Comments on: AZ Senator Jack Harper discusses the details of a gay soldier’s life (without permission) in order to advance his anti-gay agenda

By: News bytes: your weekly news roundup | Pundit Country

News bytes: your weekly news roundup | Pundit Country — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:41:09 +0000

[...] Box Turtle Bulletin: AZ Senator Jack Harper discusses the details of a gay soldier’s life (without permission) in order to advance his anti-gay agenda. [...]

By: Don Craddock

Don Craddock — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:13:32 +0000

As a former medical representative in the military there are a couple of issues that the state senator brought up in his story that concern me. When HIV results come back to commands, the identification goes to the commanding officer, executive officer, they certainly know exactly who the party is, if the last four of the social security number is given to medical, then they would have no problem whatsoever knowing exactly who it was either. That is precisely how health records are filed according to the last four of the social security numbers, usually the second to the last number being the one that is used in the filing cabinet being the locator number. I seriously doubt that the medical personnel had to come to an admin person to help find out who the last four belonged to. I find his story not credible on several levels. He has violated the privacy of the service member he identifies as gay by name for testing positive for THC, for going AWOL, for being court martialed and kicked out of the Army for that. This is all a clear violation of that ex soldiers privacy. Yes it is all a matter of public record, but without his name, you’d never know anything about it, and certainly not that he was a homosexual, or reportedly. Senator Harper needs to be reprimanded, censured, pronto, and someone should find out what other violations of privacy he may have breached while he was in a position to abuse that information, and now as well. He can not be trusted.

By: Mortanius

Mortanius — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:57:03 +0000

Someone popped positive for smoking pot in the military? OMG I am totally shocked. I went in the service in 1985 and the common belief at the time was that if you didn’t smoke pot you were a nark and not to be trusted.

If smoking pot and going AWOL is a gay only thing, then there must have been 99.5% gay men in my unit and I was the only straight one apparently.

By: Edwin

Edwin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:22:52 +0000

I’ve got the Tar and Feathers. Somebody
find the Rail and we will send them to AZ. with the idea on how to use them on Harper.
So where does Harper does he think straight get AIDS?
Jesus Loves Me & I’m His Favorite!

By: Troof

Troof — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:26:40 +0000

“Typical heterosexual tactic; use a single individual to represent all gay people and justify your prejudices. I’m sure this gay soldier felt the bigotry from the heterosexual soldiers and acted on them by self-destructing.”

Bingo.. Also insinuating the gay soldier gave his roommate HIV?!? Seriously?!? I hate the right wing nuts in this state!!

By: Eric in Oakland

Eric in Oakland — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:08:52 +0000

It is very ironic that he keeps insisting that soldiers should “come together for the good of the unit and the good of the country”. The only reason that he and other homophobes are supporting DADT is that they place their prejudice before the good of the country and the military.

By: Trace

Trace — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:15:07 +0000

Isn’t this a breach of the HIPPA medical privacy act? The senator is releasing private medical information that he was privy to as a result of his job.

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:21:37 +0000

Considering that hetero soldiers can ALSO catch an STD, AND make the women they have sex with pregnant, didn’t he ALSO concern himself with the health status of the OTHER soldiers who WEREN’T gay?

Is this story even TRUE? Because it just seems WAY too convenient a stereotype to ring true.
We all know that people like him will make up a story to lend gravitas to the essential reason why they were all there.

But he’s forgetting, that what he’s describing isn’t exclusive to gay people, and the consequences of hetero soldiers sexual conduct are far worse because they HAVE made babies that would complicate their lives as well as that of the mothers.

I don’t care what Harper violated or didn’t, I think his story deserves serious scrutiny on it’s veracity first and foremost.

By: homer

homer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:05:48 +0000

Meanwhile, the State of Arizona is facing enormous budget cuts and the Republicans, including Harper, are cutting funding for hospices, insurance for children, and care for disabled people. And our governor is concerned that Sparklers be legalized!

By: Donnchadh

Donnchadh — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:47:48 +0000

Rodg, there is good evidence that Neandarthals were just as intelligent as Homo Sapiens. We can’t know for sure but comparing them to someone like this is insulting the extinct. De mortuis nils nisi bonum.