[Vision2020] Fwd: Admiral Says Military Gay Ban is "Odious"
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Sun, 24 Aug 2003 11:36:45 -0700
<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV>
<P>. . . and for people on Vision2020 to think you don't have a sense of humor. Can I be your agent?</P>
<P>Donovan J Arnold<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>From: "Tom Hansen" <THANSEN@MOSCOW.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: <THANSEN@MOSCOW.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>To: "Donovan Arnold" <DONOVANARNOLD@HOTMAIL.COM>, <TOMH@UIDAHO.EDU>, <MGHUSKEY@HOTMAIL.COM>, <VISION2020@MOSCOW.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fwd: Admiral Says Military Gay Ban is "Odious"
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 11:00:17 -0700
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Mr. Arnold -
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>I am not (and never have been) a supporter of "polls". There are far too
<DIV></DIV>>many variables that must be taken into consideration to properly "weigh" a
<DIV></DIV>>poll. For instance (purely fictional), there is a poll that reflects that
<DIV></DIV>>one out of every five males is gay. Think of four of your closest male
<DIV></DIV>>friends. If they are not gay, than you must be gay.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>When a commanding officer signs off on an administrative discharge of a
<DIV></DIV>>soldier under his/her command, he/she is not signing simply because the
<DIV></DIV>>majority of the soldiers in his/her command feel that soldier should be
<DIV></DIV>>discharged. The commanding officer has absolute final approval/disapproval
<DIV></DIV>>authority of all actions within his/her command. It is a matter of that
<DIV></DIV>>commander's discretion and reflects on that officer's concept of "command".
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Here is another poll - Psychiatrists have proven that mental disorders occur
<DIV></DIV>>every 15 seconds. This means that 14 people are walking around Moscow
<DIV></DIV>>saying, "Thank God for Donovan Arnold."
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Take care,
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Tom Hansen
<DIV></DIV>>Moscow, Idaho
<DIV></DIV>> -----Original Message-----
<DIV></DIV>> From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On
<DIV></DIV>>Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
<DIV></DIV>> Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 7:56 PM
<DIV></DIV>> To: tomh@uidaho.edu; mghuskey@hotmail.com; vision2020@moscow.com
<DIV></DIV>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fwd: Admiral Says Military Gay Ban is "Odious"
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> Mr. Hansen,
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> I disagree with your statement that Top Level Brass discriminate at the
<DIV></DIV>>same levels as enlisted members. Polls consistently show the majority of
<DIV></DIV>>enlisted men oppose gays in the military. Of course it is top level brass
<DIV></DIV>>that dismiss the gay individuals from the military, Privates don't have that
<DIV></DIV>>authority. Nor am I saying that all top brass are for gays in the military,
<DIV></DIV>>nor am I saying that ALL lower ranks are against the idea of allowing gays
<DIV></DIV>>in the military, I am talking about the majority.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> I never claimed to be an expert on the British policy but I know little
<DIV></DIV>>bit how it works. They have a "don't ask don't misbehave policy". They don't
<DIV></DIV>>ask people if they are gay when they enter BUT they are not allowed to
<DIV></DIV>>misbehavior toward others. Essentially what it means is if someone that it
<DIV></DIV>>gay doesn't sexually harass other members they are fine.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> >Donovan J Arnold
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> Mr. Arnold -
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >True. The "Don't ask. Don't tell." policy in the military was founded for
<DIV></DIV>> >political reasons, but NOT " . . . because of the huge amount of
<DIV></DIV>>homophobia
<DIV></DIV>> >on the lower levels of the enlisted." This homophobia goes alot higher.
<DIV></DIV>> >Many many homosexuals were administratively discharged by officers in
<DIV></DIV>> >command positions much higher than " . . . mid level brass". Alot of
<DIV></DIV>>these
<DIV></DIV>> >discharges resulted in "wrongful discharge" lawsuits. In order to reduce
<DIV></DIV>> >the number of lawsuits (and to protect the "integrity" of high ranking
<DIV></DIV>> >commanders) "Don't ask. Don't tell" was created.
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >Since you appear to be knowledgeable in European military policies
<DIV></DIV>> >concerning gays in the military, could you please explain the British
<DIV></DIV>> >policy?
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >Tom Hansen
<DIV></DIV>> >Moscow, Idaho
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >-----Original Message-----
<DIV></DIV>> >From: Donovan Arnold [mailto:donovanarnold@hotmail.com]
<DIV></DIV>> >Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 3:19 PM
<DIV></DIV>> >To: mghuskey@hotmail.com; vision2020@moscow.com
<DIV></DIV>> >Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fwd: Admiral Says Military Gay Ban is "Odious"
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >Much of the Military top brass opposes the "Don't ask don't Tell" policy.
