Don't Ask, Don't Make Me Slap You . . .

Here's an interesting question: When you torture a terrorist to elicit so-called actionable intelligence, how do you know what he's falsely confessing to if you've fired all the Arabic translators for being gay?  Dan Choi is the latest victim of the insane "Don't Ask - Don't Tell" policy that has cost our military hundreds of soldiers and translators since it was enacted by Bill Clinton in 1993.  But Choi refuses to quietly accept his fate and has written to President Obama to intercede on his behalf. ABC News reports it this way: In a letter to the president, Lt. Dan Choi said the discharge letter, dated April 23, 2009, was "a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers. "My subordinates know I'm gay. They don't care," he said. "They are professional. "As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging. But I beg you today: Do not fire me," Choi wrote. Are you listening, President Obama?  Here is a soldier so dedicated to the service of this country he is begging to keep his job so he may continue to protect and defend the US Constitution.  Imagine, after all the devastation Bush and Cheney and Rumsferatu brought to our military, there are still a few brave troops willing to fight and die for the rest of us. Are you going to stop him because he doesn't like girls?  Seriously? Who is served by "Don't Ask - Don't Tell"?  Certainly not our troops, unless you believe they'd rather serve with less-qualified, less-dedicated soldiers than work with someone who is gay.  How insulting to assume our troops are as bigoted as say, Bill O'Reilly, or the bulk of the chickenhawks in the GOP who are aghast at the thought of gays in the military but would never dream of picking up a rifle to defend this country.  Wanna make America Safe Mr. and Mrs. Homophobic Member of Congress? Start walking the walk.  Stop firing talented, brave soldiers who only want to serve their country.  You are dangerous hypocrites one and all. I hope Choi takes his fight all the way to the (new) Supreme Court and finally ends this costly, embarrassing, morale-eroding policy once and for all.