My Overarching Philosophy Of Education - 898 Words

My overarching philosophy of education is a very simple one: intentional inclusion of everyone and creating a safe haven for all students. In order to accomplish this, the teacher should have a clear understanding of the goal of education, the role of the teacher, responsibilities of the students, roles and opportunities among parents and community member, and the power of knowledge. Because I believe that the goal of education is to give equal opportunity to everyone, I believe strongly in public education. We are all born into families and circumstances that are entirely beyond our control. In many societies and cultures, the circumstances of our birth determine our future. Among modern free nations, however, public education presents the opportunity for anyone to be successful and to determine their own definition of success. This is especially true in the United States. Here, we rely on education not only to provide equal opportunities for success to all members of society, but we rely on our public education system to educate each consecutive generation to be future stewards of our democratic system of government. This is a noble task, indeed, and not one I take lightly. Without a solid system of public education, I feel strongly that our society and the individual members of that society would fail. Given this massive responsibility of public education, the role of the classroom teacher is equally large. As a teacher, I am responsible for many aspects of my student’sShow MoreRelatedCharacteristics Of The Leadership Styles994 Words   |  4 Pagesreading demonstrated unique qualities that would be beneficial when dealing with specific situations and social groups. Below, I outlined the three significant differences I observed in the text, and gave examples of how the differences connected to my own professional life. Difference #1: Intellectual leadership is a style prompted by the demand for change, which is rooted in creative problem solving. Burns states that â€Å"the life of an intellectual leader is inherently conflict ridden† (p.143)Read MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education859 Words   |  4 PagesProfessional Philosophy of Education As a teacher, it is important to acknowledge the diversity of students because teachers can be the biggest influence in children s lives. My career will be affected by the students I teach. I can influence them to change their lives, strive to achieve things they didn t think they could, and be an advocate for them. Teachers can affect change. My professional philosophy is to provide guidance for students. Future Career In my future career, I hope to be a classroomRead MoreTeaching Is Incredibly Beneficial For My Learning988 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 408, I am confident in my ideologies as a future educator and am excited about utilizing them in future secondary English Language Arts classrooms. At the beginning of this course, I came to the realization that there are often times a cookie cutter model teacher that administrators often look for. Even the College of Education at Michigan State has an idea of what types of teachers they want to produce, not to say that it is a bad thing, simply a philosophy on teaching. The most valuableRead MoreMy Experience As A Primary Teacher839 Words   |  4 Pagesthroughout my experience as a primary teacher for five years in British Schools, I realized that as a teacher, I need to include all the students with diverse abilities and to meet their learning needs. At the beginning, I found it challenging to practice the inclusive education strategy in my clas sroom, so I started to read more about the definition of inclusion and the factors that affect the teachers’ practical experience. Later, I was inspired by the relation between the inclusive education and theRead MoreEducation Enhances Intellectual Character1023 Words   |  4 PagesPurpose of education: In my view, one of the fundamental purposes of education is to enable active learning which not only deepens understanding of the concepts at hand, but also enhances intellectual character. Rather than viewing education as a one-way transmission of knowledge from teacher to student, I am of the belief that education should follow a student-centric paradigm in which students are integral parts of the educational process. The characteristics of such constructivist pedagogy symbolizeRead MoreWhy I Become A Teacher Essay1493 Words   |  6 PagesIn Education, I feel that each and every child should be considered as a unique individual. Children need secure, stimulating and caring atmospheres so that may grow maturely, intellectually, physically and socially. This is one of the main reasons I have chosen to become a teacher. Employers usually search for certain skills, qualities, talents in characteristics when looking for potential teachers and I feel that I possess many. I am a very organized individual; I have a lot of patience and experienceRead MoreMy Personal Statement On Teaching Philosophy881 Words   |  4 PagesTeaching Philosophy Why I Am Here†¦ I am here to help my students become their best self. I am here to help my students in their education and to help them become better people and citizens. As a teacher, my goal is to help my students succeed in any way I can. I became a teacher because teaching gives me a chance to help kids grow and develop a love for learning, instead of a loathing for school. I want to be a teacher because I want to make a difference. I will make a positive impact on my student’sRead MorePersonal Leadership : Leadership And Its Challenges And Opportunities1800 Words   |  8 Pagesdescribing a personal leadership philosophy. This is explored by presenting a squadron commander’s biggest leadership challenge. Additionally, an analysis of the leadership challenge is evaluated in context with the author’s leadership philosophy. In accomplishing these elements, this paper will provide a learning opportunity and insight into leadership and its challenges and opportunities. PERSONAL STYLE When confronted by a Group Commander about my leadership philosophy, I would say a triple bottomRead MoreThe Purpose Of An English Teacher1630 Words   |  7 Pagesinto the minds of his or her students, through various methods and mediums such as stories, grammar exercises, and literary writing assignments that challenge students to think critically. English is an interesting subject, in relevance to education and philosophy; because, outside of grammar, there are few concrete avenues an educator can take in order to â€Å"properly† teach it. However, there are standards by which educational organizations follow and promote, such as the Common Core Standards. OneRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Nursing At Lehman College1110 Words   |  5 Pageshealth care, but they must also possess a strong desire and passion to care and help patients who are in their most vulnerable states. The primary goal of nursing is empowerment of patient through advocacy, health promotion and education, a long with direct care. The philosophy of Department of Nursing at Lehman College relates to human science simply because it expresses the ways in which nursing plays a crucial role in the maintenance of health. Not only are nurses working to maintain the health and

Should Illegal Immigrants Be Allowed to Receive Social...

