No, of course I didn’t go to Monday night’s event. Although I imagine it was like a circus for grownups with strange tastes in fun. I’m sure it would have been unendurable without cocktails. As it was, the hubs and I came to a compromise on watching from home: we would alternate the Stanley Cup hockey finals and the Republican debate, thus each having our sporting fun. Too bad that Vancouver didn’t show up for the hockey and we were pretty much stuck with the debate.
So there was a debate. These things happen. One of the issue discussions that deeply troubled me was that concerning Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, also known as this nation’s ridiculous policy about restricting military service to those who purport to be heterosexual. The Obama administration has done its level best to negate this nonsensical policy, but the naysayers are throwing up stumbling blocks for the express purpose of keeping talented and dedicated individuals out of our nation’s military.
Yet, somehow, this is still a topic of discussion for last night’s Republican candidates for president. Why? The law has been repealed. Not a single candidate stood up for gays and lesbians who are willing to give their lives so that the rest of us may remain free. Not a one. They all either said that DADT should stay in place, or they wussed out and said they would discuss it with their Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Here’s a thought: let’s look at countries that have allowed freedom of service in their military organizations. No, really, there are countries that do not place restrictions on the sexual preferences of those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for them. Crazy concept, I know, especially since Rick Santorum went so far as to say that the US military is no place for social experimentation (hey, Rick, where were you in 1950 when Harry Truman desegregated the military?).
I did a quick wiki-Excel spreadsheet analysis and it appears that some 83% of the troops offered up by other countries for the Iraq War came from countries where GLBT citizens are free to serve. Less than 6% of those troops came from countries that specifically ban GLBT citizens from military service. The remaining 11% come from countries that have ambiguous policies or no policy at all. Again, this was me over my lunch break doing very casual research and analysis. Anyone with more time, resource, and skill is welcome to improve upon this work. I’ll even send you my spreadsheet.
So, we go fight a war in Iraq for, in my opinion, no good reason at all and ask several of our friends to pitch in their resources. They do. We asked people to fight for us whom we wouldn’t even allow to serve in our military. 83% of the allied troops in the Iraq War came from countries with freedom of service. I don’t know what percentage of troops from Great Britain, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Poland or half a dozen other countries are actually GLBT, but those people did serve in a war of our making at a time when we would not have allowed them to serve in our military.
I wonder if that ever occurred to anyone who stood there last night and blasted the repeal of DADT.
Take it away, Lemonheads. Koo koo ka-choo.
