January 6, 2003

News Item:
Architect of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Says Policy Should Be Scrapped If Draft Is Reinstated

Saying that mandatory service represents a "higher virtue" than the privacy considerations of heterosexual soldiers, Charles Moskos, architect of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", said the policy should be scrapped if the draft is reinstated.

Mr. Moskos, proposed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to Senator Sam Nunn, during the controversy over then President Bill Clinton's proposal to scrap the ban on homosexuals in the military. Though discharges for homosexuality have sharply increased since the policy was implemented, Mr. Moskos, has since consistently defended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as "the worst possible policy, except for all the others."

Mr. Moskos' remarks this week came after two Democratic congressmen proposed a reinstatement of the national draft for military service. In addition to calling mandatory service a "higher virtue" than the privacy considerations of heterosexual soldiers, Mr. Moskos also said that a draft could turn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" into a loophole. "You can't use a gay ban with a draft because that would make it too easy for people to get out," he said.

Copyright © January 6, 2003 by Bruce Garrett
All Rights Reserved

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