Last night was the CNN/YouTube Republican debate. I did not watch it but I'm catching up online today. There was a great question by a retired general asked to the candidates about gays serving in the military. The man served 42 years, was Special Forces, and is openly gay (once he retired naturally). The responses to his questions have to make you sick.
Duncan Hunter, a real steaming pile of shit, had the audacity to say almost all military men and women are conservative and come from a judeo-Christian background and it goes against their beliefs. Well Duncan, so do Wiccans, Buddhists, Muslims, and every other different religion, should they not serve as well since they don't fit into your beliefs?
They tried playing the cohesion and moral card, which is ridiculous. I have the fortune on being able to speak first hand about this by not only serving but having one of my roommates while I was in the Army more or less openly gay. He joked to us that once my other roommate and myself left he was going to turn the room into a Rainbowpalooza (word has it he did just that and was discharged promptly).The basic fact is we have a shortage of translators in Iraq because the majority of Arabic translators we had were gay and were discharged.
Though Romney bumbled and stumbled his way into a non-answer, I am just shaking my head at folks listening to what the Army "leaders" say. They say it's working, yes it is, it's working at taking translators away from our military. I'm gonna tell you all right now, the number of gay soldiers is much higher then you can actually imagine.
This is what frightens me about this crop of Republicans and why I could never support Mike Huckabee. The homophobia is rampant hidden behind their urge to change America from a Democracy to a Theocracy. Folks do not be afraid to go out and vote in 2008. I don't care if we have to vote for Hilary, who I don't really like, if it means we can keep these bible thumping asshats out of office.
