Wow...I just looked up information about Eric Alva online, and we are very lucky to have such a distinguished speaker visit Aggieland. Considering A&Ms military history, I think it is awesome to learn more about this subject from an expert who has served and was injured to protect all of us. This is really awesome, and I'll definitely be there and bring friends! Thanks for reporting such an important story like this...I thinnk that no matter what people thing of GLBT stuff, we can all agree that this is a man who deserves our respect and honor, so I hope that this comment section doesn't degrade into derogatory language like it has in the past. RESPECT everyone.

It would have been nice if you had written why this cat feels "repealing the 'don't ask, don't tell policy so gay men and women can serve in the military freely without discrimination is important". Then we would have a handle to shred the relevnace of this article, and cause. A couple things stand out, though.

1) Having been in the military myself, I can tell you that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, is the only thing keeping these people safe. Take it away and gays wouldn't even survive in the military. We can play PC all we want, but soldiers and marines are not going to tolerate openly gay people.

2) I know people who got a purple heart for getting a concussion. I'm not sure what injury this individual suffered to recieve his, but simply stating qualifiers like "iraq vet", "purple heart recip.", etc doesn't really make him some all-knowing subject matter expert.

3) In the 50's and 60's the government did numerous studies to weigh the dangers of gays in the military. They concluded that gays are much more prone to emotional instability, among other shortcomings. Allowing gays to enter the military would weaken our military, plain and simple.

Let's look at facts that are a bit more up to date than quoting "data" from the 1950s and 1960s (let's not forget that studies from that time period also justified reasons for keeping Black citizens away from White citizens, preventing interracial couples from marrying, etc). In 2000, the Urban Institute - a nonpartisan economic and social research institute - published findings about GLBT people currently enlisted in the US Armed Forces based on the 2000 Census.
Despite policy designed to keep GLBT people out of military service, census data make clear that they are actively serving in the armed forces, in guard and reserve units, and all together estimates show that about 65,000 enlisted men and women identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender...and nearly one million GLBT veterans were living in the United States in 2000.
Furthermore, it is public knowledge that around the world there are various responses to allowing GLBT people to serve their countries. Most Western military forces have now removed policies excluding GLBT people from serving and protecting; of the 26 countries that participate militarily in NATO, more than 20 permit open lesbians, gays, or bisexuals to serve. Allowing GLBT people into the military of those countries hasn't resulted in chaos or crime. The argument is outdated and discriminatory.
Finally...go see the speaker mentioned in the article. According the the bio that I read about him, he was injured after stepping on a land mine shortly after the Iraq invasion began. This resulted in him losing one leg, and severe damage to the rest of his body. I'd say that this certainly qualifies his as a hero in my eyes and someone who has served his country with honor and loyalty and continues to do so by fighting against Dont Ask Dont Tell.

I am a veteran, I believe that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is discriminatory, and it should be repealed. To suggest that gays and lesbians could not openly serve in the military without soldiers and marines "not tolerating" them and to suggest that they would be in danger is call into question the professionalism of our military members.

Also, to call into question someone's decoration without any knowledge of the situation is completely unacceptable. Sergeant Alva lost his leg, and was the first American injured in the Iraq War. The fact that he is an Iraq War veteran and has been awarded the purple heart does not make him qualified on the surface to speak about this issue, but the fact that his is gay and has served in the military does.

Allowing gays into the military would not weaken our military, in fact not allowing gays and discharging thousands of them has weakened our military.

Sergeant Alva's House Armed Services Hearing testimony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua3ZncXyDqI

Ames,

While I haven't looked enough at the issue and do not take a position for or against "don't ask don't tell," War is no place for political correctness.

Interesting comments, Chuck. I'd like to respond.

1.) Eric Alva was a Marine - Marines are sometimes referred to as "devil dogs," so he certainly isn't some "cat."

