Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman is the lead sponsor of a measure to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue policy that has barred openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the military. Lieberman, who has been a thorn in the side of many liberals over issues of healthcare and Iraq, may now be hailed by some liberals for this bold move:
Now that he’s taking such a public stand on a core liberal issue, will the left be able to get over its aversion to the iconoclast in their midst and recognize that Lieberman isn’t just the ideal person to front for this effort — given his popularity with Republicans and the trust he has earned from senior military officials — but that he’s genuinely sincere in his motivations?
While it’s refreshing to know that Lieberman believes in “the bedrock American promise of providing citizens with ‘an equal opportunity to do whatever job their talents and sense of purpose and motivations lead them to want to do – including military service,'” it’s his second statement that I find troubling:
Second, and no less important for a lawmaker whose commitment to national security the Pentagon can’t doubt, is that “When you artificially limit the pool of people who can enlist then you are diminishing military effectiveness.”
In other words, when you’re fighting two never-ending wars, rejecting warm bodies because of who they are attracted to when they are off duty is a ridiculous notion. In that statement alone, Lieberman completely undermines his “heroic” stand on this issue. In essence he’s saying: “Yes, we’re Americans and all Americans should have equal employment opportunities, blah, blah, blah. But more importantly, we need bodies, and any body will do!”
That, gay and lesbian service members, is how much you are valued by Sen. Joseph Lieberman – not for your skill, not for your heroics, not for your strength of character, but for your body – for your willingness to stand in a war zone and get shot at so they’ll have an unlimited “pool of people” to send off to foreign lands and shoot at our enemies. How ironic!
The religious right wing fear-mongering over this whole issue is that gays and lesbians will reduce their fellow service members to mere “bodies” to be leered at and possibly assaulted in the shower. In a fundraising plea, the Family Research Council explicitly makes this point:
Forcing soldiers to cohabit with people who view them as sexual objects would inevitably lead to increased sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault.
In light of Lieberman’s statement, though, it seems that it’s not gays and lesbians who are the ones in danger of objectifying their fellow service members – he’s already reduced gay and lesbian service members to mere objects.
My own faith conviction in non-violence prevents me from serving in the military. But I am all in favor of repealing DADT, for the right reasons – not just because the current policy limits the “pool” of available cannon fodder – but because it eliminates good, highly skilled men and women from the service who could serve this country with honor and distinction. Sen. Lieberman owes the gay and lesbian community an apology – and needs to be reminded that there are people under those uniforms, whether they are gay, straight, or somewhere in between. They are not part of a “pool” of resources. They are human beings who have made the brave choice to sacrifice their lives for the safety of this country. They ought to be honored for that.
