Gates eases "don't ask, don't tell"

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced today that the Pentagon will begin to faze-out the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which currently prohibits homosexuals from serving openly in the military. One of the ways the Pentagon will do this is by raising the threshold for the level of information necessary to launch a "credible inquiry" into alleged homosexual behavior. This change, which will take effect in 30 days, is supported by President Obama, who has in the past expressed his disapproval of the 17 year old "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Other senior members of the military, however, feel that the alleviation of this policy may negatively affect morale and cohesiveness in the armed forces. Said Gates, "These changes reflect some of the insights we have gained over 17 years of implementing the current law, including the need for consistency, oversight, and clear standards." It's about time that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was eased, as I feel that anyone should be able to join the military, regardless of sexual orientation. While I could see it becoming a distraction at first, as some of the senior officials claim, our soldiers will get used to it soon enough. This goes along well with the civil rights chapter that we just finished, as the fazing-out of this policy marks a key step in the fight for homosexuals' rights, just as Truman's executive order to desegregate the military was a milestone in African Americans' rights. Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/25/military.gays/index.html?hpt=Sbin.