WHY WAIT FOR RAND?
I just e-mailed the new Palm Center report to my congresscritters and asked them to forward it to any of their colleagues known to be on the fence about repealing DADT pronto.
There is probably enough information on the table to repeal the law and leave the military to do just an implementation study, not a "what if" or "considerations" study.
There is much to quote, but this goes right to the core of the counter-arguments that I've heard voiced:
Those who support eliminating “don’t ask, don’t tell” acknowledge that important differences distinguish the U.S. military from other armed forces, but suggest that the relevant question is not whether differences exist, but whether they render foreign military experiences irrelevant for determining whether military effectiveness would decline if gays and lesbians were allowed to serve openly in the U.S.
Indeed, scholars have already explained why such differences do not diminish the relevance of these lessons, but opponents of gays in the military have not responded.[309]
Rather, they robotically repeat the point that the U.S. military cannot be compared to or learn from the experiences of other militaries.
In short, although the U.S. has more international obligations than other countries and its culture is unique, the question is not how similar our missions or culture are to those of other nations but whether the United States is any less capable than other nations of integrating gays into its military.
Indeed, scholars have already explained why such differences do not diminish the relevance of these lessons, but opponents of gays in the military have not responded.[309]
Rather, they robotically repeat the point that the U.S. military cannot be compared to or learn from the experiences of other militaries.
In short, although the U.S. has more international obligations than other countries and its culture is unique, the question is not how similar our missions or culture are to those of other nations but whether the United States is any less capable than other nations of integrating gays into its military.
I concur.
Indeed, the entire 'study period' seems to be designed to convince the military leadership that they are up to the task, not to really "study" the issue. That's a goal, too.