<DIV></DIV>>It
<DIV></DIV>> >is a bad policy that is only supported by politicians and mid level brass
<DIV></DIV>> >because of the huge amount of homophobia on the lower levels of the
<DIV></DIV>> >enlisted. General Wesley Clark is also for changing the policy to match
<DIV></DIV>>that
<DIV></DIV>> >of the British, Australians, and other European nations. The British
<DIV></DIV>> >military works just fine.
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> >Donovan J Arnold
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> > >From: "Melynda Huskey"
<DIV></DIV>> > >To: vision2020@moscow.com
<DIV></DIV>> > >Subject: [Vision2020] Fwd: Admiral Says Military Gay Ban is "Odious"
<DIV></DIV>> > >Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 10:08:13 -0700
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >By a pleasing coincidence, this message just crossed my desk . . .
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Melynda Huskey
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Contact:
<DIV></DIV>> > >Aaron Belkin, Director
<DIV></DIV>> > >Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military
<DIV></DIV>> > >University of California, Santa Barbara
<DIV></DIV>> > >805-893-5664
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >SENIOR ADMIRAL SAYS LIFTING GAY BAN WOULD STRENGTHEN MILITARY
<DIV></DIV>> > >Former Navy JAG Calls 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' "Odious"
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >SANTA BARBARA, CA, August 21, 2003 - The retired Judge Advocate
<DIV></DIV>> > >General
<DIV></DIV>> > >(JAG) for the Navy, Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, has called for the
<DIV></DIV>> > >end of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly
<DIV></DIV>> > >gay soldiers from service. In an article published this month in
<DIV></DIV>> > >the National Law Journal Admiral Hutson called the gay ban
<DIV></DIV>> > >"virtually unworkable in the military." The article argues that the
<DIV></DIV>> > >policy is the "quintessential example of a bad compromise," and that
<DIV></DIV>> > >the "don't ask,
<DIV></DIV>> > >don't tell" regulations are a "charade" that "demeans the military
<DIV></DIV>> > >as an honorable institution."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson, who retired in 2000, now lives with his wife in New
<DIV></DIV>> > >Hampshire, where he serves as dean and president of the Franklin
<DIV></DIV>> > >Pierce Law Center. As JAG, Hutson was the senior uniformed attorney
<DIV></DIV>> > >in the Department of the Navy. His job was to oversee all legal
<DIV></DIV>> > >issues in the Navy, supervise the 750 lawyers in the JAG Corps who
<DIV></DIV>> > >serve around the world, and provide legal counsel to top commanders,
<DIV></DIV>> > >including the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval
<DIV></DIV>> > >Operations.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >In an interview this week with the Center for the Study of Sexual
<DIV></DIV>> > >Minorities in the Military, University of California, Santa Barbara,
<DIV></DIV>> > >he said he initially supported the policy, concluding that "a
<DIV></DIV>> > >satisfactory resolution was impossible then." Since it was hammered
<DIV></DIV>> > >out in 1993, however, much has changed. "At that time," he said,
<DIV></DIV>> > >"we thought the sky could fall. To completely overturn the policy
<DIV></DIV>> > >ran the risk of undermining our ability to complete our mission."
<DIV></DIV>> > >But with the benefit of over a decade of experience with the policy,
<DIV></DIV>> > >and with what he called a "somewhat more enlightened population,
<DIV></DIV>> > >particularly among younger people," he now believes it's time to end
<DIV></DIV>> > >the ban. "That was then and
<DIV></DIV>> > >this is now," he said. "I am now convinced, as I was not then, that
<DIV></DIV>> > >the military could survive" lifting the ban entirely.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >When the policy was adopted, he explained, "I don't think any of us
<DIV></DIV>> > >thought it was going to be permanent. Nobody liked it. So then the
<DIV></DIV>> > >question became how long? Is it going to be a generation? Fifty
<DIV></DIV>> > >years? I think enough things have happened in the country, and then
<DIV></DIV>> > >on top of it all, you've got the Supreme Court overturning the
<DIV></DIV>> > >[sodomy] statute, that it just became time to reconsider."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson was a Navy Captain in the office of the JAG in 1993
<DIV></DIV>> > >when the current gay ban was formulated, serving as the JAG's
<DIV></DIV>> > >executive assistant. In 1997, he became the JAG himself, and it
<DIV></DIV>> > >fell to him to enforce the policy. Since retiring from the Navy in
<DIV></DIV>> > >2000, he has gained "a somewhat different perspective, and I think a
<DIV></DIV>> > >richer one." He now perceives "a very low level of support for the
<DIV></DIV>> > >policy." He advocates ending the ban because he recognizes "that
<DIV></DIV>> > >the American public is more ready for this and is not crazy about
<DIV></DIV>> > >the policy."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Defenders of the ban have long argued that allowing gays to serve
<DIV></DIV>> > >openly would impair unit cohesion and undermine military readiness.
