The don't ask don't tell policy

I believe that everyone that is physically capable of serving in the military should be allowed to do so without regards to their sexual orientation.

Not everyone is comfortable with openly talking about sexual issues whether they are straight, gay, bi or a transsexual, which means that you will always find people that are willing to talk openly about their preferences, which in of itself will cause problems in some situations whether it be for the individual or for the group.

How can you tell an individual that yes we need all the people that we can get to go fight for us, then turn around and tell that same individual that we do not need you due to who you like, regardless of what you can do to help the war effort? This only serves to belittle the individual that has signed on to do what he or she can for our country.

The individuals that are gay or bi who make the decision to join our military already know that there has to be discretion as to who to confide in when it comes to their sexuality given their own experiences and how comfortable they are in telling people about themselves, which means that they should be trusted enough to make the decision for themselves as to whether they come out while in the military.

Most people have come across individuals that have struggled with their decision due to what people may think of them.

Most people who don't want anything thing to do with the whole situation will site their religious beliefs. Here is one very specific question for those who site religious text as their reasoning:

Where the bible does use the term "lay with" with the meaning of having consensual sex and uses the term "get to know" with a meaning of rape, where specifically in the bible does it state that preferring to "lay with" the same gender constitutes an abomination?

opinion regarding military service in presidential politics

Given that President George W. Bush pushed military service to the forefront in the past two presidential elections it is something that is now a subject that people are going to look at. Unfortunately it is something to be used negatively due to George W. Bush since he belittled McCain’s years as a P.O.W. and then belittling Kerry’s swift boat record.

In my opinion, it should not be up to the general public to pass judgment on someone who actively served in the military. This judgment should be reserved to those who are serving, that have served and the immediate family of those serving and of those who have died.

The whole subject what brought into play eight years ago when a now sitting president who decided to use McCain’s status as a former P.O.W. against him calling into question where his loyalties lied since he was held captive and tortured. Then he used Kerry’s swift boat experience against him, saying that there was no way he could have gotten the amount of medals he did with such a short time in the military.

Those who have served should be ashamed of themselves if they come out against someone’s military service for the sole purpose of garnering support for the person going against him. If you are going to belittle someone’s service then belittle it solely on merit of service not for political posturing. If they are that intent on belittling their own then it should be an open field to play both ways and they should be dealt with in the same manner to see how it feels to have a peer belittle them for serving as they did.

In the end they need to act like adults who have commanded respect of others not as children who don’t know any better.

A Show of Support

I may not be able to join our soldiers on the battlefield.

I may not be able to lend direct support to our soldiers over on the battlefield.

But I can show support and solidarity to our soldiers and war veterans by keeping the principles and the ideals that this country was founded on in my heart.

I can show our soldiers and our war veterans that their efforts are not in vain, by doing my best to make sure that the principles and ideals that this country was founded on are kept alive and held in high regard even amidst oppression and tyranny that some people would have us tolerate and accept as the norm.
I may not be able to lead this country effectively but I can lead by example.

I can show support to my fellow countrymen and women by doing my personal best to live up to and to teach the principles and the ideals that were set fourth by the founding fathers of this country of ours. For if we forget where we came from, we forget who we are and what our country stands for.

I will when I can stand up and show my fellow countrymen and women that the principles and ideals set fourth by the founding fathers of our country were not set fourth in vain by giving everyone the respect that they deserve.

I will also honor the decisions and choices that everyone makes and will respectful in the way I present any criticism that I may have.