Should Illegal Immigrants be allowed to receive Social Services? Immigration is a large and controversial topic as far as the United States is concerned. However, there is one subject in question that isn’t quite openly addressed and up for discussion, as say border control. American citizens face many difficulties dealing with the admission of people in the United States illegally. The primary obstacles facing the system today include overcrowding in schools, availability of jobs and the unnecessary usage of Americans’ tax dollars. Unless every immigrant pays taxes, I do not believe they should receive health and social services. Some people argue that although illegal, immigrants still pay taxes (Carabelli 2-3). Numerous immigrants†¦show more content†¦This makes the teaching of immigrants more expensive, especially in areas where immigrants are dense [ (Carabelli 9) ]. One solution that has been brought to the table many times is amnesty. President Reagan signed the Simpson-Mazoli Act in 1986, which forgave about 2.7 million immigrants for entering illegally, and allowed them to stay [ (Mcmanus 1) ]. The reason for this generous agreement was the hope that it would stop more illegal aliens from coming into the United States. This accord didn’t exactly help the problem. In fact, it became more intense, and more illegal aliens crossed the borders into our country [ (Mcmanus 1) ]. Since the big amnesty in 1986, the US has let about three million additional immigrants in. The authorities responsible for allowing them to stay neglect to admit it was them who did it because it attracted more newcomers [ (Mcmanus 1) ]. Even if the United States attempted amnesty again, it would fail for the exact same reason. Granting them amnesty is giving them what they want and in the long run, that costs the US more money than just deporting them. During the Second World War, many immigrants came across the borders to take the jobs of those who were a part of the army. When the war ended, service men came back to find that most of their jobs were taken, immigrants were committing many crimes that ruined the communities, and their millions of children wereShow MoreRelatedIllegal Immigrants Persuasive Essay1217 Words   |  5 PagesIllegal Immigrants Taking Advantage of the United States Should illegal immigrants be allowed to get in for free? Should they be allowed to enter while others spend years following the rules in order to gain their legal entry? In today’s society, the people of the United States are being taken advantage by the illegal immigrants. There are many examples in the news today demonstrating illegal immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to cross the border like the economic deficit, crime or the protection ofRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States1481 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States has been a country filled with immigrants ever since it began to flourish a few hundred years ago in the eighteenth century. Everyone, to begin with, had their eye on the United States. They were all in search of a bright future with a new life in a new place, just as the many immigrants we see here today are. People were curious about life here and what later on was called the â€Å"American Dream;† they wanted to know what it was r eally like. However, over the years, legal residencyRead MoreAre Babies Born on the United States Soil Be Considered Full-fledged Citizens or Not?1360 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States to illegal alien mothers are often referred to as anchor babies†. Under current practice, these children are United States citizens at birth, simply because they were born on United States soil. They are called anchor babies because, as United States citizens, they become eligible to sponsor their relatives when they turn 21 years of age, thus becoming the legal United States anchor for an extended immigrant family (Shopper). Thus, the United States born children of illegal aliens notRead MoreIllegals Are Costing Americans A Lot Of Money1289 Words   |  6 Pagesundocumented illegals in our country today. Only about .5% is sent back to their home country. That is too many illegals for the U.S. to take care of, and a lot of them are taking American jobs increasing our unemployment rate. Most o f these Illegals bring in many drugs so they can get money to start a new life. There are too many Illegals coming into our county its’s a problem and we need to change that. Illegals are costing Americans a lot of money. In 2000 Mexico proposed that its poor works should beRead MoreIllegal Immigration: Too Large a Burden on America1235 Words   |  5 PagesIllegal Immigration: Too Large a Burden on America â€Å"Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than 26.3 billion dollars in costs on the federal government†¦and paid only 16 billion dollars in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost 10.4 billion dollars, or two thousand seven hundred dollars per illegal household† (Miller 1). Some people would argue that immigrants come to America to take jobs that no one else will do, but the illegal immigrants are in fact draining social servicesRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States1388 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has plagued the United States since immigration laws were created, and has worsened in recent history. Since Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty for 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for increased border security, millions of people have entered the country illegally. Over the past 30 years, the illegal immigrant population of the country has more than doubled from 5 million in 1986 to over 11.5 million in 2015. It has become one of theRead MorePersuasive Essay On Illegal Immigration1459 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants have been coming to America way before the declaration of Independence