Former Reaganite wants gays in camo

« Go back a post || Return to G-A-Y homepage || Haul tail to next post »

04/16/2008

by Jeremy Hooper

Images Storyimages Thumbnails Korb Crossed Bio Lawrence J. Korb, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan, testified today before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, whereupon he took the opportunity to lash out against the failed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Here's a pertinent section from Korb's written testimony, in which he cuts through the anti-gay spin about how queer soldiers "weaken cohesion," and instead makes a case for why equality would actually strengthen our armed forces:

First, repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy is counterproductive to military readiness. Over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of this policy, including 800 with skills deemed “mission critical,” such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls. General John M. Shalikashvili, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 when the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was enacted, no longer supports the policy because he now believes that allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military would no longer create intolerable tension among personnel and undermine cohesion. A recent Zogby poll supports this view. It found that three-quarters of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans were comfortable interacting with gay people.

But then again, how the hell can reasoned advice from an accomplished military professional ever hold its own against discriminatory, unreasoned, patently offensive rhetoric that goes against ever single principle that we supposedly hold dear in America? Our mobs don't even HAVE torches to wield!

The State of America's Ground Forces [American Progress]
(H/t: SLDN)

space