By Tony Perkins
The Military Times this week released a new survey of active-duty personnel regarding their views on the current law that is supposed to exclude homosexuals from military service.
Although it was a reader survey rather than a scientific poll supporters of homosexuals in the military may take comfort from the fact that it showed opposition to their position declined from 63 to 51 since 2003.
However active support for homosexuals in the military increased only half as much from 24 to 29.5 -- meaning that opponents of this radical social experiment still outnumber proponents in the ranks by 21.5 percent.
Those who said they oppose a change in the law strongly outnumber those who strongly support homosexuals in the military by an even larger margin -- 36.8 to 14.5.
The biggest increase was in those who described themselves as neutral or declined to answer -- whose numbers have doubled in the last five years. This suggests to me that the pressure of political correctness and the inevitable vilification of anyone who speaks against the homosexual agenda is already taking a toll on the willingness of our military personnel to speak out candidly on this subject.
Nevertheless the poll shows that the idea that homosexuals in the military would be no big deal to todays armed forces is nothing but wishful thinking on the part of homosexual activists.
Dont ask survey published
By Brendan McGarry - Army Times Publishing
Opposition to gays serving openly in the military has declined sharply among those wearing the uniform today.
An exclusive survey of some 3000 active-duty troops shows such opposition has fallen sharply from nearly two-thirds (65 percent) in 2004 to about half (51 percent) today. The survey results appear Monday in Army Times Air Force Times Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.
Results of the survey were released after Adm. Mike Mullen chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress it is time to end the law banning open service by gays and the militarys dont ask dont tell" policy that derives from the law.
The Military Times exclusive is based on survey results and in-depth interviews with military leaders both gay and straight. These career-oriented officers and enlisted troops are among those who would largely be responsible for implementing changes to the Clinton-era law and policy.
Among the concerns they voiced included how to effectively implement new policies for sharing close quarters and living facilities with openly gay members.
And in a first since the Army Times Publishing Co. began polling readers in 2003 the survey includes data on the prevalence of homosexuality within the ranks information the Defense Department is unable to collect under the legal requirements of DADT.