2.) I served in the military, too. I went to the same training as the straight guys and I can hold my own. Barry Winchell was killed while he slept. Allen Schindler was killed while he was urinating. The murderers waited until their victims weren't able to defend themselves. Your argument carries as much water as a bucket without a bottom.

3.) Take a minute to google Eric Alva's name and you will find out he was maimed by a landmine. He lost limbs. He more than earned his Purple Heart.

4.) Reports from the military in the 1950s found that gay troops would not be a threat to military operations. Rand Corp. studies in the 1990s found that gays would not be a threat. And most scientific studies on homosexuality have found that gays aren't any more or less emotionally unstable than straights.

Staff Sgt. Alva is to be commended for his loyal service to our country and for his continued activism on behalf of a minority that deserves the same basic freedoms we as Americans all share the responsibility of upholding. Upon enlisting or commissioning, all members of the military swear to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies "foreign & domestic". There are no provisional exemptions such as "unless they happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered".
Staff Sgt. Alva served proudly and honorably for thirteen years while bearing the shame of secrecy imposed by this arcane policy (Don't Ask, Don't Tell). He also lost a leg in Iraq fighting for what he believed in. He was honorably discharged and speaking as a veteran myself, he has earned the right to think, believe, say and act in any manner he sees fit. We are fortunate indeed to have people like him among us.

LGBT people in England, Belgium, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands all have equal rights, including marriage. Society has managed to accept it and adapt. We should learn something from "BiLoves dotcom", many members here working for GLBT rights. And there are about 100 members per day and they are very active. And if you often are online, you may find what you are looking more easily.

Wouldn't it be better to have a homo in the foxhole, cuz he'd be defending with all his might those he finds sexually attractive. I know I would give everything I got to save a girl I want to nail from danger. So I figured a gay dude would do the same for the piece of ass he admires.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor HOMOSEXUAL OFFENDERS nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

We inherited a perfectly imperfect nature, as a result of original Sin. Just because it is an innate desire, or you believe you were born with it does not make it right. Children of cocaine addicts are often born with a proclivity toward cocaine use. They were "born with it"...does that make it right? HOMOSEXUALITY is a flaw in our imperfect nature against which me must fight, just like aggression, alcoholism, drug addiction, persistant sexual urges, among others. I would venture to say that homosexuality is no worse a sin than any of the vices I listed above, however, to stand by and simply accept that one is "gay" is huge sin, one which you will be judged for when your time comes. We MUST pray for those engaged in homosexual behavior, they deserve our prayers and kind thoughts, not our insults, but they must know that their behavior is an affront to God.

God Bless

Anon .. do not forget Leveticus 16:20.

Isn't all of this "coming out" just recruitment for the homosexual community?

Shouldn't young minds be warned of the possible consequences of a homosexual lifestyle?

Just the facts Mam...

Fast Facts

Unhealthy Practices

1. Homosexual behavior significantly increases the likelihood of psychiatric, mental and emotional disorders, according to a study in the Netherlands. Youth are four times more likely to suffer major depression, almost three times as likely to suffer generalized anxiety disorder, nearly four times as likely to experience conduct disorder, four times as likely to commit suicide, five times as likely to have nicotine dependence, six times as likely to suffer multiple disorders, and more than six times as likely to have attempted suicide. (Study of 5,998 Dutch adults. Theo G.M. Sandforte, T. Graaf, R. Bijl, R. Schnabel, P. (2001) Same-Sex Sexual Behavior and Psychiatric Disorders: Findings from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence," Archives of General Psychiatry. 58, 10: 85-91.) **This research comes from the Netherlands where homosexuality has been accepted and mainstreamed for years, negating the mindset that a lack of tolerance of homosexual behavior and lifestyle produces these psychoses.

2. A co-twin study found that men with same-sex partners were 6.5 times as likely as their co-twin to have attempted suicide. The higher rate was not explained by mental health or substance abuse disorders. (Herrell, R. et al (1999) "A Co-twin Control Study in Adult Men" Archives of General Psychiatry. 56, 10: 867 - 874.)

