the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell - Latest Comments on thinking about the military

Aunt Bann [Visitor] in response to: thinking about the military

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:22:44 +0000

Diana, I DO love you. But I would love to visit Nebraska, at least once before I’m too old to go see the rest of the US! And a trip to visit you would be the perfect reason to go anywhere, IF I can ever get the money and time, and persuade Uncle Charles to go with me. (Of course, if I outlive him, I can go without him, but may be too old to go far by that time! lol)

Lorraine [Visitor] in response to: thinking about the military

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:46:59 +0000

Hi Diana,

Canada. That’s my suggestion for a deployment. If our troops can be seconded to the US, can’t you be sent here? Perhaps it would even count for hardship pay as you would have to serve with and perhaps even, shudder, under gay or lesbian soldiers.

I gather our policy is “don’t ask, don’t care.” One can be openly gay, just as one can be openly black, Chinese, Muslim, atheist, or female.

The shock’s long worn off. The sun still comes up. And as for security risks, you can’t blackmail someone into revealing state secrets by threatening to reveal they are gay (whether they are or not) because,well, no one cares. Like most things involving sexuality, it’s considered personal and no ones business.

A friend’s brother who is career Navy had a gay CO at his last posting. The CO would bring his partner to all the functions. I gather he too was a nice guy who got on well with everyone. No big deal.

I think once the US gets on board with extending human rights to people who love and live with those of the same gender, they’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. They’ll also keep, and perhaps get, some fine staff they might otherwise have missed because of prejudice.

Keep on fighting the good fight.

Ambs [Visitor] in response to: thinking about the military

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:05:10 +0000

While I’m very much an advocate for repeal of DADT, I think I can put my idealism aside momentarily and make some reasonably objective comments:

1: The “detrimental to unit cohesiveness” rationale was conceived after it was decided that GLB servicemembers ought not be allowed to serve openly. Those who created DADT decided that the “well, we just hate teh gays” rationale was not sufficiently resistant to legal challenges, so a more “rationale” rationale was invented. I can dig up the reference for that if you like.

2: For a politician, there are big issues and smaller issues. While some politicians may vote to end DADT simply because it’s “the right thing to do", many simply see it as a low enough priority in relation to (the many, many) other issues they face. So, for many politicians, it becomes less of a issue in need of a resolution and more of a tool to energize the electorate (on both sides of the issue) or a bargaining chip in the horse-trading and drug-deals of politics. That’s politics. Deal with it.

admin [Member] in response to: thinking about the military

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:31:12 +0000

Heh! But…eight of the choices are stateside, Aunt Bann. And you’d wish me to Nebraska?! I thought you loved me!

;)

Germany is amazing in and of itself. France is interesting. Never been to Spain….

Aunt Bann [Visitor] in response to: thinking about the military

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:29:56 +0000

Mmmmmm. I would choose Nebraska, New Mexico, or Germany. Nebraska because it is still in the US, Mexico because I’ve been there and enjoyed what I saw and experienced there, and Germany because it is near France and Spain!

Don [Visitor] in response to: thinking about the military

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:53:37 +0000

Reminds me of a scene from The West Wing, quoting Admiral Fitzwallace, “I also think the military wasn’t designed to be an instrument of social change… Problem with that is, that’s what they were saying about me 50 years ago. Blacks shouldn’t serve with whites, it would disrupt the unit. You know what? It did disrupt the unit. The unit got over it. The unit changed. I’m an admiral in the U.S. Navy and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Beat that with a stick.”