It’s no surprise when a GOP leader blatantly lies to advance his political agenda. After all, the Bush presidency set the standard by lying to justify our wars in the Middle East.
After the Senate voted to eliminate the ill-conceived “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl spouted that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military would “cost lives.”
Au contraire, my dear Senator! The DADT policy, which has been in effect the last 17 years has more than likely caused unnecessary death and injury within the ranks of our troops while costing the taxpayers as well.
How many troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have become casualties due to faulty intelligence caused by the firing of hundreds of gay Arabic linguists?
How many lives have been lost due to the firing of skilled infantrymen and logisticians just because they are gay?
How much taxpayer money has been wasted by firing highly trained ace combat pilots just because they are gay?
While a vast majority of servicepeople have declared that in a foxhole, no one cares about your sexual orientation, what Senator Kyl needs to realize that modern warfare transcends the foxhole. Combat is a high-tech endeavor which calls for skilled intelligent individuals to work in less-than-pleasant environments at pay scales below those of their civilian counterparts. We should not place unnecessary barriers in front of any American who wants to serve his or her country.
Soon, the president will sign the DADT repeal into law. That’s a beginning. The military must adopt their new policies quickly, and not stretch out the transition. And in the longer term, full equality must become a reality in all 50 states and at the federal level. Politicians like Senator Kyl should join other bigots like Governor George Wallace as mere specks in the history of civil rights.
After the Senate voted to eliminate the ill-conceived “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl spouted that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military would “cost lives.”
Au contraire, my dear Senator! The DADT policy, which has been in effect the last 17 years has more than likely caused unnecessary death and injury within the ranks of our troops while costing the taxpayers as well.
How many troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have become casualties due to faulty intelligence caused by the firing of hundreds of gay Arabic linguists?
How many lives have been lost due to the firing of skilled infantrymen and logisticians just because they are gay?
How much taxpayer money has been wasted by firing highly trained ace combat pilots just because they are gay?
While a vast majority of servicepeople have declared that in a foxhole, no one cares about your sexual orientation, what Senator Kyl needs to realize that modern warfare transcends the foxhole. Combat is a high-tech endeavor which calls for skilled intelligent individuals to work in less-than-pleasant environments at pay scales below those of their civilian counterparts. We should not place unnecessary barriers in front of any American who wants to serve his or her country.
Soon, the president will sign the DADT repeal into law. That’s a beginning. The military must adopt their new policies quickly, and not stretch out the transition. And in the longer term, full equality must become a reality in all 50 states and at the federal level. Politicians like Senator Kyl should join other bigots like Governor George Wallace as mere specks in the history of civil rights.
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