3. A study by Harvard Medical School of 4,159 high school students (grades 9-12) found that "GLB youth report disproportionate risk for a variety of health risk and problem behaviors...engage[ing] in twice the mean number of risk behaviors as did the overall population." More than 30 health risks and problem behaviors were identified, including an increased use of cocaine and other illegal drugs, use of tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine before age 13, sexual intercourse before age 13, and sexual intercourse with four or more partners. (R. Garofalo et. al., "The Association Between Health Risk Behaviors and Sexual Orientation Among a School-based Sample of Adolescents," Pediatrics, Vol. 101, No. 5, May 1998: 895-902.) Homosexual or bisexual teenagers are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide as their heterosexual peers. (R. Garofalo, R. C. Wolf, L. S. Wissow, E. R. Woods and E. Goodman. "Sexual Orientation and Risk of Suicide Attempts Among a Representative Sample of Youth.' Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 153 [1999]: 487-493.)

4. HIV/AIDS is rampant in the homosexual community. Epidemiologists estimate that 30percent of all 20-year-old homosexually-active men will be HIV positive or dead of AIDS by the time they are 30. (Goldman, E. "Psychological Factors Generate HIV Resurgence in Young Gay men." Clinical Psychiatry News. Oct. 1994) HIV infection rates more than doubled from 1997 to 2000 as safe-sex practices were abandoned. In Los Angeles and five other major cities, one in 10 young homosexual or bisexual men is infected with HIV. ("L.A. Studies Show Increase in Risky Sex by Gay men," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2001) Among homosexual African Americans, the HIV infection rate is one out of three. ("Young Gay Black Men Suffer High HIV Rates," Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2001.)

5. The median age of death for those who regularly engage in homosexual behavior leaned in the direction of less than 50. The data suggest a "20- to 30-year decrease in lifespan" because of "substantially elevated rates of sexually elevated diseases . . . cancer and heart conditions, and violence among homosexual men and women." (Four data sets: obituaries from the homosexual press; two 1994 sexuality surveys; homosexual marriage records for Scandinavia; and Colorado medical records) (Paul Cameron, Kirk Cameron, and William L. Playfair)

6. The rate of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men is nine times higher than among women and heterosexual men. (Centers for Disease Control, Media Center, 2002)

7. The risk of contracting AIDS from a single act of unprotected heterosexual intercourse is 1 in 715,000. The risk of contracting AIDS from a single act of unprotected homosexual intercourse is 1 in 165. (Tom W. Smith, "Adult Sexual Behavior and Risk of AIDS," Family Planning Perspectives 23, no. 3 (May/June 1991) 104). "Does Homosexual Activity Shorten Life?" Psychological Reports. Vol. 83, Number . , 1998. Page(s) 847-866.)

8. Psychological health problems including multiple drug use, partner violence, history of childhood sexual abuse, and depression interface to sharply increase high-risk sexual behavior and HIV infection rates among homosexual and bisexual men in the U.S. (L. Linley, R. Stall, G. Mansergh, "New CDC Studies Shed Light on Facts Underlying High HIV Infection Rates Among Gay and Bisexual Men." http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r020710.htm )

9. An editorial in Steam, a magazine for homosexuals, quotes a man who has been HIV positive since the early years of the epidemic: "I'm so sick and tired of these Negatives whining about how difficult it is to stay safe. Why don't they just get over it and get Positive." According to Scott O'Hara, Steam's HIV-positive editor: "One of my primary goals is the maximization of pleasure, and just as I believe that gay men have more fun, so too, do I believe that Positives have learned to have much more fun than Negatives. I'm delighted to be Positive. . .The Negative world is defined by fear, ours by pleasure." (Rotello, G. (1997) Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men. NU: Dutton, p. 242.)