in 1776. The United States of America has had immigrants from every nationality in the world seeking a better life or to pursue economic opportunities that may not be available in their native home. The majority of immigrants in the late nineteenth century arrived in the country on boats. Denial of entry were for the individuals whom are criminals, anarchists, or carriers of disease. Immigrants has the ability toRead MoreIllegal Immigrants, Health Care, And Social Responsibility1430 Words   |  6 Pages209 Illegal Immigrants, Health Care, and Social Responsibility Immigration has been and is one big problem that is widespread these days. Immigration means to move from one country to another for the purpose of one better life, better job, better health etc. The other problem that comes with immigration is the illegal immigration that in these days is growing up so fast. Illegal immigration is a problem that affects all the developed countries like America. An illegal immigrant is definedRead MoreEssay about The Issue of Illegal Immigrants from Mexico853 Words   |  4 PagesThe Issue of Illegal Immigrants from Mexico One of the most controversial political issues of today is that of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Illegal immigration into the United States is a problem that should be stopped, as it is unfair to both Americans and to the people of the country from which they illegal immigrated. It is that the majority of illegal aliens residing in the United States are Mexicans. Roy Beck clarifies the situation by stating, The national consensus is that theRead MoreThe Economic Impact Of Illegal Immigration902 Words   |  4 PagesThe economic impact of illegal immigrants in Texas has brought concerns for the state s economy. Such as opportunities, health care, and education. Illegal immigrants contribute both positively and negatively to the Texas economy. They contribute positively by paying for taxes such as sales taxes, health taxes and taxes imposed on items. The negative impacts these immigrants have on the Texas economy seems to overweigh these positive impacts. Their presence has mad e general wages go down for unqualified

Gays in the Military Free Essays

string(54) " not comfortable with living with a known homosexual\." Steven Danielson Gays in the Military A hot topic in the news these days is whether gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military. Many issues have arisen from allowing or not allowing gays to serve openly. Those opposed are concerned that gays would cause a break down in unit cohesion, a rise in assaults or violence, a drop in recruitment or retention, and feel that since America is currently fighting two wars that right now is not a good time to implement a new policy when it is felt that the current one is working just fine. We will write a custom essay sample on Gays in the Military or any similar topic only for you Order Now Numerous studies have been conducted on this issue. Through poll, surveys, observing other countries that allow gays to serve openly and even by checking history it is felt that this would not be the case. Given all the evidence that points to allowing gays to serve openly outweigh any negatives that would possibly come about. Gays make up a portion of key personnel that is sorely needed in this time of war especially with a all volunteer force. The fact that military personal are being lost due to this law not only is harmful to military it also wrong on that these gays are having their basic human rights violated by the very country they are trying to protect. This has been an issue within the military since the very beginnings of its establishment of this nation since â€Å"The discharge of military personnel for homosexual behavior dates from at least the continental army of the revolutionary period† (Rayside 258). The military had a strict no gays allowed to serve for many years and it wasn’t until former president Clinton raised the issue in his campaign for presidency in 1991 did it come onto the radar of the news and on the minds of the American people. He promised to fight to have it so gays could serve in the armed forces of the United States. When he was elected president he set out to change things. Then President made a effort to change the policy but â€Å"Clinton was persuaded by the military, mobilized by Chief of Staff Colin Powell, not to fulfill his campaign promise to allow gays and leasbians to serve openly† (Pencak 178). He was unable to change the policy drastically and had to settle for a compromise with the military and congress. This is where we got the still standing don’t ask don’t tell policy. This new law allowed gays to serve but they were required to keep their sexual orientation private and by going public with it would end in discharge from the service. The new policy also covered any homosexual actions stating that â€Å"A service member who engages in, attempts to engage in, or solicits a homosexual act is to be discharged, unless he can prove that such an act was an aberration and is unlikely to recur† (Hillman 264). If they were to state that they were gays or attempt to marry someone of the same sex this would too lead to termination. The phrase â€Å"don’t ask don’t tell† comes from the fact that no one will ever ask if you are gays; as the military used to screen potential future military members by asking them before they joined. The don’t ask tell part comes from the fact that a gay service member must not tell anyone that they are homosexual. Later â€Å"don’t pursue† would added to it, meaning that the military would not pursue a suspected gay member as long as they didn’t tell. This was established out of fear that people would conduct â€Å"witch hunts† for gay members. Since the 1980s over 32,000 active duty members have been discharged for being gay. This is a large percent of people who were willing to serve but through no fault of their own we told they could not and