YOUNG: Don’t tell Oklahoma

It would be a gross understatement to say that the current administration is unpopular in my home state. Oklahomans like President Obama about as much as the Agganis faithful like Boston College. I tell you this so you understand just how bizarre it is for me to come out and applaud something that the big, bad liberal government is doing. It’s like a cow on a dairy farm saying, “You know, soy milk is pretty tasty stuff.” And when I tell you that I agree with Mr. Barack Hussein Obama – one has to say “Hussein” in Oklahoma – on a social issue, please understand that I do so at risk of excommunication from the Sooner State.

First, some background. In the recent Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America case, Judge Virginia Phillips of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled that the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy violates the First and Fifth Amendments. The Department of Justice, which must defend each and every Congressional law, appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit. There is an extremely good chance that the case will eventually work its way up to the Supreme Court itself. After all, the Court is hearing a case this fall about free speech in video games. Even the most hardcore gamers would agree that Mario and Master Chief are only slightly more important than one of the most contentious social issues since Roe v. Wade.

Judge Phillips also issued an injunction ordering the military to “suspend and discontinue” enforcement of DADT. In response, the Department of Justice requested an emergency stay of the injunction. If the stay is granted, DADT will remain in effect until the appeals process finishes. The request has naturally irked the policy’s opponents, as it was not strictly necessary for the Department of Justice to do so and the stay could postpone the abolition of DADT for years, if not indefinitely.

Here’s where I betray my Oklahoman roots and give Obama a big thumbs up. His administration has made no bones about its desire to abolish DADT, saying that it is discriminatory and wrong, but the president has always wanted the law repealed by Congress rather than struck down by the courts. Considering that he is going to catch political flak and that there’s less than a month before midterm elections, I have to admire his willingness to stand by his established principles. I bet the president calls fouls on himself when he plays pick-up basketball, too. Of course, since no player would dare get physical enough to draw a foul on the leader of the free world, it probably doesn’t come up too often.

Oh, I can almost hear the folks back home retching as I say this, but that’s not where my support for Obama ends. He is absolutely right when he says that Judge Phillips’ ruling is the wrong way for the policy to end. For better or for worse, the Constitution bestows the legislature with the right to organize the Armed Forces as it sees fit. If it felt that such a policy would strengthen the military, Congress could require that all soldiers be blondes. Even though we wouldn’t be able to parallel park our tanks, the courts couldn’t find such a law any more than extremely silly.

It’s great that the administration is willing to delay the fulfillment of its own policy objectives in order to protect the Constitution and go about changing the military through the proper channels. It shows respect for the law and there are few things more important in a civilized society. Games of “Monopoly” always get out of hand when people start breaking the rules. I usually robbed the bank and charged exorbitant rents, but never mind that. The point is that unless you do things the right way, you end up throwing dice at each other and wrestling over who gets to buy “Park Place.” That’s no way to run a board game, much less a country.

Now, the administration has DADT repeal legislation in action, and it sensibly gives the Department of Defense some discretion in how it goes about implementing the reform. Rightly or wrongly, our troops aren’t the most progressive people in the world, and simply ending DADT without addressing the very real prejudices of military culture would be disastrous for everybody involved. Soldiers aren’t suddenly going to be tolerant just because a Californian judge says so. Obama realizes that and is doing the right thing by opposing the lawsuit. While it might be disappointing to the gay community, the administration has to consider our national security and work within the law.

And that’s why this Oklahoman agrees with the president. Now, excuse me while I call my mother to assure her that I’m not a communist.