10. Research shows that homosexual men are not getting tested for HIV. A report from the Centers for Disease Control showed that more than three-quarters of the homosexual men studied were unaware they were carrying HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Ninety percent of homosexual black men, ages 15-29, who have the virus, did not know they had the virus until researchers told them. The figure for Hispanic homosexual men is 70 percent and for the white homosexual men 60 percent. (Centers for Disease Control, International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, Spain. July 7-12, 2002.)

11. HIV infection rates among homosexuals in King County Washington jumped 40 percent in the year 2002 and are expected to jump 60 percent in the year 2003. The reasons cited are decreased fear of the disease, burnout on safe-sex messages, lack of interest in knowing HIV status, and few gay community leaders sounding the alarm about the new wave of infections. (Warren King, "Dramatic Surge seen in Local HIV Cases," The Seattle Times, June 4, 2003.)

12. Epidemiologists estimate that one out of two men who have sex with men will eventually become HIV positive. Men who begin to engage in sex with men at an earlier age are more likely to become HIV positive and to become HIV positive earlier. (Hessol, N., Lifson, A., O'Malley, P., Doll, L., Jaffe, H., Rutherford, G. (1989) Prevalence, incidence and progression of human immunodeficiency virus infection in homosexual and bisexual men in hepatitis B vaccine trials, 1978 - 1988. American Journal of Epidemiology. 130, 6: 1167 - 1175) (Hoover, D., Munoz, A., Carey, V., Chmiel, J., Taylor, J., Margolick, J., Kingsley, L., Vermund, S. (1991) Estimating the 1978 - 1990 and future spread of human Immunodeficiency virus type 1 in subgroups of homosexual men. American Journal of Epidemiology 134, 10: 1190 - 1205) (Morris, M., Dean, L. (1994) Effects of sexual behavior change on long-term human immunodeficiency virus prevalence among homosexual men. American Journal of Epidemiology. 140, 3: 217 - 32)

13. The bacteria contacted during anal intercourse include Shigella, Entamoeba, Giardia (causes chronic diarrhea), and the bacteria that cause hepatitis A (severe liver damage which can kill), and hepatitis B. Of course, the mostly deadly of all, HIV, is more easily transmitted through anal sex. ("When Kids don't Have a Straight Answer" [Departments: Health and Fitness]. NEAToday on-line.)

14. A study revealed a dramatic increase in anal cancer among homosexual men. This increase is traced to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women and is found in almost all HIV-positive homosexual men. (Report of study at annual meeting of American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, June 26, 2002.)

15. Lesbians are more likely to be HIV positive than heterosexual women, not because HIV is transmitted by lesbian sexual activity, but because lesbians are more likely to have had sexual relations with HIV positive men or use IV drugs. (Myers, R., "The Talking Sex Project: Descriptions of the Study Population and Correlated of Sexual Practices at Baseline." Canadian Journal of Public Health. Jan./Feb. 1992.)

16. Homosexual men in San Francisco who reported having unprotected anal sex increased from 30% in 1994 to 39% in 1997. Those who said they had unprotected sex with multiple partners grew from 24% to 33% during the same period. (Sack, K. (1999) "For Gay Men, HIV Peril and Rising Drug Use," New York Times. Jan. 29 internet version)

17. During fiscal year 2000, the United States spent $10.8 billion on HIV/AIDS patient care. That's $l,359 per month per HIV/AIDS patient. (www.whitehouse.gov/onap/facts.html)

18. In 2002, HIV/AIDS-related prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) received $144 million in funding. (Bob Kellogg, "CDC Audit Badly Needed, Critics Say," Citizenlink, August 1, 2002)

19. In Los Angeles County, homosexual jail inmates have as high as a 94% recidivism rate. These inmates with communicable diseases, such as AIDS, syphilis, and hepatitis, infect others in the community upon their release and then infect still others back inside the jails if they return. (Beth Shuster, Los Angeles Times, "Sheriff approves Handout of Condoms to Gay Inmates," November 30, 2001)

20. Thirty-two percent of homosexual men and women abuse alcohol, as compared with 7 % (10 % of men and 5 % of women) in the general population. (Fifield, L., Latham, J., Phillips, C. (1977) Alcoholism in the Gay Community: The Price of Alienation, Isolation, and Oppression, A Project of the Gay Community Service Center, Los Angeles, CA)

21. Homosexuality correlates with higher alcohol use, frequency of intoxication, marijuana use, cocaine use, and other drug problems. There is a higher incidence for males than females. (McKirnan, D., Peterson, P. (1989) Psychosocial and Cultural Factors in a Alcohol and Drug Abuse: An analysis of a Homosexual Community, Addictive Behaviors. 14: 555-563.)

