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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2000)
ivumuay, reuruary 40, ■ u&ny ncuiaanan ■ rage j Twisted logic r Perverse reasoning justifies ‘don’t ask, don’t tell ’ I don’t know any gay people (because the Bible says not to consort with sinners), but I sure am glad they’re not allowed to serve openly in the military. Like my progressive friend Alan Keyes, I believe homo sexuals are an abomination, and would prefer that they be banned completely from the military. However, I understand the politi cal realities of the situation: The fault lies with flaming leftist radicals like A1 Gore and Bill Clinton. There has been some pressure on the United States to change its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and allow gays to serve openly. Recently, for example, Britain completely lifted its ban on gays in the military. However, a close look at the facts shows this to be a terrible mistake. Look at what has happened to the once-vaunted British army since it lifted the ban:Iin the few months since the decision, more than two officers have quit in protest, and surely thousands more will follow. How can the British High Command hope to staunch the flow? Only by reinstating the ban on gays in the army. The lifting of the ban in Britain should have no influence on U.S. policy because our countries are vastly different; we all know Britain is a godless country of pagan hedo nists. Perhaps when our level of morality and civilization has fallen to the level of Great Britain’s, then we can consider allowing gays to serve in the military. i Others point out that Israel has allowed gays to serve since 1993. This is completely irrelevant. Orthodox Judaism is a bastion of lib eral propaganda. Israel also is a secure place, surrounded by friendly neighbors. They don’t have to worry about foreign threats like we do. > Military superpowers like Mozambique and Latvia always have banned gay soldiers. How are we going to keep up with them if we don’t do the same? . f Allowing gays to serve in the mil itary would be disastrous because it would disrupt the morale of our high ly disciplined soldiers. Polls of enlist ed men ana the unanimous stance ot the Joint Chiefs of Staff demonstrate this, regardless of what the comman der in chief thinks. In the 1940s, when President Truman wanted to integrate black soldiers with white soldiers against the wishes of the Joint Chiefs, did he succeed? Of course not! The integra tion of black and white soldiers would have destroyed morale and maybe even have caused us to lose Vietnam. If military veteran George W. Bush says gays shouldn’t serve, that’s / good enough for me. / Think about this issue from the / average enlisted man’s perspec- / / tive. Imagine yourself on a long- / /' range reconnaissance patrol in / / the humid jungles of Iraq. / /\, Suddenly, from out of / / nowhere, bullets whiz over your head as you dive for / / cover. / / \ You re pinned! / / You turn to shout for / / • y Vvs someone to bring'up the / / M-60 to lay down some , covering fire, but then , / you remember that / / soldier might be gay! / In the heat of bat- / tie, inches between / life and death, only one thing matters: the sexual orientation i of one’s fellows. I What if we allowed gay police- /; men, firemen, store clerks or profes- L ; sors? Clearly law enforcement, fire / prevention, commerce and educa- , s tion would crumble from within. It would be the downfall of western civ- ^ ilization as we know it. If gays aren’t qualified to do any of these things, they’re certainly not qualified to serve in the U.S. military. How could they contribute any way? Does the army really need an elite battalion of go-go boys, home decorators and hair dressers? I don’t think so. Look at the practical difficulties: what if two gay guys were on a sub marine and one got pregnant? What if a marine deserted in the middle of an amphibious assault to visits gay bathhouse in San Francisco? Allowing gays to serve is a slip pery slope. The next thing you know, some feminazi will say women should be allowed to serve in the mil itary, too. When it comes down to it, if any one should be allowed to get killed for this country, it’s we heterosexuals. Allowing anyone else the privilege simply defies common sense. In the heat of battle, ... only one thing matters: the sexual orientation of one s fellow soldiers. Jeremy Patrick is a first-year law student and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Injustice system New York policemen should have been punished for the Diallo s death. The justice system in this country is far beyond a joke. The innocent are imprisoned, and the guilty are free to walk the streets. ■ Horror, disgust, outrage and shock are the feelings I had when I heard last Friday the verdict that four New York policemen were acquitted of all charges of killing unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo. The jury was composed of seven white men, one white woman and four black women. ■ Forty-one bullets were fired at the innocent man as he was entering his home when he reached for his wallet, which the four police officers believed was a gun. Nineteen bullets went inside him. The police believed Diallo fit the description of a rapist whom they were searching for, and, apparently, Diallo was acting “strangely.” The four white men contended that they fired in self-defense. Fearing for their lives, they fired 41 times. Diallo did not stand a chance. At 5 feet, 6 inches, 150 pounds, the 22 year-old was helpless and defense less. What immediate threat could an unarmed man have against four police officers? No reasonable person would have responded die way these officers did under such circumstances. This case has sparked attention worldwide and has touched off weeks of civil disobedience over police treatment of minorities. The color of one’s skin plays a crucial factor when the police target suspected criminals. Racial profiling amounts to sin gling out blacks, Hispanics and other minorities for police stops that per tain mainly to motorists. My brother and I were stopped by police last year for no apparent rea son. I believe it was because we were “driving while black,” a term often used in the black community that refers to police’s selectively stopping minorities. It seems that being a minority is enough to allow police to have a dif ferent perspective when stopping dri vers. Should police have a right to stop people because they fit into a stereo type that they are criminals? Certainly not. Had Diallo been your average white guy, do you think he even would have been stopped, not to men tion gunned down 41 times? The killing of Amadou Diallo was an accident waiting to happen. N His death is not only a tragedy but also represents an example of the continuous suffering and injustices that minorities face. An innocent black man was killed yet again because of an error the police made. The officers were negligent. Experienced and reasonable men never would have made such a mis take. They had no real motive to violate Diallo’s civil rights. He was minding his own business. The big issue in this case is the intention of the officers. Did they intend to kill? Obviously, they intended to harm and kill Diallo or they would not have fired at him so many times. Self-defense is a pathetic excuse in this case. The officers are clearly at fault. * They each commited a crime of mur der. They acted in a manner that was inappropriate and contrary to their policy. They had the poor judgment not to “think,” instead making a split second, careless decision, and they were reckless in endangering a life, a life that cannot be replaced. Yet these white men are free to valk the streets. The justice system failed again. The mayor of New York called the shooting “ a great tragedy,” and he said the verdict followed “an eminent, fair trial under very difficult circum stances.” Had this case had eye witnesses or tiad the case been tried in the Bronx, the outcome may have been different. Had four black officers gunned down an innocent white man because he looked “suspicious,” would they also have been acquitted of murder? The Diallo family is calling for peace and calm in die streets of New York. But furious protesters are still appalled by the verdict. Fear and terror are the only words I can describe for my feelings as a minority as I and all minorities may be a victims of police profiling and also may be victims of a vicious crime like Amadou Diallo’s. Lesley Owusu is a junior broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist