Too Little, Too Late

It seems to me that instead of some throw-away piece that seemed like it was scribbled on a barroom napkin, the NY Times might have addressed the issue of crippling our critical store of Arabic translators out of wanton homophobia might have been a pertinent topic for a major exposé before the election—you know, perhaps when all those anti-gay ballot initiatives were being considered, and before Public Homophobe #1 got sworn in for a second time.

Don't ask, don't tell - just scream in frustration: it turns out that 20 of the Arabic speakers so vitally needed by the nation have been thrown out of the military since 1998 because they were found to be gay. It is hard to imagine a more wrongheaded rebuff of national priorities. The focus must be on the search for Osama bin Laden and his terrorist legions, not the closet door. The Pentagon's snooping after potential gays trumps what every investigative agency in the war on terror has admitted is a crucial shortage of effective Arabic translators.

It’ll take you about 30 seconds to read the three measly additional paragraphs devoted to the issue. Too little, to be sure, and definitely too late.

So how' s that homophobia working out for ya, Red State America? Do you feel safe from terrorists, knowing their chatter goes untranslated so your asinine claims that gay rights threaten your "values" can be indulged? Sleep well tonight, bigots.