Don't ask don't tell

[jmc_bks]

I read John Shalikashvili's editorial in the NY Times today with great ambivalence. Great that he has changed his mind about the American military policy on gays in the armed forces. Would've been nice if he had done so while still in a position of power. The thing that bothers me is this:

Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.

So it isn't so much he's willing to say that gay people are qualified to do the job and entitled to serve as much as the fact that the military is desperate for volunteers and is willing to take what they can, even if the powers that be find it distasteful to employ gay people.

Here's the link to yesterday's Op-Ed piece. You'll need a login, but it is free.

Comments

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

Apparently recruiters are already telling potential recruits that being gay doesn't matter. That pissed me off no end, but it depends on how the p.r. poses question: "I'm gay, can I join?" needs to be answered "No," but, "Can a gay person serve?" can be answered "Yes," but with many addenda and "Well, it depends"s.

::sigh::

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Are most gay potential recruits sophisticated enough to pose the question that way?

"It depends." That ranks up there with "Ask your mother, it's okay with me if it's okay with her" as an equivocal response. A shrugging-off of the question for someone else to deal with.

[legocoach.livejournal.com]

Can't read the NY Times online, but from what you've quoted, it sounds a little like the way African Americans got in -- during WWII, they were allowed in segregated units, but the military brass got sick of the extra paperwork. No recognition of their basic humanity or rights or anything, just a sense that it was too much trouble to maintain segregation. Justice for the wrong reasons is still justice, I suppose.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

The editorial dressed it up a little more, saying tht other armies make no distinction between hetero- and homosexuals, so we shouldn't either. But that sentence just jumped right out.

Justice for whatever reason is still justice. But I wonder about what might happen after the shortage of willing volunteers eases (if that ever happens). Back to don't ask don't tell? Or worse?