fuck off DADT

War blows. I can't speak from personal experience but i have it on good authority that it sucks too. Wars are stupid mean ways of hurting other people. Sometimes they're for a good cause, but the cost is never worth it. More often than not, willing or unwilling, the underprivileged masses end up fighting for the interests of the elite few.

Battle can however be a glorious thing. Many cultures hold that the highest form of heaven is reserved for the warriors, that it is the most honorable way to die. The fact that this means pain and suffering for at least one person makes it no less valid. Someone had to destroy Hitler's war machine whatever that meant, and the courage it takes to voluntarily put your body in the path of metal slugs traveling in excess of 700 feet per second is astounding. The idea of putting your life in danger for your country-which is never just a piece of land but also a set of principles-is admirable, even if misguided. Soldiers might not automatically be heroes but they certainly deserve a hell of a lot of respect.

This is not to say I agree with American foreign policy. Like the wars it continues waging, it blows. What this IS to say, is don't hate the warrior, hate the war. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Protests, direct action and dissent in general are an integral part of liberty and AMERICAN character. But people who spit on soldiers returning from Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan are evil putrid scum, just like the dicks who get us into these messes in the first place.

On this day, though, we can celebrate a long overdue justice for a particularly brave group of our warriors: the repeal of the military's don't ask don't tell policy. For decades gay men and women of our armed services have proudly defended our country, on the principle of liberty and personal freedom, while simultaneously being discriminated against and forced to hide their true selves.

These folks volunteered to work in a team that necessitates unity KNOWING that they would be made to feel an odd one out. They sign up knowing that if found out as homosexual they could be treated with hostility, in addition to losing their livelihood. In short, thousands of men and women fought for rights they were themselves being denied.

So before this becomes protocol and we forget how much shit these fine folk had to go through to serve their country, make sure to raise a glass to them. Thank you to all our fine service men and women, at home or abroad, gay or straight, black or white, and all those other cliche, meaningless distinctions.

Love and Respect

the lolrat