Latest News
06-30-09
On the June 29th broadcast of PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Chaplain Major General Charles Baldwin (Ret) spoke out in favor of keeping the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. He said, "This is a moral issue, and one of my strong contentions is that to repeal the law would be to show great disrespect for the religious convictions of the great majority of the people in the military, because Christians, Muslims, Jews have as a basic part of their faith that this is an immoral lifestyle." Chaplain Dennis Camp (Colonel), U.S. Army (Ret), and a former Director of Personnel and Ecclesiastical Relations for the Department of The Army Chief of Chaplains Office, offers a different perspective.
"Respectfully, I could not disagree more. I've preached duty, honor and country from the pulpits of military chapels for almost three decades and ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' lies in contradiction to these values. While the repeal of DADT may be seen as a moral issue to some religious groups, it is first and foremost a constitutional rights issue. What hangs in the balance is the right to serve openly by the thousands of gays and lesbians in all services of the U.S. military who are already serving honorably and a much deserved tribute to the many who have died while defending our nation's causes. There is nothing moral about discrimination - firing people because they happen to be gay or lesbian. Eight out of 10 Americans, regardless of political and religious affiliation, believe people should be able to serve openly in the military. This law needs to get repealed now, while we're fighting two wars. We need to be recruiting and retaining all the qualified men and women we can get. Freedom of service will strengthen our military might and raise the standard of democracy and human rights, both at home and abroad."
Military Chaplain�s Response to NewsHour�s �Don�t Ask, Don�t Tell� Story
On the June 29th broadcast of PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Chaplain Major General Charles Baldwin (Ret) spoke out in favor of keeping the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. He said, "This is a moral issue, and one of my strong contentions is that to repeal the law would be to show great disrespect for the religious convictions of the great majority of the people in the military, because Christians, Muslims, Jews have as a basic part of their faith that this is an immoral lifestyle." Chaplain Dennis Camp (Colonel), U.S. Army (Ret), and a former Director of Personnel and Ecclesiastical Relations for the Department of The Army Chief of Chaplains Office, offers a different perspective.
"Respectfully, I could not disagree more. I've preached duty, honor and country from the pulpits of military chapels for almost three decades and ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' lies in contradiction to these values. While the repeal of DADT may be seen as a moral issue to some religious groups, it is first and foremost a constitutional rights issue. What hangs in the balance is the right to serve openly by the thousands of gays and lesbians in all services of the U.S. military who are already serving honorably and a much deserved tribute to the many who have died while defending our nation's causes. There is nothing moral about discrimination - firing people because they happen to be gay or lesbian. Eight out of 10 Americans, regardless of political and religious affiliation, believe people should be able to serve openly in the military. This law needs to get repealed now, while we're fighting two wars. We need to be recruiting and retaining all the qualified men and women we can get. Freedom of service will strengthen our military might and raise the standard of democracy and human rights, both at home and abroad."