were sent on their way. That is 32,000 already fully trained personnel that had to be replaced costing the country millions of dollars. There had been cases were people with key jobs being discharged as in a few Arabic translators be discharge when as of now they are in great demand. Discharging these personal is non sense. Not only is it violating their rights, â€Å"U. S. law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, race, or gender with regard to the rights of citizenship, the military maintains policies that are opposed to this most-basic American ideal† but it is putting this country and other service members at risk cause translators are a key competent of fighting the war on terror (Issit 4). How can a military succeed in winning the hearts and minds of people they cannot even talk with? The number of service members discharged each year in the United States is approximately 1,000-1,200. All of which are needed to be replaced with new people who require training. Losing the experience of those who were serving longer period of times is detrimental to the military because they possess the knowledge and skills required to accomplish the mission and have the ability to pass they knowledge on to new personnel. The amount of money required to replace them is enough that any tax paying American would be upset about. There are many reasons for someone to be discharged, from drug use to medical reasons. By changing this law the country would be losing a third less personnel each year. The American public is split on the issue. With about 60% saying that gays should be allowed to serve and 40% feeling they should be able to serve openly. A service wide survey was conducted asking the opinions of those who would be serving side by side with gays. The views of current service member varied much like that of American civilians. But they had reason for their concern when it came to those who opposed it. They were concerns about privacy issues. They were not comfortable with living with a known homosexual. You read "Gays in the Military" in category "Essay examples" The military does not allow males and females to share a room and there is concern having a same sex and gays living together. This might lead to a change in housing policy and bathroom faculties in having to separate men and women and gay men and lesbian women. This would lead to having to make new restrooms and building of new living quarters for gays. With another concern being the effect on Unit cohesion which can be broken down in two parts; task cohesion and social cohesion. Task cohesion referring to the ability to work together effectively in order to accomplish a mission and social cohesion referring to the emotional bonds and trust among unit members (US Government, DoD 102). The military is worried that gays would become a distraction for straights and this would disrupt the comradely between troops, all of which is very important in a wartime setting â€Å"because soldiers must withstand the tremendous emotional strain of seeing many of their friends brutally killed by the enemy† (Wilson 2). There are also religious and moral issues that have been brought up. The fact is that most religions say the homosexuality is wrong and by making personnel who are religious serve with gays infringes on the religious beliefs and the right to religious freedom in the military. Some feel that being gay is just wrong and do no want to be force to work alongside or live with someone of is known to be gay. Some also believe that don’t ask don’t tell law is working just fine and that it should just stay that way feeling that gays can serve but they just have to keep their sexuality to themselves. The same people feel that right now is not the best time to change the policy. Service member have a lot on their plates right now fighting two wars it that a change in the don’t ask don’t tell policy right now is just not the time to do so. There are some who are concerned that if gays were to serve openly then that would result in unwanted sexual advances and assaults. There is objection to gays showing public displays of affection. And that a gays flamboyant behavior would be a distraction. The possibility of a rise in HIV is of concern too. There is a belief that AIDS is a running epidemic in the gay community and by allowing those to serve would lead to a increase in the HIV cases in the services. Marriage is another issue in that where would the money come from to pay for all the new cases of same sex marriages because married members receive benefits for the spouses and are paid more too. Some members feel that gays would become a protected class and in return would be forced to acknowledge gay pride week and be forced to mingle with them outside of work. With the fear that if they chose no too there would be displiniary actions placed against them. Other feel that the military is the last moral institution in America and feel that allowing gays to serve would destroy that. There are many service members that feel that gays should be allowed to serve openly and the have reasons for their support of the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell policy. Many know that there already are gays serving and by allowing them to acknowledge their sexual orientation is not going to change anything. There is a feeling that as long as the gay service member can do their job then there is no reason they cannot serve. A person in America has the right to be who they are and by discharging a gay person who only wants to fight and protect the country that provides them that right is wrong. Any American regardless of sexual orientation should be allowed to sever their country. In given that this is a time of war the military needs every service member it can get. Since it is an all volunteer force they should allow anyone who wants to volunteer serve. The military is behind the times when is comes to its policy of homosexuals. It is the