I have been around gay men most of my life (pre-adolescence to adulthood) because of work and family circumstances. Some have been friends. I have never been “hit on” by a gay acquaintance, in any obvious manner. I am also pretty secure in my heterosexuality, so the “gaydar” that homosexuals often use is effective.
My real concern is that the military will force “sensitivity” training on straight soldiers. That’s where things get screwed up. Most of us hetero guys can figure these issues out on our own without a lot of problems, as long as we don’t have to listen to the “I am Gay, thus I deserve more rights and protections” BS.
You, sir, are exactly right. The problem is not that "dang buncha homos gonna ruin evrythin". The problem is that the military will have to incorporate homosexual issues into existing equal opportunity framework. Which is to say that a servicemember that publicly disagreed with the homosexual lifestyle but agreed to peacefully coexist anyway would see his career obliterated.
What's more, is that there is no peaceful coexistance in the military. You must not only obey official policy by word and deed, but you have to teach it, believe it and ensure that your subordinates do as well. There is no religious exemption. It is not optional. You must never give off a hint that you disagree with promoting the gay lifestyle, either in uniform or out.
You, as a military leader, will be responsible for teaching your young troops that being homosexual is not only okay, but an integral part of America's highest values. You, as a leader, must ensure that your troops feel unAmerican and criminal for disagreeing with the lawful guidance from their superior officers and civilian leadership.
Fail to do so with a straight face will earn you EO complaints as sharp as sniper fire. Any straight troop with a grudge can dust your career over a stray anti-gay lifestyle statement. They'll make examples out of as many people as they need to. Toe the line 100%, or you'll be replaced.
I hadn’t even thought of that (the sensitivity training) but I bet that will be along shortly.
Look, I don’t dislike gay people (I have a gay family member who I love very much). I just don’t think this step is being taken for the betterment of our Armed Services. The military is not about giving everyone an opportunity or the GI bill, etc. It’s about protecting the USA. And so every decision made must be toward that goal. This decision is purely politics and pandering.
I think you have it about right. A service member I talked to expressed the same sentiments. He was certain that open homosexuality would be disastrous to morale. But he didn’t think that the rumored presence of a homosexual bothers most soldiers much as long as he does his job and keeps his sexual proclivities to themselves and under the gaydar.
Any gay activism (picture a gay pride day parade on a base) would have everyone running for the hills. And that’s what we would be in for if Obama and friends have their way.
It’s unimagineable that left wing and homosexual activists would settle for just “don’t ask don’t tell” . As soon as it became apparent that most Americans were OK with “Civil Unions”, they discarded the issue and insisted on “gay marriage”. So at this point it’s vital that the military at least maintain the “don’t tell” restriction.