My position on gays in the military.

[noahmijo]

I think Denis Leary sums it up best:

"As long as you wanna kill the enemy...you can fuck WHOEVER you want!!"

[amber dog democrat]

1. Roger that.

Alexander the Great had no such problem about gays in HIS army.
And they fought and campaigned pretty well too.

[Donkeyboy75]

2. I thought you'd include pics.

:evilgrin:

[Make7]

3. ...as long as they are a consenting adult. n/t

[soothsayer]

4. If there's a draft, use this AGAINST them! Suddenly, everyone of

draft age should be gay.

[terrya]

5. Israel allows gay men and women in their military.

And I don't think the Israeli military is a bunch of sissy Marys, are they? They're pretty damned tough, the last time I checked.

Another embarrassment for this country. We are currently the only industrialzed country that bans openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

[noahmijo]

6. Are gays really banned though?

I thought Clinton pushed for allowing gays in the military. Did he fail to because of a Repub controlled senate or what?

[bigbillhaywood]

7. "Don't ask, don't tell" was the compromise.

Basically, as long as you stay in the closet while in uniform, you're cool. The military is prohibited from investigating the sexual orientation of its members. However, if you openly announce you are gay to your fellow servicemen/women you can be thrown out.

Clinton actually pushed this policy at the beginning of his first term, when both houses were still Dem (and it wouldn't matter, because like racial integration of the military it can be accomplished by executive order). The opposition was from the Pentagon. Many top brass, including Colin Powell, threatened resignation if gays were openly allowed in the military. Hence the compromise.

My mom served in the Army in the early 80s, and she said the "no homosexuals" policy was a joke amongst female soldiers. Over half of the female soldiers she knew were lesbian, so if the Army enforced the policy, they would have lost a majority of their female enlistees (at least in my mom's units).