DADT Harms National Security
On January 30th, an Arab linguist — SGT Bleu Copas — was separated from the Army under Chapter 15, AR 635-200 (the “homosexual chapter”).
This case is especially egregious because SGT Copas’ rights were clearly violated numerous times during the investigation, though he didn’t help his own cause very much. An unknown person emailed his superiors to tell them that SGT Copas was gay and was engaging in homosexual conduct. He was questioned about his orientation by his chorus director, which is a clear violation of DADT; and that was done without having a Rights Warning/Waiver Certificate (DA Form 3881) filled out before the questioning took place, which is a violation of his Article 31 rights under the UCMJ.
He didn’t help his case any, however, when he answered 19 out of 47 questions asked of him in a formal investigation into the accusations. While the Fifth Amendment does apply and no inference should be drawn on unanswered questions, it does still leave an impression in peoples’ minds when you answer some questions but then refuse to answer those which deal directly with the issue at hand. He should have done what SLDN advises and demanded a lawyer before any questioned were asked of him.
As already stated, SGT Copas served as an Arab linguist. This is an MOS which requires over a year of intense language and cultural training. Our military is in dire need of Arab linguists, given the current war against Islamic terrorists we find ourselves in, and should not be separating them solely on the basis of sexual orientation. Many tens of thousands of dollars are invested in a single Arab linguist just to get him out of training and into a unit. All that money spend to train SGT Copas to aid in the war has now been wasted.
The solution to this problem we’re facing is HR 1059, which needs your support. Currently, it has 118 cosponsors, but it’s going to need more than that in order to get it onto the floor for a vote. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, 231 of whom are Republicans. Now, I consider myself to be a Republican and I firmly believe that my party is not a party of bigots… but I’m also very well aware of the fact that it’s going to be the members of my party in the House who are going to be the reason this bill doesn’t pass the house. It’s vital that people start pressing their representatives, whether they be Democrat or Republican, to support this bill.
For Democrats, one only needs to point out the injustice of separating Servicemembers who are serving honorably and contributing to our national security. Make it a civil rights issue to them — make them realize that DADT is government-mandated discrimination.
To win over Republicans, a different tactic is required. One needs to understand something about Republicans: while Republicans are not bigots, we view things differently from Democrats. Democrats tend to place individual needs over the whole, while Republicans place a greater value on the whole — the stability of society. Both views end up accomplishing the same goal, which is the protection of our liberties. That means that in order to convince the Republicans that HR 1059 needs to be made into law, they need to be made aware of the fiscal drain that DADT really is. Point out the insanity of discharging gay Servicemembers in a time of war — especially when these Servicemembers speak Arabic or Farsi. For Republicans, DADT needs to be framed as a fiscal failure and a threat to national security.
This is how we’re going to get the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2005 out of subcommittee and onto the floor for a vote. This is, in fact, the only way to get the bill passed into law. You can help by contacting your representative if he or she hasn’t signed on as a cosponsor of the bill and making clear your voting intentions. In addition (but less effective if done alone), you can e-sign a petition from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
