« Go back a post || Return to G-A-Y homepage || Haul tail to next post »
11/19/2008
Quips like Elaine's exist, yet we're the ones who shouldn't 'ask' or 'tell'?
This is the Obama-Biden transition team speaking to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell issue:
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
Fair. To the point. Promising.
Now here's president of the Keep Gays Out of Camo Club, Elaine Donnelly, as quoted by Focus on the Family's Citizenlink site:
Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said: "We need to support our men and women in the military and not expect them to carry the heavy burdens of social engineering."
She said no one has a "right" to serve in the military, as Obama seems to suggest.
"To say that the armed forces should accept any and all people is a little absurd," she told Family News in Focus. "Should we throw out all distinctions?"
Uhm, did you all read anything about non-support for our troops in the Obama-Biden statement? Did you see anything about any sort of "social engineering" beyond support for the radical idea that all humans should be treated fairly? Did you see any quips about military service being a right with zero qualifiers? Did you hear anyone voice support for throwing out all rules so that toasters and cockroaches could serve?
In a word, NO. What you see in the Obama-Biden statement is support for the idea that military service, while not a right without any conditions, should not -- SHOULD NOT -- be a system in which one's disclosed sexual orientation leads to an automatic dismissal! To hear Elaine tell it, we "radical gays" want to replace everyone's gun with a butt plug and replace the barracks with orgy dens. The reality is that we just want irrational restrictions removed from public life. No more, no less. And if folks like Elaine Donnelly would listen to what we are saying rather than militantly foisting her own biases into the public spectrum, we could all come together and find a shared strength on this matter. As it stands, however, we on the pro-equality side have to spend considerable time telling the kids to be quiet so the grownups can talk before we can even begin moving forward on this long overdue manner.
You are truly weakening the world and its people, Elaine Donnelly. Please stop.
President-Elect Obama Lays Out Pro-Gay Agenda [CitizenLink]
*The Obama-Biden LGBT plan: Change.gov
Your thoughts
I'm wondering if Elaine bothered to read the letter sent to the President sent by 50+ generals, admirals and other retired leaders from our armed forces requesting the repeat of DADT, saying that the military culture was ready for it.
Posted by: AJ | Nov 19, 2008 10:56:56 PM
The religious reich including James Dobson's Focus on the Family are losing their control and influence almost daily. It's time we all did everything we can to make sure that it happens faster and that we are at least 3 steps ahead of the anti-gay Evangelical camp and other anti-gay religious wingnuts to ensure that they are permanently kept from influencing equality for GLBT people. Since Barack Obama is our President elect we must use every opportunity to run with the ball now that the religious right is on defense and the field is clearing for us. These creeps need to be exposed in every way possible to ensure that the American public has an extremely bitter taste in their mouths whenever they see them or when they open their bigoted mouths. All I can say to the GLBT community is organize, organize, organize and get as involved as you possibly can. We are changing our nation and our world along with other minorities and the nation as a whole under Barack Obama as our new President.
Posted by: Benjamin Clark | Nov 19, 2008 11:16:22 PM
That's a mighty fine Strawman if I ever saw one, Elaine. I have to wonder whether people such as yourself can argue without the use of logical fallacies to try to sway the weak minded and ignorant.
Posted by: Tyler Zilkie | Nov 20, 2008 4:02:20 AM
I was an Air Force combat pilot in Vietnam who served with a fellow pilot who was gay. What sense would it make sending this qualified person home leaving more combat missions for the rest of us to fly in his stead?
In fact, if some outsider made a comment about his obvious effeminate nature, we'd be right there to tell them to mind their own business. We protected his privacy in this matter because he was a genuine asset to us.
When Elaine Donnelly suggests that gays would disrupt the military, what an insult to us. Diversity is not the concern. We protect the back of those who protect ours despite our differences. It's as simple as that.
Posted by: Bill Ware | Nov 20, 2008 11:21:26 AM
These people always argue from an "all or nothing" POV. It's just the same with gay marriage. We ask for civil marriage rights, they go straight to incest and bestiality. Of course there's going to be restrictions! Gees.
Posted by: | Nov 20, 2008 11:33:35 AM
comments powered by Disqus
