Study: Gays Don't Undermine Military Unit Cohesion

I am sure that this new study will get Elaine Donnelly having fits and the vapors again since it flies in the face of the trash put out by her bogus organization, Center for Military Readiness, which seeks to keep gays subject to discrimination and which also seeks to limit women in the military. Of course, Ms. Donnelly has never served in the military herself, so her views are actually based on her Bible thumping religious views. Interestingly enough, the study was conducted by four retired military officers, including a three-star Air Force lieutenant general, who no doubt have far more expertise and experience than the violently homophobic Ms. Donnelly. Living in an area with large numbers of military personnel (and many, many gays who are in the military), it is painfully clear that the DADT policy accomplishes nothing other than to deprive the military of competent personnel. Hopefully, as studies like this are released it will become increasingly apparent that DADT is based on nothing other than the desire of Christianists to discriminate against gays because they do not conform to the Christianists' religious beliefs. Something that arguably is unconstitutional since it is based on discrimination based on religious belief. Here are some story highlights via the Tucson Citizen:

*

WASHINGTON — Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.

*

"Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion," the officers states. To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations.

*

The study was sponsored by the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which said it picked the panel members to portray a bipartisan representation of the different service branches. According to its Web site, the Palm Center "is committed to keeping researchers, journalists and the general public informed of the latest developments in the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy debate." Two of the officers on the panel have endorsed Democratic candidates since leaving the military — Army Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, who supports Barack Obama, and Marine Corps Gen. Hugh Aitken, who backed Clinton in 1996.

*

Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Minter Alexander, a Republican, was assigned in 1993 to a high-level panel established by the Defense Department to examine the issue of gays in the military. At one point, he signed an order that prohibited the military from asking a recruit's sexual orientation. . . . But he now believes the law should be repealed because it assumes the existence of gays in the military is disruptive to units even though cultural attitudes are changing.

*

Navy Vice Adm. Jack Shanahan said he had no opinion on the issue when he joined the panel, having never confronted it in his 35-year military career. A self-described Republican who opposes the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, Shanahan said he was struck by the loss of personal integrity required by individuals to carry out "don't ask, don't tell." "Everyone was living a big lie — the homosexuals were trying to hide their sexual orientation and the commanders were looking the other way because they didn't want to disrupt operations by trying to enforce the law," he said.