22. Among homosexual men, ages 18 to 25: 79.2 have used marijuana; 75% have used psychotherapeutics for nonmedical reasons; 65.2% have used stimulants such as dexedrine and benzedrine; 62.5% have used inhalants such as amyl or butyl nitrate; and 50.2% have used hallucinogens such as LSD. Rates among lesbians: marijuana, 82. %; psychotherapeutics, 58.8%; stimulants, 52.9%; inhalants, 41.2%; and hallucinogens, 41.2%. Comparing current usage to national usage, homosexuals were found to use drugs with greater frequency: "Among adults aged 18-25, 16.5% of men and 9.1% of women have used marijuana in the past month, compared with 37.5% of gay men and 23.5% of lesbians." ( William F. Skinner "The Prevalence and Demographic Predictors of Illicit and Licit Drug Use Among Lesbians and Gay Men" American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 84, Number . , 1994. Page(s) 1307-1310)

23. 37% of lesbian youths had been physically abused, and 32% had been raped or sexually attacked. 19% had been involved in incestuous relationships while growing up. Almost one-third used tobacco on a daily basis, about 30% drank alcohol more than once a week, and 6% drank daily. One in five smoked marijuana more than once a month. Twenty-one percent of the sample had thoughts about suicide "sometimes" or "often," and 18% had actually tried to kill themselves. More than half had felt too nervous to accomplish ordinary activities at some time during the past year, and more than one-third had been depressed. (J. Bradford et al., "National Lesbian Health Care Survey: Implications for Mental Health Care," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 62 (1994): 239, cited in Health Implications Associated with Homosexuality, p. 81)

and for the rest of the story..


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1034938/posts

"1) Christianity is a joke. Seriously, lets take the advice of some "spirit in the sky" who died thousands of years ago for our sins, of yet he had no clue what they would be, and had not even met us....but he died for us.

2) If there were a god alive today, She totally would not be a Christian. BTHO chritianity!

3) I doubt this gets posted bc it's not in line with what A&M "stands for."
(Conformity)."

Uum. NO, Aggie Athiest. Just NO. I do not like what ANON said and think hes completely in the wrong. However, you are as well. That was rude and un-Aggie-like and un-called for. You shame and and give a bad name to intelligent atheists out there. Kindly keep your bigoted comments to yourself.

People have every right to follow their own beliefs, be it christianity, atheism, or whatever else without having to put up with the tripe you just posted. Kindly learn some manners.

Furthermore, I don't really care what the bible says (or doesn't say as is the case) about homosexuality- so quit preaching it here (Im talking to YOU here ANON and Preston Wiginton, pay attention). This country is NOT run by Christianity nor is the military, not matter WHAT you would like the world to believe. Weather your beliefs say I, as a lesbian, am evil, does not matter and has no place dictating weather I have rights or not. I personally am Pagan. Using the bible to say I should not be able to serve in the military goes against the foundations of this country. Making me, a pagan (whose beliefs say gays are fine), follow the beliefs of christianity (who claim homosexuality is evil and therefore we should not be allowed to serve) is against the spirit of this country and unconstitutional to boot. Kindly take your bible beliefs and leave them in church. Do not argue my rights based on your beliefs or else I will retaliate and argue that YOU should follow MY beliefs. I'm pretty sure you would NOT like some of my beliefs and you would despise me telling you all that you have to follow the Wiccan Rede, celebrate the solstices, and run around skyclad.

