Moving Forward, Threats of Being Pushed Back

HRC sent me an email after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell was signed into law. I will share with you now some of the troubling quotes it included.

"We are now stuck with sexual deviants serving openly in the U.S. military... If historians want a fixed marker pointing to the instant the United States sealed its own demise, they just found it."
– Bryan Fischer, American Family Association

"The American military... has now been hijacked and turned into a tool for imposing on the country a radical social agenda."
– Tony Perkins, Family Research Council.

"This action will be overturned in the next Congress."
– Matthew Staver, Freedom Federation

"The repeal of the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' law is a disaster of historic proportions and it must be reinstated. My organization and others will to fight to make sure that happens."
– E. W. Jackson, Stand America PAC

Yes, the end of the military has come again. The first time it ended was when the United States decided to desegregate white and black soldiers (which came before the desegregation of public schools in America, FYI).^[1]

Desegregation of the United States armed forces was commanded as an executive order by President Harry Truman in 1948.

On a side note; it wasn't until 1967 that the Supreme Court declared anti-miscegenation laws a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.^[2]

Will it take 19 more years for gay and lesbian Americans to have full marriage equality?

Back on the topic of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, were you all aware of the thousands of gay and lesbian service members who were already serving in the military? I mean, you cannot have discharges under DADT without LGB-identified service members. They must have been there the whole time. They have been forced to stay silent about their spouses back home and keep their mouth shut about what they did on their days off. They have always been there, so-- it may just be me, but I'm having trouble seeing how the American military will be coming to an end just because these brave heroes are given permission not to have to lie about their lives.


I have heard the argument made time and time again that openly gay soldiers will be a distraction during training and on the battlefield. Um, does that mean that these gay people will be distracted by an overwhelming lustful urge for their fellow soldiers? Going back to what was stated earlier, gay people have always been serving in America’s military, so no, lustful urges will probably not be a problem for them (unlike their heterosexual male counterparts who apparently cannot control their lustful urges).

Honestly, I think the only people who will be distracted by the sexual orientation of these service members would be those people who are plagued by what we call “homophobia.”

Just like integrating blacks into the armed forces presumably caused a massive distraction for those people who harbored racism; the ridiculous assumptions and beliefs in unwarranted stereotypes about a people they were ignorant about, these men will be distracted by their own homophobia.

Is it the gay person’s fault? No. If a person is being so overcome by hate and discomfort because the guy next to him in his foxhole is gay that he can’t fire is weapon straight, that is his own fault. His feelings are his problem, and less and less people in the United States are able to relate to his sentiments. Homophobes, you are in the minority. If you cannot play nice with the guy next to you in the foxhole, despite their religion, way of life, political beliefs, or otherwise, what are you doing down there, man?

It was about time America eliminated this archaic, discriminatory policy. It is good to see us catching up to the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Canada, and at least nineteen others that allowed openly gay and lesbian service members before us (their militaries still seem to be up and running, FYI).^[3]

Sources:
1. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/WireHeadlines/2010/10/31/desegregation-in-military-offers-lessons-8.php
2. http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0388_0001_ZO.html
3. http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/CountriesWithoutBan.pdf

On Another Side Note:
I realize there is so much more going on in America’s military than crouching in foxholes and firing weapons. I was just using that example because it is similar to an example Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe liked to talk about when discussing DADT.

Urgent action ugrently needed for the urgent pushing of the urgent repeal of DADT urgently

I am part of the HRC's email action network and I received this email earlier today:

The Senate has a quick four-week session before they leave for the 2010 election. It's critical that they repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in this short window – and time is running out.

Lots of people believe that repeal is a foregone conclusion. But I need you to know: this is not a done deal. We've had to fight to the end for every victory we've won, and this is no different.

If we don't speak up now, our window for repeal could close. Anti-gay constituents are calling Senate offices with lists of right-wing lies: that open military service would increase sexual assault, trample on the religious freedom of military chaplains, and put "twisted sexual desires" ahead of national security.

We have a 100-senator strategy to make sure bigotry and deception don't win out just before we reach the finish line.

It takes about 45 seconds to call each one of your senators and urge them to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before they leave for the election. It's just as important for supportive senators to hear from us – they need to know we're counting on them to get a repeal to President Obama's desk this year.

You may never have called Congress. That's fine. It couldn't be simpler.

1. Before 5 p.m. ET, call Sen. Tom Coburn at (202) 224-5754 and Sen. James Inhofe at (202) 224-4721 – tell each staffer who answers where you live, so they know you are a constituent. Then say: "I'm calling to urge the Senator to push for repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in the next four weeks, before the election."
2. Most calls end right there, but if you'd like, you can add:
* Americans recognize that on the battlefield, it doesn't matter whether a soldier is lesbian, gay or straight; what matters is that a soldier gets the job done.
* This law hurts military readiness and national security. It puts American soldiers at risk.
3. Be sure to make TWO calls – one to each of your senators.
4. IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here to let us know that you made the call. This enables us to tell lawmakers just how many people have called.

Senate staff are accepting calls – and keeping tabs on what constituents care about, so senators will know what to focus on when they return for this short, busy session.

We've laid years of groundwork to get to this point, but unless we push harder than ever, there's no guarantee it will happen.

The House has already passed a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This is the last step before it goes to President Obama's desk. So we need to turn up the pressure in the Senate to make sure our window of opportunity doesn't close!

Thanks for your help. Please pass this email on to your friends and family.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
President

If you live in Oklahoma, please call senators James Inhofe and Tom Coburn. If you live in a different state, call the senate switchboard here - (202) 224-3121 It will direct you to your senators.

You won't regret calling! Trust me. I just did and I felt so empowered! >D

The Military

Here are some troubling statistics I bet you've never heard of:

In 2003, in a survey of female veterans conducted by the University of Iowa, funded by the US Department of Defense, 30% of the 500 female veterans interviewed reported an attempted or completed rape.

90% of rapes in the military are never reported.

84% of Navy women said they have been victims of sexual harassment.

Another 2003 report financed by the Department of Defense revealed that nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking health care through the VA said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times, and 14 percent reported they were gang raped.

A 2004 study of veterans from Vietnam and all the wars since, who were seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder, found that 71 percent of the women said they were sexually assaulted or raped while in the military.

In an earlier study conducted in 1992-93 with female veterans of the Gulf War and earlier wars, 90 percent said they had been sexually harassed in the military, which means anything from being pressured for sex to being relentlessly teased and stared at.

The results of a change in policy in 2005 allowing sexual assaults to be reported confidentially in �restricted reports� resulted in the number of reported assaults across the military jumping 40 percent, to 2,374, but still most are not reported.

A nine-month study of military rape by the Denver Post in 2003 found that nearly 5,000 accused military sex offenders had avoided prosecution since 1992.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8511010.stm
http://dissidentvoice.org/Apr07/Zeese14.htm
http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/Military%20Harassment.pdf

So, clearly heterosexual men should be banned from the military because they cannot control their lustful urges.

In all seriousness, these stories and statistics are not being reported on at the rate they're happening, but false statistics and ridiculous pretend situations are being studied and reported on at a rapid pace on how gay men will go on a crazy raping spree if allowed to serve openly in America's military. Yes, because that has been happening for years in the UK, Canada, Israel, Sweden, and Australia. Their militaries have just turned into one gigantic gay orgie.

So... taking the ASVAB this year should be fun.