Make Camouflage Purple

10-21-10




Yesterday, dozens of people gathered in Long Beach with a vigil dedicated to the bullied gay teens that have been headline news the past few months.



On the other side of the country, our current administration lifted a judge’s orders that got rid of the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy in our military.



Does anyone else see the problem with this?



Blogs, articles, and programs are everywhere in honor of October being Anti Bulling Month. I applaud this effort. It is a real shame that children are being taunted to the point of hanging themselves just to get away from it. Our parental community needs to be more involved in order to help combat this very serious problem.



Yet, how incredibly discouraging to these efforts is it when our government, the administration that leads us, has effectively turned their back on bullies in our military.



Don’t ask, Don’t tell is horrid. There are brave men and women out there that choose to serve our country. Let me tell you, I would never do it. Not in a million years. Yet these folks not only choose to do it, they love it. They thrive in the environment.



But despite their service, we tell them to not be themselves. We appreciate your risks, but don’t you dare let anyone know you are gay. Where is the logic in this?



We are fighting a war here on our own soil. We are trying to combat the mean kids that think it is ok to pick on someone because they are different. How can we possibly explain to a kid that it isn’t ok to single someone out, when we do it every day on a more grand scale?



I urge this current administration to abandon this primitive policy. I urge them to take a page from this month’s ribbon awareness program. Maybe the military needs to wear purple for the day and rather than treat your fellow soldier as the enemy, embrace them as your comrade in arms. It is this example that will go a long way in our schools and communities across this country.