There were two articles in the paper yesterday that made me angry. Had they not been in the same edition, I might not have been as affected. The first article was on the front page of the Dallas Morning News regarding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of gays in the military. In a time when the US military is looking to enlist all they can in thier war on Iraq, this article was making the point that they are booting people who have voluteered to serve their country just because they were outed in one way or another. My first thought was how nice it is to know that if there was a draft set into place, all someone would have to do to dodge it is say they are gay! But for those who really want to serve in the military who happen to be gay, it’s sad to know that these people have to constantly be watching their backs for fear of being fired over just being gay, regardless of how well they do their job.

The next page over I read an article on Bush’s visit to a Christian church while visiting China. There he used it as a platform to discuss his views on what makes for a “healthy society.” In this article, Bush was quoted as saying, “My hope is that the government of China will not fear Christians who gather to worship openly in this society,” and that “A healthy society is a society that welcomes all faiths and gives people a chance to express themselves through worship with the Almighty.”

After reading these articles in tandem, I was aggrivated that Bush’s notions of a “healthy society” was a society where people could express themselves without fear of being discriminated against, yet here in our so called “healthy society” gays in the US military are being fired on the sole basis that they were “found out.”

Basing a response with Mr. Bush’s words: My hope is that the government of the United States will not fear gays who want to work openly in the military, and that a healthy society is a society that welcomes all people, and gives them a chance to preform a job that they are willing and trained to do.