Don't Ask, Don't Tell...Silence Is Not Always Golden

Fellow classmate Hannah wrote a blog article titled "Don't Ask, Don't Shhh!," in which she discussed the military's policy "don't ask, don't tell," which was found unconstitutional in lower courts. It has been making headlines because the Supreme Court has ruled that the policy shall stay enforced until a final decision is made in the court's appeal process. This decision has, as you can imagine, angered a lot of people, many who want to see immediate change and justice.

Hannah discusses several aspects of the issue, most disproving any theories that the policy has a strong purpose and is needed. Early in the article, she states that the policy of DADT is highly outdated, and I could not agree more. She goes on to compare it with segregation, although we as a country have ruled segregation to be unconstitutional. This brings up an interesting question to me...at which point are we going to incorporate sexuality with other personal identifiers such as race, religion, ethnicity, and gender, which are all protected under our legal system? They have already included sexuality into the legal definition of a hate crime, so why is the obvious  discrimination against gays and bisexuals still prevalent in our military? The DADT policy is stripping freedoms away from the very people that are fighting to protect them.

Another aspect of the controversial issue that Hannah discussed was the claim that the policy of DADT is beneficial to combat readiness in the armed forces. Hannah makes some good arguments to disprove this theory, my favorite being that soldiers hiding their identity are lying to their fellow soldiers everyday under the current policy. I agree with her on this and also think that people having to hide their true identities and people who are unwilling to be accepting of others' identities are not reflective of what the army is supposed to be about. You see the commercials for the Army stating "be all you can be," yet they won't allow some soldiers to even be themselves! All the excuses politicians and supporters of the DADT policy are giving are clearly attempts to mask their homophobia.

Overall I agree with everything that Hannah is saying in her article and liked how she broke down all aspects of the issues at hand. I expect that we will see many more debates and cases in the near future regarding the rights and protections of homosexuals and bisexuals. This issue is just another example that our world is evolving and as it does, many parts of our political system, laws, and military will have to change with it.

WIkiLeaks: Our New Best Friend

It’s hard to turn on a TV or read a newspaper without seeing the name WikiLeaks or the website’s director Julian Assange. So what’s the big deal about posting leaked documents on a website? Some say it puts us at risk with other nations and threatens our homeland security, I believe those people are just angry some of their not-so-proud statements are now exposed. Should we really be concerned with the ugly details that are coming out of these documents, or should we be concerned that investigative journalism has been somewhat weak until recently? Our nation runs off checks and balances, and WikiLeaks, is our newest balance.

Just as the American people felt entitled to the leaked tapes and documents in the Watergate scandal, they still want that type of government knowledge. People do not want to blindly hold the hand of our leaders. It is no secret that the government has made some pretty big mistakes, and that throughout history, many people in power have attempted (successful or not) to cover these things up. It is important that we put knowledge back into the people's hands to keep our democracy running properly. This is why WikiLeaks is a great journalistic tool, especially in today's society where distrust in the government is at an all time high.

Many people were also up in arms about a 2007 video that the website posted, showing U.S. Troops killing a group of Iraq citizens, including 2 Reuter’s journalists. The half hour video shows no indication of the attacked engaging in combat, and the US soldiers are heard joking about their kills, even laughing as a US armed vehicle runs over one of the deceased’s body. Does this look good for America? No, it does not; however, it does show how bad the situation in Iraq is getting. Just as the anti-war movement for Vietnam was largely due to the media coverage of the US deaths and atrocities, I believe the released documents and videos coming out of Iraq and US Government can help bring the troops home (or at least help people decide whether we should be over there).

Sure, there are many political heads strongly fighting against WikiLeaks and its face Julian Assange. But then again, who wouldn’t when their dirty laundry was aired out for the entire world to see. Perhaps this will press these political figures to be more honest with the American people. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to always worry about our government leaders making false promises and statements (can anyone say weapons of mass destruction)? American citizens have always appreciated and yearned for the information obtained from investigative journalism, and I believe once the dust settles, they will feel the same about Wiki Leaks.