Don't Ask Don't Tell...

On Wednesday, March 7, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called homosexuality “immoral” when giving an interview. He was speaking to a Tribune reporter about the Department of Defense’s “Don’t ask don’t tell” policy that prohibits officers from questioning people about their sexuality, basically allowing gays to serve in the military if they keep there sexuality private, and do not engage in homosexual acts. In the interview, Pace supported this policy, saying, "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts, I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by a saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way." He then proceeded to compare homosexuality to adultery. This comment sparked outrage in the gay community, but Pace refuses to apologize. He does, however, express “regret”. This article> descibes the situation well.

Media attention on Pace’s remark brought attention to the sharp reduction of dismissals of gays from the military this year. Only 612 people were dismissed; a low figure compared to 1,227 people in 2001. With the Iraq war underway, the military can’t spare its troops. It’s interesting how the number of people discharged decreases when the military needs soldiers. The gay community complains about the hypocrisy of the situation in this article.

Popular Presidential prospectives, Senator Hillary Clinton (NY) and Barack Obama (IL), were asked their view of gays, and “Don’t ask don’t tell” policy that former president Bill Clinton signed into law in 1993. Both candidates were very hesitant, and neither responded immediately, as descibed in this article. Both released statements that they do not believe homosexuality to be immoral. Hilary Clinton spoke out against the “Don’t ask don’t tell policy, while Obama criticized Pace for speaking about issues not related to the military. Clinton and Obama’s cautious responses are most likely because “A Gallup poll last May showed that 51 percent of Americans think homosexual relations are morally wrong, while 44 percent think they're acceptable.”