I looked up from what I was doing to see what he was talking about. As usual, he’d read some news story while I was feeding the animals and getting his breakfast ready.

“What, baby?”

“I don’t get these people! They get themselves all worked up and stressed out, and go and shoot someone, right?”

“Yeah?”

“And then! They’re arrested and their life is over. What’s the point? It solves nothing!”

To quote President Obama, “I couldn’t be prouder.”

This morning, via live streaming on MSNBC, I watched our president sign the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal into law, making it legal for LGBT men and women to be open about their sexuality, and serve their country if they so choose. You can read my coverage of this momentous event, as well as a video if you missed it (Or just want to watch it again. I did. Twice.) over on SexIs Magazine’s Sex Feed. But I wanted to talk about how I feel about this a little bit here.

First, can I just say that if M and I could afford it, I’d have talked Him into taking me to stand outside and cheer as it happened. I’m so excited for all the men and women who want to reenlist, and all the men and women who wanted to enlist and couldn’t. I have no delusions about this being the end of the road. There’s still work to be done, and it will be hard. But this is absolutely a step in the right direction.

M and I have been talking about DADT a lot since all the craziness with the Senate started. And because M likes to play devil’s advocate, He always brings up a lot of good points that I’ve heard made elsewhere. Points that make you think.

For example, He keeps asking what about the people with a moral objection to homosexuality? Or those that feel showering with a homosexual of the same sex is the same thing as showering with a heterosexual of the opposite sex? Are we, by repealing DADT, saying we don’t give a fuck about them?

Marine Corps General James F. Amos brought up the issue of distraction, and I almost fell over when I read His quotes. I mean, Marines are just… Well! They’re Marines! All “Ooh-ra!” The Few. The Proud. And they’re the best! And even the Navy Seals aren’t as badass as them! And nothing can distract them from the enemy! And if one of them gets hurt or killed it was absolutely a freak accident, because Marines don’t. make. mistakes. And…

But wait… So these few and proud, who are the best, and don’t make mistakes, are going to… suddenly lose sight of all their training, and start fucking up, because they’re too worried about Johnny from back home who just came out? And what’re they worried about? That instead of being worried about the guns aimed at his head, and the bombs going off, Johnny’s gonna, also, lose sight of all of his training in the middle of the battlefield and start trying to play grab ass with all those hot, sweaty, in some cases bloody, gun toting meatheads? Cause along with his training, his sanity went, too? And he doesn’t know that sexual harassment isn’t just between a woman and a man? He probably knows better than most.

To that I say fuck ‘em. Fuck those gun toting meatheads who are obviously unprofessional, and have piss-poor training, and who will make mistakes on the battlefield because they’re more concerned with another soldier’s sexuality than they are with the people on the other side of the line who are more concerned with killing them than even their own sexuality, much less the sexuality of the guy helping them kill our Marines.

So much for brotherhood. So much for honor. So much for the code.

A friend of mine mentioned on Twitter, not too long ago, that soldiers are threatening to immediately leave, or, at the very least, if the mass exodus isn’t allowed, leave when their tour is up. And once again, I say fuck ‘em. Besides the assholes, how many people do you know who will question or make fun of someone at work for their… anything, much less sexuality? How many people do you know that will intentionally start a conversation about their sex life at work unless they’re really tight with their coworkers?

I don’t count.

Most companies, and most branches of the military frown on relationships built within platoons, departments, whatever. Accidents happen, and usually the couple transfers apart. But if there’s anywhere our troops shouldn’t be trying to forge relationships, regardless their sexual persuasion, it’s in the middle of a war zone.

The whole bathing thing? Ya know, I don’t know. I don’t even know what the bathing situation has been up to this point. And I’m always a little uncomfortable taking a shower with M, and He’s my husband. I’ve never taken a shower in an open locker room. I don’t know that even if I was a size 00 I’d be comfortable taking a shower in an open locker room. Hell, I prefer sex with the lights out. I’ll do whatever freaky shit you wanna do, just turn the fucking lights off.

There have been more than 12,500 men and women discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the past seventeen years. All of them will be able to reenlist, and many have already resolved to do so. Not to mention countless others who never enlisted because they preferred being open about who they were to hiding behind a uniform. Maybe we won’t replace the people who can’t, for whatever reason, at least accept that what goes on behind someone else’s closed doors is none of their business right away. But we will eventually. It won’t be the great loss so many of these macho officers and ex-POWs would have us believe.

I… really don’t care about their opinions. They’ve sure as fuck not given a damn about our feelings through all of this. And I know that’s a shit attitude, but it is what it is. Perhaps a better person than me can figure out a suitable option.

