More Don't Ask Don't Tell Idiocy

Deb Price has a piece in the Detroit News that looks at yet another military career that was ended due to the insidious DADT policy. While careers continue to be ruined, Barack Obama continues to fiddle and allow the military brass to contemplate navel lint or something equally ridiculous rather than bite the bullet and move forward to end this failed policy. As is typical with the military, the service member highlighted in the article is a woman - lesbians are drummed out at an unusually high rate compared to the percentage of women in the military - and she was just 2 years shy of retirement. The maddening part is that DADT serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever other than cow towing to the Christianist agenda of using the law to make LGBT Americans inferior. All so that bigots and homophobes can pat themselves on the back and feel superior to us "sinful gays.". This policy needs to go NOW. Here are some highlights from Deb's column:

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As a military flight nurse, Witt quickly proved to be an extraordinarily talented leader. The Air Force featured her in recruitment materials for more than a decade. But in 2004, Witt was told she was being investigated over an allegation that she was in a committed relationship with a civilian woman from 1997 to 2003. The investigation led to her discharge, but also to a new opportunity to serve our country -- by fighting the Don't Ask, Don't Tell gay ban.

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She won a groundbreaking ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that the military can't keep doing assembly-line discharges. Instead, it must prove that the targeted gay service member actually undermines morale or unit cohesion. The high-stakes case is headed toward what could be a dramatic moment: The military -- represented by the Justice Department -- must soon decide whether to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

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If the top court, which has long ducked gays-in-the-military cases, doesn't get involved, the next step will be a federal district court trial in which the military must prove that Witt's lesbian relationship hurt military readiness. "It is the first time that the military has been told, 'You have to show cause as to why it is that Major Witt's presence in the military will undermine morale and discipline in such a way that it will do harm to the military. And we know that they can't do that," . . .

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Major Faith Mueller said of Witt, "She plays an important role in ensuring the good order, morale and cohesion of our unit. ... I can say with confidence that her presence in the U.S. Air Force greatly enhances our squadron's combat efficiency and readiness." . . . Witt beautifully summed up why the ban can't pass close inspection: "As a flight nurse and operating room nurse, no one asked me what my sexual orientation was," she said. "They were just glad to see me."