Captain’s Quarters uses the occasion of an NYTimes article to vouch once again, as he is wont to do, for allowing gays to serve in the military. I stole his good headline because I agree with him. He has some good arguments, and his host of commenters hash out the cons. Captain Ed’s take…
"In fact, gays serve openly in the military now; they do it in Britain. American and British troops have served together in Afghanistan and Iraq without this causing damage to morale and cohesion. They also serve openly in the IDF, one of the finest fighting forces in the world, although their leadership could use a refresher course after Lebanon. Both armies work jointly with American forces, and 22 other nations also allow gays and lesbians to serve without hiding themselves."
I’ve always thought discriminating against them in this way was absurd. I remember my career Air Force father’s reasoning was that they were security risks, because they could be coerced with threats of exposing them. That made sense in the universal closet days, but hardly does now.
UPDATE 11/21: "The (Israeli) High Court ruled that same-sex marriages registered abroad must be listed in the Interior Ministry registry – a step short of full recognition. MK Gafni: ‘Sodom & Gomorra also had High Courts.’" Not nearly the legalized gay marriages some reports already have it, but a step in the direction thereof.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 