The Repealed DADT Military

Reactions and predictions of the consequences for the Military as a result of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy that will allow openly gay personnel to serve in the Military has run the gauntlet from cataclysm to no big deal. Those supporting this social experiment with our national defense see no problems while the opposition is sounding the alarm of a coming apocalypse in our defense forces. A reasonable expectation would be a result somewhere between the two extremes. A good amount of the result will depend upon the actions of the gay enlistees, whether they try to adapt to the Military culture that already exists, or will they flaunt their lifestyle in an in your face attitude making the transition problematic.

It will come down to the attitude of both gay and straight members of our Armed Services. First, the gay people joining the service can either try to fit in and do their jobs professionally or they can push an agenda of we’re gay and we’re here to stay. The straight members of our Armed Services will also need to see which direction each gay enlistee takes towards their attitude of service and accept them if they show an honest effort to blend rather than being openly confrontational. If the new openly gay service members simply do their jobs, then their sexual preference should not present any difficulties and things should not differ in any drastic manner from under DADT.

My expectation is that the majority of gay enlistees will quietly fir in and try to make their sexuality a nonissue. Unfortunately, I fear that initially there will be a number of openly gay who will use their enlistment as a venue for their activism and gay agenda. These will be the troublemakers who will be no different than other people who due to personality or other problems who simply are unable to get along with the other members of their unit. Troublemakers is not something new to the Military and they have a way of weeding out the worst of them during basic training, unless things have changed even more drastically than when I served. Hopefully, after some rough periods accented by the aforementioned troublemakers, an equilibrium of professionalism will take over and problems will be limited to the normal number of enlistees that simply do not belong in a Military regimented lifestyle. The best indicator of whether this unnecessary social experiment will work or if adapting will be too much to expect will be in the combat units where unit cohesion is of life or death importance. I want to be optimistic, but for some reason I see only problems coming from this ridiculous challenge that has been burdened on our Armed Forces.

Beyond the Cusp

The Israeli Predicament

One of the pressing problems and consistent complaints concerning Israel is the near total lack of Press and News reports displaying Israel in a good light. The way most news coverage of the Israel Muslim/Arab confrontation skews each situation favoring the anti-Israeli agenda is absolutely beyond reason and simply revolting. Partly, a reason for this derives from the fact that Israel is an open and free society. This allows every internal argument, varied demonstrations, and every side represented within the Israeli society to be revealed, warts and all. The same openness does not exist in the areas under Palestinian control. News agencies and reporters fully understand that it is required for their reports, pictures, film clips, et al must be approved by the ruling group, Palestinian Authority for the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. This was made clearly evident after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States that when film was shown on the news of the World Trade Center towers collapsing and the Pentagon burning, Palestinians were dancing in the streets, riding cars honking horns wildly, distributing candies and sweet pastries, and every other sort of celebratory activities. Virtually none of this was reported in the Western press except for one source that was eventually picked up by other news groups and bloggers/ That source was an independent Italian film crew that took film and transmitted them live back to Italy where later that evening the pictures were broadcast on a few Italian Television Stations. After one showing, these clips were not shown again for some time as the Palestinian Authority immediately complained to the Italian government and threatened to ban all Italian, possibly even all European news sources from their territories. The threat was understood and the news sources of the supposed free world were cowed.

Another problem for Israel is the seeming tremendous and powerful liberals and post-Zionists are by far more vocal than the Zionist and Religious sectors of Israeli society. These actually small minority groups can inflate their importance due to two factors. First, their condemnations of Israeli policy, especially when the more conservatives are in power, is extremely attractive as it validates the propaganda put out by the Palestinians and Muslim World. Second, these groups have deep pockets due to financing by leftist and anti-Zionists throughout the world, particularly in Europe. This enables a closed loop that cooperates and reinforces each other. Many NGO’s of European or United Nations origins are self-tasked to vilify Israel and sanctify the Palestinians. These groups funnel monies to the radical groups inside Israel who then hold rallies and seminars at Universities which are then diligently reported as a major and significant group that actually tells the truth, truth being Palestinians angelic, Israelis demonic. The NGO’s then quote these articles to raise funds with which they further finance the post-Zionists generating more reports.

