EDITORIAL – Top general preaches intolerance

The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came under fire this week after Marine Gen…. The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came under fire this week after Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, referred to homosexuality as an immoral act that should not be condoned in the military.

In an interview with The Chicago Tribune that was published on Monday, Pace was questioned about his opinion of the military’s current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which allows gay men and lesbians to serve if they keep their sexual orientation private and refrain from engaging in homosexual acts.

His response was, “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 saying through our policies that it’s OK to be immoral in any way.”

Pace’s comments have quickly come under attack from Democrats in Congress, who have recently renewed a push to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Many Republicans – while standing by the military’s official policy – have spoken out against Pace as well.

Following the fallout from his remarks, Pace issued the statement, “I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views,” a far cry from an apology for his behavior.

Pace’s decision to express his personal beliefs was clearly out of line. As an official of the military, it is his position to govern policy, not to publicly express his opinions of that policy. With that said, while Pace has no authority to shape public policy, his words do have political impact. Pace governs thousands of gays and lesbians serving in the military, whom he has now alienated and insulted.

There are an estimated 65,000 homosexuals currently in the military, three times the current troop surge in Iraq. Of these 65,000 troops, many serve as medical workers, linguists and intelligence experts. Pace’s remarks imply that these servicemen and women, a valuable and patriotic group of individuals who have made the difficult decision to join the military despite its current policy against homosexuality, are disposable.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is a broken policy that only reflects the intolerance of our government. One of the chief arguments of those against gays serving in the military was that it would encourage sexual encounters between troops. But with thousands of women serving alongside men in the military, this argument hardly makes sense.

Since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was passed in 1993 as a compromise between those adamantly for and against allowing homosexuals in the military, more than 10,870 military personnel, including 50 specialists in Arabic, have been discharged under the policy, according to a Washington Post report.

In a time of war, it is absurd that our military is dismissing servicemen purely on the basis of sexual orientation. If national security is the number one priority for our administration, how can it rationalize the firing of tens of thousands of servicemen and women, including those who specialize in Arabic, who are equipped for and dedicated to fighting for our country?

By forcing homosexuals in the military to stay silent, our government is saying that being gay makes a person less able to fight for our country, a policy that would be grounds for a lawsuit against any American corporation. By standing by “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Gen. Pace and the Bush administration are disrespecting the thousands of homosexuals in our military who are bravely and patriotically serving for our country.