Stupid Government Policies

Yet another Arab linguist has been discharged from the Army under "don't ask, don't tell."

Before anybody starts with me, I am a veteran of the United States Navy. I am the sister, daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and niece of veterans. I am now and have always been a supporter of my nation's fighting forces.

I was also a Clinton supporter (and to dispel any myths about how "horrible" Clinton was to the military, the fact is that military pay raises were greater under Clinton than Reagan and Bush I, not to mention nearly doubling GI Bill payments, making him a pretty pro-military president in my book).

But, Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a stupid policy, particularly as it regards critical positions. According to the article, quoting the government Accounting Office, of the 11,000 servicemembers discharged under DADT, 800 had "critical abilities, including 300 with important language skills."

Can we as a nation afford the loss of 300 linguists for something as so unrelated to their positions as who they are sexually attracted to?

Isn't it about time we as a society lose the homophobia?