The stupidity of 'don't ask, don't tell'

We have another casualty of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. I say "we" because we are all paying for this stupid policy in many ways. Many very talented people are no longer allowed to serve their country, just because someone found out that they are gay.

They make no exceptions to this. Even for people who have talents that we desperately need. I'm thinking of the linguists who were trained in Arabic and Korean who were discharged from the Army for being gay. Now, we have a doctor who is serving in the Air Force who is being let go. Not only are they letting him go, they are also asking for the $71,500 back for his medical education.

This is where all of you come in. You paid for his education with the taxes you are paying. The Air Force will no longer have this man's knowledge or expertise.

Making him pay is adding insult to injury. It's a further penalty. He wants to serve but he cannot," said Hensala's attorney, Clyde J. Wadsworth. "That's not a justified reason to discriminate against a gay service member."

Maj. Karen Finn, an Air Force spokeswoman, said the military branch was not immediately prepared to comment.

"Don't ask don't tell" was not at issue in the case. It has already been upheld by the court, which said the discrimination was justified to promote "unit cohesion" and military preparedness.

I honestly didn't think the gays were so powerful as to damage "unit cohesion" or to undermine "military preparedness". If we are that powerful, why are we even debating issues that determine what rights we will and will not have?