Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Care

I can hear the uproar now just from the title, but I ask you to read further before passing judgment. I’m sure that I will lose several fans as a result of this article and I’m ok with that, but honestly what I am about to say has to be said.

Many have probably heard, it appears the vote to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy for the U.S. Armed Forces is all but dead in the Senate. For those who are unsure of (DADT), there is a federal mandate (10 U.S.C § 654) that pretty much bars any individual who is or has the intent in participating in homosexual acts from serving in the military. However, under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) which was passed in 1993; the “Don’t Ask” basically states that the military cannot initiate investigations into the acts of active duty personnel based on a hunch or personal reason, However, if they discover credible evidence then an investigation may be initiated which could result in the dismissal of involved parties. Under the “Don’t Tell” portion, military personnel are not required to reveal their sexual preference while actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, thus restricting members of the LGBT community to the closet while serving. It’s basically another hypocritical policy that our U.S. Military has put in place to mask the insecurities and prejudice of many of the full bird, higher ranking officers, but that’s another story for another time.

Is the policy discriminatory? Yes. Is it right for individuals to serve in hiding? For me it’s a personal opinion, but one that each individual that aims to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces has to make. Regardless if it’s right or wrong, since this is one of the few countries that does not require its citizens to serve in the military; it’s hard to make the point that individual Constitutional Rights are being violated. Even the law states there is no constitutional requirement to serve in the military. Even though I thank my family, my friends and the millions of people I don’t know for putting their lives on the line to protect our Constitutional Freedoms, to serve in the military is not only a honor, but it’s pretty much a fraternity of sorts. If you want to be part of the membership, one has to abide by the bylaws until those bylaws can be changed. Again it’s difficult to say that someone’s right is being violated; I like to say that their privileges are being limited.

I know the LGBT supporters are about to go in on me and please do not think I am against you because I’m not. I love all people regardless of sex, creed, religion, race, etc, however the issue boils down to who a person chooses to sleep with in the comfort of their own dwellings. This is why I am lukewarm to the topic of Gay rights and pretty much lash out at supporters on both sides of the argument.

Let’s make this known now, if the LGBT community wants to get married, then by all means let them marry. Secondly, I have no issues with the LGBT community wanting to be parents and or wanting the fallacies of homosexuality to be eliminated from Sex Education curriculum. Again this topic boils down to who a person chooses to sleep with in the comfort and privacy of their own home. The reason I really don’t care at this moment about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or any gay rights is due to the fact that there are more pressing matters that are of greater concern.

Right now, we as a country are going to hell in a hand basket. The U.S. Educational System is at its worst; poverty is on the rise; innovation has been replaced with complacency; household debt is at insurmountable levels; we no longer have a dominant position in any industry with the exception of fast food; obesity is rampant; healthcare is extremely expensive compared to our third world counterparts…shall I continue?

For me, politicians and constituents need to focus on these factors first. Outside of the military community, the LGBT’s Constitutional rights are well protected even at the expense of heterosexual partners’ rights. By that I’m saying that members of the LGBT community can obtain certain benefits for their partnership that heterosexual partners can not receive unless they choose to marry. If they don’t they are pretty much assed out…but I digress.

Another reason I truly don’t care about this ensuing debate at this particular moment is due to the fact that I’m amazed at how vehemently the LGBT community will fight for their right to be accepted, but will not share that same zest for their rights that are being denied because of their race, religion or sex. For example, Equal Pay for Equal Work; According the Census information released on September 16, 2010, women still earn on average 77% of what their male counterparts earn for doing the exact same job [Source: National Committee on Pay Equity, http://www.pay-equity.org/]. When we break down the statistics among race, the gap is even more significant.

Next let’s look at the inequality of lending practices based on not only race, but socio-economic class. The most recent mortgage crisis has shown again minorities and individuals in the Lower to Middle class have been subject to interest rate, loan issuance and investment manipulation at despairingly high rate. For example, in the State of California, Latino homeowners have experienced foreclosure at a rate of 2.3 times that of Non-Hispanic Caucasian borrowers [Source: San Diego Union Tribune, Business section, August 17, 2010]. Here’s another example, according to the Center of Responsible Lending, during the span of 2007-2008 whites made up over 56% of the 2.5 million homes that went into foreclosure during that time, however that only equaled 4.5% of white homeowners. However, Blacks and Latinos experienced foreclosure rates equivalent to 7.9% and 7.7% respectively, meaning that homeowners in this classification had more than a 70% chance of losing their home than their white counterparts [Source: Washington Post, Post Business, June 19, 2010].

One last example, in a recent survey pertaining to STEM subjects (i.e. Science and Math) the average 15 year old in the U.S. rank 21st in Math and 25th in Science compared to their counterparts in other countries. This even drew a response from President Barack Obama on September 16, 2010. How is it we spend the most on education than many of our counterparts yet we rank so far behind them?

I would like to ask the LGBT community and those who oppose the LGBT community regarding the Gay Rights debate…where are the parades, the rallies, the massive movements to fix these issues? Where are the angry rants screaming from the mountaintops for Government and School Board appropriation audits to find out where all the money has gone and why our school children are suffering at the hands of a subpar education?

Where are all the women rallying the troops to march on Washington demanding the wage gap in the United States close instead of accepting moral victories based on younger Women making more than their male counterparts because younger women are electing to go to college whereas younger men are electing other options?

Where are the Blacks and Latinos at yelling at their Civil Rights organizations demanding a fair lending playing field that was awarded to all under the Truth In Lending Act of 1968, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and every addendum since?

You say Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is important and I say Don’t Care. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell affects those who choose to become a member of a fraternal organization, but what will our military protect if we allow the lifeblood of our Country is destroyed. Even for the LGBT community these issues are more pressing than DADT.

Ponder that for a moment

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