Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy

So this weekend, the Senate officially appealed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy. I guess this should technically be considered a victory for the LGBT community. After a back and forth struggle over whether it would turn our military forces into a bunch of weak fairies or not, the Democrats actually put up a fight and accomplished something for once. This is the second time DADT has been repealed, and hopefully it will stick. After seventeen years, non-heterosexual soldiers can once again serve openly.

I don’t necessarily care about this issue, as I dislike the military. I do however care about “freedom”; freedom for the average person such as myself, my family, and my friends. As I’ve aged however, my disdain has diminished. I have family members in the military who have served in other countries, including the Middle East, on multiple occasions. While I still don’t support our military policies, I cannot have the same passionate dislike as I did when I was younger, as I technically am personally invested in militaristic affairs.

The military needs all the enlistments it can get. It is a patriarchal, sexist system. They are hugely unpopular everywhere, and this may be a reason why our legislators pushed so hard in favor of a repeal. Allowing openly gay members will not change that. Having non-heterosexual forces will undoubtedly effect our standing in more conservative parts of the world, specifically the Middle East. On the flipside, studies on the successes and failures of DAD have been done and it will not decrease morale of our troops as has been commonly argued by opponents of the repeal.

Hearing John McCain in particular arguing against the repeal reaffirms the deceit and hypocrisy of politicians. He truly put his foot in his mouth while attempting to defend DADT.  Especially with a lame-duck session, lawmakers took off from their vacations to make this happen. He is already taking his vengeance by expressing to not vote for the START treaty, a ratification the U.S. made with Russia in order to reduce nuclear arms. He is making the repeal effort in conjunction with Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. This is a typical political power struggle.

The tides have turned in favor the younger generation. Regardless of my feelings on the military, I acknowledge that it is a relief for people who have a personal investment in the issue. Celebrate while the win is fresh. Liberal victories will be few and far between when the new Republican-dominated session starts.