Well folks, there you have it. Ninteen reason why we shouldn't have gays in the military during wartime. The focus is drawn away from fighting the enemy 24 hours a day and put on political activism against our own country.

Mr. Kane, you are not in the militaty and never have been. You are a school teacher and you are free to do whatever you want without interference from your government. Stay within that domain and you will find happiness. From the comments I've read, it appears each of us has a pride of our own.

As for the rest of you, straighten up and leave the GLBT and LGBT alone. You all have your own problems.

Well, so much for hoping. So much for thinking that the neo-Nazi bigots that I met when I was at A&M 30 years ago had finally died out and gone the way of the Neanderthals. Nope. As this current crop of "Anon" postings (let's hear it for having enough guts to post under your real name) tells us, racism and ignorance can breed anywhere. Even colleges.

Oh, and words just can't describe how happy I am to know that someone like Preston is out there, supposedly attending my college and giving it a bad name nationally. Mr Wiginton, his brown shirt all pressed and buttoned up, with flaming cross in one hand and a copy of the Turner Diaries in the other, spewing the same sort of racial hatred that made his mentor Adolf so popular 70 years ago. I guess you can't keep a good Reich down (three just weren't enough for you, eh Preston?).

Preston, are you the same guy that recently posted "Beating down a mud [person of color] when they try to poisen [sic] one of our own or when they try to seduce one of our [white] girls may not be God inspired, but rather a righteous act of collective preservation."
-- Stormfront.org post, July 29, 2007

SOunds like you were adocating violence there Preston.

and "Some of the leading skinheads in Russia are my best friends. They are also the founders of the skinhead movement in Russia. ... Luckily Russia is the only nation that understands RAHOWA [Racial Holy War]. Because of this ... immigrants think twice about coming to Russia."
-- Stormfront.org post, July 21, 2007

Are you advocating a race war?

And let us not forget "Glory to Russia" last November at a White Supremacist rally in Moscow of all places.

I just wanted to make sure everyone knew where you were coming from.

Hello Cheny Coker,

Thank you for "accepting" my diverse opinion. Intstead of attacking my opinion all you can do is attack me. It makes me feel so welcome. Funny that is part of vision 20/20 is .. is to make ALL feel welcome.

I do advocate that TAMU get back to its roots and quit promoting white guilt and alienating whites. I also advovate that racial purity is best for both races. Why subject a child to sickle cell? or a white women to a potential illigitimate child? (Illigitiamacy amongst black 68% and 75% divorce rate amongst mixed race couples)

Again can you dispute what I write and say? Or can you just name call? What is the value of your degree if you can not contribute to the arguement? That is what makes TAMU look bad, our level of intelligence, if any.

"Thank you for "accepting" my diverse opinion. Intstead of attacking my opinion all you can do is attack me. It makes me feel so welcome. Funny that is part of vision 20/20 is .. is to make ALL feel welcome."

Please don't misunderstand me. I have no desire to make you feel welcome. I fully support your efforts to speak out and make your opinions known. How else are we to know who are the racists among us? I also fully support the efforts of anyone anywhere who feel obligated by some sense of common morality and honor to point out to people the abhorrent foundations (and logical errors) of your philosophy.

"I do advocate that TAMU get back to its roots and quit promoting white guilt and alienating whites."

Alienating whites? Can you read? The white population of A&M is currently 70.7%. How much more UN-alienated do you want whites to feel? That percentage has risen 1% over the last four years, not gone down. The black population is at 3.2% and that bothers you? If you want an all white school, go found one.

