Tuesday, June 9, 2009

"Don't ask, Don't tell"

I know this is often times a heated and deeply personal topic for some people. Back in the 90's the Clinton Administration instituted the Don't ask, Don't tell policy for our nations Armed Forces. Personally I don't support bigotry against any lifestyle, ethnicity, genre of music, airline or breed of dog. No other lifestyle has the ability to hurt or maim me in some way. The things other people do or don't do with a mate or being loyal to another airline than the one I am loyal to truly and honestly has no direct effect on my life. Personally, I have too many other things that do directly effect my life to worry about things that do not.

Today the Supreme Court upheld the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. Read on people. As far as open homosexuals serving in the military... my only concern is mission success. Whether I agree or like bigotry it's out there. I'm not here to persuade people nor was I put on the planet to judge others. What I care about is how (if the Don't ask, Don't tell policy was lifted) the bigots and those who lead alternative lifestyles would co-exist; how they would successfully complete missions. I lead a heterosexual lifestyle (obviously) and I am not bigoted against homosexuals. But if the hetero's and the homo's can't peacefully exist (within the confines of the Military, their Unit, Platoons, Troops, ect) than someone has to go. I care about the safety of my soldier. If a bigot won't fight beside the homosexual, or the homosexual won't fight beside the bigot that equates to a recipe for disaster! That is something that I am not comfortable with. Because the don't ask don't tell policy is currently successful (by mission standards) I would aim to say to leave it in place. Which is unsatisfactory for the homosexual who fights just as hard as anyone else and would like to attend a Ball with their boyfriend/girlfriend, and discuss their home lives openly as other soldiers do. So my partisan answer is until these lifestyles can exist harmoniously and OPENLY and also be successful in their missions without endangering other soldiers than one group has to go. Either one really, it matters not to me. I don't want close mindedness (from anyone) having the ability to cause injury to people around them- you know in war, dangerous by nature obviously; in-feuding wouldn't help anything!

So that's my take peoples... as always we don't have to see eye-to-eye to be courteous to each other, be friends, or to express ourselves. =)

5 comments:

my life isnt easy but its the only one i got said...

Hey my love. I am all for people being openly gay in the military. I feal that they are willing to serve our country such as me then they should be allowed to be who they really are.

JG said...

I agree, safety is the priority, but I wonder, why is bigotry only attributed to straight guys? I mean, go back to the Prop 8 riots. Which group assaulted people on their routine trip to church? Which group tried to shut down businesses and caused people to lose their jobs? Which group said they were going to try and destroy the Mormon church? Bigotry is a two-way street. It's never completely one-sided.

Samantha said...

Thanks JG for your comment. I don't mean to be dense- sincerely. But Bigotry is defined as intolerance. In the case of Prop 8 most of the reports on closing the Mormon Church along with attempting to close down businesses were retracted or at least whole heartedly refuted. All the same, I find calling or implying that the gays are "bigots" (in this example- Prop 8), or intolerant of their bigots just redundant and hard for me to follow. I attributed bigotry to those that are "intolerant" of alternative or contradictory lifestyles. Two wrongs definitely don't make a right though. Responding to bigotry/suppression with violence and/or malice isn't the 'correct' response. But I wonder how I would respond if one group of people attempted (and succeeded) in suppressing my right to attend Temple, my local Mosque, Mass, or any Sunday service (just for example). I haven't been suppressed in my lifetime so I can't say how I would react.. =(
This is a tough issue- for sure.

Katelyn said...

Thank you for posting this and I totally agree with you. Its a touchy subject, and I'm glad someone thinks the same way. I am concerned for the safety of the soldier's, and anything that could compromise that I will speak out against.

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

I'm all about people being able to be themselves and serving how they want to serve.