Government Tells Soldiers They Don’t have Freedom of Speech in Gay Debate

The Military is in the process of putting all American Soldiers through training in anticipation of the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The repeal will allow openly gay people to serve in the Military.

I just learned this week that the government is telling soldiers that they no longer have freedom of speech if they disagree with gays in the military, or even if they disagree with homosexuality in general.

Specifically, just this week in one of these “gay trainings” here in Texas, an Army JAG officer instructed the room full of soldiers that they will not be allowed to personally express any opinions against homosexuality or gays in the military unless they are in a religious service that has been announced in advance so that people can decide whether or not to attend the service. There will apparently be no more sitting at the chow hall and chatting with a buddy about each others personal opinions about this important topic because it might offend someone who passes by and hears you. You can fight for freedom of speech as a soldier but apparently you will no longer be allowed have freedom of speech as a soldier. There is something very wrong when soldiers who fight for freedom of speech will have their freedom of speech restricted. Soldiers of course have to have some speech restricted obviously when it comes to revealing sensitive of classified information, but they have always still been able to have their own personal freedom of speech when talking to fellow soldiers. Until Now I suppose.

Few soldiers have come out and said anything publicly about their displeasure with the repeal because, well, what soldier wants to openly disagree with the authority in charge and risk getting in trouble or looked down upon? I can tell you that, as a soldier, most of the fellow soldiers I have talked to are strongly against the repeal and many are not re-enlisting, not to mention the majority of combat troops who said they disagree with the repeal in the survey that the military did. I will write a separate article in the future about the problems that I believe the repeal will cause and the problems that I have already seen as a soldier in the military. For now, I am very worried that we soldiers will no longer have freedom of speech in the gay debate and I am worried that this is the just beginning of what is to come. My word, it was only last month that the Navy was going to allow gay marriages on military bases even though federal law does not recognize gay marriage!

I am in the military, I love the military, and I am serving faithfully fulfilling my duties in the military even though I disagree with this repeal. I fear though that politics might be starting to chip away at the very foundation of what has made the military great and so I must express my personal opinion on the issue. That strong foundation of the military is being threatened by political correctness. This article is my own personal opinion and does NOT represent any official opinion of the Army, nor does it reveal any sensitive or classified information. I simply am exercising my freedom of speech by expressing my fear that the military as we know it might be forever changed now that the door to political correctness is going to be swung wide open.

 

CLARIFICATION:

 




Part of the repeal of don’t ask don't tell is that the military must first see if there are going to be any problems as a result of the repeal. That requires soldiers having the freedom to say whether or not the repeal will cause problems for them of their unit. At the same time the government is saying that soldiers can’t speak out against homosexuality.... see the problem. The government says they want to hear from us but then at the same time they are telling us that we cannot say anything so when they do their report they will say that no soldiers are objecting to the repeal. I am not in favor of soldiers causing problems by going around just saying anything they want to other soldiers. But in this situation they want us to talk about the problems with gays in the military and at the same time they are telling us we cannot tell anyone about our personal opinions of gays in the military...

I certainly am not advocating for a majority rule in the military where we soldiers can tell the military what we want or don't want. I like the discipline and I like the structure and rank and the commanders calling the shots. That is what has made the military run effectively and efficiently. So please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I want the military to be run by the commanders.... In this repeal the commanders are getting pushed into doing something that they do not even want. The head of the Marines openly says this will hurt the military. So I am not advocating for the military to be run by us soldiers, to the contrary, I am advocating for the military to be run by the commanders and not by the minority who want to express their gayness or a judge who strikes down don't ask don't tell. The military is about uniformity and unit cohesion and having to take a shower with a guy who likes you is all about politics and not about what is best for the military. Gay people can serve in the military but they shouldn't tell the other soldiers they are gay because it would hurt unit cohesion and cause problems on the battlefield. Men and women have to shower in different bathrooms in the military because there would be problems if they didn't. How can you say there will be no problems with making gay guys and straight guys shower together. There will be problems.

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Soldiers in the army don't have freedom of speech anyway.   When you enter the military you give up your freedom of speech.   Please stop trying to use this issue to get up your conservative readers upset about this issue.  

I pay taxes.   I'm a born citizen of this country.   I should have the right to serve in the military and be who I am.  

Sorry you don't like it.

I already received this training, and thought it well balanced and thought out.

