Tag Archives: Political Commentary

March 28, 2009 · 12:07

The Practical Side of Gays in the Military

Note:  This is not a political or social screed.  I am not advocating immediate changes in law. this is really how I have seen military culture evolving over the 27 plus years of my career. These patently are simply my observations and have both a bit of seriousness as well as humor.  I am most definitely a dyed in the wool heterosexual, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I think that someone without a political axe to grind on either the gay rights or anti-gay rights movement who is in the military have to have a say.  I know that I could be wading into Vietnam here but here I go….

When I enlisted in August of 1981, gays were not allowed to serve in the military.  It was even on the recruiting form. Applicants were asked under the penalty of making a false official statement “Are you a homosexual?”  Who can forget the scene in Stripes where Bill Murray and Harold Ramis are asked by the Army recruiter “Are either of you homosexual?” Their reply was a hoot.  They looked at each other and Bill Murray replied “you mean like flaming or…” The recruiter then said “It’s a standard question we have to ask.” Harold Ramis then quipped “We’re not homosexual, but we’re willing to learn.” Bill Murray adding “Would they send us to someplace special?”  The recruiter then ends the exchange  “I guess that’s a no on both.”  It was a hilarious scene as we all had to answer the question.

Plain and simple if a person lied about being homosexual and was later discovered he was in deep dung, even an accusation of being gay could result in being charged under the UCMJ or at the very least investigated.  Soldiers could be taken to Article 15 proceedings  (Captain’s Mast in the Navy, Office Hours in the Marines) or possibly even a courts-martial. Depending on the charges one could recieve a punitive discharge, such a Bad Conduct Discharge, or administrative discharge under a General, General under Other than Honorable, or Other than Honorable conditions.

Back in my days as a company XO and company commander in the 1980s I had a number of soldiers, male and female who I knew that were gay.  I had grown up in California, had gay friends and even when someone was hiding it I pretty much knew.  If I was homophobic I could have made accusations, began investigations and made these soldiers lives hell.  At that point in time there were a good amount of people in the military who would of done just that.  These soldiers were exemplary in the way that they conducted themselves at work.  They were professional, knowledgeable and I never once had to take any of them to article 15 proceedings for any reason. They never refused missions, they were exceptionally responsible, and good leaders.  As far as their personal lives they were discreet. I am sure that if they stayed in the military that they probably maintained that balance.  I don’t know what happened to them later on, but they were great.   I took over company command as a very junior 1st Lieutenant. The unit had the highest drug abuse rate in Europe with more disciplinary problems than you could shake a stick at. I wasn’t about to go after soldiers who were not giving me problems, I had far more pressing matters on my plate.  I guess you could say that I was exercising the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy 7-8 years before it became policy.  My philosophy then as is is now, is that if someone is willing to serve honorably and endure the hardships and dangers of the lives of military professionals then they should be able to regardless of the way that they are wired.  My issue then and now applies to both homosexuals and heterosexuals who are predatory or push themselves sexually on other soldiers causing problems with good order and discipline and unit cohesion. I have to say had far more problems with my heterosexual soldiers in this regard than my homosexual soldiers. My homosexual soldiers were discreet in their personal lives and very professional, some of my heterosexuals were neither discreet nor professional in thier sexual lives and relationships.

When I served as a personnel officer at the Academy of Health Sciences I became CINC AIDS.  I was the most junior of the Medical Personnel Officers, serving as the Training Brigade Adjutant.  It was at this time that we began having soldiers test positive for HIV and develop AIDS.  I worked with representatives of the Army Surgeon General’s Office to develop personnel procedures for HIV positive soldiers.  These policies gave them the opportunity to serve honorably and at the same time ensured that they did  not endanger others through their sexual conduct.  Since I was the junior guy I got to deal with all the cases of officers who had been diagnosed with HIV.  No one else wanted anything to do with them. While the world around me raged with apocalyptic screeds of those convinced that this was God’s judgment on homosexual; those who prophsyed how this virus would become a pandemic infecting people willy-nilly through casual contact, I dealt with real people.  These officers who wore the same uniform as me.  Some I knew were gay, but some were straight.  When an officer came to my office who was not on our brigade staff and the door closed, there was a good chance that the visitor had just received the news that they had an infection that would cause a process that would kill them.  They had received a death sentence.  I was a Christian and knew that I was going to be going to seminary after this assignment.  I could not see how Jesus could reject these folks.  While assigned there we had the first trial of a soldier who was intentionally attempting to spread the HIV virus among his coworkers.  He was a heterosexual and was a sexual predator.  He was taken to courts-martial and convicted.  As he was now in the latter stages of the disease process and battling the opportunistic infections which actually kill you he was sentenced to 6 months in Leavenworth.  I doubt that he lived that long. The experience of dealing with these officers taught me the torment that many homosexuals go through.  Following my time in the Army while in seminary and after it I worked in a variety of social service organizations and hospitals.  I knew many and work alongside many gays without a problem.