only institution that is discriminating openly against gays. It is illegal to fire a person from their jobs for being gays any where else they could be working and the military should be no different. Upon looking at the results of other militaries allowing gays to serve it is scene that it really has no effect on anything what so ever. So there is no reason not to believe that the some non-event would happen in the United States military too. If one is too look on when the military started to allow blacks and white to sever together as well as men and women it is seen that this was not harmful, but actually beneficial to the military as a whole. It is a brden to gays in the military to have to hide their homosexuality and that if there was a repeal to this law then that would liberate them from the fear of discharge. It is not that gays want to be able to tell everyone that they are gay but more that they won’t be afraid of losing their job if it were found out. â€Å"Sexual harassment regulations and sensitivity training would need to be updated, and guidance from leadership would be necessary† if this transition to a openly gay military is to be done (Prakash 92). History is said to repeat itself and if that is the case then there should be no problems associated with the repeal of the â€Å"don’t ask, don’t tell† law. Prior to 1953 blacks were not allowed to serve in the same unit as whites. There are similarities to be found when comparing concerns for when the racial integration of African-Americans was underway and the integration of homosexuals today in that â€Å"military leaders predicted disastrous consequences for unit cohesion, discipline, troop morale, and the achievement of military goals† (Knapp 239). Racial integration was a much bigger deal to the country than that of the integration of gays today. We can see that once racial integration was implemented that it turned out just fine. But it must be acknowledged that blacks are not gays so it won’t be exactly the same type of movement. The integration of women into the military also came out in positive terms. Though gender integration was slower than that of blacks, it is fully integrated today. Today women and blacks make up a sizable portion of the military and without their service the military would not as strong as it is today. Women and African-Americans have succeeded in the U. S. military so there is no reason to believe that gays and lesbians cannot do the same. Many other nations’ military allow gays to openly serve and they experienced few if any problems because of it. It is such a non existent problem that it is considered a non-issue to most. The major militaries to open to gays are the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Israel. When these countries lifted their bans on gays in their militaries they noticed that nothing changed. In a official report released by the Canadian government it was stated that â€Å"Despite all the anxiety that existed through the late 80’s into the early 90’s about the change in policy, here’s what the indicators show—no effect† (Belkin 108). It was thought that maybe a mass coming out would happen but it didn’t. Most still chose to keep their sexual orientation a private matter and only disclosed it to certain people, much like gays in the corporate world or anywhere else for that matter. The repeal is more for gays not to be discharged or fear being discharged for being gay and less for them to be able to go around and tell everyone that they are gay. There were no noticeable changes to recruiting numbers of the number of people choosing to remain in the military as a result of the lift ban on gays. The United Kingdom show no increase in same sex harassment and most countries commented that harassment die to gender integration was far more pronounced then harassment die to sexual orientation (US Government, DoD 92). This shows one that there is no reason that the integration of gays into the U. S. military will be difficult for its service members to adapt to. It will surely be a non-issue here itself. When looking at the issue of integrating gays into other organizations it is seen that many on the same things occurred that happened in the militaries that did the same. In 1998 an Executive Order was established in the prohibition of discrimination based on the sexual orientation for civilian employees in all Federal agencies. Many states have done the same with state organizations. It is to be noted that employees of these institutions reported that having day and lesbian personnel among their ranks has had no effect on their organization’s performance (US Government, DoD 94). It was found that in some cases allowing gays to be open about their sexual orientation actually improved their performance because now they were not worried about someone finding out they were gay and we able to put more focus on their work. When looking at the issue of privacy that was of a concern to some service members it was seen that in these organizations there was no need for additional accommodations for gays and lesbians. They also say the same thing when it came to gays publically announcing their homosexuality. It was found that none really chose to come out to everybody but instead only to certain people. And as far as service member worrying about the â€Å"flamboyant behavior† one might witness in the military by a gay is just not the case in the corporate world. Gays are very well aware of the professionalism associated with a Federal or State job and surely would be the case for any gay military member and would not act in such a way. There are many sides to this debate and given the concerns of each side it should be looked at carefully. When one does observe each side they can see that the concerns of those opposed to the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell are trivial and based on stereotypes and should not be enough to stop and any American from serving