WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Yesterday, openly gay Congressman Barney Frank offered
a Defense bill that declares that the Pentagon's prevailing moral views
are wrong. If passed, the legislation would do away with the military's
adultery law, eliminate all legal obstacles to adult consensual sex and
make homosexual behavior legal.
"What Frank couldn't get during the 1993 gay debate he now wants to
get behind the smokescreen of military sex scandals," says FRC's retired
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Maginnis, the director for the Military Readiness
Project. "Frank calls this the 'Anti-Hypocrisy Act,' but he's the one
being hypocritical. It's obvious where Frank wants this bill to go. He wants
homosexuals to be able to openly serve and engage in now-illicit sex.
"Frank's bill was predictable," says Maginnis. "Last week,
leading homosexual activists were welcomed at the Pentagon by Clinton appointee
Fred Pang, Assistant Secretary of Defense. No doubt, the high-level meeting
dealt with advancing the homosexual agenda and Frank's bill is part of their
strategy.
"Frank's law would severely limit commanders from halting sex parties
in the barracks. As long as soldiers are consenting, anything goes. This
would make Tailhook normative," said Maginnis.
The proposal would legalize most sexual behaviors including adultery. But
adultery can have serious negative effects on morale, discipline and unit
cohesion. Current law seeks to vaccinate fragile military families against
broken commitments, domestic violence, and long-term problems for children.
Most military people are married, a fact that has been proven to be key
to readiness. That's why 858 soldiers have recently been court-martialed
for adultery. The law's crystal clarity keeps wandering eyes focused on
the mission.
The colonel said, "A military without constraints on sexual conduct
is doomed to failure. Mr. Frank's bill turns military law on its head. It
denies commanders the discretion to fit the punishment to the crime, but
in many instances consensual sexual relationships have been shown to seriously
damage readiness.
"We must be careful," says Maginnis. "What we get in our
military is what we ask for. Do we really want a fighting force marked by
free sex and shredded discipline? No!"