Well, it looks like Congress begins delving into the issue of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and it is about time. However, I think the Obama Administration has made a huge error in judgement in taking on the issue in 2010 with the mid-term elections. It will probably be almost immpossible to pass it and I suspect, at best, we might get a watered down version of it from the military.
Since 1993, it is estimated that 13,000 gay men and women have been thrown out of the military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
But I think there is one group of gay men and women who have been tossed out on their backsides that I find the most irritating. And that group consists of those men and women who are foreign language translators, particulalry those who speak Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, etc.
In recent years, the military has let so many of these translators go - and they are the very one's our military needs. Without understanding what our enemies are saying, how does the military know what the heck is going on with their intelligence?
And check this out - as we constantly let more amd more of these fine folks go, the government continues to scower the countryside looking for the very same type of individuals they continually let go under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And CraigsList tells the story in their job postings:
http://boston.craigslist.org/...
http://boston.craigslist.org/...
http://chicago.craigslist.org/...
http://dallas.craigslist.org/...
http://denver.craigslist.org/...
http://houston.craigslist.org/...
http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/...
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/...
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/...
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/...
http://seattle.craigslist.org/...
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...
From coast to coast the government and private companies who supply translators to Homeland Security and the Justice Department are searching for translators. These folks are in high demand so it makes no sense for the military to let these individuals go.
This policy is just plain stupud and needs to stop. And Chris Matthews needs to expose this issue to help end this policy. Are you listening Chris?