Openly homosexual troops in the military?: About 95 percent of Marines say "no"
The problem of having homosexuals in a fighting force is that it creates the potential of romantic relationships and jealousy -- this could lead to problems in soldiers trusting the actions of others. Would a soldier follow orders and abandon someone they are romantically involved with if they were ordered to do so? Just the possibility of doubt can raise problems when lives are on the line. The head of the Marine Corps has his concerns. The current rules don't stop homosexuals from serving in the military, the rules just stop them from serving openly.
As many as 95 percent of Marines would be uncomfortable serving alongside openly gay troops, the retiring commandant of the Marine Corps told Fox News in an exclusive interview.
Gen. James Conway told Fox News' Jennifer Griffin that a majority of his men and women think a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy barring gays from serving openly will be problematic, so he has to believe that, too.
"When we take a survey of our Marines, by and large, they say that they are concerned that it will cause potential problems with regard to their order and discipline -- that it will impact their sense of unit cohesion," Conway said.
Gen. Conway was the first member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to speak out against a repeal earlier this year after Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen publicly endorsed President Obama's desire to change the law.
Conway plans to retire Oct. 22 after 40 years of service with the Marines. . . . . And wartime, he said, is "probably not the time" to change the military's policy on gays. . . . .
Labels: homosexuality, military
posted by John Lott at 12:26 AM
6 Comments:
Without taking sides on this issue, it strikes me as plausible that integrating gays into the military will cause unit cohesion issues, just like integrating blacks into the military also caused unit cohesion issues. Undoubtedly, allowing women to serve along-side men caused similar issues. It also strikes me that this same kind of thinking leads gun-control proponents to fear that non-discretionary licensed concealed carry laws will result in frequent wild-west shootouts and the streets running red with blood -- it's just a different kind of prejudice.
The real question is, to what extent are these fears justified? How serious are the problems caused? How would an economist go about seeking a rational, unbiased answer to this question?
Eliminating "Don't Ask - Don't Tell" while we are at war may be a bad idea, if the fears are justified. But we aren't at war everywhere. How about eliminating it in places where we aren't at war and studying the effects?
Weren't there similar fears regarding ending "racial" segregation in the military? And weren't they almost completely unfounded?
I honestly believe that the only reason there is this concern with respect to unit cohesion is that the people who fear its failure don't realize that they Already implicitly trust homosexual service members. Only a fool would think that letting these honorable people be who they are would be a problem, because who they are is presently demonstrable as Servicemen & Patriots first, homosexuals second.
I concur with the Commandant myself. Marines as a whole are hardchargers. As a former service member myself, I am positive that openly gay members will be beaten or worse if they are openly gay. Especially in the Corps...
Don't ask, don't tell has functioned just fine so far. Why change it?
I am not disparaging gay/lesbian service members in this, my post. I simply wish to point out the inherent dangers in allowing openly gay individuals to serve.
No matter how bad some folks wish to force PC onto the military, it simply will not work due to the fact that our society as a whole does not accept non traditional sexual behaviours. This nonacceptance can and will cause violent acts to occur. If we are to avoid such acts, I say keep 'Don't ask, don't tell' in place.
With all due respect, Mr. Schalz, "don't ask, don't tell" is effectively punishing the wrong people. It's analogous to the story of women being given a curfew "for their own protection." What else should we do? Lock law abiding citizens in their houses lest drug-dealers shoot them?
"DADT has functioned fine so far"? Really? The "Don't Ask" part is violated on a regular basis. Further, while it may work for straight people it does Not work for homosexuals. Imagine you had to go through your life without ever saying what your religion is, and that if you did, you would be fired, end of discussion, regardless as to how important you are to your company's mission. Having to hide an integral part of who you are, which has no bearing whatsoever on your job, is not "functioning fine."
Further, I was under the impression that marines prided themselves on a sense of honor. Are you telling me that that reputation is unfounded?
Personally, I don't believe that anyone who would beat a marine simply because of who they love is in any way deserving of the title "marine." Indeed, aggression directed towards those who are different is an expression of fear, so perhaps the better term for these people would be "coward."
Dear Raven Lunatic. As far as function goes, DADT has worked. Military culture is radically different from that of civilian life.
DADT may be flawed, but not only does it allow homosexuals and lesbians to serve, it protects them from certain harrasment and punishment.
Obviously you have not served yourself, or you would know what happens in military barracks to those who screw up, or happen to be gay.
Every time something happened in the barracks that I witnessed, it stayed in the barracks. The blanket party in Full Metal Jacket was not a joke, nor a made up story for the movie. It happens.
As far as Uncle Sams Misguided Children go, just ask any of them what would happen if they caught a homosexual act in progress occuring in their barracks...
Punsihing an individual for their sexuality is wrong, but there are those who will cheerfully do so.
I imagine at some point it will be like being in a county jail with homosexuality running rampant and the god fearing young men and women suffering terribly.
I'm glad I took my honorable discharge and left before this all broke.
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