Quote:
Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
I think all bets are off when it comes to the military. I think that unless you've ever served (I have not personally), then it's tough to understand the discipline and inner workings of the military unit. When it comes to defending the rights and freedoms of this country, I think that I would trust the judgement of the commanders in charge. If they as a collective group think, for example, that all left-handed people are a liability, then for the sake of the defense of the country, we should probably follow their advice.
-Wayne
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I wouldn't give that much deference to anyone.
For decades, black soldiers were barred, and then segregated, in the Army. It was, as you say, the collective judgment of the commanders that using Negro soldiers in combat, or mixing Negros with whites, would be a liability. Under the pressures of WW2, black soldiers were pressed into combat, and then intermixed with white soldiers. The results proved the commanders were wrong.
Interesting article on the subject.
http://www.worldwar2history.info/Army/Jim-Crow.html
I'm not doctrinare about it. If the evidence is that gay soldiers harm fighting effectiveness, then keep them out. But I'm interested in knowing what evidence there is.
Edit: I looked it up - most countries permit homosexuals to serve in the military.
Israel, Great Britain, Australia, pretty much all of Europe, much of South America. Admittedly most of these countries never fight wars, but Israel and the UK have certainly been fighting. I wonder if there is any evidence one way or another from their experience?
The countries that ban homosexuals are: US, North Korea, Syria, Yemen, Cuba, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Venezula, China.
Historically, gays have often been soldiers. Everyone (who's studied much history) knows that the armies of ancient Greece included a lot of gays, especially the Spartans who were much feared soldiers. Of course, society was quite different then.