their country. The loss of personnel is unacceptable when their service is needed the most in these times of war. When seeing how other militaries favored with their lifting of bans on gays it can be seen that it was so little a problem and should be the case here. Today’s troops do have a lot going on with fighting two wars and don’t need another thing on their plate, but they do need every helping hand they can get. It most likely would be the case that if repealed many troops would not disclose their sexual orientation so much would not change since a lot of troops know that they are already serving along side gays and lesbians. When weighing the pros and cons of this issue one shouldn’t be able to infringe on a American’s desire to serve their country based on their sexual orientation. It be great if these brave gay and lesbian women didn’t have to worry about their military careers coming to an end of they were or someone were to disclose their sexual orientation that way they would be able to fully concentrate on their mission. How to cite Gays in the Military, Essay examples Gays in the Military Free Essays string(54) " not comfortable with living with a known homosexual\." Steven Danielson Gays in the Military A hot topic in the news these days is whether gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military. Many issues have arisen from allowing or not allowing gays to serve openly. Those opposed are concerned that gays would cause a break down in unit cohesion, a rise in assaults or violence, a drop in recruitment or retention, and feel that since America is currently fighting two wars that right now is not a good time to implement a new policy when it is felt that the current one is working just fine. We will write a custom essay sample on Gays in the Military or any similar topic only for you Order Now Numerous studies have been conducted on this issue. Through poll, surveys, observing other countries that allow gays to serve openly and even by checking history it is felt that this would not be the case. Given all the evidence that points to allowing gays to serve openly outweigh any negatives that would possibly come about. Gays make up a portion of key personnel that is sorely needed in this time of war especially with a all volunteer force. The fact that military personal are being lost due to this law not only is harmful to military it also wrong on that these gays are having their basic human rights violated by the very country they are trying to protect. This has been an issue within the military since the very beginnings of its establishment of this nation since â€Å"The discharge of military personnel for homosexual behavior dates from at least the continental army of the revolutionary period† (Rayside 258). The military had a strict no gays allowed to serve for many years and it wasn’t until former president Clinton raised the issue in his campaign for presidency in 1991 did it come onto the radar of the news and on the minds of the American people. He promised to fight to have it so gays could serve in the armed forces of the United States. When he was elected president he set out to change things. Then President made a effort to change the policy but â€Å"Clinton was persuaded by the military, mobilized by Chief of Staff Colin Powell, not to fulfill his campaign promise to allow gays and leasbians to serve openly† (Pencak 178). He was unable to change the policy drastically and had to settle for a compromise with the military and congress. This is where we got the still standing don’t ask don’t tell policy. This new law allowed gays to serve but they were required to keep their sexual orientation private and by going public with it would end in discharge from the service. The new policy also covered any homosexual actions stating that â€Å"A service member who engages in, attempts to engage in, or solicits a homosexual act is to be discharged, unless he can prove that such an act was an aberration and is unlikely to recur† (Hillman 264). If they were to state that they were gays or attempt to marry someone of the same sex this would too lead to termination. The phrase â€Å"don’t ask don’t tell† comes from the fact that no one will ever ask if you are gays; as the military used to screen potential future military members by asking them before they joined. The don’t ask tell part comes from the fact that a gay service member must not tell anyone that they are homosexual. Later â€Å"don’t pursue† would added to it, meaning that the military would not pursue a suspected gay member as long as they didn’t tell. This was established out of fear that people would conduct â€Å"witch hunts† for gay members. Since the 1980s over 32,000 active duty members have been discharged for being gay. This is a large percent of people who were willing to serve but through no fault of their own we told they could not and were sent on their way. That is 32,000 already fully trained personnel that had to be replaced costing the country millions of dollars. There had been cases were people with key jobs being discharged as in a few Arabic translators be discharge when as of now they are in great demand. Discharging these personal is non sense. Not only is it violating their rights, â€Å"U. S. law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, race, or gender with regard to the rights of citizenship, the military maintains policies that are opposed to this most-basic American ideal† but it is putting this country and other service members at risk cause translators are a key competent of fighting the war on terror (Issit 4). How can a military succeed in winning the hearts and minds of people they cannot even talk with? The number of service members discharged each year in the United States is approximately 1,000-1,200. All of which are needed to be replaced with new people who require training. Losing the experience of those who were serving longer period of times is detrimental to