End 'Don't Ask' for more just America

We have a policy in America once introduced by President Bill Clinton in 1993, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." This law keeps openly gay people from serving in the military. This is a dagger to the American standard way of life.

Have we not a right to speak our words freely? Have we not a right to protest andclaim a cause? Then why should we object and persecute (because I believe that is what we are doing) our fellow Americans for self-identity choices?

We have the right to be free of almost everything in this nation. Therefore shouldn't we be free to identify ourselves in any way we want to? There isn't a "we" in America. Most Americans, in my opinion, identify themselves as an "I." So why not let the I in other Americans be as free as you, and me.

President Obama is looking to end our "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, and it is raising more controversy than it did when it was first pronounced. Since then, there have been many changes in our society. People are now more open to speak their opinion and raise questions concerning issues. For instance, the gay community is becoming more open about their rights and freedom for public acceptance. Therefore, with all the issues toward gay marriage, President Obama's opposition to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will only get bad public reviews. I believe it is time for our nation to broaden our views and stop fighting against issues that hold no relevance to what is most important in our nation today.

It might seem as if I am preaching a dream, but in the past many similar dreams were made into reality. Dr. Martin Luther King is a prime example of building a community and establishing a foundation. Years after his legacy, we now have a black president. Therefore, why not take an issue like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and set a foundation so future children struggling with their self-identity won't feel outcast by society? If we diminish ignorance from our society, the possibility of changes is unconditional. Imagine what our nation will look like 10, heck, maybe even five years from now. It is an exciting dream to make into reality.

Cristina Baez

Potsdam