– sorry but how can we be equal if out relationships are considered interdependant ?

I wonder what Mr. Wallace means by the, “effectiveness of society”.

Australian society appears to function just like any other modern western society and in Australia anti-discrimination laws operate to protect many different groups of people from discrimination, one of those groups being gays and homosexuals.

However, Mr. Wallace holds the view that, “there is some discrimination that has to be done” and Mr. Shelton confirmed that the ACL shares that view with Mr. Wallace.

The discrimination to which Mr. Wallace referred was the “barring of homosexuals from combat roles”.

Mr. Wallace implied that if a gay or homosexual was posted to a 10 man unit what would develop would be a, “love or lust relationship” and the consequence of that would be the, “immediate damage to the phenomenon of mateship”

From this point on the reader needs a good imagination to work out the possible dynamics of what Mr. Wallace is trying to say. The reader has to try and think like a Christian Fundamentalist.

Here is my attempt;

Ok, there is a unit in the army, 9 men, and in that unit are two blokes who are good mates. A replacement is posted to the unit and he is queer as a two bob watch. One of the mates becomes infatuated with the poofta and starts fucking him. The other mate is totally disappointed and the friendship is over. The phenomenon of mateship is immediately damaged and the unit is less effective.

What makes the unit less effective?

The moral of the mate is destroyed and he doesn’t give a fuck any more and you can’t trust the pooftas because they might decide to fuck each other just when you need them. They do not have the confidence of the other men in the unit and those other men know they are three men down.

So the unit is less effective.

Should readers take heed of the warning given by Mr. Wallace and and agree with him that homosexuals should be barred from combat roles?

I do not agree with Mr. Wallace because an army is a large organisation and lots of things happen in any large organisation to both reduce and improve the organisations effectiveness.

The best unit in the army is useless if its truck brakes down and they cannot get to their destination. Lots of things can happen to reduce and improve the effectiveness of any organisation both large and small.

If a person believes that their vocation is the military and that part of the military which is deployed in combat operations it is up to that individual to become proficient in their profession. It is up to the individual to avoid or refrain from any activity which is likely to prevent them becoming proficient at their chosen profession.

The scenario I described above would indicate that those individuals were not seriously interested in becoming proficient at their profession. All organisations have to deal with personnel who behave in an inappropriate manner.

The Armed Services are no different from any other organisation in that they are also required to deal with the inappropriate behaviour of their members and the consequences of that inappropriate behaviour.

I do not agree that gays and homosexuals who believe that their vocation is the military and that part of the military that is assigned combat roles should be barred from assignment to combat roles. I think they should be given the same chance to prove themselves as a heterosexual.

Is there a way to get a full formal apology each from ACL and Brigadier Jim Wallace who made those disgraceful, demeaning, embarrassing and rude comments? I am very concerned as to this will or might encourage hatred or homophobia. Soldiers should be congratulated and fully respected for standing up to be brave and dedication to their work. If the members of the ACL were soldiers they would run like little girls crying to their mommas – while big brave gay men and heteosexual men, would in fact not run away at all and fight back!!!

Paul Mitchell.

I only hope all members of the Australian Christian Lobby and Brigadier Jim Wallace formally apologise for their silly, embarrassing and stupid comments.

I don’t get tough – I get even.