the military because they possess the knowledge and skills required to accomplish the mission and have the ability to pass they knowledge on to new personnel. The amount of money required to replace them is enough that any tax paying American would be upset about. There are many reasons for someone to be discharged, from drug use to medical reasons. By changing this law the country would be losing a third less personnel each year. The American public is split on the issue. With about 60% saying that gays should be allowed to serve and 40% feeling they should be able to serve openly. A service wide survey was conducted asking the opinions of those who would be serving side by side with gays. The views of current service member varied much like that of American civilians. But they had reason for their concern when it came to those who opposed it. They were concerns about privacy issues. They were not comfortable with living with a known homosexual. You read "Gays in the Military" in category "Papers" The military does not allow males and females to share a room and there is concern having a same sex and gays living together. This might lead to a change in housing policy and bathroom faculties in having to separate men and women and gay men and lesbian women. This would lead to having to make new restrooms and building of new living quarters for gays. With another concern being the effect on Unit cohesion which can be broken down in two parts; task cohesion and social cohesion. Task cohesion referring to the ability to work together effectively in order to accomplish a mission and social cohesion referring to the emotional bonds and trust among unit members (US Government, DoD 102). The military is worried that gays would become a distraction for straights and this would disrupt the comradely between troops, all of which is very important in a wartime setting â€Å"because soldiers must withstand the tremendous emotional strain of seeing many of their friends brutally killed by the enemy† (Wilson 2). There are also religious and moral issues that have been brought up. The fact is that most religions say the homosexuality is wrong and by making personnel who are religious serve with gays infringes on the religious beliefs and the right to religious freedom in the military. Some feel that being gay is just wrong and do no want to be force to work alongside or live with someone of is known to be gay. Some also believe that don’t ask don’t tell law is working just fine and that it should just stay that way feeling that gays can serve but they just have to keep their sexuality to themselves. The same people feel that right now is not the best time to change the policy. Service member have a lot on their plates right now fighting two wars it that a change in the don’t ask don’t tell policy right now is just not the time to do so. There are some who are concerned that if gays were to serve openly then that would result in unwanted sexual advances and assaults. There is objection to gays showing public displays of affection. And that a gays flamboyant behavior would be a distraction. The possibility of a rise in HIV is of concern too. There is a belief that AIDS is a running epidemic in the gay community and by allowing those to serve would lead to a increase in the HIV cases in the services. Marriage is another issue in that where would the money come from to pay for all the new cases of same sex marriages because married members receive benefits for the spouses and are paid more too. Some members feel that gays would become a protected class and in return would be forced to acknowledge gay pride week and be forced to mingle with them outside of work. With the fear that if they chose no too there would be displiniary actions placed against them. Other feel that the military is the last moral institution in America and feel that allowing gays to serve would destroy that. There are many service members that feel that gays should be allowed to serve openly and the have reasons for their support of the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell policy. Many know that there already are gays serving and by allowing them to acknowledge their sexual orientation is not going to change anything. There is a feeling that as long as the gay service member can do their job then there is no reason they cannot serve. A person in America has the right to be who they are and by discharging a gay person who only wants to fight and protect the country that provides them that right is wrong. Any American regardless of sexual orientation should be allowed to sever their country. In given that this is a time of war the military needs every service member it can get. Since it is an all volunteer force they should allow anyone who wants to volunteer serve. The military is behind the times when is comes to its policy of homosexuals. It is the only institution that is discriminating openly against gays. It is illegal to fire a person from their jobs for being gays any where else they could be working and the military should be no different. Upon looking at the results of other militaries allowing gays to serve it is scene that it really has no effect on anything what so ever. So there is no reason not to believe that the some non-event would happen in the United States military too. If one is too look on when the military started to allow blacks and white to sever together as well as men and women it is seen that this was not harmful, but actually beneficial to the military as a whole. It is a brden to gays in the military to have to hide their homosexuality and that if there was a repeal to this law then that would liberate them from the fear of discharge. It is not that gays want to be able to tell everyone that they are gay but more that they won’t be afraid of losing their job if it were found out. â€Å"Sexual harassment regulations and sensitivity training would need to be updated, and guidance from leadership