DON'T ASK, DON'T THINK
By Rev. Ted Pike
1 June 10
The Senate Armed Services Committee and the House of Representatives
have voted to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—forcing
open homosexuality in the military. Liberal lawmakers are pushing the
bill forward even though the Pentagon has not yet released its own
recommendations on the issue. Amendments in the House and Senate both
say the bill would not become law until after the Pentagon study is
issued; premature passage assumes the study will be favorable.
In a 2008 military poll, 58%
of active duty responders said they were against a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Based
on the poll, National Review estimates that up to 10%
of active duty forces would choose to quit the military if forced to
cohabit with open homosexuals. The leading House Democrat on military
policy himself unsuccessfully opposed the repeal.
He
said the law would create “disruption” while the military
is in the middle of two major conflicts—in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Merrill McPeak, Air Force chief in 1993 when the ban was passed, wrote
an op-ed for the New York Times urging
that it remain in place. He explains that under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” service
members are no longer asked whether they are homosexual; they no longer
have to lie. They simply have to remain quiet about it. “Seventeen
years ago, the chiefs — all four of us, plus the chairman and
vice chairman — concluded that allowing open homosexuality in
the ranks would probably damage the cohesiveness of our combat units.”
Repeal advocates focus on the rights and job performance of individual
homosexuals, says McPeak, but the military isn’t about the individual.
It is about group cohesion when facing deadly threats. The military
has a right to exclude open homosexuals whose lifestyles weaken the
warrior culture required for open combat.
McPeak also points out that the military has a special right to discriminate
against candidates. Overweight candidates are routinely ejected from
military training, and no one complains about the cost or damaged morale. “The
services exclude, without challenge, many categories of prospective
entrants. People cannot serve in uniform if they are too old or too
young, too fat or too thin, too tall or too short, disabled, not sufficiently
educated and so on. This, too, might be illegal in the civil sector.
So why should exclusion of gay people rise to the status of a civil-rights
issue, when denying entry to, say, unmarried individuals with sole
custody of dependents under 18, does not?” If weight, height
and education are substantive issue, then highly controversial and
morally objectionable sexual behavior is even more so.
Although it is increasingly not recognized as anything but fringe “homophobia,” many
religious service members believe homosexuality is a very serious sin
against God and man. Family Research Council says, “The courts
have consistently upheld the military's 1993 homosexual ban and affirmed
convincingly that the law is constitutional. Congress and the courts
have long acknowledged that the military has the responsibility to
focus on creating and preserving readiness. Military service is a privilege,
not a right, and anything that detracts from the ability of our service
personnel to fulfill their mission should be prohibited. The sexual
tension that would be introduced by forced cohabition with homosexuals
indisputably fits into that category.”
Please call your senators and ask them to vote against a repeal of “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell." The Senate will probably vote this week!
Call toll-free 877-851-6437.
Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative
watchdog organization.
TALK SHOW HOSTS: Interview Rev. Ted Pike on this subject.
Call (503) 631-3808.
The freedom-saving outreach of Rev. Ted Pike and the National Prayer
Network is solely supported by sale of books, videos and your financial
support. All gifts are tax-deductible.
National Prayer Network, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas,
OR 97015
