Fitness To Fight Is The Standard
Washington Post
March 29, 2007
Pg. 18
Fitness To Fight Is The Standard
In his March 24 letter, Maj. Joseph Escandon stated that the military is not a venue for social innovation, but he undermined that point by asserting that officials should wait until gay rights have gained acceptance in society before modifying "don't ask, don't tell."
What society accepts should not factor into policies affecting the military. Combat performance is the standard. Nothing else. The military discriminates against people who are too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, who have diabetes or epilepsy, who are blind or deaf, and those who have too few teeth, too few limbs, criminal records, are members of extremist groups, and on the basis of much else. What society thinks about these things is irrelevant and not subject to debate, because they can logically be connected to combat performance.
President Harry Truman ordered military racial integration in 1948, long before society accepted the notion that black and white children should go to school together, that all races had civil rights worthy of protection, that voting rights for all should be protected, that members of all races could marry or that all neighborhoods should be integrated. What mattered to Truman was that segregation no longer made practical sense for the military. What society thought really didn't matter.
If our elected leaders can cite practical reasons why otherwise patriotic, qualified and talented homosexual citizens hamper combat performance, so be it. If not, we should take everyone we can get, especially in wartime, and Congress should change the law and lift the ban.
ROBERT M. LEVINSON, Fairfax
The writer is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. The views expressed are his own.
Editor's Note: The letter by Maj.Escandon appeared in the Current News Early Bird, March 24, 2007.
March 29, 2007
Pg. 18
Fitness To Fight Is The Standard
In his March 24 letter, Maj. Joseph Escandon stated that the military is not a venue for social innovation, but he undermined that point by asserting that officials should wait until gay rights have gained acceptance in society before modifying "don't ask, don't tell."
What society accepts should not factor into policies affecting the military. Combat performance is the standard. Nothing else. The military discriminates against people who are too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, who have diabetes or epilepsy, who are blind or deaf, and those who have too few teeth, too few limbs, criminal records, are members of extremist groups, and on the basis of much else. What society thinks about these things is irrelevant and not subject to debate, because they can logically be connected to combat performance.
President Harry Truman ordered military racial integration in 1948, long before society accepted the notion that black and white children should go to school together, that all races had civil rights worthy of protection, that voting rights for all should be protected, that members of all races could marry or that all neighborhoods should be integrated. What mattered to Truman was that segregation no longer made practical sense for the military. What society thought really didn't matter.
If our elected leaders can cite practical reasons why otherwise patriotic, qualified and talented homosexual citizens hamper combat performance, so be it. If not, we should take everyone we can get, especially in wartime, and Congress should change the law and lift the ban.
ROBERT M. LEVINSON, Fairfax
The writer is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. The views expressed are his own.
Editor's Note: The letter by Maj.Escandon appeared in the Current News Early Bird, March 24, 2007.
0
-
Yeah, we could put them all in one unit and make it our primary assault force.
I think that's a great idea.
We could let them lead us back into Somalia, and any other death traps we come across.
The more I think about it, the more I like it!!
D.0 -
Among the many homosexuals who have been kicked out of the military there are many Arabic translators. I have heard that dozens of gay Arabic translators have been given the boot.
I don't see how having a gay boy in the translation room would harm combat effectiveness. Since there is a shortage of translators, it seems like they should take any they can get.0 -
there were TWO homosexual translators who were kicked out and it was clear they intended to get kicked out to make a political statement. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by newtgingrich
there were TWO homosexual translators who were kicked out and it was clear they intended to get kicked out to make a political statement.
Yes, it has come out now that there were only 2 fully trained Arabic translators kicked out. And I can tell you, that fully trained Arabic translators are making well over $100,000 a year here in the DC area. So if they don't use the free training they got, they are nuts.0 -
quote:If our elected leaders can cite practical reasons why otherwise patriotic, qualified and talented homosexual citizens hamper combat performance, so be it. If not, we should take everyone we can get, especially in wartime, and Congress should change the law and lift the ban.Sounds like a sound, logical statement to me. 0 -
Here's General Pace's opinion from American Family Association:
March 13, 2007
Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire email list of family and friends.
Homosexuals working to get Marine general punished for comments calling homosexual act immoral
Urgent Action Needed Now
Homosexual activists want Marine General Peter Pace forced out of the service because he called sex between two homosexuals immoral.
Exactly what did General Pace say which upset the homosexual leaders? "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.
"I would not want acceptance of overt homosexual behavior to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior"
Homosexual leaders said that General Pace's comments were "insulting and offensive to the men and women who are serving in the military honorably." Homosexual groups are putting tremendous pressure on Congressmen and Senators and President Bush to punish General Pace. The liberal media is strongly supporting the homosexual efforts. They have already forced him to back down a step. Also, read what the Human Rights Campaign says.
Presently the military operates on a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The homosexual activists want the military to approve their immoral behavior. Take a stand for our troops who cannot get involved in this political situation!
Take Action
Send an email to President Bush, who is the commander-in-chief of our armed forces. Ask President Bush to praise General Pace for upholding military law.
Please forward this to your friends and family and ask them to send an email to President Bush.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
6 comments