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Sacramento Bee: Ex-Convicts In Military Risky

Jim Burroway

July 13th, 2008

The Bush administration’s Department of Defense has been kicking out gays and lesbians as fast as they can find them, but the number of “morality waivers” they’ve been giving out to ex-convicts who sign up has risen steadily since 2004.

Last year, a record 9,935 waivers were granted. This morning’s Sacramento Bee reports on 120 recruits who entered the military under morality waivers and found several instances of continuing criminal behavior in Iraq. The Bee also cites a U.S. army study which found that servicemembers accepted under a morality waiver were:

  • 1.4 times more likely to be court-marshaled,
  • 1.7 times more likely to be accused of misconduct in service at least once (and 1.3 times more likely to be accused more than once),
  • more than twice as likely to desert,
  • three times more likely to fail alcohol rehabilitation,
  • and 1.3 times more likely to be discharged in lieu of court-marshal.

But gays and lesbians can’t serve openly because they somehow represent a danger to military effectiveness. Go figure.

Comments

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quo III
July 13th, 2008 | LINK

It’s just a personal opinion, but I suspect that many members of the armed forces might feel more comfortable showering with an ex-convict than they would showering with a homosexual.

Steve Boese
July 13th, 2008 | LINK

Lesbians and gays are not just precluded from serving openly, the stats brought up on the 60 Minutes re-broadcast included the estimate that 4,000 LGBT service persons choose not to to re-enlist each year because of DADT.

It is no stretch to see that the threats to personal / family safety and well-being embodied in DADT have the opposite effect of the morality waivers.

Well-qualified, patriotic, career-driven, grounded, family-oriented folks figure out that their life in the service could vanish at any moment, and they can do better in the private sector.

It’s important to me that I not demean the service of folks who have benefited from the unfortunately-named morality waivers. I’m no expert on stats or evidence which help to vet the positive and negative characteristics or experiences of people. But, I’ve had good friends, people I trusted, who are also ex-cons.

The relevant comparison, it seems to me, is that morality waivers increase the number of service personnel coming in with questionable vetting, while DADT decreases the number of fully-vetted, well-trained, willing, and experience-proven folks.

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