These people really do live in a fantasy world. The Pentagon study on DADT repeal has shown, according to early reports, that most troops don’t give one tinker’s damn whether or not they’re serving with gay people. Especially with younger troops, it’s just not on their radar, for the most part. They care about whether the man/woman next to them is doing their job, and whether they have each others’ backs. That’s it.
Not so for the Family Research Council:
The Pentagon study used six instruments to collect service member views about homosexuality and the proposed repeal, the most critical aspect of the study. Those instruments include closed door town hall-like meetings followed by focus groups and two confidential web-based comment sites. However, these instruments lack the scientific rigor of random sampling allegedly used by two Pentagon surveys, one for military members and another for their spouses. But those surveys are suspect.
The military member survey ignores important questions and has serious flaws.
- It fails to ask whether the homosexual ban should be repealed and whether the respondent is homosexual.
- It asks numerous questions about the impact perceived homosexuals have on unit performance and for a variety of undefined military concepts like readiness. The poll fails to corroborate the validity of the perceptions.
- It presents homosexuality — which is not defined — as a neutral factor and privacy questions only offer accommodation answers.
- Only one in four members randomly selected to participate in the survey actually participated.
The military spouse survey has similar flaws.
- It fails to ask whether the homosexual ban should be repealed and the impact of open homosexuality for military children.
- It does not address religious and moral objections to homosexuality nor define homosexuality.
- It does not address privacy and spousal concerns about open homosexual behavior in the military community.
- It assumes homosexual couples will receive the same benefits as married heterosexual military couples–although granting such benefits would likely violate the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Congress should insist on receiving detailed results from these surveys, carefully scrutinize how the Pentagon uses the views collected from these six instruments, and reject any analysis based on unscientific and or biased questioning.
Unbelievable.
Grow up, FRC. People don’t think like backwards bigots anymore.
[h/t Kyle]
Troglodytes.
Funny, the Religious Reich doesn’t seem to mind using research which lacks scientific rigor when they are bashing us!
Or if they do use scientifically rigorous research, they distort it.
The FRC fails to realize they insult reasonable personnel, and that such a survey does as well. The issue, IS about prejudice, not competence. The survey is asking military personnel if they harbor prejudice, and assumes THEY can’t do their job by knowing something so superficial about a fellow soldier.
Our fighting men and women ARE fighting men and women, and knowing someone is gay isn’t something that should send them on a tizz of panic, or distaste.
Their jobs are tough, not paid that much considering, and they are making family and personal sacrifices along with their physical risks.
I’d get peeved over people like the FRC telling me I’m SUPPOSED to be upset and afraid of what a gay soldier might do.
Especially hearing it from people not at all experienced or caring to be with military service.
Tony Perkins is a cowardly little pinch face WUSS. And every soldier is right to be insulted by the very question of whether they are homophobic or not.
It makes THEM look ridiculous.
Yeah, they are there to face a stealthy enemy, bombs, bullets and are supposed to cringe at gay people?!
Maybe the idea of gay people makes FRC’s little nuggets shrivel, but it’s saying something even more insulting they think soldiers should feel the same way.
Indeed, from my own personal experience as a straight ally, I DO laugh my a*s off at the hysteria and people who try to tell me: WHY do you actually LIKE those people?!
They don’t care why I do, they just wish I didn’t.
Wusses.