New York Times Calls for End to DADT

In a recent main page editorial the New York Times called for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT") which is a continuing blight on the lives of LGBT members of the military. Knowing many gays in the military who are serving honorably and often with high distinction, DADT does nothing to serve unite cohesion and everything to gratify the anti-gay hysteria of the Christianists and loons like Elaine Donnelly (who like Robert Knight is a wee bit too hysterical on the issue of gays in general). With opinion polls showing major public support for the repeal of DADT it is disgusting that the Obama administration lacks the guts to tackle the issue head on. Here are highlights from the Times editorial:

*
Unfortunately, neither President Obama nor Congress shows much appetite for moving to end a ban that is not only unfair to gay men and lesbians but damaging to the military as well.
*

The ostensible rationale was that the known presence of gay men and lesbians would undermine morale and unit cohesion, but as it turned out, the policy caused its own kind of damage to military readiness. Thousands of service members have been discharged from duty at a time when the military is stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The loss of highly skilled interpreters and intelligence analysts has been especially damaging.

*

Members of the military and of the general public are much more receptive to the notion of accepting gays than they were in 1993.

*
Advocates for gay soldiers believe that the administration, on its own, has the authority to prevent the discharge of gay people, perhaps by issuing “stop-loss” orders such as those used to keep troops serving past their original commitments in Iraq — many unwillingly. How much better to use the power to prevent the loss of gay service members eager to keep serving.

*
President Obama should see if there is indeed any action he could take on his own while awaiting the military’s assessment. In the end, it will be up to Congress to root out “don’t ask, don’t tell” by overturning the law that brought it about.