[Mb-civic] Why we should repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' - Martin Meehan - Boston Globe Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

  Why we should repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'

By Martin Meehan  |  April 27, 2006  |   The Boston Globe

ON MONDAY a US District Court judge in Boston ruled that while Congress 
has the authority to bar gays and lesbians from the military, Congress 
is also the most appropriate outlet for ending that ban.

Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. found that while Congress made a rational 
decision when it adopted the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy barring 
gays from serving openly in the military, ''deciding that Congress has 
made a rational choice is not the same as deciding it has made a wise 
choice." He added that ''the remedy for bad decision-making by the 
political branches is to be found in the working of the political process."

This was the ninth time the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy was 
challenged unsuccessfully in federal court and the strongest statement 
yet that the way to overturn this outdated and discriminatory policy is 
with legislative, not legal action. Judge O'Toole sent a strong message 
to the 12 plaintiffs in the case and to Congress that it is time to 
seriously reconsider the military's ''don't ask, don't tell" policy.

This policy has proven to be unpopular and costly, and there seems to be 
little convincing evidence for it to remain in effect. In the 12 years 
since the ban was enacted, public opinion has shifted in favor of 
repealing ''don't ask, don't tell." A July 1993 NBC/Wall Street Journal 
poll showed that only 40 percent of people favored allowing openly gay 
people to serve in the military. But a May 2005 poll conducted for The 
Boston Globe found that 79 percent of people favored allowing openly gay 
people to serve. It is time for Congress to catch up with the country 
and overturn this policy.

While public opinion polls show that ''don't ask, don't tell" is wildly 
unpopular, it is also costly to taxpayers in terms of dollars spent to 
enforce it and costly to our military readiness as we discharge soldiers 
with skills critical to fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A 
year ago the Government Accountability Office released a study showing 
that the cost of enforcing ''don't ask, don't tell" in the first 10 
years was more than $190 million. A revised estimate by the University 
of California at Santa Barbara released in February of this year found 
the cost to be almost double the original number -- more than $363 million.

At a time when our military is already stretched to the breaking point, 
wasting taxpayer dollars by discharging competent service members under 
''don't ask, don't tell" doesn't make sense. This money could be better 
spent protecting soldiers in the line of duty, instead of discharging 
brave Americans who proudly serve in our military just for being gay. 
''Don't ask, don't tell" undermines the very freedom these servicemen 
and women have volunteered to defend.

With renewed confirmation that overturning ''don't ask, don't tell" must 
happen through legislation, it is in Congress's hands to end this 
outdated policy and replace it with one of nondiscrimination. Last year, 
I introduced H.R. 1059, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which 
would repeal the military's policy of forced discrimination and replace 
it with one that would better serve the needs of our armed forces. While 
this legislation has bipartisan support in Congress and 113 cosponsors, 
the Republican leadership has refused to even hold a hearing on the bill.

The ''don't ask, don't tell" policy is destructive to the principles of 
our Constitution, the fabric of our communities, and the lives of gay 
service members and Americans. The United States has proven time and 
again that we will not stand for policies that endorse discrimination 
against any group of people. We have proven that we will not tolerate 
discrimination based on race or gender. Now Congress must make clear 
that we won't stand for discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Martin Meehan represents the 5th Congressional District of Massachusetts.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/27/why_we_should_repeal_dont_ask_dont_tell/
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