You know I think gays should be barred from the military

They shouldn't have to go risk their lives and limbs for a nation that hates them.

Hey numbers don't lie, overwhelmingly except in a few states this country has spoken that gay people should be second class citizens with inferior rights to that of heterosexuals.

Why risk your life allegedly protecting the 'freedoms' that you, as a gay American, don't actually have?

I'd certainly risk my life for my country.

Besides. My country doesn't hate me. Misguided ignorant non-thinkers hate me, and legislative change occurs at a snail's pace.

Then we need to try mercilessly to change it.

and unfortunately sanity and tolerance is grossly outnumbered.

in fucking dollars.

and for this country.

I really wish we lived in a culture that expected everyone as who they are and learn to stay out of peoples private lives. To the gblt I want to say that all i know is that in my heart of hearts you should be given the same rights as anyone. I know its what my god wants and he accepts everyone as long as thier decent and kind. Peace be with you all. I know it isn't easy living in dubyas world but one day everyone whose been hurt demonized or marginalised by the administration will have his day. The collective left will overcome.
=hug and peace to all members of my gblt du family- Rock on and remember your awesome and dont let anyone tell you different.

Not just that. But when one side of our society takes all sorts of benefits from the rest of us, they in turn should sacrifice more. Especially when those feeling robbed will be less inclined to fight for a system they feel has betrayed them.

(as for me, I found a new outlet which I am hoping will prove successful. Ironically, the greed of the executive class has prompted me to become an entrepreneur...) And once I am successful I will reevaluate things.

Specious sophistries notwithstanding, two wrongs don't make a right. Democracy requires skin the game - it's not a spectator sport. Nihilism isn't an option.

What if the majority doesn't want democracy nor is willing to sacrifice skin for what they believe in?

What if the majority wants the majority to be irrelevant? Does that make that particular 'want' irrelevant as well? Does democracy have the political right to commit suicide? That's called a conundrum - a mind game.

As I've said before, that's why I'm a liberal first and a (small-d) democrat second.

Damn Navy recruiters are starting to contact my daughter.

They don't have any of their best interests at heart

I had to fast forward through a lot of it because it was just too painful to watch. Why do the Texas Log Cabin Republicans apply for a booth at the Texas GOP convention year after year when they are never approved? Why do they have unofficial events at the convention when they are met with anti-gay protestors who not only hold signs and pray for them, but also yell some very rude things at them?

How big a sledgehammer to you need to knock some sense into people who desperately want to be part of a group that despises them?

If they want to follow orders from that asshat we call President, why stop them?

And what the hell is up with gay Republicans? Why not just be Blue Dog Dems and stay away from the haters?

I'm guessing that, after surviving the reality of a lengthy, costly, major war, at least some in the upper levels of the Pentagon must have faced the reality that skin color didn't make a damn bit of difference in combat.

Now if they would only apply that reality to the current situation. At the very beginning of this so-called war, they fired several of the small handful of people who could actually translate Arabic to English.

Why? Because they were gay. Prime example of the levels of stupidity that only the current Fraudministration can get away with.

Now if any US soldiers ever got killed by "insurgents" and their deaths might have been prevented if someone could have translated the "chatter" - and such a person WAS once available, do you think the relatives of the dead soldiers are really going to give a flying fuck what (or who) the translators did off duty? I think not. Hell even if they were Freepers, I don't think their first thoughts would be "Oh my son died? Well that's OK, as long as it kept some faggot from serving in the military".

Unfortunately, I see the ban on gays in the military ending very soon. And I say "unfortunately" because of the circumstances. When Chimp finally admits that he needs a draft, he's going to have the expertise of an entire cabinet and Congress full of Republican draft dodgers behind him. And they're going to know every loophole they used to avoid Vietnam, so they'll probably close each one of them in the new draft. And claiming homosexuality is probably the most obvious way of "failing" the draft. A generation of neocon shitbags will finally return to embracing Barry Goldwater, and use one of his last memorable quotes "Who cares whether or not a soldier's straight, as long as he can SHOOT straight!"

They would make them part of "Operation Human Shield"

from military service. Heck, look at the chickenhawks - they are not only first-class citizens but endowed by their faux Creator with certain superior rights - including the right not to ever have to fight for their country. They are called Republican officials.