Hey, GOP: The Pentagon Can Deal With These DADT Issues, Why Can’t You?

“Will they wear a rainbow flag on their uniform?”

Today the Pentagon released the full results of their report assessing how to implement the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Within the report come these verbatim quotes from military service members on what would happen if repeal were to take place.

If Secretary Gates says the time for repeal is now, and is urging the Senate to vote for repeal, why on earth won’t the GOP support our military leaders?

It should be noted that these fears and concerns, as Secretary Gates said in today’s press conference, are examples of ignorance and the military is fully prepared to address them. In fact, the report states, “the views voiced both for and against repeal … were not representative of the force as a whole. The Service members we heard from … were those individuals who felt strongly enough and motivated enough to give voice to their views.”

Stay tuned for the quotes in support of repeal!

1. “Tell him if he hits on me I will kick his – – -!”
2. “It will be difficult to relate to new members. You just can’t show them around. Can’t take them out to a bar. It is tough to relate on a one on one basis.”
3. “For me personally, it’s morally wrong and socially unacceptable.”
4. “The problem is dealing with people’s background or moral teachings and there are a percentage of Marines who have a religious basis for being against homosexuality, and you cannot ask or force people to go against something that have been taught.”
5. “…homosexuality is morally offensive. Like adultery, and drug use, I can not tolerate homosexuality. I will not work side by side with someone that is an adulterer, a drug addict, or a homosexual.”
6. “What would they [the DoD] do? Come out with a memo saying that the Bible, Koran, etc are wrong and that it is ok to be gay?”
7. “If the state favors the demands of the homosexual activists over the First Amendment, it is only a matter of time before the military censors the religious expression of its chaplains and marginalizes denominations that teach what the Bible says about homosexual behavior.”
8. “You don’t ask you don’t tell, you come to work and do your job. It is not broke so don’t fix it.”
9. “I think there are times and places for everything. This is not that time when we are in two wars and money is an issue.”
10. A Service member told us that repeal was being driven by a “handful” of people who want to “push their agenda of trying to change society’s moral standards.”
11. Some Service members were troubled by the potential for flamboyant behavior and questioned whether “pink boas” would be authorized with uniforms.
12. “There needs to be protection on both sides. People get drunk and it’s a whole other thing. There’s the possibility of beating up gays, but there’s also the possibility of a gay guy making advances.”
13. “I think homosexual sex leads to diseases. There’s always a chance to getting what someone has.”
14. “If you are in an infantry company in a fire fight, and you have an open homosexual who gets wounded, who is going to want to treat him for the fear of HIV and other stuff?”
15. “Blood transfusions in battle zones, when lives are on the line can become a stress point.”
16. “Allocation of resources is an issue. It’s a natural progression that benefits will be given to partners. It’s a financial stress on the system.”
17. “How far are we going to go with this whole gay thing? Am I supposed to celebrate gayness—do they get to wear a rainbow flag on their uniform? If that is the case, this uniform isn’t worth wearing.”
18. Many expressed the view that the military is “the last moral institution in American,” that repeal of the policy will destroy that, and that the military should not be used for “social experimentation.”
19. “I believe that the impact would be devastating to me, my family, my unit, the military, our country and the world!”
20. “People view the military as the last bastion of morals and what is good. If we break that down here, what does it boil down to? What’s left?”
21. “The military shouldn’t be a testing ground for social experiments.”

Again, if the Pentagon is comfortable addressing these issues, if the Pentagon believes these concerns can be dealt with easily, if Secretary Gates says time for repeal is now, and urges the Senate to vote for repeal, why on earth won’t the GOP support our military leaders?