"Don't ask, don't tell"

Ah, yes, the airtight, "Nancy Pelosi's kids are not in Afghanistan" argument. Pulling out the heavy artillery now, I see ...

 

Um, spluh?

 

The other side of "Don't Ask Don't Tell: Stories from the Navy--

"Stuart's at the edge of the bed ... and [Massa] starts massaging him," Clarke said. "Massa said, 'You'll have to get one of my special massages.' He called them 'Massa Massages.' "

Borsch confirmed his version of events in an e-mail sent to reporters who asked.

"In 1990, aboard the USS Jouett, I was awakened when a senior officer, Lt. Commander Massa, seemed to be groping me. (I was a lieutenant at the time.)," Borsch wrote.

"I believe he may have been drinking. I shouted at him and he left. I mentioned the incident to several other officers. I did not officially report it."

Clarke and another sailor told The Atlantic there were others, including Tom Maxfield, who allegedly found Massa in his bunk undressing him.

 

And this is a compelling argument against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell because...

 

Oh. Then let's just grab a bunch of reality TV wannabes to run the Department of Defense.

Need surgery? Go get your nearest gravel truck driver. Nothing like experience in the field.

 

The opinion of military officers deserves some weight, of course, but it shouldn't be dispositive. If they have such a strong case, they should be able to articulate it without a problem. The general who tried in the New York Times last week whiffed terribly.

 

Not a compelling argument but a clear example that will certainly be cited by those against change.

Note those examples cited took place during a time of battle.

 

It's one anecdote, though. You'd have to show that it was symptomatic of a widespread issue, and I don't think there is evidence that it would be.