“I know some officers who’ve been ordered by their commanders not to speak to the press, whereas those who have been supportive of the policy are brought out before the press. We have a double standard.”  — R. Crews

The U.S. military broke with history on June 26, holding its first celebration of homosexuality at the Pentagon.

Jeh Johnson, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, delivered a keynote address before a panel discussion titled “The Value of Open Service and Diversity.”

Johnson co-wrote the report that eventually led to the Obama administration’s dismantling the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy last September, which prevented homosexuals from serving openly in the military. Johnson said the CIA held its first gay-pride event 12 years ago, and that repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has not affected the military in any tangible way.

“We lifted a real and personal burden from their shoulders. They no longer have to live a lie in the military. They no longer have to teach a child to lie to protect her father’s career,” Johnson said of gay service members. “All of us should applaud the near-flawless manner in which the entire military implemented this policy and unconditionally welcomed their brothers and sisters to the table.”

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said that statement is false.

“There have been signs of discontent with the situation,” she said, citing a U.S. Army study on stress and sex-crime trends. “The most important thing is, people in the military follow orders, and one is you don’t go out and question policy once it’s been changed. So there’s no vehicle for people in the military to register discomfort with the new LGBT law.”

Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, agreed.

“In fact,” he said, “I know some officers who’ve been ordered by their commanders not to speak to the press, whereas those who have been supportive of the policy are brought out before the press. We have a double standard.”

Contrary to the event’s title, Donnelly said “diversity” actually weakens the military, and that civilian activists are using it as a crucible for social engineering.

“What makes our military strong are the intangibles — dedication to the mission, selfless service, putting the mission ahead of individual interests,” she said. “If you have a faction that says, ‘it’s about me, me, us, us,’ that’s inherently divisive.

“There’s no evidence the kind of diversity being talked about there today will be helpful to the military. This is not about treating everyone the same — being race-blind or agenda-blind.  They’re talking about making the military look more like America. In order to do that, you have to deliberately discriminate against people who are not in the favored group, in ways that are harmful and detract from the mission.”

@Copyright 2012 World Magazine –  used with permission