Wednesday 3 February 2010

Don't Ask....

I will though.

Who said:
The Army is not a sociological laboratory; to be effective it must be organized and trained according to the principles which will insure success. Experiments to meet the wishes and demands of the champions of every race and creed for the solution of their problems are a danger to efficiency, discipline and morale and would result in ultimate defeat.

Was it
a) John McCain?
b) Phyllis Shaffly?
c) Col. Eugene R. Householder?

Well, it wasn't John McCain. He said about the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy:
The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it."
That was in 2006. Now the last three Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the current one, all support the repeal of DADT, he's said
At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."
A double reverse back-flip. But no cigar.

And it wasn't Phyllis Shaffly. She said
The primary purpose of the armed forces is to prevail in combat, not to engage in leftist social engineering."
That's pretty close. But not close enough.

No, the guernsey goes to Col. Eugene R. Householder, addressing a gathering of Negro Editors and Publishers the day after Pearl Harbor, to tell them that the Army couldn't Integrate now.

More on that subject at Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. Published by the Center of Military History, United States Army.

3 comments:

Frederick Paul Kiesche III said...

On the other hand, the US Army (and the military in general) is in many ways more integrated than the rest of society. Note "in many ways". Who is the Command Sgt. Major of the US Army, for example? Every unit I served with was more integrated, racially (back then combat units were not integrated sexually) than any company or organization I have been associated with (including several "progressive" organizations).

As for other integration...that will come in time, as well.

Zoe Brain said...

The opponents who want to keep DADT are afraid that if gays get to serve in the military without problems, that will lead to a greater acceptance of them in US society. And eventually same-sex marriage, equal employment rights, the works.

They're right to be afraid.

Once it's shown that all the bigotry and intolerance is just that, bigotry based on fears that are groundless, US society will change, and they know it.

Once Truman removed segregation in the US armed forces, it became more an more untenable elsewhere.

bonze said...

Oh, John "It's All About me^H^H service!" McCain. Uh-huh.

That's not really a surprise, he's the reigning champion in the DC double-back-flip category...

- bonze