Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The increasing incoherence of the military's gay exclusion policy. - By Nathaniel Frank - Slate Magazine

The increasing incoherence of the military's gay exclusion policy. - By Nathaniel Frank - Slate Magazine: "All of this would be merely absurd if it weren't for the dire situation of a military stretched thin by ongoing commitments across the globe. In the wake of the shortfalls, according to the University of California's Palm Center (where I am a senior research fellow), the number of convicted felons who enlisted in the U.S. military nearly doubled in the past three years, totaling 4,230 in the last four years. The recruits entered under the 'moral waiver' program, which enlists those who otherwise would not qualify because of immoral behavior, such as committing felonies. This lowering of standards continues as two to three competent gay service members lose their jobs every day. More than 11,000 have been fired under the policy, including more than 800 mission-critical specialists and 300 linguists covering 161 different occupational specialties."