Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal fails

Last Tuesday, the filibuster led by Senator John McCain successfully blocked the defense bill containing a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  Before I tell you what I think of that controversial policy, let's remember that there was more to that bill then the repeal of DADT.  The entire military budget was put on hold because certain senators running for reelection chose this policy as their fuel for a culture war that tries pits conservatives against liberals and republicans against democrats.  They didn't even allow debate on the bill because it contained language that allowed the military to repeal its OWN policy.  May the most stubborn win.  Rachel Maddow devoted a segment of her show to this issue and what it reveals about how government really works.

So besides the fact that as of right now the U.S. has no defense budget for the coming year, we still have a wildly misguided policy that hurts both gay servicemen, the army, and the country as a whole.  Since DADT was enacted in 1993, more than 14,000 gay servicemen and women have been discharged from the military.  Last I heard, the army was having a recruitment problem.  We're also still at war, just in case anyone's forgotten, because the ones fighting certainly haven't.

"It is my personal and professional belief that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would be the right thing to do." - Admiral Mike Mullen

When people like Mullen, the U.S.'s top uniformed officer and chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, openly believe that DADT should be scrapped, then who are some career politicians to say otherwise?  The bill didn't even explicitly repeal DADT, it merely allowed the military to make its own decisions about its own policy.  The worst part is that the republicans filibustering the bill didn't even admit their own anti-gay, conservative vote-conscious motives.  They went on and on about proper procedure and rushing the review process, even when research has already shown that repealing DADT would NOT have a negative affect on moral or performance.  An article in Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal, says

"there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively effected if homosexuals serve openly."

It's been said before, but it's worth repeating: anyone willing to serve and potentially die for their country should not be forced to hide who they are.

- Cartoon by Chan Lowe