No Shit Sherlock!

WASHINGTON —
The four-star Army general who is managing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan says "the time has come" for the military to rethink its policy toward gays.
Gen. David Petraeus stopped short of saying whether he personally believed if the military's policy of "don't ask, don't tell" is outdated or unfair.
Instead, Petraeus told a Senate panel Tuesday that he wants to see the results of an internal study ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates before any changes are made. He said he wants to know if allowing gays to serve openly might hurt recruiting and retention, or the military's ability to fight.

While I like the direction the military is finally going (and still irritated that Clinton didn't do it when he had the chance) the idea that they need to "study" it floors me.  Is the suggestion that the folks in the military are so backwards and homophobic that they won't be able to fight next to someone they KNOW is gay rather than just SUSPECT is gay?  

I wonder if their study will reveal that GAY PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE... ooh scary.

Warning, gay people are in business jobs, construction jobs, teaching jobs, the clergy, they are parents, they are artists, they live in the suburbs, they are homeless, they are rich, they are poor, they are Americans, they are French, they shop at Walmart (ok, well maybe not Walmart) but they are everywhere.  They vote, they pay taxes and gasp...they fall in love with people who have the same naughty bits that they do... WHO CARES?????

I posted a snarky comment last night on Facebook about my neighbors who are using sheets to cover their windows in their brand new house (offering to throw a telethon) and got flamed by some smart and kind people. I also took joy in comments from my designer friend and former paint store manager who understand that I'm not equating their lack of curtains to their lack of worth, but that their 'window treatments' make the house and our shared neighborhood look junky.

Anyway... it was meant to be funny but I felt badly about my choice and decided to remove it in the morning.  It must have been weighing on my head because I had a very elaborate dream that I was running for political office in Spokane (why Spokane?  donno)  and I started to think about the stuff I post online and if my virtual self would be unappealing to the conservative crowd in Eastern Washington.  (Of course it would...)

From there in the dream I started to process the kinds of questions I might face as a political candidate and the one I spent the most time on (dream time) was "Do you support gay marriage?"  My liberal, love everyone except sheet-curtain people self wants to say yes.  The imaginary political candidate sadly needed to soften the answer to something more 'palatable' to those for whom this is a hard concept.

My answer was a round about yes, in that I support the concept of marriage between two adults who are mature enough to understand the commitment, the legal aspects and the work that a marriage will be.   I certainly don't support marriage for someone like me at the age of 18 who was focused on music, school, partying and having fun... but me at 40, I'm all for it!  Do those two people have to be a specific gender?  No...

I see where people who believe that God has said that homosexuality is a sin can't separate the idea of a marriage ordained in the church from the legal and emotional bounds of marriage ordained by the state.  But... not everyone believes the same thing, which is why no matter where you have your wedding, you aren't officially married until you have the certificate from the state.  

If marriage is only 'real' if it conforms to the Christian definition then all those Muslims, Jewish folk, and *gasp* atheists aren't actually married. Why aren't "we" up in their face about their non-sanctified unions????  Maybe because there is comfort in the inconsistency.

So, to wrap up:

1. Gays are in the military already.  Allowing them to say they are gay won't change anything.
2. I support gay marriage.
3. I probably won't be elected in Spokane anytime soon.
4. I wish my neighbors would put up real window treatments which can be purchased economically from Ikea, Target and even Walmart...