Wednesday, February 03, 2010

18 comments:

nsomers said...

I think that they should keep the don't ask don't tell policy. I think that getting rid of the policy would change the military drastically. I think some people would feel uncomfortable living in close quaters and sharing facilities with gays. I also don't think that creating seperate facilities would be appropriate because the military is all about functioning as a unit.

Unknown said...

I counter ms. somers by saying that the don't ask, don't tell policy should be repealed. but let's face it, the only reason it is being brought up now is to take the focus from what the democrats are trying to do to fix the economy. it would probably change how our military operates, just because it will now be a reflective image of american society. my greatest question is why gays and lesbians would really want to fight for a country that treats them as 2nd class citizens and discriminates them for things that are out of their control.

klatour said...

I think the don't ask don't tell policy should be repealed. Just because a man is gay does not mean he is attracted to every and all men. Just because a woman is a lesbian also does not mean she is attracted to all women. Also considering the impact it has on the economy, it seems like a pretty unnecessary policy. I think Nicola has a good point about the separate living quarters to function as a unit, but I do not think living in close quarters should be a big deal at all.

rlepak said...

I think the don't ask don't tell policy needs to be repealed. If citizens are willing to fight and die for the protection of others, their sexual preferences should not be important. Our social standards as a country are changing, and if this policy isn't repealed under Obama, it will be repealed by a future president, it is inevitable. The ideas of the country towards gays and lesbians are becoming more and more open in our nation. Twenty years ago, the thought of gays serving in the military was unheard of, and today there are rallies to promote gay rights.

Astoiber said...

personally i think we should boycott the military.

but since that probably won't happen anytime soon..

don't ask don't tell is a very primitive policy. if someone wants to fight for their country they should be able to. i agree wit fam tho and i wonder why homosexuals want to fight for a country that discriminates against them.

the main issue is letting homosexuals have the same marital rights as heterosexual couples. the right to marry someone you love seems more important than the right to be exploited by the military.

jmarczewski said...

I agree that openly gay citizens should be allowed to participate in the military. Whether one opposes or supports gay marriage, citizenship should result in being able to represent one's country in the military. Don't ask, don't tell--don't bother.

Carl Azuz, you're not funny. Instead of becoming a fan of CNN Student News on facebook, I'm considering a "Fire Carl Azuz" group...

As I'm writing this blog post, President Obama is doing a live interview with Katie Couric on CBS's Super Bowl Pregame coverage. I don't think the President is much of a fan of Katie Couric, because she's asking him questions he doesn't like (e.g. healthcare, how Democratic senators were lobbying for healthcare reform, etc.). Politics and sports at the same time? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Diana said...

I believe that the dont ask don't tell policy should be repealed, but now is not the best time to do so. Now that we are in the middle of war, this policy might make some straight troops leave if they did not agree with it (in the video, they said about 24% would leave). Although I think that gays should be able to say that they are gay in military; I do not agree with the seperate housing idea. I think that if you are going into the military, you should be treated exactly the same as any other person (gay or straight). The military does not and never did have any favoritism toward one group and they should not start now.

Ryan Paprocki said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Astoiber said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
PMiner said...

If someone wants to sign up for the military and defend his or her country, then let them. As long as they are mentally stable and pass all of the other requirements... who cares if the are homosexual. I think we should be more worried about the unstable soliders that end up committing suicide while they are in Iraq due to there superior officers abusing there powers. There are countless stories about that, and the government never even mentions those and if they do they are sugar coated beyond belief. If some one that is gay wants to be in the military then let them. It isnt as a big a problem as people make it out to be. If it makes another solider uncomfortable that they are serving along side a gay. Then why are they serving in the first place? they are serving in the United States military which is supposed to be all about protecting peoples' freedoms and lives. Then why dont they just deal with the fact that some people are gay, and let them openly fight in the military too.

K-Iglinski said...

