Word: iraq
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...issue is not how patriotism should be expressed. The issue is whether it is a positive force in the world. I don't think it is. Patriotism is what kept the media from questioning plans for invading Iraq before the war started. Fear of being labeled unpatriotic is what kept more legislators from voting against authorizing the invasion. The U.S. has a long history of not living up to its ideals. That's because more importance is placed on shallow expressions of honor and love of country than on making sure that all people are being treated equitably and that...
...Iraq...
...retired admiral that studied that question for more than a year. The retired brass couldn't find any evidence that allowing gays to be open would hurt the military, but they did find some evidence that kicking gays out hurts. One heterosexual officer who just got back from Iraq told the authors that "friction resulting from the prosecution of service members found to be gay is far greater than the friction that results from simply knowing a gay person...
...report also mentions the results of a Zogby poll conducted for the Palm Center in 2006. That poll, which surveyed 545 military personnel who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, found that only 37% of the respondents opposed openly gay military service. More important, of the 125 survey respondents who knew for sure that at least one person in their unit was gay or lesbian, 64% said it had "no impact" on the unit's morale. Three-quarters of the total sample said they were "comfortable" in the presence of gays and lesbians. One assumes that, despite Senator Nunn...
These figures reflect the experience of hundreds of thousands of military personnel who have known bisexual, gay and lesbian colleagues. In practice, many gays serve openly, or nearly so. I have a friend who enlisted in the Army after the Iraq war began and who currently serves in Korea. I'll call him Stephen. When I reached him in Korea the other night, Stephen told me that "no one cares" that he's gay, even though he goes to gay bars (where he sees roughly 30 other American service members), e-mails friends about guys he is dating and posts...