Many place the blame for the bad press Israel receives on the Israeli Government for not getting a positive message out to the rest of the World. Examples that are usually pointed out are that as soon as Israel takes measures to actively defend against terror attacks, the Palestinian spokespeople are out before the first engagement has taken place. Often, these spokespeople will lay the foundations claiming that atrocities are coming as soon as any Israeli action is organized. It is easy to get your side out if you know ahead of time what you will report, truth be damned. A simple example comes from the last confrontation between the IDF and Hamas in Gaza a couple of years ago. Hamas forces set up a heavily fortified position with bunkers on the rooftop and fortified window emplacements along with multiple rocket and mortar launchers on the roof of an auxiliary supply storage building connected to the main Gaza Hospital. When the Israelis finally had no choice but to take down the entire fire-base, immediately came the reports of Israel leveling a hospital. It took just under a week after the end of the shooting to investigate and reveal the truth, but the truth did not matter as the lie had been screamed in headlines of every European and many American newspapers and led the nightly news. The difficulty for the Israelis is best summed up by the Winston Churchill truism (he had so many that between Churchill, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and a very few others exist a saying for near every situation); “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Propaganda is easy and quickly disseminated, researched and validated truth takes far more time and effort. Also, propaganda can be readied before the fact, the truth, by definition, must wait until after the fact and places requirements that must be met.

Could Israel do a better job in getting their side out? Yes, there is plenty of room for improvement. Would it actually make a difference? That is far more complex a question. It requires honest answers to a few other questions. Would sources outside of Israel even bother to report the Israeli side? If they did, would it be without injecting their own partialities against Israel? How many people who are not already supporting Israel and knowing the truth would even care and listen? With the current race of governments lining up to recognize a “Palestinian State” surrendering all of Old City Jerusalem and once again denying Jews access to the Western Wall ever consider that Israel is the victim and not the Palestinians? Would the myth of millions starving in Gaza despite the fact that Hamas is turning away aid as they are out of space to store additional supplies? Name me one myth against Israel that an Israeli hyper-activist efficient information spokes-group could turn around. I can’t think of a single issue where truth matters when denouncing, boycotting, sanctioning, or whatever would change. How can it when there are Israeli professors that sign petitions to bar themselves, their colleagues, their Universities and everything Israel from the functions in the rest of the world. The other choice would be to become a closed totalitarian police state like that of the Palestinians, and I, for one, am glad Israel chooses freedom over putting up a façade.

Beyond the Cusp

Good News Amongst the Bad

Reading another of the endless and downhearted stories titled Massive EU Aid to PA; US Omits Aid to Israel, I came to the last line and found a glimmer of hope. In the line, Prime Minister Netanyahu was quoted saying that he would work to wean Israel from dependence of U.S. foreign aid. I have waited far too long for an Israeli leader to finally come to the conclusion that Israel would be in far better shape if her actions were not subject to review, permission, or threats due to reliance of aid from any source. A country can only be truly free when it is completely reliant on domestic funding allowing it to be on equal grounds that only come with financial independence. May Bibi quickly bring the day when Israel no longer suckles like a newborn dependent upon the flow of American dollars. This would not only benefit Israel, it would go a long way in improving relations between the United States and Israel as the question of Israeli largesse at American taxpayer expense could no longer be raised like a specter in a haunted house.

Does this mean that Israel should no longer coordinate actions with the United States? Would I want Israel to no longer work closely with American defense companies on mutually beneficial projects? Of course I don’t! Israel and the United States are joined through sympathies, face similar threats, hold complimentary values, and offer each other many valuable resources. One needs look no further than the joint American and Israeli missile defense technologies or the joint ventures in medical research and other high tech areas of research. The coordination between these two allies is clearly visible when the number of research and development ventures opened by many American companies in Israel and the numerous projects hosted by universities from both countries. I would wish and expect such efforts of joint ventures to continue, this time with equal funding from both Israel and the United States, each in an agreed amount as deemed fair and equal. My belief is that once Israel becomes self-sufficient, the result will be a greater respect between these two anchors of freedom with great hope and a bright future similar as has developed between England and the United States after we got past the little colonies squabble.

I will still have one more wish once Israel has weaned themselves from dependence upon American funding or loan guarantees even for the purchase of American armaments. That wish would be for the Israelis to develop their own defense industries for fighter and support aircraft just as they have for armored vehicles and light weapons. I realize this would entail a great initial investment but believe they would best be served by having their own indigenous designs. I am sure the Israeli fighters would very likely be just as capable and as stealthy as those available from other sources. In addition, having their own production aircraft, they would be independent in supplying replacement parts and all maintenance. The one additional advantage is they would no longer have to be a beggar to have the Israeli avionics package included and made compatible with the rest of the software. One can wish, after all, it is the season of wishes and miracles.

Beyond the Cusp