Editorial

It is time for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to end

Gary Johnson Libertarian Presidential Candidate
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Sometimes the Courts get it right, and when they rule against a government policy that is just wrong, the President should let that ruling stand. That is precisely the case with this week’s rejection of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.

‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ has always been wrong, and it is still wrong.  As Barry Goldwater said when the policy was first put in place, a fundamental tenet of conservatism is that government should stay out of people’s private lives — and out of the impossible task of legislating morality.  When we are talking about men and women who are voluntarily defending our freedom, that is especially true.

To those who say we need to further study the issue and then let Congress decide, I say stop the smoke screen, this policy just is not fair and it does not work, we need to get rid of it now.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has pointed out that there is something fundamentally troubling about a policy that requires men and women who are voluntarily serving our nation to lie about who they are, and he is absolutely correct.  A Federal Judge has done the right thing to order an immediate end to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’  The government needs to let that ruling stand, and move on.

Gary Johnson is the honorary chairman of the OUR America Initiative (www.ouramericainitiative.com), a 501(c)(4) advocacy committee. He is also the former Republican Governor of New Mexico (1994-2002), and has been a consistent and outspoken advocate for efficient government and lowering taxes.