Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Segregate

Via the excellent Pam Spaulding we learn this morning what the Pentagon is planning for a post DADT military, and that apparently means more "separate but equal" nonsense as the NY Times editorial board chews out the President and the Pentagon, and rightfully so.

As justification, the administration made overheated claims that a precipitous change in wartime would have adverse effects on morale, good order, discipline and unit cohesion. Those are the same specious arguments used to justify the benighted policy in the first place. The administration wants to leave it in place while it finishes a study on how to carry out a repeal.

Clifford Stanley, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in a court filing that ending the antigay policy would require training, and reworking regulations on issues like housing, benefits and standards of conduct. He said the Army had to consider the “rights and obligations of the chaplain corps.”

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the military had to consider whether barracks should be segregated and whether partners of gay soldiers should have benefits. 

This sounds disturbingly like the creation of a “separate but equal” system. The armed forces do not need to be protected from their gay and lesbian personnel. The military has always had its own culture and rules of behavior, but it has not been living in a cave.

Judge Phillips has hit on a simpler, more equitable solution: just stop enforcing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” It has done more to harm military readiness than her injunction possibly could. 

Which is crap.  Look, every other federal employee in the US has to handle the concept of the LGBT workplace, as does a vast majority of the American private sector.  We don't have separate cubicles for gays, folks...and as far as the "unit cohesion and trust" argument goes, we have been repeatedly told that our volunteer military is the best trained, most honorable military in the world, that the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces are the best our country has to offer.  We ask them to put their lives on the line in order to defend America, but you're telling me they can't handle the end of DADT?

Ahh, but we're told "we can't make these kind of changes in wartime".  We've been fighting in Afghanistan for nine years almost.  We're always in wartime.  What the hell happened to "adapt, improvise, overcome"?  This policy was created in peacetime anyway.  Our military is better than that.

Look, just get over it, guys.  The rest of America operates on a pretty functional level most of the time.  Time for you guys to get with it...and hey, aren't my tax dollars paying your salary, etc?  Well alright then.  Let's not forget that LGBT Americans are part of the Americans you have sworn to defend, too.

And stay safe.