To the editor:
Setting aside the issue of officially tolerating openly homosexual conduct and the negative effect it will have on small unit military combat cohesion, I cannot believe Maine’s two U.S. Senators represent the majority of Maine Citizens in their votes to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. Military. As the father of a Marine heading for Afghanistan in 2011, I have written to our two U.S. Senators to ask them to Reconsider their DATD vote based on the following and would hope other Maine citizens may join this appeal as a matter of priority:
• Given that we are at war, and especially under current economic conditions, we simply cannot afford the cost associated with accommodating declared homosexuals in the military at this time.
• To help guard against improper conduct, U.S. taxpayers have absorbed the cost of separating men and women, providing separate barracks, training facilities, housing, etc. To now be required to undertake the costs of separating men from men and women from women in the same manner would require a significant reallocation of funds at a time when funding is required to support ground operations in an effort to win the war in Afghanistan.
• If we’re going to win the war, we must use our resources wisely and not make the same mistakes as the Soviets, the Brits, and many others before us. Our primary weapons must include the cultural resources needed to help win the hearts and minds of the Afghanistan people. Open acceptance of homosexual conduct is particularly anathema to the military mandate for “cultural sensitivity” – especially in an Islamic environment. If we are not wise, the Taliban, who are waiting in the mountains, will swoop down and take over again once we’re gone. This effort requires vast financial resources which are already very limited.
• Now is not the time to be spending U.S. taxpayer money to accommodate declared homosexuals in the military; our troops need weapons, ammunition and strategic cultural resources to defeat the Taliban. We’ve had “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” for nearly two decades and it’s working well from an operational perspective. At best, we should wait until the 2014 withdrawal to address the DADT issue — after the life and death issue is off our troops in Afghanistan!
Having voted in the affirmative, Sen. Collins or Sen. Snowe could introduce a Motion to Reconsider — if there is parliamentary opportunity, and if one or both of them are convinced by our individual action that a Motion to Reconsider would represent a majority of Maine citizens.
If, on the other hand, the Congress and the Administration decide to bypass segregation in favor of “forced acceptance” of openly homosexual conduct in the U.S. Military, I expect Maine citizens would have greater cause for pause and concern.
Presque Isle
