On Gays In The Military: Larry Craig Still A Hypocrite In Denial

The Democratic majority in Congress, although pitifully weak in many ways is trying to do at least a few positive things. Take for example, the hearings that can rid our armed forces of the ridiculous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that demands outed troops be discharged. Thankfully the homophobes on Capitol Hill are becoming a small minority much like the general consensus around the country, where three out of four Americans believe we need to ditch the anti-gay policy. Though the haters are still there, including one who is still in serious denial about himself.

From ThinkProgress:

Today, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel is holding the first congressional hearings on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 15 years. To mark the occasion, the conservative news outlet CNSNews.com asked some members of Congress if they still support the discriminatory program. Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who was busted last year for allegedly trying to pick up another male in an airport bathroom, said that he believes “we ought to sustain it“:

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) told CNSNews.com, “Current policy has served us well. I think we ought to sustain it. I see no evidence that it should be repealed.”

Larry Craig wouldn't know if something served him well if it....eh, nevermind that. It really is sad that he hates himself and his sexuality that much that he has to take it out on thousands of our soldiers that do crucial work only to be discharged to the detriment of their fellow soldiers in the war zone. If people want to serve in the military, they should be able to do it while preserving their freedom of sexuality.

A Gay Linguist Is Still A Linguist

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" must be one of most idiotic policies in the armed forces concerning their personnel since the days of segregation. Homophobic morons claim that knowing there is a gay individual amongst the ranks reduces moral or some crap like that and it actually got passed into law. The reality is that many people do not care and those that do can generally be convinced by example that gay people are pretty much like the rest of us and can serve their country just as well as someone who is straight.

One of the examples brought into question in recent years is the number of Arabic linguists who have been discharged from their service because of their sexual orientation. In all, 58 have been let go. That means over a thousand hours a week is lost when we could have been deciphering information from Al Qaeda and other nefarious sorts all over the Middle East. One ex-linguist recently gave an interview to give his side of the story.

From the AP:

Former Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Benjamin said his supervisor tried to keep him on the job and urged him to sign a statement saying he was not gay. Benjamin said his lawyer advised against signing because the statement could be used against him later if other evidence surfaced.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Benjamin said he was caught improperly using the military's secret level computer system to send messages to his roommate, who was serving in Iraq. In those messages, he said, he may have referred to being gay or going on a date.

"I'd always had been out since the day I started working there," Benjamin said. "We had conversations about being gay in the military and what it was like. There were no issues with unit cohesion. I never caused divisiveness or ever experienced slurs," said Benjamin, who was in the Navy for nearly four years.

"I'd always had been out since the day I started working there," Benjamin said. "We had conversations about being gay in the military and what it was like. There were no issues with unit cohesion. I never caused divisiveness or ever experienced slurs," said Benjamin, who was in the Navy for nearly four years.

Benjamin's story blows holes in the current law on the books, the one the Pentagon vows to follow, despite all of the evidence that shows the law is a failure. Thankfully outgoing Rep. Marty Meehan is taking up the issue and trying to force a change.

"At a time when our military is stretched to the limit and our cultural knowledge of the Middle East is dangerously deficient, I just can't believe that kicking out able, competent Arabic linguists is making our country any safer," Meehan said.

Meehan has organized a letter signed by 40 other members of the House to seek an investigation on the sanity of letting all of those linguists go. It isn't a repeal of the law, but it is a start. The issue is just one small piece of the picture that shows the policy is a sham and that we need to treat all of our soldiers equally, no matter who they want to sleep with.

Go Back To Africa And Do Your Gay Voodoo Limbo Tango

This creative anti-gay slur and many others were part of a heated email exchange between an army recruiter and a member of careerbuilder.com. The army recruiter, Sgt. Marcia Ramode contacted Corey Andrew about a position in the army, but got nasty after he disclosed that he was an openly gay man. Today Andrew got press on the issue, bringing the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" program back into the spotlight.

From RawStory:

After posting his resume on online job site CareerBuilder.com, Corey Andrew was contacted by an army recruiter about a job.

The email exchange between Andrew and the recruiter, Sergeant Marcia Ramode, quickly turned hostile when Andrew revealed that he was a homosexual.

"You are definitely unqualified," wrote Ramode. "Now take you gay self [sic] back to someplace else we do not tolerate gay people like you in any part of the military."

"Her response was appalling," Andrew told CNN.

The email exchange grew more heated, with Ramode suggesting that Andrew should, "go back to Africa and do your gay voodoo limbo tango and wango dance."

Thankfully the recruiting station based in Brooklyn had some common sense on their part and put the Sargeant on leave, saying her childish behavior is not acceptable for the ambassadors of America's army. Nevertheless, the episode reveals how the military's policy dealing with homosexuals is flawed.

While the army has no qualms about inducting convicted felons and other ilk, they are still repulsed by the fact that a man or woman may be attracted to their own gender. I feel bad for Andrew because he had to deal with the recruiter's homophobia upclose and personal. Hopefully there is a silver lining in all of this and the military finally takes a hard look at their failed policy and ditches it. Of course, I'm not holding my breath either.

Don't Ask, Don't Know

Stephen Colbert wants to keep the army's policy for gays in the military just the way it is. His logical assessment of the situation is right on. For instance, over 11,000 troops have been let go and hundreds of millions spent to prosecute their ousters. Colbert does have one piece of advice however: If the army tells soldiers to not know what the word means, then ignorance can solve the problem. Brilliant!