oct 11

what with the (undercovered) march and all, i thought i'd share this e-mail i sent to talk of the nation after they discussed don't-ask-don't-tell about 11 months ago. i was happy to hear neal conan use my idea the next time the show focused on the topic.

hey neal,

i wanted to phone but felt intimidated when you said you wanted to hear from members of the armed forces, which i'm not.

here's what i would've said:

not only is the policy unfair, it's a national security threat, as was the former ban on gays in the military.

anytime people have a strong motive to hide something about themselves, they're vulnerable to blackmail, which spies can use to recruit them.

i'm really amazed that so many officers, trained to think strategically, have never thought of that.