Elaine Donnelly apparently went through some pretty amazing abuse and had to withstand a barage of insults at this hearing on gays in the military this past Wednesday, July 23. It was a hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, chaired by liberal Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA). The topic was “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the problematic policy regarding homosexuals in the military, which was imposed on the military by then-President Bill Clinton. (ED) What is disgusting is how the Republicans did nothing to support her efforts, or that of her associate, Brian Jones, retired Sergeant Major of the US Army’s elite Delta Force.

Tommy Sears at the Tank:

The object of the hearing was to demonize as morally repugnant (bigoted, homophobic, or worse) anyone who dared disagree with the Democrats’ and homosexual activists’ point of view. It was a replay of the treatment received by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace. Sadly, Republicans were unprepared to respond in their statements or questions. The lack of apparent support for our position made it possible for the Democrats to be brutal, and matters were made worse by AWOL Republicans.

A Lady Under Fire

CMR Executive Director Tommy Sears described the atmosphere of the hearing on National Review Online: Show Hearing for Gays in the Military

A Summary of Elaine Donnelly’s Testimony and the statement of Brian Jones on CMR’s website, here: http://cmrlink.org/problemgays.asp

The full-length statement, which includes footnotes and links to documents cited, is posted on the website of the HASC: http://armedservices.house.gov/pdfs/MilPers072308/Donnelly_Testimony072308.pdf

ED:

Throughout the hearing, none of the opposing witnesses or members showed a single reason why repeal of this law would improve military readiness, morale, and discipline. It was all “hearts and flowers,” focusing on the individual stories of opposing witnesses, rather than the needs of the military.

Tommy Sears at the Tank:

The irony is that the pre-judgments about Elaine and Sgt. Maj. Jones proved her point. If the law is repealed, when people are subjected to passive/aggressive behavior that sexualizes the intimate no-privacy atmosphere, especially in close combat units and submarines, their motives will be questioned. Unlike women complaining of harassment, the presumption will be bigotry, homophobia, or worse (again, the defamation of General Pace last year shows the pattern of serial demagoguery here). So no one will complain. They will just leave — or avoid the military in the first place. As a result, the military will lose thousands of good people.