‘Beginning the Conversation’

people who support dadt and discriminatory acts like it need to mature. personally, the military needs to adapt to a higher moral code by making its installations co-ed. our military prides itself on honor and disipline..where is the honor and disipline in needing seperate quarters? are our military personel not dignified enough to understand that our militarys overall function is more important than our own personal/social/political divides? please. think about it.

this is for michael.taylor @ 07/21/2008 4:58:02 PM
Have you ever been in the military??? My quess is no. If you haven't how do you know what we go through or how (close) we have to be. In cobat is not like watching TV or going to the gym.

Don't think for a minute there is not a liberal spin to this. I know of numerous soldiers who were discharged because of being openly gay..............the problem is this, all of the ones I know of claimed to be gay, as a way of getting out of serving! I agree with the other comments......What about my rights and my privacy and my modesty?

I'm not saying gay people should not be in the military. What im saying is if they are open and everybody knows it it is the same as non gay people should be able to use one shower. You are going to say thats stupid but whats the difference??

As a lesbian woman I am grateful for all progress - even if in small steps. This country is making progress in the direction of acceptance more and more as years go by. Thank you to all of those that are stepping up and taking a stance for gay rights. We are people with feelings. It's ashamed that the stereo typical flamboyant in your face gays have ruined the image the rest of us wish to represent. Hopefully the more the educated well spoken and respected gays speak out - the more those words won't fall on deaf ears.

I was struck by the question concerning public support for allowing gay men and women to serve in the military versus same-sex marriage. While a large majority of Americans are now okay with gay men and women serving openly in the military (around 75%), a small majority (probably around 55%) still opposes same-sex marriage, When asked how to reconcile this, the interviewee surmised, among other things, that it "may be that in this country we greatly value those who are interested in sacrificing for our country." So apparently the approximately 30% of Americans who are okay with gay men and women sacrificing for their country are also okay with those same people being treated as second-class citizens. Talk about hypocrisy.

It is long past time that this country joined its allies and abolished this backward and unnecessary policy.

This is all interesting talk. Being a retired military person, I really don't care whether gays and lesbians can serve in the military. Bieng a Navy man, I will say it is very difficult. Of couser quarters are seperated between men and women and rightfully so. Does this mean because of the hormonal factor that there will a furhte division? Why do I ask that you woner? Well I can tell you of two seperate instances on my last ship of illegal sexual activities going on with gays. The first involved a female officer and an enlisted., the second three enlsited males. And yes, all four of those are inlcuded in those booted totals. The second incident had to do with the three males fondeling other men in their sleep in their berthing area. So personally, thought "Dont' ask don't tell" may be flawed, its a matter of control. It's difficutl enough keeping straight men and women apart when you have been out to sea for one month or more without pulling into port. If they can all keep their privates in their pants and complete their jobs, the military will be that much strong for it.

Bush/Cheney Legacy:

Liars, frauds, advocates of fear, blood-thirsty war mongers, homophobes, hypocrites, mass-murderers. Rest assured, they will have their place in histroy!

The days of Bush's and the republicans maniacal dictatorship is fast approaching. Counting the days until that fool is sent packing back to the cowpaddie pastures of TX with the rest of the shi*!

Sorry for the double post, my computer had a glitch. OOPS!

Yes Hank, we know who passed the law, and we also know who can and won't put an end to it.

As the late Distinguished Gentleman from the great state of Arizona, the late Senator Barry Goldwater once said: "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight."
Don't ask/Don't tell has run it's course & we need to progress as a society to get over it, simple as that. But that's not what I'm going to complain about.
My sole complaint is the liberals (especially in academia) blaming Dubya for said policy when it was clearly enacted during Slick Willy Clinton's reign. What a farce!
Here @ UCSB they were considering removing the ROTC program from campus because of the "discriminatory nature of the policy." Funny thing is the military also has a anti-fraternization rule for heterosexuals too.
If the liberal academics REALLY want a change, don't just remove ROTC from campus, stop refusing grant $$$ from DoD, DOE, USAF, USN & all other military contributors. While they're @ it, refuse ANY future $$$ grants from the military.
But as we all know, liberals have about as much determination as France has military resolve & they'll never back up what they say w/ actions such as those I've listed.
We do need to change that rule, but in the process, stop blaming the wrong administration, it only makes the argument seem more like an agenda rather than an attempt @ social justice.
Of course, liberals love revising history to suit their cause so expect more to come & no change due to this, ESPECIALLY when McCain gets the election in Nov.
get it straight, who passed the rule, nothing to do w/ sexual orientation!

The policy on torture, instituted by the maniac we have had in the White House for the last 8 years should also be abolished.

The NY TIimes today refused an editorial by John McCain on his Iraq war policy. Good for the NYTimes.

McCain's policy on Iraq is the same as Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice and so many others have.

The administration knew so much prior to 9/11, had the information, knew an attack was imminent, that planes were going to be used, NY and Wash. were targeted, etc., but as many people know now, Bush/Cheney, etc. used National Security as an excuse to keep only the smallest possible group of people knowing what was going on.

A lot happened after 9/11 as everyone now knows, but one thing that happened that most people do not know is that America became a torture country.

McCain, deny as he might, believes in, and has many of the same policies as Bush.

If the American people have not awakened to the damage done by this administration in the last 8 years, has not bothered to read, digest and realize what really happened and how complicit Bush and other members of his administration were then the U.S. deserves what it gets. All Americans need to get up off their backsides from in front of their reality tv shows, register to vote and VOTE!

If those who do not do so, those who refuse to believe the facts that have come out since this war began, those who do not hold Bush and his administration responsible for their actions, then they should remain silent, not complain, and prepare themselves for what comes next, whatever that may be.