DADT

I've been silent on gay issues. This is not because I've not thought about 'em, or because I don't care... it's just that gay issues aren't foremost in my mind most of the time.

Full disclosure: I'm an amateur singer/actor. Surprise, surprise: the theater is infested with gays! I long ago accepted this... and reached the conclusion that it doesn't matter. I'd bet that some of my fellow performers have guessed that I'm gay - till I hosted a party & they met my wife!

Back when I was gainfully employed, I worked with many openly gay co-workers. Know what? - They were neither more nor less competent than my straight co-workers! My bet is that I worked with not-so-openly gay folks, too - somehow, sexual orientation just never arose as a relevant issue!

When, however, the military's DADT policy in fact IMPEDES military readiness, then something is clearly wrong. The most recent example is U.S. Army Lt. Dan Choi, who 'came out' on Rachel Maddow's show a few weeks ago... and recently received a letter stating that his confession amounted to 'homosexual conduct' which will result in his release from the military under less-than-honorable circumstances. Lt. Choi is an Army Nat'l Guard member, a graduate of West Point, an Arabic linguist, and a veteran of the Iraq conflict. What is it that makes him unfit to serve? He's gay. That's it.

This is ludicrous.

p.s. I note in passing that the GOP - the party that claims to represent limited government and individual liberties - has a really hard time dealing with gays. They're all for limited government, but they want the government to police the bedroom. They're all for individual liberties... well, except when it comes to the sexual behavior of consenting adults.