US military rejects gays, but deploys mentally ill

CNN reported last week that the US military has been ignoring its own rules concerning the deployment of soldiers known to be mentally ill.  Last year alone, the practice contributed to the suicide deaths of 22 US soldiers, which was a stunning 20% of all non-combat fatalities. 

I wish someone would explain to me why the US military believes it makes sense to deploy mentally ill soldiers, all of whom have access to high-powered weapons, while, simultaneously, it instantly discharges any soldier discovered to be homosexual (especially since many discharged homosexuals served in critical, hard-to-replace jobs, such as cryptography and Arabic languange translation).  I just don’t get it.

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grumpypilgrim

Grumpypilgrim is a writer and management consultant living in Madison, WI. He has several scientific degrees, including a recent master’s degree from MIT. He has also held several professional career positions, none of which has been in a field in which he ever took a university course. Grumps is an avid cyclist and, for many years now, has traveled more annual miles by bicycle than by car…and he wishes more people (for the health of both themselves and our planet) would do the same. Grumps is an enthusiastic advocate of life-long learning, healthy living and political awareness. He is single, and provides a loving home for abused and abandoned bicycles. Grumpy’s email: grumpypilgrim(AT)@gmail(DOT).com [Erich’s note: Grumpy asked that his email be encrypted this way to deter spam. If you want to write to him, drop out the parentheticals in the above address].

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Avatar of Erich Vieth
    Erich Vieth May 15, 2006 Reply

    There are now quite a few published news articles documenting the military's position that an accurate translation of a critical document by a gay person is not as good as an accurate translation of that same document by a heterosexual (or, for that matter, by a heterosexual spouse-abuser, a heterosexual who engages in sado-masochism, a heterosexual satan worshipper, a heterosexual white supremicist or a heterosexual who practices bestiality).

    Here's one of the articles substantiating the military's policy of kicking gay people out of translation school for reasons other than competence at translating:

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6824206 "The military — at a time when it and U.S. intelligence agencies don’t have enough Arabic speakers — is putting its anti-gay stance ahead of national security."

    The military's policy makes little sense to me. When someone offers me a valuable service, I just don't concern myself with what that person does in the bedroom.

  2. Avatar of Jake
    Jake May 17, 2006 Reply

    they discharge people discovered to be homosexual from the US army? i had no idea!!! amazing!!

    the idea of allowing mentally ill people to serve in the US army makes more sense to me: you have to be a little bit not quite right to undertake that kind of dirty work in the first place… especially if it in such a morally dubious institution as the US army.

    btw, i am not just US bashing here. i think much armed combat is not needed anyway… and i dont think that the British army is currently (or historically) much better behaved than the US's army.

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