"I also advovate that racial purity is best for both races. Why subject a child to sickle cell? or a white women to a potential illigitimate child? (Illigitiamacy amongst black 68% and 75% divorce rate amongst mixed race couples)"

Sickle Cell? Are you kidding me? The percentage of sickle cell in the US is .25% in the black population and falling. You would be better off worrying about meteors. And as far as illegitimacy rates, congratulations for cherry picking your stats well. How about we segregate the races so Blacks won't pick up the much higher abortion rates among whites? In 2002, 53% of all abortions were for white mothers, 35% were for black mothers. So when you tell people to practice family values and keep the baby, more Blacks are doing just that. In fact if you were to really get your wish and get all those pregnant white women to keep the babies instead of aborting them, the rate of illegitimate births would go up. So supposedly you would view this as a good thing? Right? Or a bad thing?
Divorce rates? Glad you mentioned it. The divorce rate for whites is higher than the divorce rate for non-whites. According to the US Census (by the way, where does your data come from) the divorce rate for white males is 21.5% vs. 19.1% for black males. As far as divorce rates for mixed race couples, I would love to know where your numbers come from because they don't match any real data out there. According to recent census figures, there are over 3 million mixed race marriages or about 5% of the population. But according to a 1998 government report, "After 10 years of marriage, interracial marriages have a 41% chance of disruption and same-race marriages have a 31% chance of disruption." Neither of those numbers is the 75% number you listed, so where did you get it? Most experts state that while there is a higher divorce rate among mixed race couples, the rate is decreasing - as are all divorce rates.

"Again can you dispute what I write and say? Or can you just name call? What is the value of your degree if you can not contribute to the arguement? That is what makes TAMU look bad, our [your] level of intelligence, if any."

I think I did just dispute what you said. As far as name calling, I prefer the term descriptive labeling, or truth in advertising. The value of my degree is that I tend to do actual research to see if the stuff you are selling is made up or not. As you can see from what I wrote, most of it is either a gross misrepresentation or a flat out lie.

I'm a member of the US Navy. I'm 100% against gays serving in the military openly. Military service is not a "right." Neither is playing for the Aggie football team.

Gays CAN serve right now. Nothing is stoping them. The issue is them being open (ie outward) with their sexual preferences. How could that possibly be a good thing?

Guys do not want to be in a foxhole next to some horny queer. Just like they might "want" to be in a foxhole next to some horny female. This is why women are restricted in what capacity they can serve. Regardless of whether they "can" perform the job, they are a distraction in certain environments, like special warfare units, submarines, etc. Multiply that distraction by 100x for gays.

WE DO NOT WANT YOU. The military is a serious business. People are freaking shooting at me. We do not have time for your politics in the military.

This is the whole point of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. You CAN serve. Go for it. But keep your agenda in your freaking pants.

Andrew (and all the other trashy rednecks out there):

I find it rather insulting, not just to gay and lesbian Americans who want to openly serve their country in uniform, but especially to all of our armed forces, that somehow straight American soldiers lack the professionalism to work side-by-side with openly gay and lesbian people just like people do in civilian jobs. Judging from your logic, since men and women are attracted to one another, they shouldn't serve together in uniform either - we wouldn't want a man to hit on a woman and her feelings to get hurt.

So to all of the morons out there, please don't try and hide your homophobia by making bogus, misleading reasons why gay and lesbian soldiers shouldn't be able to openly serve in the armed forces. Less than a century ago, racists used the same reasons for segregating black soldiers from white soldiers, claiming integrating the two would hurt morale. The same false claims were also made about women serving in the military. I think it's safe to say that both black and female soldiers have served our country honorably in war, and the fears that their open service would somehow wreak havoc on troop morale proved to be unfounded.

The Israeli Defense Forces allows gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly, and I dare any of you to question the strength and resolve of that nation's military prowess. They are under constant attack from their Hamas and Hezbollah neighbors and are considered one of the strongest, disciplined military forces in the entire world. Their military training programs make ours look like a cakewalk, and Israeli soldiers don't view their gay comrades as "gays" but rather as fellow Israelis honorably protecting their nation from attack.

I'll close with this simple statement that I hope those of you with simple minds can understand - YOU DON"T HAVE TO BE STRAIGHT TO SHOOT STRAIGHT.

Gig'em!

Jon
Class of 2004