"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Must Go

Many policies in our government's history were founded on principles of segregation, discrimination and moral judgement on the part of those in the upper echelon of the decision making process. One such policy, the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuals in the military, is finally in the process of repeal. The issue of gay participation in the military is one of much dissent which is split mainly along generational lines. Obama has stated that it is a process of convincing those who are older and more traditional in their views that this policy is promoting discrimination in our military.

A recent piece by Mary McCarty of Dayton Daily News which was published in the Austin American Statesman spoke to this issue and how immoral and hurtful to our military the current policy is. In her article, Patience of a Patriot, McCarty introduces her audience to the human side of the issue by interviewing Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach of the United States Air Force about how being outed as a gay man has cost him, and more than 13,000 other like him, his career. It is clear that her intended audience are the people of the US that are not currently convinced that this policy is poison for our military's success. She is very much against the policy and uses examples of how it is hurting our military by pointing out how many good Americans are losing their jobs due to a personal issue. "The U.S. military is kicking out men and women like this at a time when it's so desperate for new recruits that it's lowering admissions standards." This statement is aimed at showing us that the job crisis that millions of Americans are facing for unavoidable reasons regarding the economy are affecting the military personnel except that their is no reason that is should be. These people are passionate about protecting and serving our country only to be fired due to their sexual persuasion.

I agree wholeheartedly with McCarty that this policy could not be ended quickly enough. It is depriving our military of thousands of quality people to fill jobs while allowing less qualified, yet straight, people to fill them. This article is not simply a forum for her complaints however, because she points out that things are beginning to change with more attention being placed on the removal of this policy. With president Obama's promise to remove it we have hope, but like all issues regarding civil rights and tradition, it will likely not be an overnight change. At no point does McCarty become hostile or angry towards the people stopping this change from taking place, but she sets a tone of urgency for us to examine the policy and what it is causing us to lose as a nation. Hopefully, this type of commentary will help people who may not view this policy as a problem to rethink their opinions and the implications of such a rule.

Personally, I sincerely hope that with changes regarding sexual preference at the military level will soon come changes within the laws surrounding same sex marriage. As McCarty points out in her piece, changes in our laws having to do with civil rights issues have been gradual processes, so I don't think we can expect these things to change overnight. I do however agree with her in her closing statements, "Fehrenbach is a patient man. For the good of the country, let's not require patriots like him to be patient for a single day more."