The Badger Herald: Opinion: Nobel or not, Obama hypocritical on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Opinion

Nobel or not, Obama hypocritical on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

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By Dan Rose
Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:44 p.m.

9 Vote 0 Votes

Sadly, in this country, there remains a counterintuitive school of thought among certain groups of people that sexual orientation somehow affects a person’s merit, liberty and right to the same freedoms guaranteed to all people. This thinking is destructive, backward and completely contradictory to what America once stood for. Ye, the saddest truth of all is when this type of thinking is passively endorsed by the elected officials who represent us.

During Barack Obama’s address to those in attendance at the Annual Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner, he promised, again, that he will end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Here’s a quick summary of DADT for those currently residing underneath geological formations: DADT essentially states that it is illegal for anyone who raises suspicion of being homosexual to serve in the U.S. armed forces. Meanwhile, members of the U.S. military will not ask or attempt to extirpate knowledge regarding a person’s sexuality.

Basically, you can be gay and serve in the military, as long as you don’t display this fact.

However, the really troubling aspect of DADT stems from the idiotic bigotry used to justify its existence. Within the law, it states that any openly gay person within the military would “create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline” essential for military capability.

And thus the underlying bigotry of American society is brought to the surface. Anyone who could possibly consider a gay person, military or otherwise, some sort of risk to American standards of “morale, order and decency” is out of their mind. The fact that this policy has existed since 1993 without complete public disgust is beyond comprehension.

In America, we claim to live by the virtue of “All men are created equal” and, at the risk of sounding cliché, if a policy as blatantly discriminatory as DADT exists, that’s complete bullshit. The policy makes it very clear exactly how the American government and military view gay people: as dangerous second-class citizens. To some extent they are correct; groups of people who embrace their identity have proven to be dangerous in the past: It’s still a shame all of our fire hoses, beatings and guns weren’t able to that stop that highly un-American civil rights movement back in the ’60s.

Currently, among United States Security Council countries, France and Britain allow homosexuals to serve openly within their militaries, while the United States, China and Russia do not. On the plus side, it’s always good to know that America is in the top three.

Yet, the most enraging aspect of DADT brings us back to what Obama said at the Human Rights Campaign dinner. He promised again to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, but he still has yet to do anything. Disturbingly, I am painfully reminded of how DADT was started in the first place; it was a “compromise” Bill Clinton made when he realized that he would be unable to complete a campaign promise.

In fact, the White House decided in July it was a good idea to pressure Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Florida, into withdrawing an amendment which would have essentially killed DADT. At this point, the question must be raised as to whether or not Obama and the White House actually plan to stand up for the rights of the homosexual community. To say the least, it is scary that passively supporting discrimination within your country’s military doesn’t compromise someone’s eligibility for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Obama and the executive branch have the power to end this policy; they are simply too spineless to act. The University of California at Santa Barbara even outlined the action necessary in order to end DADT in their recent paper, appropriately enough titled “How to End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, is currently working with other members of Congress to craft the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. Assuming key provisions of this bill aren’t lost in concessions made by the campaign funding-obsessed Congress, the act would repeal DADT, as well as allow the nearly 13,000 military personnel ejected from the military for their sexual orientation to re-enlist.

Hopefully, Congress, and maybe even our counterintuitively honored president, will make no concessions in repealing DADT. Regardless, two things are for sure: There are no legitimate concessions in the search for equality and a person’s race, creed, gender or sexual orientation should never change the freedoms granted to that person.

Dan Rose (drose2@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in journalism.

9 Comments | Leave a comment

Anonymous | October 16, 2009 10:14 AM | Reply
IP hash: 34f51f46

Do you walk around telling everyone you’re straight? Hi, I’m Dan, I’m straight, what’s your name?

Anonymous replied to comment from Anonymous | October 16, 2009 10:25 AM | Reply
IP hash: 8ef9f881

Are you black? This is UW, so let’s assume no. In spite of this, do you think lynching darkies is wrong? Let’s hope so.

Wild guess: that’s where he’s coming from, too.

Anonymous replied to comment from Anonymous | October 16, 2009 1:09 PM | Reply
IP hash: 34f51f46

I don’t understand your point, but I don’t declare my stance on lynching to everyone I meet either.

Anonymous | October 16, 2009 4:46 PM | Reply
IP hash: 605b345a

The reason that Obama is not actively seeking don’t ask don’t tell right now is because of his focus on health care. The issue of health care takes priority over don’t ask don’t tell. Also, Obama doesn’t want another media firestorm over this like their was with health care when fear mongers tried to convince people that Obama’s plan was socialist, even though it wasn’t. Obama will address don’t ask don’t tell, but not at a time when health care is the priority, which it should be.

Anonymous replied to comment from Anonymous | October 16, 2009 7:02 PM | Reply
IP hash: 4f5127f1

I would agree with you to a certain extent, and I would definitely like something to change regarding healthcare, but the fact of the matter is his administration is failing to take a strong stance on healthcare either. The media firestorm is an important factor as well, but the scope of the herald’s 600-800 word articles is too small to accurately discuss that. Regardless, the killing of Hasting’s amendment was ridiculous, and there is not reason the government not to do something about DADT.

Anonymous replied to comment from Anonymous | October 18, 2009 2:04 PM | Reply
IP hash: 9e19b45d

agree with 4:46… also remember that a change in the policy will require congressional action. Congress is preoccupied with health care right now as well. Not to mention the President doesn’t set the agenda for congress. He can ask that they make something a priority but they don’t have to listen. Most of all however I’m personally tired of people that are like Obama promised this or that and he hasn’t done shit. Seriously the guy hasn’t even served one year of a four year term. Do you expect him to do everything he promised in the first week. Especially things that require legislation which the President can’t write and enact on his own. Get real and Get patient, Obama will address DADT when it makes the most sense and when the legislature is ready to tackle it.