I believe that the don't ask don't tell policy should be eliminated. If there are people who want to defend the country that they live in and go to the front lines or just be in the military, then let them. They have the guts to do what most of us couldn't ever dream of doing and I would be proud that they were fighting for our country. We shouldn't care what there sexuality is if they want to fight then let them. Don't be a hater and say that they can't join because they are gay or a lesbian. If you hate the abolishment of this policy, then let them go to the front lines and get shot. This will solve both of your problems, you will be happy because they died and they as well as I will be happy that we had an american who was brave enough to die for this country.

AAgostini said...

The "don't ask, don't tell" policy should be repealed. It should be considered a matter of ethics not of economics. Any "tolerance training" would be worth the cost. Those serving the the military have to learn to cooperate and respect one another's differences in race, socioeconomic class, background and religion, why not sexual orientation? Heterosexual men and women serve together in the military without criticism and it should be no different for homosexual men and women. They are equally citizens--although not often treated as such-- and have the right to serve their own country if they choose to do so. Those serving in the military protect the rights of ALL of the nation's citizens.

aprichard said...

The “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is a rather disgraceful and ignorant U.S. policy. We preach equality of opportunity, but then turn around and stab ourselves in the back. Equality for what? It is certainly not for all people. This equality is mostly for the white Anglo-Saxon male protestant, the W.A.S.P. I’m unsure on which is more politically correct, but I’ll go with the term “homosexual”. Homosexuals are still people. Just because they are attracted to the same sex does not make them any less of a human being. In general, they still have the same reflexes, athletic ability, and comprehension of tactical maneuvers. They are not weak minded, traitorous or useless. They are a valuable asset to fighting or moronic war. If we are going to keep sending in troops, fine, I can’t stop them. However, if they are going to allow this they should at least allow all who wish to serve in the military fight in it. I am not going to use patriotism in this argument because I believe it is a battle for equality, not a question of patriotism. Right now I’m too pissed off at our government and country. I am favoring a more European style of government. This is not because of this issue, but the existence of the machine, the way the system has been working and the petty fighting in congress over trying to stop healthcare so that the healthcare insurance companies can hold their monopoly.

K-Laz said...

The don't ask don't tell policy shouldn't be our top priority, but eventually it does need to be looked at and possibly repealed. If this simply policy discharged 13,000 troops and costed $363 million because of they're sexuality, it needs to be repealed. If someone in the army doesn't feel comfortable with the people around them, then they should be discharged. This is because they're mind isn't in the right place, it is thinking of these little problems when it should be focused on the war. I do however see a problem with the separate barracks. This is just like separate but equal with civil rights but instead of african americans, its homosexual americans. The number that did jump out at me was the 24% of troops saying they'd leave if gay troops served openly. This could cause a problem, although I believe it could be worked around. There are just as many negatives about it now than there would be if they repealed it, so it is a very tough call.

Tereza said...

I agree with Niccola in the aspect that the military is about functioning as a unit. Also, I agree with the conservatives that the timing for this issue is not perfect, the don't-ask-don't-tell policy is a sensitive issue, however I don't believe that a person's sexuality causing deployment should have that great of a fiscal impact.

j.polinski said...

I believe the current dont ask dont tell policy should still be intact. I think it would cause unneeded stress in the military as in a lot of people would be uncomfortable wondering if a gay guy is into him, rather than having all and every soldier focusing on their goals. Gays should be able to serve in the military but there is no need to be open about it, it's completely irreleveant to what their job is entitled to do.

rlepak said...

have to say, that being gay is irrelevant to serving the country. Regardless of sexual preference, they are all Americans and are fighting in foreign countries so that many of us don't have to. The government does not have to ask members of the armed forces if they are gay, but if it turns out a member is gay, he/she should not be discharged for it.

PMiner said...

sorry james, but im gonna have to disagree with you on that. The policy should most definitely be repealed. Imagine how much stress is on a gay man or woman in the army wondering if someone is going to figure them out and be cause for a discharge. Im sure that there a plenty of good soldiers that it would be a shame if they got discharged based off of his or her sexual preference. It would be easier for them to be able to serve openly, and i seriously doubt that they are going to flaunt it like a strong majority of people believe that they will.
America, the land of opportunity for everyone... well mostly everyone... well some people. It should be everyone including homosexuals