When President Clinton enacted the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy there was public outcry, especially in the military,  I had no problem with the policy as I think that everyone should be somewhat discreet in their sexual habits, especially in the military. Regardless of sexual orientation it is always important for military members to conduct themselves in professional manner, and  not only in sexual matters.  It is always a matter of good order and discipline.   While the policy made no one happy, gay activists did not think it went far enough and anti-gay forces hated it, I think it was a wise policy.  The President may have erred in the way that he announced it, but I think it was still the right thing to do at the time.

Since then our society as a whole has changed in its view and treatment of homosexuals.  There is a lot more acceptance of them now and many more people are openly gay.  I think that those who hid that aspect of their lives in earlier times now feel safe enough to come out.  Yes there are those who vehemently oppose any form of equal treatment for homosexuals, but there is a lot more acceptance. There have been famous military leaders who were gay  including Frederick the Great who was forced to marry but kind of liked other guys better.  Lord Kitchner and Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald, both distinguished officers were homosexual, MacDonald committed suicide when notified that he would be courts-martialed for his homosexuality.   There were constant rumors when I was in the Army about senior leaders who were suspected of being gay.   While a majority of military members polled opposed the Clinton administration change of policy, it seems to have worked.  There still are objections by gay rights activists that the policy is too restrictive and opponents who desire for it to be repealed, but in large part there is no problem.  Other countries  the British, Canadians and Israelis and a number of other European nations all allow homosexuals to serve in the military. Contrary to claims that the policy would destroy the military there is nothing to support that.  In fact the US Military has been more heavily engaged on multiple fronts since the policy went into place and done well despite being undermanned and often over-committed.

The Rand Corporation had a study of how allowing gays to serve would impact the military suggested the following was of ensuring that such a change would not endanger good order and discipline or unit cohesion, the two most critical aspects of any change.  They suggested:

  • A requirement that all members of the military services conduct themselves in ways that enhance good order and discipline. Such conduct includes showing respect and tolerance for others. While heterosexuals would be asked to tolerate the presence of known homosexuals, all personnel, including acknowledged homosexuals, must understand that the military environment is no place to advertise one’s sexual orientation.
  • A clear statement that inappropriate conduct could destroy order and discipline, and that individuals should not engage in such conduct.
  • A list of categories of inappropriate conduct, including personal harassment (physical or verbal conduct toward others, based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or physical features), abuse of authority, displays of affection, and explicit discussions of sexual practices, experience, or desires.
  • Application of these standards by leaders at every level of the chain of command, in a way that ensures that unit performance is maintained.

It has been over 15 years since the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy went into effect.  I have noted that while some military members still vehemently oppose gays serving in the military, that quite a few, officer and enlisted, especially those under the age of 30 are much more tolerant than were those of my era.  I was talking with a couple of military doctors and a hospital corpsman, all of us committed heterosexuals, not that there’s anything wrong with that the other day and the subject came up in a humorous way when discussing ways to get out of the military.  The corpsman noted that saying you were gay was one way, and I said, at least for now it was.

As we talked we all agreed that anyone willing to serve in the military at this point of time should be able to so long as they meet the professional standards of the services.  This is no gravy train.  Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen are constantly deployed and putting themselves in harms way.  If a gay wants to commit his or her life to the service of this country, who am I to object?

From a practical and somewhat humorous standpoint we have to acknowledge a number of things about gays, especially gay men.  Many are very well educated successful professionals.  Most seem to have a far better sense of taste and style than most of us on the heterosexual team and quite a few are very physically fit and health conscious. Anyone who has ever served in the military knows that we are not known for the greatest living conditions, food or ascetics.  Military housing, both barracks and family quarters tend to be rather boring, and often substandard.  There is not a lot of imagination in most military dining facilities, and the ascetics and design of many of our buildings and bases leaves a lot to be desired. Can you imagine if we let these guys serve.  Our bases would look a lot better and well kept.  Our living quarters would be nicer and more ascetically pleasing. The food would definitely go up in quality and we would get some highly qualified folks in the service, especially in some of the more scientific and medical specialties.  As a married heterosexual who is a uniter and not a divider I see all of this as a win win situation.  Who could be against that? I would have loved to drive onto bases where buildings and landscaping were done well, where you didn’t feel like you were driving onto a prison.  I’d love to work in buildings where there was some sense of style and artistry, where when you walked in you didn’t think you had walked onto the set of a WWII movie.  I would love a nice selection of food that was both healthy and tasty.

