Richard Cohen: Marine Corps commandant has to go [Velvet Mafia out for blood]

The Washington Post ^ | December 20, 2010 | Richard Cohen

[2ndDivisionVet]

I am a fan of the old World War II movies, the ones where the platoon was composed of typical Americans, Hollywood-style. There was a guy named Farmer and one called Preacher and another called Brooklyn (who was killed shortly after receiving a salami from home), no blacks and, of course, an officer who was good-looking and clearly a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant of the John Wayne variety. Now, of course, we would have to add a gay soldier. I fear for him. He'll need someone to watch his back.

The repeal of the odious "don't ask, don't tell" law has been 17 years in the making. It could have been done much sooner had it not been for the political cowardice and/or ignorance of much of Congress and some of the military. The nation as a whole was way out in front of these institutions, having learned from their own kids and society in general that gays and lesbians were not drooling perverts but human beings with a different - not better and not worse - sexuality. Most of us know this now.

There's good reason to believe, however, that this lesson has not been universally learned. In the run-up to the vote in the Senate, Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, showed how he felt about the prospect of open homosexuals serving in the Marines. He was particularly concerned about combat situations where, he thought, gays might be "a distraction." "Mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines' lives," Amos said. This was not the first time the general had expressed his doubts. Earlier, he had talked about what might happen when his Marines were "laying out, sleeping alongside of one another and sharing death, fear and loss of brothers....

[BluH2o]

Mr. Cohen, who NEVER spent a day in uniform ...

If I recall correctly Cohen served a tour in the Marine Corps as an enlisted man.

[thethirddegree]

Queers are headed to a literal burning Hell.

[fwdude]

Yes, but when conservatives win, they become conciliatory and groveling.

[NTHockey]

>>Haven’t seen UCMJ in about 40 years. It used to add “Any penetration, however slight is enough to constitute an offense’.<<

Still in there for both Article 120 and 125.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj2.htm#SUBCHAPTER X. PUNITIVE ARTICLES

[DWaves]

I have never heard of Cohen, thanks for the info. Now to everyone who has written a comment and to all that will. I can read that some of you have been in the military and some have not. I spent 10 years in the U.S.M.C. The first 4 years was in the GRUNTS. My first 6 months in the FMF I was at Camp Pendleton and we were able to make a bit of a cubical with wall lockers. For the next three and on half years I was at Kaneohe Hawaii and made 3 west pac tours. At Kanahoe it was basically open squad bay living pretty much like boot camp. That also included open showers. So say I’m at my bunk dressing or in the shower, I’ll be naked and say your gay, you get to check my junk out. Now if I was in a co-ed squad bay would I check out any girl that was naked 99 times out of a 100 you can bet on it. Even if you don’t touch me I WILL feel dirty and uncomfortable because a gay person has checked me out. Where are my rights, well all you liberals what about my rights as a heterosexual person.

[SunkenCiv]

Richard Cohen and the Washington Post have to go.