the matter were unacceptable, but in any event his argument quickly broke down.  The Democratic member quickly retorted that there was a simple fix for “morale and cohesion” and that the military should not be basing its policies on the lowest common denominator of human thought.

I think in general, people now have to now base their arguments on “comfort” and “family”, and these arguments simply will no longer hold water.  To take their beliefs further would bring them precariously close to the bigotry of generations past, and these anti gay advocates do not want to do that in the public forum.  Knock on wood, the day of equality may soon be before us.

Right on, Trey! I’m surprised, honestly, that the efficacy and morality of “don’t ask, don’t tell” is being so openly questioned (recall the Democratic primaries), but I’m glad to see it, and it may indeed be the shape of things to come.