‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

A general speaks his mind.

Gen. Peter Pace has done the country a favor, said Cynthia Tucker in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The nation's highest-ranking military officer found himself in hot water last week for saying that he considers homosexual behavior 'œimmoral,' and that he therefore supports preserving the 'œdon't ask, don't tell' policy, which allows gays to serve in the military only if they hide their sexuality. Pace's admission of his distaste for gays was, in a way, refreshing: He didn't bother with the usual military blather about how openly gay soldiers would undermine 'œdiscipline' or compromise 'œunit cohesion.' Instead, he said bluntly that he's against gays in the military because, well, he finds gays sinful. With the House now considering a bill to repeal 'œdon't ask, don't tell,' perhaps Pace's comments will finally lead to a 'œfrank discussion of the risks of allowing simple bigotry to dictate fitness for the armed forces.'

Does that include bigotry against Christians? said Debra Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle. For the record, I'm against 'œdon't ask, don't tell.' Since President Clinton introduced the policy in 1993, more than 10,000 valuable servicemen and women have been forced out—'œmost notably 322 linguists and 54 Arabic specialists'—just when we needed them most. But the men and women of our armed forces also 'œhave a right to their opinions.' The fact is that like many Americans, Gen. Pace was brought up in a religious tradition (Catholicism) that believes homosexuality is immoral. If someone asks him for his views on the subject, must he lie or fall into a shamed silence? If so, then what we have is a 'œde facto 'don't ask, don't tell' policy—but for traditional Catholics.'

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