Will this happen anytime soon? I don’t know.  I suspect that at some point the President and Congress will address the issue and if it is changed I expect little practical change in the military.  We will keep deploying and doing our job, some people will be upset and some won’t, but I think there has been enough societal change over the last 27 years to allow this to happen relatively smoothly.  Will some people be unhappy, will crusades be mounted against it by some?  I think that there will be and some of this may take an ugly turn.  However I think that this will come more from the outside, but that in the end the military will survive and continue to do well.  After all, this is all well above my pay grade.

Peace, Steve+

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March 21, 2009 · 18:37

Lies and Damned Lies of World Net Daily

I am starting a new category today.  This is the “Lies and Damned Lies of World Net Daily.”  I am only going to focus on comments by that website regarding military matters.  I have noticed over the years that they tend to sensationalize and distort military reporting in regard to their particular political bent.  They and other allegedly “conservative” websites like to bash the “left-wing bias” of the traditional or “mainstream” media but are not unbiased in their own reporting.

The editor of the site, Joseph Farah and one of his chief correspondents Bob Unruh are particularly good at this.  I first noticed their extreme bias when covering the case of a former Navy Chaplain a few years back.  Knowing the case I was appalled at their coverage and actually contacted the reporter concerning the case.  They were both unapologetic and unresponsive.  When I realized that they were not interested in the truth and only in using this unfortunate man’s case to showcase themselves I knew that the supposed “new conservative” media was even more corrupt than the mainline press.   The mainstream press has been no paragon of virtue in reporting about the military based upon my point of view as a career military man and military dependant, but this reprehensible.  This realization about the new media and “conservative media” came hard for me because up until that point I had classified myself as a conservative.  These people have hijacked conservatism and hijacked Evangelical Christianity.

What got me today was a article by the aforementioned Bob Unruh entitled “Military Demands Details on Private Guns: Fort Campbell Command reversed under pressure.”  To read the headline one would think that the Commanding General of the base had implemented a policy.  Playing upon the unfamiliarity of the majority of its readership with the actual organization of the military as well as military policy or military law this writer publishes articles designed to incite and deliberately misinform readers in order to promote their political and social goals.  The actual article was about a single company commander, probably a 25 or 26 year old Army Captain in charge of a 120 soldier infantry company who got in way above his head and demanded information from his soldiers that was not in compliance with DOD or Department of the Army regulations.  The story was not even newsworthy as this young man was likely slammed hard for this dumb decision.  I have been a company commander and at the age of 24 or 25 you can make some dumb decisions.  They however do not become Army policy and yes my dear reader they will destroy the young company commander.  I had my ass handed to me on more than one occasion by my Group CO or XO for getting in above my pay grade.   Mr Unruh has taken this non-story and blown it incredibly out of proportion attempting to link it with legislation in the Washington State Legislature on gun control and President Obama’s inauguration in their words “the most anti-firearm President in history.”  Such is not the case, it is bad reporting and worse ethics to try to link the stupid decision of an Army Captain, or maybe even First Lieutenant with actions of a state legislature or possible yet un-enacted policies of the President.  World Net Daily has no shame in its reporting and unfortunately many of its conservative sister sites are no better.   From now on if I see examples of this crap I will report it here. People who are not interested in the truth need to be exposed especially when they present themselves as champions of truth and integrity.

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March 15, 2009 · 21:36

The Political Captivity of the Church

Since I have identified myself as a liberal, though I have to say a very moderate and even conservative liberal, I figure I should go ahead and continue to dig my grave with my conservative brethren, as well as those to the left of me.  Since I am a liberal conservative or conservative liberal I am in the uncomfortable middle in a society that has become deeply polarized.  I think that I am a passionate moderate, though to the extreme right I might be a raving liberal, and the far left a intolerant conservative. I think that the former is more likely.  My goal in life is to get along, find common ground among disparate groups and care for God’s people.  Despite the rancor on the extremes I think that there are more people out there like me than not. My belief is that voices like ours are drowned out by drumbeat of competing demagogues on the far right and the far left.  Since I am a priest my focus will be on the dangers that I see in the current climate and the captivity that churches have unwittingly placed themselves in making political alliances.

Early in his “Reforming” days the young Martin Luther wrote a book entitled “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church.” It was a severe critique of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church of his era.  I think churches today have become captive to to various political parties, social and economic theories, movements and ideas.  These are not necessarily Christian even though any churches have “baptized” them so to speak.

