Don't Ask, Don't Tell: An Opinion

If you can believe it (and of course you can), people once opposed blacks in the US military. They also opposed American aborigines in the military. And Jews. And women. And... yeah, pretty much anyone who wasn't a white male Christian. Oh, and a heterosexual one, at that.

Let me just get this out of the way: repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It's pointless, most troops don't really give a shit what other troops do off-duty, and countless other militaries have allowed gays, faggots, dykes, lesbos, carpet-munchers, pillow-biters, flesh-sword exchangers, and muff-muff scissor-lockers for years.

So why don't we?

I'm a veteran. I am not gay. I served with several gays who, though they eventually confided in me (among others), were outstanding soldiers who never bothered anybody. Sure, there was an initial shock at their revelations, but that subsided quickly (usually before the end of the conversation). But, so what? It didn't affect their ability to serve in the military at all. Except that they had to be a little extra cautious when off-duty. In that sense, it probably affected their ability to serve in a negative manner.

When I was younger, I must admit, I pretended to dislike homosexuals. It was, after all, the "cool" thing to do. So, yeah, I openly berated them. Behind closed doors, however (closets! Nyer!), I didn't give a shit. I still don't. I honestly don't care. I don't support gay marriage, but neither do I oppose it. I just don't care.

Where I do care lies in the fact that we need good soldiers, sailors, and marines. And we need soldiers, sailors, and marines who actually want to serve. So why not let them?

An aside: While I'm on the subject of letting everyone serve openly, I figured I'd mention that I also support women in the combat specialties, which are still primarily closed to females (if they're willing to take a bullet, who am I to tell them they can't?).

Okay, back on topic. Let gays serve. They want to. We need personnel. What's the fucking problem?

Some facts for you:

• In 1947, most military personnel claimed that integrating blacks and Jews would cause riots in the military. It didn't.
• In the 1980s, many military personnel claimed that allowing women to more fully integrate in the military (primarily on Navy vessels) would cause too many problems to be worth it. Yes, there were some hiccups, but overwhelming disruption there was not.
• Today, some claim that allowing gays to serve will do the same. I got news for you: it won't.

Let 'em serve. That is all.