That's one expensive homophobic military policy
The financial costs to the U.S. military for discharging and replacing gay service members under the nation's "don't ask, don't tell" policy are nearly twice what the government estimated last year, according to a new University of California report. I find it odd that South Korea only discharged eight gay servicemen last year by comparison. Anyway, speaking of protecting the homeland, on the backs of people of color, I find it very disconcerting that the Justice Department asked a judge to approve Patriot Act e-mail monitoring without any evidence of criminal behavior - and instead of asking to eavesdrop on the contents of the e-mail messages, which would require some evidence of wrongdoing, prosecutors requested the identities of the correspondents. [Gay terrorist photo snagged from Robotic Kid's rather genius self-portrait collection.]
The Royal Navy has 
So there was this San Francisco group battling it out with a group from Stockton, California, to be the new home for World War II battleship the U.S.S. Iowa, and in affect to make SF the favorite, Merylin Wong, called for the ship to host a museum honoring the contribution to the American military of LGBT veterans. "It's a reflection of community support," she contended. "They're gays, etc. a component of San Francisco's population, and they want that ship in San Francisco."
Fred Phelps brought his gay-hate sideshow to the funerals of two Tennessee GIs killed in Iraq, saying 
Mario Benfield was in San Diego chitchatting with other veterans at an American Legion convention. His official cap and jacket made it clear he was from San Francisco, which invited a question from a fellow legionnaire. "He said, 'How is that fruity post doing in your district?'" Benfield recalled. "So I said, 'I'm the commander of that fruity post, and we're doing fine.'" Alexander Hamilton Post 448 will 
The new Jimi Hendrix biography by Charles Cross called "Room Full of Mirrors" 
The Bush administration 
The Supreme Court today agreed to consider whether colleges and universities may bar military recruiters from their campuses without fear of losing federal funds. At issue is a provision in a 1994 law that requires schools to give recruiters full access to their students or face the loss of federal grants and contracts. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of 25 law schools that restricted recruiters who were protesting the Pentagon's exclusion of openly gay and lesbian people from military service. The appeals court believed linking funds to access infringed on law schools' free speech rights. (Thanks 
The Pentagon denied 
America's top military officer, Air Force General Richard Myers, 
Retired Army Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, pictured, received a standing ovation at a women's confrerence at Texas Tech after she spoke for almost an hour about being a lesbian and recounting her fight with the military to accept gays into the service. "What I have come to is the mantra that if you are uncomfortable, that's where you need to be," she said. "I was married with children, had a late-in-life 'ah-ha, I shouldn't be here,' and after my divorce realized that I was a lesbian," Cammermeyer said. Hoping to become a general she applied for a top secret clearance. "In applying for that security clearance, I told them that I was a lesbian. This was not a popular thing to do in the military." 
Notoriously conservative U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has broken party ranks by calling for an end to a ban on openly gay members of the military. "We've tried the policy. I don't think it works. And we've spent a lot of money enforcing it," said the Miami Republican. Seventy democrats have three Republicans co-sponsoring their efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The other two are Christopher Shays of Connecticut and the formerly closeted Jim Kolbe of Arizona. 
An Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq wants a chance to remain in the military as an openly gay soldier, a desire that's bringing him into conflict with the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, as well as just about anything related to common sense. Robert Stout, 23, says he has not encountered trouble from fellow soldiers and would like to stay, but there's this policy thing. "I know a ton of gay men that would be more than willing to stay in the Army if they could just be open," Stout told The Associated Press. "But if we have to stay here and hide our lives all the time, it's just not worth it." Stout was awarded the Purple Heart after a grenade sent pieces of shrapnel into his arm, face and legs while he was operating a machine gun. 
Tommy Cook told his commanding officer he is gay after a sergeant threatened to kill any gay members in his unit as they prepared to go to Iraq. He was discharged, but is among 11 servicemembers 
U.S. Representative Martin Meehan (shown) stood with three generals and an admiral yesterday when he unveiled legislation to abolish the military's rule prohibiting homosexuality in the ranks. A group of more than 50 House members filed the bill yesterday which will reverse Don't Ask, Don't Tell. "In a time of war, it is outrageous that our military continues to discharge thousands of experienced and dedicated service members -- many with absolutely critical skills in the war on terror -- for reasons that have nothing to do with their conduct in uniform or their willingness to serve their country," said Meehan. Three generals and an admiral, all retired, lent their support saying sexual orientation plays no role in how effective a soldier is. "We need to eliminate the homophobia in the United States military," said Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr.
Now that the British Navy is advertising for gay recruits, there of course is a bit of wailing and teeth-gnashing. But Colin Richardson notes, "I remember interviewing quite a senior naval officer shortly after the lifting of the ban. He was planning to take his boyfriend to a mess dinner on board ship, with the full backing of his commanding officers. As far as I know, the defenses of our island realm are still intact."
Much has been written in the past 10 years about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but "Major Conflict" is the first memoir to examine one young soldier coming to terms with his sexual orientation while living and working in the homophobic context of the military as this regulation took effect. What it reveals is the devastating impact on Jeffrey McGowan's ability to fulfill his dream of serving his country in the U.S. military and to live his life with integrity as a gay man. McGowan, incidentally, was half of the first gay couple to marry in New Paltz, New York.