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Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged[b:82fddf788b]U.S. report shows high cost of military ban[/b:82fddf788b] A government report due out Friday shows "don't ask, don't tell," the military's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel, has cost the Pentagon hundreds of millions of dollars to implement, prompting members of Congress to announce new plans to repeal the measure. "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was adopted by Congress in 1993 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Under the law, lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel cannot reveal their sexual orientations without risking expulsion from the armed forces. Approximately 10,000 service members have been discharged under the policy, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan congressional accounting agency. Analysis by the GAO found the Pentagon has spent nearly $200 million to recruit and train replacements of enlisted personnel discharged under the policy. The cost is likely much higher because the Defense Department does not track specific costs of investigating or discharging gay service members or for handling legal challenges and reviews of dismissals, according to the GAO report. "DADT is both a waste of human and material resources which any nation can ill afford during a time of war," said Ken Sholes, vice president of American Veterans for Equal Rights. The report also did not include costs associated with discharging officers or trained specialists. Among the nearly 800 specialists with critical skills who were discharged, 322 were linguists, including 54 who specialized in Arabic. Sholes told the PlanetOut Network that training a linguist can take up to a year or more. The GAO report was done at the request of a bipartisan group of 22 members of Congress. Rep. Marty Meehan, D- Mass, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Conventional Threats and Capabilities, has drafted the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a proposal that would end the ban on gay and lesbian military personnel. Meehan plans to introduce the measure next week, with support from a coalition of congressional representatives, including Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich. and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. Meehan called DADT "counterproductive." "Now we have the numbers to prove that the policy itself is undermining our military readiness," he told the Boston Globe. Many U.S. allies have abandoned policies that discriminate against gays in the military, including Britain, which is now actively courting gays as recruits for the Royal Navy. http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?date=2005/02/24/2 Submitted by Harpy, Moderator (9130 posts) on February 25, 2005 - 4:29am. |
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Re: Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
I hope things change. It doesn't keep LGB folk out of the military, it just makes their lives miserable.
Go Britain. (Didn't Britain also recently OK same sex civil unions? They're on a roll...)
Out of the ARMY
Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
AHHHH!!! :woo: Are you kidding me??? **big smacking kiss for LesKidd** Thank you so much for this post...(How could I have missed this myself??) Please, everyone say a little prayer to your god for this to change........
Just a little story....
I had a friend try to kill himself two days ago, because he is gay, and he serves his country. It's so hard to support something with ALL you have (ie, possibly your life) that doesn't support you.... :praying:
Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
I find it so disgusting that there are gay and lesbian Americans out there risking their lives for their country (which George Bush wasn't prepared to do, incidentally - didn't he shirk military service?) - risking their lives so that people at home can sit around and talk about how much they hate them, and how much they'd like to institute discriminatory laws against them. Makes me SICK.
Frankly, I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to serve in the army - but if gay and lesbian Americans want to do that, then they should definitely be able to do it in the same open, honest way, and with the same respect, that their straight compatriots do.
It's just UNBELIEVABLE to me that there are people in Alabama, Texas etc (actually, there are probably people all over America) sitting at home thinking that gay and lesbian people are good enough to act as cannon fodder to protect *their* smug little lives - but not good enough to have equal rights when they come back, oh no.
DOES NO-ONE ELSE SEE THE RAGING INJUSTICE OF THIS???
If the army is finally (finally!) waking up to the deep stupidity of this, then I am only too happy.
And, in reference to the UK - yes, I believe the ban on gays in the military has been abolished here. It happened when one of the first openly gay MPs (Labour) was given the chance to experience an aspect of public service life - and said he wanted to serve in the army. They couldn't exactly say no to him, so they had to change the law.
And yes: we are going to have civil unions (BUT WHY NOT JUST MARRIAGE?) I sort of feel like 'civil unions' are one big step forward and one big step back at the same time. Because, on the one hand, it's great that gay couples can finally have some legal protections, acknowledgement, etc - but why does a separate system have to be in place???? This is still sending out the message of "your partnerships are not *quite* equal".
If someone said "look, marriage is about children, and should only be for people who have children", then I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with that - but the fact is, that hetero couples are allowed to get married whether they are planning to have children or not. Even if one or both of them was sterile, they could still get married. And as a matter of fact, some gay people have children from former straight relationships, whom they are still involved in parenting. Some gay people have adopted children. So where is the LOGIC in all this? It is not about children. It is about discrimination against same-sex couples.
OK, sorry, have veered slightly off topic....
[b:7f50839f2b]alainnmaggie[/b:7f50839f2b].... that is terrible about your friend. Please, please convey my sympathy to him - and tell him that his life is valuable and is worth living, no matter what the stupid bigots in this country think. Attitudes *will* eventually change.... even though it seems to take such a long time.
Lena Horne (black American singer) told a horrible story about how, when she gave concerts to the army in WW2, Nazi prisoners-of-war were sat at the front, while black American servicemen were made to stand at the back. (Understandably, she refused to give any more concerts after she saw that!!!)
So stupid discrimination has existed against different groups in every age.... we just have to stay strong and keep on fighting it. Tell your friend to stay strong and think of Lena!
Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
What wonderful things to say, [b:0186b4c1c8]siennasgirl[/b:0186b4c1c8]. I will definitely pass the message along to him...And, I assure you, you are not alone in the 'WTF?' camp...I cannot fathom waking everyday, working everyday, putting your life at risk everyday, to support an institution that doesn't do the same for you...that doesn't even see you as an equal human being. I just...ugh...I can't articulate what it is I'm trying to say.........It just warms my heart to know that are folks that believe discrimination of ANY kind is nauseating...at ALL times...not just when it's convenient...........Anyway, thanks, again, for your kind words......
Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
That's my pleasure :D . Am definitely praying for your friend (even though, I admit, I'm an atheist - I am still praying). I really hope he will come to feel better about things.
And I really hope they change this contemptible law SOON, to prevent other American citizens who are serving their country from being in your friend's position.
Don't Ask Don't Tell To Be Challenged
As LesKidd already pointed out...it was Clinton that signed that bill not Bush (altho Clinton got out of military service too, goes to show that schmucks come in all colors) Anyways, bad bill...cant go away fast enuff.