Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, the Utah Marine accused of double desertion, is now among the country's top fugitives, says the Associated Press.
What a dumbbell.
Did you you happen to read just last week that the U.S. military has, since 1998, discharged at least 20 Arabic-speaking linguists for being gay — never mind that the government has a desperate shortage of Arabic speakers? And did you know that in that same period, 9,682 other U.S. service members, too, were canned because of their homosexuality? (The latter number was reported in June 2004; the current tally is higher, of course.)
Just think: we live in a country where a U.S. soldier who sets a POW's hands on fire gets a demotion and 90 days behind bars. Contrast that with a soldier who serves with honor, professionalism, and complete dedication, but happens to be gay. He or she gets booted out of the military. For life.
If I were in Hassoun's shoes, I'd have figured out the obvious long ago: No desertion is necessary to get out of the service. All you need to do is hang a Village People poster over your bunk and a black handkerchief from your back pocket, and your discharge papers will be in the mail before you can ask what the hell happened to the Fourteenth Amendment.
I plan on proclaiming my homosexuality, loud and clear (I'll bring visual aids if that'll help), should George find himself resurrecting the draft.
A silver lining to a pathetically dark cloud.
Posted by: Jason | Saturday, January 22, 2005 at 12:27 AM