Comments on: Ron Paul on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”

By: Ron Shank

Ron Shank — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:46:44 +0000

Hi Emily, thanks for your comments. I disagree with your underling thought here, that it’s impossible to weed out, therefore it should be allowed. I was in the USAF. There are many things the military prohibits that may still go on. But when an individual is discovered engaging in or promoting those acts, they are corrected or removed from service. This is for the good of the mission. Remember, in the military it’s mission first. Anything that distracts from the mission must be removed.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:15:03 +0000

Ron,

It is technically impossible to find out how many people in the military are practicing “unhealthy sexual acts.” My guess is, it’s not any less than in the general population.

Unprotected sex? Erm, backdoor sex? Straight people do it. Lots of them do it. Yes, lots of straight people engage in unhealthy sexual acts. Why do you think drug companies spend millions promoting drugs to treat STDs?

How do you propose finding, much less weeding out, all the *straight* sexually active 20-somethings who may be making unwise sexual choices in their private lives?

By: Ron Shank

Ron Shank — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:16:59 +0000

Interesting flip-side, Peter. But I think you may be giving the executive branch too much credit/power. Furthermore, the church already has the ability to reach out — they just don’t do it very often. At least they can do it for now.. however look at Canada where that right is already gone. And a look the current thought-crime legislation in the Senate shows it’s not far from being gone in the US. The best thing you could really hope for from Ron Paul is he appears likely to veto everything to comes his way. That might be a nice change compared to President Bush who signs more paper than Hillary Duff outside an Aeropostale.

Personally, I’d like to hear a president be opposed to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. What I’d like to hear a presidential candidate say is something to the tune of, “I’m not for the policy, I’m for repealing it … and putting things back the way they were. Anyone practicing unhealthy sexual acts should find another career choice than the US military. And the military has no need to be ashamed of prohibiting such behavior.”

But don’t hold your breath waiting for someone to say that.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:33:17 +0000

You make a very good point about the stigmatization of homosexuals in this country. Comparing it to alcoholism is a great way to get your point across.

However, I think you are missing the point of Paul’s stance on limited government. When he says he’d change “Don’t ask Don’t Tell” he is not endorsing homosexuality. He is simply saying that it will not be controlled by the government. I don’t doubt that Paul would wholeheartedly support efforts by private sector organizations to proclaim the truth about homosexuality’s detrimental effects.

In fact, the flip-side of Paul’s libertarian stance is that the church would be free to reach out to homosexuals under a Ron Paul presidency, as opposed to hiding and cringing in fear whenever they’re threatened with revocation of tax-exempt status.