I came across an article with a disturbing title, “Cheney: Execute Terrorists If Cuba Prison Must Close”, published by the conservative-leaning online publication Newsmax.
In Kim Willenson’s collected oral history of Vietnam, the most interesting perspectives often come from the senior and junior military officers. Reading the warnings of Admiral James B. Stockdale on the importance of “moral leverage” would have been extremely useful for members of the Bush administration, especially those who knew the evidence of WMD was in short supply. 
The recent Israeli military incursion into Gaza has been correctly termed an “invasion”, as put by Congressman Ron Paul. It shows the world, once again, that the policy of preemptive or “preventive” war carries the day with Israel and its policies towards its neighbors. In reality, this is an extension of the U.S. foreign policy of intervention into the internal affairs of other nations, having taken its latest form in the past five years as preemptive war with the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Many staunch (i.e., blind) supporters of the state of Israel somehow believe that the latest military strategy will somehow work in staving off the threats of rockets being fired by members and supporters of Hamas.
This past weekend, I took my wife to see the film Valkyrie. Featuring Tom Cruise, Valkyrie is already ranked among the top five films of the season. Valkyrie details the plot of July 20, 1944 devised by German officers to assassinate Adolph Hitler. Cruise played the mastermind of the plot Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
I make no claim to have a depth of understanding of Hitler’s National Socialism and the details of the War effort. However, I was raised by a father who was a World War II veteran who was present on D-Day and both uncles served in the European theater during that great War.
The Los Angeles Times ran a stunning piece in this Sunday’s paper detailing the resignation of Lt. Col. Darrel J. Vandeveld, the man who was prosecuting nearly 1/3rd of the pending trials for suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. Vandeveld, a self described conformist, became disenchanted with “the system” set up in Cuba over issues relating to fairness and lack of due process for the very prisoners he was suppose to prosecute. He lays out accusations of intentional withholding of exculpatory evidence from defense attorneys by military officials, and even goes so far as to say he reached out to a defense attorney to ask “how do I get myself out of this office?”.
During debate over legislation that would have required President Barack Obama to begin bringing troops in Afghanistan home by the end of the year, which was overwhelmingly shot down, Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) explained to his colleagues the fiscal and constitutional case for ending military actions in the Graveyard of Empires:
The Air Force didn’t ask, she didn’t tell, but a 28 year-old Air Force Sergent was discharged anyway because she’s gay:
Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old’s honorable discharge under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to “out” service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.
“I played by ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” Newsome told The Associated Press by telephone.
“I just don’t agree with what the Rapid City police department did. … They violated a lot of internal policies on their end, and I feel like my privacy was violated.”
(…)
The Rapid City Police Department says Newsome, an aircraft armament system craftsman who spent nine years in the Air Force, was not cooperative when they showed up at her home in November with an arrest warrant for her partner, who was wanted on theft charges in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Newsome was at work at the base at the time and refused to immediately come home and assist the officers in finding her partner, whom she married in Iowa — where gay marriage is legal — in October.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has introduced legislation to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which prevents homosexuals from openly serving their country:
“To exclude one group of Americans from serving in the armed forces is contrary to our fundamental principles as outlined in the Declaration of Independence,” Lieberman recently said in a written statement.
It “weakens our defenses by denying our military the service of a large group of Americans who can help our cause.”
[…]
Sixty-nine percent of Americans believe openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military, according to a February 12-15 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Twenty-seven percent are opposed to such a change.In 1994, shortly after the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was implemented, 53 percent of Americans believed openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military, while 41 percent were opposed.
It’s clear the policy is outdated. This is one of the few times I’m asking Republicans to get behind Dick Cheney on a policy issue. Republicans should not stand in the way here. They should instead focus their time and energy on economic issues. The social crusades are not appealing to the generation of voters.
In addition to public support of a repeal of the policy, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan support a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
During his speech (and Q&A) at CPAC this morning. former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) was asked a question about “don’t ask, don’t tell” and gave this answer:
A self-identified “army wife” asked former senator Rick Santorum an open-ended question about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell — she wanted reform, but was full repeal really the best option? In pretty careful language, Santorum contrasted America’s policy on gays in the military with Israel’s — everyone served in the military in Israel, but Americans could choose whether to volunteer or not. The implication was that gays could just say no.
“Some people say: Whatever the generals say,” said Santorum. “I’m not so sure that we have now so indoctrinated the officer corps in this country that they can’t see straight to make the right decision.”
So, I guess former Vice President Dick Cheney has been indoctrinated since he is expressing support for a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
Such a ridiculous assertion from a potential contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2012.
As I await the Snowpocalypse to descend upon my small part of the Deep South, I come across this entry about a New York Times/CBS News poll that shows overwhelming support for repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The poll seemed innocent enough, asking participants a few questions about gays in the military and open service. In a test, those polling used different terminology for both halves of the respondents. One half were asked their opinion on permitting “gay men and lesbians” to serve, further asking about whether they should be allowed to serve openly, while the other half were asked were questioned about permitting “homosexuals” to serve, and whether that service should be allowed when they are open about their sexual orientation. The results are most certainly interesting:
The wording of the question proved to make a difference. Seven in 10 respondents said they favor allowing “gay men and lesbians” to serve in the military, including nearly 6 in 10 who said they should be allowed to serve openly. But support was somewhat lower among those who were asked about allowing “homosexuals” to serve, with 59 percent in favor, including 44 percent who support allowing them to serve openly.
Democrats in the poll seemed particularly swayed by the wording. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats said they support permitting gay men and lesbians to serve openly. Fewer Democrats however, just 43 percent, said they were in favor of allowing homosexuals to serve openly. Republicans and independents varied less between the two terms.
jason [at] unitedliberty [dot] org
brett [at] unitedliberty [dot] org
United Liberty
