Pentagon officials have engaged in inexplicable activities before, but never anything quite like this.  Doublethink, groupthink, and political correctness are driving controversial policies, with almost no dissent except from the outside.  

Obama Administration officials keep insisting that a few mandatory PowerPoint “tiered training” presentations, designed to promote acceptance of open and professed homosexuals in the military, are sufficient to manage a host of problems related to human sexuality.  They also claim that all burdens are justified in order to achieve complete “diversity” in the ranks.  The real reason is that President Barack Obama is determined to make good his renewed campaign promises to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Left.       

The 112^th Congress, however, is starting to ask the right questions and may have a different plan in mind.  

During two public hearings conducted by the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) on April 1, and the full committee chaired by Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) on April 7, both new and senior members of the committee stepped up to ask good questions of Defense Department witnesses and the military service chiefs of staff.    

During the full HASC hearing on April7, the question asked most often was “How will repeal of the 1993 law improve the All-Volunteer Force?”  The military service chiefs had no answer for that question.  And when they were asked about some of the thorniest issues involved with repeal of the 1993 law regarding gays in the military, the most often-heard response was “I don’t know.”

The advocates of radical change should be required to make their case with objective arguments that are based on empirical evidence—meaning actual experience—not academic theories, emotion, or rosy scenarios that deny human realities.  At the two April hearings, HASC members diligently revealed with respectful questions just how weak the case for “repeal” really is.

These are the brief summaries of two recent hearings on the issue of gays in the military that explain many reasons why “certification” should not proceed:

• Analysis of House Armed Services Committee Hearing, April 7, 2011
• Analysis of House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee Hearing, April 1, 2011

HASC Chairman “Buck” McKeon Resists DoD Rush to Repeal

        On April 17, HASC Chairman McKeon appeared on C-SPAN.  Toward the end of the video, at about the 00:21:00 point, Chairman McKeon discussed his reservations about the rush to repeal the law regarding gays in the military, and explained quite clearly how the Pentagon’s survey of the troops was misrepresented:  

• CSPAN Newsmaker Interview with HASC Chairman “Buck” McKeon

Chairman McKeon expressed his intent to look out for the troops by giving them what they need and avoiding the impositions of major distractions involved with repeal of the 1993 law.  He also expressed a willingness to revisit the issue with responsible oversight.  

President Obama reportedly wants to sign the required “certification” paper soon—probably in June as part of his annual celebration of “LGBT Equality” month. Increased attention to this issue in Congress, however, is good news for the military that is long overdue but perhaps just in time. 

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