"... I think you miss the salient point here Tom - all generals expressing equanimity re gays in the military do so based on their experiences under 'don't ask, don't tell' - in other words, everyone knows there are gays serving now, most soldiers I have dealings with say you basically know who the gay guys are [let's state truth here, we're talking about gay men only - lesbians don't factor in] but because of 'don't ask don't tell' it's all kept beneath the fold, under the carpet, you go about your business - ie the issue remains beyond the clutches of a political agenda. Take away the controlling dynamic of 'don't ask, don't tell' and possibly what is now tolerable starts to be annoying - personally, I think the chances that will happen not particularly high, but it's possible - and what will cause such a degradation will be gay activists sticking their noses in the military's business, attempting to impose a marginal political agenda on an institution that has more important things to concern itself with. I compare it to feminism: woman are allowed to serve but they are not treated equally when it comes to combat - if feminists wanted to make an issue of that what happens then? In todays political environment gay rights activists are much more aggressive than feminists.
I find that most left leaning military analysts, like yourself, who enthusiastically support repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' as if there's no greater threat facing the republic [a bit of hyperbole, but still] don't really know much about the extreme ideology that motivates the gay rights movement and therefore are not that well positioned to understand possible negative consequences. Accordingly, I look forward to your vehement support of the transgender community when they lobby for the right to serve openly, indeterminate privates proudly on display...."
