Don't Ask Don't Tell: A Second Time Around

“I have now spent five years in the Navy, and I have loved every minute of it. It is unfortunate that in our country, which prides itself on being a beacon of liberty to the world, discrimination is still alive and well, even in our own government. I am proud to be among the one million gay veterans who have answered the call to duty, and I look forward to working alongside them to topple this un-American and counter-productive law.”
– Jason Knight, commenting on the Navy’s decision to give him a pink slip--again

Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight refused to stay in the closet after he made headlines recently because he received recall orders to serve in Kuwait. He had been discharged before for coming out to his command during his last enlistment.

Remember, this is the same Pentagon brass that is allowing branches to lower standards and recruit people with antisocial personality disorder, autism, and troll for recruits on MySpace.

Also welcomed into the fold, as they look for warm bodies, are folks convicted of aggravated assault, robbery, vehicular manslaughter, receiving stolen property and making terrorist threats. The number of convicted felons enlisted in the U.S. military has almost doubled in the past three years, and 43,977 individuals convicted of serious misdemeanors such as assault have enlisted under the moral waivers program.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon says more troops are needed to stop the bloodshed in Iraq; that there is woefully inadequate healthcare in our veterans’ health care system; and that there are new concerns about the “surge” of troops in Iraq.

But, despite all those pressing matters to deal with, the Pentagon found time today to fire Jason Knight because he happens to be gay.