Perry Wheeler Dr. Livengood WRIT 101 10/13/2010 Is It Worth Telling Over the past sixteen years society’s views on homosexuals has greatly changed. This has had an impact on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy due to the argument of freedom of speech. The policy states that gay persons in the military could be discharged for admitting homosexuality but not for actually being gay. Kathleen Parker discusses “The military maybe a microcosm of society in some ways but it most definitely is not a democracy” (12). Although homosexual people believe that banning gays from the military violates their civilian rights; the military says that people give up the rights and freedoms when enrolling.
| Gays in the Military | Argument Essay | | | | English 101 20212 | The discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gay and lesbian service members is officially a part of history. For 17 years, the law prohibited qualified gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the armed forces and sent a message that discrimination was acceptable. I believe there are many misconceptions that gays undermine military readiness, retention or compromise the quality of life of other military members. The beginning of a new chapter for the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell now has the opportunity to re-enlist Gay and lesbian Americans eager to serve their country, but
This created many protest against the draft because the voting age is 21 yet the draft is at 18. They could not vote the draft away (most men) Foreign Events * The United States became heavily involved in the Vietnam War after Congress gave President Johnson a blank check with the Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964). In August, 1964, Johnson announced that the American destroyers had been fired upon in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam. Later, reports questioned the accuracy of the announcement. However, the incident led Congress to give Johnson a blank check in Vietnam.
They have fought for the right to marry, to carry one another on their insurance, and to file as married on their income tax forms . They have also had to fight for the right to serve in the military without fear of being discharged if anyone found out. Currently, sixteen states have granted the right to marry, and five others offer a civil union. 3 There was a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law which did allow gays to serve in the military, as long as they did not do so openly. Their superiors were not allowed to ask them if they were gay, and they were not allowed to admit it.
He also believes that homosexuality is not wrong. The acknowledgement of homosexuality is no longer debated, but due to the recent laws to recognize gay unions, the question is not if society should accept it, but how far our acceptance can go. Societal acceptance and respect for a person no matter who they are is something our society has strived for, however, legal acceptance of who person in this situation does not come as easily. Bennett successfully argues that legal acceptance for gay marriage should not be recognized due to our nation’s weak institution of marriage. Marriage solely being between a man and a women is something we have had for centuries, however, due to divorces and newer ways to have a family, our prestigious and “honorable estate” (Bennett 34) of marriage is weakened.
America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was projected onto the US citizens as one that should almost be laughed about, because according to the US military, Vietnam was just a poor, unsophisticated third world nation whereas America was viewed as an incredibly wealthy superpower. Before things became apparent among the US citizens, no one really questioned the participation in the War, it was perceived as some patriotic venture. Protests seemed to spark in October 1956, where the American state had increased the amount soldiers being drafted. The draft had forced numerous amounts of young, poor men to represent and fight for America. At the beginning of the year America had drafted approximately three thousand soldiers per month, however that
She one time stated that President Obama is similar to former President, Bush because he does not know a lot about foreign policy. Foreign Policy is a huge deal and extremely important, so of course this would scare people into voting for Clinton. Depending on whether someone liked or disliked Bush as a president, it does not seem right to scare someone into seeing the way someone else does. Fear mongering is used in cases. It does work a lot of the time, but is it right?
“More than 1,700 college students in the U.S. are killed each year—about 4.65 a day—as a result of alcohol-related injuries” (The Marin Institute). With a number as high as this, lowering the drinking age would only increase this ongoing problem of underage drinking. It has even been proven by the Marin Institute to be the leading cause of death among teenagers. Many adults feel as if the 18 to 21 age groups cannot handle drinking responsibly, then they should not be permitted to use it. Alcohol is a very serious depressant and one of the leading problems for death (Hanson, 2007).
Why They Are Not Allowed Since the 1980’s, gay men have been banned from donating blood due to the belief that they are more likely to be affected by HIV/ AIDS. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, “in 2008, the MSM (men who have sex with men) exposure category continued to account for the largest proportion of positive HIV test reports among adults, representing 45.1% (557) of positive tests reported” (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2011). Along with this, they represented 44% of new infections, and 19% of the affected group were unaware of their infection. Because of this, the governments of more than 25 countries have placed bans on men who have had sex with other men in certain time frames, ranging from 1-36 years, with some stating that if they have had sex with other men at all in their lives, they are ineligible. However, the main cause of HIV in gay men is not solely having sex with other men, but rather UNPROTECTED sex with an HIV positive partner.
I believe that this act should be repealed and replaced with a law that requires all high school graduates whether they are male or female enlist for at least one year in the active duty military. This way no one can say that the law is sexist, unfair or immoral. On various occasions the United States has come under threat from either foreign or internal attacks. Some of the greatest and well known are the attack on Pearl Harbor, the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. For some these attacks alone were enough for soldiers to enlist in active duty military service. Others unfortunately are quite content in sitting at home enjoying many of the freedoms that our military fights so hard to preserve, but when asked to serve themselves come up with various reasons as to why they cannot serve.