Don't Ask, Don't Think (by Richard Cohen)

woiyo- When you were in the service, did you have any problems with dealing with the females who worked with you?

IMO, one of the most important things for our national security is to have Arabic interpreters, who know the language, and understand the culture.

I am also a big believer in the old saying, "You don't sh!t where you eat". Affairs, either of the hetero or homo kind, IMO, is not appropriate while conducting the business of war. If a person can maintain those boundries, I cannot see where there would be any problem with having a gay on a ship with you. If a person is so intimidated by the gay's presence, I believe that it is HIS problem, not the homosexual's.

graffiti- I absolutely agree with you. We are speaking now not only of human rights, but national security!

Gottcha Frankie Boy...hook, line and sinker!!! You are so easy!

Frank Apisa wrote:

CoastalRat wrote:

"It does not matter that Arabic interpreters are badly needed in Iraq, where they could save lives."

I would ask what data is being used to make this assertion. Is there any? Has the military said they are in bad need of interpretors?

I don't know. I am only asking because I hate it when anyone makes a claim without any basis of fact. If this is the case (and I am not doubting per se that it is) then why does the author not give us where this info he purports to be true is coming from?

Just an observation on my part.

The newspapers have had many, many articles about the pressing need for Arabic interpreters in the military...and in the diplomatic corps.

I don't have a citation for you immediately at hand...but I have seen dozens of stories and comments about the need in the press and on television during the last year or so.

Hey Frank, I will see if I can find anything for my own info. Again, not doubting you or anything, I just like seeing things for myself. We may disagree quite often, but I've never known you to outright lie about this type of thing.

A major factor in the opposition of soldiers, sailors and marines to allowing Gays in the military is homosexual panic. That is the term applied to the feeling that a heterosexual man has when he feels that he might be tempted to even think of engaging in a perverted act.

A man who is not at all sexually attracted to other males probably doesn't care, one way or the other, whether he is in close proximity to a homosexual; it isn't going to bother him. The problem is that not only did a large number of males engage in homosexual activity when young, but they enjoyed it --guilt or no guilt. As a consequence, the availability of a homosexual partner can be very disturbing, especially when someone of the opposite sex is not available.

woiyo wrote:

Gottcha Frankie Boy...hook, line and sinker!!! You are so easy!

Is that what they call "putting the best possible face on things!"

:wink:

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However. if a homesexual can not "curb" their desires, like I was able to "curb my desires",

That is quite an assumption, woiyo. Why do you think that YOU can curb YOUR desires, and a homosexual, can't?

Quote:

However. if a homesexual can not "curb" their desires, like I was able to "curb my desires",

That is quite an assumption, woiyo. Why do you think that YOU can curb YOUR desires, and a homosexual, can't?

http://www.mcn.org/c/irapilgrim/psy14.html

Quote:

A major factor in the opposition of soldiers, sailors and marines to allowing Gays in the military is homosexual panic. That is the term applied to the feeling that a heterosexual man has when he feels that he might be tempted to even think of engaging in a perverted act.

Quote:

A man who is not at all sexually attracted to other males probably doesn't care, one way or the other, whether he is in close proximity to a homosexual; it isn't going to bother him. The problem is that not only did a large number of males engage in homosexual activity when young, but they enjoyed it --guilt or no guilt. As a consequence, the availability of a homosexual partner can be very disturbing, especially when someone of the opposite sex is not available.

Checked it out and it comes from a famous writer....

AUTHOR UNKNOWN.

Check out this, Woiyo.

Phoenix32890 wrote:

Quote:

However. if a homesexual can not "curb" their desires, like I was able to "curb my desires",

That is quite an assumption, woiyo. Why do you think that YOU can curb YOUR desires, and a homosexual, can't?

I think my reponse referenced your question. But just in case you missed it, I do not get excited looking at other men. Also, what few females were there, were not any better looking then the men. So again, no problem.

Although some commentators have criticized the "homosexual panic" defense as more of a cultural expression than a proper psychological explanation, some researchers believe that in addition to thrill seeking or ideological opposition to homosexuality, gay bashers may be motivated by a fear of their own suppressed homosexual urges.

Henry Adams and his colleagues in the psychology department at the University of Georgia devised a way to put this hypothesis to the test. For a study published in the "Journal of Abnormal Psychology" they recruited a group of 64 men between the ages of 18 and 31, dividing them into groups of homophobic and nonhomophobic subjects on the basis of their scores on an "Index of Homophobia" test. The subjects were then shown explicit erotic videos depicting straight, gay male and lesbian sex.

While watching the videos, the subjects were hooked up to a plethysmograph, a device that measures changes in penile circumference. The homophobic subjects' stirring penises sent the needle on the plethysmograph twitching -- 80 percent of the homophobic participants showed "moderate to definite tumescence" while viewing the male homosexual video, compared to a third of the nonhomophobic men. Although the plethysmograph doesn't lie, the homophobic subjects did, denying to the researchers (and perhaps themselves) that they were aroused.

woiyo- As a student of psychology, I have been long aware of the concept of "homosexual panic". I will attempt to find a more scholarly reference. In the meantime, I thought that the article that I posted was right on target!

J Abnorm Psychol. 1996 Aug;105(3):440-5. Related Articles, Links


Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal?

Adams HE, Wright LW Jr, Lohr BA.

Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-3013, USA.

The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.
PMID: 8772014 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

That is because all homosexual men are sex craved, sex starved maniacs, who once they get aroused, will screw anything which looks like a butt.....

As usual, you are shortsighted in your opinion as is the author.

As a vet, I can agree with the ban of homosexuals from the service, or at least, from the "front lines".

(Feel free to insert whatever "phobes" you like)

Many times, military life is lonely especially in the Navy where I served. Spending months at sea the LAST thing I wanted to deal with in the "macho" world of male dominated military life, is some "known" homosexual looking at me.

This is a concept you will never EVER be able to understand.