On the left a lot of churches have embraced social reform, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation as well as left leaning and even socialistic economic models and a demonstrated preference for the Democratic Party.   On the right conservative churches beginning in the 1970s in reaction to the social revolutions of the 1960s moved almost lock, stock and barrel to the Republican Party.  Ronald Reagan was the primary reason for this move as he enunciated a philosophy of limited government, military preparedness and the sanctity of life in at least in what he said. Other conservative politicians solidified that relationship in the 1990s during the presidency of Bill Clinton. Those on the left did the same during the presidency of George W. Bush.

I am not going to cast dispersion on the motives of wither liberal and conservative churches as they made these political alliances.  Far be it, the activity of churches has been an important part of American life and has contributed to many advances in our society including the civil rights movement, which could not have succeeded without the efforts of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and many other clergymen and women, from across the denominational and racial spectrum.

At the same time I am noticing a trend by by many clergy and laity of both liberal and conservative churches to be uncritical in their relationships with political parties. In my view this has emasculated the witness of the church.  I have experienced this on both the left and the right. When I was a kid my dad, a career Navy Chief Petty Officer was serving in Vietnam. New to the area we went to a church of the denomination that my parents had grown up in and in which I had been baptized.  This was a mainline Protestant Church, the name I will not mention because it is irrelevant to the discussion.  The minister constantly preached against the war and I had a Sunday School teacher tell me that my dad was a “baby killer.”  If it had not been for the Roman Catholic chaplain at the little Navy base in town who showed my family the love of God when that happened, caring for our Protestant family without trying to make us Catholic I would have probably never reconciled with the church.  I trace my vocation as a priest and chaplain to that man. Since I have spent more of my life in conservative churches in the days since I have seen a growing and ever more strident move to the political right in conservative churches.  I think this has less to do with the actual churches but the influence of conservative talk radio,  I often hear my fellow Christians on the right talk more vociferously about free markets capitalism, the war on terror and justifying the other conservative causes which are general less than central to the faith.  When I have challenged conservative Christian friends on what I think are inconsistencies I have in some cases been attacked and pretty nastily if I might add.

My view is that Christians on both the right have lost any prophetic voice in their respective political parties.  They have become special interest groups who compete with other special interest groups,  which politicians of both parties treat as their loyal servants.  This is what I mean by captivity.  I think that the church has to be able to speak her mind and be a witness of the redemption and reconciliation message of the Gospel and hold politicians, political parties and other power structures accountable for their treatment of the least, the lost and the lonely; caring for those that to those who seek to maintain political and economic control, merely numbers.  The church has to maintain her independence or lose submit to slavery.  There are many examples we can look to in this, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller to name just a few.  These men were not apolitical, but they were both prophetic and redemptive.  May we as Christians and other people of faith seek to embody this witness in our divided and dangerous world.  Peace to all God’s people. Steve+

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March 14, 2009 · 21:46

Right Wing Intolerance

Disclaimer: Just because I am talking about Right Wing intolerance does not mean that I think the politcial left is immune from such behavior, nor do I believe that all liberals are tolerant. I recognize that there are Left Wing groups and individuals as intolerant as those on the right.  I am after all fair and balanced.

Today something totally weird happened to me on Facebook,  I made a throw away question and response on a friend’s likewise throw away comment.  Some guy who was a friend of a friend of my friend on my friend’s Facebook  friends list jumped my ass.  He was brutal, called me stupid, a douche bag, idiot and several other things after I said that I was a “liberal.”  He made derogatory comments concerning my intelligence and listening skills and when I made the comment that he had set off a severe PTSD reaction (I was trembling so badly that I had to take an anti-anxiety medicine to calm down) he made repeated derogatory comments about my condition and medication even saying that “too bad there is no medication for stupidity.” This young man did not know me from Adam yet he ripped into me assaulting my character, intelligence, and mental stability. This kid was ruthless, but he had learned well. He sounded just like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.  The young man blamed the whole incident on me and commented “that people like me start wars.” I have no thirst for war after Iraq, but evidently this young man thinks that I am a war monger. Of course I didn’t make anything better when in the midst of my PTSD defense reaction I called him an asshole, but he was an arrogant young ass.  My friend, who has known me for years dropped this young man from his friends list. Afterward this young man sent me a personal message blaming me for getting dropped from my friend’s friend list.  I had apologized to my friend for breaking the decorum of his post by calling the young man an asshole, but I never suggested removing him as I did not know his relationship to my friend.

