Posted on 08/11/2006 5:00:38 AM PDT by colrpfournier
(AgapePress) - A conservative military watchdog says she intends to question West Point Military Academy officials about why a former cadet was given an award for a thesis objecting to the U.S. military's ban on homosexuals serving in the armed forces.
Second Lieutenant Alexander Raggio describes himself as the straightest guy imaginable; but in his senior thesis at West Point Academy, he argued that the military's policy banning homosexuals from service is not only wrong but harmful to America's armed services. For his controversial paper, the then-senior cadet received an award from the Academy's English Department.
This incident has led Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, to wonder what officials at the Academy were thinking. "I do intend to bring this to the attention of some of the people in the leadership roles at West Point," she says. "I think it ought to be questioned."
Donnelly says this is the first she has heard of Raggio's commendation from the English department, but news of the faculty's conferral of honor on a graduating cadet for his pro-homosexual thesis has given rise to some grave concerns. "Certainly," she asserts, "it does call into question the judgment of those who gave this award.”
Despite Raggio's personal beliefs, the Center's spokeswoman points out, the young officer is obligated to enforce U.S. military policy. "Congress says homosexuality is incompatible with military service -- that is the law," she notes. "So if, as an officer in the Army, this particular person was aware of homosexuality that was occurring within the unit that he commanded, he would be obligated to dismiss that person.”
Apparently, Donnelly says, when Raggio wrote his thesis, he was saying the ban on homosexuals serving in the military should be lifted. "That is a very unusual view," she asserts, "and he is certainly entitled to his opinion." However, the military readiness expert observes, studies have clearly shown that homosexuality and military service are not a good mix.
Raggio is entitled to his First Amendment rights of free speech and expression, Donnelly says. "However," she adds, "I question the judgment of the leadership at West Point, who would recognize such an essay and give it an award that can be used for a purpose contrary to military policy.”
Second-Lieutenant Raggio has said he plans to pursue a 20-year career in the military and believes there is no reason why homosexuals should not be allowed to serve. Although the West Point graduate is not the first in the armed services to voice opposition to the ban, his is believed to be the first instance in which military officials have acknowledged an objection to its long-established policy on homosexuals with an award.
Harmful?
Hardly.
Girly men don't belong in the trenches. Come to think of it, neither do girly girls.
That about sums up why it is being questioned. I would look into the one making the questionings personal life.
In previous eras, when debate on ANYTHING was stifled, we paid for it: Billy Mitchell arguing for land-based air; William Sims in the Navy trying to introduce new methods of aiming guns. What the services found was that debate and critical thinking were more important to producing officers than censoring any particular subject, so in the 1980s, "Proceedings" had a wide-open debate over the shooting of the Iranian airliner, and, later, about both women in the military and "gays" in the military.
It is our ability to create officers who THINK which gives us the advantage over all of our enemies, anytime, anywhere.
A "Twenty-year career"!? Most ambitious graduates of our military academies look forward to a career of 30+ years. The graduate is, to be charitable, a phoney.
Ignorant rant.
"...to create officers who THINK..."
It does not look like a case of thinking. It looks like a case of trendy political correctness by West Point faculty who wish they were at Columbia or Yale.
They might as well give an award to some snot-nosed cadet who writes about how America is the greatest threat to world peace.
He received an award from the English Department.
That means it was for a well-written, well-argued paper. I imagine someone else has gotten an award in the past for a paper on some novel or other. That's what English Departments do.
That said, homosexuality should continue to be banned among our troops because of morale, team unity, and the walking blood supply.
if this lt stays in look for problems in the future.A liberal? you betcha.
(Original publication: April 21, 2006) WEST POINT — The U.S. Military Academy at West Point was host last night to one of the world's foremost critics of American foreign policy. Noam Chomsky, the Institute Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke at the academy as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series.
It sounds like West Point is becoming to the U. S. Military Establishment as Notre Dame is to the Roman Catholic Church.
I find absolutely nothing with which I disagree in your last, well written sentence.
I'm glad you raised that point. I found it very ironic that the author, who is female, pointed out studies that show problems with homosexuals.
Women don't make very good soldiers. I've served with them for years, and they make excellent technicians, analysts, linguists, medics, etc. Anything skill based, they're as good as any man. But as far as soldiering goes, they're not as strong, fast, or aggressive as men. In fact, they're outright detrimental to have in a combat environment.
I personally don't care if the guy in the foxhole next to me is gay, so long as he's a good soldier. The only issues with integrating gay soldiers are psychological, not physical. For instance (and I've had this specific problem) if you've got 400lbs of gear to distribute among 4 soldiers, you can basically do a 100lb split between 4 males. You can't with 3 males and 1 female, or 2 males and 2 females. Once my load starts inching past the 130 mark, I start to lose appreciation for the women who, in many ways are nice to have around, are the cause of my increasingly sore back.
So, the author can look down on gay soldiers all she wants. As soldiers go, I'd pick them over her in a heartbeat.
Homosexuality is a progressive and welcomed disease of the mind and is contrary to anything that makes sense in our society.
By continuing homosexual behavior the mind becomes undependable and certainly unhinged.
If one thinks for a short while about what homosexuals have forced themselves to believe and about how they achieve orgasm in their love methods, it should make one stop and consider whether they should be in the military.
They are as opposite of heterosexual men as is possible.
Perhaps they could serve in a pansy division.
The female issue is a real problem with some maintenance units.
They permit females in those specialties, but when it gets down to it they can't do the lifting. One mechanic I know complains that when it's time to change a tire, they have to call on the guys to do the lifting. In short, a 5 man shop just became a four man shop.
When it's time to hold an alternator up with one hand and emplace it with another, the girl has to take the shop's jack to do it, while the guy holds with one hand and tightens with another.
What difference does it make?
Think.....what about when in the field without all the equipment?
Although gays in the military are harmful to morale etc. I would want to know what the requirements were for the essay. First, if the award was given for the English grammer etc than the award would be appropriate. If it was a philosophy class, I would not agree to this award. It would depend on the parameters that were given to the students. We give awards for fiction all the time so I don't see why this would not be considered a fictional piece of one's opinion. Plus it is a little late to be questioning something that will not be taken back at this point. The Soldier is now probably in Iraq fighting for the country and maybe his perspective has changed. I don't find it that bad for a person to believe something and after getting a dose of reality finding he was mistaken in his opinion. If fact, that could be a good thing.
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