would be necessary† if this transition to a openly gay military is to be done (Prakash 92). History is said to repeat itself and if that is the case then there should be no problems associated with the repeal of the â€Å"don’t ask, don’t tell† law. Prior to 1953 blacks were not allowed to serve in the same unit as whites. There are similarities to be found when comparing concerns for when the racial integration of African-Americans was underway and the integration of homosexuals today in that â€Å"military leaders predicted disastrous consequences for unit cohesion, discipline, troop morale, and the achievement of military goals† (Knapp 239). Racial integration was a much bigger deal to the country than that of the integration of gays today. We can see that once racial integration was implemented that it turned out just fine. But it must be acknowledged that blacks are not gays so it won’t be exactly the same type of movement. The integration of women into the military also came out in positive terms. Though gender integration was slower than that of blacks, it is fully integrated today. Today women and blacks make up a sizable portion of the military and without their service the military would not as strong as it is today. Women and African-Americans have succeeded in the U. S. military so there is no reason to believe that gays and lesbians cannot do the same. Many other nations’ military allow gays to openly serve and they experienced few if any problems because of it. It is such a non existent problem that it is considered a non-issue to most. The major militaries to open to gays are the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Israel. When these countries lifted their bans on gays in their militaries they noticed that nothing changed. In a official report released by the Canadian government it was stated that â€Å"Despite all the anxiety that existed through the late 80’s into the early 90’s about the change in policy, here’s what the indicators show—no effect† (Belkin 108). It was thought that maybe a mass coming out would happen but it didn’t. Most still chose to keep their sexual orientation a private matter and only disclosed it to certain people, much like gays in the corporate world or anywhere else for that matter. The repeal is more for gays not to be discharged or fear being discharged for being gay and less for them to be able to go around and tell everyone that they are gay. There were no noticeable changes to recruiting numbers of the number of people choosing to remain in the military as a result of the lift ban on gays. The United Kingdom show no increase in same sex harassment and most countries commented that harassment die to gender integration was far more pronounced then harassment die to sexual orientation (US Government, DoD 92). This shows one that there is no reason that the integration of gays into the U. S. military will be difficult for its service members to adapt to. It will surely be a non-issue here itself. When looking at the issue of integrating gays into other organizations it is seen that many on the same things occurred that happened in the militaries that did the same. In 1998 an Executive Order was established in the prohibition of discrimination based on the sexual orientation for civilian employees in all Federal agencies. Many states have done the same with state organizations. It is to be noted that employees of these institutions reported that having day and lesbian personnel among their ranks has had no effect on their organization’s performance (US Government, DoD 94). It was found that in some cases allowing gays to be open about their sexual orientation actually improved their performance because now they were not worried about someone finding out they were gay and we able to put more focus on their work. When looking at the issue of privacy that was of a concern to some service members it was seen that in these organizations there was no need for additional accommodations for gays and lesbians. They also say the same thing when it came to gays publically announcing their homosexuality. It was found that none really chose to come out to everybody but instead only to certain people. And as far as service member worrying about the â€Å"flamboyant behavior† one might witness in the military by a gay is just not the case in the corporate world. Gays are very well aware of the professionalism associated with a Federal or State job and surely would be the case for any gay military member and would not act in such a way. There are many sides to this debate and given the concerns of each side it should be looked at carefully. When one does observe each side they can see that the concerns of those opposed to the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell are trivial and based on stereotypes and should not be enough to stop and any American from serving their country. The loss of personnel is unacceptable when their service is needed the most in these times of war. When seeing how other militaries favored with their lifting of bans on gays it can be seen that it was so little a problem and should be the case here. Today’s troops do have a lot going on with fighting two wars and don’t need another thing on their plate, but they do need every helping hand they can get. It most likely would be the case that if repealed many troops would not disclose their sexual orientation so much would not change since a lot of troops know that they are already serving along side gays and lesbians. When weighing the pros and cons of this issue one shouldn’t be able to infringe on a American’s desire to serve their country based on their sexual orientation. It be great if these brave gay and lesbian women didn’t have to worry about their military careers coming to an end of they were or someone were to disclose their sexual orientation that way they would be able to fully concentrate on their mission. How to cite Gays in the Military, Papers