What I do know is that even if I weren’t openly bisexual, and I was able to choose, I’d choose the professional, openly gay soldier to defend my country over the one who would allow something like a person’s personal choices to get in the way of their focus. Because from where I sit, the latter won’t just get his (or her) coworkers killed. But once the enemy gets beyond them, they’re coming for me and my freedom. And that, my dear reader, is a problem.

I think our men and women taking up arms in our defense are better than that. I think they know they are, too.

Still stumped? Get some culture, jack ass.

He’s got wit.  He’s got class.

Okay, maybe he’s slightly lacking in the class department.

In any case, he’s got way more class than Southwest Air, who kicked him off a flight for being too fat.  No lie.  They deemed him a flight risk.

I know… I know.  I hate celebrity news.  Kevin Smith happens to be one of the few celebrities I have respect for.  Cause he doesn’t pretend to not be who he is and that’s really flipping cool.

Last night, as I was crawling into bed, M says, “Oh shit.  Southwest is fucked.”

I said, “Why?” (Duh?)

And he read me Mr. Smith‘s tweet:

Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?

And that’s just the beginning.  Even Neil Gaiman got involved, tweeting:

@ThatKevinSmith http://twitpic.com/1340gw – Dear @southwestair, *I* would gladly sit next to @thatkevinsmith on a plane. We are mortal enemi

And it’s hit SlashDot.

Southwest, I’d suggest you quit while you’re ahead.  Just sayin’.

I wasn’t really allowed to watch much news.  My parents tried to censor as much of the violence and hatred in the world as possible from my sister and I.  So often, my father would “help” me pick a news story from the newspaper, if they allowed me to participate at all.  Back then, it wasn’t unusual for parents to keep their children from witnessing violence both in the media and on television or the big screen, so no one questioned it.

But there was one thing I do remember about the news.  It was the one place you could be sure that, if you went there, you’d learn something.  I’m sure there was opinion injected into the media back then, too.  It’s almost impossible, even for someone who tries to remain diplomatic, to not let your opinion bleed into your writing.  So, being an opinionated writer, and knowing what I know as such, I can look beyond that.

What I can’t look beyond is the constant grammatical errors, misspellings and actual attempts from the newscasters to draw in the younger generation by using popular slang and, in some cases, Ebonics.

The news shouldn’t be about ratings, first of all.  Let’s start there.

While I understand that there is huge competition between all the stations, papers, and magazines, “talking down to their level” isn’t going to win you any popularity contests.  Frankly, it’s insulting.  Because in most cases, it’s obvious you think the people who use these terms aren’t as intelligent as you.  And I’m here to tell you that’s just not true.

I’ve had more intelligent conversations with people who speak mostly Ebonics, in some cases, than with people who are well educated and in positions of power.  I’ve heard more compassion and understanding of the way the world works come from the mouths of men who dropped out of school in second grade, for one reason or another, and have had to make a life for themselves on the street. 

But let’s ignore all that.  Let’s pretend you don’t think they’re stupid.  Let’s pretend you really are just trying to relate to a group of people you don’t understand.  We’ll give you the benefit of doubt.

But Jiminey Cricket, get a better editor!

There’s nothing that infuriates me more than to go look at one of my local news stations – Or sometimes, even CNN! – and find something like, “They went to there local congressman…” or “You two can have whitened teeth in a matter of five minutes!” or “Your going to love this guy!” Repeated words and misspelled city names and sentences so mixed up you can’t make hide nor hair of what they’re trying to say.  From the news!

And that’s another thing… What’s up with all these major news stations having advertisements for scams on their front pages? Why are you, my news station, trying to sell me shit that you, yourself, probably wouldn’t even try? Selling it to me as if you know for a fact it works! Stop it!

I know you know that Americans look to you to tell them how to act.  We shouldn’t, and we’re idiots for doing it.  Especially now, with how much opinion is allowed to bleed into newscasting.  But we do.  And while I realize corruption is prevalent all over the U.S., I’d hoped that at least the places we’re supposed to go to learn about this corruption would be what they’re supposed to be.  An honest portrayal of the bullshit going on in our government, in our streets, and in our lives.

You wanna know how to be more popular?

Stop running more stories about celebrities than real world conflict.  Tell us the truth.  Don’t sugar coat it, or pander to our delicate sensibilities.  Don’t censor it.  And don’t let the government shut you down.

If we all stand up, they can’t beat us down.  Stop helping them hold us down.  Help us stand up! Because you know what? Once they’ve beaten us into submission, you’re next.  And then, you’ll be nothing but actors on a screen.  You’re not much more than that, now.

The news is supposed to have more integrity than that.  Live up to your potential.

Sarcasm.  The only way to report.