The Army is not asking any of its soldiers to change their opinions or religious beliefs on the matter, simply to act professional and respectful at all times. Good order and discipline is the norm. This will be upheld, and is how the Army should act anyhow. 

So far as soldiers wanting free speech, there have ALWAYS been prohibitions on the rights of soldiers to voice their opinions in most public circumstances. When a person enlists in the Armed Forces, he/she knowingly relinquishes certain rights through the terms of enlistment. Essentially, they are volunteering to be "owned" by the Army until they are honorably discharged, to include what is, and is not appropriate to discuss in a free-speech arena. We are here to preserve democracy, not practice it.

Homosexual marriage is not an issue at this time, simply because the law of the land does not allow it. The Defense of Marriage Act is still in full effect. 

In addition, sexual misconduct of any kind that is detrimental to the unit is still punishable by UCMJ. All the DADT repeal does is recognize that a soldier's personal life is just that, so long as it does not interfere with his/her professional life.

You are already serving with gay military personnel already. You already eat with them, shower with them, fight together, serve together.  Really, whats the difference? Only now, they won't have to listen to any intolerant hate speech and keep quiet about it.
I know many, many MANY gay military servicemen.  They serve with honor, not with their wanker.

This appears to be just another GOP attempt to drum up voters by scaring a right wing base.  Hello the military has NEVER been a place of free speech.  They are told what to do when to do it and to not question or give their opinions....that is exactly why we have a military that has the strength we have...they follow orders.  When the blacks were integrated into the military do you actually think they said "go ahead and be as bigoted as you would like" "let them n...... know what you think of then"?  NO they didn't....for those of you who want to quote what your OPINION of what the Bible says please don't bother....we've heard it all.....this country is required to keep church and state separate (even your church).  It isn't that we don't care what you or your religion believes.....in another forum we could certainly discuss it but NOT when it concerns civil rights of people who fight for this country....people should not have to live a lie to be a soldier in this country!
Please stop all the GOP sensationalism!!!

I grieve for you, brother. It disturbs me that you soon won't be able to tell the queers in your unit how much you hate their homogay lifestyles. That's horrible. Your vocabulary is already limited enough. They let the blacks in, so you can't use the "n" word. They let women serve, so you can't use the "c" word. And with the politically correct climate, you can't use racial slurs for all the straight people who are different that you. All you have left to preach against is the gays, and they're taking that from you. Stay strong. Jesus is with you.

Repubs (not all) trying to keep gays in the closet in the mil.   One has to wonder how many of our soldiers died because 13500 were kicked out of the service, many with language skills desperately needed.  The guys who would have save the lives of now dead soldiers.

And an estimated 4000 per year have refused to join the service or been barred because they admitted they were gay.

Over the 18 years of DADT thats almost 90,000 soldiers. Enough to give every single of our soldiers in Afghanistan double the time off so they can relax and go home to their families and freinds.

And get rid of the stress that has resulted in a rash of suicides by solders totally depressed due to long and repeated, even 5 x tours in the armpits of the world.

Its interesting that sone people who most often call themselves patriots support a law that is costing the lives of our soldiers

Lets add one more comment about the showers.  The mil is full of gay people.  For some it is their family, given that christian love often means parents kicking their kids out of the family, onto the street, when they find out the kid is gay.

And re the showers the soldiers are already showering with gays.  this is a BS argument.

And if the soldeirs are afraid of some gay guy looking at their butt, how can we count on them when the bullets and bombs start flying.

I agree with the Reserve Officer, I received the training as well, and at the very beginning the commander said it well.  The army is not asking anyone to change their opinions or religious beliefs on the matter but to simply act professional and respectful at all times. 

I am not trying to insult anyone about the way they feel about the repeal, but somehow I find out hard to believe that some people do not want the repeal just because of shower and cohabitation when in fact they do it daily or occasionally (when in the field).

To my opinion, I think the people who do not want the repeal are ignorant, selfish, hypocrite, and very dictatorial in their own way by asking gay Soldiers to do their job but hiding who they really are.  I don't think it is freedom of anything if you ask me.

You know well that you are serving with gays, you cohabit with them and even co-shower with them (again when in the field or deployed) then, and now if an unconstitutional law that has been ruling for over 17 years get squashed you feel all butt hurt about it.  Conservatives are so hypocrite, on the down low with their double standard lives. 

I hate double standard. America, it is time to wake up. 

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