So says writer Stephanie Gutmann, author of The Kinder, Gentler Military: How Political Correctness Affects Our Ability to Win Wars. In other words, the biased media produced predictable propaganda to pressure the repeal of DADT. Gutmann starts off with a powerful paragraph:
My award for schmaltziest lede of the year goes to the New York Times for kvelling in an editorial yesterday that “More than 14,000 soldiers lost their jobs and their dignity over the last 17 years because they were gay, but there will be no more victims of this injustice.” Can we have a little reality here, please?
She goes on to note:
A few years ago, Charles Moskos, the late military sociologist who drafted the DADT language, went back to study discharges under the policy. He found that about 80 percent were voluntary, meaning they had been initiated by the soldier.
In other words, a guy or girl had gone to his or her CO and said something to the effect of, “You know, I’m gay.” This earned the serviceperson an honorable discharge — and maybe a relatively painless end to what might have been an inconvenient service contract.
In a study a few months ago, the Pentagon affirmed Moskos’s research, finding that “approximately 85% of discharges for homosexual conduct have been made on the basis of statements by the Service member.” It also noted that “approximately one quarter of these discharges have occurred in the first four months of a Service member’s service,” which would seem to back up the notion that DADT was widely used as way to get out of contracts. (more. . .)
The Family Research Council is disgusted by the repeal of DADT:
When the Senate repealed 17 long years of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this weekend, they didn't do it because our service members demanded it. Or because America 's mission would be aided by it. They did it, because it endears them to one of the greatest sources of campaign dollars in America : the homosexual lobby. (read more)
FRC notes:
Other outlets, like the New York Times, waited until after the vote to do the real reporting. In a stunning article yesterday, the paper printed dozens of quotes from soldiers about how this change would affect their ability "to get the job done." Private Carias feels strongly that homosexuals "shouldn't be allowed to serve in front-line combat units."
The NY Times article is well worth reading. Why wasn't it published before the Senate voted on repealing DADT? Wait, don't tell me.
