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Time to end discriminatory military policy
THE ISSUE: "Don't ask, don't tell" gets another hearing.
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board
Let's hope President Obama's latest rhetoric on "don't ask, don't tell" is more than just that — rhetoric.
During his State of the Union address last week, Obama again
repeated his pledge to repeal the blatantly discriminatory policy that
bans gays and lesbians in the military. Obama, of course, had also
mentioned dumping "don't ask, don't tell" during the campaign, but
hasn't done much about it since taking office.
Granted, the man has had plenty of problems to keep him busy — and
still does. But as president, he should have the muscle to get this
done if he really wants to. And he should.
On it's face, "don't ask, don't tell" is reprehensible,
essentially telling patriotic Americans they have to lie about their
sexual orientation if they want to volunteer for military service.
These are people who are willing and capable of taking on dangerous, necessary tasks that a vast a majority of Americans simply avoid.
Particularly at a time when we are sending tens of thousands of
more troops to Afghanistan, America is hardly in a position to be
telling able-bodied and willing troops that they can't serve because of
their sexuality.
You would be hard-pressed to find a true study that shows gays in
the military have a negative effect on morale. They serve proudly — and
some get injured, and some get killed — just like any other member of
the military. Fact is, there have always been gays in the military,
even if they were barred from admitting it.
Since President Clinton adopted "don't ask, don't tell" in 1993,
more than 13,000 service members have been discharged because they are
gay. According to a recent study, the policy has cost the miliary
between $290 million and $500 million to pay for the discharge of gay
individuals and to recruit new service members.
The fact Obama mentioned the issue is a positive sign. But this is
a policy that has no place in America today. It is time to get rid of
it, once and for all.
BOTTOM LINE: Time to get rid of discriminatory policy.