This young man unfortunately represents many who spend three to six hours a day or more listening to conservative talk radio.  I used to do so myself, but had to give it up after my time in Iraq when I realized that many of these commentators had no earthly clue about what was going on over there.  I also realized that in order for them to keep up ratings and make money and stay on the air that they have to keep people continuously spun up and agitated.  If someone listens to that kind of message, regardless of the ideology espoused by the commentator, one will be spun up and agitated, ready to go to war with anyone who does not think that way.

When someone on Facebook sends you a message you can view their page.  This young man claimed to be a Christian with his political views listed as “Anti-Democrat.”  However, the Christian faith is about reconciliation. This young man has obviously been listening to more conservative talk radio than wrestling with Scripture or Christian belief. I hate to say it but the philosophic and scientific foundation of Capitalism is that of Charles Darwin and the survival of the fittest. It is pure and simple social Darwinism. Sorry that is not Christian, but my brothers on the political right often see at as something intrinsic to the Christian faith, when in fact it has been condemned by Popes.

I had another young man a few months ago who is an active duty officer in the military drop me from his friends list after I suggested he be careful in being too vocal about his political views.  Active duty officers may vote, we may support political candidates, but we always, even when the President is different from our Party treat him with the respect and deference that the office and our oath demands.  When I see right wing news sites like World Net Daily encourage military men to disobey lawful orders I am troubled.  Those who encourage young men and women to disobey orders in a combat zone will abandon them once they have done so and been punished under the UCMJ.  Then they will move on to another topic leaving the men who risked all for what these people encouraged them to do sit in jail, or are discharged;  be it a Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct or Dishonorable discharge. The right wing groups will raise money keep people spun up, but leave these men and women hung out to dry when they are finished with them.  Such action by supposed “Christian” conservatives is unconscionable, immoral and in fact unchristian.

I can definitely say that I used to be a conservative, back in the days that it wasn’t popular after Nixon left office. Bill Buckley, George Will and Ronald Reagan were my political mentors.  They were men of principle, gentlemen and though they disagreed with their opponents on the political left never made ad homonym personal attacks.  They remained friends with their opponents on the other side of the aisle.  I do still have some conservative leanings, I am pro-life but think based on what I see in medicine that there are some definite “gray” areas.  I was appalled at the Vatican’s decision to excommunicate the mother and doctors of a 9 year old girl who had become pregnant with twins by her stepfather.  The girl was discovered to be pregnant when she got sick and was about to die at about the 4th month of the pregnancy.  The mother and doctors rightfully decided to save the child’s life which had been endangered by the criminal actions of the step father, who by the way was NOT excommunicated, the Brazilian government is prosecuting that horrible excuse of a man.  When I see this action on the part of a church, any church I am appalled.  I cannot see Jesus doing this to anyone, especially the people who elected to save the life of a child.  Those who know anything about medicine know that at 16 weeks with a mother in extremis that any babies born will not be viable and will die anyway while at the same time likely killing the nine year old.  Does this make me pro-abortion?  I don’t think so, but evidently the Vatican does.

I left the Republican Party last year.  It was hard.  I had been a Republican since I was 16 years old.  I worked for Gerald Ford’s campaign before I could vote.  I cheered for Ronald Reagan, voted for George Bush. Had many issueswith Bill Clinton, but was troubled by actions of people rising to power in the Republican Party. I voted reluctantly for George W. Bush and wish that the Democrats had run someone other than John Kerry in 2004.  I became critical of the Bush administration for many things which I will not go into here, but they are subjects often targeted by Libertarians and by those that some in the Republican Party refer to as “Paleoconservatives .”  One of my chief complaints about the “Christian” right is that it looks to me that its leadership is simply an appendage of the Republican Party.  I wonder if back in the 1976-1980 time frame had Christian leaders across the board ensured that they were represented inboth political parties if the Democrat Party would have gone as far left as it did.  I also wonder if this would have kept both parties honest in dealing with social issues, including, but not limited to abortion.  I have seen some “Christians” impose ideologies such as free market capitalism and war against Islamic nations and support of the former President and Republican Party agenda as tests of ones Christian faith and practice.  I wonder about that because I think it has gutted the witness of the church in the world. I guess tis makes me a liberal now.  Oh well…if I am I’m a liberal for Jesus.

So that is my story after being once again beaten up by some mindless drone who claims to be both a Christian and conservative.  I’m definitely a Christian, but cannot claim to be a conservative in the current topography of the political landscape.  As was the case in a Bloom County Comic strip back in the 1980s, Opus the Penguin was labled as a liberal, and the lable stuck. I guess I am a liberal now. Oh well…

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