<DIV></DIV>> > >But a growing number of observers now argue that the ban itself, not
<DIV></DIV>> > >the presence of gays, may threaten morale, cohesion and performance.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Last year, the policy faced a barrage of criticism when Americans
<DIV></DIV>> > >learned that nearly two dozen Army linguists, many specialists in
<DIV></DIV>> > >Arabic, were discharged under "don't ask, don't tell."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson said that ending the ban could help strengthen the
<DIV></DIV>> > >military. "Eliminating the policy on balance now would serve a
<DIV></DIV>> > >greater good and in many respects would foster cohesion. Unburdened
<DIV></DIV>> > >by
<DIV></DIV>> > >this odious policy, the Department of Defense might come out
<DIV></DIV>> > >stronger, and more able to defend the country." He explained this
<DIV></DIV>> > >was not only because more people could join or remain in the
<DIV></DIV>> > >service, but
<DIV></DIV>> > >because the public's support of the military could increase. "There
<DIV></DIV>> > >is right now what I perceive to be this blemish on [the armed
<DIV></DIV>> > >forces], and it ought to be removed. And if it is removed,
<DIV></DIV>> > >ultimately the military would feel better about itself and it would
<DIV></DIV>> > >be held in even higher regard by removing this fundamental
<DIV></DIV>> > >unfairness for a fairly significant population in the country."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Since Congress made the gay ban a federal statute, the Pentagon
<DIV></DIV>> > >cannot overturn the policy without Congressional action. But
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson said that, although Congress would need to act to
<DIV></DIV>> > >repeal the ban, the Department of Defense could take the lead and
<DIV></DIV>> > >use its influence to reverse the policy. "The way things tend to
<DIV></DIV>> > >work inside the beltway," he said, "if the Department of Defense put
<DIV></DIV>> > >up enough of a squawk, Congress would not stand in the way." He
<DIV></DIV>> > >said the Pentagon could initiate studies, interview soldiers, and
<DIV></DIV>> > >call on the legislature to reconsider the law. "At some point,
<DIV></DIV>> > >obviously it needs to see the light of day."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson was prompted to write the article in the National Law
<DIV></DIV>> > >Journal after the Supreme Court overturned state sodomy laws early
<DIV></DIV>> > >this summer. While that decision did not immediately end military
<DIV></DIV>> > >regulations banning sodomy and prohibiting openly gay soldiers,
<DIV></DIV>> > >legal challenges are underway using the High Court's recent decision
<DIV></DIV>> > >as a new precedent. Dean Hutson argues that the American public has
<DIV></DIV>> > >"moved far enough along" for it to accept openly gay soldiers, an
<DIV></DIV>> > >assertion that is born out by several polls both within and outside
<DIV></DIV>> > >the military.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Nathaniel Frank, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Study
<DIV></DIV>> > >of Sexual Minorities in the Military, said Admiral Hutson is the
<DIV></DIV>> > >most eminent military officer to call unambiguously for the lifting
<DIV></DIV>> > >of the
<DIV></DIV>> > >gay ban. "As the former JAG of the Navy," Dr. Frank said, "Hutson's
<DIV></DIV>> > >comments warrant special attention." The Santa Barbara Center has
<DIV></DIV>> > >published studies on the Israeli, British, Australian and Canadian
<DIV></DIV>> > >militaries since they lifted their gay bans, which conclude that
<DIV></DIV>> > >allowing gays to serve openly does not undermine military readiness.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Admiral Hutson fears that the U.S. military is "falling further and
<DIV></DIV>> > >further behind" the American public. "This is what's discouraging
<DIV></DIV>> > >to me" he said. "I don't want an institution for which I have great
<DIV></DIV>> > >affection to be antiquated in its ideas. The military is better
<DIV></DIV>> > >than that."
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >###
<DIV></DIV>> > >The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military is an
<DIV></DIV>> > >official research unit of the University of California, Santa
<DIV></DIV>> > >Barbara. The Center is governed by a distinguished board of
<DIV></DIV>> > >advisors including the Honorable Lawrence J. Korb of the Council on
<DIV></DIV>> > >Foreign Relations, Honorable Coit Blacker of Stanford University and
<DIV></DIV>> > >Professor Janet Halley of Harvard Law School. Its mission is to
<DIV></DIV>> > >promote the study of gays, lesbians, and other sexual minorities in
<DIV></DIV>> > >the armed forces. More information is available at
<DIV></DIV>> > >www.gaymilitary.ucsb.edu.
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >
<DIV></DIV>> > >Go, said the bird, for the leaves were full of children,
<DIV></DIV>> > >Hidden excitedly, containing laughter.
<DIV></DIV>> > >Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
<DIV></DIV>> > >Cannot bear very much reality.
<DIV></DIV>> > >Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot
<DIV></DIV>> > >
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