Congressman Asks govt to Consider Hiring Linguists Dismissed Under 'Don't Ask, don't tell'

[The Straight Story]

New York Congressman Asks State Department to Consider Hiring Military Linguists Dismissed Under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'



Ackerman Says 'The Military Seems More Afraid of Gay People
Than...Terrorists'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Gary Ackerman
(D-NY) today urged Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to consider hiring
military linguists discharged under the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban
on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. During hearings on the 2008
State Department budget, Ackerman pressed Secretary Rice to address the
government's foreign language deficit by employing discharged lesbian and
gay linguists with training in Arabic and Farsi. Secretary Rice responded
that she "certainly will look at what we are doing right now," when asked
by Ackerman if the proposal was realistic.

"It seems that the military has gone around and fired a whole bunch
of people who speak foreign languages -- Farsi and Arabic, etc.," Ackerman
said. "For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than
they are of terrorists, but they're very brave with the terrorists," he
continued. "If the terrorists ever got hold of this information, they'd get
a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad," Ackerman said.

"Considering the critical shortage of linguists in the armed forces, a
platoon of Arabic-speaking lesbians may be just what the military needs,"
said Sharon Alexander, deputy director of policy for Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network (SLDN). "In fact, faced with the shortage of language
experts, the military would do well to consider Congressman Ackerman's
point. We cannot afford to lose critical personnel because of 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell.' There are many brave gay men and lesbians who report for duty
every day, and their contributions are immeasurably important to our
national security."

According to the Government Accountability Office, the Pentagon has
dismissed more than 300 language experts under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell,"
including more than 55 who were fluent in Arabic.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-07-2007/0004522926&EDATE=

I know one of those dismissed under that dumb ass policy, he could be helping them still today and who knows what he could have contributed to our intelligence. Now he is a project manager I work with from time to time. He is a great guy, we even flirt at times (he knows I am straight but keeps telling me one bite of his apple and I will be back in eden :rofl: , and I tell him if he saw me nude he would turn straight ), and very intelligent on a wide range of topics.

Sometimes I have to let it sink in - they fired a damned good employee who was working towards the goals the repukes say they have of making our country safer all because he doesn't sleep with whom they tell him to.

That's some fucked up shit.

[Dracos]

1. There hatered for gays has put the

country in danger.